To be successful, in any business, we need to give our customers what they want, in a way that works for our business. We should focus on doing what our customers want AND what we can do well.

Then we need to do it well. In fact we should do it better than anyone else in our market. And we need to do it that way with every customer every time no exceptions and no excuses.

The headline of this post comes from a blog post by my friend Brian Carroll. His post describes a conversation he had with a client where they discussed how lead generation often ignores current customers. As a result of the discussion, one CEO decided his company would begin focusing more on current customers. He even referred to their new focus as their “Customers First Plan”.

A few years ago AOL became the poster child for a special kind of customer abuse when a customer recorded his phone call to them as he tried to cancel his account. All he wanted to do was leave. All they wanted to do was prevent him from leaving.

But they had his credit card information and so they could make him jump through any hoops they wanted to prevent him from becoming a former customer.

Think about how we often describe our customers. We might label them as difficult, angry, rude, uninformed, arrogant, etc. (Sometimes we use terms like friendly, warm, engaging and so on.) On one level this seems useful. It might help us decide how to handle certain customers in specific situations.

But labels can also cause problems.

A while ago I wrote about a book called: “Choosing Civility”. One thing I like about the book is that it puts the responsibility for change on us, not on others, Even the title says it well. It reminds us we have the ability to choose how we act.

Recently I was at a youth mentoring conference. One of the topics we found ourselves discussing was how challenging it is for many adults to relate to kids. This is a major obstacle to recruiting mentors for kids.

After thinking about how I interact with kids (of all ages) I concluded the best way to connect with them is simple. Just pay attention. Look at them, ask them questions, listen and be there for them. Focus on them completely. Do this and they’ll bring you into their world.

Recently we had a new water softener and heater installed.  And though I enjoy the good feeling I get from improving our home, I loathe the process.

I feel this way because too many retailers and contractors have made it a horrible experience for customers.  From “bait and switch” advertisements to aggressive up-selling to the cliched service scheduler who proudly announces their installers will be there between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. Ugh!

One of the best ways to keep your customers coming back is by offering them details. The more specific you can be, the more most people will appreciate your efforts. When you offer customers details, you’re telling them you are willing to be thorough and complete as you help them. And you’re telling them you know what you’re doing. Details give you credibility.

It seems natural customer loyalty would follow good service. If you get what you want and you are treated right, why would you not return to a business? But sometimes it’s useful to have more than an intuitive argument. So I have done a bit of research and I have found two statistics that tell me there is a clear link connecting customer service and customer loyalty.

They also suggest some substantial benefits from improving customer service.

Several times a year I get a CD from a well-known PR consultant. She is a very aggressive and consistent promoter of her business. She has done a good job making herself well-known in her niche.

But, when I listen to her CD I often resist her message. Not because of its quality. She has a lot of good ideas and advice. What drives me away is the amount of time it takes to introduce her on each CD program.

Every business exists to help people accomplish something. If we fail at that then our business will not be sustainable. But to help our customers really get what they want, we need to know what that is.

When you ask your customers what they want, how you’re doing and how you can improve, they will give you a goldmine of information. Use this information well and your business can thrive in any economy.

Just about every company wants more loyal customers. Many think the way to increase loyalty is with bribes. Not real bribes of course – bribes are bonus points, frequent flier miles, and any other program that pays customers to continue doing business with a company. These programs seem to work because people use them.

But there’s a big difference between someone who stays with a company because they want to and someone who stays because they get paid to.

Think of it this way (to paraphrase Jeff Gitomer):