I heard a great suggestion for small business owners while listening to Bloomberg radio recently.

I’m going to act on this recommendation and perhaps you may elect to do so also.

The suggestion was rather simple.

Become a customer of your own business. In other words, take the time to both observe and evaluate your small business just as your existing and would-be customers do.

You might be surprised what you learn.

Make an objective evaluation of your business.

Do you have a physical location where customers visit?
• How is the exterior physical appearance?
• Interior appearance?
• Do you open promptly at the designated time?
• Do you close early?
• How is your phone etiquette?
• How are your associates attired?

We purchased an existing business near Chicago that had a reputation for customer indifference, often closing early.

One would-be customer had visited twice during normal business hours only to find they had closed early.

Fortunately, this would-be customer, upon learning that our business was under new ownership, decided to give us a second opportunity. After several trial orders we received two orders representing three times our average monthly sales.

The customer was Outboard Marine Corporation.

Our business, a franchise with over 2,000 locations nationally, became the third fastest growing franchise location east of the Mississippi.

Whether you have a physical location where customers visit or not there remain other questions worth of asking, including:
• Are you accessible to your clients when necessary?
• Are you or your associates chronically late? Being late tells the person you were to meet that your time is more important than theirs.
• How are you dressed? Don’t expect to be taken seriously by your clients if you’re dressed inappropriately.

Do you know the number one reason for losing a customer?

Is it price? Quality?

Wrong!

The number one reason for losing an existing or would-be customer is INDIFFERENCE.

Today’s downward spiral of customer service levels in the country is appalling.

However, low customer care levels are providing ripe opportunities for business savvy entrepreneurs, who choose to provide consistently higher levels of customer service to make serious inroads into competitors markets who neglect or ignore this critical area of their businesses.

One question begs to be asked.

In the midst of one of the worst recessions in decades, why would any serious business owner ignore what would appear to be so obvious?

Why not become your company’s best customer and take advantage of the sales opportunities your competitors are creating.