Customer Stories: Share NOT Scare
March 17, 2009 by Mary Ellen
Stories connect us to customers, friends, the world. What stories do you tell? In a B2B world, do your actions create stories that scare rather than stories to share?
- One client required precise design work for a project. A known vendor completed the job, producing a file with no style consistency. Some paragraphs justified right, others left; some were spaced evenly, others randomly; various fonts and sizes of headlines appeared throughout the text. In spite of a number of revisions, the final product did not work. What story did the client tell about the experience?
- Another vendor sold a web product. At each meeting, the vendor asked for client input. He listened carefully and communicated an understanding of the changes that needed to be made. Many meetings later, nothing had happened. In spite of a pleasing one-on-one relationship, no results told a different tale. What story did the client tell about the experience?
- A third vendor listened to a project request. The organization needed help. Like many non-profits, there was no money and little recognition. The question from the organization: “Would you help us put together and execute a marketing plan?” With no hesitation, the vendor said, “I’d love to.” What story did the client tell about the experience?
If you guessed story #3 as the story to share, you’re correct.
I’ve told dozens of people about that call. The positive attitude, the immediate follow through and the consistent repetition of the two make it a pleasure to do business and tell the story. What stories do clients share about you?
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It never ceases to amaze me how companies think customers don’t talk. And, the individual you’ve dissed or treated poorly may actually represent large chunks of potential business (When I call as a rep of a nonprofit – hello? That’s not my “day job.”)
There are vendors that have lost THOUSANDS of dollars a year in business because they chose to treat the individual customer (me) with a “small” project badly (and still expect to be paid, natch.) And, I tell people (like you) not to use ‘em.
You’re so right, Mary. Customers do talk. And in this age of social media, it’s easier than ever for them to share their unhappiness. The company/person that makes the mistake needs to own their communication. Even after-the-fact. It makes all the difference.