Chapter 3: Develop a

Customer-First Attitude
Who is your companys most important
person?
The customer.
Why does your company exist?
To satisfy its customers.
What can you do to help your company?
Help its customers.
How?
By developing a customer-first attitude in all
that you do.

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 Chapter 3 Objectives
Recognize potential customers & how
you can help them.
Use your companys reputation as a
sales tool.
Approach customers, satisfy their
needs, solve their problems.
Deal constructively with complaints.
Manage customer service employees.

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 1. The Importance of the
Customer
The customer always comes first
before your convenience or
needs because
Without the satisfied customer,
there is no business.
To put the customer first, you
must know your customers
their wants & needs and then
work to satisfy those desires.

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 What Do Customers Need?
Your companys products & services.
The support behind those, such as a
clean store; knowledgeable, polite
sales clerks.
The commitment of your company to
deliver what it promises & more
going the extra mile to ensure
satisfaction.

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 How Do You Know What They
Want and Need?
Certain people need certain types of
products & services and not others.
- Does a couple with 3 growing children need
to buy kids clothing more than a couple with
no children?
Think of the demographics (characteristics of
a group of people) of your potential
customers and
Think about how you can match customers
with your products or services.
Look for new opportunities to satisfy
customers.

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To Keep up with Change,
Watch for Trends
How can you tell what styles or
products are becoming more popular?
Retail trends: Monitor sales, watch
movies & TV to see whats being worn
or used, look at ads.
Industry trends: Study trade
magazines (publications for particular
businesses), go to trade shows
(events put on by a given industry to
showcase their products), talk to
colleagues & customers to see whats
new & hot.

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 2. Advertising & Public
Relations
Marketers make people aware of a product
to get them to want & buy it.
Customers consider a products image (the
idea that people associate with a product)
And look for a trusted brand (a companys
unique name for a product) that is usually
trademarked (registered with the
government so no one else can use it)
Or the brands logo, a symbol that
represents the company, such as the Nike
swoop or McDonalds golden arches.

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 Marketing
Marketing is all the business activities that
present a product, its brand, image &
reputation, to the customer.
Advertising is a message that appears in a
media time slot or space & is paid for by the
advertising company.
Media include all means of communication
that can present an ad to the public, such as
newspapers, radio & TV, billboards, signs.

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 Are You a Marketer?
Not working in marketing? Pay attention to
your companys marketing efforts so you know
your products better to help your customers
appreciate your products more.
You are an important part of your companys
public relations efforts because
You represent the company in dealing with the
public or dealing only with internal customers
(people who purchase the products or services
of the company for which they work) because
Your professionalism will make your company
look good.

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 Public relations is marketing activities that
put a company and its brand name in the
public eye without having to buy space or
time slots. How?
- Sponsoring events or activities, such as a
concert or Special Olympics games.
- Sending to reporters press releases with
newsworthy information about the product.
- Displaying brand names prominently, such
as having logos on free key chains or water
bottles given away at fairs.

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 3. Interacting with
Customers
Marketing principles:
Marketing principles:
Have a customer-first attitude. Youll help them

buy by matching their needs to your products.

Be professionalfriendly, helpful,

knowledgeable.
Understand the customers needs. How? Ask!

Use open-ended questions that cant be

answered with just Yes or No.
Help the customer see how you can satisfy

those needs. Show how your product/service

fills those needs.
See the customers objections as more needs.

Thank the customereven those who dont buy.

Give the customer a reason to come back.

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Selling to Business-to-Business
Customers
While retail customers needs are often
psychological desires, business customers
decisions are based on real needs.
The business buyer will have to justify the
purchase to his or her superior.
You may not be able to talk with the actual
decision-maker.
You may need to work as part of a team on a
large purchase.
Otherwise, the same marketing principles
apply.

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 Cultivate Customer
Loyalty and Respect
Customer loyalty is based on good
service given before, during & after the
sale.
Nurture loyal customers.
Follow up with any problems.
No sale? Find out what went wrong &
correct the problem to prevent future
costly mistakes.

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 4. Managing Customer
Complaints
Customers may complain about product
quality (how well the product was made) or
product performance (how well a product
does what its supposed to do).
The process of constructively resolving
these complaints is called customer
support or customer service.
Think of complaints as opportunities to
prove your commitment to your customers.

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Handling Customer Complaints
Resembles Selling
Selling = helping a customer by
identifying a need and then satisfying
it by finding the product or service
that satisfies the customer.
Customer service = helping a
customer by identifying a problem &
then resolving it by finding a solution
that satisfies the customer.

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 If You are in Customer
Service:
You should receive training because you
will need to know:
- what complaints & questions to expect
- the answers to common questions
- what solutions are available
- how to implement those solutions
- how to handle angry customers
- how to report & follow up on complaints

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 8 Steps to Handle
Complaints
1. First, tell the customer youre sorry theres
a problem.
2. Say you will do everything you can to help.
3. Identify the actual problem by asking
questions.
4. Resolve the problem by choosing from
options your company has given you. If
you cant resolve it, find someone who
can.

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5. Apologize if the solution is
inconvenient; minimize the
inconvenience & expedite the solution.
6. Document the incident.
7. Follow up by contacting the customer
to see if the solution worked & the
customer is satisfied.
8. Prevent future problems by telling
someone in the company who can fix
the problems cause.

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If You Work at a Help Desk
The quality of your assistance is nearly
as important as the quality of the
product or service purchased.
You, like many people, may have had
bad experiences calling help desks or
technical support.
A positive experience with help desk
staff will go a long way to keeping a
customer.

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 To ensure good customer
assistance over the telephone:
Speak in a warm, friendly, sincere tone.
Tune in to the customers tone of voice.
Let the customer know youre paying attention
to his or her explanation by briefly making
positive remarks like, Yes, and All right.
Own your customer: Stay in touch with the
customer until the problem is resolved, even if
you have to transfer the customer to another
department. Get the customers number &
follow up to make sure the customer is
satisfied.

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 If You Manage Customer
Service Personnel
You will need to
Train them. Monitor their performance. Help
them when they cant solve problems.
Hold periodic staff meetings to discuss
problems & solutions.
Track customer service problems with your
personnel.
Track customers complaints to spot
recurring problems & find patterns.
Tell your manager where there are
problems with products, your phone
technology, training, or resources.
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 5. Interacting with Internal
Customers and Internal
Suppliers
You may work directly with external
customers (the customers who pay money
for your companys products or services) or
You may support the people who work with
external customers. Those co-workers
become your internal customers who need
the products or services provided by you.
You will also have internal suppliers who
provide products or information to help you
do your job.

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 Internal customers are your link
to the paying customers.
Satisfy their needs as you would
those of paying customers.
Every employee in your
company is both an internal
customer and a supplier.
Identify your internal customers
by seeing who is on your team &
who gives you assignments.
Identify your internal suppliers
by noting who gives you
information or service.

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 Tips for Maintaining Good
Internal Communication
1. Develop a rapport with your internal
customers.
Treat them with respect.
2. Ask internal customers what they
need; tell them what you can offer.
3. Tell internal suppliers what you need;
ask them what they can offer you.
4. Keep everyone informed.

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5. Watch for signs of miscommunication
such as missed meetings, delivery
errors, clarification requests.
6. Eliminate obstacles to communication
such as poor handwriting.
7. Bridge gaps in communication due to
poorly run meetings or poorly
designed forms, etc. by following up in
writing.
8. Improve your own communication
skills in writing, speaking, leading
meetings, giving presentations.
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 Friendly Phrases to Use with
Internal Customers
How can I help you?
Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Im sorry. I apologize.
I can see how you would feel that way.
I dont know, but Ill be happy to find out for
you.
Perhaps my manager can help you.
Let me give you that phone extension number.
I want to be sure I understand. Do you mean
Is this solution acceptable?

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 Increase Efficiency, Reduce
Costs
All companies want to increase efficiency (do
things in less time, with less effort, or with
fewer errors) and reduce costs (reduce amount
of money spent by reducing the time it takes
to do tasks & eliminating needless tasks) so
profits will increase.
You can help by identifying & anticipating
needs, satisfying needs, admitting mistakes &
figuring out what went wrong to avoid future
mistakes.

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 Chapter 3 Recap
The customer comes first. Know the
customers needs and satisfy them.
Stimulate interest in your product through
advertising & public relations efforts.
Develop a let-me-help-you attitude to
provide external customers what they need.
View customer complaints as opportunities
to identify and solve problems.
Communicate respectfully & well with your
internal customers & suppliers, focusing on
reducing costs & increasing efficiency.

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Who Always Comes First?

THE
CUSTOMER
!

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