CPR saves lives and businesses

Learning CPR saves lives and it saves businesses. So, what does CPR have to do with businesses?  First, please answer two questions:

1. Have your revenues dropped significantly? 
2. Are your expenses overtaking your revenues? 

If you answered yes to either question, it sounds like your business is dying and needs CPR.

According to the American Heart Association, CPR or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation-is an emergency lifesaving procedure that is performed when the heart stops beating, so that the blood keeps flowing until the heart can start working again on its own.

So, what can CPR do for your business? It can revive your cashflow.

How? By providing your customers with an experience that is,

1. C- Courteous
2. P-Pleasing
3. R-Respectful

In sum, excellent customer service!!!

Courteous

Business Owners ask yourself the following questions.  Do you or your staff behave as though your customers are bothering them?  Do you or your staff welcome your customers?  Do you or your staff raise their voice, talk down or sarcastically to your customers?  Hopefully your answer is No, but if you answered Yes to at least one question, you have a problem.

Being courteous simply means, be polite!  As a Business Owner, you need to pay attention to how you and your staff treat your customers because this may be the reason why your customers are not coming back?   

Pleasing

Firstly, being pleasing, is not about having a master/servant relationship with your customer.  Being pleasing means understanding what your customers want and demonstrating how your service or product meets that need. 

Secondly, it is important to understand that people are not contacting you by chance, but because they believe that the service or product you offer can satisfy their needs.  

So, what effort do you or staff make to show customers that their needs can be met by what you have to offer?  Do you take the time to understand what they want?  If you cannot meet their needs, do you refer them to someone else? 

Respectful

To be respectful, means to hold your customers in high regard and to respect their rights.  So, Business Owners how would you rate the level of respect shown by you and your staff to your customers?  Here are some questions to help you with this. 

How do you facilitate the elderly or persons with disabilities?  Are you late for your appointments?  Do you exaggerate the benefits of your product/service?  If you make a mistake, do you make amends?    Once again, I advise Business Owners to pay attention to the experience that your customers are having.

In closing, it is important to have a great product, or service, and to manage your finances but having poor customer service kills your business.  If you take the time to prepare a budget for your revenues, you must also take the time to ensure that you are not sabotaging your efforts.