I saw a sign at the famous Wintzell’s Oyster House in Mobile, AL that said, “Customers Wanted: No Experience Necessary“. Clever huh?
“No Experience Needed” is a common saying when looking for employee. In fact, many employers prefer to hire someone without experience and train them in their unique way of doing things. That way they don’t come with any bad habits and they don’t get stuck in the mindset of “we didn’t do it that way at [xyz, inc]” Another benefit is that the pool for potential employees is greater if you are not restricted just to people with “experience”.
Have you ever thought about approaching customers in the same way? When a customer already has “experience” they come with a set of expectations (good or bad). The fact is some customers have just enough experience to be dangerous to both you and themselves. Imagine customer relationships where there is greater trust and freedom to do the job right. That is possible if you find new customers who are open to be taught. Plus, you won’t have to limit your marketing to “known” purchasers but instead you can forge new ground and develop relationships that are being overlooked by your competition.
No matter what “baggage” your employees or customers bring to the relationship it’s often best to assume that they have no experience. This doesn’t mean that they don’t have skills and abilities. If you have a training program that teaches them how to do things “right” (the way that you do things) you won’t have as many problems to deal with on a daily basis. Success in this area will result in long-term employees and customers that have a higher level of satisfaction. This will allow everyone to be much more effective in accomplishing their goals…and have more fun along the way.
