Hi, this is Stacie Johnson, and I am one of the sales and leadership coaches with Emerge Sales Training.
What is a raving fan?
Ken Blanchard coined the term “raving fan” to describe a customer who is so overwhelmed and floored by the customer service they’ve received that they can’t stop telling everyone about it.
Sports teams and musicians have raving fans and you can too! In networking marketing you have to be unique or the customer will order the same product from a different rep. You have to differentiate your business by helping your customers solve a specific problem in a bold way.
This is the key to making sure no one else in your industry even comes close. It’s not just about being different, it’s about providing so much value that your customers can’t help but tell others about you—with genuine enthusiasm and excitement.
Here are a few customer service tips for ensuring you have raving fan customers:
- Keep your commitments.
If you tell a customer you are going to do something, you do it. Case closed. Think about the last time you had to get your car repaired. Did you go in for an estimate, agree to the repair cost, and all of a sudden the cost went up? Or, did you purchase an item that required shipment and you were told 2 – 4 weeks, but the item showed up on your doorstep 8 weeks later?
Companies that make empty promises just to gain business usually end up out of business. The best way to make raving fan customers is to keep those commitments and promises.
If a situation comes up that is out of your control making it impossible to honor your commitment, keep the customer informed and do everything you can to make it right. You will always need to promote your product or service, but as you convert your prospects into customers, give more value than they expect.
Surprise and delight them with added value, and they will reciprocate in kind, sharing stories of your terrific service with their friends and contacts—who are then primed to become your next customers.
- Educate your customers.
Whether it’s a personal phone call, a mailer, or through social media, you can create raving fan customers by keeping them informed. Let them know when new products or services are available, if a promotion is around the corner, or if there is an unexpected issue with a product so it can be avoided.
- Acknowledge and fix problems.
If you avoid customer complaints or issues they will avoid you. Honoring your commitment, educating the customer on what can be done, and making sure you are consistent will keep them coming back. Chances are they will tell their friends how well you handled the problem and generate more business for you.
- Continually ask them what they want.
Innovation is essential today. Your business must continue to evolve to effectively meet your customers’ needs in unique and powerful ways, or you face the certainty that someone else will rise to that challenge.
So how will you evolve? Ask your customers. What is the biggest challenge they are facing? Why is it important that they find a solution? And then figure out how to help them, in ways that they can’t help but rave about to others.
- Reward your best customers.
Remember, the most expensive thing you can do as a business is to acquire a new customer. For most businesses, this takes up most of your time, energy and money, and is one of the hardest things you do.
Therefore, the easiest way to make additional money is to continually and better serve the customers you have. Use your customer data to identify those who come back more often, spend more and refer others, and let them know how special they are. Exceptional discounts, special offers and first-priority status are ways to ensure that you don’t lose them to an upstart competitor.
Also, your best clients deserve your best offers and personalized communication.
Try these tips for ensuring you have raving fan customers and watch your business grow through customer advocacy and loyalty. Our hope for you is that your pipeline is always full of qualified prospects.
In closing a quote by Tony Robbins….“The biggest mistake organizations make is that they fall in love with their business or products and not with their clients.”
Thank you so much for spending time with me. To sign up for one of our free trainings on closing or recruiting, go to emergesalestraining.com/freetraining or click on the button below.