Article: Key Determinant of Success: How Deeply Do You Care?

The primary ingredient in delivering consistently exceptional customer service experiences, is demonstrating that you care about your customers first and foremost.

The more you and your team care about customers - and demonstrate it - the higher their level of satisfaction will be with you, your products and the services you provide. As a result, not only will you become the primary solution to fulfill their purchasing wants and needs, you will also be the well-deserved recipient of their generous accolades and referrals.

Have you ever watched the Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”? If so, you likely understand the power that can come from caring for customers. On each episode, several restaurants from across the country—and their extraordinary cuisine—are featured by host Guy Fieri, a world-renowned chef and restaurateur. Each business is recommended to the show by their customers, a result of being consistently cared for—with both food and service—every time they step through the front doors. While these restaurants are in business and need to generate revenues to remain viable, customer satisfaction is their top priority.

Take a moment to recall the last time you received an exceptional customer service experience from a company you chose to do business with. Reflect on the feeling you had in that moment. Recognize how pleasant it was, how satisfied you were, how good you felt, and how the experience impacted you in a positive way. I would venture to guess that you are highly likely to spend your hard-earned money with this amazing company again, and will even tell others about them too.

Now, consider a time when you received a paltry customer service experience—one that left you feeling unsatisfied, uncared for and unhappy. Left with this “bad taste in your mouth,” it is safe to predict that you, most likely, will not do business with this company again. If you haven’t already, you’ll advise your friends and family not to do business with them either.

            As a business owner, which of these experiences do you want to give your customers? Remember, the difference between an exceptional experience and an awful one lies in the level of care provided to the customer by each person they encounter when in contact with your business.

As an owner, your primary focus must be on growing your company through the attraction and retention of customers. The result will be a business that is increasingly profitable. If you intend to take your company to new heights—to be among the elite—you must turn your attention to the level of care you and your team provide to the customers that grace your company with their business.

Here’s the key: To earn the loyalty of faithful customers, you—as the owner—must first care deeply.

A business owner with a profound and innate level of caring will hire team members who also care deeply, and will treat each member of the team with ongoing consideration and respect. In turn, they will be happier at work, and their satisfaction will position them to share this same feeling of happiness with each customer. The result is an exceptional experience.

Caring in business is expressed in both words and deeds, and is a direct byproduct of the attitudes and behaviors of the people who own and operate the company.

If, upon reflection, you are recognizing that the level of care put forth by you and your team has not positioned you to deliver exceptional customer service experiences on a consistent basis, it would be wise to take immediate action and seek out professional assistance to change this.

In summary, here are two main points to remember: When business owners care about people, they position their companies to create happiness and satisfaction, as well as profits, and When team members feel truly cared for by the owners and managers they work for, they pass this feeling along to their customers who—in turn—care about the company and provide repeat business.

The ultimate key to your lasting success lies in a simple and timeless rule: treat people the way you want to be treated. The only way to achieve this is if you truly care, and how deeply you care, will determine the amount of business that comes full circle back to you.

This is a powerful way to lead, and to do business. So, how deeply do you care?