Maggie David

April 15th, 2009 by Maggie

Oh My Stars!  Do I feel good!

Thoroughly spoilt myself today, Full body Massage, Facial, Eyebrows Waxed and Tinted, Eyelashes Tinted, Manicure, Pedicure and Hairdressers.  Floating On Cloud 9!  (Even “my darling” cooked dinner tonight!)

But I digress … … Whilst I was being totally pampered in the Day Spa, I heard my Hairdresser pop in (they are next to one another) confirming the approximate time I would be finished and asked that my beautician be told to give her a buzz whilst I was getting dressed, so she could get my plunger coffee and chocolates ready and waiting for me when I arrived.

Oh my, this is service with a capital “S”

Both owners of the Day Spa and the Hair Dressing Salon have clients driving for kilometers (miles) to be totally spoilt and pampered.  In both of these places the CLIENT IS #1!  Plus.. it does not cost you anymore than anywhere else - all they do is “Do it better!”

What both these Young Business Women do is listen to what their staff and clients tell them they want.  They do not ignore their client’s needs.  They make the client feel special in so many ways.  The “little things” count.  Yes, even in the so called “Tough times” many seem to be experiencing today, they are both booked out!

So what is happening here?  Let’s take a deeper look.  Businesses occasionally experience revolution but consistently experience evolution.  However, most business owners change with the speed and agility of a huge heavily loaded ship and if not careful will hit an iceberg and go down like the Titanic.  They constantly ignore what their clients tell them they want - oh yes, your clients will tell you if you listen, watch and take the time to give “Good Old Fashioned Service” but for too many stupid business owners, it is a major disruption - their businesses would function perfectly if only the clients would do what they want and not the other way around.

In all businesses whether off line or on line the principles of marketing, advertising and sales do not change, but the “truths” do.  No business operates on the same rules as it did say 5 years ago, you have to change with the times and create new rules as they apply TODAY to your business.

Does this apply to Internet Businesses?  YES!

Let’s go back to the beginning.  You are thinking of starting a new website selling “X”.  You have done some research into your competition etc, and think you know everything to start to build a “You Beaut” site that will crush your competition. 

WAIT!  Have you done all your research? 

Before you build and launch and merrily start your Adwords Campaign and Seo, you need to put up an “Ask Questionaire” drive some paid traffic to it and get peoples feedback on what THEY would like to see on your site - i.e. “Giving the People What THEY Want” - run this for about 5 days or so.  Also on this questionaire tell the participants that you will give them a gift (make sure you capture their details ) - say for instance, you were developing an eBook site, you could give them a free copy of an eBook once the site was active.  Remember this feedback is important in the development of a site where the client/customer is #1.

Sometime further down the track when the site has been active for a while you can then “Ask” you list. (You wouldn’t be silly enough not to capture names etc would you?) what they think of your site, set up another “Ask Questionaire” give them a link and go through the process again.  Or have a permanent page on your site for comments and feedback regarding all aspects of the site, etc. 

Never be afraid of feedback, this is how you keep on top of what your clients/customers want. 

Dare to be different - tweaking a business is not that difficult.

So, getting back to my day of total pampering and bliss.  As always when I went to pay for the beauty treatments I was asked to fill out a questionaire on the treatments I had received.  Plus I was given a bottle of mineral water to drink on the way home and asked to re-book “So Maggie when would you like to come and see us again and Oh remember by re-booking today you receive a 10% off your next visit”  - who could resist?

Went next door for my hair appointment and Yes girls before you ask, I did a complete flip, had it re-styled and different color streaks!

My favourite Plunger Coffee and Chocolates were waiting!

Again, when I went to pay “So Maggie I will see you again when (pen poised over the diary) (put in next appointment) “Was everything satisfactory today - was there anything I could have done better? (waited for my reply) then came “Now, how are you going for hair products? You purchased “Upload” last time (looking at my card) how was it in your hair (waited for my reply) do you need any today?”

NO money changed hands until she was satisfied she had asked me all she could about MY NEED for hair products. (UPSELLING - Internet Marketers ALWAYS have an upsell page If you have a Sales Page) Plus writing down on my card anything I purchased. Plus as usual inquiring to make sure my address had not changed as they send out a newsletter.

Do you think I felt special?  Yes of Course!  It is the little things you see.

Can you do this on a website?  - Yes you can! Sit and think about how you can make your clients/customers feel more special - I know they are global, but how about that “Thank You” page - can you make it a little bit more special? If a downloable product can you give an extra surprise bonus with a purchase?  Think outside the square.

My Dad once said to me “Maggie, it is not about the big things, it is about the small things and if you change 100 things 1% (Meaning in a small way) you then have a 100% change.  If you try to change something 100% in one go, you never will achieve it”

Think about that!

Well I am still on Cloud 9, so I will go gather my babies  http://twitpic.com/2saok

Grab a glass of good red and relax in my recliner … … Dang! I was so much on Cloud 9, I forgot to buy that good bottle of red, Oh well, where’s the teapot?

Until Next Time

Love and Light