Author: JoAnna Brandi

The owner of a beauty salon was worried. He had a large and happy clientele who willingly paid his $30/haircut fee, but noticed an obvious decline in customers when another shop opened less than a block away. The draw? A big sign in the shop window offering $12 hair cuts. What to do? After giving it a lot of thought, he put a sign in his own window: "We fix $12 haircuts."

We're a funny group here. We're what's known as a "virtual" organization. All of us work from our homes and fit work into a host of other activities, like caring for kids, traveling, or keeping in good shape. Because almost all of us are involved in the activities of writing the Customer Care Coach ® (our "alternative" customer service training program www.customercarecoach.com) any of us can be found with a folder full of papers that need to be edited or proofread as we sit and wait at the gym, the school, or the doctor's office.

Last week Ann Rousseau, an editor extraordinaire who's been working with us to update the Coach program, went to pick up a friend's glasses at the optometrist's. She had been there the day before working on revisions to issue #16 while her friend had her eyes examined. When Ann left the office she didn't notice that she'd left one page of the lesson behind featuring a story we call "The $12 Haircut." Here's the story:

"The owner of a beauty salon in a suburban shopping center was worried. He had a large and happy clientele who willingly paid his $30/haircut fee, but noticed an obvious decline in customers when another shop opened less than a block away. The draw? A big sign in the shop window offering $12 hair cuts. What to do?

"After giving it a lot of thought, he realized that if his competitor were only charging $12 a cut then the staff there probably wasn't as well trained as his own. So he put a sign in his own window: 'We fix $12 haircuts.'"

As the nurse in the office picked up the paper she started reading it to figure out to whom it belonged. Much to her surprise she got intrigued with the story and immediately shared it with the people in her office.

When Ann returned to pick up her friend's glasses, the office was buzzing with excitement. The doctor couldn't wait to share the "Ah-ha!" that both she and her staff experienced upon reading the information on that one page (...only one of the many pages on crafting a customer caring culture).

"We fix $12 haircuts." Bingo! That one line struck a chord. This doctor herself had been challenged by the marketing of a competitor. The story inspired the office staff to think differently about the situation, to think outside the box as they asked themselves and each other, "What's our competitor's '$12 haircut?' How can we fix those haircuts?"

The answer to the question quickly surfaced. The optometrist and her staff proudly showed Ann their new four-color, information filled, picture-rich glossy newsletter. Their competitor's recent newsletter had been sent out on yellow copy paper stock with a horse's head as the logo; they discovered they were already in the business of "fixing haircuts," of viewing their competitors' weaknesses as their opportunities.

YOUR competitors' weaknesses are YOUR opportunities! Do you know what they are? Have you discussed them with your team - made the most of them with the goal of enhancing customer relationships? Even if you think you know those answers, snoop around, visit your competitors' websites, call them on the phone, ask for a catalog, request a free sample, walk into their store or office. Check it out. As you find their "vulnerabilities" don't get caught up in your ego telling yourself how great your organization is (although a little patting on the back is a good thing). Use your findings as a springboard for ideas that will enhance your own efforts.

You can also ask your customers. "Just out of curiosity, do you also shop at company ABC? What do you like about them? Is there anything you don't like about them? If there were one thing they could be doing better, what would that be?"

Use all the intelligence you have - every brain in your organization. The business world is more competitive than it ever was. Be smart. Stay smart. Make the most of every opportunity. When you want a new perspective, ask yourself some interesting new questions! Using the story they found in the Customer Care Coach the optometrist and her staff did just that, and they received affirmation that they were on the right track as well as new ideas for staying on track.

A Speaker and consultant, she is publisher of the bi-weekly Customer Care Tips Bulletin. To receive her free bi-weekly tips bulletin, sign up at www.returnonhappiness.com. You can also reach JoAnna at 561-279-0027 or e-mail joanna@customercarecoach.com.