People are becoming more conscious about Earth, the human connection, and compassion for all living beings. They look for companies that feel the same. If consumers are going to buy a product, they’re more prone to purchase emotionally. If your brand and business attitude is aligned with the conscious crowd of consumers, you’ll sell more stuff.
It’s important that the awesome things you do for your customers, for your employees, and for the Earth comes from your heart. Everyone knows when corporations are just trying to jump on the compassion bandwagon. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, you just have to care. Here are some awesome things that you and your business can do to make your customers love you.
Start with the basics to get your customers to love you. If they have a problem, address it with compassion. It would show a great deal of sincerity if you, the leader of the business, listened to customer concerns when they have them.
Deal Personally with Customer Issues
Address them by name, make eye contact, and talk with them. Fix whatever problems they had with your problem or service. Make sure to follow up a few days later with a note about how your company values them. You may want to extend a gift such as a percentage off their next purchase. Happy customers who experience resolution of their issues are likely to tell five people on average of their great experience.
Show Your Customers Some Love
Talk to your customers the way you’d talk to a friend. Okay, not that casual, but it shouldn’t sound like a press release either. When you execute customer service on social media in a genuine way, people are more likely to engage. If you act robotic and business-like, you could actually repel customers in the social media arena.
Know your customer base and really understand what they care about. Send them information that improves their life. Let them know a little about you and why you are a lot like them.
Market to the Conscious of Your Clients
There is probably something in your company that conscious clients will find valuable. For some, it could be the origin of your product. If it’s made in the U.S.A., you should definitely let everyone know. Customers also care about the environment, so let everyone know your products were made in an environmentally conscious manufacturing factory.
There’s a lot of sketchy things happening around the world, and not every country has the same value for humans that we do in developing countries. If you have painstakingly found manufacturers that have proven not to counterfeit goods or involve themselves in human trafficking, ease your customers’ minds and let them know.
If you’re selling a type of produce, let your clients know that you only have ingredients that have been responsibly farmed. The first step is to be as ethical as you can. It may cost you a bit more, but studies show that most people are willing to pay 5% more for a product they feel good about buying.
Treat Colleagues like Owners
“Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.” — Simon Sinek
For companies that treat their employees like they own the company, this shines through. When advertising, you can incorporate how happy your employees are. Let your customers behind the doors of everyday life. When you do little perks such as letting people bring their dogs to work, you create a happy environment. When your employees feel cared about, they’re more likely to work harder for you.
You can then use your happy employers as a means of reaching out to the heart of your customers. Take pictures or videos and add them to your company blog or to Twitter.
Be Relatable
No matter how large your company is, if you show that you can relate to people, you’ll gain loyal customers. People will feel a sense of pride in being part of this happy group of people who also provide a great service/product.
Fundraisers with the Founders and Leaders
Yes, one of the best ways you can relate to customers is coming down to their level. A carwash to raise funds for a cause you know your clients care about with you, the CEO, as the buffer, will make your customers love you. Someone who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty for a good cause still matters to people.
Any fundraiser that you commit to should align with an organization you’ve been associated with for quite some time. Having the badge of the association on your site or somewhere in your physical office will show people that you have always cared about a certain underprivileged group. The more money that you give to the charity of your choice, the more you can brag about it.
As important as building a company culture that cares about customers, colleagues, the Earth, and charities is, it’s also important to have a business that performs well. Promoting personal and professional success is essential. This helps the backbone of the company help you with your mission of what you want your brand to look like to the world. Building a great company starts at the top. As the executive, you have to create the core values that will be your legacy.
Using some of the ingredients above will help your employees become enthusiastic when you treat them with respect. It is probably one of the most important aspects of creating a company culture that customers and colleagues alike want to be a part of.
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