It’s important for any good business owner to try to get into the mind of potential customers. Owners who fail to take customers into account actually can do tremendous harm to their businesses—you never want your customers to feel like they’ve been ignored!

Marketing studies are finding that it’s not only helpful, but is actually imperative to think about and request your customers’ wants and feedback. Should a business owner skip this step, customers may feel ignored, which is bad for all parties involved.

What does it mean to feel ignored?

Customers that feel ignored often compare the feeling to rejection. As irrational as these feelings may be, emotions like rejection influence purchasing decisions made by your customers. It is important not only to care about the way your customers feel, but to clearly demonstrate that you care.

How can emotions impact a retail business?

As much as most shoppers will tell you that they do not want an employee interrupting their shopping experience, they also don’t want to feel that staff members are unavailable. For example, customers often dislike seeing employees engaging in conversation and leaving the customers to fend for themselves. Some customers even feel ignored simply because the only employee is busy working on another essential task!

So, how can you combat letting your customers feel ignored?

Your first step here: acknowledge that customers never forget. It’s important to show customers just how much you value their business—make them feel special, even if it’s in a small or subtle way. In order to do this, consider your own experiences as a customer. Or, alternatively, it never hurts to hire a team of effective staff members who have had experience in sales and customer service. When you and your employees put themselves in the position of the consumer, you will see results!

Gathering data for your company is also an excellent way to gauge your customers’ thoughts. Consider using polls, surveys, and comment cards to gather information—and to make your customers feel valued! Ask customers about interactions they’ve had with staff and why they may be choosing to shop online or at other stores. Use this data to make changes with you staff members.

Once you take active steps to make your customers feel like friends you should be pleasantly surprised at the results. With ongoing dedication to customer satisfaction, you will be able to ensure your customers never feel ignored.