Where’s The Love?
It’s Valentine’s Day so most people’s brains are preoccupied with hearts and flowers for their significant others, but it’s also a great day to recommit to showing the proper love and affection to your clients.
You all want your customers to love YOU, but how can you expect your customers to show you love if you’re not demonstrating your own love and commitment toward them?
Here are three ways to give your customers the Cupid Treatment…
1. Be A Great Listener
All the lasting romances are between two people who listen to each other. Listen to your customers, don’t just shout your devotion from rooftops (or from radio ads, or from television ads, or from coupons in the newspaper), actually listen to what they are saying. Seek to understand it deeply. And then show them you listened (and understood) through your actions.
2. Write Love Letters
Romeo wouldn’t send a form-fill letter to Juliet, neither should you profess your love for a client in bulk mail postcards and broadcast advertising. Those are avenues for special offers and sales and seeing how big you can make your logo. Write individual and personalized notes. Write from one human being to another — not from a business brand to a fat wallet. Reference personal interactions you’ve had, past conversations (See? There’s that Listening thing again!) and for the love of Aphrodite uses REAL stamps and not the company postage meter.
3. Make A Commitment
Dive into this relationship with both feet, not dragging your heels.
Do what’s best for the customer and not just what your company policy dictates (there are no rules to love!) Go over and above and way, way beyond what any other business competing for their affections has ever done for them in the past. Show your commitment to fulfilling your customer’s needs and desires — your dedication to their personal success and growth — and like true partners they will be in tune with your needs as well.
If you do it right, all this lovey-dovey romance stuff will lead to the next level — Engagement.
If you can win customer engagement, you’ll have their attention, devotion, loyalty, and love. If you cherish and nurture that relationship it has no expiration date.
Til death do you part.
