Here's how to create the opposite feeling and create the relationship marketing WOW Factor... One of my clients is a franchise company called O'Briens. They run a coffee/sandwich bar and also have a very successful outside catering service. This story comes from the owner of one of the franchises. It concerns their retail outlet which serves sandwiches and coffee. One sunny afternoon about a month ago, Rosemary (the owner) was doing her usual chit chat with the customers, when one of them asked her if she served Guinness.
Obviously it was a tongue in cheek request
The customer joked that Rosemary could hardly call the store an 'Irish Sandwich Bar' if she didn't serve Guinness. At this point I guess most people would just leave it at that. But Rosemary asked the customer if he really would like a pint of Guinness. He said "yes." Rosemary hide database told him to wait for a moment and she'd see what she could do. Within a couple of minutes she came back to the table with the customers pint of Guinness. Of course she charged him for it - but he was astonished. He couldn't believe that Rosemary had gone the extra mile. She had created The WOW Factor! I guarantee he has since told all his friends about this and will always return when he needs a sandwich or a coffee. As you can see these 'hidden' spontaneous actions don't take any real time or effort. They are amazing opportunities.
The good news is you can 'falsely' (but ethically) create
These opportunities which seem spontaneous to the client. Here's a good example... Let's say you've just been on an appointment. Five or ten minutes away is another client. Why not pop in unannounced and stop for a quick chat. You'll be surprised how much extra business you can get from this 'spontaneous' act. The client really appreciates you coming to see him/her, and you may just get some more business out of them. You must however make it clear that you won't be charging them for your visit. It's just you were in the area and thought you'd stop to see how things are going. I guarantee if you make a habit of stopping at one or two of your clients on the way back from a meeting, your average order value and frequency of purchase will soar. Better still - the client gets the WOW Factor from YOU, and will find it harder to leave, when or if a problem occurs.
