The Power of YES

I don't know about you, but I greatly prefer the word YES to the word NO (unless the word NO is followed by "You don't have to cook dinner tonight, honey"

So how often do you say NO to your customers and prospects? I had a conversation with one of you several weeks ago, that had to do with how digital printing can allow you to provide more of an "on-demand" service to your customers. This person told me that they had a customer ask them if she could have 100 sheets of letterhead. Instead of saying "Yes you sure can!", he told her she would have to order a minimum of 250 sheets. He said that the job just wasn't worth doing for 100 sheets. I asked him, "What if, instead of saying NO to her, you said YES, and produced the job with a price and margin that would make it worth while to you?" Even if he charged her for 250 sheets and kept the other 150 sheets on hand in case she re-ordered at some point, she gets what she wants, and he keeps a customer satisfied.

I come from a retail background, and the rules were always that you NEVER say no to the customers. That privilege is left to upper management. The purpose behind it is to always give the customer the feeling and the perception that they are getting what they want. One of the important elements of this theory is that when one side gets what her or she wants, it does NOT mean that the other side does not. When customers feel satisfied and that they are getting what they want, we all win. They should be that much more likely to stay with you than to jump ship and go to another vendor because they feel that you are not attending to their needs and giving them what they need.

Fundamentally, the point is that we should view our customers as allies, not enemies. We all have some difficult customers that always make us feel like we have to fight for every order, but that can be part of the challenge. How can we change that relationship so that we both feel like winners most of the time. I'd love to hear some feedback from any of you who have managed to turn a difficult customer into a valued one. ANYONE?