Mickey and Minnie know more than how to spell mouse. At Disney, they understand how to manage the "Guest's" perceptions. It occurred to me as I was waiting to ride Dumbo the elephant that I was moving back and forth a great deal, but not really going anywhere. What was most amazing was that I did not care that much, because I was constantly moving and making progress. Mickey understands that if people are moving, they feel as though they are making progress, and a 45-minute wait to ride a fat elephant that makes you dizzy is not nearly so painful when your perception is that you are making strides.

How do YOU manage your customers' perceptions? In this age when everyone's job has become so technical, few people have the skills to make good decisions about organizations they do business with.

So, when customers cannot tell if you are competent, they will make their decisions based on other evidence that you may not weigh as consequential. For example, if you have out-of-date magazines and newspapers in your waiting area, they will assume that your expertise is a little dusty as well. A messy waiting area suggests you do not care much. And, if the receptionist does not seem to know what is going on, neither do you!

Ouch! How dare they make those assumptions when what really matters is that you do outstanding work for your customers! Right? Right! BUT, perception is reality.
To manage your customers' perceptions, you need to have your associates understand and emphatically commit to the process.

The process requires that you do these three things:

1. Analyze yourself from the customer's point of view
   
   Do you remember when you were considering moving into the house you live in now? When you first saw the property, did you see all those little things - cracks that needed to be fixed, paint that needed to be freshened up, even the little plumbing problem? When you walk back into your house today, look again as you did the first day - with a discerning eye. Chances are you will notice a plethora of things still bothering you that you have tuned out.
   
   No doubt, you have tuned out the things that your new customers see, such as dirty windows and carpets, accounting procedures that are not user friendly, scheduling procedures that make the customer feel uncomfortable, etc. The best way to bring those things back to a conscious level is to ask the customer how you can improve.
   
   When constructing your survey, make sure to ask open-ended questions (like "How can we improve?") first. Otherwise, customers will comment only on the things you listed as being important, which may not provide the best feedback. Also, make sure to ask customers what you do well that they would like you to continue. The value of doing this is that you may not realize how important those little things you are currently doing are to your customers. You may stop doing them if nobody is telling you that they are appreciated.
   
   Next, ask customers to rate you on a 1-7 scale on the items that you know are important, such as timeliness, friendliness, quality of information, and ease of doing business. This allows you to see trends quickly. When developing your survey, make sure to ask some customers what is important to them in selecting a business like yours so that those items are included on your scale. Such input ensures that issues important to your customers are included on the survey scale.
    
2. Share the information with your associates
   
   When associates learn that pleasing the customer means pleasing the boss, and the customer is keeping score, they will seek everyday affirmations from customers. Consider asking new customers to fill out a survey after their first order or dealing with the company. Ask them to score you on timeliness, friendliness, quality of information, ease of doing business, etc. The most important question you can ask is, "If you were to make a recommendation on what we could do better, what might it be?" Post or otherwise share the information with your associates immediately so that they can correct problems immediately. You will be amazed at the positive response.
    
3. Acknowledge
   
   Although employees feel that monetary rewards are significant, often they are starved for an "atta boy" for the little things they do. In my seminars, I often ask how many people have heard 20 or more times this month, "Thank you for a job well done." In hundreds of seminars, I have not seen one hand raised. This leads me to one conclusion: Nobody will ever say, "The problem with working here is that people give entirely too many compliments and strokes. I wish they would stop appreciating me so I can get back to my work."
   
   When giving reinforcement, do not hold back for massive changes in behavior before complimenting. Support the small behavior changes and the bigger ones will come. People who feel good about themselves work more productively and are kinder to their customers.
   
   We get more of the behavior we reward. If you do not believe it, give a whining child what she wants and observe how she makes her next request.

Perception is reality. The only way to understand how your customers perceive you is to ask them. To get change in behavior, you must share information frequently with employees and seek suggestions for improvement. Reward each small, positive behavior along the way.

Life is complicated. It's the simple things, however, that make the difference.