# Business Tip of the Day: Be nice to the customers!



## magnolia2017 (Dec 5, 2005)

Yes I know it's sometimes hard, but customers are what keeps us in business.

On a face-to-face basis:

*Remember to greet each customer.* Sometimes you'll not be acknowledged, but often you're met with a smile and a short conversation.

*If you have a separate business phone, identify the business when you answer the phone.* For instance "Thank you for calling _____, how may I help you" is preferrable to a half-dead sounding "hello." If you have children who will be answering the phone occasionally, make sure they know the greeting and how to properly take messages. Keep putting the customer on hold to a minimum.

*Offer assistance. * Often times people have questions, but are hesitant to ask.

*If dealing with breakables, carefully wrap each item before placing in the bag.* Ask the customer if they'd like a bag no matter how small the purchase. I sell in a flea market environment and offer a bag to customers who have their hands full with purchases from other vendors. This always gets a "thank you" and 75% of the time it results in a sale.

*If you are out-of-stock or a customer is looking for a particular item, offer to take their name, number and/or email and be sure to contact them when the item is in or you have located an item for them.* Going this extra mile will get you remembered and result in repeat sales.

*When dealing with irrate or difficult customers, remember to keep your cool and remain professional. * Some customers will never be pleased, but shouting back at a customer is a good way to loose any potential customers within earshot.

*If you sell something that is found to be broken or not working, be willing to refund or exchange the item.* I make a habit to inpect/test everything I offer for sale, but things can get broken.

*Keep plenty of change on hand. * Nobody likes getting a pocket full of nickels and dimes because you ran out of ones and sometimes not being able to change a twenty of a fifty can result in a lost sale. Believe me. I know it's hard as it seems that some days everyone pays with big bills.

*Be sure to thank the customer when the sale is complete and throw in a "have a nice day" or similar greeting too.*​
On an indirect basis (online, mail order, etc . .):

*Make sure each customer's order is carefully inspected and packaged. * No one likes receiving a package thats contents are broken nor do they like receiving the wrong items. Just a few days ago I received a package in which the contents didn't match my order. I contacted the vendor and they are replacing my order as well as letting me keep the incorrect one. Because I've dealt with this company many times with no problems, I'll continue ordering from them. However if this had been my first experience with this company, I likely wouldn't be a repeat customer.

*If possible, enclose a packing slip along with a handwritten note thanking the customer for their purchase. *​
These may or may not apply to your selling situation, so feel free to add any additional points or suggestions.

Maggie


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Recently on a shopping trip to Sutherland's lumber yard in El Campo, Texas, I asked for help from the gentleman behind the counter. Without saying anything to me, he made a call over the loud speaker for someone to come to the door department. He never said ANYTHING to me. In my opinion, he should have said, "I will have someone meet you there shortly." or SOMETHING.

I was very irritated. There are two other lumber companies in town. Rest assured that I'll shop elsewhere next time.


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

Good stuff.

I worked at a job once where they liked to tell us, "The customer may not always be right, but they're _always_ the customer!" Made those who grumbled about the old customer is always right phrase learn to deal just a little better.


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## EarthSheltered (May 9, 2008)

A Hello and a smile is just good customer service. I wish clerks would leave their personal problems at home, and not snarl at me if they arent' having a good day. I really dislike the ones who interpret my Hello as a chance to dump all that is bothering them on an unsuspecting stranger (seems most likely in a large store). I really, really don't want to hear about how you are constipated, or your boyfriend is acting like a Turkey.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Maggie,

Wonderful post!!!! Thank you for giving us these tips!!! They are perfect!!!!!!!

Clove


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## OrganicCat (Sep 23, 2008)

Treat all customers as if they were made of gold until proven otherwise. There is good taste and manners in keeping your customers happy, but providing for them beyond the bounds of reasonable expectations is just inviting trouble. For instance, if someone comes into your store angry, it's likely they feel slighted. Find out WHY and try to emphasize. Maybe their product they bought yesterday broke and they NEEDED it to work last night. You'd be pretty miffed too.

However sometimes it's not worth the weight of the customer, like when they insist the 2 for 1 sale on a computer monitor should apply to the whole computer because they don't know the difference (a difference of $1000+ dollars). Try education first, but don't make a row of it in the store, kindly show them out if they want to make a scene.


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

Rose said:


> Recently on a shopping trip to Sutherland's lumber yard in El Campo, Texas, I asked for help from the gentleman behind the counter. Without saying anything to me, he made a call over the loud speaker for someone to come to the door department. He never said ANYTHING to me. In my opinion, he should have said, "I will have someone meet you there shortly." or SOMETHING.
> 
> I was very irritated. There are two other lumber companies in town. Rest assured that I'll shop elsewhere next time.


I agree that communication with the customer is very important


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Magnolia,

This is a great post!!!!

Any chance you could give us another business tip of the day post?

Clove


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## lharvey (Jul 1, 2003)

I had been in business for just over 10 years when I was faced with a terrible choice.

A.) Keep the customer that was giving me and my people such a hard time
B.) Fire the customer

This person would call literally every single day, screaming and hollering about her computer not doing what it was supposed to do. You did this to it, or You did that to it.

The person calling was not the customer but one of the employees of the outfit and she was the only one that called.

Naturally we took care of her over the phone or in person every single time she called but we could never make it more than a week before we were summoned back there with yet another issue.

I went in and spoke to the Director of the Organization and showed her a simple log of the calls, many many of which we never billed for and I explained this persons attitude with me and my co-workers and that my people don't need to be screamed at and belittled by anybody and that this would no longer be tolerated.

The Director understood as she had heard this from others. She assured me that it would be addressed.

One week later it started up again. I was servicing another customer when the phone rang, I answered it and it was the customer from h*ll. Started right in on me because she wasn't able to print to the network printer. What? you have a netowkr printer? When did you get that?

She told me they had it for about three days and it had been working fine but now it won't print. It was something that she put on the network and it was not working due to misconfiguration.

I told her that I would be up in a short while to take care of it.

We hosted their website and ran their mail through our mail servers.

I got there and had a check written out for the amount of one years hosting even though they were already nine months into the year.

I told her that she had until the end of business on Friday, it was Wednesday, that they had to get all of their files off the server and to find another host.

Gave her the check and left.

She didn't tell the director about this so when the mail stopped working at 1700 on Friday the Director called me from home and said she was having issues checking her mail.

I said I bet you are. I turned it off and gave so and so a check refund and told her ciao baby.

Well long story short, about two months ago the Director called me and wanted to know if I would take care of their network again. They were getting over billed, because they were getting billed for every visit and phone call and their budget just couldn't handle it.

I respectfully declined with an apology at which time she said, OBTW, so and so isn't working here any more.

I said that I would stop by in the morning to discuss taking them back.

My people and I stressed over this customer, person, for months trying everything we could to please them. I as well as everybody else was relieved when I finally pulled the plug.

NO the customer is not always right. It is OK to fire a customer for the better of everybody involved.

It is also just as good to stand up for your people when they are being mistreated, verbally or mentally by a customer.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

lharvey,
I love your story!!!!!

I agree, sometimes customers need to be fired, especially if they are way out of align.

I have fired a customer or two in the past.

Clove


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## james dilley (Mar 21, 2004)

As I Am the Person the shipper or Receiver see's. I feel Its the MOST important thing is to be polite to the Shippers /Receivers ALL the time, If their Rude I still put on A Happy Go luck Additude, While in their place of Business. I have had Several Comment on my being Polite and respectful. Even if there were delays.


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## springledge (May 2, 2007)

I try to treat all our customers nice and I have the high blood pressure to prove it!:stars:


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

You know, I just dont seem to have a problem treating customers well. Even when they are angry it is seldom about "me". Maybe knowing that helps somehow? sis


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## springledge (May 2, 2007)

It is not usually that hard. My grown son has an online business selling video games. We deal with a lot of young people, that simply have not been raised, I am afraid. I had just been dealing with one especially obscene young man through email that was F****ing every other word in his emails. 

A package had gotten lost and he was the most rude person I have ever had to deal with. I finally got fed up with it and told him that I would not answer his email anymore due to his foul mouth and that I did not have to put up with it. The tracking number showed it had been delivered, so I could prove it was sent and delivered.

It turned out that his mother had gotten the game out of the mail box and put it on the table beside the couch and it had fallen behind the couch. 

She found his emails to me and threw a fit and made him apologize. It made me feel a little better.


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## Travis in Louisiana (May 14, 2002)

Near the end of the year, get all of your customer names and addresses you did business with during the year and send them a Christmas Card. Later Travis


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