I love to read! One day I was sitting on the floor of a local bookstore, in the business of course, and picked up “Little Teal Book of Trust” by Jeffrey Gitomer. What a dynamic book about becoming a trusted advisor in business and life. Building and earning trust is a key foundation for any relationship. In operating a business, you want to be “THE ONE” customers and prospects call for assistance, products and services. Your customer wants to know he is valued, respected and you have his best interests at heart.

WHAT A CUSTOMER WANTS FROM YOU by Jeffrey Gitomer

Instead of simply telling you how important the elements that will make relationships happen are (because you AND the rest of the world already know that), here, for YOUR benefit, are the actual elements:

• Relate to me. Know my needs and issues. Engage me by showing me other customers who are benefiting from doing business with you.
• Prepare for me. Show me that you have done your homework about my situation, not just yours.
• Don’t waste my time. Don’t ask me what you could have found out on your own.
• Tell me the truth. Truth leads to trust. I need to trust you in order to have a relationship with you.
• Tell me how I can use your product or service to build my business. I want to know how I can produce in my environment.
• Tell me how I can profit from the relationship. I want to know how I can profit from buying. And I want to know that you know.
• Show me the value, not just how it works. What are the elements of value attached to your product or service that relate to me?
• Make it easy for me to do business with you.
• Make service available when I need it.
• Be friendly to me. If I’m going to establish a relationship with you, I want it to be a friendly one.
• Respond quickly. If I call you, it’s because I need you, and I need a response now.
• Deliver on time. When you tell me it’s going to be there, I expect it. And it helps reinforce my feeling that you can meet my expectations.
• Have answers for me when I need them. I have questions about how your product works.
• Stay in touch with me. Keep me informed on a proactive basis. Make your messages more about me than you.
• Let me know when things or technologies change. Keep me informed about how I can stay ahead, even if it means buying more.
• Keep your promises. If you tell me something will happen, make it happen.
• Be a partner, not a vendor. Tell me how we will work together. And then prove it by your deeds.
• Serve me. I need to feel that service after the sale is more important than the emotion leading up to the order.

Do you know your customer?