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Customer Obedience Classes
A well trained customer is a happy customer. 😀
To ensure you get the best out of your clients it is important to make sure they are properly trained. This can take a while but is well worth the effort. Once trained, your customer will become more loyal and obedient and will remain a friend for life
Here is a short list of basic rules that I recommend you apply when “breaking in” a new customer (No doubt there are many more, and you may wish to add to this list to make it a comprehensive as possible):-
1/ Show him who’s boss – Never let the customer think he is the one in control. You must assert your authority right at the very beggining to give him a clear indication of who is leading. From time to time, even a well trained and experienced customer will try and gain the upper hand. You must stamp on this at the first sign that this is happening to re-assert your authority over him.
2/ Praise him – Always praise your customer and show him how much you care for him. When showing him your latest designs don’t forget to encourage him with praise every time he makes the right choices.
3/ Chasten Him – Equally as important is the need to chasten your customer when he makes the wrong choices. e.g When he is critical of your choice of colour or wants large letters at the expense of the margins. Often a bit of well chosen sarcasm will prevent him from speaking his mind and keep him at heel.
4/ Reward his loyalty – The occasional titbit can be thrown in for good measure – forgetting to charge for that extra bit of lettering he has asked for is usually enough to keep him placid and happy.
5/ House training – Ensure the customer is properly house trained. A no smoking sign at the front counter should be enough to discourage him from smoking when visiting your premises, however it may on occasion be nessesary to reinforce this message with a short sharp “put the cigarette out” to remind him to refrain from smoking on your presence. You may of course have your own set of house rules that must be obeyed. For example, many signshops will allow the customer to smoke on their premises but will discourage the drinking of alcohol during client meetings (unless it is after midday in which case this can be considered to be quite normal.
6/ Teach him to “Fetch” – Teach the customer to bring the vehicle to you for lettering. Many customers will attempt to get you to go out and fit signs to their vehicles on site. This is a practice to be discouraged. Wherever possible the customer should bring the vehicle to you. This saves time for you and ensures you can re-cut a section and re-apply it when ever a muck up occurs. Encourage the customer to fetch the vehicle to you by explaining that you will be able to provide a better job when the lettering is applied in your climate controlled, fully equiped vehicle livery bay 🙄
These are just some of the most basic rules I use when puppy training my customers. You may disagree with some or all of them, or you may wish to add some rules of your own to the above list 😉
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5 Replies
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Perhaps you’d consider giving some training days Phill.
We could bring along one or two awkward customers and you could instruct us on the best way to bring them to heel. You could even give out rosettes and certificates.
Who knows with your help we could have them jumping through hoops.
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Phil
you have forgotten the single most important rule of all,
always pay your bills on time
and have not even touched upon the faith rule, all work must be carried out by your master sign maker.
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thanks Phill! 😆 😆 😆
I enjoyed that over a cup of coffee 😛 I can see your a man who’s had dealings first-hand with ‘homo-knobheaduss’ the direct decendant of homo-tightwadius 😉
There’s an old saying: “oft’ a true word said in jest’…and that’s certainly the case here.
brill stuff!
more soon
mikethesign
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Well said phill
I had to signwrite a vehicle in a panel shop on a 30 degre day in the sun, my gold vinyl turned to liquid and was not very applyable, the customer came allong and gave me a mouth full because it was not going to well, I riped the vinyl of the vehicle and told him to bring it to my factorey. 😳
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Great one phill…
I’ve just replied to an email from one particular Homo – Dickheadicus
He has an idea for his new shop that is driving me up the wall. How long do you think I’ll get if I go and punch him? Listening to Phill…I should just give him a hard yank on his “choke” chain. Choke…Choke…Choke…That sounds good, quite theraputic. Good larf Phill.Lee
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