The couple’s heads snapped in unison to their left. They’d been waiting in a moderate line and had finally made it to their destination. Phew! But I came first. Even though I wasn’t waiting in the line.

How well do you know your customers? To what lengths will you go to find out about them? Their likes and dislikes? Why do they purchase your product or service? Why are they loyal to your company? What do you do to make sure they remain your loyal fans?

For the first hour of the reception, the bartender treated me like any other bloke at the ball. I waited in line, like everyone else. I stuck a bill in his tip jar. Every time. For my first four drinks.

But then, I gave my ‘father-of-the-bride’ speech, and a transformation occurred. On my next trip to the libation station, the bartender shared that he also recently married off his daughter. On Halloween. The reception had a costume theme. We talked a little while longer about fathers and daughters. But he knew.

I never waited in line the remainder of the afternoon for a cocktail. As soon as he spied me shimmying my way to the bar, he stopped whatever he was doing, mixed my drink, and slid it in my direction where it met my hand without me breaking stride.

He knew that I was the one paying for the shindig. He knew that I was, in essence, paying his salary for the evening. He wanted to make certain that the father of the bride had no complaints. He wanted to make certain that if I spoke to anyone who was searching for a wedding reception venue in the Frisco, TX area that I’d recommend his joint. And he knew that I’m a reasonably good tipper.

None of what he did was complicated, but then again, showing appreciation and respect should be simple.

How are you doing that for your customers?

In an article by the Digital Marketing Group, writer Dan Hughes cites some critical stats.

  • 83% of customers cite good customer service as their most important criterion for deciding what to buy.
  • 73% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations.
  • 61% of customers would switch to a new brand after one bad experience.
  • Increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase your profits from between 25% to 95%.

‘My’ bartender checked off all of those boxes. He paid attention to what was going on in his environment. When he learned what he determined was valuable information for his function (me being the father of the bride), he engaged me in conversation. But it was meaningful because we shared about our daughters. I don’t know a father who doesn’t want to brag on his girl. He took care of me for the remaining four hours (after my speech) like I was royalty. And that’s what I felt like, even though I never had that expectation going into the evening.

In a newsletter article from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, here are some tips to get to know your customers better.

1 If you do it right, social media is a great tool to conduct market research, learn about your fans, and establish and grow your brand.

2 Conducting thoughtful surveys can be a tool to learn about your customers’ preferences about what you’re selling or the service that you provide.

3 When you host an event, you’re creating a personalized experience and providing value to your customers. You can hold a class, a wine or bourbon tasting, a workshop, or a webinar.

4 No one likes to read negative reviews about their business…but you can’t survive by relying solely upon positive commentary. Examining negative reviews can help you better understand the customer experience, what customer expectations are, and they can uncover a blind spot you might have.

5 Starting a conversation with a customer, either in person or in your social channels, can make your customers feel valued. It can also provide you with valuable information.

6 Personalization improves your customers’ fondness for your brand because they feel that you understand them, and you have distinguished them from the masses. Offer a birthday or anniversary discount. Develop a loyalty program that rewards customers for prior purchases.

It doesn’t take a Harvard degree to learn more about your customers. When you take some simple actions like listening, interacting and delivering, you can enhance the way your customers feel about you. Which also motivates them to tell others about you. If you can raise your revenue by 25%, is it worth it for you to get to know your customers better?

If you’re struggling to get your customers to know you, like you, and trust you, send me a message over the interwebs. I’m happy to help.

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