Whatever your status we all buy stuff, whether its products or services, for personal or business use. The money we give is in exchange for the product or service, however what keeps that purchase in the memory is something that is intangible but nonetheless as valuable.

The 90’s was all about take take, the noughties was about customer service, the twenty teens is about the customer experience. Following a talk given by Royston Guest some weeks ago, he explained what needs to happen if we are to gain more customers. It is an old sales and marketing adage, that it is easier to sell to your existing customers than to sell to new customers. Royston talked about the difference between customer service and customer experience.

This got me thinking. What are the kind of services/products I have stopped going back to and which ones do I keep on buying, and in a lot of the cases it was about the experience.

By shifting your focus to ensure the experience of your existing customers is so good, that they NEVER go anywhere else, is the holy grail of increasing your sales. We need to change our focus from offering good customer service to giving the ultimate customer experience. Customer service is about doing enough so that no one can be accused of not doing that little bit extra. But customer experience is going beyond the call of duty and doing something that stays in the memory of the customer.

An example where this is demonstrated perfectly is the hairdressers I go to. I have been going to her for the last 22 years. What I remember was the very first time I went to her she made a point of knowing my name, then everytime I went back, she would greet me by my first name, always offered me a cup of tea and all the useful niceties. Now you maybe saying, great customer service, and yes it was, but she ensured that my experience was something that I would want to repeat again and again.

She moved to different Salons and I moved with her, there was a time when she worked from home and she kept most of her customers, ensuring the experience was as good as ever. She could have easily saw me as another haircut, but if you think about those first few experiences it meant I stayed with her for the last 22 year.

So thinking about the customers you have now, what kind of experience are they getting from you? Is it the kind that will mean they will still be with you in 22 years time? Will they need/want what they buy off you today in 22 years time? If the answer is yes, look at the kind of things you can change that will ensure your customers like what they experience when dealing with you.

The difference between customer service and customer experience, as Royston explains (and I agree!!!) is as follows

1. Tangible needs – with the hairdresser example, the quality of the cut, styling etc
2. Informational needs – Hairdresser gives me more of what I need/want, appointments when I want, tea, advice on products etc.
3. Intangible needs – Meeting my emotional needs, making me feel wanted, calling me by my first name, letting me know when she is available, telling me when she moved salons
4. Affiliation needs – does it make me feel good to be part of something that regards me as special and visa-versa

To gain customers, we focus on the tangible needs of the product or service we are selling, and hope that we are given the opportunity to show what informational, intangible needs we can also offer. However it is often the case that once the sale is done, we fall into the trap of thinking the job is done and don’t focus on what makes the customer experience that much special.

Social media is all about experience, whether you are exchanging conversations with friends or prospective customers, if you make the experience enjoying, the relationship will be that much more solid making the likelihood of any business relationship that much more concrete.

So, looking at the sequence Royston described above, its vitally important that you provide the INTANGIBLE NEEDS to a customer BEFORE they buy. Wow, then once they buy, it will be partly because you met their emotional needs first. Commonly it is the smaller and medium size companies that get this social media thing and big corporates are slow on the intake, not all I must say but most. Social Media allows us to give that customer experience before they buy.

Looking at your own business what can you do with your marketing and sales, to ensure you give intangible needs that your customers crave?

Image via Wikipedia

Getting more clients is what we all strive for. We go networking, make cold calls, and go to workshops to learn the secrets from the ‘experts’, however if we apply the Yoda principal to getting more clients we will get more than we need.

The word ‘try’ is often heard when in our language, when we look to attempt something, ‘I want to work with that blue chip company, I will try and call the CEO’

TRY!!! This allows for failure. By trying we give ourselves a get out clause.’ Well I did try and call him, but he was busy, he is already working with XYZ‘

Next time you say you will try to do something, just change it to do. Even saying this will change the energy around your intention and make it more likely to happen.

When you are committed to something it is amazing how often opportunities occur. When I coach, whether in schools or in business, if I had a penny for the number of times I hear people say the word try, well, let’s just say, it would be easy money. Yoda’s response to Luke when his ship immersed in the lake was, all about intention.

Is your intention to fail or succeed. Is it an option that you fail? No, so why allow it to happen. By doing, your intention is all around succeeding, and history tells us as soon as we decide on something our intention changes and we get closer to what we want.

Go on try it, sorry DO IT, you never know it might just be true!

Image by epicnom via Flickr

We often hear marketing professionals asking us about our USP (unique selling point) is, and many misinterpret this as  how are you better than the competition, when actually what they are is how are you DIFFERENT than the rest.

What is it that stands you out from the rest of the crowd? Think about it, you tend to remember the things that are different from the norm. Does your marketing and sales pitch lend itself to this? What is the impression that people are left with when they have either met you at an event, or experienced your services? What do they remember?

Ask yourself this, are you constantly trying to show how much better you are than the others or how you are different? Whatever profession you are in, people will choose you because you relate to them and because you have something different that they like.

Don’t kid yourself, whatever your profession, (unless you are the leader of a country!!!) there are thousands of people doing what you do. The following video perfectly demonstrates this. Getting over 38 million hits, it’s all about being different not necessarily better.

How can you be different? Please leave a comment and let others know what is different about you.

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When December comes the thought on most peoples minds is where did the year go? All the things I planned to do, I never got done. How frustrating!!!

So what are going to do that will make 2010 your best year yet? What plans do you have for 2010 that mean you can’t wait for the new year to begin?

A wise man once said if ‘…you keep on doing the same things expect the same results!’

The new year brings optimism and a sense of a new beginning. Why wait? What’s stopping you doing what you want to do now.

By starting now you give yourself a months head start. If its working, great carry on in the new year, if not, change it.

5 Questions to Ask Yourself before the start of 2010

1. What can I start to do now, that I am waiting for the new year to do?

2. Who do I need to connect with NOW to ensure my year starts on the right foot?

3. What are the things that I can start to delegate to ensure I focus on what I do best?

4. What’s the most important thing I want to achieve in 2010?

5. What am I worth?

To really kick start you year come see me here