David Colman: Why people deal with you
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 | 07:45 AM ET
Money Talks is a collection of daily columns from The Business Network, which airs weekday mornings on CBC Radio One at 5:45 a.m. ET (6:15 a.m. ET in N.L.).
By David Colman, a partner with TriOpus Group in Regina
(Listen to the original audio)
Have you ever sat down and figured out why you deal with the companies you do, the stores you shop in, the restaurants you eat in? At the same time, have you ever wondered why you keep returning to some of them and give others a wide berth? Flip that over and ask yourselves why people do or do not deal with you and your company.
It’s every company’s dream, including yours, to have these magical answers. Uncounted fortunes are spent trying to figure them out.
Most of us, and the companies we lead or work for, do not have a "product or service that no one else provides." If only. To your customers, your products and services may look an awful lot like your competitors'. We may all think that we offer something very special but the customers may differ. Every bank I’ve ever come across, for example, thinks that some of its products and services are unique. When you parse the offerings though, they tend to look similar.
Because this is so important, as leaders we need to help our employees understand why customers walk through our front door, call us up, or visit our websites. I believe there are two reasons why people come to us -- namely: the business need; and the human need. I want take a quick look at each.
The business need is quite straightforward. Your customers want to receive timely and orderly service and to receive help. It’s that simple. That’s why, as a minimum, your employees need to thoroughly understand your products and services. That’s non-negotiable. Unfortunately, since most companies don’t have the "market cornered", customers have a choice of product and service providers.
Because clients have such a choice, the human need becomes so important. Think for a moment, if you will, what you want and need when dealing with a service provider. Yes, you need the business points I’ve mentioned, but you probably want much more. You probably want to be made welcome, to feel comfortable, to be understood, to feel important, appreciated, respected, and above all, recognized and remembered.
Whether your products and services are perceived as similar to others in the marketplace or not, as leaders we need to ensure that all employees have the right skills to treat customers the way they demand to b e treated. It’s your job. After all, customers will accept nothing less.
-- David Colman
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