Things your customer wish you knew about them

Think you know what makes your customers, staff and colleagues tick? 

What stories will engage them with you and move them to at least recognise that you have your hand up???

What do they really, really, really, need from you? 

Here are 40 plus things they would like you to know about them but don't really want to say out loud.

  

40 plus things you need to know before you even start any conversation with them. Whether it is to try to persuade them that this 'new way' really will be a big help to them. That your new product will make them love you even more, that you are the person or organisation they can trust to solve their problem.

No-one , and I mean no-one, ever changed the way they work or their increased their level of enthusiasm because they read an email from 'on high', read your glossy new brochure or had a beautifully designed newsletter pop into their in-box.

They may, just may, engage with, spare a second to, listen to or even become an ardent fan if you have remember any (or all) of the following, while crafting the story you want to share with them.

1.   I don’t need you to be perfect, but I do need to know I can rely on you.

2.   Telling me what you don’t know makes me trust you.

3.   It means a lot when you take the time to thank me for my idea or input.

4.   You don’t need to do all that much to be a superhero. Just do exactly what you say you will do.

5.   A friendly voice on the other side of the phone means more than you can imagine.

6.   My life is really stressful. If you can reduce that stress, you become immensely valuable to me.

7.   I want to tell you what would make this relationship better for me. Why don’t you ever ask me?

8.   I don’t understand a lot of the messages you send me. Can you make them clearer?

9.   My life is very complicated. If you make it easy for me to do just one task in simple all-in-one package that I can use without learning anything, I’ll take it and be grateful.

10.  I want to trust you, but it’s hard for me to trust anyone.

11. Once you’ve won my trust and loyalty, the truth is you can screw up once in awhile and I will forgive you. If I don’t think you’re taking me for granted, that is.

12.When I refer my colleagues to you and you give them exceptional service, that makes me look and feel smart. I love that.

13. I spend an awful lot of time being scared to death.

14. A lot of the time, I secretly feel like a lost little kid. I don’t admit it, but I want to be taken care of.

15. I’m lousy at admitting I was wrong, but I respect you when you do it.

16.I don’t understand how to use our Web site, but I can’t admit that because it would make me feel dumb.

17.There’s no worse feeling than feeling like I was tricked into trusting you. If I’m screaming at you or one of your other employees, that feeling is probably behind it somewhere.

18.Our relationship isn’t equal and it never will be.

19.I get stupidly jealous if I think you love another customer more than you love me.

20.I don’t have any interest in your excuses. In fact, I usually don’t notice them at all, and if I do, they annoy me.

21.I find myself endlessly fascinating.

22.There’s something in my life I’m afraid of losing. If you can make me feel like you’ve protected it for me, my gratitude will be intense and eternal.

23. I’ll give you anything you ask if you can help me not feel silly.

24. I want you to do the hard work for me. Even better if I can get all the credit.

25. I’d rather do it the convoluted hard way than learn something new.

26. I’d love to know something about our product or service  that I could use to brag at a dinner party.

27. I have the attention span of a goldfish. Go too long without contacting me and I’ll simply forget you exist.

28.What you think you’re good at is not what you’re good at. Ask me, and I’ll tell you what you do better than anyone else.

29.I like it when I feel like you’re talking just to me.

30. It infuriates me when you answer the phone while I’m talking with you face-to-face.

31.Embarrassment scares me more than death.

32.I’m lazier than I would ever admit.

33.I’m more selfish than I would ever admit.

34.I’m more vain than I would ever admit.

35. I’m more insecure than I would ever admit.

36. Despite all that, I secretly think I’m a better person than most people. Help me believe that and I'll follow you.

37. I believe I deserve much more than I’m getting.

38. I want to tell you everything you need to know in order persuade me, but I’m lazy. Make it easy enough and I will. (Especially if you flatter me a little.)

39. I don’t know what I want most of the time. You need to figure it out for me.

40. I mostly daydream about making life better for myself, but I’ll take action to keep from losing what’s mine.

41. I believe that most of what’s wrong in my life is someone else’s fault. Let me keep that cozy illusion and I’ll believe anything you say.

42. It really is all about me.