TMCnews Featured Article

It seems that while companies are attempting to change the way that they deal with their customers, we are still experiencing the type of “I know what is good for you!” attitude that these days drives a lot of customers away. A recent article in Entrepreneur, authored by Toby Bottorf, offers three ways to create customer experiences that boost sales.

Essentially, Bottorf’s first point is “Talk to me like I’m a person.” When I started my own consulting firm, I would meet with the owners and explain to them in plain, simple English terms why they were having problems and how I could resolve them.

I have made it a point to not really learn acronyms, I to use real, full words to talk about something. Bottorf says that “Sure, jargon has its place. It is just specialized language, or technical shorthand, but customers are not technicians of your business.” Most people tend to be visual, meaning that a face to face meeting, as opposed to a phone call, will make them feel more comfortable.

Once you have established a personal rapport with your potential customer, the next step is to prove you really know and understand them. While there may be several businesses that do the same type of work, there are so many options available today that we need to offer our customers a unique solution.

The only way to accomplish this is to know what your customers’ expectations are, how they conduct business and what they expect in return. Sometimes this means that you have to be the diplomat. Initial discussions with the owner are important, however when it comes down to actual production, you need to know the right people to have further discussions with. You need to understand the various parts in order to get the full picture.

All of this leads to the all important concept of leveling with your customer, after all, honesty is supposed to be the best policy. While it is true the company will be coming to you because you are the expert, you have to keep in mind the Internet offers them a way of being able to check on what you are telling them.

As Bottorf says, “If they’re coming to you for info then it should be specific and exact, customized to their uniqueness. People want to know that there isn’t another, better deal out there. Don’t make it hard for them to figure that out.”

It is important to create the type of customer experience that not only keeps them coming back, but also telling others about your services, thereby gaining new customers. It is not difficult to treat your customers the way that you would like to be treated.