There’s so much incredible content on Shep Hyken’s blog. Unlike so many websites, there’s no expiration date on the ideas he shares about Customer Service.
I chose this post out of his archives because it’s a perfect topic for your target audience – creating an educational experience for your customers. Think about it – we’re one of the few industries where every single client is involved in photography. Whether iPhone or real camera, everyone takes pictures.
So, why not use your expertise and help raise the bar on their skill set? Help them become better photographers. Share content on your blog with tips on exposure, posing, composition, and lighting for example. Teach a class in your local community center and help your target audience capture better images this holiday season.
Here’s my point – your business depends on establishing yourself as the photography expert in the community. What better way than to be teaching photography to your target audience?
It’s natural that you would gravitate toward a person you perceived as an expert. When someone demonstrates a level of expertise and shares information you didn’t know, you tend to trust them. That expertise creates confidence.
For example, when you go to Best Buy and are looking for a new TV, you’ll find there are so many to choose from. Even when they have them all hanging on a wall, turned on so you can compare the quality of the pictures, it’s still confusing as to why one would be so much more expensive than another. They are the same size, and many have similar great pictures. So which TV should you buy?
It’s the salesperson’s job to help you make that decision. And there are two types of salespeople. One will read the specs on the card below the TV. The other will share the same information, but at the same time will educate you why one is better – or not – than another. They will explain the “why” behind the specs on the card. And in a very short time, you trust them and take their recommendation. And it’s not just because they are really smart. It’s because they educated you and made you smart!
When you make a customer smarter, at least two things are happening. One, you’re showing off your knowledge in such a way that is all about the customer, and not just about how much you know. And second, you’re eliminating confusion, which creates clarity and confidence.
Confidence is very important to get a customer to not just buy but to come back and buy some more. Customers must have confidence in the quality of what you sell and confidence that the experience will be the same every time. And when you can add that you make the customer smarter – and therefore more confident about their buying decisions – you are hitting the trifecta that can increase the odds of repeat business and possible customer loyalty.
Most customers, whether they are conscious of it or not, want to make informed decisions. They want to feel good and confident about what they are buying. Educating customers and creating clarity is a great way to separate yourself from others who might not be willing to take an extra minute or two to help the customer become smarter so they can make smarter buying decisions.
Don’t think this is a sales technique. Creating an educational experience is a powerful customer experience strategy. It’s simple. Just make your customers smarter.
Copyright © MMXXII, Shep Hyken – Used with Permission
