Last night my hubby and I attend a wedding for one of our friends. It was a beautiful short ceremony at a local hilltop mansion. The grounds were nicely groomed and the set up on the outdoor patio for the 75-80 guests was terrific. The bride and groom were low key and they started the ceremony with little pop and circumstance. They were married by a good friend and their instead of vows a few short paragraphs that the bride and groom wrote were read aloud to each by the officiant.
We’ve know Andy for about 7 years yet we hadn’t met his fiance, now wife. You see, we see Andy a couple of times a year. He’s our home electronics expert and we are HIS customers. We first met andy at a Trade Show when we were getting ready to build our house. Andy helped with our plan design and then incorporated all of our technical needs for internet throughout the house, our surround sound for stereo and our security camera and alarm system. That whole process took about a year while building and we saw Andy on a regular basis.
Once the house was complete we’d call Andy when we needed technical support, when we needed another security camera added or tweaked, and when we finished our home theater and in-law apartment. Andy is just our guy. For the most part we’d have the appointments on Friday afternoon so he and hubby could have a beer when he was done.
Andy was around for the birth of second child and well, he’s just been around when we need him the last 6+ years.
We were happy to be invited to his wedding and gladly opted to attend.
As I said, the day was beautiful. The ceremony was awesome and the whole thing was very enjoyable. (Yes, I admit, sometimes weddings can be quite boring). At one point in time hubby was talking to Andy’s office manager and the real brains behind the operation who coordinates everything. It was during this conversation that we found out that we were the ONLY customers that were in attendance. EVERYONE else was a family member or long time friend. (And yes, Andy had fixed their homes up as well, I’m sure – but we were truly “just” customers)
My mouth seriously opened wide in astonishment because I couldn’t believe it. What an honor to be invited to such a special day. Now maybe Amanda was just teasing us, but I truly believe her. Over the years we have referred Andy’s company a lot of business because we like the guy, he does a great job and he’s become our friend.
What are you doing in your business that can help your customers feel special? And I’m not just talking about discounts or sales?
How well do you know your customers? I’m not saying that every customer has to get super special treatment and you have to invite them to your wedding but what are you doing for those loyal folks that follow you, refer you business?
How do you acknowledge those who buy your products or services? Something to think about.
And I’ll tell you this. Even if we weren’t invited to the wedding yesterday…Andy still gets all of our referrals because he is awesome at what he does and is fair in his pricing. And – well, because he is our friend.
I encourage you to become friends with your customers when it makes sense. Its a win-win for all.
Happy Day!
Being friends with your customers improve customer loyalty and sales. That’s a fact. Friends always trust us long enough to stick around and hear what we have to say and so it is important to treat our customers one of our friends. Great points Vanessa. Thanks for sharing.
Jeff
VaNessa,
Very interesting topic that I have to admit I’m not as skilled at as I could be. My wife is much better at this than I.
If one believes in know, like and trust then it’s not exactly a quantum leap to befriend your clients and customers. I’ll get to work on this today. Thanks.
RICK
Rick, that is awesome…your wife may be better at it but you can become better at it and I’m glad this little post got you thinking in a new direction 🙂 V-
Hi VaNessa,
I loved this post and found it touching. I do not think it is enough to just know my clients–I do want to become friends with them. If I want them to my raving fan, I must also be their raving fan. I find out about them, I refer them, support their activities, accept invitations, interact with them on social media, etc. I have developed interesting relationships this way.
Awesome post, I enjoyed reading it however one little niggling thing came to mind, and especially with those involved in network marketing. Andy can only make so much money. That leaves him with a limited income (large perhaps but limited). In network marketing there are not enough hours in the day to personally supply that type of service therefore systems have to be in place and there has to be a weeding or sorting or just waiting for the cream to come to the top to determine who you work with.
Customer service is absolutely key to repeat sales and it doesn’t take much to maintain a happy customer as your story illustrates. I enjoy the professional relationships I develop.
Joyce, I couldn’t agree more. I am sure Andy doesn’t do this with every customer like us but the point is how often in this world of technology do people forget about personal relationships and good customer service? And I agree, in Network Marketing those who deserve a leader’s time end up weeding and sorting themselves out over time, as I have witnessed with many of the leaders I know. I always appreciate your insights. V-