Creating customer loyalty workshops

The NMC Small Business Development Center will be offering a series of workshops designed to take businesses beyond customer service to create loyal customers that remain committed to a business. The four weekly workshops are designed for individuals who have the ability to make changes in their business that will lay the foundation for outstanding customer service.

The first workshop is called “Identifying Your Perfect Customer.” In this session participants will discover their ideal customers—those whose needs are a perfect fit for an organization’s mission. When the relationship between their needs and an organization’s products and services are perfectly aligned, positive results can occur with amazing force and synergy.

The difference between this approach and the traditional method of “targeting” customers is that this technique applies the principles of attraction. In order for customers to give their full loyalty and support, an organization must first give it to them. Identifying the high priority customers will allow participants to better define their businesses because who they are is mostly defined by whom they serve.

The second workshop builds upon the first by creating an ideal customer experience for the perfect customers by discovering what they truly value. A five-step model will be taught to create and manage a top-to-bottom value-delivery strategy that creates compelling reasons for customers to try, buy, and come back to an organization more often.

In the third workshop, participants will develop a brief statement that summarizes the essence of the highly attractive value they provide for their perfect customers. This message, when clearly communicated, will allow the value to be shared through word-of-mouth.

The last session in this series will share how an organization can transform itself through regular internal training sessions. The focus is to develop continuous quality service by involving the entire staff to find solutions and make improvements throughout the organization. This will help create real synergy as individuals work together to develop greater value and a better service experience for the ideal customer.

The outcome from attending all sessions is that a participant will develop a greater competitive advantage through developing outstanding service that builds customer loyalty. The workshop trainer is Rik Villegas, who has written numerous articles on customer service, developed and teaches a course on customer service at NMC, and consults with business to improve their customer service.

The workshops are being offered through the NMC Small Business Development Center and will be held each Tuesday for four weeks, starting on Aug. 30, from 6pm to 8:30pm. Each session is only $10 each, or $30 if one plans to attend all session. There is limited seating, so those interested are encouraged to pre-register for the sessions by calling the SBDC at 235-1551. (PR)