This week at Elephant in the Room we are adding artwork painted by members of the ThriveTime Show and Elephant business coaching teams. The paintings can be seen at our shop on 91st and Yale. The added artwork compliments the handmade, industrial look of our shops. Small details such as added artwork are always a welcome addition to business coaching clients of any business, new artwork adds to the client’s experience. Making the clients experience your focus is the most essential part to keeping customers coming back. Many business owners choose to focus on just one part of their client’s experience, it may be the service provided or the look of your business but a big limiting factor when it comes to bringing your clients back is to only look at one part of their overall experience.
The first step for any business when a new guest walks in is to focus on the visit from the guest’s perspective. What are the sights, smells, and tastes of your business? The first thing client experiences should catch their interest. For example the decor, the overhead music, the scent of your business and even how clean the bathroom is. One thing that I hear routinely from first-time guests is how great it smells, the aroma our guests are talking about comes from the essential oils we use. When you walk into Elephant In The Room you are greeted with the scent of essential oils. The next thing I see our guests do as they check-in and out for their appointments is to look around at the decor. Each of our locations has industrial style shelving using metal piping and boards of stained wood then you may see an animal skin on the floor or on the wall. Our Broken Arrow location features bull horns atop the glass product displays. All of these items contribute to the impression our clients receive when they walk into our shops. Finally, clients will always experience a clean shop as we have checklists with cleaning tasks to accomplish every two hours.
Next should be the interaction your business coaching staff has with the clients, from the first person who greets the client to the person in charge of attending to the clients. Is your greeter friendly and setting a happy tone for your customers? If not find someone who does set a friendly tone. The first thing a client hears at any of our shops is “Welcome to Elephant In The Room”. A beverage is offered whether the client has an appointment or is just stepping in to make an appointment. A warm greeting and continued acknowledgment allow a client to feel cared for and attended to.
The third step is to focus on what a client hears, is it awkwardly quiet in your building? If so overhead music will break up the awkward quiet and will give customers a better experience than if they just heard keyboard clicks and the occasional hum of the printer. Providing light upbeat music keeps the atmosphere positive and enjoyable.
All businesses would benefit from hiring a business coaching pro to help with taking a step back and looking at the business from a client’s perspective. Have secret shoppers walk through your sales process or receive teeth cleaning or even get a haircut to find out what kind of experience your business provides. Find ways every week to take constructive feedback from your secret shoppers make adjustments with your team and building. Walt Disney said, “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”
