I can not emphasize strongly enough how important it is to honor your customers. There are many ways to do this, but they all boil down to respect and “doing unto others”.
Consider what it means when someone buys your product or service. We all earn our money by expending our time and effort. There is a personal aspect to the money we earn, and that frequently gets overlooked. When we buy something it is actually an exchange of our time and effort for someone else’s time and effort. Keep in mind that it is a privilege to have someone as a customer, and honor them.
I will be addressing different “must do’s” over the next few months, but for today:
Keep Your Word
If you promise shipping within 48 hours, ship within 48 hours. If you are inundated with orders (congratulations) and you have to work until 4:00am to ship everything within 48 hours, do it. If you say you will finish a project by a certain date, do it, even if you have to hire help and work around the clock. It may cost you, but the next time your bid will be more accurate.
And if you have a contest, treat the winner with the same amount of respect as a paying customer. The purpose of the contest was to bring attention to your business, and whether it brought the results you expected or not, the winner is entitled to what you promised.
I know there can be circumstances beyond your control. A shipment gets hung up in customs, or your mobile dog washing van breaks down. If something comes up, try your hardest to figure something out. In the words of Tim Gunn, “Make it work.”
If there are no immediate solutions, get on the phone to your clients or customers right away. Do not put them in a position of having to ask you what’s going on. It is your responsibility to come through for them. And whatever you promise on that “I’m so sorry” phone call, whether it’s a new delivery date or a ½ off coupon for their next purchase, make sure you can come through. Your reputation might not recover from two let downs in a row.
I’m writing about this because I had a couple of frustrating experiences during December; one with a huge company and the other with a small company. On one occasion I cancelled my order and will not go back there. On the other, I let the order stand because I need this product and it would take too long to go somewhere else. But I will never do business with this company again.
Don’t risk losing your customers. They’re hard to get, but easy to keep, as long as you treat them with respect.
