Customer Experience and Customer Retention | Sam Silverstein Sales Motivation Speaker

Managing the Experience - Improve customer retention by creating a unique customer experience

Good customer service is the price of admission if you are going to stay in business.  However, when you can deliver a unique customer experience to your clients, then you have the opportunity of charging more and improving customer retention.

Products are commodities.  So many companies just perform at the industry norm.  You need to stand out.  People are willing to pay more for a unique and rewarding customer experience.

When you go to Disney World you aren’t paying for the rides.  You are paying for the customer experience.  You pay hundreds of dollars a day to see the look on your children when they see Mickey Mouse for the first time.

I’ve been fortunate to dine at Le Jules Vern restaurant on the Eiffel Tower.  Yes the food was good, but you can get good food at many restaurants in Paris.  The customer experience of dining on the Eiffel Tower and being able to look out over the city of Paris is unforgettable!  It’s worth the price of admission to experience that just once.  I don’t remember what I ate that day, but I remember the customer experience, and I would be willing to pay to experience it again.

What is the customer experience that you offer?  Is doing business with you the same as doing business with your competitor?  Do your clients talk about you with their friends and send you an endless stream of referral business?  Is your customer retention as high as it needs to be?

Here are three critical business functions you should analyze in order to evaluate the quality of customer experience you are providing:

1. Evaluate Your Sales Process

Look at every step in your sales process.  What is the customer experience?  Do all steps add value for your client? 

No one likes busy work or to be made to jump through hoops.  Every form you use should be evaluated.  Each method of contacting a client should be looked at.  Are you valuing their time?  Does each step of your sales process move you closer to a decision?  Is it part of a positive customer experience?

How are you helping educate your clients?  Are you making it easy or difficult for your clients to buy?

Nordstrom’s has mastered customer experience.  They keep records of all your purchases.  If you are in a hotel in San Francisco and you need a shirt, they know your size and the colors you like.  You can call them, and they will deliver a shirt to your hotel in your size and in your favorite color.  This is a great example of a company who is focused on the customer experience.  Nordstrom's system makes the buying process very easy!

2. Evaluate How Your Client Receives Your Goods or Services

After the purchase is made, what is the customer experience?

My uncle is an incredible car salesperson.  He has sold over 20,000 automobiles in his career.  When he delivered a car his customer received the red carpet treatment.  Whether he sold Chevrolets or Jaguars, the customer experience was great because he made them feel like royalty.

He always offered a beverage upon arrival at the dealership.  Then, he went through the entire automobile and showed how all the systems worked.  Next, he would introduce the customer to the Service Manager.  Not only did this provide an excellent customer experience by making him feel important, but my uncle was almost guaranteeing that any future service on that vehicle would be performed at the dealership.

I purchased some clothes the other day.  The pants were placed on nice wooden hangers and put into a zippered garment bag.  The sales person gave me her card and told me to call her with any questions or concerns.  That first class deliver was a step in a terrific customer experience.

It is not enough to have a great sales experience.  For a truly memorable customer experience, you must deliver your product or service in unique and interesting ways.

3. Evaluate The Customer Experience After the Sale is Completed

The sale is made, and the product or service has been delivered.  Now what is the customer experience?  Do you stay in touch?  How do you accomplish this?  Maybe you send out birthday cards.  Maybe you call from time to time.  Is your correspondence unique or the same as everyone else’s?

My uncle would call his customers four months before the automobile lease expired, because he knew that they would be starting the shopping process and he wanted to remind them of the positive customer experience they had dealing with him in the past.

If your client refers someone, what do you do to say “thank you?”

There are thousands of people out there who are trying to be successful.  They work hard, just like you do.  They study their products and services, just like you do.  They have nice offices, just like you do.  They offer good quality, just like you do.  The true real way to differentiate yourself is by delivering a unique customer experience because that is what your clients pay for.

Take the accountability to create a truly memorable customer experience that your clients will brag about.  Manage the customer experience to make it fun, exciting, and memorable, and you will be on your way to Building a Better Biz.

Managing Customer Experience

Improve Customer Retention