AB: All-Round Nice Guy

It’s a familiar adage (well, the first part anyhow), used by people all over the world - you hear it from business owners, marketing gurus, as well as from the end user of the phrase, the well-heeled shoppers.

But (and this is a big but) I’d like to put forward when there are certainly times when the customer is not always right - sometimes they can indeed be horribly misled into thinking one thing, when the reality is something else entirely.

Sometimes our customers and our clients earnestly and confidently choose their own path, regardless of our best advice, or our best suggestions of ‘top quality’ products and services. Inevitably, this leads to later dissatisfaction, and distrust in our products and services, and a lack of respect for our business. Even with the best of intentions by both parties, wrong choices can accumulate, and result in bad relationships.

Given that we don’t want this to happen, here’s my list of ways to improve your odds of making sure your customers can make decisions that are both right AND correct.

Whether you sell widgets, or you service widgets, or you sell your time and skills to others who make widgets, sometimes your business is in a crowded market, and there’s not that much that differentiates your business over other business - at least, not in the eyes of your customers. Certainly, customer service, professionalism, price and quality are the cornerstones of any successful business - but let me add in one more to the mix: good design.

Sure, it’s intangible - spending time and effort making your business look better or run a little smarter doesn’t translate directly into selling any more widgets - but to put it into footy terminology, it’s simply another ‘one percenter’. Well, those one percenters win matches - so lets look at few ways for your business to kick some goals…