Let me use a personal story to illustrate this tip. About two years ago a new coffee shop opened in our local shopping centre. Preferring to support local enterprise, my wife and I started to patronise this shop.
In the beginning it was great - the coffee was good, meals were available for those who wanted them and the staff were excellent - there was always a friendly greeting when we entered the shop and a sincere 'thank you' when we left (it wasn't just us by the way - I heard other customers being treated similarly).
My wife and I became regulars - in part because we felt valued. The shop became our preferred 'coffee stop'.
Then things changed; the management changed, some of the original staff left and the 'hellos' and 'thank yous' became less frequent. We lost that 'valued' feeling. We haven't stopped going to this place but we don't go there as often as we used to. It's no longer our preferred coffee stop; and I'm sure that other customers will have done the same.
This is just one example of simple things that can help a customer feel valued (or not valued). You will know of others from your own experience.
It's a fact that, everything else being equal, customers will patronise businesses where their custom seems most valued.
(The up-coming post for Friday 20/2 is Keep on scoring. It's about the notion that 'if we keep the score the score gets better' and how it applies to selling.)
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