Technology and social media developments may have changed the way businesses communicate but certain “old-fashioned” customer service fundamentals will never go out of style.
Many 40-and-older entrepreneurs understand this because they’ve been customers themselves for a long time. Take Paul Wheston of Reading, England. For years, he worked as an agent selling other people’s fish. Now, the 47-year-old owns Fish Glorious Fish, a fishmonger service that he opened earlier this year.
GetReading wrote this profile piece about Paul. His Golden Rule approach to customer service is one that can be implemented by other business owners who follow these steps:
1. Know your customers by name. Dale Carnegie said it best in How to Win Friends and Influence People. A person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
2. Provide personalized service. Paul knows most of his customers likes and dislikes. Some prefer to stick to a regular weekly order; others like to experiment. People appreciate it when you go out of your way to give them what they want.
3. Develop partnerships with trusted, reliable suppliers. Without them, you can’t be sure of the quality of your products and/or may have nothing to sell. “I pretty much know where the fish were caught, when they were caught and in some cases I might even know the name of the fisherman who caught them,” said Paul.
4. Know your competitive advantage. In Paul’s case, it’s super freshness. He puts his fish on sale the day after it’s caught – something that supermarkets can’t do.
5. Do what you love. When you enjoy your business and believe in your product, it shows. Your customers can sense it when they walk through the door.
Have any customer service methods that have worked especially well for your business? Please feel free to share them below.
Late Blooming Entrepreneurs 
I really liked the peice, I don’t always read the entirety but I really liked the tips on keeping good customers.
Thank you,
Jackie O.
I know what you mean, Jackie. I like posts that are short and to the point since everybody’s reading time is more limited these days. Thanks for commenting.
Love the post! Its amazing how the little things you do will determine your success.
That reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. It’s from Robert Collier, who wrote several inspirational books. Thanks for reading.
Know your customer by name – we usually called it KYC. When I used to work at cash services in a commercial bank I remembered that customer feels happy when you greet them using their name.
And when they feel happy, they’re likely to come back — and tell other potential customers about your business. Seems like KYC is very worthwhile.
To the point. Fabulous. Thank you and have a super week Lynne. 🙂
Thank you, Nomzi. It’s off to a great start. Appreciate your kind words.
Reblogged this on From My Mind….
Thanks for the reblog!
Reblogged this on Dunamis Coaching & Consulting.
Great post! Paul Wheston has some good solid principles guiding his customer service.
I like your thoughts on the five points. You’re right — most people have a tough time uncovering what it is that they truly love and do better than others. That type of discovery doesn’t happen overnight. It takes discipline, time and self introspection.
Reblogged this on and commented:
Five Great Points to Follow.
Thanks for the reblog!