The right customers: How to get 'em, grow 'em and keep 'em.
If you've attended one of my seminars on "Mind Blowing Customer Service or "Leading for Customer Excellence" you will know that I do not believe in keeping all of your customers at all costs. I advocate instead that you should be deciding who you want as your customers and not the other way around. The more relationship orientated your business is (larger clients producing greater turnover) the more imperative it is that you don't simply deal with everyone who comes your way.
If, as is so often the case, you find that 20% of your customers (usually your least profitable ones) are taking up 80% of your time, while you are neglecting your top customers, then it's time to give those oxygen thieves a free transfer to your competition - ever so nicely, of course. But how?
Simple enough. Swap your lemons for lemons belonging to the guy next door (your fellow sales bloke, your competitor - doesn't matter). What you know is that you've swapped one lemon for another. What you also know is that your new lemon thinks your competitor is a twit, but has no opinion about you yet. This you can change fast. Fore-warned, you can really lay on the charm and the service, real thick. While he's bad-mouthing your competitor (or your bud in the office next door), you remain neutral. Now you have a happy twit. What do happy twits, unaccustomed to friendly treatment do? They chirp, loudly, in your favour. And soon you have a loyal friendly chirping customer who thinks you're great - and a competitor scratching his head!
Manipulative? I don't think so. Who have you hurt? No-one. Who pays your rent or covers your costs? You. Who pays your staff? Who covers your overheads? YOU DO! So you're entitled to decide who you do business with. The more revenue from a client the better you can look after them. You're already giving a good chunk of your profits away to your main business partner (SARS). So, since you can't choose your main business partner, shouldn't you make the decision regarding who else you'd like to do business with - and who you don't?
You also have those existing customers who give you very little trouble and provide good turnover for your business, but may stray while you're facing the other way, if you don't give them the attention they deserve. How do you keep these customers happy, grow their custom, and keep them with you? Here's how:
1. Give your top clients plenty of your attention (first because they kept a roof over your head last month, and second because often it is from these clients that you may find your next top clients).
2. Find out what they really want (by asking, instead of hoping that you already know)
3. Discover what they value most(and then make sure that your are providing it).
4. Find out what their problems are - then help them to articulate the problem, and then show them how to fix it.
5. Establish what they hate (and make sure you're not doing it).
6. Provide what they need in order for them to succeed.
7. Then check what else they would like you to do to make their lives easier. Strange, but chances are they'll gladly tell you!
8. And then give them added value - stuff they don't pay for, but like getting from you. And it doesn't have to cost you much!
Run through this checklist again. If you did business with someone who did these eight things for you, would you start looking to do business elsewhere? Hardly likely!
Last tip: How do you find your next big client - or next five big clients? That's quite easy. First establish why your existing big clients do business with you and simply copy that blueprint. Ask your clients - who do you know who would also like....? It's called getting referrals. But maybe that's for another newsletter.
The rules of getting business are quite simple. Like most games. Get the basics right, the game is yours. Get in the game, keep your eye on the ball, attack decisively, defend effectively, get more points than the other guy in the allotted time.
Until next time.
Paul du Toit
