I'm going to go into business for myself eventually. As the thoughts of how it will all come together spin through my mind, I still struggle with how to strategize for one essential that is both a blessing and a curse: the customer.
In our current business mode, whiners are rewarded. We've been wrongly brainwashed that "the customer is always right." bullshit. The customer is whining to get a discount and/or something for free.
We've all been subject to listening to these whiners get upgrades, discounts, whatever, because they complain loudly enough and obnoxiously enough where it catches the ear of others around. Management goes into a tizzy trying to accommodate the whiner; and therefore, the whiner gets rewarded while everybody else who is NOT complaining/whining gets ignored. All of the non-whiners, who outnumber the whiners, feel this resentment in the differential treatment. This practice MUST be reversed.
My business strategy will allow my employees to evict the whiners off the premises, and then immediately go to the non-whiners who were subject to the temper tantrums of the whiners to offer something a little "special." The non-whiners will pick up on you handled the whiners and will be silently cheering you on that FINALLY somebody had the guts to tell them to "shut up and get out."
I feel the business model will be successful, because who wants a clientel of high-maintanence whiners anyway? The non-whiners will return and in greater numbers -- they are the client base you want to build upon anyway.... However, the product/service offered must be of quality and service good, otherwise it will fail. You don't want to give the whiners any justification.
1 comment:
I have this little strategy in the library. When someone comes in with very very overdue books, I see how they react.They divide into 3 camps. People who say sorry I forgot and get out their purse to pay with a rueful smile.... for these people I usually knock off as much of the fine as I can get away with. Then there are the people who go on the attack - it's not my fault, i came when you were closed, you stamped the wrong date (when we didn't)my dog died, it was raining...they do not get anything knocked off!! I'll hold out for the full amount.The nastier they get, the more determined I am they'll pay. Then there are the people who have been really ill, bereaved or in trouble - are usually determined to pay and I'm equally determined they won't.
Librarians really don't like charging fines; we "reward" the honest, cheerful, polite customers but not the nasty ones. I hope my bosses don't read this LOL
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