A number of years ago there was a movie out starring Mel Gibson (who was still charming in those days) called What Women Want. In the movie Mel Gibson played a jerk of a Chicago advertising executive who through a fluke accident is ‘gifted’ with the ability to hear what women think. At first what he hears is highly unflattering, but eventually he learns to use this knowledge to do-good in his world. Wouldn’t it be great (or maybe a little scary) to hear what your customers are really thinking? Think about how easy that would make it to exceed their expectations and turn everyone you meet into a loyal customer who goes around telling everyone they know how great you are!
While we can’t actually read our customers minds to find out what they really want, thanks to market research and social media, we can still get insight into what we can do that will have customers joining your fan club.
Before we reveal what customers want we have to talk about the ‘givens’ those things that customers can reasonably expect from you and your company. For instance, say you’re a mechanic, it would be reasonable for a customer to expect you to be able to fix their car. If you are a hairdresser, they could expect you to know how to cut hair.
The other thing customers can reasonably expect is value for the money they are spending. I would expect that if I purchased an expensive pair of pants that they would be made with a higher quality material, fit better and last longer than a super cheap pair would.
People also expect you to stand behind your products or services. If my high-priced pair of pants started raveling at the seams the first time I wore them I would expect the store to replace them for me.
Now that we understand what customers expect, let’s talk about what they really-really WANT.
They want you to be WARM AND FRIENDLY. Whether in person or on the phone they want to talk to someone who is likeable. It is entirely possible to be professional, welcoming and responsive all at the same time.
They want someone to KNOW WHO THEY ARE. For good reason, it’s said that the sweetest sound a customer can hear is their own name. When you use a customer’s name it says that you are acknowledging them as a person, not a problem to be solved or just a job to be done.
They want you to LISTEN TO THEM. Customers often feel that the person they are working with isn’t really listening to what they are trying to say. If you’ve ever experienced this yourself you know it’s super frustrating. No matter how long you are in the business, you need to work on your listening skills every day.
When things go wrong (let’s face it, it happens sometimes) they want you to FIX THE PROBLEM. They don’t want to hear excuses or who’s to blame, just make it better – fast! Don’t panic or freak out when things go wrong. Customers understand things happen, they will however judge you by how you handle these situations. This is your chance to win them over by showing them how easy you are to work with.
Most of this sounds like common sense, but ask yourself…when you’re a customer are these things happening to you? Now ask yourself are your customers experiencing this from you?
By and large customers just want to FEEL GOOD. They want to feel better after interacting with you and your business. If you can make them feel that way, you’re giving customers what they REALLY WANT.