Page 38 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

Quick Ideas 19 to 21

company as customers see it when they drive in. The exterior of
the building needed a coat of paint and one of their signs had
faded and was hardly visible. Weeds had grown and the parking
lot needed a fresh seal coating. Overall, the business had been
allowed to deteriorate and needed to be cleaned, swept, scrubbed,
and painted. Think about the message that something like a badly
painted wall, or a handrailing that wobbles, sends to your pros-
pects and customers.

Epilogue
Adopt the philosophy of Ray Kroc and Walt Disney that
people will never see your business when it needs to be
cleaned, painted, scrubbed, or fixed. Remember the power
of first impressions!

21

Zero Defections

The best new customers are ones you already have. While
some customer attrition is inevitable because customers move
away, sell out, go bankrupt, or have other situations that you
can’t control, you should never accept a lost customer. Accept
what you can’t change, but never accept losses that are within
your control.

George, a seasoned and highly successful national sales
manager, claims much of his track record is due to his hating to
lose. When it comes to customers, his goal is to have zero
defections. He’ll never lose a customer he values and wants to
keep. When that rare event does happen, George launches his
Operation Rescue and makes an all-out effort to regain their

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