To create and deliver the most phenomenal service experience ever, you’ll need to first understand the emotional state of your niche prospect. When your clients buy your product or service, what is their emotional state? Excitement? Fear? Uncertainty? Pride?
For example, when I arrived on “Fantasy Island,” I was very excited because visiting the Great Barrier Reef was on my bucket list. I would be relaxing and writing my book. It would be a special time for me. But because they never connected to that and never took the time to understand, I’ll never return.
Imagine you are a wedding consultant. What is the emotion of a soon- to-be-bride? Excitement. But at the same time fear. Fear that someone or something could ruin the most important day of her life. If you don’t connect with that and focus just on the product, you are missing a humongous opportunity. In a service business where you are invited into the most private areas of someone’s home, do you think there is some fear and uncertainty in homeowners’ minds the first time they use your service? You bet there is. And you must connect with it.
A good start to connecting with the emotional state is by following step two in the sales presentation—having a statement that you understand what they are feeling. Now of course if you have gone through the sales process already, you have built some rapport and trust. But if someone walks into your restaurant or your retail store, you must engage them properly.
Recently I walked into a restaurant and I was in a hurry. After a few minutes of no one even showing up at the table, I knew that the rest of the experience would most likely be slow as well, so I got up and left. Keep in mind that this restaurant had been specifically recommended by the hotel. I went straight there without shopping around. Can you see how you can do a phenomenal job marketing and closing the sale, only to have everything fall apart at the service level?
So engage your clients and make them feel like they are the most important people in the world right now. And they are! Your life goals are connected to this vehicle called your small business. If you don’t have ser- vice, you have nothing.
Speaking of engagement, another big customer service mistake I see on a regular basis is employees engaging with one another, while ignoring the customer. Have you been to a grocery store and the cashier and the bagger are chatting it up and the only thing they say to you is “5.95.” Drives me crazy!
I know they haven’t been trained, so it makes me want to go and grab the manager. Of course the manager hasn’t been trained, so now I want to talk to the owner. Well it’s corporate owned and you can’t really talk to anyone. This is why small business owners can have more influence in the market- place than any other man-made institution. We can make a difference in the lives of others! Have you ever been on a flight and the flight attendants are having a phenomenal time together, but when you ask for something, they scowl. Make sure this doesn’t happen with your business. Thoroughly train your staff on the mission.
