Today’s business world demands that we reflect on answering tough questions about our business, implement the most practical answers through an engaged team, monitor and reward progress, and keep building a team to get us where we need to go. If I could pick one ‘area’ that we could all focus on that would almost guarantee a return of repeat sales and more profits, I would choose… ‘how do we add more value for our high value customers?
It is important to constantly ask and answer the right questions and ensure our action steps are implemented. Begin by reflecting on:
1. Who are our best customers? (define what is your ‘best’ – usually 20%) 2. What does our business mean to them? (How do we impact their lives?) 3. What are they planning and how do we become part of their plans. 4. What products, services and activities make us the most money 5. What are the activities that are high-value, high return? 6. What extra actions keep customers feeling special?
 The answers to one through five are focused on helping customers and you, get what you want and allow you to stay in a winning position in the game. Number six can make you just a little better than your competition. If you are saying you are not worried about competition, listen to Mark Twain when he said “Let us be thankful for the fools. But not for them, the rest of us could not succeed.”Why is it important to add a little extra, personalized touch to every key customer interaction? Any customer can go anywhere for a better price but can’t go just anywhere to be happy. If you listen and watch, you will know what the little extras are and provide them. If you keep asking and answering questions one through five forever, you will always be adapting and adjusting your value to customers. Your value proposition and offering will stay linked to the quality of your delivery and how it matches your customers wants…. beyond the price you charge. The quality of your reputation and how you keep your brand’s promises, not how you generate dollars and cents, will get you through the ups and downs. It is important to think through every interaction with our best customers and figure out how to add that extra, personalized value.
The opportunity is there for any organization or any person. We have all the time required and the costs are minimal to connect with customers with sincere interest, or moments of added generosity. It doesn’t always have to be a technological tool we use although connection is faster using some of these tools. It could be as simple as tracking your customers buying routines using a CRM system, calling and reminding them of it and telling them that you have a special gift to move now. This isn’t difficult, but above all, ask for the order.
MMM Insight:
Offer value by actually valuing your customers. In small or medium sized companies, customers are not just numbers. They are people and that is your advantage over big companies. Today customers expect that you know as well as they do, their wants, and where they are going. Here are some examples of the little memorable things that can make a business stand out:
-Arriving at your favorite restaurant and by the time you sit down, your usual beverage of choice is waiting for you. -A brief hand written note from the CEO/Owner with every large order. -A genuine after the sale service call. -A genuine service call while the service or product is being delivered. Ask them, “How would you like to be serviced?” Find out what little things are important to them and if taken care of, could be memorable to them. -Our gardener/landscaping company in Mexico walks us around his work when he is finished, shows us how everything is the way we wanted it, it’s cleaned up, and then presents us with a small gift (usually a plant). What thoughtfulness. How simple. What a good business practice.
All of us can figure out what will work, what won’t, and we don’t have to give away the value we charge for. (numbers 1 – 5) We can add that extra valued touch without adding excessive costs. Never add costs to your customer without adding value. If you treat customers in a special way, they won’t be so upset when you up your prices. The extra value could justify the costs. Remember the bigger the personal connection, the more they will remember you. You will gain access to repeat business and bigger sales.
ACTIONS:
Make your own list of what extra value touches to give your clients that sincerely makes them feel special. Implement them immediately. Better yet, get a group together to create a list of your best customers. Create standardized routine actions and/or go over each account and determine what they would value that is unique to them and implement your specific actions. This meeting could be the most profitable use of your time this month. Your brand loyalty, profits and sales depend on it.
Have a great week! | 
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