9 Twitterers Tell You How to Amaze and Astound Customers and Clients

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I posted a very simple question the other day: What’s your one secret weapon to amaze and astound customers and clients?

The responses were awesome. A lot of them are common sense things that no one bothers to do. (Remember, I always tell people that to succeed, you just have to be one level above crap,) but others are things I never even thought of.

So here are 9 ways to amaze and astound your clients and customers today. Do these things. The results you’ll get will range from “cool” to “awesome” to “holy shit, I landed a million dollar account today!”

@MeganMWagner says “Smile when you’re on the phone with clients or customers. They’ll know it.” She’s right. Here’s a story from NPR about how humans can “hear” a smile without seeing the person’s face. And let’s face it (no pun intended) – People want to do business with happy people.

@Webby2001 says “If there is a reliable and valid data source for a question they have, I know it, or I’ll find it. Whether it’s from my company or not.” Good point. We tend to forget that we’re here to solve problems for clients, and sometimes, when we can’t do it ourselves, we earn future points by solving that particular problem by recommending someone else who can.

@CarlaCacPRoffers this: “Offer to do something at no additional charge. People can’t stand to be nickel and dimed; if something is not going to take you long, throw it in. The gesture will be worth more in the long run than what you would have made on the service.” LOVE this one. I do this all the time – Sometimes it’s as easy as Googling something the right way, sometimes it takes a bit more. But it’s so worth it. Why? Because you become the person everyone wants to use, because you get results.

@AndreaJobs gives up one of her best-kept secrets here, which might not only be beneficial, but also cool, assuming none of her clients read it: “I do not have my cell phone # on my business cards. I hand write it on the card in front of them saying “Let me give you my cell # so you can reach me anytime.” Corny as it sounds, it makes them feel like I am sharing a personal secret.” Interesting – I totally get why clients would like this – I remember Mr. Wile, my high school guidance counselor, giving all the parents at orientation his private line. You never saw 1600 hands write down a number quicker in your life.

@chrisbrogan nails it, in a surprisingly few number of words for him: “Remember them. It’s fascinating how powerful this one detail truly is.” It’s true. When someone remembers me when I walk into a business, my defenses have already been lowered, and I already want to spend more money.

Creating amazement really isn’t that hard.

Love this one from @johncorcoran, because it’s something I do regularly. It’s amazing how a follow-up that has nothing to do with you, but rather, is all about them, really works: “I will contact a client months after I’m done working with the client to send them a link to an article or resource I’ve found that I think would be useful to them. Or if I know about a personal passion of theirs (such as the NY Giants or hiking), I may send them an email about that topic. It shows I’m continuing to think about them long after they are done paying me, and it is useful from a business development standpoint because then they are reminded of me and may recommend me to one of their friends.”

I like this one from @smileboston – We spend too much time talking, and not enough listening – So repeating what the customer wants to make sure we both have it right is a simple self-check, right? “Truly listen to a response or question, repeat to confirm understanding (“let me make sure I understand what you said”), and oblige or respond accordingly. The repeat usually blows their mind and assures we are looking to attain the same goal.”

@curojo simply states: “Look for opportunities to give nice surprises whenever you can.” Smart. Customer service usually means reacting. What if it’s about proacting? (Is that a word?) Can you anticipate needs and make things happen for the customer that blow them away?

The last one is mine – @petershankman“Read (listen to) body language, and react accordingly.” There’s a fun scene in the movie “Limitless” where Bradley Cooper takes NTZ and realizes that his landlord’s wife is mad, but not mad at him. “My existence shouldn’t make you this angry, what is it?” He asks a simple question, and she folds – telling him what’s wrong. Read your customer. Angry? Frustrated? Sad? Happy? Tired? How can you help them into a better mood on the fly? It’s usually not that hard.

I want to hear your tips to amaze and astound customers, and I’ll try and use them in a follow-up post. Leave them on the form here. Disagree with anything above? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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