I certainly don’t know much about gold; however, I do know a golden nugget when I see one. Same goes for our industry. I mean when the 49ers were mining for gold during the gold rush of 1849, when they found gold nuggets in the stream while panning for gold they didn’t say, “Great I found gold, let’s load up and travel 200 miles east and try to find more.” However that’s exactly what we do when we don’t follow up with our current customers’ future purchases or ask for referrals.
We spend countless dollars and lots of rapport building to button up one sale. The average person will spend $35,000 on some kind of home furnishings in their lifetime. Why not continue the relationship with the customers you have already won over? Instead of panning for more gold after we already found it, we spend thousands of dollars trying to lure more and more new customers into our store when the ones that have already allowed us into their homes are far from done. Let’s make them fans of your store after all they already trust you, and that is the holy grail of building an ongoing relationship.
- Ask every customer, “What is the next project that you are working on?” Or ask what their next purchase will be and have a meaningful reason to call. This will differentiate you from the competition in a major way.
- Follow up with each customer before, during and after each sale. Most issues can be circumvented by simply providing guidance as to the status of the order. After delivery call to insure that we have exceeded the customer’s expectations.
- In all the calls I have taken over the years in our industry, 90% of the disgruntled customers start off with “nobody called me.” By making these calls part of your store’s proactive routine the most common issues are eliminated. The customer will never be able to make the most common claim, “nobody called”.
- In today’s world it is easier than ever to get in contact with your customer, ask them, “What is the best way to contact you: text, email, or phone?” Text them a picture of that perfect table set that will look great with the sofa they just purchased. If brick and mortar stores want to remain viable in today’s e-commerce environment we have to provide a higher level of service.
Treat every customer as though it’s a brand new experience because to them it is!
Keith Castonguay