Expectations and excitement are like helium
Your advertising and marketing efforts create expectation and excitement for your customers. The higher their expectation the more helium you have given to them.
Service levels are like balloons
The higher you raise your customers' expectations to get them through the door, the more balloons you will need to hold all their helium once they arrive. Each time your operations don't match your customers' expectations, a portion of their helium escapes.
Think about how your business operates. When your customers leave, are they floating or leaving utterly deflated? Decreasing the gap between the initial expectation and excitement you promise and actually deliver is an important part of customer retention.
Tips:
- View your advertising efforts as a whole. You will be less likely to make big promises in one area.
- Although the end goal is a transaction, concentrate on building a relationship. (You will end up with more transactions!)
- Only promise what you are set-up for, and your staff is trained to deliver.
•• andy
