Valentine’s Day.
No doubt that with those two words, thoughts immediately rushed to your mind.
These thoughts probably ranged from “Valentine’s Day is amazing, it’s the one day where everyone thinks about true love” all the way too “Valentine’s Day literally makes me want to vomit. Twice.”
Well, let’s think back to a time before you had developed such mature opinions on Valentine’s Day, when all you were worried about was getting some wicked Valentine’s Day cards at school. Whether it was Power Rangers, My Little Pony, or Batman, these little cards were frickin’ awesome. And you know that you looked at the one that your secret crush gave you and thought, “YES! She dotted the “I” in her name with a heart.” No? Bueller? Bueller?
Anyways, I was thrilled to get these cards (with candy of course) from all of my friends. I didn’t think of it this way at the time, but it was nice to know (or at least think) that all of these people really cared about you (nevermind that everyone’s parents made you give one to everyone, even the kid who choked on a penny–weirdo).
The point is, people really do love for you to let them know that you care. That they really appreciate your friendship or relationship.
Or business.
There it is! There’s the connection. Your customers, even though they may not tell you or even realize it themselves, want you to show how much you value them. Something as little as showing that you’re listening, can go a long way.
An example. Earlier this week, Arik Hanson wrote a public letter to Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable, on his blog with some suggestions for Mashable. I’m sure Arik figured someone at Mashable may read it and maybe take it seriously or maybe brush it off. Well, instead, Mr. Cashmore himself visited the blog and left what came off as a very sincere comment, thanking Arik for each of his suggestions and ensuring that he would share it with his team.
Another example. On Twitter yesterday, I saw Rebecca Denison tweet with David Armano about a feature that she wished Radian 6 had. Radian 6, being a leading tool for listening online, naturally picked up on the suggestion and Amber Naslund swiftly replied: “Consider yourselves heard. Lemme get those to our product crew, okay?” Woah. Talk about making the customer feel important.
It doesn’t have to just be online. I got something in the mail from the store I bought an engagement ring for my fiance saying they really appreciated that I chose them and included a 10% discount on my next purchase there (this is the same store I previously said did a poor job of retaining customers last month). Needless to say, I felt as if I was really a valued customer of theirs.
The point is, what are you doing to show your customers that you want to give them a big fat bear hug for choosing you? You may have never thought of it this way, but in a world of ever increasing options, they chose you. That’s something that you shouldn’t just brush off. Your customers chose to enter a relationship with your business.
The question is, how are you showing how thankful you are that they chose you?
Image by SeeMidTN.com (aka Brent)
{ 11 comments }
Jackie – Hi there, and thanks for the shoutout. The key for me is not just showing that you care through lip service, but actually doing something to demonstrate it. It wouldn't have meant much if I'd said I heard Rebecca, but then didn't send her suggestions along, right?
A couple of weeks ago, I bought some jeans at Nordstrom. Not only did I get a personal note from the sales rep thanking me for my purchase, but she included a list of other jeans I might like to try on the next time. That was pretty darn personal, I'd say, and a savvy sales move to boot.
Thanks for the post! I'm always encouraged when I hear that people aren't just paying attention, but are actually engaging and responding. Gives me hope for the business world yet.
Best,
Amber Naslund
Director of Community, Radian6
@ambercadabra
Amber, thanks for stopping by and commenting! It's always easy to acknowledge people just to prove you're listening, but (as you did) actually showing that you genuinely care about their complaints or suggestions is taking it to a whole other level. That's something that us consumers aren't used to; therefore, when it happens, you better believe we'll appreciate it so much that we'll go out of our way send our business your way next time.
Some may think that's overestimating the influence an act like that has. But, just like you, I've heard a number of friends talk about their Nordstrom salesperson like they're BFF's, which makes them willing to spend a few extra bucks for that new pair of jeans.
Thanks again for dropping by The Curb!
I think this is such a simple area that can make a huge difference, and yet it seems many companies ignore this area. Sometimes the problem is lack of real personality. For example, sending somebody a coupon after a purchase is nice and thoughtful, but if it's just a generic coupon in a direct-mail-looking envelope, I don't think that has the same effect as a hand written letter with some reference to something that happened during your visit.
Great post title by the way
Haha, got your attention, eh?
You're definitely right. I've gotten many letters from companies that it is so blatantly an document they print out hundreds of and send to their customers that it takes away any personal touch they were aiming for. The thing is, these personal touches are so few and far between that when one does come along, it blows me away.
Thanks for commenting, Tim!
It always amazes me how companies don't get this. Especially small businesses. It isn't like you have 8 tons of expendable marketing money to spend. These little touches to let customers and clients know you hear them, you appreciate them and you value them…HUGE!
I learned once at a conference that (pre-social media) a happy client will recommend 4 of their friends/family/acquaintances to a company. A disgruntled one? They'll tell 11 people. Course with the advent of social media, I could tell 700+ people in a quick Tweet…wouldn't you rather have it be good news than bad?!
Two things we do at my company come to mind:
1) We have note cards the sales team can use to send personalized post-sale notes to their customers. (love letters in the context of your title?)
2) Our Customer Service team makes post-sale quality assurance calls. (phone s$% in the context of your title?)
To Amber's point – it's the personal that counts.
Somehow this comment slipped under my radar, sorry! You're right, when you don't have a huge budget, little things like this can have a huge impact and are way easy and cheap. And yes, you very often see/hear people complaining about service than praising. Add on top of that how it's cheaper to keep an existing customer than go out and get a new one, and it's almost a no-brainer that you need to do your best to satisfy the customer!
Great examples, Beth! Thanks for sharing!
Two things we do at my company come to mind:
1) We have note cards the sales team can use to send personalized post-sale notes to their customers. (love letters in the context of your title?)
2) Our Customer Service team makes post-sale quality assurance calls. (phone s$% in the context of your title?)
To Amber's point – it's the personal that counts.
Somehow this comment slipped under my radar, sorry! You're right, when you don't have a huge budget, little things like this can have a huge impact and are way easy and cheap. And yes, you very often see/hear people complaining about service than praising. Add on top of that how it's cheaper to keep an existing customer than go out and get a new one, and it's almost a no-brainer that you need to do your best to satisfy the customer!
Great examples, Beth! Thanks for sharing!
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