Angry Birds, Angry Customers

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Laurel Tielis

Laurel Tielis

What do Angry Birds and irate customers have in common? In the game, hungry pigs have taken the birds’ eggs. In real life, careless companies have taken customers’ time, money, and/or energy.

If you’re dealing with less-than-happy shoppers, trying to see the situation from their viewpoint is helpful. Listening carefully to them is a must. And apologizing comes first.

Start by saying, I’m sorry. And mean it. But trying to create rapport by saying something like, I know just how you feel, isn’t. Unless you add, That’s why I’m going to fix things right now, and then do so.

Because if you stop at the, I know just how you feel statement, or even worse add on, That happened to me, you will exacerbate the situation. The customer is looking for a solution to his or her problem, not a new best friend. Your problem is not their problem.

Also, you create a “red flag to a bull” when you thank the customer for bringing a problem to your attention, and say you’ll correct it in the future. That’s great for future customers and for your business. But the angry customer is not looking to improve your business or to help others down the road; the customer is looking for justice for himself; she wants to be heard and to be taken care of, right then and there.

You need to provide a solution that shows the customer you understand her pain, and want to make up for causing it. Sometimes that’s refunding the price of the product or the service, at other times it’s offering a discount on future products or services. And if the customer has really been mistreated, it can be both, as has happened recently in the airline and cruise ship industries.

Granted, the customer may not always be right, or be completely right, or be expressing upset in the most pleasant manner or nicest tone of voice, but ask yourself what brought him to feeling so aggrieved. What made her feel that the only way of dealing with your company was to get fighting mad.

Correct the situation, because while angry birds squawk, angry customers walk. And even worse, they talk, telling lots of other people, online and in person, about their problems with your business. 

If you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com or connect with me at LinkedIn.

For easy and effective ways to bring in more business, follow me on Twitter @laureltielis and read Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales.

Copyright © 2012 Laurel Tielis

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Promote Your Business, Increase Your Sales

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Laurel Tielis

Laurel Tielis

If you want more people to know about your business, you have to get the word. You do it through ads–online, in print, and on air. You also need to get publicity.

Traditionally, you hired a PR pro to tell your story to the media, and hoped as well that satisfied customers or clients were telling everyone they knew about you, giving you great word of mouth.

Those channels still work beautifully. But happily, now there are more options open to you as well. You can easily and effectively get your business known through social media and mobile technology.

Whether you’re microblogging on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn, writing a blog, creating QR codes, or using SMS (short message service) marketing, more people learn about your business.

Podcasts will help to build your business, and you can tell a picture story by providing videos on YouTube or Vimeo, or use social media’s newest darling, Pinterest.

Do a good job with the tools at your service, and you can grab the attention of traditional media–newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio–for stories that get your name out to a mass audience. Mainstream media offers a large and powerful base that can quickly build your visibility, credibility, and profitability.

How to Tell It to Sell It

But first you have to create or curate great content. What makes for great content? Things that inform, educate, or entertain appeal to most audiences. In terms of information, anything new and better in your industry will grab attention. People always want to be the first or own the best.

Premiere service piques interest as well. Even though the economy is rebounding in many areas and arenas, people still feel overworked and under-served. Let them know you’ll take care of them, and they’ll buy from you. For example, think about changing your hours of operation to accommodate more shoppers. Then let the buying public know about it.

Customers are always on the alert for sales and bargains. So keep them informed about any specials you’re offering on your products or services.

In terms of entertainment, shoppers want to hear about celebrities who are your customers, whether they’re international, national or local. It makes them feel more important knowing that well-known names see value in your business. And let’s face it, gossip grabs attention.

They also want to meet any designers whose product you sell, so give them the opportunity to do that by offering trunk shows. Educate them on using your products or services with demonstrations or classes.

Host a party. Whether it’s a morning coffee hour, an afternoon tea, or an evening reception with wine or champagne, it will get people interested in, and talking about, your business.

Take advantage of all the channels open to you to tell a powerful story. Don’t forget how compelling a good email message can be, and pick up the phone to get the word out as well.

Do-it-yourself publicity works. After all, who knows more about your business than you do, and who cares more about its success than you? So get out there and get the good word going.

If you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com. You can also connect with me at LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter @laureltielis.

Read my book, Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales, for additional easy and effective ways to bring in more business.

Copyright © 2012 Laurel Tielis

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Business Cash in a Flash

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Laurel Tielis

Laurel Tielis

Let’s say money’s tight. How can you bring more in? In your personal life, you’d probably think about the lottery. And as the saying goes, “If you want to win, you have to buy a ticket.” The odds aren’t high, but at least you stand a chance.

But how do you bring more money into your business when sales aren’t soaring? One answer is, you attract a cash mob, a group of people who go to your store with the express purpose of spending their money. (Think of these shoppers as a flash mob with a mission.)

Here’s how to increase the odds that a cash mob will favor your business. Set up a cash mob for someone else. When you do, you show the community that you’re serious about doing business in your area, and that you are a person to be reckoned with.

Happily, you can set up a cash mob fairly easily and quickly. While you won’t get the money a cash mob will bring, you will get other immediate benefits. Here are three: you’ll raise your profile among your peers, you’ll be featured in all the publicity as the founder, and you’ll be reaching out to others, so you’ll widen your circle of people who know you, like you, trust you, and will buy from you.

7 Simple Steps to Set Up a Cash Mob

  • Pick a local business.
  • Get an okay from the owner for a specific day and time.
  • Bring local associations and organization on board.
  • Decide on a specific amount of money each participant will commit to spend ($10, $20, or $50 for example) and fix a time limit ( perhaps 30 minutes to an hour).
  • Pick a nearby cafe, restaurant, or lounge for an after cash mob party.
  • Create a Facebook invitation.
  • Set up a Twitter hash tag.

Here’s another way to become the happy recipient of a cash mob. Cash mobs are interested in supporting businesses that support the community on an ongoing basis.

If you align with neighboring businesses and send referrals back and forth, sponsor a local charity–in cash or in kind, bring in speakers to teach shoppers how to improve their buys, work with local designers and manufacturers, and treat shoppers with constant kindness, you’re inline to be chosen for a visit by a cash mob. Up the possibility by telling a fellow business owner how much you would appreciate it. As you know, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

A third way to get to welcome a cash mob is by showing yourself and telling your story. In the ever-popular Gypsy, stripper Tessie Tura lets the audience know about the importance of having a gimmick. In the business world, you’ve got to have a story. And you’ve got to tell it to sell it.

Are you getting your story out to your audience? Here are some question you might want to answer. Why is being a small business owner so important to you? What are your values? Why did you choose your location? How do you see your business one year, three years, five years down the road? Make sure that the community knows your story. The more others understand how much you value doing business with them, the more likely they are to support you.

If you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com. Connect with me at LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter @laureltielis.

Read Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales, for easy and effective ways to bring in more business

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Competition is Good for Business

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Laurel Tielis

Laurel Tielis

Competition is usually seen as a benefit to customers. It means that prices are contained and service is upheld.

But how about for retailers? Is competition good for your business? Put it this way. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning said about love, let me count the ways.

1. It keeps you alert

If you don’t think that’s important, take a look at Walmart. It led the pack for a long time, and by a large distance, so it got complacent. Every other company including Amazon, seemed like a gnat to be easily swatted. But gnats, as you know and as Walmart found out, are pesky. They keep coming back. Now Walmart is playing online catch-up because it didn’t take the competition seriously.

If you’re alert to what’s going on in your business, both in-store and online, you won’t have any unhappy surprises.

2. It encourages creativity

To always be the best, you have to find new ways of thinking and acting. When a competitor opens up in your area, you check it out to see why the company thought there was an opportunity in your territory. Are their goods being sold at a better price point? Are they offering services you don’t? Are they serving a niche you’ve ignored?

In other words, competition helps to point out what your business lacks to grow. Then you’re ready to put those things in place.

3. Competition makes you proactive

Have you been doing all you can to connect with your customers? In-store, are you bringing in speakers, hosting sales, refreshing your merchandise and displays? Online, are you running contests, conducting polls, staying active on your social media sites.

Check out the competition to see what they’re doing. See how you can use those ideas and build on them to get your business up to speed.

4. It makes you a better member of the community

Are you sponsoring a local charity, like a school or a hospital, by donating products or services, working on events on its behalf, and showing yourself as an active member of the community? When you do, you increase your visibility and your importance in your area and your arena.

By getting involved and standing out in your community, you make sure you get all the business you can handle, no matter how much competition you have.

5. Competition helps keep you focused on the value of customers and colleagues

What are you doing about local businesses? Are you creating partnerships with other merchants and entrepreneurs? Are you cross-promoting and sending referrals? If you’re not, these are all ways to increase your sales, improve your business, and stay in front of the competition.

As for customers or clients, you can’t over-appreciate their loyalty. Keep them sweet, keep them coming back, and keep them away from the competition, by constantly saying thank-you in words and deeds.

If you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com or connect with me at LinkedIn.

For easy and effective ways to bring in more business, follow me on Twitter @laureltielis and read Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales.

Copyright © 2012 Laurel Tielis

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How to Make Networking Work for You

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Laurel Tielis

Laurel Tielis

Whether you’re on the lookout for more customers for your business, more clients for your practice, or you need a job, networking is the fastest way to get what you want. The more skillful you are at it, the sooner you’ll be able to move from feeling depressed to achieving success.

While there are formal and informal networking groups, and a lot of people profit by attending their meetings (I personally love www.meetup.com), you should first take reach out to the people you already know–the ones in your natural network.

Who You Gonna Call?

Who makes up your network? Everyone from friends, family, colleagues, clients, customers, vendors, suppliers, the guy behind the counter at the cleaners, and the people you pass the time of day with at your neighborhood coffee bar. Because they know you, in most cases, these folks will be willing to give you a helping hand.

Then there’s your social network. In many cases, it’s made up of “formers”–former classmates and coworkers, former clients or customers–people who are no longer in your life on a regular basis.  So before you turn to it, call or email the people you know now.

To get help you have to be clear in describing what you need. Until your contacts understand what you’re looking for, they can’t help you find it. And if you want to keep the relationship sweet, offer something in return. After you ask for what you want, say something like, Is there anything I can do to help you?  

Hallelujah! You’ve Got a Lead

When you get a lead, follow it up–pronto. Tell the person you’re contacting who recommended you get in touch, and why he or she thought there would be good synergy between you. Then ask for what you want and again, offer something in return.

If you’re near your new contact, and it’s appropriate, issue an invitation for coffee, lunch,  or an after-hours drink. That will help move the relationship forward.

The Skinny on Social Networking

When you’re ready to turn to social networking, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and others sites, let you research individuals you’re no longer in touch with, as well as companies where you used to work. Reach out to those people who used to be in your life. After you re-establish the relationship, you can view the friends of your connections, further widening your network. Put out a call on Twitter, as well.

Once you reestablish relations or open up new ones, try getting together in person. Social networking sites speed up communication, but they’re only the first step in the networking “dance”—you get out on the floor, but you really get moving when you meet. To get what you need, in as brief a time as possible, it’s important to have face time with others.

So again, you want to offer coffee, lunch, or after-work invitations. And again, while you’re asking for what you need, you should also be offering to help the person you’re meeting with.

Open Your Options 

Attend lectures, luncheons, and meetings to broaden your circle. Go to trade shows and conventions in your arena or industry to connect with organization higher-ups. (It’s a good idea to get in touch prior to the show to schedule a meeting.)

Show up at events for groups or industries you want to work with or in, where you can be the only person in your business in the room–this is a much easier way to get attention.

Volunteer to work at events that will move your search forward. Volunteers quickly become in the know. Also, when people see you working at an event, they perceive you as an authority, someone with status. Take advantage of that.

When you’re waiting—at the bus stop, the post office, the bank, or in your doctor’s waiting room—talk to people who are there with you. The shared downtime gives you a surefire conversation-starter.

There are multiple benefits from being in the same physical space. The personal touch can make all the difference. And surprisingly enough, everyone knows someone who knows someone who can help.

Take Care of Others

Whether you know someone really well, or you’re just in the formative stages of a relationship, the fastest way to get what you’re seeking, is by moving your focus from What’s in it for me? to thinking about What’s in it for them? When someone is able to help you they’ll feel good about that, but always make sure to take care of them in return.

Lastly, don’t just to get in touch;  stay in touch. When you build relationships you build your credibility and your stature in your arena. So when things aren’t working, remember that networking can help.

If you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Connect with me at LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter @laureltielis.

Read Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales, for easy and effective ways to bring in more business, or get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com.

Copyright © 2012 Laurel Tielis

 

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How Macy’s, Sears, and Walmart Envision Retail’s Future

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Laurel Tielis

Laurel Tielis

You may not want to run with the big dogs, but you should know what the big dogs are doing. That way, you can use the information in your small business. So here’s an update on how Macy’s, Sears, and Walmart are approaching increasing their sales, to help you with your profitability.

Macy’s is implementing a three-year, three-part plan to win the business of the Millennial generation. The idea is to bring more customers aged 13 to 30 both to stores and online.

Localization, which has proved successful in My Macy’s, will be a part of the mix. Technology offerings will be increased; think QR codes, texting, and tap-and-go transaction processing. Lastly, in-store customer-centered operations will replace product-centered operations. Adjacencies, signage, and technology will be improved to help shoppers find things more easily; visual merchandising will be updated more frequently.

Are you taking advantage of your knowledge of the local market, staying ahead of the curve on technology, and ensuring that shopping at your store is easy and fresh? If not, start now.

Sears shoppers who are enrolled in their loyalty program, can sign up as personal shoppers. Then, if they make recommendations of Sears products to friends, family and others (their clients), they’ll receive 1% to 2% of the purchase price on any purchases made, whether online or in-store. It’s an innovative way to deepen connections with current customers and to bring in new business.

How are you connecting with customers and increasing their engagement with your business? Can you use this idea from Sears as a springboard to increase your sales?

Walmart wants to take care of customers without credit cards (and the company’s idea will work as well for customers giving their cards a vacation, and for those who fear using them online because of fraud).

They’ll be able to buy online, but pick up and pay cash for their purchases at a Walmart store. An added plus, by buying online and picking up the products, rather than having them sent, customers can definitely save shipping fees and hopefully save time at the store.

This is a creative way of offering options to shoppers who might not otherwise be Walmart customers. How are you reaching out to new and niche markets?

Take advantage of the time and study these retailers have put into growing their businesses to grow yours.

If you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Connect with me at LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter @laureltielis.

Read Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales, for easy and effective ways to bring in more business, or get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com.

Copyright © 2012 Laurel Tielis

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How Twitter and Facebook Can Build Your Practice

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Laurel Tielis

Laurel Tielis

Are you an entrepreneur? Sure, you can advertise, but is that the best way of building your practice or increasing your clientele?

Probably not. It’s one thing to pay for promoting a product, and quite another to advertise your services. But you do need to get your name known, if you want to be successful.

Word of mouth was the traditional way for professionals to gain new business. And in most cases, it’s still the most reliable.

That’s why you want to set up a Google alert for your name and the name of your business, if that’s different. You also want to monitor sites such as Yelp, to make sure the word on the street is a good one.

That way, you’ll know what is being said about you. But you also want to control the flow of information. You can do that through both mass media and social media.

Mass Media Will Get You Attention

Coverage in mainstream media is one way entrepreneurial doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects and others can get the word out. This usually requires working with a publicist.

The upside is that an article in a major publication should boost business significantly. (Of course you’ll want to add it to your website, and email it to your current client list.)

The downside is there is no guarantee a reporter will be interested in your story. The timing may be wrong, or the topic may have to be rethought. Plus, it usually takes time, and the fees can be significant.

You Can Control Social Media

Enter social media. The beauty of it is that it’s fee-free and you can tell your story when and where you choose.

One professional who’s done a brilliant job of it on Twitter is Mehmet Oz (@DrOz). He tweets regularly about how to stay healthy and about new findings in medicine. He also gives followers some insight into his personal life, making him more real.

All professionals can benefit from using sites like Facebook and Twitter. Granted, if you do it yourself, there is a time element, but microblogging is far less time-intensive than writing lengthy blog posts. You can also supervise a staff members’ tweets or posts. Or you can hire a professional blogger for a nominal sum. If you opt to let someone else microblog for you, make sure that the person uses your voice.

The most important thing is to do something; you want  to make sure you’re getting your share of media attention, whether it’s mainstream or social media.

If you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Connect with me at LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter @laureltielis.

Read Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales, for easy and effective ways to bring in more business, or get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com.

Copyright © 2012 Laurel Tielis

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Technology Beats Out Customer Service in Stores

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Laurel Tielis

Laurel Tielis

Want to sell more? Retailers need to ramp up technology, rather than staff. That’s the way to success, according to recent reports.

Consider Sprinkles, the upscale chain of cupcake bakeries that just opened its first ACM–automated cupcake machine–next door to its Beverly Hills store.

Shoppers stood in line at the Automat-like machine to watch a robotic arm pick up selected bake goods, hold them upright, and wrap them. The bakery itself had less business.

Granted the cupcake apparatus is new, and it’s providing entertainment for purchasers, but even stores not offering diversions are finding customers shunning salespeople for gadgets.

 Moving from Customer Service to Customer Self-Sufficiency

There’s a strong move from dealing with staff to dealing with screens. Younger shoppers have grown up with e-commerce and feel comfortable using their phones or tablets to help make decisions on purchases. But they’re not the only ones.

Tech savvy shoppers of all ages are discovering that their interest in a particular item, and their willingness to ferret out information about it, makes them more knowledgeable than most sales staff. Even Nordstrom, which built its brand on top-rate customer service, has seen and gotten behind the move to digital, by providing Wi-Fi in-store so that customers can shop using their own devices.

Clearly, customers are opting for convenience, and screens surpass people in getting things done efficiently. And while there are customers who want to see, feel, and try the merchandise, rather than buy online, they to are happier making selections without interacting with salespeople. It’s simpler and more satisfying.

Do Less, Get More

Smart stores are finding they need to have sales staff do less, but do it better, when they’re called upon. They’re taking a tip from Apple, the acknowledged Holy Grail at providing just enough, and not too much, customer service.

Apple offers products with minimum touch points so that they’re easy to master. They also provide maximum service and advice when it’s necessary.

The moral: Get your staff up to snuff so they’re ready to assist, but let the customer decide when and where it’s needed.

If you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Connect with me at LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter @laureltielis.

Read Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales, for easy and effective ways to bring in more business, or get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com.

Copyright © 2012 Laurel Tielis

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James Q. Wilson, Broken Windows, and Your Business

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Laurel Tielis

Laurel Tielis

James Q. Wilson died this week, but he left behind a legacy of getting it right from the beginning. A social scientist, he was a proponent of the “broken windows” theory of crime, which focuses on maintaining order, and calls for stopping minor infractions before they lead to major crimes. Acting on the theory, and using community policing, New York, Los Angeles and other cities improved their crime statistics and their quality of life.

How does this relate to you? By taking care of the little things, you’ll find the big things will fall into place. So if you want a bigger, more successful business, you’ve got to make sure that you pay attention to detail.

In a physical sense, if you’ve got a store, there’s no doubt that you’ll take care of an actual broken window. But are you as responsive to doing anything and everything to make it attractive and inviting?

For example, is the entranceway clean and clear, so that potential customers feel welcome? Are the aisles easy to navigate, and have you put forethought into making sure the merchandise display entices shoppers? How about the lighting? Is the restroom spotless?

Do you have staff? How do you behave to them? Do you trust them and give them the authority to make decisions? The more you show confidence in them, the more that confidence will be repaid. By treating them with courtesy and compassion, you’ll find they behave that way to your customers or clients. Again, it’s the broken windows theory. Get it right from the get-go, and everything will follow through in the same pattern.

Then there’s your website. Do you maintain it and update it regularly? Is it clear to anyone viewing it that it’s important to you, and that you value it? Because, frankly, if it’s not important to you, why should a buyer find it of interest?

How about your social media efforts? When was the last time you sent out a tweet or wrote something for your FB wall? If you’re not keeping up to date with social media, you’re missing opportunities to show potential buyers that you’re someone with whom they want to work.

Most importantly, do you tell the truth, or do you over promise and under deliver? Can your clients or customers rely on you? If you disappoint just one person, shrug it off and think no one else will know, you’ve underestimated the broken window theory. People do tell other people–they do it through word of mouth and media. One way or another, word gets around.

When you’re making decisions about how to go forward in your work, keep James Q. Wilson and his broken window theory in mind. Get the small things right, and you build a strong foundation for a big business.

If  you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Connect with me at LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter @laureltielis.

Read Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales, for easy and effective ways to bring or more business, or get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com.  

Copyright © 2012 Laurel Tielis

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Your Business Benefits When the Customer is Right

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Laurel Tielis
Laurel Tielis

Want to be a success in the luxury market? Offer superior flawless customer service. That’s the advice Alf Nucifora, Chairman of The Luxury Marketing Council of San Francisco, offered council members at a cocktail reception at furniture showroom Gaul Searson Ltd.

Nucifora talked about what’s wrong with customer service and offered suggestions on solving the problems. While his ideas were specifically for selling to the one percent of the wealthiest, they work for everyone in business.

According to Nucifora, 50 per cent of  people ready to make a purchase are dissatisfied with their shopping experience. Almost two-thirds of people, he said, will leave if a wait in line is more than three minutes. More than one-quarter of shoppers don’t get as far the cash wrap because the sales person has a bad attitude, and another 22 per cent can’t even find a salesperson. “Shoppers,” he said, “find shopping a hassle and prefer not to do it.”

On the other hand, by attending to the specific needs of each customer, you forge an ongoing tie. Seven out of 10 people who have complaints about a business will return if their complaint is resolved. Resolve it on the spot, and a whopping 95 per cent will return. People, he said, need to be listened to and heard.

This art of active listening, and responding in real time, is the difference between customer relations and what he calls “customer intimacy.” Customer intimacy is getting up close and personal with buyers.

Like bespoke clothing, which is made to measure for each individual, it’s understanding who your customer is and what he or she is thinking. It’s anticipating the needs of the customer by being intuitive, and “reading” him or her. All told, it’s very different from the standard way of doing business.

Five Ways to Win Customers

1. Listen to the customer to make the sale. Stores like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus are creating a culture of listening. Neiman Marcus has set up “listening councils,” he said, bringing in large groups of customers and interacting with them to find out what works and what doesn’t work in their stores.

2. Embrace the “Broken Window Theory.” Police Chief William Bratton was credited with lowering the crime rate in New York City by using the theory and focusing on problems at the most basic level, before they became major ones. Quickly fix any small problems in your business.

3. Build a culture embracing Simplicity Marketing. Always make it easy on the customer. For example, answer your phone, rather than make customers push multiple numbers before a human being gets online.

4. Deliver products and information quickly. If something goes wrong, fix it without a hassle. Zappos leads the way, he said, in making sure that customers are happy. Its employees are partners in servicing the client, and yours must be as well if you want to be successful in business.

5. Offer Lean Marketing with instant gratification. Customers, he said,  want to know they’re getting value that goes beyond the price point. Luxury buyers, he pointed out, are especially smart buyers and want ongoing value. You can’t nickel and dime them, he said. Build any add-ons into the basic tariff, like offering free limousine transport and free drinks to cruise buyers.

Nucifora makes it clear that “arrogance and hubris are out.” If you want to successfully connect with today’s savvy customers, be available, be understanding, and be vigilant about maintaining quality control.

If  you want more ideas about bringing in business, I can help. I’ve been a retail reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings News, a columnist at the Miami Herald and a correspondent at People.

I’ve also handled the marketing and public relations at major corporations and small businesses. Need a speaker or a consultant? Connect with me at LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter @laureltielis.

You can also get in touch at Ask Laurel (one word) at laureltielis.com. For easy and effective ways to bring in more business, read Ka-Ching! How to Ring Up More Sales.

Copyright © 2012 Laurel Tielis

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