What business are you REALLY in?

What business are you REALLY in?
Many businesses spend thousands of dollars branding
everything they do to create a familiarity with their
prospects and customers and yet, sadly, miss the boat
completely when it comes to their service.

In the last week, I experienced each of the following:

1. A credit card company sent a replacement card -- two
months after the original expired.

2. I have an advertisement in a print newsletter under a
promotion. I inquired how much it would cost per month to
continue the ad. Three emails and two weeks later, I got a
response.

3. A printer promised a quote within 72 hours -- it came 6
days later, after two follow-up calls.

What do the three companies above have in common, aside
from losing my business?

Quite simply, their service is atrocious.

You've most likely heard the term "relationship marketing"
-- before you can interest your prospects in purchasing
anything from you, it's best to build a relationship with
them.

The goal in relationship marketing is to give your
prospects a reason to know, like and trust you.

That said, before you try building a relationship with your
prospects, you must ensure that your service is the best in
your industry.

Service is one place where "good is NOT good enough".

Regardless of your industry, there are several other
businesses that do the same "thing" you do. By providing
impeccable service, you stand head and shoulders above the
crowd.

Impeccable service is about a lot more than returning
emails within 24 hours and offering a guarantee you stand
by. It's about building your business from the ground up
with your customer in mind: you must give them things they
don't even know they want.

Here's a quick example from the car industry:

Heated seats. While I never would have thought to ask for
them or listed them as a "need" when searching for a
vehicle, I love them and would hate to be without them. A
renegade somewhere in the car industry said "Hey, what if
we put a heater in the seat to make our customers even more
comfortable?".

THAT is service: providing something we didn't even know we
wanted. The same can be said for the first loaf of
pre-sliced bread.

Coaching Challenge:

What can you do differently, not better. . .but
DIFFERENTLY, in your business which will make you the clear
choice over your competitors, regardless of price?

As an example, one of the things I do is send every new
ezine subscriber, who provides their mailing address, a
f'ree gift via snail mail. My business is all about
providing the best possible service in the most automated
and systematic way.

What statement can you make about service in your business?
If I asked 5 of your customers, what would they say?

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For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing
self-employed business owners how to get more clients
consistently by implementing processes and systems to put
their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at
http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client
testimonials and her free audio series "5 Simple and Easy
Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot".