Winning businesses do things differently

Gene Mage

As consumers, each of us encounters a broad array of experiences each week. Why not learn something from all of that shopping? You can learn what to do, and what not to do, to earn the loyalty of customers.

As your roaming observer of human behavior, I have been out looking around lately, and come to you today with a report from the field. Here are eight things winning businesses do every day that set them apart from the madding crowd:

They listen. Last night we cooked up some steaks we bought over at Tops Friendly Market. I was intrigued by the label that said, “Natural, lean, no antibiotics.” Not only were these steaks natural and lean, but they were incredibly tender. They were not cheap, but I was willing to pay extra for something I could enjoy and feel good about. With all the “high protein” dieters out there, Tops listened, and added an attractive product line.
They follow up. After getting some service done on my wife’s minivan, I was pleasantly surprised to get a call from the service manager at Fox, asking whether everything was “OK” with the repair. It must take hours to call all those customers, but it was greatly appreciated.
They smile. I broke my foot playing basketball a few weeks ago and have been in and out of the orthopedist’s office for x-rays and evaluation. On my first visit I was pretty flustered and had to wait a long time. But the nurse who took us to the examining room was so cheerful and friendly I felt myself relaxing and feeling good. Before long my wife and I were laughing and joking with the staff.
They remember. When I went in for my x-ray, the technician took the time to talk to me about how I was doing. She remembered me from the previous week. She addressed me by name. I felt as though I was important.
They tell the truth. I just bought a new laptop computer. During the shopping process I had it in my head that I wanted a certain type of display that costs about $600 extra. I was ready to cough up the dough. But the sales person on the phone told me the truth. Unless I was doing computer aided design, that display would not be useful for me. He explained that I would like the less expensive one better for my use. Sure, he could have made a few extra bucks, but he put my needs above his commission.
They correct problems promptly. A few years ago I bought one of the “unsinkable” pool floats at our local pool and spa superstore. Well guess what. It sank! I took it back to the store expecting a long “run-around” and argument. Instead, they simply took the old one, handed me a new one, and sent me on my way a happy camper. Guess where I get all my pool supplies now.
They do a little something “extra”. As a professional speaker, I travel a lot. A couple of hotel chains have me in their computers, and offer “something extra” when I show up. Hilton hotels gives me free bottles of water. Hotel rooms are notoriously dry, and those bottles of water are a life-saver. Sure, it costs them a couple of bucks, but that is a small price to pay to win the loyalty of a frequent traveler.
They keep you informed. I book my travel through the Orbitz website. To my surprise and delight, Orbitz actually calls me before each leg of my trip to advise me of flight status. I have used full-service travel agents who never once called me about a delay. But this so-called “discount” website gives me meaningful, personalized service by keeping me informed.

So, as a self-assessment, how is your business doing on these eight actions?