Communications expert coaches professionals on client-retention

One way to improve the chances your business will succeed in the present difficult economic climate can be as simple as a smile and a little bit of respect. These tips on retaining customers were provided by Bill Drury, president of Bill Drury Seminars, in workshops presented Tuesday at the Stratford Conference Center and sponsored by the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce.

“We know a 5 percent increase in customer loyalty can improve long-term profitability by 80 percent,” he said. “Another interesting fact is that it costs five times as much to win a new customer as keep one, but it’s a strange paradox that companies spend more time getting customers than focusing on those they already have.”

In a presentation that alternately elicited laughs and tears from the participants, Drury taught them the importance of listening to and respecting customers, however difficult they may be.

“Empathy is the heart of a good listener,” he said. “When people are upset, they want a shoulder, not a mouth.”

Listening skills outlined by Drury include repeating what the person has said, listening for the main idea, reading between the lines, avoiding negative feedback, listening for attitudes and hearing people out.

“Use self-control in communication,” he said. “Be responsive and not reactive. Stay calm, and deal with the conflict calmly.”

Drury reminded people to “remember the duck,” which seems to glide smoothly on the water but is paddling furiously underneath.

Ensuring customer satisfaction is the best marketing a company can do, he said, since a satisfied customer will tell approximately three people about their good experience with a business. A customer with an unresolved issue will tell about 11 people and an angry customer will tell as many as 20.

He offered 29 words that can turn tough customers into a company’s best customers: “Thank you for bringing this to my attention . . . I admit I made a mistake . . . Please tell me what happened . . . What do you think? . . . I understand you . . . Thank you” . . . and a sentence with “we,” which makes the customer feel a part of something significant.

Defining “respect” as a “humble recognition of worth and value in another,” Drury told participants that “respect is a decision, not a reaction.”

He said he has coined the word “powerchoice” to mean the “basic human freedom to choose how we will respond to people and circumstances.”

Don’t underestimate the power of a sense of humor, Drury told the crowd, asking everyone at the tables to share the craziest thing they had ever done at work.

“Humor makes work fun and is the number one quality customers love,” he said.

Since everyone raised their hands when Drury asked if they had too much stress and too little time in their lives, he offered several tips on what to do when having a bad day.

“Don’t give in to self-pity,” Drury said. “Focus on the next thing that needs to be done because work is a tonic to depression. Reach out a helping hand to someone around you, and find one thing every day to be thankful for and share it with someone else.”

To learn more about Bill Drury’s seminars or to purchase his training materials, go to www.billdrury.com.