When it comes to running your green industry business it is vital that you and your team are \u201cbrilliant on the basics.\u201d The funny thing is that usually means simply doing the things your competitors are just too lazy to do.<\/p>\n
Oh, they may have started out doing them when they first opened their doors, but over the years they\u2019ve became complacent or apathetic. Don\u2019t let this happen to you and your team.<\/p>\n
Here are three simple strategies that when practiced can be the keys to getting and keeping lifetime clients.<\/p>\n
A few months ago, I walked into my credit union. As I waited in line, I noticed one of the tellers was new.<\/p>\n
Whenever there is a new teller it makes me aware that there will be a short period of time for that person to get to know me.<\/p>\n
Once this young lady got my account number, she immediately used my name. On my next visit, the same thing happened.<\/p>\n
By my third visit, she called me by name as I walked up to the window; she didn\u2019t even need to look at my account number to know who I was. This kind of treatment made me feel important and respected. It is one of the reasons I\u2019ve been a member of this credit union since 1983.<\/p>\n
Do you know the names of most of your clients? As Dale Carnegie said, \u201cA person\u2019s name is to that person the sweetest, most important sound in any language.\u201d Research has shown that there is a particular feel-good reaction that takes place in our brains when we hear our name spoken.<\/p>\n
If you and your team members are not regularly using the names of your clients, you are missing out on a strategy that can help build a lasting relationship with them.<\/p>\n
An easy way to get and use a customer\u2019s name, if you or your employees don\u2019t remember it, is to read it off his or her invoice, work order, check or credit card.<\/p>\n
When in doubt, simply ask. An easy way to do this is to use the fill-in-the-blank method. It works like this: \u201cMy name is Tom Borg, and your name is?\u201d Once you get that person\u2019s name, use it in the conversation a few times. It also helps to write down the names of the customers you have the most trouble remembering. Review the list from time to time.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll be surprised and delighted at how easily you\u2019ll be able to build a sincere rapport with your clients.<\/p>\n
Some time ago, I was flying back to Detroit on Delta Airlines. At a stopover in Knoxville, Tennessee, I checked in at the airline counter and got the bad news: from the time I\u2019d boarded my originating flight in Dallas, my baggage had been mistakenly routed to Chicago.<\/p>\n
Realizing there were only a few minutes before my next flight would be leaving, I anxiously asked the agent if my baggage could possibly be transferred to this flight.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cMr. Borg, (I like being called by name) I\u2019ll see what I can do.\u201d He then left the counter and still hadn\u2019t returned when the final boarding call was given.<\/p>\n
You can imagine how reluctantly I boarded my connecting flight. I sat there anxiously waiting for the plane to leave without my baggage. Then the pilot announced that our flight would be momentarily delayed while they transferred a passenger\u2019s bag. Imagine my surprise when the passenger door suddenly opened, and in walked the gate agent I\u2019d spoken to earlier. He looked around the airplane, spotted me sitting in my seat and came over.<\/p>\n
As he knelt down next to me, I could see beads of sweat on his forehead. (I knew he had been up to something!) In a very low voice he said, \u201cMr. Borg, I want you to know that I\u2019ve personally transferred your bag to this plane. You will be able to pick it up in baggage claim in Detroit. Have a great flight and thanks for flying Delta.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sure enough, after landing in Detroit, my bag was the first one to arrive on the conveyor belt. Now that\u2019s what I call service! This agent figured out a solution to my dilemma. He was a problem solver.<\/p>\n
How about in your green industry business? Where and how can you and your team become problem solvers for your clients?<\/p>\n
By becoming a problem solver, you are communicating to them that you value them as human beings as well as clients. As you make your clients\u2019 satisfaction a priority, you and your team become more valuable to them.<\/p>\n
Some time ago I called a company about installing a split-rail fence on our residential property. A representative stopped over, gave me a price and remarked that it was a \u201cminimum-sized job.\u201d The agreement was signed, and I was promised that work would begin as soon as I obtained a permit.<\/p>\n
I promptly obtained it, called the fencing company and left a message for the salesman to notify the crew to begin work as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
This didn\u2019t happen, and my repeated calls ended in frustration. Evidently, the salesman had placed my job low on his priority list. Despite my numerous calls, he never bothered to arrange for the work to be done.<\/p>\n
Borg\u2019s rule: Never ignore a small order. It can cost you big money.<\/strong><\/p>\n Just because an order is of minimal cost to a customer doesn\u2019t mean it shouldn\u2019t be important to you. Let\u2019s examine the psychology behind that rule.<\/p>\n First, even though the job that I requested was small, it could have been the beginning of a relationship that would bring in repeat, additional and referral business to that fencing company. Second, like every one of your clients, that customer knows other people and will tell them if your service or product is poor.<\/p>\n Ultimately, a bad experience with a company can have major consequences. If someone I know is looking for a fencing company for their residence or business, I won\u2019t be recommending this one.<\/p>\n According to research, both happy and unhappy customers talk to friends and acquaintances about their experiences. On average, a customer will tell five to seven other people of a good experience he\u2019s had with a particular business or organization.<\/p>\n Good word-of-mouth advertising is free and results from delivering good products and service. But an unhappy customer will tell even more people \u2014 an average of nine to 16 others \u2014 about poor service he or she has received. Bad service equals bad word-of-mouth and lots of it.<\/p>\n Need I also mention that we\u2019re living in the era of online review sites such as Yelp and Angie\u2019s List? A bad review on one of these sites \u2014 earned or not \u2014 might live forever on the global wordof-mouth community that is the internet.<\/p>\n How can we avoid offending a client who has a small order? First and foremost, train your employees to give the same kind of service to that client as they would to one with a large order.<\/p>\n If that\u2019s impossible because your company is just too busy, I suggest you find a couple other similar businesses that you feel comfortable referring this type of client to. By doing this, you will give the client the kind of service and respect he or she deserves. This will leave a positive impression with him and generate positive word of mouth for you.<\/p>\n There you have it. Three proven strategies to improve your client service and build your business.<\/p>\n Now that you know these strategies, make sure you and your team go out and use them.<\/p>\n A customer who sees you treating his problems as your own may become a customer for life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2832,"parent":0,"template":"","columns-categories":[46],"main-categories":[50],"class_list":["post-2823","columns","type-columns","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","columns-categories-business-to-business","main-categories-business-development"],"yoast_head":"\nThis column originally appeared in Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.<\/em><\/h6>\n
Tom Borg<\/strong><\/a> is a team performance and customer experience expert who works with green industry organizations and their leadership teams to help them connect, communicate and work together better without all the drama through his consulting, training, coaching, leadership instruments and job benchmarking tools. To ask him a question, please call 734.404.5909, email tom@tomborg.com<\/a> or visit his website at www.tomborgconsulting.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"