Page 170 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

Quick Ideas 138 to 140

Epilogue
You will never get in trouble trying to attract customers
by telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth.

140

How Are You Really Doing?

One sure test of your ability to attract more customers is to

ask how you are doing with the customers you already have.
Most businesses rarely ask, thinking that a lack of complaints
means everyone is happy. The reality is that you will only hear
from two types of customers, those who love you, and those
who are unhappy with you. The killer is the great silent major-
ity who don’t whine or complain. They just quietly leave you
for a competitor.

When a salesman asked

Assignment Bob how his company was
doing at making their deliv-
You’ve got to have a eries to Bob’s mechanical
system to consistently invite repair department, the sales-
customers to sound off if man was flabbergasted to
you’re going to know how learn that Bob thought their
your services rate. That way service needed some work.
you can attract and retain He said that in recent
the prospects you want. months the service had de-

teriorated, and he had to go

to a nearby competitor when they needed something in a hurry.

This salesman was smart enough to spend the remainder of the

day polling his other customers in the area. He found out that

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