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Do You Know Who Your Customers Are?
There aren't too many business owners, or employees for that matter, who would dispute the importance of keeping customers happy; we probably all see the value in that. We recognize that it's in our best interest to serve our customers well, to give them every reason possible for wanting to come back and bring others. Unfortunately, we're not always clear on 'who' our customers might actually be ... are you?
The answer at first seems obvious ... our customers are those who buy our product or service, right? Right! ... Well, partly right. Partly right because we may have more customers than just those that are so apparent.
To help us understand let's begin by becoming clear on the definition of a customer. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a customer is “1. a person who buys goods or services from a shop or business, 2. a person one has to deal with.”
Hmmm ... the second part of that definition is interesting. If our customer list includes 'a person one has to deal with', then that opens things up considerably. It means our customer might be the supplier or delivery person who brings goods to our business. Our customer might be the salesperson trying to sell us office equipment or insurance or advertising or ... or anything! Our customer might be our supervisor or boss, or if we ARE the boss, then our employee. Our customer might be the teammate we work with each day. Our customer might be the courier or even someone stopping in to ask directions. Our customer might be ........ okay, okay, I think we get the picture.
If we really think about it, treating all of these 'customers' with respect and making them feel important, valued and special is not only a nice thing to do, it also makes good business sense. After all, that courier, supplier, delivery person, even that uninvited salesperson, may on occasion be in a position to have either a positive or negative affect on our business. When that happens, how will they feel about us and what will they say? What are they saying about us now? Are they talking us up or talking us down? When they, or someone they know, are in the market for our kind of product or service, will they come deal with us and refer others?
How about our supervisor or boss ... doesn't it make sense to have him or her as a satisfied customer of the work we do? Couldn't that have a positive affect on our income, working conditions, career opportunities or future references?
And how about teammates ... isn't it wise to have them become our satisfied customers as well? After all, their ability to perform well often hinges on how well we do our job, and visa versa. Won't they be more inclined to help and support us if we do that for them? And wouldn't that help create a happier, more enjoyable work environment?
And while we're at it, how about our employees ... wouldn't it be good if they were satisfied customers too? Maybe they'd be inclined to encourage their friends and family to shop with us. Maybe when they're out in the community they'd speak positively about their jobs and the company they work for. Maybe it would help them maintain an upbeat attitude and inspire them to willingly make that extra effort whenever required.
Hmmm, it's a good thing we thought of this now ... or who knows what consequences we might have experienced later.
To your success,
Reg Neufeld
Growing Into Success Training
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