Owners: Do you want the truth?

I was talking to a small business owner client of mine the other day and he was complaining about what a terrible problem he was having with business falling off rapidly because his customers were so "annoying". I could not believe my ears. They were his customers, CUSTOMERS! Let them be annoying provided they still are customers and provide his living.

So I met with an associate of his and it turns out that the employees look bad, act bad and are condescending to the customers. They cuss, smoke and when they do provide service it is begrudgingly. So, I talked to the owner again. It was time for an attitude adjustment. Guess how the employees got such a bad attitude? From the owner and his management team. They all act like they are doing the customer a favor by being in business.

As usual, the owner asked me to "tell me what you really think". When am I going to learn. What they are really saying is "tell me what I want to hear", which I do not do. So I told him and his staff that they were the problem. They need to be customer oriented and provide the best possible service available. After all, what separates them from the other choices they have for the same service? The level of customer service and the desire for customer satisfaction.

Well it is too early to tell if they are going to take my suggestions or not. The beauty of being a consultant is that I get paid whether they take my advice or not. They appear to have understood and there are changes in process. I just hope it is not too late.

What do you think?