Why service is the key to any business

Many businesses spend thousands of dollars branding everything they do to create a familiarity between their company and their prospects and customers and yet, sadly, miss the boat completely when it comes to their service. In the last week, I experienced each of the following:

1. A credit card company sent a replacement card — two months after the original expired.

2. I have an advertisement in a print newsletter. I inquired how much it would cost per month to continue the ad. Three e-mails and two weeks later, I got a response.

3. A printer promised a quote within 72 hours — it came six days later, after two follow-up calls.

What do these three companies have in common — aside from losing my business? Quite simply, their service is atrocious.

You've most likely heard the term “relationship marketing.” The concept suggests that before you can interest your prospects in purchasing anything from you, it's best to build relationships with them. The goal of relationship marketing is to give your prospects a reason to know, like and trust you.

That said, before you try building a relationship with your prospects, you must ensure that your service is the best in your industry. Service is one place where "good is not good enough."

Regardless of your industry, there are several other businesses that do the same thing or provide the same services you do. But by providing impeccable service, you stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Impeccable service is about a lot more than returning e-mails within 24 hours and offering a guarantee you stand by. It's about building your business from the ground up with your customers in mind: You must give them things they don't even know they want.

Here's a quick example from the car industry: heated seats. While I never would have thought to ask for them or listed them as a "need" when searching for a vehicle, I love them and would hate to be without them. A renegade somewhere in the car industry said, "Hey, what if we put a heater in the seat to make our customers even more comfortable?"

That is service — providing something we didn't even know we wanted. The same can be said for the first loaf of pre-sliced bread.

So, here’s your coaching challenge: What can you do differently — not better, but DIFFERENTLY — in your business which will make you the clear choice over your competitors, regardless of price?

As an example, one of the things I do is send every new e-zine subscriber who provides his or her mailing address a free gift via snail mail. My business is all about providing the best possible service in the most automated and systematic way.

What statement can you make about service in your business? If I asked five of your customers, what would they say?

For the past five years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit www.SandraMartini.com for details and for Martini’s free audio series "5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot."