Today, we’re going to talk about something I’ve witnessed in several industries over my lifetime and it drives me absolutely insane. If you think hard, I know each and every one of you have experienced this as well.
Have you ever purchased a less expensive item and been treated completely different than customers who were purchasing more expensive items? Sure you have.
Did it make you want to come back and spend more money?
On the other hand, have you ever gone into a store and purchased a relatively inexpensive item, yet been treated like you just paid off the national debt?
You probably looked forward to going back to that store to spend more money in the future — Correct? You may have even become a frequent shopper and told all your friends and family.
Here’s something to think about:
Someone just bought your $10 ebook. Big deal, right? It’s not uncommon for marketers to write these people off. This customer may or may not ever make another purchase from you again.
Well… what if you treat ALL of your customers as though they are worth $1,000 to you, or even $10,000? I believe that will greatly improve the chances of repeat business in the future. Frankly, you can’t tell which people are going to turn out to be the big fish or maybe have close contacts with big fish. In fact, many ‘Big Fish’ will nibble before swallowing the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
Worse Yet… If you annoy a big fish, you can lose a LOT of business.
Story Time:
Eastern Airlines went out of business in 1991. I wonder if how they chose to treat their customers had anything to do with it…
The CEO of Eastern Airlines came rushing in at the last minute for a flight. First class was full, so to put the CEO in first class, they bumped a paying first-class customer back to economy-class.
Possibly feeling guilty, the CEO made his way back to economy-class. There he apologized to the customer who was bumped and introduced himself as the CEO of the airline. The customer replied: “Well, I’m the CEO of IBM.”
Whoops!!! (Could You Imagine?)
” I have learned to imagine an invisible sign around each person’s neck that says, ‘Make me feel important!’ ”
Mary Kay Ash, Founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics
Let’s be honest, it’s not a far stretch to imagine that IBM CEO issued an order when he returned to the office, telling his company to stop using Eastern Airlines altogether; I know that would have been my reaction.
Nor is it hard to imagine that CEO telling other CEO’s and other influential people about his experience.
This story took place many years ago and the internet was a very different place. Today, anyone with 10 minutes can be a very strong positive or negative influence to your businesses growth by leaving reviews on sites such as Facebook, Google, and Yelp.
Strive to treat every customer like a CEO, and you’ll likely fare a whole lot better than Easter Airlines.
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