Page 11 - AHATA

A14 LOCAL
Wednesday 5 February 2020
Impress for success

By Cdr. Bud Slabbaert ing person only says ‘good
ST. MAARTEN — Customers morning’ with a smile when
are opinion multipliers, both the customer walks by.
in a positive and a negative
sense. They pass on positive All providers in a chain of
and negative perceptions services at a tourism des-
to others by word of mouth. tination from arrival to de-
When negative, it can be parture contribute to the
destructive. When positive, total image of the destina-
it is preciously construc- tion: airport, taxi, hotel, res-
tive and the lowest-cost taurant, merchants and yes
manner of promoting a ser- even the security officer at
vice or business. Custom- entrance of the bank. The
ers want to be impressed. airport at the beginning or
After all, that is what they the end of a flight is part
are paying for. Acquiring of the image of an airline
new customers is more dif- or the tour operator who
ficult and costly than keep- made the arrangements.
ing existing ones. Losing an You may say: “Why are you
existing customer is twice Customer friendliness says, want to call your business station of the city Perpig- telling us that? We know
as expensive: for one, it “We are happy that you ‘Center-of-the-Universe’ ei- nan in France an entry in that already”.
is a loss for the business, are a customer!” Keep an ther. But, how about plac- the history of art when he
and secondly, a replace- ideal customer experience ing a sign at the entrance named it the ‘Center of Aunt Emma already knew
ment customer needs to be in mind and then try to of- to remind your customers: the Universe’ after having it a century ago. She did
found which may take a lot fer that ideal experience. experienced there, in his not have any education or
of marketing effort. Exceed your customers’ ex- ‘Caution! By entering this words, “a sort of cosmic training for it. Aunt Emma?
pectations and make them facility, you are becoming ecstasy, stronger than all ‘Tante Emma Laden’ is the
Customer orientation re- feel great. the center of our attention’ those I had before. I ex- German equivalent of the
quires acting the way the perienced a precise vision mom-and-pop store. Can
customer likes it and wants If scientists ever find out Salvador Domingo Felipe of the construction of the you imagine Aunt Emma
it! It is not only the offered where the center of the Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, universe.” Quick question: running the little general
service that determines universe is, some people Marquis of Dalí de Púbol what title are you granting store in her village, years
success; equally important will be disappointed that was a Spanish Surrealist art- your airport, hotel or restau- ago? Pure nostalgia! She
is the way that customers they’re not it. You may not ist. He granted the railway rant? knew all her customers by
are treated. name. She could carry on
There is nothing wrong with pleasant chit-chat. She
giving customers the feel- gave the little kids a piece
ing that they are the cen- of candy. She knew exactly
ter of the universe, with- about the shopping habits
out going as far as Dali’s of her customers and tried
cosmic ecstasy. Anyway, to offer the right range of
I will just have to give you products. She could even
two quotes of this world give a cooking recipe or
famous eccentric artist advice on how to remove
who claimed that he is not fat stains from a shirt. Shop-
strange, but that he is just ping at Tante Emma’s store
not normal. Quote one: always gave shoppers a
“The thermometer of suc- good feeling, even if the
cess is merely the jealousy prices were higher than
of the malcontents,” which at the supermarket. Tante
fits nicely in this article. The Emma exercised custom-
second one is something to er relations management
think about: “Every morning without having software or
when I wake up, I experi- a computer for it.
ence an exquisite joy —the
joy of being Salvador Dalí— Human contact on offer is
and I ask myself in rapture: special; time to listen, the
What wonderful things is exchange of whole sen-
this Salvador Dalí going to tences. The persons who
accomplish today?” represent a business or
operation can sell a bit of
The personal performance their own personality along
of any individual involved with the product and ser-
in a business, from the vice. It often helps to make
owner or manager to the the customer experience
About the author. person who cleans the toi- unique. It could add a bit
of authenticity of the cul-
Cdr. Bud Slabbaert is the Chairman and Coordinator of the Caribbean Aviation let, contributes to the com- ture of a destination. Isn’t
Meetup, an annual results and solution oriented conference for stakeholders of ‘airlift’ bined image of the estab- that what is sometimes
in the Caribbean which will be June 16-18 on St.Maarten. Mr. Slabbaert’s background lishment. Anyone who has missing from customer rela-
is accentuated by aviation business development, strategic communication, and the slightest contact with tions that only follow a for-
journalism. a customer is part of the
image, even if the clean- mal training protocol?q