Question: What was I doing wrong that I lost a client for 10 years?
Steve’s answer: Don’t get upset. Learn from this to focus on Value Added Service.
Hi Steve,
I just got a very good and yet extremely annoying phone call at the same time! A very nice lady called and said she wanted to have me clean her carpets again. She said it had been about 10 or 15 years since I was last there to clean and she had used “someone else” in the meantime. She even mentioned what a nice job I had done and that I had been good to work with.
Forgive me, Steve, but I asked then why hadn’t she used me again? She said it was my price and she now has learned “you get what you pay for”.
Steve, my concern goes waaaaaaay beyond this call. Apparently, it’s not enough to just do a good job and be friendly. Somehow I’m not communicating the VALUE ADDED SERVICE you talked about in SFS to my clients. This is freaking me out so please share any thoughts you have on this.
Thank You,
Puzzled in California
Dear Puzzled,
Calm down, buddy. Remember our SFS mantra, “Run your business based on the emotions of your customers BUT never make business decisions emotionally!” YES, remember that “10 or 15 years ago” you very probably were NOT giving VALUE ADDED SERVICE. After all, when you attended your SFS seminar (What, was it 10 years ago?) you stated this was all new to you!
So here is what you do:
1. NEVER again put the customer on the spot by asking why they came back! It just doesn’t matter and makes them feel defensive and/or guilty!
2. Download this free one page step-by-step Moment of Truth script. This checklist will help you A) improve your relationship with the customer and B)dramatically exceed their expectations.
3. Get out there and start doing these things in a ROUTINE. (Even more importantly, if you add employees you must train them in the same routine!)
4. Even so, Puzzled, you will never keep every single client. I call this “Customer Erosion”! That is why you must continue to obsess over two things:
a. Making a Cheerleader out of every single client you can so they will find you new customers.
b. Keep up your consistent Hub Marketing to dig up new non-referred customers.
Good to hear from you and now git’yerself back down in the Value Added Service trenches!
Steve