Profit From Consistency

Consistency is the key to a great customer experience.

If you begin to slip up or to forget things - your customers will assume that there are other problems with your business.

Why is consistency so important?

• Consistency assures your current customers of the experience they will have the next time they do business with you. If you did a good job this time, the customer will be more likely to do repeat business with you.
• Consistency helps retain those customers that would otherwise turn to a competitor.
• Consistency makes it extremely easy for your current customers to tell their friends about your business.
• Being consistently bad does not do you any good. If you consistently meet customer expectations, they will be satisfied.
• If you consistently exceed customer expectations, you will delight customers and they will turn into loyal, raving fans.

Be consistent with what works and offer the highest quality possible in goods and services and you will stand a much better chance of business success.

And on the buying side, consistently paying your bills on time ensures that the credit rating agencies will give your business the best possible report. It might seem unimportant, but a local business recently lost a bid because their credit rating was poor compared to their competitor.

Sceptical?

Why is are fast food franchises so successful?

Why are these three brands so popular?

• Costa
• Caffé Nero
• Starbucks

Sell the Sizzle - Not the Sausage

Having spent this week working on a proposition for a new prospect as part of a team, "Sell the Sizzle, Not the Sausage" has become a mantra for us. The problem we faced is the same one as is faced by most businesses - it is really easy to become focussed on the how and what and to forget the benefits that the customer is interested in.

Most business owners I speak to can talk for ages on the way their business delivers its products or services and how good they are at making the ultimate in widgets. These same people are so wrapped up in their widgets, that they forget the most important question a prospect will insist on having answered:

What's In It for ME?

We must focus our attention to answering this question with facts and data - in terms that mean something to the prospect. Our focus must shift from:

Features

to

Benefits

Next time you find yourself talking in strange dimensions that get you a puzzled look from your prospect, go on to say:

• Which means that - you will ......

And expand on the benefits that your customer will gain from dealing with you.