What to do if you want my business…
I enjoy shopping, dining out, and finding new “toys” to play with. When I’m happy with a vendor I tell everyone I know about it. When I’m unhappy with a vendor, I do the same. In my previous blog post I explained what NOT to do to get my business. Listed below are a few things vendors and service providers can do to get and keep my business and make me WANT to spread the word about their good service.
- Develop a relationship with me. Pay attention to what I post here on my blog and on Twitter and then tell me how you can be of service to me. Within a few days after I bought my house, I got all kinds of fliers on my door offering to sell my house for me. Why on Earth would I want to sell a house I’d just bought? Those realtors obviously didn’t know or care about what I needed as a new homeowner.
- Provide excellent customer service. I return to businesses that find ways to help me achieve my goals. I am even willing to pay a bit extra if it means I can achieve my goals.
- Don’t engage in wasteful practices. I don’t like ordering items from online or catalog vendors and having a small book or other item come in a great big box with all sorts of padding or packaging. How companies interact with the environment is vitally important to me. Show me you’re a good steward of your little slice of the planet (and mine!) and you have a pretty good shot of keeping my business.
- Don’t make me feel like you don’t trust me. I’m not a big fan of the plastic clam-shell packaging that is next to impossible to get into. A majority of your customers are honest, law-abiding people who only want a good product or service at a fair price. Don’t engage in extreme measures because of what a few customers might do.
- Don’t preach at me. I don’t care what your religious or political beliefs are. Don’t put religious symbols or political emblems all over your ads or greet me with vigorous exclamatory statements. Treat me fairly and honestly and live your faith rather than preaching your faith. That’s the best way to get and keep my business.
Your thoughts on these points? What tips or pointers have I missed in this list? Please share with me in the comments area or on Twitter.
