We just returned from a wonderful vacation.
Berna and I took a 7 day cruise in the Caribbean.
It was our first actual vacation in years, with no phones, no work, no meetings, no nothing.
Naturally B and I used it as an opportunity to "sharpen our saw" a bit, and talk about some of the things we want to work on this year to improve our business.
One of the things we've always prided ourselves on, is the quality of our service to our clients.
Information, they say, is king in this day and age, but, I would argue that while having the best, most timely and useful information ( which we do!) is certainly the best way to gain new clients.
I've always believed that the best way to keep your old clients and let them bring new business to you is with service.
This trip gave me an excellent example of how service can affect your business. Our trip took us to several places in the Caribbean, among them Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.
I'll use a couple of extreme examples to make my point. "Jerry" was the captain of our catamaran on our snorkeling excursion in Jamaica. Jerry truly is a disciple of the stereotypical Jamaican philosophy of "no problem, Mon!"
That was his attitude when the motor quit in high seas, leaving us in danger of capsizing for a half hour before the "rescue" boat showed up to take us in tow.
At that point, his laid back attitude nearly put us all in the sea, as he directed the rescue boat in such a way that we nearly were run down by it.
Rope after rope broke, and the cat was being torn apart by Jerry's boat handling, (or lack thereof). It was always "no problem", especially to his crew members who kept finding reasons to get aboard the rescue boat, leaving us on the cat.
When we made it back to port, we canceled the remainder of the tour.
No one would get back on a boat with him or his crew (Royal Caribbean refunded half our money).
Counter "no problem" with our stateroom attendant, Listra. Her attitude was always, "how can I solve your problem"? She was always there when needed, always with a smile, and always with useful information about how things worked on the ship. She knew the tricks of the trade, a true professional. She knew what time we left our room, and we never had to worry about being in her way, or her being in ours.
Listra was from Trinidad, disproving the theory that "no problem, Mon" is an attitude that permeates the Caribbean.
First time I've ever hugged a staff member of a hotel on the way home from vacation. So, as they both worked for tips, who do you suppose made out better?
Who would I go to again? The answer is obvious.
So, how do we work this lesson into our business?
Quite easily! Look.
We all have access to the same information. We all have great websites. We all work hard.
So, the only thing we can do to set ourselves apart is the service portion of our business. Use the latest technology to reach our people first, with the best.
Go the extra mile.
Remember who it is that pays the bills.
Be and do what our clients want.
It's the same thing we hear about all the time. Sometimes we just need a Jerry and a Listra to remind us.
Remember, the best business is repeat business.
How do we get "clients for life"?
SERVICE!!!!!
Lesson learned.