04.17.08
Excellent Service is Not Enough
Have you heard the old saying, “Last impressions are lasting impressions”? Like the tattooed waitress who fawns over you the whole night, and after you sign the bill and allocate her tip, she disappears forever. Hopefully you won’t need anything more, because now that she has her tip she’s off working someone else. Or you attend a great theme park, event, or attraction, and after it’s all over you trudge home in the cold, dark and rain to your car - you’re forgotten.
I decided to go skiing on Mount Seymour, and, true to form, they had adjusted their schedule again to suit themselves, and twenty people were told abruptly that the chair lifts would only be opening at noon. No apology, nothing. At the top of the mountain thy eventually put up a sign with the “new” time. Why not at the bottom of the mountain before you drive all the way up? Oh, sorry, I forgot - that’s too much trouble for them. The infamous Heathrow Terminal Five: “Your bags were lost, but now they’re found - it will take another 45 minutes.” This after waiting an hour. No apology, just a sour face. I didn’t feel like I was hearing the snippet of a hymn, believe me.
In a world where competition is so strong, it’s easy to differentiate yourself and to stand out from the also-rans like welcoming, caring beacon of light. It’s simple to ensure people will remember you long after the event - a warm memory of your business. Relative to the amount of money people spend at your establishment, and bearing in mind the fact that they usually have numerous choices - read your competition - would you spend five bucks to retain a $100-per-visit customer? And what if that puny five bucks got your customer to refer you to ten other people @ $100 each, instead of badmouthing you on their blog?
“OK, OK - get to the point”, you say. And I will. You can buy delightful little ornaments, plush toys, and other gimmicks for one dollar at most Dollar Shops. You could have some ribbon printed with your business name on it to wrap around the soft, one dollar bear, and hand it to your guests as they leave. Send a Thank You Note. Add them to your database and send them a nice ezine with a Gift Certificate. The waitress could walk you to your car, holding an umbrella. Small gestures will be remembered long after the event. You don’t have to pay exorbitant prices for “corporate gifts”, but something with your name on it in your client’s office or home is a friendly reminder and a creator of loyalty and positive word-of-mouth advertising.
Don’t get me started on restaurants again - damn! I already have. I take my wife to a new restaurant on the water in Port Moody for our 22nd wedding anniversary, and they ask, “What’s the occasion?” when I make the reservation. I tell them, “22nd wedding anniversary”. They FORGET, so people all around us get special treats with sparklers and signing waiters, while we are ignored. I won’t go back, I won’t recommend them, and I don’t like them. Childish, but human, I’m afraid. Here was a missed opportunity to spend a small amount to have that restaurant advertised to thousands of people in this article.
Every restaurant could dramatically increase their brand and market share with virtually no money and exceptional add value, using simple system that I teach at my Joint Venture Bootcamps. And that goes for EVERY other business out there. Reduce customer attrition, increase transaction amount, build your brand, increase referral business, push profits up… You can do it when you put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Spend 80% of your advertising and marketing budget on you existing customers and only 20% on new customers, and you will be amazed at the results.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
