Welcome to the Nickel Business Consulting blog page. I will introduce myself. I have years of experience working with small businesses. From leading my own team to helping other business owners improve their bottom lines, this is what I'm good at and I'm here to help you improve your bottom line. I'm not the Wall Street Journal. I can be blunt and brash, but your small business is your livelihood, your life and your money. If you don't look out for you, who will?
Today will be short and sweet. Dignity is defined as the quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect. Every person who walks through your front door should be treated with dignity.
Customers are in your business to spend money. Their hard earned money. Every single one should be treated with dignity. You know how much is in your bank account and you know how hard it is to part with your money. That customer is already ready to part with his or her money. And whether he comes in wearing a Brooks Brothers suit or she has no teeth and hasn't showered for a week, both need to be treated the same. When someone is treated well, they return. When someone is treated very well, they return and tell friends and family how the customer service was. Wal Mart is the potential kryptonite for every business. You have to give people with money a reason to come into your store. If you provide stellar customer service to everyone who walks through the door, that gives those people with money a reason to spend it with you rather than save money at the big box store. If a customer is treated indifferently or, God forbid, badly, they will tell everyone they can think of.
For example, I had a massage. The massage therapist was lovely, but the girl at the counter clearly didn't care if I was there or if I ever come back. I dressed down because it was a weekend, but my money is important to me. I won't be going back to that day spa because it was clear they didn't care whether I was there or not. If I had a great experience, I would have told quite a few people and booked another. I wasn't asked if I wanted to book another, even when I said I wanted to have another.
For another example, I was at work. A customer came in extremely irate. I apologized for the situation, and told her it wasn't my department but I would be sure to help her and have the manager of that department handle and fix her problem. I was told I was the first person after weeks of complaints to apologize. That's not acceptable. When a person who is spending money with you has a problem, you drop what you are doing and you fix the problem.
Some of this blog will be common sense, and some of it will not. Have a great week and treat your customers like gold!
