Zig Ziglar, author, motivational speaker and former salesman, is quoted as saying: “Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.”
What this means to us is that we need to listen to our customers. If they are actively talking to us, great. Listen to what they have to say.
If they are not actively talking to us, we then need to find ways to talk to them. Most people will talk to us, if we talk to them. SNAP is an excellent tool for getting the conversation going.
Share the basic SNAP information, then move on to mastery — move there quickly. Use closing questions to get customer feedback. Many of your customers want to be heard. They welcome the opportunity. So, put the opportunity out there for them.
If you find some of your customers are reluctant to share helpful insights, then ramp up your SNAPs. Use repeated, meaningful SNAP messages to build and reinforce your relationship with your customer.
And, continue to listen. Continue to ask and actively solicit feedback.
Don’t avoid criticism. Look for it. Don’t avoid unhappy customers. Look for them. As Zig has stated, their messages represent a tremendous opportunity for you.
Use SNAP to look for opportunities.
© 2012, Philip Espinosa. All rights reserved.
