Make your customers feel important

Give your customers what they really want

Someone once said, “Your customers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Feeling that we’re important is a basic human craving we all want and need. The people who walk into your retail shop may be looking for a special gift or a specific piece of merchandise, but they are also looking for something more. They want to feel good about the amount of time and money they’re spending shopping in your store.

When Delta Airlines researched its customers it found they wanted to know the answers to four questions. Underlying them all is that greater question, “Am I important to you?” Let’s examine how these four questions apply to the customers you serve in your retail shop.

Do you like me? Demonstrate this by discovering your customers' names and use them. Dale Carnegie, one of the original self-help gurus, put it this way: “A person’s name, to that person, is the sweetest, most important sound in any language.”

Researchers have discovered that when people hear their names said, a chemical reaction takes place within their brains. When a name is said in the right way, people respond favorably to the person who said it — and vice-versa.

Another way to show your customers that you like them is by sounding happy to talk with them. The tone of your voice goes a long way in demonstrating that you sincerely like the individual with whom you are communicating.

All of the visitors that come into your shop are wearing invisible tattoos on their foreheads that read, “Make me feel important.”

Do you care about me? Another way to express your concern for your customers is to take the time to get to know them. Ask them about their family, their pets, their hobbies and any other non-controversial areas of interest to them.

When you show an interest beyond pleasantries, customers feel like they matter.

Can I trust you? Trust must be earned, and that’s done by following through on your promises. If you’ve said, “I’ll call you back,” do it, and in a timely manner.

When you make a mistake, admit it quickly and emphatically, without blaming someone else or outside circumstance. Owning up to what you’ve done wrong right away builds trust.

Do you know what you are doing? In other words, are you demonstrating competence in your position as owner or employee?

Can you show customers how a souvenir they’re considering buying can be displayed in their home or office? If it’s a piece of clothing, can you size it properly for that person so that it will fit well even after it has been cleaned or laundered?

Later, if there is a problem with a purchase, will you be able to communicate that you’ve handled similar problems in the past, and are capable of handling their particular snafu?

When you and your team can effectively answer these four questions for your patrons you will be well on your way to building a powerful customer service experience.