So in our quick KLT overview, we’ve covered “know” and this week is “like.” “Like” as in similar and “like” as in friendly. Either way, when people like one another, it tends to be easier to do business together.
Think about your best customer service experience. Do remember the way you felt? Were you happy? Appreciative? Those experiences that make people feel good, well, that usually is what makes them like you.
Ever have a customer you’re not crazy about? Sure you have. How often does “like” come to mind when you think about them? And maybe not disliking the individual personally, but disliking the way they spoke to you, or the way they handle business interactions.
Now, imagine a customer who spends a lot of money with you, but s/he is crass, tacky and rude to you and your employees. Do you like this person? Not necessarily, but they may be good for business. Depending on your business values, this actually may be something you won’t put up with in your organization. This would be an instance of you “knowing” your business as well. At White Book, we tend to work with nice people. Not soft, not push-over, but nice. We actually know a firm that implements being “nice” into their contracts.
Think about your favorite athletes and actors. You may not actually “know” them – but they appeal to you. They score wins for their team and have great talent. You see them on TV and you find out they’re super nice people, donate to charities, etc. Again, you still don’t personally know them, but their goodness makes you like them a little more. You want your customers to have that same feeling. That they like you and remember you. Does that mean you’re going to be best friends with all of your customers? No, but let’s say that a decision has to be made between you and a competitor with similar service/product offerings, well, being likable can be that deciding factor. People like to work with people they enjoy, why not?
How does one become “likeable”? Usually the best way is by being his or herself. Perhaps it sounds too simple or even a little grade school, but it’s true. Tapping into the skills that you’re best at, surrounding yourself with like-minded people who are positive, this will typically fuel your likeability factor.
What ways are you addressing the “like” factor in your business?
On another note and in reference to our “like” image choice, isn’t it kind of funny that Facebook uses “like”? Now on social media, it doesn’t necessarily mean you “like” something, either similarly or with favor. How many times have you seen someone “thumbs up” a negative post from someone who is having a bad day? No one usually “likes” having a bad day or wishes someone else one, but the like stands for, “I feel you,” or sometimes, “I agree” or “I had one, too!” This discussion we can have around a whole other blog post! We picked this image though because we know you’d “get” it and we hope you “like” this post!