How to ensure Customers never forget you

How to make Customers unable to forget you – One of the best marketers I have ever met was a mortgage lender whom I used back in 1991. He was great to deal with, friendly and informed, worked around our schedule, and did an excellent job of keeping us informed. However, that alone wasn’t what made him exceptional or memorable. Since the buying cycle in mortgages typically has such a long gap in between, I was certain I would have forgotten about him, had he not made sure I couldn’t forget him. When the deal was finalized, I assumed that was it, we would never hear from him again. Did we ever hear from him again? He became an excellent resource who contacted us about several times a year. Every fall, winter, spring, and summer he sent us magnetic postcards with a list of seasonal activities to enjoy. In the summer, the card listed all the water and amusement parks, outdoor concerts, and festivals, including dates, hours of operation, phone numbers, and addresses. In the winter, the card listed where we could see holiday lights, and hear holiday carolers. Each of these postcards had a shelf life of 2-3 months, which meant, nearly twelve months a year, our refrigerator had his postcard on it. Everything he sent out always ended with a note saying, “The highest compliment I could receive is a referral of a family member or friend.” Because he constantly was sending me these seasonal postcards with great information that I could use, I never forgot who my mortgage lender was. As a result, I not only used him every time I either refinanced or purchased a new home, I referred over two dozen people to him.

The warm touch – A great technique for cultivating new relationships and reinvigorating old ones is the 3-2-1 system. This is a way to stay in touch with existing Customers in a non-soliciting way, that will keep you top-of-mind. Use this with people when not responding to a request or currently involved in servicing. It is a cold, out-of-the-blue act of re-engaging the client, without any solicitation of product or services. For instance, I just received the following message from Rory Vaden, best-selling of author Taking the Stairs and one of the highest rated Secret Service Summit speakers we have ever had; and who, by the way, is back presenting again at this year’s Secret Service Summit. I strongly encourage you and your team implementing the 3-2-1 system every week. You won’t believe how something that appears so small can stimulate an increase in business and sales.

Policy makes employees do stupid things – One of The DiJulius Group’s clients is an apartment management company. Recently they shared some feedback they received from a current resident, further demonstrating how bad it is to give your employees “policies” to enforce (see past eService A company policy ends up costing a Customer’s life).

“My cat died about 3 weeks prior to renewing my lease. I wanted to take her off the lease and I was asked to provide a death certificate. He assumed that I had her ”put-down” at the vet’s office and said I should be able to prove that I had that done. My little kitty was 18, died at home. I called my vet about the matter and they accommodated your corporation’s insensitive policy…and commented they have never had such a request! This was very stressful for me as I have struggled with her loss and still morn her death. After being a resident here for many years I felt your company should have treated me better during my time of loss.”

CX Talk – Starting August 27, 2014 at 2:00 pm Eastern, The DiJulius Group is launching a monthly Customer eXperience Talk Show (CX Talk), where Dave Murray and John DiJulius share the latest in the world of Customer eXperience; everything from hot topics, latest trends, incredible above & beyond stories, Customer service blunders, best practices, and valuable advice. Register today to watch this month’s CX Talk.

How SMART is your company? In 2007, TJ Schier founded SMART Restaurant Group, which today has grown to owning and operating more than a dozen Which Wich Superior Sandwiches franchises. How did Schier grow his restaurant group? First by creating an strong Customer Service Vision statement “Making the Guest say WOW”, and making sure every team member understands that, and they use that to hire people against. Schier did this by implementing a system called SMART, a measurement tool focused on guest service, hiring, training and incentivizing his staff to make the guest say, WOW! A ‘Tactician’ at heart, Schier uncovered key links to drive guest service, and over the past seven years has become the largest Which Wich Franchisee with sales volumes 20% higher than the market averages. What does SMART stand for?

• Selection
• Measurement
• Accountability
• Rewards & Recalibration (daily)
• Training & Technology