“I don’t need to change anything in my office, my clients are satisfied”. A lot of sales people and business owners make the mistake by relying on this statement. Most clients are easily satisfied, but not easily impressed. I once had a business meeting in Minnesota, and as I got to the hotel lobby to check-in, the clerk handed me a glass of champagne (actually it was sparkling wine) and welcomed me by saying that they we were waiting for me, and they were happy to have me stay with them. This experience really impressed me and had me talking to my friends and relatives about it. While I am satisfied by the service of most hotels, this was special.
While having satisfied customers is welcomed by virtually all business owners, having impressed customers ensure loyalty which leads to better profitability. To impress customers we have to think outside the box and make sure that we offer them added value and not just products. While different businesses might offer the same products, their service will differ completely and so will their bottom lines. Providing added value might mean giving advice to a customer about your industry without necessarily trying to make a sale from that advice. The hotel clerk didn’t expect me to buy that bottle of sparkling wine, he simply wanted me to feel special and unique. Sales people should always strive to make sure their customers feel unique when shopping in their stores.
Impressing your customers assures that you are not leaving money on the table. You are building loyalty and your customers will keep coming back to you for their optical needs. More importantly, impressing customers generates great word-of-mouth advertising for your business. People are eager to talk to their friends and family about their unique experience. Seth Godin’s book, The Purple Cow provides the following analogy: If you are driving in a farmland and you see a cow, you won’t necessarily be impressed, but on the other hand if you see a purple cow, you’ll want to stop, take a closer look, and take pictures to show your friends and family. I ask you today, what is your purple cow? What will make your clients and potential clients stop and realize that they are experiencing something unique. What will make them want to talk about this experience to others? By answering this question, I think you’ll be distinguishing yourself and your business from your competition and no economic crisis will ever affect you.
Cheers.
Bassem El-Hajal
VP Sales – Optikam Tech Inc.
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