Has your customer service gotten a little stale? If you find yourself doing and saying the same things with just about everyone it may be time to shake up the way you think about your customers. After all great customer service is about more than the things you say or do for customers. At its heart, customer service is about connecting with PEOPLE. Every person we encounter during the day deserves an experience they can cherish. Positive experiences act as a trigger for them to return to see you again. Here are two surprising fixes that are all about you will help you feel like you really want to delight and impress your customers.
Watch your self-talk – because whatever you say to yourself… It's true! A friend once told me that the more she told herself how lucky she was, the luckier she became. When we start to believe something, we begin to act as if it is so. It changes our body language, voice and expressions. What this means is that if you expect to work to be filled with misfortune…it will be. After all, who wants to connect with someone is finds life to be one disappointment after another?
The fix – This rule is also true when you expect good things to happen too. Start telling yourself your dealings with customers will be positive. Really believe it and it will shine through in your body language, voice and expressions. You’ll feel happier, optimistic and confident in your skills. That is what your customer wants to be around.
What you think about…you bring about. – Isn’t it funny how you can be feeling really positive when suddenly a little voice in your head tells you ‘this customer is a tire-kicker’ or ‘they’re not interested in buying. Within mere seconds your motivation has disappeared and whether you are aware of it or not, you start to treat that customer differently…and they don’t buy. This is the case of a self-fulfilling prophecy come true. Blame your internal belief system. What happened here is your internal ‘Judge Judy’ kicked in and started telling you a story about this situation which your brain decided was the truth. Unless you’re a mind reader at this point, you don’t know if this person is a buyer or not, you’re just prejudging this person based on a storyline in your head.
The fix – Rather than focus on negative opinions focus on positive beliefs. Retrain that little voice in your head to say ‘This could be the best sale of the day!’ After all, one of your transactions will indeed be the best sale of the day, but until the day is over your won’t know which one it is!