~by Haley Lynn Gray~
One of the easiest tips for keeping clients and customers happy is to under promise and over deliver. What I mean by that is very, very simple.
If you tell a client that a project is going to be done by a particular date, then ensure you make that date. Preferably you’ll even be a few days early. Make sure that you pad some extra time into the schedule in case something unexpected happens. Do not take a page out of the play books of so many others, and promise what you THINK someone wants to hear.
One perfect example I can give you is when I walk into a nail salon for a pedicure. They tell me it will be 15 minutes. I look around, and all of the nail techs are busy, and I can tell that they are in the early stages of their services. And there are people waiting. I know good and well it’s NOT going to be 15 minutes, but rather more like an hour and 15 minutes. I’ve been the person who has happily agreed to that 15 minute wait and had it turn into an hour and 15 minutes. By the time I got to the chair for my pedicure, I wasn’t so happy. And what should have been a pampering, relaxing experience suddenly turned to annoyance. If I had been told that I needed to wait that long, or to take a card and make an appointment, I could have easily gone on my way, or maybe gone to the grocery store in the meantime. I’d be happy, because my expectations would have been met.
Or what about when you go to a restaurant, and they quote you 30 minutes, only it turns to an hour. How do you feel? If you’re anything like the people in my family, you’re a hungry, angry mess. We call it “Hangry”. It’s not a pretty sight for sure. But if you tell me it’s a 30 minute wait, and it only turns out to be 10? I’m all smiles – because my children aren’t killing each other while my husband snaps at everyone because he’s “hangry”.
Under promise and over deliver. People WILL wait, if you set their expectations correctly. In many cases, they will wait quite happily. The funny thing is that if you do it right, you will be able to set up an air of exclusivity to your business. If you have a wait-list for clients, people will sign up for that wait list. Try to serve too many people at once, and you’ll have a bunch of disappointed clients and customers. See the difference?
You can take and apply this principle in so many ways. If you are delivering merchandise, then wrap it and put it in pretty packaging with a lovely little thank you note. It is amazing how far a little bit of ribbon and some cellophane goes. Depending on your product or service, a little bit of decoration goes a long way.
When I buy chocolates from my favorite chocolate store, they put them in a cute little (recycled paper) box. With a little bow in it. Each chocolate is in its own little paper. When I buy chocolates from the Godiva case, they put them in a bag. Which one do you think feels more luxurious? The little box, for sure, and I go back to that store with the little box, over and over again. In fact, I go back to Escazu pretty much every week, because it’s an affordable luxury that consistently over-delivers.
Just doing that little bit extra, every time, will win you devoted customers and raving fans, that will grow your business like wildfire.
Meet the Author: Haley Lynn Gray
Haley helps female entrepreneurs create a strategy plan for their businesses – so they can make enough money to spend quality time with their family, pay for their children’s dance lessons, pay bills – and not worry about where the next client is coming from.
Haley is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Leadership Girl. She helps other entrepreneurs build their businesses by sharing the benefits of her business education and experience through Business Coaching.
Whether you want to get a new business off the ground or expand an existing business, Haley can assist you.
Connect with Haley:
- Work with Haley
- Facebook Page: @Leadershipgirl
- LinkedIn: Haley Lynn (Wilson) Gray
