Learn to Anticipate Your Customers Needs

This morning I was having breakfast with my good friend Diane at one of my favorite breakfast nooks. I enjoy the atmosphere there although I've been less than pleased with the customer service so far.

This morning when we decided to go to breakfast, my mouth started watering for their delicious scones. They usually have 3-4 kinds available such as chocolate chip, blueberry and cranberry. I have shared these with my mom a few times and always love it with raspberry or strawberry jam and a "spot" of mint tea and honey.

This morning was no different. I knew exactly what I wanted when I got there. When it was my time to order I asked the waitress to bring some jam with my scone. Her answer totally put me off and I got defensive. She said: "well, we might have some jelly, but most people want raspberry or strawberry and I'm not sure if I can find any, so you might have to have orange".

The hot prickles hit the back of my neck and I got ticked! I'm the customer after all, paying you and I don't care if you have to run down the street to get the right jelly, I know you have it.. so FIND it!

My answer surprised her. I said, "oh NO, that won't do. I don't eat orange. You'll have to find me some of the other jams that I like". (I think I even said I HATE orange... to be extra dramatic! Okay, so it's a little over the top... but I didn't WANT orange! )

Long story short, she found the jelly. But we were both a bit upset throughout the process. I was upset because I'm a regular customer and I know what the restaurant offers. She was upset because I challenged her and strongly suggested that she serve me what I wanted? which meant she was going to have to work a bit harder.

Learning to anticipate your customer's needs means that when you find out that customers like a certain service, or a certain product more than others, then KEEP IT ON HAND. If they don't like a certain system or they don't like something that you offer, be willing to listen to the complaints and solve the problem first if you can. If you can't, then sympathize with the customer, explain and offer a different solution! Never just say "no" to a customer if you want to keep them coming back.

For the waitress this morning to be effective, she'd have to go the extra step and tell her management that she's noticing that they're running low on Strawberry and Raspberry jelly. She'd have to request that the manager order EXTRA of those and keep them on hand at all time. She would have needed to handle me by saying that she'd do WHATEVER she could to find the jam I requested, and if she was unsuccessful, she'd figure something out. (If it came down to that, then she should offer me free scone or something of that nature.)

Pleasing her customers will bring bigger tips and what else? The all important returning customer!!! The 80-20 rule is always in effect: 20% of your customers will give you 80% of their business. That means that you HAVE to learn to know what the customers LIKE so you can be ready.

What about you? Are you ready for your customers? Do you know what they'll complain about or what they want more of? Can you prepare in advance so you won't be caught off guard?

Learning what your customers want is important. But learning what they will want NEXT is the sign of truly outstanding customer service.

Mary Gardner, The Charisma Coach! is an Executive Communications Consultant and Trainer. She works with, coaches and trains individuals, sales teams, executives, and celebrities. Her topics are sales, customer service, teamwork, coaching and communications. She owned and operated one of the first coaching institutions on the east coast, CCI, in NYC, Philly and NJ. Mary has appeared on ABC's 20/20 and has self published a book on public speaking. Mary is married to Sway and is mommy to Jeremy 5, and lives in Orlando, FL.

Contact: mary@marygardner.com or WEB: www.marygardner.com

---

Google News Updated : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:51:51 GMT Hunt begins for Karadzic helpers - BBC News BBC News Hunt begins for Karadzic helpers BBC News - 1 hour ago Officials investigating captured Bosnian Serb ex-leader Radovan Karadzic say they will track down and punish those who aided his false identity. Video: Karadzic plans to defend himself in The Hague RussiaToday Kenya: Karadzic's Fate a Lesson AllAfrica.com AFP - Telegraph.co.uk - International Herald Tribune - Hartford Courant all 5,884 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:47:45 GMT Aurilia, Vizquel help Giants rally for win - San Jose Mercury News Washington Post Aurilia, Vizquel help Giants rally for win San Jose Mercury News - 4 hours ago By Andrew Baggarly It would be difficult to claim that the Giants improved their playoff hopes when they rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night. Aurilia gets key hit, makes pitch for old guys San Francisco Chronicle Giants rally in eighth to edge Nats Sports Network Washington Post - The Associated Press - Washington Times - BlueRidgeNow.com all 455 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:43:04 GMT Finding Bale's dark side - Chicago Sun-Times Times Online Finding Bale's dark side Chicago Sun-Times - 3 hours ago BY BILL ZWECKER Sun-Times Columnist 'The Dark Knight'' star Christian Bale's alleged ''assault'' in London against his mother and sister is part of a long-simmering family feud. Batman star stays silent in Spain BBC News Christian Bale's lady sidekick: Sibi Bale Los Angeles Times E! Online - hecklerspray - Times of the Internet - New York Daily News all 2,556 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:08:50 GMT Day After, WNBA Untangles Brawl - New York Times ChattahBox Day After, WNBA Untangles Brawl New York Times - 7 hours ago By MIKE OGLE Some of the WNBA’s biggest stars commanded national attention Tuesday night and into Wednesday - but not in a way their teams or the league wanted. Don't count on fights becoming WNBA trend USA Today WNBA may have a fighting chance Los Angeles Times ESPN - Detroit Free Press - Hartford Courant - Denver Post all 876 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:06:48 GMT Obama to demand more from Europe in Berlin speech - Reuters BBC News Obama to demand more from Europe in Berlin speech Reuters - 26 minutes ago By Caren Bohan and Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - US presidential candidate Barack Obama is expected to call on Europe to do more in hotspots like Afghanistan when he speaks in Berlin on Thursday in his only formal address of a week-long foreign tour. Berliners welcome Obama as they did JFK Christian Science Monitor Obama Starts European Trip With Stop in Germany Wall Street Journal Voice of America - The Associated Press - AFP - Washington Times all 686 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:25:11 GMT Sudan's president boogies on last Darfur pit stop - AFP BBC News Sudan's president boogies on last Darfur pit stop AFP - 36 minutes ago EL GENEINA, Sudan (AFP) - A dancing Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir paraded as a man of peace on Thursday during a heavily protected tour of Darfur defying accusations that he masterminded genocide in the region. Sudan counters charges with diplomacy Los Angeles Times Al-Bashir in Sudan peace pledge The Press Association Bloomberg - Monsters and Critics.com - New York Times - Workers World all 1,767 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:15:43 GMT US cancer boss in mobiles warning - BBC News CTV.ca US cancer boss in mobiles warning BBC News - 2 hours ago The director of a leading US cancer research institute has sent a memo to thousands of staff warning of possible higher risks from mobile phone use. Cell phones: The next cigarettes? The Week Daily Group sees possible link to brain cancer Baltimore Sun ABC News - Los Angeles Times - dBTechno all 549 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:35:11 GMT Clickbank Data Feeds RSS Parser

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Your Actions Tell Your Clients How You Expect To Be Treated

There is a widely accepted principle of human behavior that... Read More

Loyal Customers Take Commitment

In today's competitive world of retail, many stores are implementing... Read More

The Importance of Good Customer Service

Do you have good customer service? Even for your free... Read More

DONT Give Your Customers What They Want!

One of the mantras we hear repeatedly in business is... Read More

Post Office, Incredible Lady Postmaster

There are two Post Offices that I routinely visit. One... Read More

Customer Service, the Internets Primary Neglected Business Concern

Customer service is everything to a business. Just look at... Read More

Establishing Yourself as an Expert in the Eyes of Your Customers

The most important aspect of a successful business is developing... Read More

How To Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch!

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Human Tech Tips --... Read More

Businesses Need to Rehumanise

Big companies and corporations have lost the human touch. The... Read More

Aint We Wonderful!

It may come as a surprise to you to discover... Read More

Why Communication Skills Dont Work In Customer Service

Every time my firm conducts communication skills training, we know... Read More

Developing A Customer Complaint System

Background The company was experiencing an increase in the number... Read More

Dissatisfied or Rude Customers Can Be Satisfied Customers

On a recent airline flight I was an upset... Read More

How To Boost Your Bottom Line With Two Little Words

I hate to sound like one of those cheesy get-rich-quick... Read More

The History of CRM -- Moving Beyond the Customer Database

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of those magnificent concepts... Read More

What You Need to Know About CRM

1. It's all about the customer. Some companies focus too... Read More

Customer First Customer Service

The world of customer service is rapidly changing. Thirty years... Read More

The Added Value - Is YOU!

If there was a restaurant in your town that was... Read More

In the Villa of the Sick Cat -- A Lesson in Customer Care

If you're a pet owner, you know the stress of... Read More

Whatever Happened To Customer Service?

Do you remember the last time you went into a... Read More

Ten Ways to Help You Improve Your Customer Service

1. Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis.... Read More

A White Paper: Profiting with Kindness

In 2002, there wasn't much interest for Kindness in business,... Read More

4 Myths about Customer Value

The purpose of business is to create and retain a... Read More

What?s in a Name?

Different people call their Customers by different names. If they... Read More

How To Build Stellar Client Relationships

Your opportunity to build a stellar client relationship starts with... Read More