• Websites link of the Week

http://brainreserve.com/trends/trends.htm Faith popcorn is one of the world’s most respected Futurists. Her book’s The Popcorn Report, Clicking & Eveolution are all best sellers. At her website, you can check out her predictions that have come true and what she is predicting next. One prediction is that by 2010, 90% of all consumer goods will be home delivered. Question; is your business geared up to home deliver your product or service?

You may recall back in Touchstones # 5, the story of a client who was having trouble getting his van operators to keep their service vehicles clean. He ultimately achieved his goal, not by continuing to nag his staff, but by cleaning up the outside of his business premises. Remember, whenever the ear and the eye are in conflict, the eye will win out every time.

Next time you pass a dirty company vehicle on the road, ask yourself what the state of that vehicle tells you about that particular company. I guarantee that you thoughts will be along the lines of them being lazy, non-caring, dirty, sloppy, unorganised etc. etc.

It is important that you have clearly defined standards of cleanliness for all your company vehicles. In addition there needs to be a systematised schedule for the cleaning, detailing and maintenance of all vehicles. Company vehicles, particularly if they are sign written, act as mobile billboards for your products and services.

But even if your vehicles are not painted in your company’s livery, they still need to be kept clean and tidy. As I have said many times before, you can’t tell a book by its cover, but most people do. The first impression that some customers may have of you is the vehicle that you are driving when you visit them.

Some years ago, a Real Estate company that I was associated with had a compulsory vehicle inspection for all sales staff prior to every Wednesday’s sales meeting. The Principal of the company was a stickler for vehicle cleanliness, inside and out. It was no accident that they were the leading Real Estate company in town.

And vehicle cleanliness doesn’t just apply to company cars. It is just as important for vehicles such as furniture vans, concrete mixers, cranes and even earthmoving equipment to be washed on a regular basis.

Can you imagine how you would feel if a grotty unclean ambulance arrived to transport a loved one to hospital, or the aircraft you were about to fly in was in a need of wash and polish. Don’t give your customers the opportunity to have similar thoughts about you.

Until next week, many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey APS

Watch out for Graham’s new book Seducing the Vigilante Customer – winning strategies to guarantee the return of happy customers and healthy profits, available in all good book stores early in 2002.

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