Know Your Customer

Your customer is a gift to you. If you treat them as such? You can have a long lasting relationship with them! You may not become BFF's but friendships can and do grow. I have 2 words of wisdom for how to handle your customers. Be honest with them and listen to what they are saying. They will tell you what they need in their life if you are just paying attention!

Never lie, fib, tell a whopper or pretend with a customer. They are not stupid and can usually tell when you are not honest. If they cannot trust you to tell the truth they are not going to trust you with their business. And a bad reputation does travel a lot faster than a good one! You could lose more than one customer by not being honest with just one.

If they ask you a question and you do not know the answer? Let them know! Just say I am not 100% positive on this so I am going to double check so that I do not give you the wrong information. They will appreciate it and remember it. 

Is your life too busy and you seem to run in circles sometimes getting nothing done? Your customer feels the same way. Some times when you call it is not a good time for them. Let them know that you fully understand and ask when would be a better time for them. They will thank you for it!

Be sure to listen to what is making them too busy! If your customer is getting ready for a family event, be it wedding, graduation or birthday party stop and think real quick if you have something that will make their life easier. An example would be to congratulate her on her daughter's wedding and ask her what she chose for colors. Oooo and ahhh and then mention that you have just the thing for wedding favors that you could email to her for her to look over (along with matching thank you cards). Then let her be :-) You can always get in touch later and ask her about the wedding !

Take your Notes! A customer will be flattered that you remembered them and called or stopped by to ask about their plans. The more you know about her and her family the more you can customize your products for her life. If she is getting ready for a cruise? Offer the fun stuff and leave the work items at home. Soon when something is going on in her life she will think of calling you!

An undated planner will save you money as you can use it year after year!

One awesome idea is to buy a birthday/anniversary book so you can write your customer's important dates down. Then 2 to 3 weeks before the  event give them a call to see if they need any help with gifts or anything that your company offers. They do have online calendars for free that you can use. They will even send you a reminder of upcoming events!

A happy customer is the best advertising in the world! Word of mouth spreads as fast as bad news! If you customer is impressed by your service it is just as good as having a billboard in your town! It takes a little extra work... but the feelings you get and the new customers to care for far more than pays off in the end.

If you look at your customer and just see $$$'s you will not make it very far. For one they can feel it and will shy away from you. I know that you will run into some bad eggs but they are few and far between. Just try to be your best and you never know. It might be what that bad egg needs!

Start a recipe box or a binder to keep your customer information in. You can keep it on your computer at home but if you are out and about and see one you need your notes at your finger tips. Carry it everywhere with you just in case!