Unique Customers Want To Be Treated Uniquely

When I look at the spectrum of my personal experiences, the experiences of my clients and customers, and the 000's of experiences I have evaluated in my consulting business, one thing transcends all industries more than anything else.

Unique customers want to be treated uniquely.

Think of every situation in your lifetime where you had unique circumstances and either were late to an appointment or missed a payment or something else that a company's systems would set off red flags.  These unique situations require companies to assume positive intent and demonstrate mutual trust so that is rewarded back to the company.

It doesn't matter if you are a financial advisor with a client who has been diagnosed with cancer or if you broke your ankle trying to help a friend get something accomplished.  Many of us have lived a good life, and every once in a while, things happen.  Your job as an owner of a company is to empathize and make that customer or client feel unique and how you are going to help them solve this temporary setback.

My last eight months have been super-saturated with unique events - nearly lost a finger, had a baby, son fell at school, wife was in a car accident while 6.5 months pregnant, I was stuck in Europe during the Icelandic volcano, and I sprained an ankle.

Do you think I have a list of companies in my head that treated me a little better than those that didn't?  You better believe it.  While my situation and compilation of events is unique, don't think for a second that someone else with an otherwise perfect relationship with your company might be suffering a temporary setback.  Maybe the think to do to make yourself a unique company to your unique customer is to reach out to them and ask if everything is okay and if there is something you can do.

Do you have the data at your fingertips to identify those customers?  If not, you may have a bigger problem.