Successful business leaders know that satisfied customers are not enough to guarantee loyalty and recurring sales. True leaders know that engaged customers are.
Customer satisfaction becomes worthless unless it triggers customer loyalty and inspires people to refer your meeting planning business to other potential customers.
Examples of exceptional leadership are found everywhere:
Four Paws General Store, in Fountain Hills, may look like a simple pet store from the outside, but take a closer look and you will discover that this prosperous company owned by two local leaders, Margherita Arvanites and Sheila Hall, has developed one of the most loyal and engaged group of customers, all of them involved in the business in amazingly positive and productive ways.
When the store opened in 2002, its owners created what they called the “Yappy Hour”, which consists of a Friday evening event where dogs and owners gather for some time of camaraderie.
Dogs play, owners chat, and Margherita and Sheila serve refreshments while they enjoy the chance to get to know their customers and pets on a personal basis. This led to the discovery that not only dogs wag their tails when they are happy… their owners can too! 
You can be sure that Four Paws General Store’s customers are not going anywhere else soon. One time when the owners were out of town, Yappy Hour was going to be canceled for that week because they didn’t want to leave their part time staff in charge of the event, but the customers jumped in and, Oh Yes… barked their opinions.
Several clients offered to take care of everything, refreshments included. It is clear that there is not a howl, growl, or snarl able to put an end to Yappy Hour; dogs will keep on playing, owners will keep on chatting, and vice versa, and there will be a lot of tail wagging from everyone in the long future.
In the meeting planning business, leaders know that customer satisfaction is important, in fact, and as every renowned leadership speaker and coach will confirm, it is 15 times more expensive to gain a new customer than it is to maintain a current one; thus, it is smart and financially wise to make your customers happy, but… leaders also know that a satisfied customer doesn’t mean he or she will come back for more.
On the other hand, when your customers feel engaged, they are devoted to you, and that means they are there to stay.
This little pet store has done the magic, its customers wouldn’t even think about shopping somewhere else, they constantly tell their friends about the place, and enjoy being a part of the business’s growth.
So, dear meeting planner, do you have your own version of the Yappy Hour? Because if you don’t, you’re barking up the wrong tree!
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Entries (RSS)