Offering the Little that Matters in Business

Offering the little that matters in the world of business is priceless. These minor offerings often time turn a dissatisfied customer into a lifelong customer. Instead of proposing solution to an angry customer who is not pleased with a package he has purchased from your company, ask what he would like you to do? “What would you like me to do?” is a question that often stops angry customer dead in their path. Because what they are expecting are excuses which are common with some customer service persons and business owners. Asking how customer would like you to resolve their condition make you appear as though you’ve offer them diamond when all they ask is steel.

I’ll tell you a story from an ordinary man in an ordinary market. In my early days of coaching, I moved in with a colleague to make going to my training centers easier for me. One day I was at the market, after buying some food articles, I approached a man who grinds pepper for a living. He rinsed my pepper just once and he was going to grind it just like that! I scowled and stopped him aggressively. The man dropped the pepper and said in a very calm voice that was dissimilar to my angry voice “Madam, what would you want me to do?” This is a man that’s old enough to be my father and not very educated, yet he spoke to me in a very calm manner because he knows the importance of pleasing the customer. After he asked me that question I felt ashamed I lost it, and calmed down. Then, I told him to remove dirt from my pepper with water like three times before grinding it. He didn’t argue, and from that day onward, till I moved out of my colleague’s place, it was at this man's shop I grinded my pepper.  The way this ordinary man treated me is the way we should treat customers when they are dissatisfied and the reward will be a long term-customer.

 

Another little that matters is thank-you. Sending thank-you notes is an important part of good manners in the business world. While many people know that a thank-you note is expected after a job interview, when you receive a gift, when you’ve attended a party, when you’ve been a guest in someone’s home, whenever someone goes out of their way to do something kind for you, it is also expected when customer patronize you. In cases when you are unable to communicate your thank-you through email or handwritten note a simple, “thank you for patronizing us” is enough.

Additional little that matters in business is showing concern after a customer is done dealing with your company. When a customer purchase items from your company or close deals with you, call them up and ask if they are pleased and ask if there is anything they would want you to help them with. And because you take a few minutes of your time to check on your customer, you will be gaining a lifelong customer.