12 Jul Don’t give me lip service, give me a kiss!
At my bank this morning, there was one person in line behind me. The manager walked up to him and asked if he would like to use the ATM instead. Really! Instead of offering to help his customer, he encouraged his customer to leave and not “bother” his employee, the bank teller.
Often, instead of feeling like the business kissed the customer, it feels a bit more like the business told the customer to kiss its tushy!
We all hear companies say that they are “client-centric” or “customer-centric.” They are alluding to the fact that their customers and clients come first – which makes sense since very, very few companies can stay in business without customers and clients.
But when all the competitors are ignoring the same customer/client desires, plainly the customers don’t have a reason to find a new bank. It won’t solve their problem.
Thoughtful businesses can really become competitive through figuring out pain points, as well as pleasure points, and giving their customers something they will really, really love!
You can give your clients and customers a reason to select you – because instead of just saying that you’re customer-centric, you can actually become customer-centric!
So, here’s a freshly minted business idea for banks:
What if a bank opened at 7 a.m. so that entrepreneurs could come in earlier in the morning, instead of the 9 a.m. that to many of us feels like mid-day. That would likely make me select a new bank. The bank would stand out, offering something no other bank does, and would be showing me that they understand who I am and are willing to do something to help me.
Naturally, I asked my teller if she thought the 7 a.m. thing was a good idea and she said, “Don’t tell anyone, I don’t want to have to come in earlier.”
I said, “But maybe if another bank did it, you’d want to go to that bank so you could get your banking done before work.”
Her answer, “Yeah!”
Do you want to find new ways to gain customers through freshly minted business ideas?
Give us a call and we’ll help you brainstorm something that will make your clients and customers feel, well…truly loved!
–Judith Brower Fancher