Ok, I know this title is a little strange but bear with me for a moment…
When you cut your pizza pie into slices, do you spend a few seconds and judge one against another to find the “perfect slice”? Come on, be honest; I know you do – and so do I.
But does it really matter? Except for a tiny bit more cheese, sauce or small piece of pepperoni, one slice is just as precious as another. They’re all delicious and one slice always seems to lead to another.
Now, about your customers…
Do you favor one customer over another? Sure, some spend a little (or a lot) more money, some may be less demanding, and some may come in often or just once in a while. But each is just as precious to your future.
We don’t know the circle of influence one customer may have. We shouldn’t assume this “small customer” has reached their spending limit with us or won’t recommend us to a friend who goes on to be our new best customer one day. We should never discount the possibilities of anyone’s long term value to our business.
Treat all who enter your business as the best, most cheesy, sauce-laden slice of pizza there is. Plus, customers are a lot easier on our waistline than pizza is. Amen to that!
Steve, I agree with you that all customers are valuable. For every customer you lose at minimum you need to acquire three new customers. However, if you know your customers well it will not be hard to weed out those who do not bring in revenue or require more time and service than they are worth. A customer is gold but if they are not utilizing your services or purchasing your goods having them on the books may prove to be a drain on business capital. A sour grapes customer who stays on your books may very well push other customers out the door or acquiring new customers that much more difficult. I love your analogy!
YOu touched on a great point, Joel. Knowing your customers. Management will never know that by sitting in their office all day looking at numbers. They shoyuld be looking at, and interacting with, their customers.