I read the following in my friend Andrea Nierenberg's newsletter.

"Great customer service never goes out of style, yet sometimes we may forget that our best customer or client is our competitor's best prospect."

I thought it was worth sharing for a few reasons:

1. Who doesn't need this reminder?  Treat your customers well or they will leave.  It is very easy for a competitor to pick up one of your unhappy customers.
2. When the economy is hurting and budgets are cut a good place to look for new sales opportunities is your existing customers.
3. Let's not forget the old marketing idiom that it costs less to keep an existing customer than acquire a new one.
4. I am hoping to share some marketing results from a customer marketing effort that will illustrate how powerful your customer database can be if treated properly.

OK so this headline is not news to anyone....

This is a sad statement of what we have come to expect when dealing with companies like Verizon who really don't care about you as a customer or the business you represent.  They don't understand Customer Life Time Value.  They care that their return policy says 30 days.  No exceptions or any attempt to help you out.  All you get is  a half baked excuse for a service person who is  half paying attention to you while she spouts corporate policy as she talks with a coworker.

OK so I am not 'happy' with Verizon Wireless and if I had access to a senior executive who showed an ounce of concern for their customers I would gladly buy them a few books on customer service and marketing.  Seth Godin's book, The Big Moo would probably make the top of that list.  I doubt companies like Verizon could attempt to be remarkable at how they treat customers but if it costs less to retain a customer then acquire a new one why not take a few minutes to understand what your customers want.

These experiences remind me that if you have a customer in your store or on the phone, isn't it easier to make them happy and 'bend' a few rules then to send them on their way angry.  Remember a happy customer will tell 2-3 people but an unhappy customer will tell 10 or more.

On that happy note... remember without customers you have no business so keep the customers you already have satisfied.

A marketing friend of mine recently celebrated a birthday. He mentioned how he was expecting a number of companies who knew (think of all those loyalty programs you signed up for)  it was his birthday to communicate appropriately on that day. He thought they would send him a card, email or offer something to acknowledge they had his info and it was an important day in his life.  Unfortunately, he was disappointed by most of the companies he does business with.  I doubt he will pull his business based on one day but just think how easy it was for some of these businesses to just acknowledge his big day. How much good-will it might have created for their business. 

My take away from his experience is that if you are going to collect information about your customers, use it appropriately or don't collect it at all.  Like it or not when you collected the data you set an expectation for a future communication or experience based on the exchange of information.

How does age matter to your business? Is it the anniversary of your customer's first purchase? Their birthday? Anniversary?  The list goes on but if you can find that all important day you have a chance to create a loyal and happy customer.

There has been a lot written about John Mackey's blogging and the Whole Foods-Wild Oats deal.  I came across a comment he was noted for saying:

Whole Foods' rising stock price was a result of the fact that he put customers first and shareholders second, thereby delivering the best value to both.

How many CEOs think about putting their customers first?  We discussed one company here but you really have to look for companies that treat their customers like gold.  Sort of sad once you think about the fact that you are the customer most of the time.

John's comment provides an interesting perspective and a great way to look at your business.  I am a big Whole Foods fan but it has nothing to do with their corporate stucture or stock price; they just provide a great shopping experience.  John may have some trouble in the blog world but he knows how to sell food. 

There are two lessons here: 1)  if you are the CEO of a public company you probably have to play by a different set of rules when you blog. 2) Always put your customers first, it will pay off.

The other day someone referred to some of their clients as stupid.  I couldn't believe it .  Would you insult them in person I asked?  Do they pay your bills? Buy your product or service?  Would you do business with a company that called you stupid? I was (and still am) very frustrated with the experience for a few reasons.  Is this person calling me stupid behind my back?  More importantly as a marketer I work hard to generate leads and sales and if there is someone referring to my customers that way they are also belittling what I do for the business.  Customers and leads are gold and should be treated like royalty.  I believe the customer is always right. To cool off from this experience I searched for A Fish Called Wanda. If you haven't seen it you will know why once you watch this short clip.

If you want to grow your business treat your customers as the most valuable asset you have.  If you do your customers will keep coming back and spread word of mouth about what you do, which many argue is the most credible marketing you can't pay for.

If anyone ever referred to one of my customers in this way I would give them one warning and the next time out the door they would go.  There is no excuse for treating customers in anyway other then with respect and the highest regard.  Remember without customers you are out of business.

That is my rant for today. ...And remember "don't call me stupid".

How would you handle this situation? Do you have a policy about how to refer to and treat your customers?

You always hear people say the customer is always right, but how often do companies stand by this policy?  Stew Leonards gets it.  They even carved this message into a large rock in front of their stores to make sure it was clear to their customers and employees.  If you are responsible for marketing, sales or service you should take a good look at your service policy.  It has been my experience that more often then not, companies try to prove to their customers that they are right, even if it means loosing a customer. It happened to me today with one of our smaller marketing partners.  I asked for a small refund because of an error in their service and the response I received was "the contract states...". 

Now there is a time and place for contracts.  However in this circumstance I don't care what a contract states.  Just show some good faith that you care about my problem and issue the credit.  99% of the companies we work with for this service will issue the credit and do so with a smile and an apology for the inconvenience.  The power of positive word of mouth is more effective then any contract or marketing effort while negative word of mouth travels faster, lasts longer and will make a contract seem insignificant.  I guess this company (intentionally leaving out the name - for now) doesn't understand those basic marketing principles.

Let's see how this plays out in the next few days but it doesn't look good for the relationship.

A while back I posed a question on the DMA's Customer Relationship Council blog.  I was trying to stir up a conversation on the topic to see if others believed as I do that everyone in an organization owns the customer relationship.  Many people may believe this is the sole responsibility of marketing, sales, customer service or technology. But IMO, everyone needs to take some responsibility for customers, because let’s face it: without customers you have no business.  Yes, everyone from CEOs down to shipping clerks need to own the customer experience, so that customers indeed keep coming back.

I am lucky to work for a company that empowers everyone to 'make it better' for our clients.  If we see something broken, we fix it.  No meetings or check lists of approvals... we just make the process for our clients better.  End of story.

Seth Godin had a great post about great receptionists.  His point was that it is easy to be a typical receptionist but a great one can impact your overall business with very little, but thoughtful effort.  I think the same outlook on customer relationships holds true.  Go for the WOW effect and make every customer feel special and important.  Under promise and over deliver and you will have customers for life. 

Next time you are writing a job description or doing an employee review, think about your customers and how that position or person can shape your customer's impression of your business.

In a future post, I will discuss how you might be able to turn a dissatisfied customer into an advocate.

While I work on that post, answer these questions for me: I would love to hear what others are doing.

• What is your company's approach to customer relationships?
• What can you do in your role that will impact your customer relationships?
• When was the last time you spoke with or listened to your customers?