A lot of people are engaged in one form of business or the other. What you should know is that customers are the lifeline of any sustainable business. In this era where everyone has plenty options, what makes the difference between one business and the other might just be how they treat their customers. Trust me, a customer may even forget how the product they bought actually looked like, but they will not forget how you made them feel. This is why, if you want your business to succeed long-term, you have to learn to treat your customers well; make them to feel valued.
I remember when one of my friends recommended a place to me to buy a gadget. I wanted to buy a flash drive to move a particular file, so I mentioned it to him, and he quickly recommended the place to me. The place was actually far, and there are other places that I could easily buy the same product. Well, I had to oblige to go to the vendor. When I entered the shop, the reception I received was amazing. I was even asking myself if it was because of only the flash drive that I was being welcomed this way. The way the sales personnel attended to me, I felt very valued. In fact, at that point, I started thinking of what else I was going to buy from the shop in addition to the flash drive. It was then that I understood why my friend had recommended me to the shop - because they treated him well. The truth is that the customer you treat well will open up doors to other customers for you.
Some businesses are always busy scouting for new customers, which is still very good, but what happens to the old ones? Your product may attract patronage, but what sustains the patronage over time is your customer relationship. If you treat them well, they will come back again and again, but if you treat them badly, you will understand that they have lots of other options, and they will choose from them. Your business should be centered around customer satisfaction. That is, give them what they want, but much more than that, treat them well. The first impression they get when they meet you will go a long way to determine if their patronage will be sustained over time.
Making your customers to feel valued includes many things. The first one is respect. Your customers are not distractions to your work. In fact, they are actually the main reason why your work exists in the first place, so show them that respect. When you meet them, greet them warmly, be glad to meet them, show them that their presence matters. Respecting people does not cost anything, rather you stand to gain a lot of things, and it also opens doors of opportunities to you. In addition to respect, you also need to learn to listen to them actively and attentively. Pay attention to their complaints, suggestions, feedbacks, and make them to know that their opinion counts.
Another very important point to note is that you have to learn personalization of services. Different customers have their own individual preferences, choices, and needs. As such, they need to be treated differently. By treating your customers in personalized manner, you will create deeper connections between them. This can even be as little as calling them by their name, remembering little details about them, etc. Imagine how you will feel when a business you patronized sometimes ago calls you on your birthday to wish you happy birthday. Of course you will be glad, and it may even make you to continue with your patronage. This is what you gain by personalization.
Always try to go an extra mile to make your customers satisfied. It does not stop at rendering the service to them, but how you render it also matters. You may not even need to do something extraordinary, just some little gestures can make a difference. Take for example, after rendering a service to your customer, you may add some "after sales services" like free delivery, so as to make them feel valued. This will not only sustain their patronage, but will also lead to referrals from them. When you treat your customers with respect, care, and attention, they will treat your business with favour.
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