1. Schedule a formal conversation to draw up a list of all wishes and demands. Denote to the customer how crucial this meeting is to assure a good cooperation. It’s not just a “casual” trifle.
2. Ask open questions and not just questions that can be replied to with a few words. Dare to keep on asking but obviously you want to stay polite. Should you encounter a customer or prospect refusing to answer your questions, chances are real that you are being used, to get a second or third quote for example.
3. Ask them how their organization deals with quality. This can reveal an interesting opportunity to see what they will really value in a cooperation.
4. Paraphrase. You restate what the customer tells you in your own words. This has 2 advantages: for one thing the customer will feel understood and appreciated and on the other hand you will prevent misapprehension.
5. Make notes, make notes, make notes. By meticulously making notes you’re not only showing your interest in what the customer tells you. It also helps you remember what is important. Studies have shown that without making notes people forget over 50% of what has been said in less than 5 minutes.

Seth Godin wrote a very interesting article about “teaching your customers a lesson”. Click here to read it.

It’s a real life story about a package that was returned by the post office for being less than 1% short on postage!!
I totally agree that we overreact too slightly on bad behavior because we worry (you know: “If we don’t slam this door shut, then everyone will do it…”). This is such a nice example of a stupid dogma: people normally don’t take advantage of that “open” door! And if they do, then there is still plenty of time to react to their so called “bad behavior”.

So quality is also: “Be kind and tolerant to your customers if they cross a line”. Don’t be the bully that yells at them to show them that they have done something wrong (if you want to keep your customers of course).