DON'T GIVE YOUR CUSTOMERS A REASON NOT TO BUY FROM YOU

Welcome to December. Is it just me or does it seem this year more than ever the craziest time of the year these last few weeks!

 As we all know this year wasn’t the one that many of you had planned, you either pivoted in a new direction, closed or your business grew massively. No matter your direction what lays ahead for all of us is a 2021 that will be different from previous years because of what we have learnt this year.  One such learning experience is the online world and the use of Zoom.  I love Zoom and was using it well before COVID, however, it has changed my world when it comes to all day driving sitting in traffic congestion to see clients, can now be done on a Zoom call from the comfort of my office.  Now don’t get me wrong nothing will replace sitting down across a table sharing a coffee, laugh and chatting about life, business strategies and all things random which I still love to do with my clients but Zoom allows all of us the flexibility of a local and global reach.

Over the past few weeks I have been visiting my clients and have loved seeing how they and their teams have come through this year and are now rejoicing with cheer and decorations. 

 If you know me it is all about the “Customer Experience Journey” whether it’s online, telephone, enquiry forms on your website or a place where customers actually come in and spend time and money then this “journey” needs to be exceptional, no time for inconsistency, lack of enthusiasm or engagement from team members (and managers) who just don’t want to help the customer.

 I still can’t believe how many business owners and managers don’t value “customer service” in their business plan and daily operations.  It doesn’t matter how great your product is, your customer can buy it elsewhere from a business who cares about them by providing service and a memorable experience for all the right reasons.  It doesn’t matter if it’s an existing or brand new business you only get one chance to make a first impression, don’t blow it.

Over the weekend I visited a country town that has a new bookshop.  It’s not too far from Sydney, it’s a very popular destination for tourists plus it has a booming economy with people moving to the area.  I walked into the bookshop as I love books and looked around for 15 minutes while the owner fiddled behind the counter, straightened a few books and never said one word to me.  No acknowledgement or welcome.  It just wasn’t me though, 4 other customers came into the shop all just as eagerly excited as me and still no comment from the owner. 

I purchased a book because I was travelling the next day on public transport that was going to take 7 hours.  If there was an alternative I would have purchased elsewhere.  The other customers just as excited, commented on how wonderful it was to have a bookshop in town to their children who were all just as eager, they walked out with nothing in their hands while the owner stood motionless behind the counter.

 Don’t give your customers a reason not to buy from you.

Here are 3 key points to make both the internal and external customer experience journey magical to get you through this crazy time, to increase your sales and most importantly making a positive impact on your customers that will have them returning and recommending you.

• Everyone in your team must know what is going on.  Please ensure all team members are update to with stock changes, pricing, new items.  Communicate with them through various channels and check in with them when you do see them if they have any questions they need answering.  

Communication is absolutely key.  There is nothing worse than a customer asking for an item and the staff member doesn’t know about it or worse still says “head office / boss / management don’t tell us anything”, believe me I have heard this excuse that many times over the past two decades when conducting Mystery Shopping audits.

• Test all your links on your website are they working, no 404 messages and ensure someone is checking your online orders / enquiry forms every hour. Time is absolutely crucial.  Customers move on very fast.

• Upsell and options. Nothing is more annoying for a customer when they get home and see your latest promotion on Instagram where you are offering a bundle of items and you only sold them 1 item earlier that day.  Selling is serving your customers, sharing your knowledge, asking questions and answering questions even before they ask them or even know the question to ask.  There is always an opportunity to upsell or advise your customers when purchasing.  It’s not a hard sell it’s knowledge selling.

LOYALTY

 Be loyal to your customers and they will repay you for your loyalty by returning and recommending you.  Brands have been built on this loyalty and many through COVID.  I would like to thank my clients who have been loyal to me, it’s been a tough year.

 It’s also been a year of seeking out new ways, making new connections and digging deep to provide a customer experience journey that is magical and memorable.

 OOPS has been providing Research – business insight reports / mystery shopping to the Registered Club industry for two decades along with frontline and leadership training when COVID hit and the clubs shut so did my business.  In June two clients contacted me wanting me to start the Mystery Shopping reports straight away and booked in “customer experience / service training” for their frontline team.  My company is slowly growing again from the ground up, like many of you.  In my newsletter just after lockdown came in I said, “we will not only survive, we will thrive” and we have.  Congratulations to you all, no matter the outcome and the choices that you have had to make, you are strong and will thrive.

Plan for 2021 to be your best year while being open to possibilities as you just don’t know where your journey will take you.

Keep safe and well.

 Michelle 

P.S.  Do you have a Christmas tradition?  Mine is watching Chevy Chase – National Lampoon Christmas Vacation.  The scene with the lights catches me every time.  He tries so hard and