10 Tips for Improving Customer Service and Keeping More of Your Customers

1. Customer service is all about customers' needs first and your needs second.

If your customers expect a response from you in 24 hours and you always respond much later, that's putting your needs first and their needs second.

2. Customers are like a spouse, they need to feel special to continually respond to your offers.

You make your customers feel special by over-delivering in every area, especially in those areas they don't expect. Imagine how you'd feel if you sent an email with a question to a merchant and they responded within half an hour with an answer when you were expecting an answer the next day. You would definitely feel special. It's a wonderful feeling. Create this feeling within your customers.

3. Stay in contact with your customers, not only when you need to make a sale.

This could be as simple as sending an online greeting on holidays. It could be giving helpful advice that you researched or offering something free that they really appreciate. Make sure whatever you do the quality is on par or better than whatever you'd sell them. This also means the presentation or packaging. Remember you always want to appear as putting their needs ahead of yours, even if you don't all the time.

4. The service you provide after the sale should be just good or better than the service provided before the sale.

Have you ever called the sales department of a company and the representative was more than helpful, and then once you bought a product and called their customer service department you were greeted by a machine that put you on hold for over an hour? Even worse, when you finally got someone they tried to get you off the phone as quickly as possible. What if their customer service department were to take the attitude of the sales department and be as eager to help you? Wouldn't you would be a loyal customer?

5. The perception of the quality and use of your products and services that you project should be honest.

There are few things more infuriating than to be told the benefits you'll get from a product or service and then to find out you didn't get what was promised. If enough determined customers get angry they could put you out of business. Look at honesty as a service to your customers and prospects that builds trust. Have you ever thought about customer service in this way?

6. Your customer service personnel should be well trained for the job.

There are few things consumers dislike more than a company that have well-trained sales people and poorly trained customer service personnel. You do not want your customers spreading bad publicity about your customer service, since if they do they'd be reversing your marketing efforts. So spend just as much time training your customer service personnel as you do your sales force.

7. Your customer service should be as good as or better than the competition or you won't keep your customers for long.

Reputable companies have the least trouble selling their products and services. The marketplace has developed trust and admiration for how they operate and how they treat their customers. One of the tenets of a reputable company is its excellent customer service. When any company has great customer service even the most difficult customers can walk away feeling better than if they had dealt with the competition.

8. Your customers should receive a consistent service.

Walk into any McDonalds in the world and what you'll find are consistent services. Everyone knows what they'll get when they walk into a McDonalds Restaurant. Fries and hamburgers are prepared the same way. Imagine if one day you walked into a McDonalds Restaurant and got well-prepared fries and another day you got over-cooked fries, you wouldn't like the inconsistency, would you? Your customers expect the same consistency as franchisees are renowned for providing.

9. Give your customers the benefit of the doubt even when you think they are lying.

Remember, only a few customers will take advantage of you. Follow the model of Procter and Gamble, a consumer goods company. A customer once wrote in about a bad diaper and they sent several cartons of diapers to this mother. Can you imagine the word-of-mouth promotion they got from this mother instead of an angry customer spewing out bad publicity? Consider any amends made to customers as a cost of doing business.

10. Create and project an impressive image of your company and the competition will have to work very hard to seduce and steal your prospects and customers.

This is how brands develop. Brands work on the projection of images. "Sony" and "Lexus" both project images of quality and great customer care. If there are two products or services of identical quality and one sells better at a higher price using a different brand and all else is equal then image is the reason for the difference.

These ten tips will improve any company that applies them. And since they improve the customer service function the customer retention rate will be higher as well.

Windsor Pennicott is a marketer and writer who specializes in the business and marketing area. He created the free booklet Power Sales And Marketing Innovations That Automatically Convert More Prospects. Get your copy at UsefulBizTips.com [http://www.UsefulBizTips.com]

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Improving The Quality of Your Service Will Immediately Attract and Help You Retain Affluent Clients

In the latest Merrill Lynch/Capgemini study on millionaires, some interesting facts emerged about the importance of service to the affluent buyer. Many clients rated service quality as a necessary component in selecting a wealth management firm . Furthermore, they found most HNW's relied on referrals from family, friends and colleagues, rather than traditional company advertising.

There are 3 critical questions to ask yourself

- As a financial professional how can you use the Service Edge to attract more clients?

- Do you use Service to differentiate yourself in a crowded market?

- How do you sell service up front with a potential client?

I successfully sold to multi millionaires for years. The way you position the service component of your business during the first conversation will determine if you can use 'Client Service' to make you unique from your competitors. Many times during the sales process, sales people get too entrenched in feature/benefit selling. They forget the value of human interaction and what it means to a relationship. They forget to sell 'putting a face to a name'. In my former business, we did events in different geographic areas. People that I had never met would come meet me, just to put a 'face to the name'. It's what makes you human. Multi millionaires are elusive to most sales people; however, once they decide they want to do business with your company, they're eager to get to know their sales person. Don't assume that email is your best communication tool.

I would always introduce the service component in the first conversation. Typically, I'd say something along these lines: "What are the three factors that will weigh most in your decision?" You usually get feature/benefit type answers. I would then say, "How will the service reputation of the company factor into your decision?" If you get a puzzled response, don't be surprised. Most people don't come right out and say they're looking for an exceptional customer service experience. So, you have to say it. This is now your opening to talk about your company, how your goal is a superior client service experience and the things you do to achieve these goals. And, now your competitors have to prove they're equal to you when it comes to client service.

What you're doing is setting the Buying Criteria. By explaining up front the level of service in your organization, you're setting the agenda for all your competitors. You've introduced service as something that must be considered ass they weigh their various options. Now, they're judging everyone else by the standards of service you're offering them. It's extremely powerful.

Service Can Be More Important

Than the Product You're Selling

As the Merrill Lynch/Capgemini study points out, providing an exceptional customer service experience can be more important than the product you're selling. If the client perceives your product is similar to other products he's evaluating, then service is what will help you get their business. I worked in a service business, and the best referrals came from clients who had a service problem that I solved for them.

If you're in a smaller, boutique firm, you have an advantage in developing cutting edge customer service for your clients. Since you're smaller, you can immediately schedule a brainstorming session among the top members of your organization. Service quality is something every member of your company has to be committed to every day. From the person who answers the phone to Accounts Payable. You can't accept mediocrity from anyone within your organization.

It's especially important from your sales representatives. It's up to each person to commit to being the Contact Person for their customers? What do I mean by Contact Person? Let me explain. I made it clear to all of my clients, I was their point of contact. Call one number. Mine. Talk to one person. Me. This was turnkey for my clients. It didn't matter what they had a questions about. They called me. I then took ownership of their issue and contacted the appropriate person to get it resolved. This eliminated my clients making 5 calls, leaving voice mails and , in general, just getting frustrated.

Many sales people believe their job is to sell. That's a very short term view for any sales territory. If you intend to stay in your area, get referrals and be there long term, you must establish a customer service edge with your clients. The only way to do this is by you taking ownership of your clients, and becoming their one, and only, contact point.

That's especially important to the affluent client. As other businesses try to 'woo' them away, they'll remember the exceptional customer service and use that as a benchmark for your competition. It's extremely difficult to take away a customer who's had great service. Many companies sell similar items. Very few sell 'above and beyond' customer service. If you're not, you're missing a huge opportunity.

9.5 Millionaires in the United States....How Many Are Your Clients?

The number of millionaires increased by 8.3% in 2006 and the number of Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (those with assets in excess of 30 million) increased 11.3% to 94,970 people. This is expected to keep rising. The competition for their business is fierce, so understanding the Millionaires Buying Mindset is critical. Correctly positioning service can be your key to immediately attracting, and retaining affluent buyers.

Remember, someone who has $500,000 in financial assets now will be worth over a million dollars in 5-10 years. If you start working with them today, you'll grow their portfolio over time and be there when they become one of the 10 million in the United States to have assets over a million dollars.

In summary, I would offer several suggestions to those of you targeting the affluent market:

1. Get comfortable introducing service into the initial sales conversation.

2. Achieve service excellence throughout your organization

3. Develop 'service benchmarks' that far exceed what your competitors are offering. It will immediately separate you in the eyes of your prospect.

Remember, each affluent client you add to your business also brings friends, family and business colleagues as potential referrals. It's worth the time to achieve Service Excellence in your business. It will pay off today, and well into the future.

Copyright - 2007. Susan Adams http://www.sellingtomillionaires.net

Former Learjet Sales Star, Susan Adams, has successfully sold to CEO?s, High Net Worth Individuals and celebrities.

She is the co-author of Million Dollar Marketing Secrets and the co-creator of Selling to Millionaires.

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