There is a reason that some of the best customer service starts out with these five words: “How Can I Help You?” It doesn’t matter if it is in person or on the phone, asking your customers or prospects what you can do to help them sets the tone for an interaction that should be based on your providing service, help, information, etc. that will be valuable and helpful to the other person.
By keeping the focus on what the customer or prospects needs–instead of on what you want to sell to them or what you want to see happen in the interaction, you cannot help but give good customer service and forge a trustworthy bond with the individual. Of course you are in business to sell and make money, everyone understands that–but unless you convey that your intentions go beyond that, you will not be able to build loyalty in your customer or market base. We all know what it feels like to be looking for help or a solution to a problem and come up against a salesperson or worker who only wants to sell us something and get on with his or her day.
In addition to saying those five simple words, it takes some effort and focus to actually foster a personae of helpfulness. Look for ways to find out how your product or service can help or improve the customer’s life. What are the problems or difficulties that he or she is facing that your product or service can solve? What realities is the customer or prospect facing that you can influence or make improvements on? While you certainly always have an eye on the bottom line for your home business, your customer doesn’t have to feel that with each and every conversation–instead, put the focus on what you can do to be helpful and meet the customer’s needs, and the bottom line will take care of itself.
See Also: What’s the Big Deal About Customer Service?
Why E-mail is the Best Customer Service