Coaching Success – More On The Power Of Relationship In Building Your Coaching Business
The poor business decision and the problem it created
About two months ago, I purchased two $120 fitted Boss dress shirts from one of several Nordstrom stores in Los Angeles. $120 for a shirt is admittedly a little extravagant, but they were perfect for the all-important first meetings with business clients.
From the moment I took them home, I was in love. I loved the way they fit, I loved the way they felt, and I was devastated when they came back from their first visit to the drycleaner with three shattered buttons a piece. The most irritating thing of all was that the fault wasn’t with the dry cleaner. Boss had made the decision to put form over function (aka looks over substance) and used buttons that weren’t compatible with most standard cleaning and pressing equipment.
Incensed, I took the shirts back to Christi, the Nordstrom salesperson who had helped me make the purchase. She listened to my frustration intently, made me feel heard, and then after thinking for a few moments offered me three options: I could get a refund, I could choose replacements, or I could have the buttons replaced.
While the unusual buttons had actually influenced my decision to purchase the shirts in the first place, I also liked the feel and fit and so decided to keep the shirts and just have the buttons replaced with something more standard from Boss that could be cleaned and pressed without a problem.
Christi took the shirts from me and told me she’d call me when they were completed.
The power of being a problem solver and of following up
A few days later, she was on the phone notifying me that she wouldn’t be able to get buttons from Boss, but that she could have Nordstrom’s standard buttons attached instead. I agreed, and Christi told me it would take about a week to finish the job.
Approximately one week later, I received a handwritten note from Christi in the mail. She apologized for the inconvenience, thanked me for my business, and notified me that I could pick up the shirts. She followed up with a telephone call the next day and also offered to have the shirts shipped to me.
At this point, I was beginning to experience strong emotions of like for both Nordstrom and Christi. What could have very well ended in a bad customer experience was instead being turned into an opportunity to create loyalty and relationship.
While a lengthy handwritten note, several calls, and a fair bit of legwork on Christi’s part to get the buttons replaced may seem like a lot for a two hundred dollar purchase, that’s not how Christi – or Nordstrom – views the world. Christi was taught that by taking care of me and by keeping in touch, she’s building a relationship that will pay for itself many times over the long run.
How much is a customer really worth? The big picture, and why you need to focus on building relationship
Christi doesn’t think of me as a $250 one-time customer. She thinks of me as a $10,000 repeat customer (or more). And that makes her efforts worthwhile.
Nordstrom has earned its reputation for customer service over the years. In fact, it has built a world class business around it. As entrepreneurs and business owners, we should learn by example.
Take care of your clients and contacts. Keep in touch with them, send them things you know they’ll find interesting, call them periodically… Demonstrate to them time and again that you care about them, and can help solve their problems.
Do that and you’ll keep your clients longer, you’ll have more fun doing what you do, you’ll know them better, and you’ll make a lot more money a lot more easily.
For no-nonsense resources on how to become a coach and start your life coaching or business coaching practice on the right foot, check out the Coaching Success Institute at http://www.coachingsuccessinstitute.com
Learn simple strategies for getting you coaching business started on the right foot, getting clients and keeping them for life, and doubling your income and your time off.
Do yourself a favor and take the short-cut to success in the coaching business.
