Lesson Learned: How to Delight Your Customers

I am a creature of habit.  When I find something I like, I stick with it.

Whether your "customers" are the readers of your blog or the buyers of your products, being kind, generous and fair will keep them coming back!At my favorite Mexican restaurant, I order the same bowl of Chicken Tortilla soup without the tortillas every time.  (I can’t stand when the torillas turn to mush in the soup!)

When I find an author I like, I read every single book they have written. (Which is why I have never read a book by Karen Kingsbury. That is just TOO.MANY.BOOKS. even for this bookworm.)

And I may or may not binge buy necklaces, bracelets and earrings from this local jewelry maker I found at a craft show.

When something delights me, I am a loyal fan for life.  In my first six months of blogging, I have been blessed to find some people who have truly delighted me.  They are my go-to team when I need their products and I shamelessly recommend them to everyone I know.

Don’t we all want clients and readers like me?  People who come back time and time again because they are delighted by what we do?  Whether they are readers of your blog, buyers of your products or people served by your ministry, you can delight your customers and turn them into raving fans.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means  if you purchase from some of these people, I may receive compensation. But these folks are all so super amazing, I would recommend them even if I didn’t!

Lesson:  Be there and be dependable

Learned from:  SiteGround

My first experience with website hosting was disastrous.  I had a tech issue and the hosting company just gave up on me.  At the recommendation of my theme developer (more about his awesomeness later!) I switched to SiteGround and have been in love ever since.  The service has been flawless, with none of the issues I had before.  Every time I call the support line (yes, I can call them directly and not go through Live Chat first) they are helpful and I can actually understand what they say.  Siteground is awesome.  I’ll use them forever.

Web Hosting

How to delight your customers:  There is a lot to be said for just showing up.  Blog consistently.  Answer your emails.  Respond to comments.  And if you can do it in a way that is helpful, all the more better.

Lesson:  Be helpful and share what you know

Learned from:  Tom Usborne of GeneratePress

So I admit to being a bit of a tech geek, but before I started Do A New Thing, my knowledge of creating and coding a website was zippo.  I’ve never done this before but I’ve always wanted to learn.

After figuring out how to install WordPress, my next job was finding a theme.  I searched around and settled on GeneratePress because it was very clean and, well, because it was free! I had no idea what a treasure I had stumbled on.

gpWith a $40 package of add-ons, GeneratePress seems infinitely customizable.  I can turn things off and on, build pieces in sections, change the color and style of almost anything.  I actually found a fancy expensive theme that I really liked and with a little bit of coding, was able to get a similar look and feel using the flexibility of that comes with GP.

But none of that would have been possible without the amazing support of the developer, Tom Usborne.  Tom works the support forum like a boss. He’s quick to respond and helpful to a fault.  And what I love most is that Tom answers in words I can understand.  He picks up on where you are technically and answers at your level.  I’m happy to use his donate button and buy him some coffee once in a while because he has made my website dreams come true.

How to delight your customers: Helpfulness never goes out of style, even when you are a hipster tech guru.  Some people are afraid to share what they know because they think you might not need them if you know what they know.  How twisted up is that?  The more I learn from Tom, the more I want to learn and the more I want to rave about all that GeneratePress can do.

Lesson Learned: Go above and beyond what’s expected

Learned from: Kasey Hoggatt of Sublime Styled Stock

When I started this website I had a specific vision in mind for the graphics and I knew I needed some style photography. I looked all over the Internet,  searched lots of Etsy shops and you know what? Half the people I contacted didn’t even respond to me. And those that did quoted really super high prices that I could never have afforded as I was just getting started out. My expectations of creative types were pretty low at that point.

sublimeBut then I found Kasey.  She does amazing work and she was super responsive. She went above and beyond anything I could’ve imagined her doing for me. All for a price that I could easily afford.  I am a raving fan.  Sublime Styled Stock is my first and only stop for style photography needs for this blog.  All of the square post graphics, the header, the hero image on the home page..  everything comes from Kasey.

How to delight your customers: Ask a lot of questions to understand exactly what they want. When you tailor what you offer to what your readers or clients want, you will delight them.  It’s a little sad that our expectations of service providers can be so low, but in today’s world, someone who offers personal service that meets a specific need is going to have people returning again and again.

Lesson Learned:  Notice people in the crowd

Learned from: Tabitha Philen of Inspired Bloggers University

Now I had a hosting service, an awesome theme and a pretty website.  It was time to learn about this world of blogging.  For that, I turned to Tabitha.

Through her Inspired Bloggers University, Tabitha provides courses, resources and mentoring to make any blogger successful. Her Inspired Bloggers Network Facebook group has almost 9,000 members and her #BlogSuccessScope series on Periscope is followed by over 2,600 people.  She’s a kinda big deal to a lot of people.

blog-success-planner-complete-bundleYet, when I wrote this post about how I was using her Blog Success Planner in a unique way, Tabitha noticed.  She retweeted and posted in the Facebook group to help me promote the post.  She made me feel like a valued member of the IBN community even though I was a teeny tiny fish in her great big pond.  I’ll always go to Tabitha first for courses and advice on blogging.

How to delight your customers:  Whether you have 10,000 people following you, or 10, your peeps want to know you see them. Watch for how they are using your products or sharing your words and acknowledge what they are doing to promote you.  I love being part of Tabitha’s community because not only is she generous in sharing and promoting what other’s are doing, the whole community follows her lead and promotes each other.

 

Did you notice some common things about these people who delighted me?  They represent two key Biblical principles that will keep me coming back for more.

First, they genuinely care about people.  I always come away feeling encouraged when I work with them.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thess. 5:11 (ESV)

And second, their high-quality products are affordable, which means they are providing huge value.  What’s not to love about that?

It is good for people to be kind and generous and to be fair in business. Psalm 112:5 (ERV)

Kind, generous and fair.  THAT is the way to delight your customers!

RESPOND

Has someone delighted you recently?  Give a shout-out to someone who has been kind, generous and fair!

Linking up with #GraceandTruth

3 thoughts on “Lesson Learned: How to Delight Your Customers”

Leave a Comment

Let's Do

our-thing

Help For

your-thing

Is your to-do list out of control?

Grab my best to-do list tips and learn to overcome the de-railers in your week

WHY I DO MY THING

Do A New Thing equips busy communicators and leaders with project management and problem solving skills so they can turn their big ideas into a successful ministry or business.

Privacy, Disclaimers and Disclosures

LET'S CONNECT

Contact Me