SUN CITY WEST, Ariz. — Is it necessary to get to know your customers? Some say yes, some say no. So, what are the positive effects of knowing your customers?
The first is that some of them will give you important feedback. Second is the rewards of friendly encounters. I can’t tell you how many customers over the years bought me a cup of coffee after we got to know each other.
I enjoyed engaging them in friendly conversation: “Can you tell me one thing you like about my laundromat, and one thing you don’t like?” Do this with enough customers and you’ll learn a lot!
TIPS FOR BETTER CUSTOMER RELATIONS
I picked up some tips about customer relations over the years that I’d like to share.
Learn Some of Their Language — This can work wonders with breaking down ethnic walls. People appreciate if you can say even a couple words in their language. You’ll often see broad smiles, even though they know you can’t really speak their language. They appreciate the effort. It’s a friendly sign of respect.
In one of my mats, I learned a number of words, such as how to say hello, thank you, and even how to count money….in Chinese! When I first opened that mat, Asian customers wouldn’t even look at me. Later, one of my Chinese employees taught me these words.
She also told me that they would quietly ask her how I was as a boss. Luckily, she told them I was fine and that she was very happy to work for me. This really helped, because then they would greet me with a smile, and I actually had many friendly exchanges with them, including laughter.
This spotlights how treating your employees well can help you with customers. (And I thank that former employee very much!)
If you’re able to, employ some people who reflect the ethnic and racial backgrounds of the neighborhood at large (without excluding other races, obviously).
People generally tend to be more comfortable with an employee they can relate to, especially if they speak the same language or come from the same country.
Present an Unexpected Freebie — There’s nothing like a surprise freebie every now and then to break down barriers.
A nice thing to do occasionally is to strike up a short conversation with a customer you’ve seen several times. Then, thank them for their loyalty and give them something—a nylon bag, a free wash, or whatever you want—as a token of your appreciation. This unexpected act of gratitude will put a smile on their face and go a long way.
I preferred giving out free bags because they were preprinted with my business name, address, phone number and logo. When the customer got home, I imagine the conversation would start something like this: “I was at the laundromat today and out of the blue, the owner gave me this bag as a thank-you for my business!”
Try Using a “Stage Name” — I learned this trick a long time ago from a successful retailer. (And it tracks back to what I said about not revealing too much personal info.)
My real name is Paul, and my employees knew that, but I asked them to address me as “Frank” in front of the customers. That way, they were wise to the claim if someone approached them and said, “Frank said you need to give me three free washes the next time I came in.”
Pay Attention to Customer Reviews — Do you read all your online reviews on a regular basis? You should. People who are afraid to complain in person may be much more forthcoming in an anonymous review.
These reviews can help you understand what some customers are really thinking. Besides, if you get a bad review, you want to address it ASAP, and make it right.
Your Surveillance System Can Assist with Customer Relations — As you monitor your cameras, you may occasionally discover certain customers with routinely hurtful behavior, but how do you know what happened since you can’t be constantly checking?
If you have some customers you’re friendly with, they may alert you to something that happened in the mat, which you can confirm through your surveillance.
Float a Survey — To really prosper, you need to know the good and the bad in your customers’ minds. You may smart, but you can’t think of everything.
Years ago, when I was still learning the business, I had “report cards” printed up that asked for grades on a variety of topics. Just like school, customers could give us an A, B, C or F, and offer comments. They dropped the cards in our locked mailbox that was mounted on a wall.
We’d get wisecracks sometimes, sure, but overall I learned a lot about what people liked about my mat and what they didn’t like. It was very useful for me at the time.
Don’t Forget Demographics — It’s very helpful to know where your customers are coming from, their average age groups, income levels, how far away from the store that they travel, and ethnic backgrounds.
There are companies that can provide you this information, but you can obtain a lot of this info simply by asking the questions in your anonymous customer surveys.
If you’re researching a market before buying a mat (or even if you own an existing mat), you can find companies that will supply this info for you at reasonable prices; just Google “demographics companies.”
In closing, the more you understand your customers and their wants and needs, the more likely you will succeed.
Here’s wishing you all the best in your efforts to get to know your customers.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
