We used to have a window cleaner who cleaned our windows.
He did an OK job and we never had reason to complain,
but we also never had reason to rave about him and recommend him to others.
Sure, the windows were cleaned OK, but that was it, and he insisted on gossiping to us about the local speedway group and his favourite football team.
That might have been OK if I was interested in these things and had invited him to chat.
But I wasn’t and didn’t.
And I was trying to run 3 businesses…
So time was (and is) at a premium:
but he never picked up on comments such as ‘I must go’ or ‘See you next time’ and kept on and on until he’d finished.
So: he cleaned the windows adequately, but he made my life harder and paid no attention to my real needs as a customer.
I used to dread him coming … althought i DID want the windows cleaned!
A few years later a new window cleaner stated up in the local area.
He came round to see us, by appointment, and asked us if we might be interested in trying his services, and, if so, what would we really want from him: how could he be flexible and helpful to meet our needs (not the other way round).
As it turned out, we asked if he could clean the whole house, under the eaves, our veranda roof etc twice a year, as, being thatched, they got really mucky.
‘Of course’, he replied, and then asked us a set of other questions to ascertain exactly what we wanted etc
The long and short of it is that now we pay twice as much for our windows to be cleaned (and he cleans then very well: making sure to clean all around as well as just the windows)…
And we’re MUCH happier.
It’s a win/win situation.
We’re happier, less frustrated and have a cleaner house: our window cleaner makes more money.
So, the what could this little story tell you about your business?
If you provide a professional service: how do you provide it?
What is the purpose of your business? Is it to ‘make money’ or to ‘do something so well that people are delighted to pay you’?
How easy to deal with and helpful are you?
How focused are you on the fears and hopes of the customer (rather than your professional service)?
How could you make more money by making your service more valuable and helping the customer out in other areas?
How do you gather feedback, and, more importantly, how do you know that you’ll hear what you NEED to hear in order to keep improving and innovating?
For example: an Accountant: your job is NOT to do the figures, your job is to give the customer confidence, help them make sensible decisions and empower them to grow and make more money by the help you give.
If you provide a physical service: the same applies.
How well do you understand your customers’ real needs?
How do you cross and up sell in a way that enhances the customer experience and makes them want to buy
more from you?
How closely do you listen to the emotions and needs of your customers: existing, and lapsed and not yet ?
Do you use a simple off the shelf feedback system (that tells you next to nothing and is annoying for the customer) or have you taken the time to put something valuable to both parties in place?
Do you have simple continuous improvement and innovationn processes to help you stand out and continually grow in a sustainable and profitable way?
For example: if you’re a Pub or Restaurant, your job is NOT to provide food, drink and hospitality, your job is to look aftre people so well that they leave with a smile of their face keen to come back (and bring their friends).
NONE of this happens by chance: it ALL happens by design.
Get all this right, and step by step, and you can charge much more for your services (and get more loyal customers and less cost of marketing and promotion).
This is exactly what the Slow Selling principles and processes will enable you to do.