by Julian Ignatowski, Sr.
Pillar One is many times overlooked or outright ignored by so many businesses. You might say to yourself, "How hard can it be to understand the importance of making your customer happy and then doing it?" Well, you'd be amazed at just how many businesses get this all wrong. They forget that the customer is perhaps the greatest stakeholder there is, and without customers, you have no revenue. Without revenues, you have no business.
Most people are vocal enough to express what is important to them as a customer, but if you encounter a customer that has trouble speaking their mind, you should ask them what is important to them. Go ahead and ask your customer three simple questions: "Do you enjoy being our customer?" "What keeps you coming back for more?" And, finally, and perhaps most importantly, have thick enough skin to ask the customer, "Is there something that you're looking for that you wish we were doing/providing for you?" Just these few simple questions that take you zero effort to ask, will provide a plethora of information that is not only priceless, but worth putting into practice immediately. In many cases, it's the simple things that bear little if no extra cost or effort on your behalf.
For example, when I was a tax accountant of my own firm and I'd get a phone call from a prospective client, one of the first things I'd ask is, "Who referred you?" The answer to this question tells me a lot about the new prospect that I can use to start assessing the way I can tailor my services to this client, (should I be successful enough to win them over). For instance, if the person who referred the caller is a "Type A client" then I know that I will need to make sure that I'm always punctual, and that I've performed my due diligence a third or fourth time to make sure everything I present to the client is absolutely perfect. If the referral was from a "Type B client" I know I can unbutton my top button and take off the tie and relax a little. Do these assumptions always pan out for me? No, but 85% of the time they do. But, I digress...
Another important question I ask is this, "Would you like to come to me or would you like me to come to you?" This question always won me the client. Boy did this make the prospect happy. They knew immediately that if I was willing enough to accommodate them upfront, then great service was sure to follow! When I finally got to meet with the client I'd always make sure to find out who their predecessor accountant was, what they liked and what they didn't like about that accountant. Again, the vital responses that they gave me always went a long way.
Making the commute to clients sure did take up a lot of my time. In an effort to be an efficient time manager, I would usually schedule visits that were in the same area, so I could "kill two birds with one stone". The benefits of the numerous referrals that were yielded just from this small simple act more than outweighed the cost for my time on the road. If I knew a client was blind, elderly, disabled or perhaps just had a baby, I'd always offer this accommodation. I understood that this simple act made the client happy and I made sure to put it into practice. I was a tax accountant for nearly 20 years and when I retired from the business, many clients didn't even realize I actually had an office of my own!
Someone who really understands the principle of Pillar One is Bob Farrell. He is well-known for his amazing whit and charm at approaching customer service. Check out this link to hear his story which has gained worldwide popularity. Mr. Farrell's got it right...It's not what we serve, but who we serve. Enjoy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISJ1V8vBiiI&NR=1
I learned that going to my clients vs. having them come to me was their "pickle" and I gladly gave it to them. Do you know what your customer's "pickle" is? Are you willing to give it to them? How about as a customer -- what is that special "pickle" for you? Something that will make or break it for you? I'd love to hear from you....
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