Are you giving your customers more than the competition? How about your absolute best?

Both approaches will enable you to keep their business.  One of them will make you better for all of your customers – while also helping you to attract new ones.

This weekend we successfully moved my daughter into the house she is sharing with four other young ladies who are also college seniors. The experience is one that compresses within a day or two virtually every type of thought, feeling, and emotion a human being can experience.

As a result, you walk away from it completely changed – but most importantly, so happy with the results that it energizes you beyond reason.

Hmm, how can I use this I thought?

During our 5 hour drive home through the Indiana countryside that night I had plenty of time to think about that.

Here’s what I came up with – a simple formula for serving your customers better.

#1 – Prepare

Any endeavor of significance requires preparation.

Our most valuable planning was arranging a rental truck well in advance of our trip. We actually made two reservations, one for a truck and another for a van, with plans to decide later which to use.

That turned out to be a good move as one reservation was unexpectedly cancelled on us due to a lack of vehicles in the area.

Are you planning far enough ahead with your customers such that you can make last minute adjustments if things go wrong?

Despite your best efforts, circumstances arise.  Plan ahead and you’ll be able to more readily make the necessary adjustments to retain your customer.

#2 – Have Fun

How can you not have fun when you have focused time with your children – helping them to best prepare for what is an important chapter in their lives?

When you are making a move like this, there will be delays, frustrations, and minor accidents.  It’s much easier to keep going if you remember to enjoy the process.

Aren’t your customers a little nervous when they hire you for the first time?   By making the process of doing business with you fun for them, you can alleviate their apprehensions and minimize any stress.

#3 – Get the Job Done

Most of us are pretty good at procrastinating. But once we get moving there are deadlines that hold us accountable to getting the work done as close to on-time as possible.  A few minor things will invariably be left for later –  with the major work having been accomplished.

We bought a new bed and dresser for Ali from IKEA.  I had to laugh when I opened the box to discover bags with literally hundreds of fasteners and connectors.  Moving slowly at first, and committed to the goal, we eventually got everything put together well.

More important than perfection is getting the job done.  However you accomplish this, you have to deliver for your clients.

#4 – Improvise

Getting a job done usually  involves some improvisation.  The hardwood flooring in this room was slightly uneven, and my best effort to level the bookshelf still resulted in it being wobbly and unstable. So, I had to step back and take some time to find a solution – which was anchoring it to the wall.

It wasn’t the best solution, but one that will hold up for the next nine months until Ali graduates.

There are variables in every business.  No matter how well you plan you will run into the unexpected.  If you are enjoying the process, you will be much more mentally prepared to improvise and solve any problems that arise.

#5 – Give A Little More

Late in the day I was sore and tired from moving and installing furniture with the help from Shiply who helps with the delivery for big items.  But we still had some unfinished tasks. So, off we went to the hardware store across town – getting there minutes before they closed.

By giving a little more – and not giving up, we had a much happier daughter.

And that makes for much happier parents. This made the long drive home a joy – despite the sore muscles and fatigue.

That shared energy is a powerful thing. The way to make it happen is to prepare well, have fun, get the job done, improvise, and give a little more.

The energy that you and your customers create and share will make you that much better for the next customer.

Of course, it also helps if you love your customers, or at least the opportunity for serving them.

Leave a comment below or share this with your social community by liking it on Facebook, or sharing with any of the share buttons below – or on the little red bar at the bottom of this page.  

Until tomorrow,  Jeff