imported_mirrorfinishman
New member
I am posting the following true story just to show you that it is possible to avoid creating a rude reaction from a customer and at the same time, actually gain even more business.
It all began about a month ago when the local newspaper here in Southern New Jersey printed an article about my detailing business. Because of that article I began to get a number of people calling and emailing me asking about my detailing services.
In response to that article, a couple of weeks ago I got a call from a woman asking me if I would do just the interior of her car. (To be honest, I don't) But since I am always looking to gain new customers, I asked what kind of car, she said it was a mid size SUV.
I knew that other detailers usually charge $25 for a normal size car, so I quoted her $35. However, I also told her that if she gave me the opportunity to detail the interior of her SUV for $35, I would give her a $35 Off Certificate good towards a complete detailing next spring.
Her response was not rude. Actually, it was completely opposite. She went on saying; surely you must charge more than $35 for an interior detailing? I told her; actually I usually do not do just interiors, however since I am always willing to gain a good customer, I am more than willing to make you a reasonable offer. You agree to have me clean the interior of your SUV for $35 and I will give you a credit of the $35 that you can spend towards having me do a full interior/exterior detail next spring.
Before I could get a word in she said; it's a deal. She also said that she wanted me to stay on the line because she was at work and a friend of hers also wanted to talk to me about getting two cars completely detailed. So as a result of that phone call I ended up doing her interior (along with a free exterior wash) for $35 and also two complete detailings for her freind at full list price.
Since I never like to see a customer upset, I thought that a price of $35 was fair. Especially, when you consider that I already detailed her friends two cars at full price and in the process probably gained two good customers.
As you can clearly see, it is always a good idea to try to focus on looking at everything from the viewpoint of the customer. That's the basic foundation for helping a business define itâ€â„¢s mission. In order to begin to look at things from the customers' perspective you should always be thinking about the following questions; Who is the customer? Where is the customer? What does the customer value? What are the realities of the customer? Once the mission of your business is thoughtfully defined, you will then be able to begin to establish meaningful objectives and set realistic goals.
Of course, I would rather not get involved in just doing interiors, however, in order to have a chance to gain another good customer or in this case, two new customers, it is much better to remain focused on meeting the needs of the customer and to always try to find a solution that is both fair and reasonable.
That's a true story.
It all began about a month ago when the local newspaper here in Southern New Jersey printed an article about my detailing business. Because of that article I began to get a number of people calling and emailing me asking about my detailing services.
In response to that article, a couple of weeks ago I got a call from a woman asking me if I would do just the interior of her car. (To be honest, I don't) But since I am always looking to gain new customers, I asked what kind of car, she said it was a mid size SUV.
I knew that other detailers usually charge $25 for a normal size car, so I quoted her $35. However, I also told her that if she gave me the opportunity to detail the interior of her SUV for $35, I would give her a $35 Off Certificate good towards a complete detailing next spring.
Her response was not rude. Actually, it was completely opposite. She went on saying; surely you must charge more than $35 for an interior detailing? I told her; actually I usually do not do just interiors, however since I am always willing to gain a good customer, I am more than willing to make you a reasonable offer. You agree to have me clean the interior of your SUV for $35 and I will give you a credit of the $35 that you can spend towards having me do a full interior/exterior detail next spring.
Before I could get a word in she said; it's a deal. She also said that she wanted me to stay on the line because she was at work and a friend of hers also wanted to talk to me about getting two cars completely detailed. So as a result of that phone call I ended up doing her interior (along with a free exterior wash) for $35 and also two complete detailings for her freind at full list price.
Since I never like to see a customer upset, I thought that a price of $35 was fair. Especially, when you consider that I already detailed her friends two cars at full price and in the process probably gained two good customers.
As you can clearly see, it is always a good idea to try to focus on looking at everything from the viewpoint of the customer. That's the basic foundation for helping a business define itâ€â„¢s mission. In order to begin to look at things from the customers' perspective you should always be thinking about the following questions; Who is the customer? Where is the customer? What does the customer value? What are the realities of the customer? Once the mission of your business is thoughtfully defined, you will then be able to begin to establish meaningful objectives and set realistic goals.
Of course, I would rather not get involved in just doing interiors, however, in order to have a chance to gain another good customer or in this case, two new customers, it is much better to remain focused on meeting the needs of the customer and to always try to find a solution that is both fair and reasonable.
That's a true story.
