Years ago, I watched an interview of renowned Asian fashion designer Inno Sotto on a late-night talk show.
Sitting there in exquisitely tailored pants, his trademark long hair gleaming against a crisp, white button-down shirt, he talked about his influences, the various things that sparked his creativity, and what he thought were the highlights of his career. (A quote, methinks from Elsa Klench, calling him the essence of Asian fashion).
Near the end of the interview, the host asked him what he thought made him such a success.
Fashion, after all, is a pretty cut-throat business. There’s no shortage of talented designers out there, but very few of them ever make it to the runway, much less sell their clothes. Especially since couture is not something a lot of us can afford.
I remember him pausing for a moment, brows knitting, before saying that he made sure he was nice to his customers. To make his atelier a place where they felt free to express themselves.
The simplicity of his answer surprised me. This was, after all, the Inno Sotto. Manila’s Prince of Fashion. His clothes showed up on socialites all over the world. The words “customer” might as well be written in tall letters, with glittery lights, and with a soundtrack to boot.
Yet here he was, graciously talking about how he made sure his customers felt comfortable.
Comfortable. I pictured several well-appointed ladies draped in diamonds, slouched on a couch while eating chocolate cookies in his fitting room.
And that’s exactly what he was getting at.
He said he wanted his customers to be able to talk to him, to tell him exactly what they wanted. Designing clothes is a collaborative effort, but giving directions to a highly regarded designer can be – even for the most appointed socialite – intimidating. So he wanted to his customers to know that if there was something they wanted, all they had to ask. Just ask.
“Because I think the hardest thing for some people to do,” he explained, “is ask.”
There are no right or wrong answers… and no dumb questions, either.
A lot of us spend so much of our time worrying about wrong answers that we are afraid to ask questions.
Customers are no different. The anxiety of asking can be so overwhelming that they don’t reach out, even when they desperately need the help.
There’s no shortage of gurus out there telling us how they can help with their vast knowledge and experience, not realizing it’s their very expertise that can be intimidating.
I’ve seen offer after offer made by some incredible people who are still confused why no one is taking them up on them.
We think, “Is it my copy? But I was warm and inviting! I sound like someone they could have hung out with in a pub. Do they not like me? Dammit, I have a cool call to action! We should be having pizza by now, in my ultra swank VIP membership program!”
In reality, the only call to action we ever needed to do was to ask. Just ask.
When was the last time we personally engaged our audience? When we singled out that one person in the crowd and said, “Hi! My name is Kris, and I noticed you signed up for my newsletter. I’d really love for you to tell me about your business, and see how we can possibly help each other.”
Anyone? Anyone? Not too easy, isn’t it? Because if you’re like me, you find it hard to ask your potential customers exactly what they want from you, too.
So for these next few weeks, let’s all do something different. Let’s talk to our customer. And by us, I mean us–not Aweber, not Mailchimp, and not Infusion Soft. Let’s make a person-to-person connection.
I know asking can be hard. But what can be intimidating from afar, can be quite harmless once you get near it. So let’s get a little closer.
Pick a name out of mailing list, or your Twitter follow list. Send them an email, or a tweet. Then get to know them. Genuinely ask them about their business. Empower them, love them. Let them know that if there’s anything they need from you, all they need is to ask.
Just ask.
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Colin Beveridge and Kriszia Vengua, Customer Love. Customer Love said: Day 11: Want Love? Just Ask. – http://is.gd/gU2Fi #customerlove […]
[…] That if you Want Love, you Only Need to Ask […]
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I LOVE THIS.
And I will do it. Thank you for the push. 🙂
You’re welcome. 🙂
I think you’ll do awesome with this challenge. You’re presence is already so inviting, that you’ll make that one person you reach out to just smile when they see that email.
Powerful! Well done, Kriszia. I completely agree but am also guilty of not personally, one to one, asking. Thanks for waking me up! I will do this. Awesome!
Thanks, Deb!
Connecting with people can be so hard. I know it is for me, because I’m quite shy (Don’t let the chattiness fool you) so it takes so long for me to initiate contact. I literally freeze typing emails, because I think too much.
But now that I’ve done it more often, reaching out to people isn’t so bad. And 99% of time, the outcome is usually very positive!
Please let me know how it turns out for you.
“I literally freeze typing emails, because I think too much.”
Wow, you too? I thought I was the only one. Sometimes I just have to force myself. Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
It’s hard, isn’t it? That’s why I thought it would be great to reach out to customers ourselves. Who knows, we could get that one person whose been wanting to connect with us.
This is great, Kriszia. Personal connection is what it’s all about. Thanks for a great reminder and a good challenge to us to take the leap to reach out.
Hi Melissa!
You’re a hero with this piece, because you personally reach out to people already. It was such a happy surprise seeing your email on my inbox. Made me smile.
I am so going to do this – and keep doing it. Simple, but profoundly effective.
Yay!
I always feel special when the pro whose list I signed up for acknowledges me. Doesn’t matter if it’s just a tweet, or a shout out. It was that feeling that I thought about in writing this, and the individuals who actually did it.
But let me know how it turns out! It would be interesting to know how this challenge works for different people.
I had a new person join my list yesterday so I sent a personalized welcome this morning… not opened yet, but hey, it could happen. 🙂
If they don’t answer, then you can pick another name. 🙂
Some mailing list emails are so well-crafted nowadays that I forget that it’s a canned message until I see the list service signature in the end. So sometimes, I get wary of opening it.
I’m almost tempted to write “Yes! This really is me!” on the subject lines when I send my first email out.
Ooh, great idea. Never thought of that, thanks!