Reman U
- Author: Nick Carreiro
- Subject Matter: Customer service
I recently went to Woot.com. (If you’re unfamiliar, Woot is a daily deal site owned by Amazon.) I was looking for a video game for my brother’s birthday, excited for once to not be running around at the last minute.
Low and behold, when the fated gift showed up at my door, it was damaged. I thought to myself, “Well, I’m dealing with a reputable company. They should be able to solve this quickly.”
It wasn’t long before they resolved the issue, refunding the original amount I paid. But I was left feeling dissatisfied. Was this the only solution? Where were my options?
I think it’s a safe assumption that I’m not the only customer who wants options, whether in terms of buying a new product or a solution to a problem. As a customer, you want to feel you have some say and/or power, a choice in how your business could be handled.
How do you create a “choice environment” for your customers, one that works for all parties?
If your customer is looking for options:
- Offer multiple choices, whether you sell a product or service.
- Clearly outline key differences between similar things.
- Know what selling point is most important to your target customer and make that a focal point – quality, brand name, price, or length and coverage of the warranty. Trying to focus on everything has little impact.
If your customer needs a solution:
- Understand that a problem is an opportunity.
- Share the three things you can do to fix what went wrong, and let them tell you which works best for them.
- Offer things that might not be the easiest for you, but will result in them being the happiest.
In my scenario, it was nice that Woot gave me a refund. That’s expected with any kind of damaged purchase. But I would have been all too happy to let them keep my money if they had offered a replacement. Instead, they went with the simplest solution – for them.
Your customers make a choice to do business with you. Give them options, whether at the front of the sale or when a mistake happens. Make them feel empowered, and they’ll make you the hero.
Nick Carreiro is the 6th Man at ETE REMAN and part of the Reman U author team. Reman U is a free e-newsletter that delivers best practices, lessons learned, and tricks of the trade to help you build a better transmission business.
