[Tweet “Does your customer look at you as being just another of the shaved apes or … are you different?”]The other day I was watching a show on the National Geographic Channel about the Macaque monkeys of Southeast Asia. Apparently there are a gazillion of them and they are very comfortable in, and are drawn to, civilized areas where they become quite aggressive as they beg for scraps, steal food, and fight over territory. I’m no Macaque expert but, none of these monkeys appeared to me to be any more special than the others.
When your customer looks at their list of vendors, are you and your company just another one of the shaved apes who are competing for the same piece of the pie or do you rise above the rest? If you do stand apart, congratulations! You are obviously unique, memorable, and just plain awesome! You probably eat better too. Fortunately, this status is attainable by all of us.
Start with your own experiences
While you might be a seller, you also play the role of the buyer on a regular basis. Think back to your own shopping experiences and evaluate those that seem to stand out in your mind. Likely your memory will yield both the best and the worst of the bunch. Separate these into three categories and then write down the specific reasons for assigning each buying experience to your selected category.
- Did not meet my expectations
- Met my expectations
- Exceeded my expectations
Not meeting expectations is pretty much a no brainier. You are not going back. Meeting your expectations is a neutral experience at best. If you buy a quart of milk and it is not sour, your expectations have been met. Note that there is also likely no salesperson involved in this process.
However, if you just spent $30,000 on a new car and there was nothing memorable about this transaction, has the dealer earned your loyalty? Will you shop with only them for your next car and will you refer them to others? Only you can answer that but, I personally would have to say “no”.
For example, last year we replaced our upstairs carpet. Everything happened pretty much per my expectations but then … the salesperson never followed up regarding additional services that we had requested and failed to return my calls regarding these. I mark this as a met expectations minus which is reflective of how low my expectations have become. I’m feeling generous. This is further evidence to the fact that there are very few occasions where my expectations have ever been exceeded but, this sorry state of affairs spells OPPORTUNITY for those who can.
Now that you have your list, you have also been given your marching orders to emulate the positives and to eliminate the negatives. This is only a good first start. Exceeding customer expectations should be your only acceptable outcome.
What makes you unique?
If you want to stand out, you must be perceived as being unique. USP is a very common term and it is defined as being your “unique selling proposition”. We’re just looking for a unique you. Think about this in terms of your industry, your competitors, and the needs (and expectations) of your customers. Why would anybody choose to buy from YOU? How about your COMPANY?
Maybe you return phone calls in a timely manner. This might seem to be minor but, few people do. The little things really do matter! Some of these may be behavioral traits. Perhaps you are a great listener or just plain enjoyable to work with. Your company might offer 24/7 service or a guaranteed 4-hour response time.
Remember that people are most likely to buy from those who they like, trust, and respect. They will also send referrals to these same people. If you can’t think of anything … ask your customers. If you are afraid of their answers … you have work to do.
Can you be memorable?
People that are memorable do just a little bit more than those who are not. In order to be, and stay, memorable, think along the lines of … “What can I do to stay ‘top of mind’ with my customers and my prospects?” We can do this via traditional, as well as the new social, methods. You can, and should, do both.
Traditional
- Personalized notes and cards
- Emails – Make sure that have a purpose, are sincere, and that they have substance. “I am writing you to see if you have made your decision” does not qualify.
- Phone calls – see above.
- Drop by’s – see above (includes donuts).
- Birthday and anniversary remembrances – Facebook and LinkedIn can assist with these but, if you want to use these interfaces, please take the time to personalize your message.
Social
- Reminders and recurring reminders – A good CRM and many other applications, including LinkedIn, can assist with this.
- Likes, comments, and sharing updates forward to your networks.
- Messages that are directed to their attention – This would include @ and RT messages on Twitter as well as adding their name to updates in Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.
- Share their articles with others – Be sure to credit them by name.
- Endorse and recommend them to others – This can be done in a variety of fashions including built-in tools on LinkedIn. If you must use LinkedIn’s “endorsements” feature, please make sure that you know this person well enough to provide an endorsement and for that specific skill. If you really want to impress them, write them a recommendation instead.
- Create social introductions – For example, on Twitter … “Hi @craigmjamieson ! I wanted to introduce you to @NealSchaffer . Neal has indicated an interest in the services that you offer!” (note to always make sure that there is a space, before and after, their Twitter handle or they will never see it. If confidential, use a direct message instead).
- Email them articles that you find that you know will be of interest to them and add a personalized message. Here is how that looks in Feedly.
Be sure to carefully document (another job for your CRM) how and when each touch was made so that you aren’t constantly repeating yourself. Also note any interesting results. It is critical that you make regularly scheduled touches! It might take you ten or more touches to even begin to break into a target account that you have graciously loaned to your competitor until you have the time to reclaim them. It is every bit as important to continue to do this with your existing customers unless you want to give them back to you know who.
How about awesome?
If you want to be awesome in the eyes of your customer, start this process by thinking about what you want in terms of your business. The obvious answer is that you want more of it and, guess what, your customer wants exactly the same thing. You also likely both want more dollars to slide down to your bottom lines. How can you help them to achieve these?
- Refer them to others who can use their services.
- Save them money on the products that they already buy from you.
- Show them how to get more out of their existing purchases.
- Find new opportunities for them.
- Introduce them to others who can have a positive effect on their business.
- Make them look good to their bosses and to their customers.
- Help them to sell their products and services.
- Offer to assist them by sharing your other talents such as training
Designer munchies are nice, and feel free to continue to provide these but, increasing their profits will top pretzels every time!
As a business, your goal should be to leverage the power of your team by making sure that these practices are consistently performed by all. In order to guarantee that, you are going to need the time to train them, show them, how it is done and then follow up to ensure satisfactory completion. Don’t tell. Show. Do this and I have no doubt as to your success!
This post was brought to you by IBM for Midsize Business and opinions are my own. To read more on this topic, visit IBM’s Midsize Insider. Dedicated to providing businesses with expertise, solutions and tools that are specific to small and midsized companies, the Midsize Business program provides businesses with the materials and knowledge they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
Craig M. Jamieson
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