This is going to be the shortest post I’ve done in a while, but hopefully it will be just as impactful; it’s about how one simple gesture can lead to a customer for life. Ihave written about Creating Customer Loyalty With Exceptional Customer Service once before, but this takes a different spin on it.
It’s all in the story…
We all have moments when we are faced with either deciding on a product or service; and when it comes down to choosing, we ultimately choose the business/person we have grown to trust.
But what if you, as the business owner is exposing your product/service to a potential customer for the very first time where they have no history to draw upon in evaluating your product/service?
This is when the little things… the small gestures… make all the difference.
I’m going to share with you a story of a simple, yet impactful gesture that made me a customer for life. In sharing this, I want you to take on thinking about what gesture(s) can YOU do that will get someone to be YOUR customer for life?
Hold that thought…
A couple of weeks away I got into a conversation with a couple of people on Twitter and some how or another the topic of coffee came up. See I’m a HUGE coffee drinker, while one of the people I was tweeting with was a tea drinker.
In jest I mentioned “where is @wisecoffee when you need her?” Now up until the point, her and I have chit-chatted on Twitter… I liked her, she liked me… we had a mutual respect for one another, but that was the extent of our relationship.
Anyway back to the story…
Moments later she pops up on Twitter and offered to send us ALL samples of her coffee! Cool! OK, so at this point, I’m thinking that’s pretty freakin’ cool of her, yet I really hadn’t planned on switching my coffee brand.
See what I havent’ shared with you up until this point is that I’ve drank the same brand of coffee since I was teenager! I love my Bustello. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried other brands, but I always went back to good ole’ reliable. Nothing like a hot cup of Spanish coffee. Mmmm… I can just smell it now.
So anyway, a week or so later, I get a package in the mail enclosed with 4 coffee samples: 3 Latte & 1 Black. Nice!
But still, after realizing that all I had to do was add hot water to make it, my skepticism was in full force. What, I don’t have to put it in a coffee maker? What is this, Folgers?
Needless to say, after enjoying MY cup of coffee in the morning, later that afternoon, I gave her coffee a try.
Woooweee!!! Hot diggidy dog! Can I just say YA-UM!
Shock was an understatement! I actually liked it better than good ole’ reliable and it was organic coffee, which meant it was healthier (thus safer) for me to consume than my now 3-4 cups of regular coffee per day.
So what happened next you asked?
I tweeted the heck out of it. Told her I was hooked and was going to order some coffee right away!
Little did I know the price was a bit more than (OK, a lot more), then what I have been paying for ole’ reliable. But hey, sometimes you have to pay more for the things you truly enjoy in life, right?
Anyway, long story not so short, I became a customer for life. I will spend my hard-earned money buying this luxury coffee because a). It tastes good b). Her small gesture was enough to prove to me that she was someone I can trust and c). She backed it up with great service and a fantastic product.
Moral of the story: Small gesture counts, so start making them… a lot of them!
What small gesture can you make today to win someone over? Share with me below. And hey, while you’re at it, share this will you please?