Selling to Consumers | Sales Training Blog by Skip Anderson

The Selling to Consumers Love Your Customer Award #6

 
My daughter and I went to Noodles and Company in Eagan, Minnesota, for dinner last week. We placed our order at the register, and as it became time for us to pay for our order, I realized I had left my wallet at home.

Noodles' "Love Your Customer" Action #1:

I announce, "Oops, it looks like I've left my wallet at home. I'll have to cancel my order and quickly run home. I'll be back in a bit to reorder."

The manager replies, "Oh, that's no problem, just call us with your credit card number when you get home."

"That would be great! Thank you very much!" I announce, feeling genuine relief.

"Fantastic customer service," I thought. But then a few minutes later, I was blown away by what the same manager (at least I assume he was the manager) did.

Noodles' "Love Your Customer" Action #2:

As my daughter and I were waiting for our food, the manager approached us.

"Tell you what," he says, "we've taken care of the charge for your dinner tonight. Dinner is on us. Thank you for visiting us!"

"WHAT?" I exclaimed.

"We've taken care of your dinner tonight. There's no charge tonight. Please enjoy your dinner and come see us again," replied the manager.

My daughter and I looked at each other - jaws dropped to the floor - in delight. I felt like I had just won the lottery. 

Delighting your customer is no small task. My family has been delighted with the food and the service at Noodles over the years, but an extra dose of sincere delight always results in instant customer engagement, and elevated customer engagement is always a great thing for a business.

A little goodwill went a long way. Noodles got my daughter fed (the importance of which should not be underestimated whenever my daughter announces she is "starving"), and saved me from myself by allowing me to not have to take time to run home for my wallet and return to the restaurant, thereby allowing me to attend my evening meeting which would have been in jeopardy had the Noodles & Company team not been so kind.

 
[Dish recommendation: I absolutely love Noodles' "Med Salad" with chicken breast or shrimp (left). My other favorite is the "Pasta Fresca" (I substitute the whole grain fettuccine for the penne).]

My advice?

Love your customer. They just may love you back.

Noodles & Company in Eagan, Minnesota is the recipient of the Selling to Consumers' Love Your Customer Award.

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment.Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies that sell to consumers in all B2C sectors to increase sales by realizing the buying potential of every prospect.

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Love Your Customer Award #5

My wife lost her [old original 2G] iPhone, so we went to the AT&T store in Eagan, Minnesota to buy her a new [3Gs] iPhone.

We encountered sales consultant David Long, who helped us.

David is the best B2C salesperson I've seen (as a consumer) in quite some time. Here's what David did right:

1. He was professional and helpful.

2. Without being overbearing, he drove the interaction. He didn't merely ask questions, he took the lead. But he also listened, reacted, and most of all, sold us. We even bought the MobileMe app and the extended warranty (something I NEVER do).

3. He was sales driven. He didn't miss any opportunities to move the sale forward, even asking me if I wanted to buy a new 3Gs iPhone when I admired my wife's new phone (I still have the old 2G iPhone).

4. He laughed at my jokes.

So congratulations to David Long, the recipient of our fifth "Love Your Customer" award. It's my mission to get all B2C sales professionals to sell like David.

- - - - - - - - - -

[My wife found her old iPhone in the pocket of her robe. I'll have to give it a couple months and then try the same tactic so I can get a new iPhone.]

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.

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Love Your Customer Award #4

A number of weeks ago, I recorded my new You Tube sales training video. The night before the studio session, the producer called me and said, "You can't wear your glasses because we'll get glare." I told him that I needed my glasses to see the teleprompter. In addition, my glasses are part of my "look" - anyone who has seen me speak or on the internet has seen me in these glasses. He asked if I could wear contacts. I told him I didn't wear contacts.

He then suggested that I'd have to take the lenses out of my glasses. Huh? The night before the recording session I learn that I need to take lenses out of my glasses?

I told him I wouldn't be able to do that because I needed my glasses to see while I'm driving to and from the studio.

"Then you're going to have to get a pair of frames without lenses in them."

What? How was I going to do this?

I decided to drive to the optical department at Macy's in Burnsville, Minnesota. This is where I had purchased my current glasses.

"I'm sure hoping you can help me," I told the associate. "I've got a video recording session tomorrow, and my producer just told me that I need to bring a pair of glasses without lenses. I bought these glasses here, and I know this is unusual, but I'm wondering if I could borrow a frame similar to my glasses, or buy one and return it, or rent one, or something. Can you help me out?"

She looked irritated.

"That's like asking somebody if you can borrow clothes to wear to an event and then return them," she said with an stern look on her face.

"So there's nothing you will do to help me out?" I queried.

After checking with the manager, she returned and said, "No."

"Great," I thought. "So what do I do now?"

I remembered there was a Lenscrafters store in the same mall. I walked in and Amber greeted me. I told her the same story about needing frames without lenses.

"I know it's unusual, but is there any way I could borrow some frames or rent them or something?" I asked.

"Well," said Amber. You could buy the frames and just return them when you're done. We have a thirty day return policy - and I can remove the clear lens for you. Would that help?"

"YES!!!"

Amber, knowing there was nothing in it for her or for her store, proceeded to help me select a frame that was similar to my glasses. Then she carefully removed the lens, put the frames in a case, and took my payment. She was pleasant and helpful.

When I returned the frames two days later, the manager of the store helped me. She knew about my situation because Amber had told her about it. The manager was fantastic.

Lenscrafters helped out a customer (me) in need, even though it didn't create any immediate revenue for their business (I should also point out that what they did for me didn't cost them anything, either - please take note, Macy's Optical department!). What it did do, is create goodwill.

Lenscrafters in Burnsville, Minnesota, is the latest recipient of the Selling to Consumers "Love Your Customer Award." They're the fourth business to receive this award. Congratulations for providing excellent customer service.

How can you and your company be more like Lenscrafters at Burnsville Center and less like the Optical Department at Macy's in Burnsville, Minnesota?

Have any comments? Do you have stories of great customer service? Just click "comments" below and share your thoughts.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Love Your Customer Award (#3)

A Our family got our new Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy this past summer. LuLu joined our family after our 12-1/2 year old Wheaten, Chloe, had to be put down a year ago. 

I've been a dog owner all my life. I was pleasantly surprised when we took LuLu to a new vet for her first check-up. The personnel at Pet Crossing in Bloomington, Minnesota came over to us to meet Chloe. They kneeled down to pet her and talk with her and welcome her. The smiles on their faces were genuine. I've never had that experience at a veterinary clinic before.

The clinic mailed a greeting card to welcome us to their practice. Everybody hand-signed it. This was a gesture that took only a few minutes of effort, but made my wife and daughter very happy.

A few weeks ago, it was time to spay LuLu, so my wife and daughter took her to the clinic once again. The staff was, once again, welcoming and genuinely welcoming. When we came to pick her up, Pet Crossing provided us with the familiar "lampshade" cone to keep LuLu from biting her stitches and staples.

The staff had decorated LuLu's cone, complete with her name and stickers of Disney princesses. How much effort did this take? Not much. But how many veterinary clinics bother to delight their customers the way Pet Crossing did?

 

LuLu didn't care if the lampshade was adorned with these accouterments, but my wife and seven year-old daughter sure did. The folks at Pet Crossing understand that giving a little extra effort pays off big in customer satisfaction.

What little things can you do to delight your customers?

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Sales Tips newsletter.

Love Your Customer Award #2

We don't normally think of medical personnel as being "salespeople" and medical patients as being "customers", but I had such an excellent experience at a medical clinic this week that I've decided to award a physician with the second Selling to Consumers Love Your Customer Award for outstanding customer service.

My daughter was ill and I decided to take her to an urgent care facility one evening last week. Dr. David E. Schneider, a physician at Now Medical Centers was the doc assigned to our case. Dr. Schneider spent almost 45 minutes with us, and not only showed extreme care and professionalism for my daughter, but asked me about my medical history and even offered some insight into one of my medical conditions. Amazing!

Frankly, I was blown away. It is rare that a physician not only spends this amount of time with a patient at a routine clinic appointment, but also that he made such remarkable effort to engage my daughter and me so he could adequately address her medical condition. He truly modeled the "diagnose before prescribing" doctrine that I passionately believe in and teach in my sales training seminars.

Thank you, Dr. Schneider...and congratulations!

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Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company specializing in sales training in retail, in-home selling, and services. Subscribe to the free Sales Tips newsletter.

Amazing Customer Service

My wife and I went to visit my father-in-law in the hospital last night (by the way, thanks to so many of you for your good wishes and prayers after reading my father-in-law post a few days ago). We love gyros, and Dino's, a Greek fast food restaurant, was nearby, so we stopped in.

I'm not shy about sharing my frustrating experiences with businesses and salespeople in this blog. So when I run across something that exceeds my [rather lofty] expectations, I love to mention it here.

The staff at Dino's in Edina, Minnesota, was amazing last night. They cleared our trays and plates even though it's a self-serve restaurant; I saw one employee take tremendous care of an elderly couple who had never been to the restaurant and apparently weren't familiar with Greek food; and best of all, all three employees I personally came in contact with were cheerful and seemed genuinely happy to be there and to be of service to their customers.

This is so rare, especially in the fast food business, that I hereby award Dino's at 6539 York Avenue South the Selling to Consumers Love Your Customer Award.

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Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company specializing in retail sales training, in-home selling sales training, and other consumer selling sales training. Subscribe to the free Sales Tips Newsletter.