Getting your customers in the mood to buy whatever product or service you are selling can be greatly facilitated through the service professionals you have representing your company. The psychology behind consumers and their purchasing behaviour can be thought of as the Consumer Purchase Cycle.
In the consumer purchase cycle, service professionals representing your company play a key role every step of the way, facilitating the purchase and help create a perception of the entire experience. 1. Awareness – This generally starts off by consumers having some. There may be questions; some ambiguity on the coupon or confusion that needs clarifying by the customer. Staff should always be a) subject matter experts so any questions can be answered to entice the consumer to think more deeply about the purchase and, b) have the ability to start building the relationship the moment the interaction starts with the potential client. Sincerity, respect and a true interest in “capturing” that customer with our passion for the product or service we represent. Are your staff as excited about the promo as the customer? 2. Consideration – Now that the would-be customer is a bit more revved up by the widget you are offering, they are starting to visualize themselves purchasing the item. Service professionals can offer more in-depth information, inquire with more detailed questions as to how the consumer will use the product or service to further develop the relationship (which earlier may have been perceived as “too pushy”). 3. Intent – At this point, there is no question the consumer will make the purchase – they have narrowed it down to perhaps you and one or two other competitors. Service professionals that can clearly articulate the differentiating qualities or attributes of your product or service from the competitor make it that much easier for the consumer to choose your widget. Even better if employees have been empowered to sweeten the deal which further separates your value proposition from the competitor. 4. Purchase – As the consumer is handing over payment, service professionals face a moment of truth: will the company be as motivated to have you as a customer once the transaction is a sure thing? Will they show appreciation to the customer for choosing them over the competitor? Service professionals can provide additional information such as warranty and product operation details, set up tips etc... as they finalize the transaction. The sincere thank you for choosing us is an absolute must. Even better if you provide your employees with business cards so that they can attach one to the customer’s receipt, encouraging them to call if they have any questions later. This is a WOW moment for many consumers. 5. Reflect, recommend – Ahhh! All our work should pay off. This is the golden nugget for businesses when consumers get home and start to think about the entire purchasing experience. If the perception of the service experience EXCEEDS the consumer’s expectation of what it would be like, bingo, we have a winner! If service professionals have been effective in the previous stages, the consumer now sits with a product or service most appropriate for their needs, has felt respected, appreciated through the entire interaction and feels good about the purchase. How is the company rewarded for all this work by the service professional? Positive word-of-mouth referrals (‘Tweet, Tweet’), repeat business and fewer product returns. Service Essentials Workshops take participants through each of the above stages to understand what’s involved in facilitating the consumer purchase cycle. Contact us for more information on helping employees drive the process. Just when we think the daily deal market has reached its saturation point, another deal du jour is born. And I’ll admit; I’ve jumped right on board with it – checking my email each morning; first thing to see what skookum deals await. As a consumer, I am titillated by the numerous subject lines that taunt me with everything from photo book offers to getaways to Whistler. But this doesn’t mean the business has landed me as their client...
Here’s the thing about daily deal promotions. They rarely work as a standalone offering. At best, these loss leaders bring people to your business who might not otherwise know of your operation and/or are price sensitive, opting to give you a try since they wouldn’t normally buy, for example, cupcakes that cost $20.00 per half dozen! Perhaps I should clarify what I mean about “rarely work as a standalone”. In terms of return on investment, any business owner usually wants the biggest bang for his/her advertising dollar. Since most daily deals are so drastically discounted, chances are the business does not make great margins, if any, on that particular unit of sale. Relying on a one-time price drop to lure customers into your establishment does not equate to customer loyalty; where the real value lies with most any promotion. Long-term, repeat customers create increased revenues and steady revenue streams. Converting a one-time price-reduced sale into repeat business at retail prices not only subsidizes the loss on the initial sale but drives future higher margin sales. Makes sense right? But here’s the less obvious part for many... The service received (and more importantly perceived) will heavily influence whether that loss leader consumer can be converted into a retail price-paying customer. The work doesn’t stop when the consumer clicks the “buy now” button and prints off the certificate. It’s only just begun if you are serious about “daily deal one-timer to loyal customer” conversion. Top 5 Things to make sure your business gets the best value from your Daily Deal-type participation: 1. Information – Is all the really important information clearly displayed on the coupon? Or is it hidden in the sized-4 font at the bottom? I’ve had a consumer complain to me about a series of charges later piled onto her coupon that more than doubled the price. The company got the consumer once but she’ll never be back. Waste of a promotion. Consumers don’t like those kinds of surprises. 2. Does the deal make sense to the consumer? It is reasonably restrictive or impossible to redeem kind of restrictive? Nothing frustrates consumers more than when businesses make it so difficult to use a promotion they need some kind of calculus formula to untangle it. Anyone try to book two Aeroplan seats recently? Ahem. 3. Frontline Service Personnel – Are they as excited and onboard with the promotion as your customer is? Do they welcome the new customer and make them feel great about redeeming the coupon? Snobbery experienced when redeeming discount coupons can leave newbie customers with a bad first impression of your business. 4. Does the promotional coupon accurately represent the good or service you’ve advertised? You promised something that retailed for $100 and with the coupon only costs $20 ---- but when the customer makes the purchase, is it REALLY perceived as worth the $100 or an abbreviated version of your typical product or service? A successful promotion strives to plunge the consumer deep into your value proposition so they see how much they want to continue using or experiencing what you sell. Abbreviate and it likely comes across as not so spectacular. 5. FOLLOW UP. What a great opportunity to start relationship marketing with your new customers. They’ve tried your product or service at a discount. Now reconnect with them to see if they have any questions about the product or service, let them know about other specials or features you have in your product/service line. If you have true service professionals working for you, they have already started building the relationship in the earlier parts of this process. Make it more difficult for your new customer to be lured away to the competitor by another discount coupon coming down the line. I see the value in discount coupons but I see a far greater opportunity often missed out by businesses failing to capitalize on the service aspect surrounding these types of promotions. Focus on these areas and chances are you’ll gain a far greater return on your investment. Service professionalism starts even before the daily deal reaches your new customer’s inbox and well after the first purchase is made. Be honest uild the relationship, ensure their perception of the experience exceeds their expectations and follow up. Service Essentials Customer Service Workshops take participants through the Consumer Purchase Cycle and discuss how service professionals can help facilitate sales at every stage of the cycle. I’ve often heard people remark that customer service isn’t rocket science. Usually this is uttered following a less than ideal service experience. I also hear people talk about customer service in ways that seem to underestimate the complexity of today’s service systems and the extent the service experience has on the health and longevity of a business.
Regardless of the position you hold in an organization, there are fundamental service professionalism guidelines that can make customer service work in your favour. From your first job at a burger house to the C.O.O. of a large corporation, there are four fundamental elements to creating service-oriented delivery. 1. Build relationships – make it really undesirable for your customer to walk down the street to the competitor. Build loyalty from the moment your service professionals interact with your customer. 2. Communicate – ask the right questions. Our customers sometimes are not great communicators but they still have a problem or need that requires your attention. Service professionals know what to ask, how to pull the information they need to help the customer in an effective and efficient way. 3. Communication – listen. Show them you are listening, stay silent and summarize what you heard. Not magic, just professionalism in action. 4. Follow Through – make good on your promises. When perceptions exceed expectations of a service experience, you have a satisfied, loyal customer. Does the product or service do what it is supposed to do? Did you do what you said you would? Service Essentials Workshops take participants through each of the above elements to understand what’s involved in truly great service professionalism. Rocket science? No. Critical skills impacting the company’s bottom line? Absolutely. |
AuthorImproving customer relationships, driving sales, increasing worth-of-mouth referrals and building customer loyalty through service professionalism training is my passion. Archives
June 2016
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