Consumer Care Series: Three steps for a personal connection with your customers
I worked for Starbucks Coffee Company for 5 years. I started working there in college, and after graduation I got suckered into a management position and opened a drive-thru store right here in Walla Walla, WA. I learned a tremendous amount working for the Green Monster (the coffee version, not the baseball version) but the most important training they gave me was the art of connecting with customers and providing excellent customer service.
I may get pursued by Starbucks head-hunters for sharing what might be their “intellectual property” (I remember signing something…), but I’m about to impart the cheesiest and most useful customer connection philosophy that I think we in the wine industry could afford to adopt.
Connect, Discover, Respond.
It applies to just about everything - Connecting with a new customer, staying in touch with an old customer, responding to a service or quality issue, training your tasting room or winery staff, I can go on and on and on! Sometimes I have to “Connect, Discover and Respond” with my boyfriend about certain cleanliness habits of his… but that’s neither here nor there.
Connect – When a customer walks through your tasting room doors, or calls your winery, or emails your info address, or completes a contact form, or comes to your winemaker’s dinner, or visits your booth at a trade show, they are opening the door for you to connect with them. When you go above and beyond to make a personal connection with a customer, it makes a lasting impression and creates the kind of loyalty that everyone in the wine industry wants to achieve. As an ambassador for your brand, remember that it is okay to be a “person” too – be genuine when you connect with your customers and you may end up with a few new friends!
Discover – Basically, find out what the customer needs – whether it’s just some new knowledge, a bottle of wine for dinner, a new wine club to join, or a community to be a part of.
Fenway Park
Respond – Go above and beyond for your customers. Meet their needs that they’ve expressed to you and then some! Throw everything at them but the kitchen sink! Okay, I’m going over board here, but the truth of the matter is that when you go above and beyond to meet the needs of your customers, you are making a lasting impression about both YOU and your brand. You’re also creating more productive customers, customers who spread the word about your winery because they are so excited about you!
Okay so I’ve preached my cheesy mantra. I’ve expounded a bit on some core behaviors that make a lasting impression on customers. In my next Customer Connection post, I’ll be talking specifically about the Tasting Room Experience.
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