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54 May | 2023 Business Winning the Customer So, why do people buy fl owers? It's often for powerful emotional reasons. Flowers are the best expressions of one's feelings for loved ones—"I care about you," "I love you," "I miss you," "I want you to get well soon," "I'm so sorry for your loss." Customers' emotions can run especially high, and Hyken says that's why, when there's a customer service issue, fl orists must be proactive in solving it. "When problems arise, think about what you're trying to achieve," Hyken suggests. "Are you trying to win an argument with a customer, or do you want to win the customer, possibly for life?" Research shows that when a business goes above and beyond when resolving mistakes and mishaps— doing everything possible to exceed the expectations of disgruntled and dissatisfi ed customers—those customers, overwhelmingly, become loyal (or even more loyal, for existing customers) to the business— regardless of the problems—because of the ways in which their situations were handled. To provide unparalleled "fi ve-star" customer service, you want to restore the customers' confi dence when you make mistakes. You might not make money on that particular transaction, but the customer will come back. e bottom line is that it costs a lot of money and time to acquire a new customer, and it costs a lot less to retain an existing customer—which should be your goal. As the late author, speaker and businessman Stephen Covey pointed out in his most popular book, e 7 Habits of Highly Eff ective People, " You don't want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs." We're not saying that your customers are a bunch of geese, but if you focus only on the golden eggs but neglect the goose—customer service—you will soon have neither the goose nor the golden eggs. The Six-step Process Here is a six-step process that will help you create a customer-focused culture for your business. 1. Define your vision for the ideal customer experience. Look at your own personal customer experiences outside of work. What places do you keep going back to, and why? Use those experiences to build your vision of the customer service you want to provide. Also research the world-class customer service provided by renowned companies— whose customer service is their brand—such as Nordstrom; Disney "WHEN PROBLEMS ARISE, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. ARE YOU TRYING TO WIN AN ARGUMENT WITH A CUSTOMER, OR DO YOU WANT TO WIN THE CUSTOMER, POSSIBLY FOR LIFE?"

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