8 Customer Service Tips to Help You Grow Your Business

This question comes up frequently as I advise CEOs, business executives, and entrepreneurs all around the world. What significant actions did you take to expand your business? I have taken numerous different actions to expand my business, but this is the one item I usually talk about. Only to the extent that you inspire and provide for your customers will your business expand. It won’t last if you don’t have devoted followers and enthusiastic brand ambassadors. Here are my top 8 tried-and-true customer service tips to build a base of raving fans who keep coming back for more, as I have spent the last ten years growing M & E Painting and now growing MattShoup.com.

  1. Smile when you speak to and interact with your customers. The energy, emotion and output that you share will come across with more positivity.  Notice their reaction the next time you sincerely smile when you are interacting with a customer, and take note of your reaction when someone serving you is smiling vs. not.
  2. It has been said that hearing your own first name is one of the sweetest sounds in language, so when you are speaking to a customer, call them by their first name.
  3. Throw in a random gift every now and again. As M & E Painting has developed, we would give unexpected free services or tiny extra add-ons that went a long way. For instance, we were painting the interior of a customer’s house on a chilly, snowy day. While we were reloading the ladders to the van, we saw the drive had not been shoveled yet. Two of our staff members swiftly shoveled her drive.
  4. One of the quickest ways to impress is to always under promise then over deliver. When you set an expectation and don’t meet it, bad things happen.  Set it and meet it, you are just like every other company doing what you are supposed to do.  Where you will set yourself apart is when you set an expectation and then go above and beyond.
  5. Consider people over profit. I observe businesses focusing far too frequently on forecasts, earnings, quotas, and margins. While this is crucial, many seem to overlook the fact that helping people is what actually brings about all of these things. Remember your customers’ actual wants and desires, and put them first. See your company as a tool for improving people’s lives, and focus all of your attention and effort there. Find ways to enhance and serve your customers’ lives on a constant basis.
  6. Understand human behavior. All people are wired to behave differently.  Think of this wiring as a specific language one speaks as they behave.  Some make quick decisions, some slow.  Some people are introverted vs. extroverted.  Some focus on the task at hand while others consider the people involved. When you can learn the language your customer speaks and adapt to it, you can make their life better, thus making your business better.  Click here to learn more about how this quick FREE assessment can tell you what language you speak in business and leadership.
  7. It is easy to take 100% ownership, accountability and responsibility when things go right. Now, take that same 100% when things go wrong.  I once painted a house I was not supposed to (watch the video about it here).  Imagine that look on that customer’s face, well, he really wasn’t a customer, when he pulled up the driveway to his half painted house! I had to own up to the big mistake I made.  There were a few brief moments when I thought he was going to kill me, but when that settled down, he was appreciative and thankful that we made the mistake right and fixed his home.  When you drop the ball, pick it up, hit a home run and make things right.  This is where your true character and real values will shine through.
  8. Keep in mind that not everyone will ever be content. Choose your clients carefully. If you have done the first seven things outstandingly and your customer is still not satisfied, they might never be. It’s quite OK to let a customer depart.

As you undertake the daily adventure of business, keep these 8 tips in mind.  When you become an expert at these, your business will thrive and you will create raving fans for life.

I would love to hear stories and feedback of people who have implemented these strategies and what your results have been.  Also, are there any other ideas you have implemented with great success? I would love to hear them. Please post a comment down below.

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