You’ve often heard the only constant in business is CHANGE. Many changes have been necessary due to the pandemic, many changes are happening faster than most are comfortable with.

The most successful shop owners I know make changes rather than fight them. They change before they are backed into a corner, forced to make changes. They change sooner rather than later so they are NOT playing catch up!

Not making some of these changes quickly WILL cost you customers and money.

Even though they know these changes are necessary, some customers are pushing back against taking away personal interaction with those they are doing business with. They accepted it early on, but most are not thrilled that it is continuing.

This is especially true of trust-based businesses like yours.

In many cases this working from a distance with customers will result in lost opportunities for add-on sales! UNLESS you make a concerted effort to overcome the “distance” and the impersonal feeling it creates.

This is especially important time for your staff to have with first time customers! This is where the critical part of the relationship begins. This is where your staff SHOULD be asking a lot of questions and demonstrating to the customer they are listening to them – EVEN if it’s from a distance, with a mask on or completely via phone.

These pandemic changes ARE necessary BUT you have to recognize they may be hurting your ability to maintain and grow your relationship and trust with your clients, especially first-time customers.  Be proactive and look for ways to overcome the negatives of these changes. A great resource for figuring this out often lies within your team, reach out to them for help keeping the customer experience at the highest level possible.