Making Memories in your Business
I was at a business forum the other day, one I attend every month and at each meeting there’s a different topic to help you in growing your business in some way. Only this month, being December, is always a little different, it’s the Christmas meeting.
Now each year, the guys who put on this forum, make a tremendous effort to reward their clients who have taken action as a result of what they have learnt throughout the year but they also put as much effort in to entertaining their clients. Each year is different and is an absolute scream (sometimes down to the amount of booze that flows at these things!).
I suddenly realized this year though, how this is so close to the ‘making memories’ I speak about and wanted to share this with you.
So much of what I talk about is about making memories for yourself and your close ones in life, but what about business? How can we make memories there and more importantly in business, make profit from it too?
It all comes down to service. Do you provide a good service to your clients? No doubt you do. Do you provide an adequate service? Or do you provide a great service? Perhaps you always strive to provide that great service? Or do you create a ‘customer experience’?
It’s so easy to be seen as different when providing a good service as most companies fail to do that with astonishing success! With so many providing poor customer service, if you give a good service then you’re ahead. However, if you provide great customer service then you’re even further in front, but by providing a true ‘customer experience’ you’re uncatchable!
I firmly believe it’s not about service any more, it’s about creating that experience for your customers so that they talk about you to associates, keep buying from you, enjoy doing business with you and have great memories of doing business with you.
As Maya Angelou, a poet once said,
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
So take a moment to think how you can make some memories for your customers to help you provide an experience that they ‘feel’ and not a service they ‘receive’. It doesn’t have to be some fun party or gathering, but how about a hand written thank you note after an order has been delivered, thanking the customer for their business? May be a hand written note to thank them for paying on time? (If they do of course!). A random gift – not tied to any particular event such as Christmas or a Birthday but something to say thank you at an unexpected time. May be just passing on literature that may hold no interest to you but could do to one of your clients? Introducing clients to each other to help them out and allow them to do business? Keeping a note of their favourite newspaper and have a copy waiting for them in your boardroom next time you meet?
All of these things cost almost nothing to do, are so easy and help your customer to have an experience that is memorable. After realizing about more of this stuff, I’m going to make a concerted effort to provide a true customer experience and not just a service, how about you?
By the way, if you’re interested in this ‘experience’ stuff, check out www.b-g-r.com and book an appointment to go and see them at their offices, then YOU will experience the ‘experience’ they provide!
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