How many of us put ourselves in our customers’ shoes and see and feel how they experience us and our business? Let me give you a “real-life” example of utilising Reality Immersion to Increase Sales and Profits.
Michael Vance, professional speaker, tells a story about a dentist whose business was not doing very well, so he decided to go to a seminar on how to market more effectively. When he came back from that seminar he and his secretary went through the office on their hands and knees, taking a child’s view of their office. They got a feeling of what it was like to be a child at the dentist’s office.
The first thing they noticed was that the guest desk was too high and the children who came in had to look up over the desk. They had the desk inset into the floor and put little chairs in the front of it so that the children could sit down and have eye contact with the receptionist. They even took the medical forms and made them simple so small children could help fill them out. Colourful graphics that educated children on caring for their teeth were placed on the wall and headphones were installed in the waiting rooms so that children could listen to stories and dental care tips on CD’s. They built a play area for the children in the waiting room.
Then they did some research. After the children had their teeth examined, the receptionist would help them fill out a form on how they felt about their trip to the dentist. The most common complaint from the children was that they were terrified before the dentist did the work because they did not know what he was going to do.
The dental staff did some brainstorming and decided to explain the process to the children before the staff actually did anything. The child would work on his or her own teeth without the instruments being turned on. This showed the child exactly what was going to happen, and it reduced the anxiety. To top it off, on their way out the children received a signed photograph of their dentist to put on their wall – their hero!
Later on after the company grew, pictures of the dental assistants were put in the lobby so the children could choose the person they wanted to help them. The business in that dental office doubled. When I was one of the two consultants on the Nedbank sponsored “Fix my Biz” 13 week Reality T.V. Program on etv (now It’s my Biz), we used a similar approach with a new dentist in the West Rand in Gauteng. He saw a noticeably difference in customer satisfaction feedback and little feet through the door.
If you are selling to individuals there may be ways to help and be of better, impactful service to their family members. Brainstorm what needs to be done from the customer’s point of view.
In dealing with an organisation, look at ways to make a personal assistant or key decision maker’s secretary’s job easier when dealing with your company or with her boss. See it from her perspective. It could also be providing the accounts department with extra information to make their job easier when dealing with your company, or giving them extra breakdowns that helps them do their jobs faster and more efficiently. Think, see and feel from the customer’s point of view.
“If you have found this blog article to be valuable for you, I would be grateful if you “shared” it with your Social Media Networks. Also feel free to circulate it by e-mail or other means internally within your organization or externally to your clients, suppliers and personal and business network. Thank-you!” – Bill Gibson
Bill Gibson is a Canadian who is living in South Africa. He is an international speaker and author and a developer of sales, service, marketing, collecting, employee morale building, personal development and entrepreneurial training programs and systems. His blog is www.bill-gibson.com and his website is www.kbitraining.com. He can be reached at bill@kbitraining.com or phone +27-11-784-1720 in South Africa. You can follow Bill Gibson on Twitter: @billgibson1, connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gibsonbill or Knowledge Brokers International SA Pty Ltd Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/knowledgebrokers?ref=hl