Keep the customer satisfied
I'm just back from the first of the seminars I am organising with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Business Link and Christchurch University - this one on the importance of focusing on satisfying customers to grow profits. The audience was made up of small, local businesses and they all agreed it was useful to take time out from ‘running' the business to think a bit more deeply about ‘managing' the business.
In the session, lead by Sharon Cox of Balfour Beatty, we were at pains to point out (my personal mantra) that marketing is not just about advertising! Once you stop being busy and ‘step into the customer's shoes' you realise that almost every aspect of your business is about marketing. That there is a long list of opportunities that you have to influence customer's perceptions and the impressions they have of your company and your products and services. That not just you but everyone in your company needs to take responsibility for marketing.
Every touchpoint in your business is an opportunity to delight - or dismay - a prospective or current customer. You only have to think about your own experiences to know it's true. Little things like how you/your people answer the phone, how prompt and courteous everyone is, how easy your instructions are to use, how you deal with complaints, how clean your vans are - not to mention did your product/service deliver what it promised! Have you solved a problem for the customer? And do you even know?
That is the amazing thing about customer satisfaction - it doesn't need to be hard or expensive. But it does take a bit of time, effort and attention to detail. And if you don't know the answers then just ask the question - and listen to the answer. Or take some advice from an outsider who can give you an objective view. This is one circumstance where the customer is always right, because whatever they tell you is what they perceive to be true. Maybe you mislead them, unintentionally of course. However, if you find they have got the wrong idea you then have the opportunity to put it right.
Satisfied customers keep coming back for me and can recommend you to others. But remember dissatisfied customers will tell even more people, so ignore this aspect of your marketing at your peril!
The next two free breakfast seminars are on pricing (25 March) and promotion (30 April). If you're in the Canterbury area and fancy coming along you can find details on my website or can book at www.eventskent.co.uk.
