Cook Up Something Special: How To Create A WOW Experience For Your Clients
My niece recently graduated from high school,
and my family spent the entire morning, evening,
and night celebrating this wonderful
once in a lifetime event with her. Our final celebration was dinner at
a restaurant chosen by my niece.
Since this was our first time at this restaurant,
we didn't know what to expect.
The restaurant had a good reputation,
so the most we expected was a good meal. But one thing was certain, this day
HAD to be perfect.
After all, it was a once in a lifetime event. We walked in the restaurant with a
gigantic cake weighing the equivalent
of a small child.
When we were called for our table,
the greeter took the cake and
said they would take care of it. The unique selling position of this restaurant
was a term coined by them: 'Eatertainment'.
The eatertainment featured a private chef
for each table that not only prepared
the food in front of the guests,
but also did acrobatic tricks with
the food while preparing it. Our private chef did a wonderful job in
creating a memorable experience for us.
But then something happened that made our
wonderful experience unforgettable... Our waitress brought my niece's cake to us,
and other members of the staff came with
the waitress to celebrate with us. They didn't just sing to my niece and congratulate her,
they also gave her a huge candle to blow out
and had her do a happy dance.
When she cut the cake, they took a picture of her
and put the picture in a memory frame for her. When the greeter said they
would take care of the cake,
we simply expected them to bring us
plates for the cake.
This restaurant totally exceeded our expectations,
and created a memorable experience for us
that had us 'wowing' for days. Besides sharing one of the
best days of my life with you,
I also want to share some tips that will
help you create a memorable experience for your clients. 1. ALWAYS GO THE EXTRA MILE: Don't just stop at providing the service
that your clients expect from you.
Wow them by giving them more than
they expected. Complete the project ahead of schedule,
thank them for their business with a
handwritten card,
thank them with an unexpected bonus
such as a special report. Take care of your clients every step
of the way while they are doing business
with you.
This alone will create extra value for your clients
and make them go WOW. 2. BECOME A PART OF THEIR EXPERIENCE: Remember that it is all about them, and that
they are only focused on their needs. Show your clients that you are committed to
not only solving their problems, but also
to their success. Find out more about their business goals, and
be sincere about helping them accomplish those goals.
When you ask them about their business goals,
listen carefully and you may find out that they
are in need of other services from you. Wow them by offering a special offer for
another service they need.
Upon completion of the current project,
include the special offer for a future project
in your thank you card. 3. CREATE A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE: In order to make it memorable, it needs to be unique.
What is unique about your business?
What can you do to make your
clients aware of your uniqueness? The experience for your clients starts as
soon as they walk through your doors.
It doesn't matter if those doors are your
website, brochure, sales letter, email response,
or a telephone call. How will you create a memorable first impression? Focus on creating a memorable experience for your clients,
and growing your business will be a piece of cake. Copyright 2004 Black Unicorn Communications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved Black Unicorn Communications helps
Independent Service Professionals
attract more clients in less time.
Visit http://www.blackunicorninc.com
for a FREE Business Success Toolkit,
including the 7 day e-course:
7 Steps To More Clients
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Marketing And Patience
"Get your positioning and your programs implemented properly, and the numbers will come. But you've got to have some patience."
? Jack Trout with Steve Rivkin
Marketing to Women -- Can I Buy You A Clue?
A while back a small business owner paid me a visit. He wanted help marketing his fitness business to women. Before we even started talking, he handed me his business card. The card was very professional and said all the right things. But it also included a huge blunder.
Market Your Identity
One of the most critical but overlooked parts of business success is using your identity. If you want to build a successful business you have to strike the word image from your vocabulary right from the start. Webster's Dictionary defines image as an imitation or representation of a person or thing. On the other hand, identity is defined as, the condition or fact of being the same in all qualities.
How to Develop an Effective Company Profile -- and Why
What is a company profile?
A company profile is essentially a resume for your company that you use to establish your credibility with the market you serve. Your company profile helps potential customers to understand your business as well as to understand your company's approach, unique strengths, and relevant experience. Your company profile demonstrates your company's ability to effectively meet customer needs. Your company profile also helps others who are in contact with you such as lenders, the media, and job candidates to better understand your business.
Who would benefit from having a company profile?
A company profile would benefit any company wanting to establish its credibility including:
* A consulting firm where it's critical for the company to establish the basis for its expertise
* A service provider with a service that can't be evaluated before the sale where the prospect assesses the company's ability to provide the service based on its assessment of the company itself
* A company that lacks a recognized name in the market it serves
How can a company profile be used?
There are many ways to use a company profile such as:
* Including it on your web site as a means of establishing your company's credibility
* Using a print version as a sales tool at trade shows or in mailings to prospects
* Providing it to lenders to help you secure financing
* Adding it to your media kit and including it with press releases to give the media background information about your company
* Using it as a recruiting tool to promote your company to job candidates
What should be included in your company profile?
As a guideline, shoot for a company profile of approximately 250-400 words in length covering each of the following key areas:
Summarize your company's background information
Use the first paragraph of your company profile to summarize your company's background information. Include in this first paragraph the year the business was founded, where the business is located, a top-level description of the products or services your company provides, a top-level description of the clients and industries you serve, and the geography you serve. Also include details about your company's philosophy and approach to serving customers. Finally, be sure to mention achievements that quickly help to establish your company's credibility such as awards, the number of clients you have served, or the size of your business.
Provide more detail on your company's products or services
Use the second paragraph of your company profile to list the products or services your company provides. Use this paragraph to touch on the expertise and experience your company has that enables your to meet customer needs in these areas. You can also use this second paragraph to further define your target customer for the products or services you provide.
Highlight your company's strengths and successes
Use the third paragraph of your company profile to highlight your company's unique strengths as well key successes your company has had. To develop this paragraph, take the time to list the top 3 competitive advantages you feel your company has over businesses in your market space. Weave these competitive advantages into this paragraph of your profile. Next, list the top 3 successes your company has had and incorporate these successes into your company profile.
Include qualifications of your company and your staff
Use the next paragraph of your company profile to demonstrate your company's qualifications by emphasizing areas such as patents, publications, business partnerships and alliances, tools or technologies used to meet customer needs, accreditations, certifications or the educational background of staff members.
Summarize your selling statement
Use the final paragraph of your company profile to provide a 1 or 2 sentence closing selling statement that explains why a client should work with your company.
Close with company contact information
After the final paragraph of your company profile, provide your company's contact information including the mailing address, phone number, fax number, e-mail address, and web site URL.
Whether you use internal resources to create your company profile or work with an outside resource, your business will benefit from having a company profile to establish your company's credibility with prospects, lenders, the media, and job candidates.
How To Sell To Howard Stern... Oprah Winfrey... And Paul McCartney!
Do you know what Howard Stern... Oprah Winfrey... and Paul McCartney all have in common?
Take My Commitment (to Your Biz) Quiz!
Starting and managing a successful small business takes time, energy, money and a HUGE commitment. But the payoff can also be HUGE, in terms of personal accomplishment, satisfaction, happiness, and M0NEY! So just how committed are you?
How to Add Warmth, Color & Texture to Your Advertisements
"?A powerful agent is the right word?" --Mark Twain
Avoid the Duds: 10 Strategies for Selecting The Perfect Speaker
Today, more than ever, the success of meetings relies heavily on the strength of program content and presentation. Nothing can spoil a meeting more than hiring the wrong speaker. That's because speakers do more than just convey the overall meeting message. You look to them to provide insights, awareness, and cutting-edge information in an energetic, motivational, entertaining, and professional manner. What more could you ask for? Well, the right speaker can emphasize an important message, offer inspiration, help people cope with new assignments, and lead the way towards change.
Selecting the right speaker for your event is one of the most important, yet daunting elements for creating a successful meeting. Your speaker can often make or break the event. If he bombs, your reputation not only takes a severe nose-dive, but you also have the pleasure of dealing with the barrage of complaints from a disappointed audience. Yet, if he does well, you can walk away with many of the accolades, compliments, and of course, the rave reviews. By now, you probably realize that this massive responsibility is not to be taken lightly.
Raise Your Expectations
The skill to selecting a great speaker is determining what combination of education, motivation, and entertainment best fits your function. Then set out to find a perfect match. But keep your expectations high, since nothing can spoil a meeting faster than booking the wrong speaker. The following 10 guidelines should help you keep your focus and also keep you away from the "duds."
1. Know the program objectives. Before you can start looking for the right speaker, you must know the program objectives. Begin with the end in mind. What are you looking to achieve? Is this an annual meeting, a training program, an incentive get-together, an awards celebration, or another type of event? This will probably be a committee or management decision, rather than one you will have to make. But you may have to make an intangible concept tangible.
2. Understand the audience's needs. Along with the program objectives, consider the needs of your audience. Does your group need industry-specific or technical information? Will a mix of motivation and entertainment serve your group's purpose? Today's audiences are generally younger, more educated, more diverse, and more sophisticated than in the past. They want content. They want to learn, but they also want it to be fun, so consider the audience needs and exactly what they expect. Consider surveying your audience. Ask them what they want or what skills would most help them in their jobs. For example, sales people may ask for advanced selling skills, but managers may request teambuilding programs.
3. Check for reputation. With countless speakers out there vying for your business, how can you possibly determine which one best meets your needs? Many speakers produce highly professional or glitzy marketing materials to help sell their services. You must look deeper than simply scanning a few brochures and ask pointed questions to find the right fit, such as What experience does this speaker have? How familiar is this speaker with this industry? and, Who else has used this person?
4. "Test drive" your prospects. If you don't have the opportunity to preview a speaker in person, then the next best thing is to request a video or audio recording of a previous presentation. A session that was recorded before a live audience gives you a better sense of a person's real ability.Watch or listen carefully to how the speaker builds rapport and interacts with the audience. Ask yourself if this person would be right for your group. Is the combination of education, motivation, and entertainment appropriate for your needs? Does the speaker have a message that is appropriate, timely, and relevant to the theme or purpose of your event? Does it conform to your company's philosophy and policy? Do you feel the speaker is genuine and has the expertise to deliver a solid presentation?
5. Don't be star-struck. If you are considering celebrity speakers, make sure they can speak! TV personalities do a great job on the air, but sometimes have little public speaking expertise, and you should be aware that the skills needed for being on TV and for speaking live are very different. However, many well-known personalities make excellent speakers and can add enormous value and clout to your event. Politicians and sports, media, or entertainment celebrities often share life experiences, offer advice, or have an inspirational message to impart.
6. Be wary of grandiose claims. Speakers who claim to be all things to all people are probably desperate for work. Avoid them. True professional speakers, on the other hand, usually have certain areas or topics of expertise. They would much rather refer potential business to a true expert than jeopardize their reputation by trying to do a program outside of their knowledge zone. Also, beware of the charismatic and fluffy speaker as your audience wants good, solid take-away value.
7. Provide and ask for good information. Reputable speakers want to find out as much as possible about the meeting objectives, the audience, industry challenges, and so on in order to tailor their presentation to the group. Share information on your organization and audience to help the speaker design a program to fit your specific needs. provide them with newsletters, catalogs, or any other publications that highlight industry trends, key people, industry jargon or buzz words, and insider news and views.
Also include as much information as possible about the size and demographics of the audience such as age, gender, and positions.
8. Ask for an outline. Ask prospective speakers for an outline of the presentation to make sure they will be covering the material as you discussed. This will clearly lay out what's expected as verbal communication is subject to being misunderstood or misinterpreted. Seeing exactly what speakers plan to cover in the sessions should help to ensure that the material is tailored to your specific needs.
9. Maximize opportunities. Look for ways to maximize opportunities with your speakers. Discuss different ways they can add extra value and be a significant resource to help improve your meeting's success. Brainstorm ways that you feel they can assist you in planning, preparing, promoting, and presenting. Some suggestions include serving as an emcee, conducting special sessions or roundtable discussions about current issues for select groups such as company executives or the board of directors, and participating in a spouse program.
10. Trust your instincts. Through your communication with the speaker, you will quickly form an opinion or have a feeling about this person. First reactions count here. "I like this person" or "I don't like this person," or "I feel comfortable or uncomfortable working with this person," are strong indicators. These responses usually comes from your gut - a very trustworthy organ. Have confidence in your instincts and trust that so-called sixth sense. If you experience any kind of negative feeling, think about looking for someone else or get another opinion from a colleague. You want to make sure that you can work with this person and that both of you are on the same wavelength.
The true objective of hiring a professional speaker hinges on establishing a partnership where a mutually beneficial relationship grows and flourishes. When this happens, you know you've chosen well.
The Perfect Match
Overwhelmed with the plethora of speakers to choose from? You may want to turn to a speaker's bureau for advice and guidance. A good bureau should act as a consultant and partner to help your event succeed. Even though many hundreds of bureaus are out there, the numbers pale in comparison to the thousands of speakers. A bureau's sole purpose is simply to make your job easier and provide you with solutions. They want to find the best possible match for your event within your price range. So, where do go looking for one of these bureaus? Here are a few places to start your search: the phone book, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, the Internet, industry colleagues, and friends.
A Final Note:
Look for CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) or CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence) designations. Both these are conferred by the National Speakers Association and are considered the speaking profession's international measure of professional platform skill (http://www.nsaspeaker.org).
Armed with these guidelines and resources, your search for the perfect speaker will be more fruitful. And with a little effort and some time, you will connect with a speaker who will fulfill your goals- one that will be both inform and enlighten. Your audience will thank you.
A Pass / Fail Test for Any New Market
If you are considering entering a new target market, with an
existing or new product or service, it makes sense to first
systematically analyze the market in question via some
fundamental market evaluation criteria. It is not only
rational but most cost effective to determine if a new market
pursuit makes sense for your company before any significant
resources are further applied to the effort.
10 Elements Every Direct Mail Piece Should Have
Don't want your direct mail to end up in the trash with the rest of the unread mail? Studies show an effective direct mail campaign should draw a .5 to 1 percent response. These 10 tips will help you get the results you want:
How to Avoid the Line Extension Trap
If you follow the prevailing logic of most modern companies, you will inevitably fall into this trap. Line extension is using an existing brand name or image and extending it to new products. Sounds like a good idea, right? Why not use the equity of your known brand to draw attention to a new product? The reason is that you tend to confuse customers as to what your brand means, and in the long run this strategy decreases overall market share.
Notable News - Its Not About You!
You enjoy what you do. In fact, you love your product and want to tell everyone about it. Well, I hate to tell you this, but no one cares! Think about the last major purchase you made?maybe a car ?did you buy it because you met a car salesman who told you how much he loved his work or did you buy it because you would spend less on fuel and maintenance and be able to spend more on eating out, make up or your favourite hobbies. Maybe it's as simple as wanting to feel and look successful. Rather than participate in the herd mentality you see and hear in advertising everyday, do something different. Speak to the motivation of your prospective customers. Connect with them. A review of the five levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a good place to start. 1. The base of the pyramid is made up of those who are just coping with life and want basic physiological needs fulfillment: food, shelter, and clothing. 2. One level up are those who have a need to feel safe and secure. Stability, security of home and family and consistency in life are markers of this level. None of the higher needs can be addressed before these needs are met. Fears and anxieties develop here. 3. Love and belonging are next. Humans have a need to relate through groups, work, family....... This is the time that all those relationship books are purchased. 4. Esteem is not only self esteem from knowing what we know and being able to do what we do, it's also the attention and recognition of others. This is where we buy a fancy car or a mansion on the hill. 5. The need to grow and self-actualize. This is to enable the maximizing of potential, knowledge, peace, self-fulfillment, and connection with God. Only approximately 2% of the world's population has achieved this level of comfort and acceptance of self.
Loyalty Cards Systems ? Beware, Some Should Be Avoided
Recently, I discussed a loyalty card system with a vendor who was selling quite a number of his systems to restaurants. I was shocked to discover the lack of detailed information that this vendor catered for, and the opportunities the system he provided squandered.
Stretching Your Marketing Dollars--7 Cheap and Easy Ways to Market on a Budget
Just because you have to stretch your marketing dollars doesn't mean their effectiveness will decrease. The easiest marketing solution is often to simply throw money at a problem. But that is rarely the most effective. When Businesses are forced to use creativity and ingenuity to market on a budget, that is when some of the best results happen.
Mortgage Originator Marketing ? Differentiate or Die
One of the best ways to attract more clients is to quit marketing the same way your competitors do. Because when all mortgage originator marketing is essentially the same, it becomes nearly impossible to distinguish one loan officer from another. And studies show that consumers will make decisions one of two ways.
Fundraising Letter Envelopes: How To Make Them Irresistible
Readers spend only a few seconds deciding the fate of your direct mail fundraising appeals. Either they open them on the spot, set them aside for later, or chuck them in the waste paper basket. Here are some creative ways to tease your donors into opening your envelopes.
Creating a Marketing Timeline That Works: 17 Simple Ideas for Marketing Your Small Business
"Goals are dreams with deadlines."
-Diana Scharf Hunt
Raise Your Income!
How often do you sit around and wonder how to make more money and get more people to buy more from your company? It's one of the most basic problems every company faces.
Ten Ways to Market Your Business by Doing What You Love To Do
Most business owners get so involved in the work of the business that there never seems to be enough time to do the necessary marketing. Even when business is good the owner must continue marketing because if he/she stops, the business eventually will stop too. Marketing your business simply means to nurture good relationships with your customers and potential customers so that they will buy from you again or they will refer you to others. Think about the kinds of things you enjoy doing and then use those activities in your marketing efforts. It is a great way to leverage your time.
Two kinds of Advertising for a Marketing Strategy
Advertising is the lifeblood of any business. If you do not
learn how to advertise your products and services both
efficiently and effectively, you won't be in business long.
While the Internet has lessened or eliminated many of the
costs normally associated with starting and running a small
business, and it's now easier than ever, you'll never
realize significant profits if you don't grow your business
through effective marketing.
|
