Sturgis-Coldwater News

Village of White Pigeon issued the following announcement on March 5.

One of the keys to success in any industry is developing relationships with your customers. Loyalty is hard won and easily lost but if you approach your relationships with authenticity, your customers will see the difference.

In an age of social media and online advertisements, consumers crave that authenticity and will search out businesses who can give it to them. Here are some tips to create authentic relationships with your customers.

Do what’s best for your customers

As a business owner, what matters in the end is not always making a sale, but doing what is best for your customer. Many people are motivated by the initial benefit of a sale but forget that it pays dividends to act in your customer’s best interest. In the long run, a satisfied customer can bring in more revenue in the form of continued sales and referrals. A dissatisfied customer can have an even bigger impact.

This point is illustrated by the sales tactics that American Express employed. With pressure to boost their sales, some AmEx employees pushed small business clients into credit cards that didn’t fit their needs. These customers wound up confused, frustrated, and burdened with debt. Now, the entire brand has been tarnished as these business owners come forward about how they were manipulated.

If you spend your entire time trying to make up for your mistakes, you will waste valuable time serving your customers. Instead, do what’s right the first time and enjoy the rewards.

Get intimate with your customers’ needs

Now that we’ve left behind the pursuit of profit over everything else, let’s focus in on what your customers actually need.

A good first step is walking through the process of purchasing or using your product. Then you want to observe your actual consumers going through that process. Take note of anything that seems awkward or confusing for your clients.

Look for answers to these questions:

What motivates their purchase?

How do they find your product?

Where do they buy it?

Why do they do what they do?

Who do they talk to when making their purchase decision?

Armed with this information, you want to find a way to create a seamless customer experience with your business. Any way you can improve their experience, you will help facilitate more sales. Make sure they feel valued at every touch point.

 Bring them into the inner circle

If you value your customers and want to meet their needs, get them involved. Let them peek behind the curtain and see how the sausage is made.

Most businesses keep themselves isolated from their customers and miss out on insight from the people they serve. Listen closely to what they have to say and seriously consider implementing their input. When they see their ideas in action, they’ll trust your company even more.

Customer feedback can be a powerful tool for innovation. After all, customers are the reason you’re innovating. Shouldn’t they be involved?

The importance of authentic language

The language we use when talking to someone signals the relationship we have with them. In the office, you are going to use more formal language with your superior. With your family, you are going to be more open and informal. If you are just getting to know someone, you might have to find a balance between the two. In each case, we have a specialized language to convey how we feel towards that person.

Customers these days no longer want the stiff, artificial voice of brands of the past. They feel most comfortable with employees that act informal and friendly. They don’t want to buy jeans from their boss, they want to buy jeans from a friend they trust. If your brand voice communicates that relationship, customers will respond likewise.

That said, there are still standards that apply to the business-consumer relationship. If your business employs scripts for interacting with customers, consider relaxing those norms and encouraging less-formal language. However, customers’ privacy, security, and safety should never be compromised.

Herve Humler, President of Ritz-Carlton, told Forbes how impactful this trend has been. “We’ve become intentionally less formal over time,” he said. The hotel brand is famous for its strict formality and tried for many years to script almost every conversation. “We have evolved from that today and now encourage our employees to be themselves. To conduct interactions with utmost respect and courtesy, but in a way that is natural to their personality and the warmth of their caring natures.”

Original source here.