The full title of this book by Mary Naylor is
“Customer Chemistry: How to Keep the Customers You Want and Say Goodbye to the Ones You Don’t“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave it a rating of FOUR stars. This means it’s in the range of good to very good.
Here is my review.
You can manage your customer base
This is an interesting book that takes a different approach to thinking about customers.
Most managers and business owners focus on getting more customers this month and then more customers again next month. Yes it’s recognised that some customers are better than others but the general assumption is that any customer is better to have than not have.
This is despite knowing some customers make impossible demands, don’t appreciate what you do, always expect lower prices and are difficult to handle. The truth is, some customers create more trouble than they are worth and it’s very empowering to “sack” an existing customer or to reject an enquiry as unsuitable and send the nuisance to one of your competitors.
The book is built around the eight rules for building customer chemistry:
.
1 know your customers
2 rank your customers
3 teach email, ploys to focus on the best customers and prospects
4 never stop learning about customers
5 create top-of-mind marketing campaigns
6 treat your customers like your best employees, recognise and reward them
7 say goodbye to bad customers
8 take the pulse of your relationships.
This book is more relevant to well established businesses than new or recent start-ups when the pressure to get any sales is intense and especially if it’s for an unproven product or service since you need both feedback and experience. The idea of only working with good customers is still valid so if you get suspicious, it might be an idea to bump up the price.
I work with business owners who are stuck and one common source of frustration is the stress that comes from difficult customers. Some times, the customer has every right to be difficult when the business has over-promised and under-delivered. In these cases, the solution lies within the business and perhaps its supply chain. Other times, the problems come from the customers.
Either way, this book is well worth reading. The aim is to provide great service to good customers and that’s inspiring.
I’ve given it four rather than five stars because I read and review mainly for the small business sector and this feels a bit formal in its approach and language. I worry that it’s the sort of book that’s easy to start and leave unfinished, or to read and not implement. That would be a shame.
It is available to buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
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