The After-Effect of Customer Service

Today, I want to share something that’s not talked about much in business. Often the focus is solely on winning customers, but not the after-effect. We don’t talk enough about the importance of wowing people in the aftermath. If you want to stand out, you need to do something amazing for someone after they did something for you.

Most commonly, people will try to impress and wow others during the courtship. While, they are trying to make the sale, they take the prospect to dinner or give them tickets to a sports game. Even personally, people get flowers and take out their wife for Valentine’s Day. These are all great, but it’s expected and the same as everyone else.

Now, think in terms of after you’ve started the relationship. What do you do for a vendor after they delivered what you needed? What about someone who did a one-time speech or consulting session at your office? What about part-time staff that helped you through a busy time?

We often catch ourselves thinking about how to acquire new customers and start new relationships instead of the current or former relationships we had.

What if you put most of your effort on the after-effect? You focus everything on the “just because” and not on the expected.

Two great books on the subject are John Ruhlin’s Giftology and Gary Vaynerchuck’s Thank You Economy.

Ruhlin makes the great point about why would you send out Christmas gifts or cards like everyone else and just know that it’s going to sit on a conference table with all the other gifts.

The key is to Stand Out by sending gifts and thank you’s “just because” and when everyone else is not.

We’ve sent out six month birthday cards that have made an impact. What about other unique and bizarre holidays? For instance, I would love a card on National Banana Lovers Day. What if you made up Holidays for your clients that were unique and personal? What if you created a song about your client and sent it to them? Even better, you show up at their office and perform it. The worse singer you are, the better or at least the funnier. When I was in high school I and more than 20 of my friends went door to door singing Thanksgiving carols. It was ridiculous and most people were confused but everyone was laughing.

The key is to think differently than everyone else. It’s not what you do to win the client; it’s what you do after you’ve won the client. It’s doing more, in a unique way, when it’s not expected.

What’s the after-effect of your business?

For more ways to Stand Out visit Find Your Yellow Tux and Free Chapter from the Find Your Yellow Tux Book – How To Be Successful by Standing Out.