Dear ,
In the movie, Fatal Attraction, Glenn Close famously says to Michael Douglas:
"I'm not going to be ignored, Dan." (Dan is Michael Douglas's character.)
Clearly, Close wasn't joking because she felt it necessary to kill his daughter's rabbit by putting it in a boiling pot. That certainly got his attention!
For most Americans, the rabbit scene was traumatizing. For many Egyptians, they simply asked where is the molokhia (jute leaf soup) to go with it. (Gotta love those Egys.)
So, in case there was any doubt whatsoever, people don't like being ignored... especially when it comes to business.
A few weeks ago, I went to a restaurant for take out. Yes, it was busy, packed actually -- but at least acknowledge me. Say SOMETHING! Let me feel like my business is important.
Did I get a hello? No?
Did anyone welcome me to the place? No.
Did someone say we'll be right with you? Nope.
Did I even get any type of eye contact... or acknowledgement... or even head nod? No, no, and no.
I honestly wanted to leave because I felt so unwelcome. Now, I don't need them swooning all over me, but a decent reception would have been nice. I would have left, but I was already too invested.
This Made Me Think...
How often do we deal with our customers, clients or patients... and how often to they feel ignored? How often do their complaints go unaddressed? It probably happens more often than we know. They won't tell us they feel ignored... they'll just find someone else to buy from who will treat them like gold.
And, believe me, your competitors will be more than happy to scoop them up and tell them how inconsiderate you are (whether it's true or not).
So, the message for today is... if you can't make your customer feel super special, which should be the goal of everyone in business, at the very least, acknowledge them and validate their concerns. If you can't attend to them immediately, tell them that and let them know when you will.
But don't ever simply ignore them. Not if you want to be in business for more than a week.
Have a great weekend!
Until next time...
