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18 STORM & SECURITY PROTECTION / FORECAST 2014 There are plenty of places to rent tools and equipment in any town, anywhere. When people need to rent a post-hole auger or a trencher, many go to the local, family-owned equipment rental shop—because of the experience. It might not be a sparkling clean place. In fact, it might look a bit like a glorified tool shed, with all the grease and dust one might expect. They haven't built their business and retained their customers for decades because of the décor; their regulars return because of the staff/cus- tomer relationship that makes renting at their business an enjoyable, personal experience. Customers appreciate that when they walk through those dusty doors, the employees know their names and their needs. We all have our own shopping styles and preferences. No matter how you slice it, shopping and buying comes down to basic pain and pleasure stimuli and responses—we are subject to conditioning. Places and actions that we as- sociate with pleasure we seek to experience again, and we seek to avoid experiences that cause us pain. Your custom- ers go through this process during every contact they have with you, and it's paramount that when you depart, they have a desire to continue doing business with you. To craft a customer-centric culture focus on your cus- tomers' experiences from point-of-entry to point-of-sale to increase growth and retention. There are five touchstones to establishing a custom- er-centric culture, and putting them into practice will give you a leg up on your competition. 1. Audit Your Customers' Experience An experience audit aids in identifying your customer type, and allows you to model your business based on their needs. When you put yourself in your customers' shoes, you know best how to serve them—and build a profitable business in the process. Put yourself in the mind of your customer by con- ducting a simple audit of the pains and pleasures involved in your business. Make two columns on a piece of paper and title one "Pain" and the other "Pleasure" and walk through the entire process your customer walks through while dealing with you. Track each, individual perception of pain or pleasure—you may be surprised at the number of negatives. Do the pains and pleasures correspond with the type of business or service you provide and with the types of customers you have? 2. Learn Your Regulars Local, family-owned equipment shops have become a staple because the owners and staff created relationships with their regulars. They built a culture and environment of "the neighborhood rental shop," where their customers knew they could go for their equipment needs, but also friendly conversation, teasing and jokes from the staff— where you're expected, as the customer, to engage in the banter and give it right back. Your regulars become your mouthpiece in the market: recruiting new business and customers simply by word-of- mouth praise. When you form longstanding relationships with your regulars and recognize their individual likes and dislikes, you can tailor an experience that feels distinctly personalized and negates any inherent pain that accompa- nies your industry—which will generate business success with increased customer growth. 3. Hire Staff That Mirror Your Culture All the time and effort you exert to make your business a one-of-a-kind, individualized experience is negated if your staff does not mirror these same values and ideals. Your employees are the keepers of your culture. They are the ones who maintain your operating standards, customer- service practices and the atmosphere that distinguishes you from a similar shop down the street. You must be meticulous with your hiring practices to ensure you're bringing the correct people onboard. Reject candidates that do not parallel your customer- centric model. Instill in your new hires the magnitude of your business philosophy. 4. Don't Overcomplicate and Trust in Feedback There are occasions when business owners actually diminish their customers' experiences in an attempt to overcomplicate their service practices. A prime example of this occurred at a local grocery store during their first year in business. Customers often would leave their carts throughout the parking lot. The owners and staff did not have return racks for carts because they did not want to convey an obligation for their customers to return them to the store—they wanted them to leave them in the lot for the employees' to collect. While a nice sentiment in theory, in practice they were creating a parking lot situation full of obstacles and potential damage to their customers' vehicles. | by Tron Jordheim | Crafting a Customer-Centric Business Culture Five ways to retain customers and to bring in new ones. Business Savvy }