Most services that people buy can easily be identified as being completed or not. However, there are some services that always leave a little doubt in the customer’s mind. Did you really do your job? Or did you just take the customer’s money, blow some smoke, wave your hands, and walk away?

Before and After

We recently took our car to National Tire and Battery (NTB) to get a flat tire fixed and our tires rotated. When I went to pick up the car, the original flat was back in the same spot it started. This clearly indicated that they didn’t rotate the tires!

However, if I hadn’t started with a flat then I might not have known they didn’t rotate the tires since they all look the same. A good solution to this problem at the tire shop would be to walk out with the customer and mark the tires with chalk to indicate their original position. When the customer returns for the car, he’ll be able to clearly see that the tires have been moved.

If your business provides a service whose results may be hard to spot, you’ll need to clearly show the customer the before and after effects of your labors. This could be done with pictures or even helping the customer to see the work you’ve done by giving them a behind-the-scenes peak at the parts you replaced or the magic you’ve performed.

Let Them Watch

Whenever I get my oil changed, I like to watch the mechanics like a hawk to be sure they really do change my oil and fill up my other auto fluids. Jiffy Lube and other drive-thru oil change services usually have windows in the waiting room that allow customers to see what is happening. My current oil change guy actually comes to my house and changes the oil right out front.

If possible, don’t work in secret! Let your customers see how things are done. Allow them to keep an eye on things as they progress.

Can you prove it?

Take a look at the services you provide from a customer’s perspective. Will the customer really know your pest control company sprayed the outside of her house while she was away? Will the customer really know if you changed the oil in her car?

Help the customer feel comfortable with your service by keeping them in the loop:

• explain what you’ll be doing
• instruct the customer how they can tell you’ve done your job correctly
• let them watch you work
• show them what things look like before and after you complete your service
• answer customer questions

By keeping your customers informed of your work, they’ll be more comfortable with your service and that means more business!

My wife, son, and I are on a pre-Thanksgiving vacation down on the coast in Galveston, Texas. Tonight our dinner was, of course, seafood. After finishing our salads and waiting a good while, I was just beginning to wonder when our dinners would arrive when the manager stopped by our table. He apologized for the delay in cooking our meals and told us that dessert would be on him. Marvelous.

Set Your Standards High

Your business and your employees should be held to high standards of performance and customer service. You need to monitor these carefully so that you know when things are slipping.

Preemptive Strike

When you notice that your service isn’t up to par, notify the customer and correct the situation before they bring it to your attention. Your proactive stance will demonstrate your “customer first” attitude. If you wait for complaints to come from your customers, you’ll not only have to correct the problem but also appease the angry customer.

Quick and early action will nip problems in the bud and leave you with a happy customer.

My last trip to Fry’s Electronics resulted in a lesson in credit card processing. When I handed my card to the cashier to complete my purchase, she asked to see a photo ID. She matched the name on my ID to the credit card and then compared the picture to my face. I passed the test, completed the purchase, and went on my way.

However, it is amazing to me how infrequently stores will try to verify your identity when you make a purchase. Credit card fraud and identity theft are growing problems in our world of commerce. Retail establishments and your business can help prevent credit card fraud from happening by implementing a few simple checks:

1. Check Photo ID

Does your customer’s credit card name match their ID? Does the ID photo match the customer? If you explain that you need verify ID to help prevent fraud, most customers will gladly comply. They will view this interaction as a way to protect themselves from fraud.

2. Check Signature

Does the signature on the back of the credit card match what the customer just penned on the receipt? You don’t have to be a forensic handwriting expert to notice signatures that aren’t even close.

Little Effort, Big Benefit

These simple steps won’t stop all fraud from happening but they are a weapon in the arsenal that can easily catch the most obvious offenders. By implementing these easy checks, you’ll save your business the hassle of fraudulent chargebacks and your honest customers will appreciate your efforts to help prevent fraud.

Watching my baby boy grow up right before my eyes is an amazing experience. Even before he can talk, he is teaching me so much about life. Today I gather together 5 insights he has taught me and apply them to your customers.

1. Everything Goes into the Mouth

Anything that goes near my boy will get picked up and promptly inserted into his mouth. He finds it soothing to suck and chew on just about anything. Customers are the same: they like to try before they buy. When allowed to physically use the product, customers can overcome any fears they may have. You can help your customers test drive your products by:

• offering a trial period where potential customers can use your product or service risk-free
• give out free samples of your product
• stand behind your product with a money-back guarantee
• make your product approachable via a physical display or lots of pictures

2. Rollover!

Although my son has mastered the ability to roll over, he doesn’t do it that often. As much as we’d like him to roll over on demand, we can’t force him to do tricks for us. Likewise, you can’t force customers to perform tricks either. They shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to do business with you. Make it easy for them. Be understanding. Remove obstacles that impede their purchases, and smooth out the transaction process.

3. Pay Attention to Me!

My baby boy loves attention. If he feels neglected, he’ll cry, squawk, or otherwise make his presence known by some vocalization. He’ll vary his tones and volume to see what gets the results he wants. Your customers also need personal and caring attention. If you don’t immediately attend to their needs, customers may:

• try again
• attempt a different tactic to get your attention
• leave and never come back

For the customer that simply tries again, you need to be listening and attentive to your customer input. If you have your eyes and ears open, you’ll probably catch this type of customer and be able to help them.

When customers vary their tactics, they are desperately trying to tell you that they want to do business with you and are willing to put some effort into the process. Reward these customers with appreciation and quality customer service.

Evaluate the reasons customers simply walk away and you’ll be able to adjust your current business practices to better retain those prospects.

4. Take Care of My Needs

My son depends on my wife and I for everything from food to shelter to changing that smelly diaper. His very comfort is dependent on how we care for him. Similarly, your customers have needs that need to be addressed. They’ll have problems that need resolution or questions that need answers. Make them feel empowered and comfortable by attending to their needs.

Sometimes customers stink like my baby’s diapers. Sometimes they are so grumpy you just don’t want to deal with them. However, at the root of it all is an opportunity for you to shine as a business. How you handle customer interactions during the good and bad times will speak volumes to your character and level of service. A customer who leaves your store having had a good resolution to a bad problem will be likely to return again.

5. I’ve Just Stuck My Foot In My Mouth

My little boy is still so flexible that he can stick his foot in his mouth and suck on his toes. Customers may figuratively stick their feet in their mouths by saying something they shouldn’t have. Some will apologize but others may not even know they said something offensive to you. You’ll need to roll with the punches when this happens and keep your calm and diplomatic stance. A cool and collected approach will often defuse angry customers.

Baby Steps

Treat your customers and care for them as you would an infant. They require special handling and lots of attention if you are to retain them as loyal customers. Pay attention to their needs and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty in resolving your customer’s problems. Customers will recognize that you actually care about them and will reward you with their continued business.

Many brick and mortar retail stores or businesses offer online store locators. We’ve recently had a new Walgreens pharmacy and Sears store open by our home. This week, I needed to find the store hours for both of these new locations. Knowing that they wouldn’t be in my out-of-date phone book, I turned to their respective websites.

Store Locator

Both sites had a little store locator link in the upper right corner of their home page. After clicking on this, I saw two different approaches to help me find the store.

Sears went with a cluttered page and confusing instructions. Although the instructions said I had a choice between zip code or address, the text fields were all grouped together:

Walgreens clearly showed that I could enter a zip code or address.

Simple Search

For your online store locator, give the visitor a simple form that allows them to search using the information they have. Don’t force the user to give you so much information that it impedes them from completing the task. Take what they can give you and extrapolate the rest.

Store Pages

Walgreens beat out Sears hands down with their individual store pages. They show address, hours, map, and phone numbers:

Sears spreads their information across two pages. One for a map and another for store departments. Which one should I choose to find the store hours? Neither, because they don’t have that information!

Consolidate Information

Walgreens’ site was most effective because they combined all the information I needed on one page. I was able to find what I was looking for and then continue on with my day without undue frustration. I had but one simple query for both sites. Why did Sears need to make such a production of it?

When you add a store locator to your website, remember to keep the search simple and give as much information about your stores as you can in one glance. Overly complicated search entry and result pages will put barriers between you and your potential customer’s money. If the customer can’t find your store information online, they may never visit your retail location, and you’ll never make the sale.

Sage advice counsels us to focus our business on a niche market. The more focused your product or service, the better you can find, serve and sell to prospects.

Not only should you focus on a niche, but you need to build that niche where your customers are most comfortable. Take a look at the doubts, fears, and concerns your potential customers face everyday. What do they like? What annoys them? What do they hate doing? Reduce those problem points and you’ve found opportunity.

Armed with some knowledge about your customer’s emotional reaction to situations, you can tailor your business to overcome their challenges and help make their lives easier. In short, you need to set up shop in the customer’s comfort zone. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

Price Negotiations

One of the most loathsome parts of buying a new car is haggling with the salesman to get the best price. No matter how much research you do or how much the dealer concedes to you, you always feel like you still got ripped off.

When we bought our last car, we were turned off by one arrogant dealership and headed to CarMax. CarMax, like Saturn, doesn’t haggle on price. The price you see on the car is what you pay.

We had done our research on the web and knew the price we saw on our Mazda Tribute was a good one. We headed to CarMax and a few hours later drove away in our new set of wheels.

CarMax and Saturn have created their niche in the customer’s comfort zone. They realized that lots of people don’t want to haggle with car dealerships and eliminated that obstacle. The result: relaxed customers that are more willing to buy.

Customer Based Time and Location

We have a Blockbuster video down the street from us. However, several months ago we signed up for online DVD renter Netflix and have been very happy.

Netflix sends DVDs via the mail to your home. They don’t have late fees and have a larger selection of movies than your local video store. Netflix knew that a pain point for most people is having to drive to the video store to pick up and drop off movies. They knew people forget to return a movie promptly.

Netflix has done quite well for its shareholders by looking at the doubts, fears, and concerns of their customers and alleviating those headaches. Their business model has been envied by competitors and is now being mimicked at every turn.

Find the Comfort Zone

Your business will be successful if you can effectively climb into your customer’s comfort zone. Take an honest look at and pinpoint those parts of your customer’s traditional interaction with you that need improvement. Think about your consumer experiences and see what annoys you. Turn that annoyance around and you could drive your business to great heights.