Grow Your Customer Base with Delivery Mastery

When it comes to connecting with your customers, presentation is everything. No matter what service or product you may offer to the public, if you are not airtight with every aspect related to its delivery, you will lose them.

I don’t mean delivery just in the sense of getting your product to the customer as for some, your customers may come to you. By delivery, I mean delivering on the guarantee that they will get their product or service and the promise of great customer service in the process. The key to achieving this is by striving for consistency in your process. 

Delivery Mastery is one of the 6 Steps of Mastery that we utilize to coach our clients, and one thing we say is: “There is no use in filling the tub if the plug is left out.” Essentially, you cannot put time, energy, and resources into something if it will leak through the pipeline because of a lack of planning, quality, and tracking. There are four aspects to Delivery Mastery and once you have these settled you will see an increase in client intake and retention.

1. Supply Mastery

Your supply directly correlates with the customers’ happiness and expectation. Your supply, whether a product or service, needs to reach your customers at an appropriate time and in excellent condition. This is a no-brainer. However, there are many issues that arise, specifically with planning and budgeting, that business owners do not expect that can negatively affect their supply and its transmission.

Are you keeping a well-detailed inventory of your products? Mistakes in tracking your inventory can cause errors when customers put in their orders. I’m sure you can imagine the annoyance that may come when a customer puts an order in to later find out the item is out-of-stock. The same can happen with a service-focused business when a customer makes an appointment, and no one shows up. 

Not receiving their goods or delays in shipping can negatively affect customers’ desire to purchase again in the future. This shows a lack of consistency and diminishes their trust in you.

You should plan to always have enough to serve your customers at any time that they want it. This should also consider if there is an increase in demand. At your current capacity could you handle a 15% increase in sales? You should plan to always have a little more than expected.

2. Quality Mastery

For managing your customers’ expectations about your business, you should aim high. This means you need to assess all areas of your business and discover what aspects you’re doing well in and where you need work. You should be striving to deliver the quality that customers expect and then building upon those expectations when established.

Your quality should retain the consistency that we talked about, helping build upon those expectations. Keep in mind that once you fail to deliver at the standard they expect it is very hard to win that customer back. You have lost their trust and will have to work very hard to win it back.

Believe it or not, you should embrace customer complaints as they can set the roadmap for improvement. They will help you pinpoint whether there are issues with your product, delivery, or strategy. They let you know where you are losing customers due to low quality.

3. Easy to Buy Mastery

The keyword here is “easy.” Customers don’t want to feel like they are getting the runaround when they are trying to purchase your project. If they feel like your product or service is hard to obtain they simply just won’t buy it. While you may have a project that they might need, their purchase will make it possible to continue selling your project - and they know this. They happily will turn to your competitors to execute their needs.

Make sure your product is easy to know about. Make sure your marketing is clear and in places that your target audience can easily see it. Target them directly and specifically, and talk to them in a language that they will understand.

Your product must also be easy to find. Most customers do a simple internet search to find what they are looking for. If you do not have a website or your website is poorly functioning or branded incorrectly, it will be harder for them to find you. You should also consider traditional marketing such as flyers, billboards, and mailers that clearly have your information and how they can obtain your product or service.

For identifying aspects that you can improve, I suggest going to the source: your customers. Mystery shoppers can be really helpful to get an unbiased view of a customer’s experience buying from you. Or, you can do customer surveys to get honest, specific feedback.

4. Service Mastery

Now let’s talk about customer service, which is the bow that wraps up all of these elements. To put it bluntly, you can have all the before mentioned elements mastered, but if your subpar customer service can ruin your business,

Let’s go back to the basics. A warm smile and a friendly “hello” can go a long way in creating a positive customer experience. It’s simple - treat your customers with the same service that you would hope for and then enforce these expectations within your team.

Consider Chick-fil-A as a shining example. The fast-food chain is known for its stellar customer service consistent in all of its restaurants. Customer service is a part of their training. Train your team members to deliver the outstanding customer service that you want to see in your restaurant.

Make Consistency the Foundation of Perfect Delivery

As I mentioned before, consistency will make all the difference in improving your delivery. Giving half-effort in anything isn’t going to change old habits. You need to make these things a priority to truly see the difference in your business. 

Once you master your delivery you will reap the benefits that include a loyal, bigger, and stronger customer base. Your client list will grow and your product or service will be in high demand. 

Delivery Mastery is not the only thing that will help you grow your business. We suggest following our unique 6 Steps to a Better Business that is a part of our coaching program. Contact us today to learn more about how to master delivery, grow your client base, and increase your revenue.