My mother's car broke down in the Brisbane CBD at 7 am on a Monday morning. Now there's an executive stress test you can't pay for at the Wesley Hospital! The automobile club were dutifully telephoned, and as expected there was a delay. After a short while, the roadside assist mechanic arrives, checks for the basics, only to conclude the vehicle will need towing.

After three hours of standing in the heat, pent up frustration and umpteen telephone calls to Colin on the customer service hotline; the suggestion is made to speak with the automobile club's customer service supervisor to escalate the lack of response by a tow truck.

Supervisor-Chris states Monday mornings are always hectic because there are so many vehicles requiring towing after the weekend breakdowns.

"Well, if you know this to be the case wouldn't you increase the number of towing vehicles available for this period?"

"How could we run a business like that? We would never make any money!"

My favourite coffee shop rosters additional staff during peak periods to provide excellent customer service and ensure prompt delivery of sales. Which is why so many coffee-connoisseurs frequent that particular establishment. You never grow a successful business by cutting costs!


__________

Ric Willmot
Improving Organisational Performance
Providing Strategy Consulting & Mentoring

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We all appreciate that it is much more efficacious to strive for repeat sales, referrals and recommendations than to be seeking new business continually. And really, it is pretty difficult to contact or communicate with your clients and customers too much. Conversely, it is easy to fail in not contacting and communicating with them enough. If you have not contacted or communicated with a past customer within the last six months, then you will fail to reach your business potential. Establish an ongoing dialogue with clients, or at worst case, a monologue will do.

You don’t get business you don’t ask for; and you will not get remembered if you don’t remain in your clients’ minds. So how do you keep your name on the tip of their tongue? I have developed Willmot’s Marketing Whirlpool to attract and acquire clients and business. As part of Willmot’s Marketing Whirlpool, here are 50 ways to care for customers. I would like some Paul Simon music playing in the background, but anyway ….

Telephone – Remember the telephone? Alexander’s wonderful invention that allowed people to actually speak with each other before we decided that it was way too impersonal and decided e-mail and mobile texting was far better! Yeah right.

1. Call a client each day, not to sell anything, but just to “touch-base.”
2. A Help hot-line number for existing clients only.
3. Toll-free number
.
4. Calling to give your client a referral
.
5. Return telephone calls from clients promptly and personally (do not delegate personal contact)
.
6. Telephone to raise awareness of an opportunity for your client.
7. Telephone to congratulate a client on their good news (winning an award, birth of a child, promotion at work, etc).

Print – Hard copy collateral

1. Letter – instead of always sending emails, consider using your corporate letterhead for communications other than invoicing
.
2. Brochures – explaining the results you achieve for clients
.
3. Newsletters – filled with useful and valuable information for your clients
.
4. Article reprints – Reprints of articles you have authored that have been published
.
5. Testimonials – copies of letters from your other clients thanking you for your excellent work
.
6. Case Studies- examples of how you have helped other clients just like them
.
7. News items or articles that more than likely the client has not seen that is relevant and useful for them
.
8. Send a card to congratulate the client on their good news (winning an award, birth of a child, promotion at work, etc)
.
9. Send a fax once in a while rather than an email (where appropriate).

Electronic – Internet-based

1. Regular updates and additions to your web site that provide useful information
.
2. Downloads of articles and checklists from your web site
.
3. Create a blog with the ability for people to converse
.
4. “Password” protected pages or web site for clients-only
.
5. Regular email contact
.
6. Send an “I will be in your neighbourhood …” e-mail
.
7. Branding in your email signature file (announcements of offerings or special news)
.
8. Chat room on your web site
.
9. Links from your web site to other useful resources
.
10. E-mail with ideas and suggestions specifically for individual clients.

Events

1. Invite clients to join you at networking events that would be valuable for your client
.
2. Have an “open-house” day at your business where clients can drop in to observe the internal operations of your organisation
.
3. Host a networking event at your premises (or elsewhere) for all of your existing clients to meet and network together
.
4. Invite clients to join you at Association events that would be valuable or of interest to them – or ask them to present an award (where appropriate)
.
5. Attend industry events and professional meetings that your clients attend
.
6. Host a charity event and invite your clients to attend
.
7. Speak at an event, industry association meeting or alike that your clients attend
.
8. Attend mutual sporting events or golf days
.
9. Participate in a mutual charity event or fund-raiser with your client

.

Personal

1. Drop in on a client without any specific agenda; just to touch base
.
2. Send birthday cards
.
3. Send Christmas Cards
.
4. Entertain key clients
.
5. Send a corporate goodwill gift
.
6. Attend common community or social events
.
7. Send a client a postcard whilst on your overseas trip
.
8. Send a copy of a wonderful book you yourself have read and enjoyed.

Other

1. Breakfast or lunch meetings you sponsor on relevant topics
.
2. Ask a client to attend an in-house strategy meeting to provide a client perspective to your strategies
.
3. Advertise in magazines and journals your client reads
.
4. Exhibit at trade shows that your client will attend
.
5. Ask a client to speak at an in-house meeting for your staff
.
6. Ask a client to speak at your Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club or alike
.
7. Ask a client to critique an article or publication you are writing.

Will all 50 suggestions be relevant to your business? Probably not. But applying those that are relevant in a systematic and pragmatic way into the every day operations of your business will afford you even greater opportunities to improve, enhance and grow your business and your repute.


© Ric Willmot 2008 All rights reserved.


__________

Ric Willmot
Improving Organisational Performance
Providing Strategy Consulting & Mentoring

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Price is NOT the determining factor in your success or otherwise. Most people leave their advisers and go elsewhere because of a poor customer experience rather than a lower-price opportunity! This transcends economic cycles.

I've just completed research of buyers into professional services and 57% of people admit that they have higher "service expectations" than five years ago. They are expecting better quality customer service from their accountants, bankers, lawyers, consultants, financial planners and recruiters.

If that doesn't snap you out of the limited thinking around pricing, consider this:

38% admit they have higher service expectations than they did just one year ago. So, customer service expectations are higher than they were last year.

Your clients perceive there is better service being offered elsewhere than what they are receiving from you currently. Only 40% of the buyers we surveyed believe they are receiving an appropriate level of service. This means that three out of every five of your clients believe they will get better service from one of your competitors.

Forget about competing on price and immediately move to increase customer service, improve communications and develop stronger relationships with your existing clients. The majority of them are reviewing your competitors to determine if they will get better quality service from them.


__________

Ric Willmot
Improving Organisational Performance
Providing Strategy Consulting & Mentoring

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