5 Steps to Creating a Pricelessly Loyal Customer

I am a creature of habit. I tend to go to the same places, hang out with the same people, and get my clothes dry cleaned by the same dry cleaner. In fact, I have been going to the same dry cleaning business for the better part of the last decade. It is inexpensive and conveniently located one mile from my home.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I both had a number of items we needed to have dry cleaned. One item in her pile was the dress she was wearing the night I proposed to her. I am not usually sentimental about clothing, but I confess, I am intensely sentimental about this particular dress!

As I was unloading our items at the dry cleaning shop, I asked the girl behind the counter if she thought the beads on my wife’s dress would be okay throughout the dry cleaning process. “They will be fine” she confidently replied.

After retrieving our clothes from the shop, my wife noticed that all of the beads on her beloved dress had vanished! This isn’t the end-all, be-all of dresses—it was only $80—but, the sentimental value was priceless.

My wife and I called Mike, the owner of the dry cleaning business, to ask for a reimbursement. This was a very straightforward situation—pretty much a no-brainer, right?

Wrong! Mike claimed that we should have known better and that his employee gave us faulty information. He concluded that, since we have been going to him for 10 years, it was our fault for not educating his employee. Wait…what?After an exhausting verbal battle, Mike finally caved and agreed to reimburse us, but as you might guess, we no longer frequent his business.

If you are in sales, you will deal with unhappy customers from time to time. It’s a part of the job. Here are a few tips for handling customer complaints and for turning unfortunate situations into opportunities to create pricelessly loyal customers.

1. Listen

More than anything, when customers have a bad experience, they want to vent. The biggest mistake you can make is to interrupt them before they have fully vented. Mike interrupted us several times, only adding to our frustration with the situation, with him, and with his company.

2. Get Additional Information

By asking to know more, you show customers that you have a genuine concern for them. Use phrases like, “Tell me more about that” and “What else can you share with me?”

3. Validate Your Customer’s Feelings

It is human nature to want to be right, but being right doesn’t get you more sales. Whether you are right or wrong, customers believe they are right and they want validation. Mike would have made serious points with my wife and I had he simply said, “I am so sorry your dress is ruined. I have had things ruined like that and it is so frustrating.”

4. Be Solution Oriented

Whether or not you are the person who can offer a solution, all customers care about is that you are proactive in helping them solve their problem. Let them know exactly what your action plan is in regard to a solution. Even if you can’t remedy the problem, customers will appreciate that you did everything you could in an effort to help. Mike’s “solution” for us was to tell us, “Look, I am going to reimburse you for the dress, but I will never do it again. You should have known better.”

5. Follow Up

Once you have offered a solution or have done your best to help, follow up with customers. Even if you cannot fully solve their problem, they will love that you care about them beyond the sale. Do not let the fear of opening another can of worms, or of hearing more complaints, stop you from following up. How would you feel if someone followed up with you after a problematic sales encounter? Be bold and follow up.

Had Mike followed the steps above, my wife and I would be his customers for another 10 years. Mike could have turned an unfortunate set of circumstances into an opportunity to create incredibly loyal new customers. If we had been heard, respected, and had our problem solved with understanding and kindness, we would be impressed with Mike and loyal to his business.  Instead, I wrote this blog post about what not to do, and we found a new dry cleaning service.

How much are loyal customers worth? Priceless.


FREE TRAINING:
Get BRAND-NEW episodes of Jeff’s 5 Minute Sales Training sent to your inbox every Saturday!

Sign up below.

 

About the Author: Ryan Taft

As the former National Sales Training Manager for a Top 5 homebuilder and a licensed Realtor® in Arizona, Ryan Taft is consumed with a passion for helping others achieve breakthrough results in sales, business and life.