Another way to endear yourself to your customers is to show them how much you care. The best way is to put yourself in their shoes and try to anticipate what their next needs will be. For instance, if you are a caterer and a customer has asked you to cater a graduation party, actively listen to your customer’s vision and try to picture it. Ask questions until the vision is clear. Then suggest your “favorites” when it comes to things like cake decorations or special food. Often, they are seeking an expert’s advice. If you are there with a suggestion, it will more than likely be met with many thanks.
One of the best customer experiences I had was when I decided to have my headshot updated. In the past, I arrived at the photographer with a couple of outfits and for the next half hour, the photographer took several shots in each outfit, and then I chose which one or two shots I preferred. That is it. This new photographer reached out to me before my appointment and asked me to provide her with three words that described how I wanted myself to be portrayed in my new pictures. For instance, did I want to be fun, confident, strong? This gave her a heads-up on anticipating what I wanted from the photo shoot. The result was a finished product that captured my personality better than had ever been done before. All it took was taking the time to anticipate a customer’s needs.
