He Said What?

by Don Kyle

“He said what?”  As a business owner, this can be one of the most terrifying statements you can overhear from a customer – particularly if it’s about one your employees.  Your staff can make or break your business.

A position which is quite often overlooked and underappreciated is your receptionist, or in the case of retail, your greeter and/or cashier.  These folks often have the first and possibly last contact with your customers, yet we often ignore their importance.

There are many studies that confirm that an individual makes an assessment of another person within the first three minutes.  Yes, first impressions can be and are critical to a positive outcome in any interaction.

For example, when you go to a doctor’s office for the first time, is the person greeting you friendly, welcoming and empathetic?  After all, you probably are there because you are ill, injured or requiring a check up, not because you enjoy going there simply to pass time.  If the person greeting you seems uninterested or unconcerned, you will likely form a negative opinion of that doctor very quickly.  The same is true of any business you visit.  You are there to give your hard-earned dollars in exchange for a product or service and rightfully would expect great customer service.  This is where many businesses fall short.

As a business owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that your customer’s first impression of your establishment is a great one, one that will allow the customer to happily purchase your goods or services – preferably on a repeat basis.

When someone experiences great customer service and purchases from you, he or she is more likely to tell others about your business, leading to more customers for you.

Many responsibilities fall on a business owner.  Creating an environment with properly trained associates providing great first impressions and outstanding customer service is probably one of your most important.  If you assessed your current operations, you may determine that this is not the case.  This should prompt you to properly train your staff to create this environment, or possibly, hire new associates who can.

You may then hear, “Wow, I really love coming here.”

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about growing your business.

Don Kyle is the CEO and Founder of Small Bizz MBA, a company which assists businesses with their marketing, branding and advertising needs.  (404) 580-6331, dkyle@smallbizzmba.com