This story appears in the
August 2005 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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August 7 marks "Treasure Your Customers Day."
Rewarding customers means more than quirky holiday discounts and
thank-you cards. To treasure your customers, you need to begin with
an inventory of your customer satisfaction levels and relationship
assets. Sail the high seas by digging deep to discover your
customers' latent needs, acknowledging your flaws, resolving
conflicts quickly and positively, and proactively encouraging
feedback. Customers don't think of themselves as revenue
oceans; they simply want you to delight them.
No need to roam the beach hunting for customer-appreciation tips
this August. In honor of the holiday, check out the following
resources: The American Marketing Association will host a
"Silencing the Voice of the Customer" webcast on August
5, pillaging outdated perspectives on evaluating customer input and
opinions. Register at www.marketingpower.com.
David Mosby and Michael Weissman's The Paradox of Excellence: How Great Performance
Can Kill Your Business explores new ways to shore up
customer loyalty.
Interested in customer cartography? Try a treasure map--an
online resource that surveys relationships between companies and
customers. Our pick: Corante Customer Intelligence blog.
Kirsten Osolind is CEO and founder of re:invention
inc., a Chicago-based marketing consulting company.