>Note: I have been enjoying the slopes of New Mexico and so I have asked a couple of friends to do some guest blogging. Christine Tusa is a freelance marketer currently on assignment in Hawaii. She is a fellow Wacoan and will soon be moving back to Texas. I wish I had enough money to hire her, but alas I will have to settle for some guest blogging.
By Christine Tusa
Mints—we see them at the end of our meals in restaurants, on pillows in hotels, in the bathroom at party clubs. Why go through the trouble? I do not stay at 5 star hotels just for the mints. I stay because of the stellar service, quality bedding, and pampered atmosphere. Mints however are icing on the cake, a little addition that makes my experience all the more better. With that said, I like to think of mints as the tiny, seemingly insignificant extras that a business does to freshen up their customers’ experience and make their product/service memorable.
The question I raise to you as we start 2008: Should you sweat the small stuff when it comes to how your customers experience your product or service?
A recent experience of mine will shed some light. I bought an Infiniti G35 coupe when I was living in southern California. Why not? It looked hot and met my need for speed. Unfortunately, I had a terrible time with the one and only Infiniti dealer in my area and was stuck with them as my service dealer. My brakes were squeaking horribly and the dealership did very little to help. My level of frustration was boiling hot. I thought maybe speaking to upper management would help me resolve my car issue so I called the GM, and received a biting confrontational reply. Going to the top, I called Infiniti corporate office. Nothing! My issue was not resolved and I had a new found hatred for Infiniti.
This past summer, I moved back to Texas and took my car to a new dealer to try to make the repairs I so desperately needed. I was referred to Sewell Infiniti in Dallas. As I pulled into the service area, I was greeted by three smiling faces who opened my door and offered their assistance. Within a minute, my service representative greeted me and we discussed the problems I had been having with my car in his office. He assured me that my car would receive proper care and any issues would be resolved. They then brought me my Infiniti loaner and helped carry my belongings to the car—much like a valet/bellhop at a fine hotel. I left feeling like a VIP.
The Mint Makes An Impression
The next day I picked up my car and was greeted again by three wonderful smiling faces. My service advisor took me aside and explained the work done on my car. I was then escorted to a pleasant and professional service cashier. She offered me drinks, warm cookies and mints. She asked if I had any questions and mentioned I would get a follow-up service call the next day. I was so thrilled with my overall experience I had to compliment the General Manager. I told him I appreciated the information presented to me, level of professionalism and the willingness of this service department to go the extra mile. I expressed my thanks and because of my Sewell Infiniti experience, I am once again happy with my Infiniti purchase.
To this day, I keep the mint that I took from the service department as a reminder of how I want my clients to feel about their experience in working with me.
So what is the point? Customers feel if you care by the effort you put into your business. The businesses that want to be successful need to find a unique way to help them stand out, especially in a highly competitive industry. The small stuff will enhance your customers’ experience. And boy howdy it made me a loyal customer!! Bottom line, I like Sewell because they resolved my vehicle issues. I love Sewell because of the tender loving care and commitment they demonstrate towards customers.
So what are you doing differently this year that sets you apart from your competitors? What could you implement that would make your customers FEEL good about doing business with you? How can you leave a fantastic lasting impression? So fantastic, consumers have to tell others of their experience. What kinds of mints can you hand out to your customers??
I will return later this week with all new blog posts and a new Power to the Small Business Blogcast.
Jay Ehret