Walk into most business and you will see right away if the company is listening to their customers. If they are successful and happy it is a good indication they listening. If they look unsuccessful perhaps a little bitter and a we bit angry it shows they are not listening to the best consultant’s money can buy.

Many companies that are on there way out of business pay thousands to consultants to help them get out of there bad financial situations. Funny thing is they pay thousands and more to people that know absolutely nothing about their businesses and totally ignore the very consultants that could turn their business around on a dime

As a business you are in business for one reason only. To make a profit although I think there must be a lot of business out there that don’t realize this. With that profit you can better serve your customers by giving them the best value. There is no reason to be in business without any customers. We make money by solving problems and helping our customers. If we are not doing that then we are going to go out of business.

It is s simple concept, solve problems, help customers, and give value. So if a business is on its way out of business, who do you think would be a better consultant on how to improve the business? A customer or a consultant that you pay and therefore you become the customer?

Your customers are the best consultants you can ever get and they constantly try to do consulting work for you and most of us just don’t listen. These unpaid consultants are usually disguised as the hard to get along with, want something for nothing, picky, angry and aggressive customers and we dismiss them as crazy.

I know sometimes it is not easy standing there listening to some of our customers whining and complaining and generally insulting our babies (businesses) but it is necessary and easy to do if you take a little different perspective on the situation. I think you also have to keep in mind that for everyone customer that complains there are as many as 24 others that are thinking the same thing but won’t say anything.

The customers that won’t say anything gave up along time ago because they realized they were almost always never listened to. So how can we take the customers input without letting it ruffle our feathers?

 Here are 3 ways to change your perspective and reap the benefits.

1. Think Long Term. Too many businesses are only focused on just the one sale. If you think about the long term value of a customer you get a different perspective. If you realize that they buy a few times a year and give a couple of referrals that customer is perhaps now a $5,000.00 customer over a lifetime rather than the $30.00 sale you are currently focused on.
2. Think Helping People. If you think only of helping your customers and not taking it personally your whole world will change. By really listening and working with that customer and ridding your self of your baggage you will find they have a easy way to solve the problem and make you look good.
3. Think Great Business. Once you can look past their complaint you will realize they are just like the rest of us and want to be heard. Once you truly start to listen you will actually start to see unlimited possibilities and the big business that will be coming your way.

Focus on helping your customers and giving value and your business will get easier. If it’s not getting easier you might want to look at what you are focused on because ‘What You Focus On Grows’.