Some do it better than others.

Some lose focus on the wants and needs of the customer and shift all of their energy towards profitability.

On the other end of the spectrum are the ones who are so wrapped up in serving customers, they shave their profit margin so thin they live eternally on the edge of extinction . . . after which they are able to serve . . . NO ONE!

The real magic wand seems to belong to the Business Owners/Leaders who understand the importance of Customer Service AND know their limitations.

For sure, you don’t want your customers/clients to take undue advantage of you. We are ALL “guilty” of giving away the farm once in a while.

We also don’t want our “Rules of engagement” with our Customers/Clients to be so rigid that they limit our ability to grow and prosper.

Mortons Customer Service Fiasco is a great demonstration of how NOT to do it!

Don’t let your SOP (Standard Operating Procedures), “The way we do things around here” sabotage the success of your organization.

Regardless of how well-intentioned your rules and guidelines, your customers will move on to your competitors if you make doing business with them difficult.

Of course, most businesses do not WANT to serve EVERYONE . . . That would make them “Generic,” “Sterile” and just like all the others . . . We differentiate our organizations in this way.

Our SOP defines us. It serves as a filter for ALL prospects who might want to do business with us.

This bites a lot of REALTORS in the butt as we project our images of success and professionalism – prospects might conclude:

• We are too BUSY to take new clients
• We are SO Rich and Famous, we won’t serve “Regular People” (Our fancy cars and Facebook Bragging precipitate these ideas)
• We only sell ONE kind of property (Houses but not condos, land, New construction etc)
• We don’t have time to give proper 1:1 attention to each client
• We have staff so we don’t have to deal directly with clients
• and more

There are no right or wrong levels of customer Service that prescribe success for your business.

If you want to succeed, though, it may behoove you to take a VERY close look at your SOP and how it relates to your target clientele.

Are your rules of engagement filtering out the wrong people and attracting the right people?

and once you convert them from prospect to customer, are you delivering ALL of your promises?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, why not take these next few weeks leading up to 2014 to consider your practices?

Do this, and you’ll enjoy a smoother, happier, and more prosperous 2014

Best,

b

About Barry Owen

Residential Real Estate Principal Broker and Founder of Pareto Realty, LLC. Creating the quintessential real estate firm with emphasis on "Live, Work, & Play" balance . . . and a true Performance Oriented environment for Real Estate Professionals. Serving the Real estate needs of Home Buyers and Sellers in Middle Tennessee.