Page 324 - Duct Tape Marketing

308 Part V: Winning and Keeping Customers

• Sell a service contract at the time of equipment purchase, or bundle
the price of the contract right into the purchase price. Doing so
helps ensure that your customer’s purchase gets consistent service
while also tying the customer to your business through frequent
contact and a positive ongoing relationship.

• Set up the next appointment before the customer leaves the cur-
rent appointment. Promise a reminder 48 hours before the next
meeting to ensure your own repeat business.

• See whether there is an equivalent to the good old milk delivery
service for your business, allowing you to automatically deliver
products on a regular schedule rather than waiting for the cus-
tomer to initiate the purchase. Can you think of some way to estab-
lish a standing agreement for product delivery to circumvent the
need for the customer to place an order prior to each purchase?

• Think of ways that you can establish an on approval agreement
with your best customers — where you deliver new offerings on
the condition that customers can return them (or you will pick
them up) if they aren’t wanted or needed.

As an example, interior designers are perfect on agreement suppli-
ers. They charge a set fee for decorating services and install their
recommendations — with price tags intact. The clients then buy
and keep the whole works or call for pickup of the items they don’t
want.

What Customers Want

Simply put, customers want their needs to be met and their expectations to
be exceeded.

ߜ They want value that exceeds the price paid.

ߜ They want clarity in the messages they receive.

ߜ They want their concerns addressed with sensitivity and efficiency.

ߜ They want their situation to be understood.

ߜ They want to be greeted and served promptly.

ߜ They want to feel important and valued.

When asked to rank the factors that contribute to their satisfaction, customers
list such attributes as responsiveness, competence, convenience, and reliabil-
ity. But guess which attribute tops the list? More than anything else, customers
want good communication.