Are your customers cats or dogs?

By Dawn Roberts, Sales Expert

No company owns a customer. At best, you get to caretake them until they no longer need you or a better offer comes along. 

Most customers are like cats; they come when they need something, have little loyalty (and several ‘owners’) and are easily tempted away by a more tasty meal. They know you need them more than they need you and that there is always a better offer to be had somewhere else.

Now dogs on the other hand, they are so loyal it hurts. You can shout at a dog and it still looks at you as if you are the most magnificent and lovable thing in the world. They don’t eat anywhere else or have several ‘owners’. In fact, they will bark to defend you and scare off any threat to your union.

When it comes to customers, we need more dogs!

A dog still loves you if you make a mistake because it knows the love outweighs the blip and you’ll put it right with some kindness and love soon enough. Do your customers?

A cat doesn’t care. It knows it has all the power. If it thinks it’s not king in your house it will go down the road to where it will be.  Does this sound more like your customers?

Is your customer service breeding dogs or cats? Think about each and every one of your customer service staff. Are they ALL giving spectacular service? If just one isn’t, then your company is in danger of threat from your competitors and brand damage. We have all heard stories of customers turning away from a brand because of bad service. It is never the ‘brand’ that offended or mistreated them. It’s usually the individual they dealt with on the phone or in person.  A brand can’t lose a customer, only people can do that.

Large retail chains are awash with mission statements and customer service charters, yet I still see their staff chatting to each other behind the counter while I’m being served.  If they can’t be bothered to show me love and loyalty why should I continue to shop there? They’ve turned me into a cat!

Make a decision today, cats or dogs?  Assassins or advocates?  You will definitely be cultivating one or the other!