BACK STORY
I spent 34 years as the founder and sales director of Subjective Audio Ltd in London. I had a fascination [some called it a sort of OCD] regarding customer satisfaction as measured sometime after the transaction was completed.
I was searching [and, by and large, discovered] how to help re-enforce satisfaction frequency, the reasons behind reoccurrence, how satisfaction evolved, the consequences of me not paying sufficient attention to customer feedback and much more.
CONTEXT
It’s worth pointing I feel out that concurrently with me being a seller, I was also a buyer – purchasing from both makers and distributors. I was their customer and their approach regarding my satisfaction was markedly different from mine with my customers. I’ll be writing about this in due course.
MOVING ON
In summary then, before I nudge you towards tip #1 [below] I had many years of practical, hands-on sleeves-rolled-up experience to draw upon. In a few notable cases, I learned invaluable ‘lessons’ from many of my customers and was relaxed about regularly re-adjusting our policies to reflect their aspirations.
SKILL 1 KEEP YOUR MENTAL DOOR FIRMLY SHUT UNTIL NEW INFORMATION COMES KNOCKING.
Overthinking goes into overdrive when buyers keep revisiting buying decisions. They are unable and/or unwilling to close the door on a judgement that they’ve made. The remedy, and this is far harder than it sounds, believe that you’ve done your due diligence, WHICH MEANS THAT revisit something you have already decided only when you’re presented with new and valid information. That’s it. Skill #2 tomorrow.
EPILOGUE
Some of you might be wondering if the very uncertainty identified above has and is still used by some makers to ensure that next tiny [to the point of insignificance for many] “upgrade” is a marketing tactic. You bettcha it is. And you probable know them. Deliberate buyer uncertainty / disquiet / qualms / quandry and so on has been, from time to time, both covert and overt in this industry, and others of course.
Sermon over and thank you for reading.
Finally ... I am indebted to Scott Mautz for the stimulus for this series. Thank you Scott.
