How many times have we left a store or a fast-food restaurant feeling completely aggravated? The cashier had a complete attitude problem, didn’t really listen to what you ordered, and uttered a barely noticeable thank-you or have a nice day before you arrived home to discover that they still didn’t get your order right?
I’m sure you’ve had this experience at least as many times as I have. The situation is almost infuriating, you pay your hard earned money for bad service. This is the experience for most American consumers today. In fact, it happens so often, you may even be numb to it.
My father-in -law owned a very successful restaurant for 10 years. So now, whenever we go out to eat with him, we know what to expect. If the waiter or waitress doesn’t greet us with a smile within the first 10 seconds, he is ready to bolt out of there. Things that maybe you or I may not even notice is an absolute monstrosity to him. I used to think that maybe he was a little bit anal about it, but maybe he was right. What ever happened to good old customer service? Here is where small business owners are at an advantage.
Knowing what the average American consumer experience is like, small business owners can cater their services to create unique experiences for their customers. You have the opportunity to learn more personal things about your customers, like a birthday or an anniversary. Acknoweledging these milestones with your customers makes their experiences more personable. The more personable you are, the more business you’ll get. Even adding something as small as a thank you card or even a thank you email to your repetoire will make you stand out from your competitors. It’s almost too easy, but these little things are just not done with large corporate entities.
Depending on the size of your business you may or may not be able to do these types of things with all of your customers. But I assure you that going the extra mile is a rarity. When you incorporate it into what you do, you make yourself and your product or service one of a kind. And in the gratitude deprived society we dwell in, your appreciation will be a most welcomed event.
Here’s to your success!
