Get to know your customers

Getting to know your customers’ names and using them is a key part of making regular customers comfortable with your business.

Make friends with your customers and once you know them, always ask them how they are, what is happening with their lives and families etc. If your customers are comfortable, they are likely to use your store regularly.

Even complete strangers will be more than happy to interact with you if you strike up a conversation. The weather (particularly in the UK) is always a good starting point, as it is the one thing we all share and all have an opinion on.

NEVER ignore your customer for a phone call, it sends a terrible message that whoever is on the phone is more important than the person you are serving. The customer must be of paramount importance, not to mention speaking on the phone whilst serving is simply rude.

The better you get to know your customers and the better they get to know you will pay dividends time and again in customer loyalty and make your working day a much more pleasant experience.

A good relation with your customers is also very good for security.

This post is an extract from the e-book ‘So, you want to run a convenience store?’ by Peter Lamb. It is available for free download here.