MightyRecruiterEmotional experiences are huge. In fact, they account for more than 50 percent of a customer’s experiences with your business. To encourage customers to come back to your business, make people love you. For example, if you run a restaurant, you can foster positive emotional experiences by having discounted family nights; the experience is of family time and family bonding while saving money, plus you’re getting younger customers who may continue frequenting your business when they are adults. Likewise, you try to avoid negative customer experiences at the restaurant by establishing procedures for recording orders correctly and delivering them correctly. Every experience counts. No doubt. A positive experience encourages customers to spread the word about your business and to stick with you. Loyalty, in other words. A negative experience also has customers spreading the word but not in a good way. They stop going to your business and turn to your competitors. Unfortunately, one negative experience, depending on how poor it is, is enough to counteract many positive experiences. You are probably nodding your head in agreement. Common sense. Great tips. But guess what? A large sector of businesses totally ignore the technique to make people love you.
B2C and B2B
B2C stands for business to customer: for instance, a hotel and guest, and a restaurant and patron. B2B stands for business to business: a hotel and its towels supplier, and a restaurant and its food supplier. And it’s the B2B businesses that often lack in customer service.
Seeing Results
One reason for the discrepancy in B2C and B2B behavior is how results manifest themselves. Restaurants can have loyalty programs to measure customer return behavior. They can monitor online reviews for positive and negative experiences. They also interact frequently with customers face to face or through online communications. On the other hand, if you sell products to hotels or restaurants, the link between customer service and results is harder to see. B2B relationships are more layered and complex than the average B2C relationship. Customers in B2C relationships spend their own money. In B2B relationships, the money in question usually belongs to the business and not to the individual person. In addition, B2B dealings, for the most part, involve contracts, varying numbers of people, and occur as part of a long-term connection rather than as one transaction at a time. In B2C relationships, customers often can decide at any time to not patronize a business again. B2B customers do not always have that choice.
B2B Businesses Are People
Many folks who run B2B companies do not stress customer experience, even to the point that they scoff when it is brought up. This neglect is a huge mistake because behind every business transaction is at least one human with feelings. The same principle applies in B2B as it does in B2C: Make people love you. No matter the B2B relationship, you still deal with customers who are people. They are not always logical. They still let emotion factor heavily into purchasing decisions. These customers do not suddenly turn into robots just because they represent a company instead of themselves.
All Businesses Must Remember that Everyone is a Customer
You may work in human resources or as a small-business owner, but you are a customer. You’re a customer when you eat out and when you shop. You are also a customer when you work with suppliers for your business. Think about what happens when you feel valued and respected. You probably spend more and spread the word about your positive experience. Unfortunately, many B2B companies forget this simple concept.
To Gain Genuine Competitive Edge, Make People Love You
Many products are similar, even to the point where some are indistinguishable. The same goes for promotions; as soon as you lower the price of an oil change at your service station, the one down the road does the same. The reality is that whether you are B2B or B2C, you stand out when you make people love you. Customers can get the same, or very similar, products and discounts elsewhere, but what about standout customer service? Focus your bottom line on making a promise and delivering on it. The net result is a customer experience that keeps folks coming back. This move requires some upfront investment in employee training and culture at your business, but it really is worth the time, effort and money. To make people love you, start with all-star hires who deliver standout service. Find out more by turning to the resources here at Mighty Recruiter.