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It’s How You Make People Feel
Humility Gets the Business
by Jerry Hocutt

When you have out-of-town guests, what is your favorite restaurant that you want them to experience?  Why?  Where is your favorite place to buy clothes?  Why?  If you travel for business, what is your favorite hotel?  Why?  Airline?  (Just kidding.)

Every visitor to the Northwest should experience the Palisade waterfront restaurant.  The twinkling Seattle skyline, our 14,000 foot snow-capped Mt. Rainier, and the midnight blue Puget Sound are the dramatic backdrops.  The seafood is the best in the Northwest.  But the real reason they win is because of how they make you feel when you’re their guest.  For example, when making reservations they always ask if your dining is for a special occasion.  If so, they sprinkle your table with rose petals before you arrive.  The service is unsurpassed. 

For clothes it’s Nordstrom’s.  Not only do they have quality products, but they’ve become a national institution because of their service reputation.  It’s how they make you feel during your shopping experience.

The hotel is the Ritz-Carlton.  Every employee can make a decision to accommodate their guests that could cost the hotel up to $2000 without having to seek permission from any manager.  (Leads to better decisions in how to treat guests the right way the first time?)  It’s how they make you feel. 

I think you see where I’m going with this.

Of course we do business with many companies because our choices might be limited.  Driving from point A to point B you may be in-between in some small town in Missouri or Ohio or Michigan.  You’ll pull over and choose McDonald’s or Burger King or Wendy’s.  You’ll usually pick the one that is the most consistent for cleanliness or product or service.  Or sometimes you just pick that burger joint because it’s on the side of the road you happen to be on and don’t have to cross heavy traffic.

You don’t buy all your clothes at Nordstrom’s.  Target has good selections.  Maybe Macy’s.  Often our budgets or tastes or selections determine where we buy.

Not every city has a Ritz.  You have good choices with the Marriott’s, the Hyatt’s, the Hilton’s and their subsidiaries.

But...given a choice...?

Your customers have that choice

If you’re competing for the prospect’s business, what’s going to win them over?  All things being equal, isn’t it how you make them feel? 

What can you do to make them feel better about choosing you?  Are you upfront even if it hurts?  Maybe you have to point them in the direction of the competitor this one time.  Do you do the legwork and find the answers they’re looking for?  Do you find the best match even if it means a lower profit or smaller commission?  Do you instruct your staff to treat your customers like they’re important instead of a nuisance?

Don’t you refuse to return to companies that are courtesy clueless?  Do you like doing business with those who are arrogant?  Their rudeness doesn’t even have to be obvious.  Their tone of voice conveys what they think about you.

Can’t say it enough.  Never give customers a reason to leave.

Maybe one turn-off for you is that every time you call you’re ushered through a maze of voicemail menus.  When you finally do talk with a live voice, you’re brushed off with, “That’s not my department.  You need to call....” 

Or maybe once your salesperson has closed the deal, collected his commission, and gone his way you’re left at the mercy of his assistant or service person.  You become another number.

The Palisade, Nordstrom, and the Ritz never leave you feeling this way.  To them, you’re their MIP – most important person – even in the midst of thousands of clients.  You’re special.  You’re important.  You matter.  It’s like you make a difference in their lives.

What can you do in your business to make your customers feel the same way? 

People will do business with you because of how you make them feel.  Your humility makes them feel like they make a difference.  Be humble.  Customers just want to do business with someone who makes them feel good.

Excellent!
“The achievement of excellence requires great effort, much planning, and even more time.  But in the long run, mediocrity costs more, drains your energy, and wastes even more time than it takes to do things right.” – Norman Lamm

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