The Keys To Competitive Success

The secret to competitive success is to give customer service so far above the customer's expectations it becomes a friend-to-friend twitter or a social media buzz-fest.

You can discover the power of positive word-of-mouth advertising, however, in order to produce it you have to deliver more than what customers expect.

Attention to customer needs and problems can differentiate what would otherwise be viewed a an ordinary product and change it into something charged with electrifying excitement because of customer appreciation. It happens because of the company's unexpected consideration for the customers complete satisfaction. That added value for the customer leads to a larger market share and profits.

"My personal experience in excellent customer service was with a well known Internet marketer early in 2003. I had purchased a software from them on the Internet. I called the company because I couldn't get it to work at all. I received a call from someone in management telling me how sorry they were for my inconvenience. He said they would replace the software and they would give me an additional software, and a free membership to their paid membership website. The added value was nearly $300 dollars. I accepted the offer and I told everyone I knew about how great I was treated."

Many companies are not committed to adding value for their customers. They are not used to listening well, trusting their employees, and making continuous improvements, yet these are the keys to competitive success.

Listening well to what others say, is a developed skill, usually associated with counselors, consultants, and teachers. It is one of the most underutilized skills in business today.

Listening to your customers, vendors and employees is your best source of information to gain the competitive advantage for your business.

There is a difference in just being interested in what customers, vendors and employees say and being committed to make the appropriate changes, needed to continually improve the company.

Continueous improvement means that you have to continually find ways to do things better, faster, and different to be a leader in your industry. Ideas for improvement comes from looking at the entire company from the customer's perspective.

Utilizing the customer's perspective for improvement in the company is powerful and produces unexpected benefits for your customers. It's up to you as the owner or manager to think of those extras for your customer and how to deliver them.

When you deliver above the customers expectations you add not only a lifetime customer but one who is willing to spead the good word to others.

A sincere recommendation from a satisfied customer is the most lasting and profound advertising any company can create, as they travel the high road to prosperity.