Stuff is going to go wrong, so get over it. Fix it and move on, and above all, be thankful. This is a gift that keeps on giving. The key is to get people to fail faster.
Some customers are like porcupines: You just can't pet them. You can't please them. You can't console them. But they are a gift that keeps on giving because they offer us challenges that other, more agreeable customers don't.
If it's understood that in order to have more success in life we need more failure, we therefore should teach people to "fail faster." You don't necessarily have to get "good" at it—but don't be afraid to get past the problem. While loyalty is a gift that keeps on giving, frustrating customers are also a gift that can pay you big dividends. Customer loyalty can be defined in many ways. One of the best: The one who fixes the problem gets the biz!
I have been an agent with the Knights of Columbus Insurance for nearly four decades. We actually have clients who own 40 to 50 contracts on themselves and members of their family. We know that happy members are 12 percent more likely to add more business simply because they are so pleased with our ratings and service. We know also that we close 26 percent of all new prospects on whom we call. We're aware of these statistics because I've been keeping score on them for the past 20-plus years. For instance, we know that 41 percent of the people we talk to on the phone will say, "Sure, come on out." And 25 percent of the folks we interview will buy something from us. These are our averages, for better or worse.
If we fall below those ratios, I have reason to be concerned.
You have to work hard to maintain and build on customer loyalty. When Knights of Columbus members abandon their business with the Order, more often than not, it wasn't the price that was wrong; it was something that we did or failed to do for the member. We control our own destiny. And when we occasionally fail, it is because of a policy decision or our inability to perform in the eyes of our members. We have to be accountable.
Many years ago, the Knights of Columbus made a conscious decision to avoid selling certain products that had a higher than normal element of risk associated with them. It didn't make these products bad products, but since our members don't desire these kinds of risk, we simply didn't offer them. If a client doesn't fully understand a product, then the responsibility for explaining this falls to the company. In simple terms, we determined that our clients don't want to have to figure that stuff out. They want guarantees—so that's exactly what we offer them. Our values are clear, so that decision came easily. And that's why there are less than a handful of companies in the world who have our safety ratings.
Takeaway Servicing and Selling Tactics
Customer loyalty is earned and maintained through integrity.
When we do fail, we need to hold ourselves accountable.
Your company needs to maintain its values in order to keep its customers.