My new daughter-in-law is one of those quiet people you almost don’t realize is there. Emily walks through the room while I’m on the phone, and I don’t think to censor myself. I hate to think what she knows about me after several years of living together!
Photo credit: Gisela Francisco
So it shouldn’t have been a surprise when I opened her birthday present to me last year to find exactly what I’ve wanted for years: a beautiful Japanese tea set.
“How did you know?” I blurted with delight.
“I heard you say you wanted one,” she replied, smiling.
And I remembered that I had indeed mentioned it to a friend on the phone – months earlier. Emily must have been nearby and I didn’t even realize it. Do I need to tell you how loved I felt in that moment, and feel every time I make tea? Or how much I love Emily for her thoughtfulness?
Emily has a rare talent: she listens. But more than that, she pays attention. It wasn’t the tea set that moved me – it was that she heard me and took action.
It’s not a talent I was born with, unfortunately. I’m one of those mothers who asks her kids what they want and then orders it – no thoughtful surprises. Or I give them the money and let them buy what they want. Tacky. This year, I picked something from my youngest’s Amazon wishlist. Well, at least I know I’m giving them something they want. Emily’s birthday? I need to work on that.
Of course, love isn’t just about giving gifts.
It’s about listening, hearing, seeing, appreciating, promoting, helping – showing that you care, in big ways and small. And for those of us who aren’t naturals, that means consciously making the effort to remember things like birthdays and personal details.
Turns out there are tools to help those of us who aren’t, let’s just say, gifted at paying attention.
If you’re really serious, there’s a full-on business contact manager that integrates with Outlook called High-Rise (not an affiliate link). Gmail has a nice, basic, free version for keeping notes on your people, and Firefox and Chrome browsers both have contact management extensions you can check out. But they’re no use if you don’t use them!
How do you listen to your customers? By reading their comments, tweets, and messages. By asking questions and taking surveys. Even by connecting directly when you have the chance.
The important thing is to pay attention to what you hear – and then do what Emily does: take action.
What are you doing to keep track of what your customers are telling you, and how are you acting on that information? Tell me in the comments below!
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I archive all of my tweets to my private blog and save my emails. That way I have a permanent record of my notes about people I communicate with.
Now I could do with learning your method Vas, I am useless at this.
Fascinating! Does it take much time to find the information you’re looking for that way?
No long at all. I have a program that searches through my blog super fast, and Gmail’s search utility is exceptional as well.
It’s not about the gifts, but rather the thought behind the gifts. I take note of when a client needs a bit of extra support. I’ll check in between sessions, maybe send a card in the mail – it seems to be usually the small actions that make the greatest difference. I also love sending birthday cards (track using Outlook, nothing fancy.)
I really need to work on this. Either that, or I need a secretary. :p
It’s amazing how just remembering small details can you feel so loved and special! I always try to remember things like my client’s spouse or kids names, a favorite activity or sports team, or where they went on their last trip- because when I mention those kinds of things they know I am listening and paying attention to them as individuals- not just as people who help pay my bills.
My memory definitely isn’t as good as it used to be, so I am looking to more fully embrace a tool like Highrise. 🙂
My memory is pretty shot to pieces too! Having said that, I’ve never been a natural like Emily; I have to work at it.
With my Information Junkies hat on I have to remember I’m not reading just for my own interest. The times I flit y something because I think, ‘Oh, everyone knows [about/how to do] that!’ but they don’t. I have to make that mental effort to read and think ‘Do my readers need to know about this? Can it help them?’
I use Google Calendar a lot to email reminders to me, but even then I space them out sometimes. I don’t know what else would get through.
Firefox has a CRM extension? How did I miss that?
Crap, you’re right. There is one, but it hasn’t been updated in quite a while. Sorry, I should have checked.
But hey, might be a good time to switch to Chrome – or Gmail!
I’ll take a second look at Gmail’s CRM… switching to Chrome would require me to actually process all the tabs open in my Firefox windows!