by Carol Ritter
There is a Fresh Pet, Fresh Market, Zerella Fresh, Fresh & Co. Then you see all of the “fresh” signs: everything fresh, fresh food, etc. So what does it mean? My mother used to say, “Don’t get fresh with me!” Clearly the word has different meanings to different people.
How fresh is your business? What is new and different? You have to stop with the “same old, same old” – type of thinking. People are looking for the newest and most exciting customer service. Did you know that 86% of consumers will pay more for a better customer service experience? (RightNow Customer Experience Impact Report, 2011). How big is that? The consumer has changed; they demand faster and better service, better products and something that is exciting and fresh.
You may want to think about your customer today. How can you do that? It starts with walking in your customer’s shoes and trying to change your perspective. One of my clients told me that the tipping point for his business was the day when he started looking at things differently. He then decided to take some well-planned risks.
While I believe in tipping well, I also believe that a person has to earn their money. When I walk into a restaurant and they know what I drink without asking, that’s a business walking in a customer’s shoes. I recently walked into a coffee shop and the barista started brewing fresh decaf as soon as I walked in. Wow, is that a good example of thinking from the customer’s point of view. Here are some tips for this kind of service:
- Always notice everything about your customer.
- Listen with both ears. If they tell you their kid just won an award, mention it next time.
- Ask what they think about your product or service. You will learn a lot.
It’s not easy, but if you start thinking differently today you can stay fresh to your customers. I’ve even started thinking about staying fresh, starting with my new website designed by Tyler Berger: www.caroltalks.com.
Carol S. Ritter, past President of the National Speakers Association in Philadelphia, is an accomplished professional speaker, coach and educational consultant specializing in innovative leadership, outrageous fundraising, million-dollar marketing and building organizational alliances throughout the country. FMI on Carol’s creative leadership with bulletproof ideas for recruiting more members, more money and better leaders: www.caroltalks.com, 610-442-4545, tellkids@aol.com, “Like” Carol on Facebook at Caroltalks and CarolCoaches.
