The best thing about running your own business is being The Boss, the one in charge, deciding how you want things to run …. ERR WRONG! Your business isn’t all about you, it’s about your customers!
How I feel when it’s all about you
I was on the phone the other day sorting out some car insurance and I had some questions that the lady on the phone said she didn’t know the answer to and she huffed and puffed at me down the phone until I told her it didn’t matter – not because I didn’t care whether the policy was right for me; but because I’d rather eat my car than buy something from her. I went elsewhere and paid slightly more for my car insurance because the lady I spoke to at the other place told me not to be sorry for asking awkward questions that it was her job to answer them.
So how do your customers feel when they ask you awkward questions? Are they alarmed at the quantity of eye rolling and huffing that follows or do they feel valued that you take the time to discuss their needs in detail.
As you wish
Pesky customers are still customers – and it’s their business you are trying to woo. If you have made a clear and informed decision that you do not want their business – fair enough but if you are just sending people packing for no other reason than they dared question you . . . You have a problem.
You know what you sell and who you want to sell it to and so you should be anticipating the every need of your customer. Listen to what they have to say and when they make demands of your time and knowledge – satisfy those demands. You are building a relationship with customers and this takes time but putting them first often results in putting your business first too!