When I started my water factory business last month, I nursed the fear of receiving rejection from customers, simply because there has been an old brand in town loved by many. That was a negative energy, I must say. It's not needed in a business, but I quickly retraced my mind. Even though I know that it's hard for many people to try new products, a lot of people still do that, and as long as I get my water treated as supposed, there should be nothing to fear but trust the process and keep growing at my pace.
Again, one thing I reminded myself was that I followed all the guidelines/specifications from NAFDAC, so why worry? It takes tactics and help from God to grow a business. People who started years back didn't grow in a day. I kept advising myself , lol.
Then there is this joy that comes from within when you receive feedback from many customers. I must say that the joy is unexplainable. In fact, I lost my appetite yesterday morning out of joy when I received feedback from two of my major customers so far requesting a huge supply from us at three-day intervals. One of the customers called me in the morning and said, Madam, I love your water. She went further to say that one thing she has observed was that as soon as she buys my product, people rush it so fast, unlike other products she was patronizing before.
She said something that captivated my heart. She said the previous product she was buying was from her close friend. The friend runs a water factory too, but her water has a taste that is too great, and whenever they supply it to her, people complain much and sales reduce. She tried telling the friend to retreat her water so it can come out nice, but she will simply get the same kind of water with a bad taste. The friend ignored customers' feedback and kept running the factory that way until they stopped requesting from her.
The customer continued to advise me to keep up with my standard, that so far, there is no complaint from anyone buying from her as I supply since the past one month, and if there is any, she will relate it to me. It was a nice conversation I had with her, and she prayed for me over the phone. I felt fulfilled.
Then in the evening of the same year, I met another of my big customers on my way home, and she said many positive things about my water too and added that if I should add the size a little bit, that would be even greater. I was okay with her feedback,too, and immediately instructed my operator to increase the size of our water a little bit.
One thing I know is that customer feedback is a fuel for growth. Nothing should be ignored no matter how silly we feel the complaint is. Without customers, there is no business, and satisfying the customers means more sales and more return.
Feedback, whether good or bad, is a special gift. To survive in a competitive business like mine, I embrace all manner of feedback and work on it carefully. It's not enough to chase growth and business strategy, but it's also okay to welcome feedback, adjust, and keep growing gradually.
The feedback I received didn’t just make my day yesterday but encouraged me to do better, learn more, and bring out an excellent product. It feels good that my effort counts, and seeing my customers satisfied feels great.
Images were taken from canva