Jim went shopping for a high-end, luxury car. He showed up at six dealerships in jeans, driving a compact rental. All sold expensive cars, yet only one showed genuine interest. The manager took all the time Jim needed, was highly knowledgeable, and even told him when he could come back to look at a soon-to-be-released new model.

Jim’s experience at the other dealerships was quite different: one salesman didn’t get off his chair or approach until he was called, and another was indifferent and acted somewhat patronizing. Yet another “sales manager” told him they didn’t have the top-of-the-line model he wanted and didn’t even bother to ask his name or get his number.

Jim knows the value of good customer service. He expects it at his business and didn’t want to be taken for granted.

What do customers experience at your company?

How do you and your staff make potential customers feel?

• Are they greeted with sincerity at every contact?
• Is every customer treated with courtesy and respect regardless of how they dress, their accent or any such “differences”?
• Are they thanked for patronizing your business?

How about current customers?

• Have you identified the 20% of customers who generate 80% of your business?
• Have you developed an intentional, individualized “Touch Campaign” for each one of them?
• Do you send them an occasional “thank you” for using your services?
• Have you visited their blog, company website, Facebook, or LinkedIn page? Better yet, have you left comments?
• Do you offer long-term customers incentives such as discounted rates, or a loyalty program including special offers not available to new clients?
• Do you keep a database (CRM) of all your customers that includes a thorough history of every contact with every customer, past, present, and potential? Do you utilize this valuable system to anticipate their possible needs?
• Before making contact do you re-read their messages and history in order to offer them the ideal, tailored solution?
• When you deliver a product or a service, do you call your customer for feedback and make changes based on what they say?
• When you meet someone who could benefit from networking with one of your customers, do you offer to make a connection to help them out?

Jim paid cash for a top-of-the-line Mercedes from that attentive manager and has purchased other cars for his company from this same dealership. That manager’s genuine interest, product knowledge, and customer service has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars of business over the years.

What’s your plan to create memorable moments for your customers?

The road is easier together,