If you’re anything like me, customers are the only thing that can make or break your day. Yeah, it isn’t fun to have equipment break on you or roll up to a house with 200 french windows, BUT customers are the main priority in this business. I’m sure you have heard it before. We are in the customer service business; we happen to clean windows.
“There are many different types of customers out there…some you want and some you don’t.”
Credit: Medina Nando
You may have a customer not even blink twice at your bid and tip you when the job is done, or have a customer nitpick your work and try to get every dime they can get out of your price. Everyone is a consumer for someone; customers get easier to connect with if you think about all the times you have bought something and what you were looking for out of it.
The thing about customers is most of them want one of two things, to get a deal or feel like they are the only customer you have. It is impossible to stay in business if you give away handouts all day and talk to customers for hours after the job is complete. But there are ways to put both of those into action and still stay efficient in your business. A customer will love you if you start to give package deals. If you can somewhat give them «A DEAL,» they will call you every year. I’m not saying give away a free house wash to every customer, but look at every job and see what you can personally do for this customer that you couldn’t do for anyone else, make them unique.
That goes into my next topic. Customers love to feel a personal connection with a contractor. Not everyone wants to talk while you are working, But if you could somehow bring up anything that is not business-related, it goes a long way. Talk about the guy’s brand new corvette in the garage, or remember the tiny white poodle›s name, anything you can do that makes it seem like this is not just a business transaction. That is how you move forward from having customers to creating fans. Believe it or not, spending a short amount of time and stopping to talk with your customer without moving around the house with a motive can open your customer’s eyes to your company being more than just another window cleaning company in the area. I had a customer one time cook me a full thanksgiving meal during an all-day job, and after, He drove me around his ranch, and we hung out like best friends. He tipped me 500 on top of the bill.
All I did was show some interest in his interest.
If you can create a workplace full of hungry, professional, and detail-oriented employees, you can create a company that services all your FANS and not your customers. When it comes to customers, The high-end clients and customers you want know what they are looking for when they hire a contractor. It’s up to you to put those systems in place from the bidding process, closing the job, and collecting the check.
Customers can turn into friends that you service very quickly and easily; Your business runs a lot smoother as well if you communicate clearly and keep them happy. You will never believe how fast word of mouth traveled when a customer turned to fan satisfaction; they will always come back for more. If they are active in their neighborhood, DUDE, you do not only build your residential route in a tight corner subdivision. But suppose they are anything like your customer. In that case, it is just another satisfied fan ready to promote your company on social media, write a great review, or get another easy-going customer that you get to service every year. Whether you are giving the first bid or sending out some cookies with your next batch of flyers, build that unique relationship with your clientele and turn those existing customers into your biggest fans.
-By Austin Grubbs