Do you treat your customers like stars? Here are six ways you can make them all feel important.
Here are six secrets from the world of celebrity that will get your customers buzzing about you.
1. Give Them a Red Carpet Arrival. When
a celebrity arrives for a movie premiere or a charity function, it's a
big deal! There's a red carpet. There are photographers. There are
hundreds of fans lined up, shouting their name and begging for a chance
to spend even two seconds with the star. When the rest of us arrive at a
place of business, we're lucky if we can even get someone to
acknowledge us. Treat your customers like stars by showing them you're
glad they came. Look up, smile, walk out from behind the counter and
greet them. Most people don't need a fancy carpet or paparazzi -- just
eye contact is enough!
2. Call Them By Name. Motivational
guru and author Dale Carnegie said that when remember someone's name
you "make them feel important." Remember your customer's name and use it
each time you see them. Make it a top priority, and you'll find
remembering names easier than you think. You can also find unique ways
of using someone's name. For instance, High Point University welcomes
all expected guests with their own parking space designated by a sign
bearing....you guessed it...their name. Some restaurants name dishes
after famous people. What if you named some of your products after your
best customers? Now that's the star treatment!
3. Remember and Refer. Aside
from their name, remember other details about your customer as well and
refer to them. When one grocery store manager recalled that the "grumpy
lady who comes in on Wednesdays" had been to Chicago to visit her
daughter, he asked her about the trip....and made her day! Now, that
once grumpy customer seeks the man out with a smile on her face whenever
she comes into the store. It doesn't take much to make ordinary people
feel special. Just pay attention.
4. Cater to their Personal Preferences. While
your customer may not be as picky as the celebrity who wants all the
brown M&M's taken out of his candy dish, everyone has their likes
and dislikes. Surprise your customer in little ways and let them know
you are paying attention. In his former career as a banker, Author and
Speaker Dave Timmons earned the business of a prospect after he tossed
him two baseballs signed by the members of his grandsons' favorite
sports team. One hotel dining room supervisor heard a guest say that she
enjoyed blood oranges, so he secretly had a few brought up to her room.
Delight people in this way and you and your business become
unforgettable.
5. Give Them SWAG! At
every awards show celebrities walk away with gift bags filled with
products and paraphernalia worth thousands. There is a reason why people
line up -- and even pay good money -- to give their goods away to
celebrities via the swag bag. When the superstar wears or uses their
product, it creates buzz. When Katrina Campins, star of the first season
of The Apprentice wore a watch on the show that was given to her by
Jacob the Jeweler, she was swamped with calls from men wanting to buy
one for their wives. While your customers may not have the platform that
Katrina had to show off your product, when you give them something for
free they will talk about it. Just watch how much press Ben &
Jerry's gets next time they hold a "Free Cone Day." What kind of swag
can you give your customers to get them talking about you?
6. Be Extraordinary...And Then Some. Make
a commitment to be remarkable in every way that you serve your
customer. Be the first one to respond. Have the widest smile in the
room. Call everyone by name. Constantly be on the lookout for little
ways that you can make your customer feel like the most important person
in the world. When you do, you will find yourself not only with a
customer for life, but with a raving fan that will go out and spread the
word about their incredible celebrity experience.
The 3 Psychological Triggers that Matter to Happy Customers
What Really Matters to Customers?
Trigger #1: A Personal Touch
The
formal definition for a personal touch includes “any contribution
someone gives to make something more personal.” It’s a moment that makes
your customer feel uniquely valued and appreciated.
It
could be greeting the person by name when they walk in, sending them a
card on their birthday, or, as one study shows, a gesture as subtle as
bringing mints to the table after a meal.
Trigger #2: Reciprocity
Reciprocity
has fascinating effects in the context of customer service. By going
out of your way to love a customer, it creates a subconscious desire for
them to return the favor. Reciprocity is something we all feel, and
it’s the reason loyalty is so very valuable to a business.
Two kinds of reciprocity matter when it comes to loving customers: trumpeted reciprocity and surprise reciprocity. Exceptional customer service like the infamous Rackspace pizza story would
be considered trumpeted reciprocity, meaning it happens through
deliberate and often unique efforts to “WOW” the customer.
Surprise
reciprocity is a little more subtle. It’s part of the experience when
you do business with certain companies, but comes as a surprise to the
customer. When a customer orders something from Zappos, they “surprise
upgrade” the shipping to overnight for almost all their customers.
If
you have ever opened a brand new Apple product (such as an iPhone or
iPad), you know that the packaging is an experience in itself. Before
you even touch the device, you feel the care and precision that went
into creating the product for you. This unexpected sense of excitement
is another example of surprise reciprocity.
Both
types of reciprocity create an emotional connection with the customer,
such that they feel a subconscious need to reciprocate the gesture.
Reciprocity
is what motivates customers to send a tweet, share their experience
with a friend or continue doing business with you over time as a loyal
customer.
it's 6-7 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it's to keep a current one.
Trigger #3: Being a VIP
There
are few things more valuable to your company than loyal customers. Not
only will they continue spending money with you over time, but 78
percent of customers say they show loyalty to a brand by telling others about it. That’s a pretty compelling case for an investment in building customer loyalty.
Since we know that loyal customers are extremely valuable, are there ways to further strengthen these relationships? Are there tangible ways
of motivating customers to keep coming back? The data says yes.
Depending on your business, there are a few different ways to execute
these tactics.
A fascinating study by researchers from Stanford and Harvard Universities examined
the power of labeling people. Half of the group was randomly selected
and told they were deemed “politically active.” The other half, the
control group, was not told anything at all. Sure enough, the ones labeled as “politically active” ended up being 15 percent more likely to vote. The bottom line: people respond positively when a label gives them a feeling of importance.
This same concept has been applied with great success by companies such as American Express. They are the only credit
card company to refer to their customers as “members.” American Express
further labels certain groups via fancy card names such as Gold
cardholder, Platinum cardholder and the highly-prized Black cardholder.
Key Takeaways
- A Personal Touch — Creating a memorable moment for customers often takes shape through some form of personal touch.
- Reciprocity — Understanding a social norm that is built in to every human being is a key to earning more loyal customers.
- Being a VIP — People are willing to spend more with your business if you give them a feeling of importance and reward their repeat business.
reference-http://blog.bufferapp.com/The 3 Psychological Triggers that Matter to Happy Customers
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