I had THE most disappointing sandwich the other day.
There’s a little place not too far from AMP HQ, that markets itself as a lunchtime deli / café. A ‘nice’ place, with a pastel-coloured sign promising locally-sourced, organic food (you know the sort!).
I’ve been meaning to stop for ages.
So on my way back from a successful meeting the other day, I (finally) did.
It was exactly as you’d expect (stripped wood floors, roasting coffee beans in the air) – but I couldn’t see any sign of the promised sandwiches.
The girl at the counter pointed me to a chiller at the back.
There they were. A sad little stack of sandwiches, wrapped in clingfilm
They looked EXACTLY like the kind of thing you’d throw together, as you dash out the door for work.
And these beauties could be yours for the bargain price of £3.95.
There was absolutely no sign of care or attention.
Just cold, cling-filmed bread & cheese.
The sandwich tasted as disappointing as it looked.
Would it have tasted better if it was sitting proudly on their shelves, in a little cardboard jacket? With a little sticker, reinforcing their marketing message?
Would it have tasted better if it had been been prepared with care & thought?
Instead of feeling disappointed, would I have paid MORE if I perceived the very same sandwich had been worth it?
Of course!
I do know we’re talking about a 3-quid sandwich, by the way. But it really made think. Because it’s true in ALL of our businesses.
The amount of value a client or customer gets – and crucially, the amount they’re willing to pay – all depends on their perception of your business.
How they SEE your product, your service & their overall experience is what really matters!
And, as sandwich-gate proves, it’s SO easy to get this stuff wrong.
It’s something we’ll be working on over the next few weeks here at Answer My Phone.
What are we just doing routinely, that our clients would perceive as valuable if we took more time to tell them (like generating referrals?)
Every time a client comes into contact with us – are we making the value of our telephone answering service crystal-clear?
What more could we do? (there’s ALWAYS more!).
Let’s be honest – the way you’re handling your incoming calls has a BIG part to play (it’s 100% true).
If your clients perceive they’re a valued customer, because their call is ALWAYS answered within 3 rings – with care, professionalism & delivering the results they need – it goes a long way.
They perceive that your business is on it. What a great team you have. What amazing service you deliver (an award-winning telephone answering service in our case)
If their call goes to voicemail, doesn’t get answered, the message gets lost & they never hear back, your receptionist is doing 12 other tasks & they know they’ve not got his or her full attention?
Not so much.
If you’d like to find out more, call me on 02920 695999 or book a call here at a time that suits you.
We’d love you to take a 2-Week Free Trial of our Telephone Answering Service to see the different it makes to growing your business!
Let’s speak soon!
Delyth