It's funny and what I'm about to write here is not to judge or rant on anyone but I was just thinking about the way society at large forces us and pushes us to do business.
I'm really amazed that we all actually managed to get along with each other and at the end of the day we have jobs to go back to or even repeat business.
Whatever Happened to the After-Sales Service Culture?
I remember being a bright-eyed 19-year-old who had just gotten married to the man of my dreams and we had just started to build our lives together.
We had found this cute little flat in London to rent so we both had to find work fast to be able to pay the next month's rent due.
We decided to get a job in customer service as we both felt it was the right kind of job for us.
I liked meeting new people and having the opportunity to talk with them face to face that idea really excited me.
My husband was also a great communicator and was the kind of person that would make anyone feel at home in his presence.
I landed this great job, my dream job, at that time a sales assistant job with a fashionable clothing label with great pay and benefits.
But to be honest with you it wasn't the pay or the benefits that got me pumped it was the chance to be able to meet new customers every day and get the opportunity to enter their world even if it was only for a small short while, but I had the chance to effect and change a life for good and that made me happy underneath.
I use to remember many ladies who would walk onto the shop floor looking for a new outfit to buy and try on something that would hide away the unwanted or unloved parts of their bodies.
They would wander around for what seemed hours then they would finally go over towards a clothing rail and start to look through what we had to offer them.
I would then gently walk over to them and ask if I could help them. At first you could see the natural instinct that we all do in moments like this, look up at the shop assistant and say "no thank you", but when they would look up at me they could see that I genuinely wanted to help them and that they would soften.
I would then proceed to listen to what it was they were looking for or not. I would listen to them and listen behind the voice and message they were speaking and see behind the voice what wanted to say I'm really looking for something that can make me feel really happy today or something that wouldn't make me feel fat or uncomfortable.
I would take my time to listen to them and walk around with them on the shop floor while gently offering my suggestions and as a back-and-forth dialogue and conversation began.
Why am I relaying this story to you? Well because in short we can get so caught up and short-sighted when building a business that we forget who it's really for.
Yes, we want to make money. Yes, we want to pay our bills. Yes, we want more clients and to reach our weekly targets.
So we hustle and hustle and shove everyone out of the way and we only do business with those who can give us something back in return.
Only chance the clients who will only sign on the dotted line, signup to our programs and so forth and so forth.
Remember all businesses, whether it be the high-flying corporate big boys or the small home-based one-man band revolve around people, real people and it is people that make the wheels keep going round.
And for your business to really have an impact for the long haul, you need to treat anyone you come in contact with some respect even if they don't become your client or sign up for your program now.
Though you might not physically see them face to face on a given day we have been blessed with technology that can create platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and other mediums you use.
You should still respect that just as your time, business and efforts are important to you so it is for any other individual or company you're starting a dialogue with or come in contact with on here.
So If you make an appointment or a written comment by way of email or verbal conversation to contact one another keep to it. If you say that your going to support someone keep to it.
Let us not lose our professionalism and get caught up in the hustling game,
I'm going to get mine and remember we are all here for the long haul at least I am and how we do business on platforms like this does really show if we want to really do business.
Thank You for your time
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