Discounters can’t compete with you when you provide a better experience for customers. An experience they can’t keep up with. One they can’t touch.
So, what does boutique service really mean? Think about the last time you to a discount store. What did you experience that was brag-worthy when it came to the service or your shopping experience? You probably can’t think of too many things—because in businesses that discount, “good service” and “a good experience” typically just mean that the customer wasn’t disappointed.
As a small business owner you have a deeper relationship with your clients.
Therefore, instead of aiming for lack of disappointment (no hassles, no problems, and discounted prices), your goal is to move beyond simple satisfaction. You should provide services and experiences that thrill customers. You should spend more time with each client, giving them extra love.
What Are the Trademarks of a High- Touch Experience?
When you’re giving customers a better experience, you’ll notice that the following is true:
1. Customers feel as if they’re being treated as an individual, and the boutique business is focused on delivering a service customized to their personal desires.
2. The relationship is a two-way street. The customer is willing to pay more because the boutique is willing to offer a more personalized, “in your best interest” level of service. The customer knows they’re getting more from you, and that costs more.
3. Both the customer and the boutique are excited to do business together. The experience is worth it, and the boutique actually wants to see the customer delighted.
4. Customers feel as if they’re your favorite client. Each and every time they enter, they are greeted like a long lost friend.
Action Steps.
1. Make a list of ways you thrill your clients.
2. What are the boundaries you’re going to set for yourself as a small business owner? Write down what you will and won’t do for your customers, and share them with your employees if you have any.
To get more tips on pricing, marketing and branding a small business that can charge what you’re worth, download a free chapter of my New York Times Best Selling book, Worth Every Penny: Build a Business that Thrills Your Clients and Still Charge What You’re Worth at https://photographybusinessinstitute.com/our-book/