What is comparatitis (other than a word I made up)? It’s comparing yourself, your business, and its growth (or lack of) with other businesses posting to social media! We never come out on top do we, and they’re never as perfect as they say … and we all know that. But we do it anyhow…
So, why do we do it? ‘Cause we’re human!
If you can’t totally get rid of your case of comparititis, at least get inoculated and learn how to defend your strategy and mindset against it.
We all do this occasionally, but today I’m talking to the small business owner, operating locally and competing with other businesses for qualified staff, customers, dealing with provincial and federal regulations and restrictions. Dealing with large national or multi-national corporations suddenly springing up, watching your whole customer base swarm over to “check it out”, and you feel vulnerable often.
But, if you are innovative, tenacious, and resourceful, there are definitely ways to stand out and get that premium client to be fiercely loyal to your brand. I’m only going to get into one strategy in this blog post … customer service.
Customer Service is King, Queen, and every other royal member of the family. I know, I know, you have great customer service … but if it’s not working there could be reasons why.
Here are a few ideas and examples – I’d love to hear your views.
- If you don’t have an item being asked for, do they hear “nope, don’t have it” or do they hear “we don’t have it currently, but I’ll check into getting it in for you”. Or if the item is something totally outside of your reach, can you direct them to a different local business that you know does carry it?
I once worked for a fellow in his restaurant who sent me across the street to the 7-11 to buy a can of sardines. Nope, they weren’t on the menu but one of the regulars simply mentioned that he would love a sardine sandwich right about then. He got his sandwich. This restaurant owner could (and did) open other locations and his customers followed him. He was also a great boss.
- Do you offer a delivery service? If this is not a norm for your type of business, maybe you can add it to stand apart.
- Do they appreciate recommendations and assistance in choosing from your large list of products? Many times the sheer volume of choices, combination of features and prices is overwhelming. How do I make the best decision? Knowing that you will tell me what will deliver the results within my stated budget (or why I should grow my budget) means you understand me and value my business. This is especially true if you have an extensive online catalogue. People will browse this, but ultimately want to chat with a real person.
- Do they value a guarantee and a simple refund policy? You know, a policy they can read and understand without a ton of legalese? A customer looking for a refund or return is either dissatisfied with the product or has rushed into the purchase and now regrets it. While I think it’s a mistake to simply give the money back without a discussion, I do think that you should be clear on the process that happens when someone is asking for a return or refund. Getting clarification on what went wrong, when did it start going wrong, and why does your customer think this is wrong (it might not be). This is an excellent opportunity for learning about your customer, your products, and your sales process. Oh, and don’t argue. Ever. Even if you’re right.
- Last but not least, how about honesty. Does your client value hearing that a large purchase is not necessary at the time but a less expensive option will do what they need done, or that a different business is a better choice for that one particular event? See the point just before this one, this action will help you have less of the returns and refunds requests.
Now, you don’t need to implement all of these or any of them. This list is hardly complete. If your customers value something very different, that’s what you need to focus on. There may even be things you’re spending time and money on that are not important to your customers. But everyone else is doing it, so, comparatitists strikes again!
Smaller business is more responsive, can make changes quickly and much more easily. You can also get to know your customers on a one-on-one basis. How great is that?! You have an edge that large corporations can only dream of. And spend oodles of money achieving.
So, start looking at being smaller, more agile, leaner and more responsive as your strength rather than a weakness. Remember, healthy competition is great and makes everyone improve and benefit, and you can be an example of this! Don’t compare. Don’t fall into the “it’s always been done this way” and definitely don’t “everyone else is doing it” because “everyone else” doesn’t know your business.
Oh, and don’t forget to shop local and support the other small business owners in your area
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