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How much should you give the customer?

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Archie Heron
How much should you give the customer?

Have you ever wondered how much you should give a customer? Should it be 100% - exactly what they paid for? Or should it be less than 100% - so that we can make money from what we have 'saved'? Or should it be more than 100%, so that the customer is satisfied? A third answer springs to mind.


But as is often the case, the correct answer is: "it depends". I know industries where the sick and stupid competition, high fees or sometimes too exorbitant demands of customers have led to such a drastic fall in the profitability of the business that entrepreneurs have to "combine". 


I do not approve of this, but as they say, the market does not like a vacuum, and if the customer buys and does not feel wronged - is it still immoral? After all, he paid, received the goods or service and it is ok? I will leave the questions of morality to others. For I would like to focus on the case where customers are given the minimum of what they paid for.


I personally believe, and both practice and literature confirm, that long-term relationships must be built on solid foundations.


Let's be honest, the customer buys from us for various reasons. This can be broken down into factors; the resultant price is:


a) The price of the goods themselves


b) Service - by which we understand, for example, sales service costs


c) Other - such as prestige (in case of buying something unreasonably expensive, we gain prestige that we can afford it)


We can assume that the price of a given commodity, at the wholesale level, is similar in each area. Of course, there are some fluctuations, but usually these are non-influential deviations (NOTE: the impact of the price does not apply to customers looking for the lowest price). The remaining difference, in the case of most goods, is due to service (we focus on the entrepreneur - retail customer level).


Following this line of thought, it is easy to make the assumption that customers are actually paying us for "service".


Simplifying:


When we go to a restaurant, we realise how much it costs to prepare dinner, yet we are able to pay several times more for that dinner than if we prepared it at home.


Yes, yes, we pay for the time, the waiter service, not having to wash the dishes, etc. But that's what service is!


I don't want to break this issue into small pieces here, I won't quote other definitions here. I just want you to understand the importance of good customer service, without any academic talk.


If you are able to agree with me, we will analyse further.


We already know that when a customer buys from us, it is probably because of our "service". That is, our work.


And either we are good at it, or others are so bad that we are the best alternative - this is often hard to see. More often than not, the emergence of new competition verifies Our position.


So, back to Our topic - how much to give the client? The answer is: certainly what they paid for, and preferably as much as possible. I am not a fan of price competition - I consider it to be one of the worst types of competition. I always advise my customers to compete on 'service'.


If you buy the company's milk in a carton, which is priced similarly in your area, is it possible to offer more than the milk itself? Of course! And is friendly service a great deal? And is creating a set: "with the purchase of milk, two rolls at a lower price" is too much? Or for regular customers who buy milk, a gadget - just talk to the representatives, who have many different freebies.


Offer more than someone would expect, but in a clever and slightly unconventional way. This will build a lasting relationship and win loyal customers.



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Archie Heron
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