This self-service practice, seemingly everywhere, saves money for the companies who pay fewer employees to deal with customer concerns, but what does it do for customers? “I went into a store where I’ve shopped for years and found new management,” a busy woman said. She’d stopped in, planning to buy a baby gift for a friend having twins, but she couldn’t find what she wanted and none of the employees offered to help. “I finally left because the manager was too busy talking on her cell phone to answer my questions,” she said.

This scenario could be repeated in any chain store coast-to-coast, with profits up and customer service scarce. “But we take care of the customers in my business,” you say. Can you anticipate what a customer may want or recall a service you provided a year ago? The gap between saying you value your customers and demonstrating how you value them is the difference between the customer who migrates elsewhere and the one who takes to heart the notation “we heart our customers.”

What new ways can you show your customers their value?

If value is intangible, especially in business, the memory of value is even more elusive, but is the key to success. A returning customer recalls that he’s been treated well and values the ease of today’s transaction. In a crazy-busy world, the value of that reassurance beats any treasure on Antiques Roadshow. How do your customers rate their repeat experiences with your business?

As business professionals, we often deal with customers who can be demanding, difficult, and sometimes downright angry. Think about how you can apply the wisdom of Dr. Phil as you train your employees on the finer skills of dealing with difficult customers.

When an angry customer is in your midst consider taking the following action:

1. Stop what you are doing and focus all your attention on the situation at hand. Like a bomb, it has the potential to explode so focus and be careful.

2. Take a deep breath. This has a calming and centering effect on the employee who is being attacked.

3. Tell the employee to remind themselves that altercations present opportunities to discover not who is right and who is wrong in each situation but for finding solutions to problems that can lead to the creation of positive experiences for customers. Borrowing from Dr. Phil, the employee should ask themselves, “Do I want to be right, or do I want to keep this customer?”

4. Instruct the employee to ask what the customer sees as a reasonable solution to the problem. All too often, we are ready to give away the store when sometimes, all an angry customer is looking for is an apology.

5. Finally, let the employee know that they should always apologize for inconveniencing the customer. This is not an admission of guilt or blame in the problem, but an acknowledgment that, for whatever reason, the customer experienced some level of inconvenience. Saying, “I am so sorry you were inconvenienced by this,” in a very sincere manner can go a long way to calming down that irate customer and getting everyone in a space where problem solving can occur – and isn’t that where you really want to be?

So don’t shy away from those difficult customers. Use conflict situations to create positive customer experiences for your clients.

Do you have a favorite way of handling difficult customers? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment!

And in keeping with the spirit of Dr. Phil…..”Let me know how that’s workin’ for ya.”

Besides a distinctive truck, this cupcake business relies on instant communication to, excuse the pun,  drive traffic. Tweeting her locations and the day’s flavor choices, adding a personal touch—“don’t cry, Joan, you didn’t miss us and we’ll see you very soon”—the cupcake provider brings her sweet wares to  customers  hungry for more.

They could choose a vending machine,  a nearby coffee shop for a pastry, into a deli or drugstore for a packaged snack—for less cash. Why head for the cupcake van, like kids chasing an ice cream truck on an August day?  “When I want a fresh cupcake, I can tweet her and run out to get just what I need,” said one woman. “I was at off-site meetings last week and felt I really l missed something. Not just my cupcakes, but someone catering to ME.”

There’s the key.  By interacting with customers, making them part of the process—“We’re offering red velvet and vanilla tomorrow, what’s your favorite flavor?”—the cupcake maker pulls in support and enthusiasm.  Advertising reaches out, but the new, two-way connection pulls in, as a speedier way to take the pulse. Need to add stops to your route, or cut a slow-seller? Those tweets and texts will tell you.  Customers may offer suggestions, or place advance orders, and feel you’re doing them a favor.

Tapping a simple want and adding trendy twists baked up in a business boom.

What’s the fresh ingredient in your own taste for success?

So how’d they end up with a full-color, prominently placed two-page ad,  dotted with descriptions such as “exclusive”  and “exciting”,  in a national, mass-appeal magazine ? The ad was not for the old reliable craft products, but a new, “captivating series” of original mystery novels—published by the company I recalled as the small craft business.
The books, shown with handsome covers and intriguing titles, employ a crafting theme, and invite readers for a free preview of these “exclusive” stories.  The combination of crafters— always on the lookout for something new—and mystery readers—who readily embrace “series” characters and adventures—added up to a fresh product for the company.  Steady customers will be ready to pre-order, and the allure for new customers is enhanced by a “special introductory half-price” offer.
Whether the books are page-turners or merely pleasant diversions, they’re already “must-haves” for curious customers.  They’re lured by the promise of continuing diversion in a pattern of “what happens next?” That could almost be a theme of the company’s move. Instead of just a new line of patterns, or affordably priced supplies, it went for an unexpected challenge, publishing original books. No matter that even big publishers and booksellers are in a quandary these digital days, the crafting mysteries, catering to a select and eager audience, are now reality.
Can you offer your customers something unexpected yet welcome, whether a product or a surprising service? Look to their interests, and yours, to plot that offbeat chapter.  It could become your new best-seller.

Tell us about something you did for your customers that was unexpected yet welcomed!

What does a customer hope for? Okay, a full-scale Congressional investigation, triple refund and lifetime discount may not be the best answers! But there are others…

A calm oasis: some customers themselves are so agitated, they’re loud, confusing, annoying. Instead of escalating to match their tone, take it down a notch. Let their waves of frustration wash out, and respond in the calmest, “I’m-a-supervisor-and-I’ll-fix-it” tone.  Oh, and please turn off the speaker phone, where the volume feels aggressive and less than personal.

Yes, the personal. The friendlier you are,  the easier it is to find out just what’s wrong, and make a connection. Simple way to do both: use the person’s name. In a respectful but friendly tone, remind that customer that you not only know his demand, you recognize his value.

The solution to his or her demand may be elaborate or easy, but instead of waiting for the customer to tell YOU…propose your own course of action. “I’d recommend we do this to resolve it,” you say. Once you state exactly what you believe will make that person happy, you’ve become the problem solver who saves the day.

If they hesitate, bring their input into the process.  “What would YOU suggest to take care of this?” puts them in the position of agreeing with your proposal, or telling you why they won’t. The dialogue gives you an added chance to personalize the solution—and keep them as a future customer who recalls the individualized attention of someone who believes in basic good business.

For more information on Dealing with Difficult Customers and Action Hero Problem Solving, contact Market Viewpoint.

You can find an even better illustration at any big-name coffee shop.  Sure, lots of customers are ordering their standard caffeine-to-go, in sizes to fit the adrenaline lag. But many more are getting a sandwich, or pastry. The oversized to-go cups are popular too, not to mention the small plush teddy bears, greeting cards and even sets of colorful mugs. On a recent snowy morning, I sat in a suburban Starbucks and in half an hour, saw at least 12 customers who didn’t buy a coffee, tea or cocoa. To the musical accompaniment of quiet jazz, they purchased the “extras,” from CDs to gift cards, spending significantly more than they would have on a venti caramel macchiato.

By contrast, a local “independent” coffee shop a block away sat nearly empty, despite much lower prices.  Customers could buy only coffee or tea.  The floor bore traces of slush, and the silence—not even a radio— told me why the place wasn’t filled.

What struck me was the realization that the “big-time” coffee giant, not the struggling little guy, was the one offering an ever-expanding inventory of items. You’d think an internationally successful brand already profited nicely just from those coffee drinks. But rather than rely on the basics, they “added on,” displaying more and different products to keep customers interested.  You’d think the “little” coffee place would try to do the same, just as bookstores have added coffee bars.  But it just seems to shrug, “we sell coffee, take it or leave it.”

Do you go beyond the basics and offer customers an “add on”? Think about what “impulse” might appeal to them.  The lure of “something special” can be irresistible, and brings them back to see what else might be in store.

Instead of always running the To-Do marathon, why not change the scenery? Make a wish list for yourself.  We associate those with kids writing to Santa, and starry-eyed brides-to-be, or even our own birthdays. Usually a wish list is defensive: we compile a list of gifts we’d enjoy getting to make sure we don’t end up with  drugstore perfume in a bottle shaped like Hannah Montana, or eleven crock pots.

But those wish lists are for others.  A wish list for ourselves should come from the heart, not the accessories department.  Instead of “I wish I had a new pair of Ugg boots,” try “I wish I could polish my public speaking skills.” Rather than wishing for a new tennis racket to improve your serve, you may wish you could emulate a colleague’s organizing ability. Then look for a way to make that wish come true, whether it’s making practice presentations, or asking a co-worker’s help.  When you get your wish, you’ll feel  energized, confident—and capable of tackling any To-Do list on the planet.   Keep adding new wishes to your private list. You’ll find that “wishing” can boost “doing” every time.

But even if we’ll never zigzag down a slope or whirl around an ice rink, we can still borrow some of that Olympic stardust. Every athlete in Vancouver started with only a dream.  Without the dream, without seeing themselves fly down the mountain or land a perfect double-axel, they’d be watching the Games at home, no matter how many chilly hours they’d spent practicing.  Sometimes, you really have to see it to make it happen.  See yourself in a challenging situation. How do you handle it? Do you come through like a winner, choosing the right words to get your message out?  Walk through it again, adding as many details as you need, from the confidence-building outfit you wear to the way your customer addresses you. How can you change the picture to be sure you win in the end?   Athletes thrive on “visualization”, mentally watching themselves score goals, cross finish lines, achieve victory.  They’ll replay it endlessly, tweaking their performance until they see no other possibility but a win. If they falter, showing even a whisper of doubt, they’ll all tell you that’s when they lost their chance.

Practice seeing yourself win, in small conversations and on bigger stages. Like the Olympic athlete, you’ll soon see yourself strictly going for the gold.

Still, there’s another event, on a different network, riding along for the hype to score points of its own. The annual “Puppy Bowl” on Animal Planet is just lots of cute footage of frolicking, adorable dogs, airing every Super Bowl Sunday.  It’s no ratings rival for the game, but instead enhances the day with some laughs and the “awwwww” factor.  Fans of both events routinely wander from one TV set to another, enjoying two kinds of fun.

Given the mega-success of the Super Bowl, you have to wonder why anyone outside the stadium, so to speak, would seek to grab any of its spotlight.  But the upstart Puppy Bowl, which has added new stunts and surprises each year, simply basks in the Super Bowl’s shadow. Rerunning the same sweet shots of pups, plus halftime-cheering kittens, even an anthem-singing parrot, the program never tries to outshine the NFL’s crowning moment.  And yet without the gaudy Super Bowl, Puppy Bowl wouldn’t exist, couldn’t provide the smiling extra points that parallel the Super Bowl’s dramatics.

Even if the competition looms large in your life, you don’t have to use all your artillery to outscore it. You can offer an alternative, something perhaps smaller, but strictly unique and separate from that other experience. Whether it’s personalized service or a revised bid for attention, those extra points will point up YOUR value, no matter what’s happening in the big game.

Contact Market Viewpoint today for a quote on mystery shopping your competition. You may be surprised at what you learn!