There are some basic things I believe a lot of businesses are missing these days. I know, with the advancements of technology continuing to take giant leaps into the future it should be no surprise that we are all getting a little more disconnected from each other. I know, I often chuckle about technology that has been designed to allow us to connect better actually contributing to us all being a little less connected.
This is why I think to be successful in business you have to sometimes go back and take a page or two from an older playbook – back before the days when technology started to make things so different. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology but in the world of small business there is a need for some technology and some old school business practices.
With the establishment of your home watch business, there are a lot of ways you can balance both technology and old school methods. In fact, in the following article, I intend to go over a number of the top old school practices that I believe will make your home watch business successful. Hey, if you have any kind of small business, I’m pretty sure the tips I am going to share here will also help you to find greater success.
1 – The Small Stuff – Don’t Ever Forget It
You know, I have never really been all that good with names but I will remember something about you. It may be something obscure that I picked up from a conversation we had one time. Or I’ll remember your birthdate or the name of your cat or where you went on vacation. Regardless of the seeming trivia thing I may remember about you, chances are that if I mention it the next time we meet, it is going to impress you. Sure, you may wonder why I remembered that you don’t like sugar in your coffee and not your name, but I still remembered something about you. This is a very interesting point I am trying to make. Your customers may not remember anything about you but if you can pull out one of those unexpected nuggets of knowledge, you will have done something truly amazing that technology couldn’t touch. You made a connection on a personal level. The small stuff always counts and in business, it counts for a great deal.
2 – The Small Stuff – What You Can Do
One of the tips I like sharing with small business owners is that if you do more for your customers, it comes back to you in a great way. For example, treat your customers as if they are the only customers you have. Plus, if you treat them the way you like to be treated, they will likely respond in kind. That even means being nice to the grumpy and angry customers. After all, you don’t know why they are the way they are and if you do them a nice turn you could be the person who changes their attitude. It isn’t hard to be nice to someone and especially if you are in business you have to practice this principle daily. The real challenge to being nice is when you most certainly do not feel like it. Don’t get me started on that one! But I remind you that by doing small things for your customers they will notice. With your home watch business, you may do something like hold a door open, carry packages or just be engaged in conversation regardless of how dull or boring the discussion topic may be. By doing small things for someone else you may end up doing something greater than you realize.
3 – Additional Small Stuff
Sometimes we can lose a bit of our shine if we are having one of those days ourselves so I have devised a simple plan that should keep you on track. It is easy to remember to do the extra things for your customers when you have a list of reminders that you can quickly reference. On this list you should have the following prompts:
– Be positive
– Do not argue with or upset a customer
– Always greet a customer with a smile and a positive attitude
– Never answer a question stating you don’t know
– Always be friendly in conversation
I know these sound too basic and could be easily considered as no-brainers but there are times when we do get rattled by something out of our control that can cause us to forget the core reasons why we should be so good to our customers. Hopefully, this shortlist will help you if you need it.
4 – Your Customers Are Your Business
It may sound far too easy and simple to keep a customer happy but you never really know when something comes out of the left field and messes everything up. Even customers who are in a bad mood are still customers and with new technology the way it is today, ticking off a customer because they made you upset could end up twisted in such a way in an online review of your home watch business that you’ll end up looking like the bad guy. This doesn’t mean you should be in fear of those customers but it should remind you that if you treat each customer well and give them the best customer service possible, they won’t have much to complain about.
In Conclusion
Your business can be very successful if you go the extra mile. Even if you go another extra mile after that one. I know that this is a very successful tactic because it works regardless of the age of your customers because we all want to feel special and treated well when we are someone’s customer. When you do these small things – remembering a detail, doing something nice and keeping on track with these things, your home watch business will thrive. The level of detail you dedicate to your customer service will speak highly of you and your attitude in business.
By being a good small business owner you will have an edge on those larger businesses that rely solely on technology to keep connected to their customers. When you connect on a personal level, you will always win regardless of what type of business you are being compared to. Those business owners who demonstrate that they truly value their customers and are not afraid to show it in tangible ways will set the pace for all other business owners to follow. That means that even you and your home watch business can be leaders in your community just by doing the small stuff.