Fully Satisfy Needs to Win Customer Loyalty in Business and at Work

At the age of 12, our son Noah has a loyal customer who consistently delivers repeat business.

Noah did little to initially earn this customer, except for being cordial.  His customer, another family acquainted with our family, took a liking to Noah a few years ago, occasionally dropping off home-baked treats at our house.  Noah, with his father Joel coaching him (and Joel’s equally strong home-baking skills), would often return the favor. After several months, the family approached Noah with a business proposal:  caring for their large collection of house plants and outdoor gardens when they traveled out of town on vacation. Accompanied by Joel, Noah’s first meeting with his then-new customer involved detailed watering and plant care instructions; stewardship of the key to the customer’s house; and tracking his daily watering and plant care tasks in a small journal that the customer provided.

Noah, to his credit, not only followed the customer’s instructions exactly, their plants and gardens flourished under his care – so while the customer chose Noah, it’s Noah’s great work that has sealed his customer’s loyalty, earning him consistent repeat business.  His customer was particularly pleased with Noah’s work during November and December of last year:  when they returned from their travels during Christmas week, they were delighted to discover houseplants blooming that apparently never bloom during the winter months.

This past weekend, with the delivery of shamrock-shaped sugar cookies and a small loaf of Irish soda bread, Noah received his latest assignment:  caring for his customer’s plants for the next two weeks.  Noah had his customary briefing meeting with his customer, and returned to the house with his latest assignment, at the ready with his key, care instructions and watering journal.

How will you fully satisfy (and/or exceed) your customers’ needs this week to seal their ongoing loyalty and repeat sales, in business and at work?