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December 30, 2019
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March 13, 2020
It’s Valentine’s Day. A special day to show those special people in our life how much we truly love them.
It’s also a day when all Relationship Experts remind us that EVERY DAY should be “Valentine’s Day” if we truly want to build long-lasting and committed relationships.
And it’s no different when it comes to building long-lasting and committed relationships with your CUSTOMERS.
If you want your customers to commit to a relationship with you and your financial institution it is important that you show your customers love. As the Relationship Experts say “you need to give love to receive love”.
But we don’t need a Relationship Expert to explain to us how to show your customers love. Simply reflect on your most valuable personal relationships in your life and consider why your family and friends love you.
- They like seeing you.
- They trust you and seek your advice.
- They will do anything for you because they know you will do anything for them.
- They respect and value you.
So how can you make your customers feel the same way about you?
1. LIKING – They like seeing you.
We all love hanging out with people who know us personally and with whom we share common interests. We love hanging out with people who genuinely seem interested in hanging out with us.
It’s essential that you always make your customers feel welcome. Always be enthusiastic about greeting them, seeing them and learning more about them.
How well do you know your customers personally? How well do they know you?
Make a concerted effort to get to know all your customers personally. Remember to always use their name. Ask about their family. Discuss local community events to gauge their interest. Reflect on past events they may have shared with you.
Be willing to share personal information about yourself, your family, your interests and any upcoming events you may be attending. By finding common ground and sharing stories you will find that your customers will like (and look forward to) seeing you.
2. CREDIBILITY – They trust you and seek your advice.
Commit to providing outstanding service at all times. Be someone your customers know they can rely upon and trust to help them.
Take responsibility for all interactions with your customers and guide them confidently through any process. Make life easy for them.
Liking + Credibility = TRUST.
When interacting with a customer, always take the time to ask them 2 – 3 more questions about their needs so you can demonstrate you are genuinely interested in helping them and providing the RIGHT advice.
Always be willing to offer additional advice ONLY after you have taken the time to understand their broader needs. Become an empathetic and credible resource to your customers and you will find that they will trust you and always seek your advice.
3. RECIPROCITY – They will do anything for you because they know you will do anything for them.
Earlier I encouraged you to provide outstanding service in order to build trust and credibility. But if you really want to show your customers “extra” love then consider providing “extra-ordinary” service.
We provide extraordinary service when we truly love what we do and love helping others. Remember you got to show love to get love in return. That’s called reciprocity!
Customers definitely feel that love when we do favors or go the extra mile to make their life easier or better. Consider all the extra lengths you have taken to help your customers over the past year, month or week.
When you provide extraordinary service, remind your customers that you do so because you appreciate them. You will find that they will appreciate you even more and be willing to do anything for you – like refer a friend, attend a bank event or meet with you to learn more about your broader solutions.
4. COMMITMENT – They respect and value you.
When your customers like seeing you, trust you and seek your advice, and show appreciation for the extraordinary service you provide them, you will find that they will respect and value you.
People are naturally more committed to people they respect and value.
Consider the commitments you would like from a customer: Loyalty + Support + Referrals.
Wouldn’t it be great if you can now confidently ask for these commitments …. or if they were given without asking?
Now that’s definitely worth the concerted effort to create greater LIKING, CREDIBILITY and RECIPROCITY with your customers so you can earn their RESPECT and LOVE.
Why is it important for your customers to fall in love with you?
Your efforts to win the love of your customers should come from a genuine place of care and interest. Love should never be manipulative or fake.
Remember, you pursued a career in Finance (or Sales) because you genuinely care about helping people and solving their problems. This is what we do for people we love.
I know you love your customers, but do you truly know how much they love you?
Assess (score) the status of your customer relationships in each of the four areas outlined in this article and consciously make an effort to improve. A greater commitment from you to love them will result in a greater commitment from them to love you.
Start today. There’s no better time to start than Valentine’s Day. But remember …. every day is Valentine’s Day when it comes to showing the special people in your life (including your customers) how much you care.
Source: Evan Carmichael
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Article written by Joe Micallef – Sales Strategist & Coach – Grow UP Sales. For more advice on how to build better relationships with your customers please email joe@growupsales.com or visit the webpage www.growupsales.com
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