Linda Murray Bullard of LSMB Business Solutions: “5 Ways To Create a Wow! Customer Experience”
By: Alexandra Spirer
Tags: Customer Experience, Entrepreneur, Public Speaking, Customer Service

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

In 2013 after losing my 26-year career at a health insurance company, I was inspired to write my autobiography, “The Well Ran Dry: Memoirs of a Motherless Child,” and placed it in the US Library of Congress, I ran out of things to do. I did a local book circuit and tried to go national, but it wasn’t time. To supplement my income, I opened LSMB Business Solutions as a part time business I worked at night and on weekends.

In 2015, I joined Steve Harvey’s School of Business Acceleration to learn how to do business well from a group of masters. After four years of studying with various people my connection to him introduced me too, I was ready to move on.

For the past seven years, LSMB Business Solutions has been slowly, but steadily growing as a part time business. In October 2019, I was laid off again. This time I decided to jump all in growing my business. I have saw the lack of knowledge among small business owners and so I used my business to help reverse entrepreneurs who are struggling due to a lack of knowledge. I teach startups and existing businesses how to understand and firm up the foundations of their businesses using online courses, workshops, breakout sessions and keynote speeches.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

The funniest mistake I have made so far has been, due to my own naivete, to believe people will pay for my services after they see the value I provide. That lesson cost me almost $4,000. Over time, after being burned a few times I have learned to be just like the big box businesses. It is important to get my payment upfront and before the service. This is the best way for me to do business. I provide a satisfaction guarantee and haven’t had to return any payments, so far.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I have had several people to assist me with getting where I am today. When I first started, I was hired by an agency who taught me an overview of business. Then, I was hired by a partner of the Small Business Administration to teach evening business classes. From there, I’ve had multiple people send me referrals and recommend me for different speaking engagements. The list of people who have helped me is probably as long as I am tall. A previous supervisor at that company where I had worked once said to me after a promotion, “If you ever see a turtle sitting on a fence pole, know that he did not get there by himself.” And that is exactly what has happened for me repeatedly. Since starting on this journey, there has been a multitude of people who have supported and helped me. If I started to name them, I would forget someone’s name.

Thank you for that. Let’s now pivot to the main focus of our interview. This might be intuitive, but I think it’s helpful to specifically articulate it. In your words, can you share a few reasons why great customer service and a great customer experience is essential for success in business?

Customer service builds relationships. In order to scale a small business, understanding the customers who have spent their money with previously are just as, if not more than, important as new customers. They are a warm audience who have already agreed to enter a business relationship with the business. If the business does not blow it, they will become your greatest advertisements. Referrals are the rewards businesses receive for a job well done. The more existing customers we can satisfy, the less we will need to spend on marketing.

We have all had times either in a store, or online, when we have had a very poor experience as a customer or user. If the importance of a good customer experience is so intuitive, and apparent, where is the disconnect? How is it that so many companies do not make this a priority?

Most businesses just want to “sell something.” It is because of that attitude they miss out on building the long-term relationships after the initial sale. Most new businesses are all about the “one and done” relationship where they spend a great deal of money on marketing to new people, not realizing the heaps of money they are leaving on the table by not nurturing relationships with the customers they already have.

Do you think that more competition helps force companies to improve the customer experience they offer? Are there other external pressures that can force a company to improve the customer experience?

Even before CoVid-19, we were in a relationship marketing era. However, now that everyone is online, it is imperative for businesses to stand outside the fray. Customer service has always been the add-on the big businesses relied on. I can remember the countless meetings I’ve participated in at that large health insurance company discussing customer service issues and how to resolve them. With everyone fighting for the same online dollars, it is literally sink or swim. Every business owner is hoping they have the winning touch that allows the to survive after CoVid-19.

Can you share with us a story from your experience about a customer who was “Wowed” by the experience you provided?

I was trying to decide what would be the best hours to offer my recent online business class. There are already some classes available and I did not want to duplicate them. A lady on LinkedIn said she wanted to attend a class, but she worked during the day. I told her if she can commit to attending, I would create an evening class, so she could get the knowledge she needed to start her business. She has been with me for eight weeks now and is always singing my praises because I offered an evening class she can attend. She realizes that was not my initial plan and she is grateful.

Did that Wow! experience have any long-term ripple effects? Can you share the story?

She is my best advertisement. She posts her gratitude on LinkedIn and tells me how much she is singing my praises to others. Our class ends in a couple of weeks, but I am her business coach as she and her business partner move to open their new business.

Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a founder or CEO should know in order to create a Wow! Customer Experience. Please share a story or an example for each.

Giving a customer the “WOW” effect is certainly not easy when you are trying to stand out and get their attention when you are standing among a pack of industry leaders. However, when you understand what experiences you would like your customers to experience during their entire customer journey, you can use these five tips to build a brand that is customer centric.

1) Look at customer touchpoints along the customer value chain to add personable moments (how can you infuse your customer’s favorite color or flower in your communication to them?). Listening to them, and then showing that you heard them, goes a long way in building a good long-lasting relationship.

2) Consider adding opportunities for your customers to have an emotional connection with you and your company (i.e., sending thank you notes or a gift to your high-end customers, holding their hands as they navigate through your product or service, going over and above the normal expectation).

3) Be as energizing after the sale as you were before the sale. Keep the same energy you used to attach your customers after the sale. Be just as engaging and attentive.

4) Help your customers to optimize their experiences while using your product/services by holding their hands to get the best experiences when dealing with complex instructions. Study how you can make them fit your product or services into their lives like it was made just for them.

5) Continue to build the relationship after the sale. Long lasting relationships are how you get referrals. Referrals are the rewards of a job well done.

Most businesses WOW the customers to get their attention for the sale, but few continue to build the relationship after the sale. Applying these tips will ensure you WOW your customers every time.

Are there a few things that can be done so that when a customer or client has a Wow! experience, they inspire others to reach out to you as well?

Send thank you cards, flowers, free merchandise, and gifts. Customers like receiving thoughtful gifts and surprises. If money is running short, consider emailing them a 30 second personalized video from you or your representative telling them how glad you are they chose you. There are apps that can assist with this. The goal is to make them feel special. Remember whatever you invest in building the relationship will multiply and provide returns in referrals.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would love to encourage small business owners to become educated on the business side of their businesses so they can stop losing money and closing prematurely. Take a class, watch business videos on Vimeo and/or YouTube, read business books by thought leaders in their industries. All of these things will empower the business owners to make strong business decisions and help them to build their business acumen. This movement would be called “Mind Your Business.”

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Find me on Facebook at http://facebook.com/LSMBBusinessSolutions

Or, on Instagram http://instagram.com/LSMBBusinessSolutions

Or, LinkedIn http://LinkedIn.com/n/lindamurraybullardspeaks