The #1 Key to Impressing Your Customer Is…

What is the number 1 key to impressing your customers?

Well, let me start by telling you what it is not…

It’s not friendliness. Friendliness plus incompetence equals disappointment.

It’s not information. Your customer has the Internet for that.

It’s not expertise. There are plenty of experts out there – we call them “competitors.”

If you really want to impress your customers, you need to focus on one significant sales factor: SPEED.

Speed is a differentiator. Speed solves problems and prevents other problems from arising. Speed rocks.

Consider this scenario:

You work for a major life insurance company. Your customer calls with a simple request for a policy review. All standard stuff, right?

But suppose that, behind the scenes, there has been a trigger event – a close friend of the customer has passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. And that friend was lacking sufficient life insurance. In other words, there was a significant emotional jolt in your customer’s world.

What is your customer purchasing? What is the urgent problem or pressing concern they are trying to solve?

Keep in mind the old saying: people don’t buy a shovel; they buy a hole.

The product is not life insurance; it’s peace.

That being the case, what is your customer’s timeline? On the surface, there may appear to be no sense of urgency. The customer plainly stated as much when they called you.

From an emotional perspective, however, the timeline screams yesterday!

Every customer has a common mission: the desire for an improved life. We serve our customers best when we solve their problem quickly.

So, what can you do? How should you respond to your customer’s need? Consider these three approaches:

Promise Fast; Deliver Faster

Impressing your customer is about exceeding expectations. Nowhere will this be more noticeable than in the time it takes to serve your customer’s needs.

Whenever your customer wants something that can’t be fulfilled immediately, resolve to make that need a high priority. Remember, as long as the issue remains unresolved, there is stress in the customer’s mind. Take care of that.

Promise fast; deliver faster. If you want to impress, move quickly to improve your customer’s world.

Return Calls or E-mails in Minutes, not Hours

Poor customer service has lowered the bar in many ways. A 24-hour wait for someone to respond to a call or an e-mail is not that unusual.

That’s good news for you. A rapid response to customer communication causes you to stand out in the crowd. Speed is a pleasant surprise – and makes a great impression.

If the customer reaches out, it means there is something unresolved. And that lack of resolution is causing stress – stress that only increases while they wait for your response.

Consider Your Customer’s Emotional Timeline

In our scenario, your customer might not seem like they are in a big hurry. They might even tell you they’re not.

But the fact that they are talking to you in the first place indicates they have a need in their lives. Things that are askew tend to stress us out when they are not resolved.

That’s where you come in. Look past the lax attitude and unhurried time line.

Resolve yourself to respond to every customer like their need is urgent – even if it doesn’t seem like it.

Not only will you impress them… but the sooner you solve their problem, the sooner you can change their world.