Just ask: how to discover customer needs

In this episode of Small Business Pivots, Michael Morrison sits down with Francis Flair (Flair Consulting Group) to break down client retention systems and why customer experience is the #1 revenue multiplier for scaling businesses.

Francis shares his journey from Ghana, West Africa to building a consulting firm that helps service-based and scaling companies improve customer experience, employee experience, and retention—because “for every client you keep, it’s a competitor you beat.”

You’ll learn:

• Why retention multiplies growth (and why profits hide in retention—not acquisition) 
• How to “think from the market” instead of “thinking for the market”
• The simple (not easy) way to identify your audience: ask better questions and test offers
• Why your people aren’t the problem—your systems (SOPs) are 
• How brands like Chick-fil-A, Disney, Amazon, and Southwest set expectations that become your competition
• The 5 mistakes that sabotage customer experience (and how to fix them)

The 5 Mistakes Most Service Businesses Make (Francis Flair):

1. Not realizing customer experience is the #1 revenue multiplier
2. Thinking the staff is the problem (instead of the system)
3. Believing great service is “common sense” (and not defining what “great” means)
4. Wanting the team to care—but not showing the team you care
5. Treating customer service like a department (instead of an identity)

Timestamps

00:00 Francis Flair + what Flair Consulting Group does
02:10 From Ghana to the U.S.—the origin story
06:40 The pivot into consulting + “create your own economy”
10:35 Think from the market vs for the market
14:05 “Just ask”—how to discover what customers really want
18:30 Retention vs acquisition—where profits actually hide
24:10 Chick-fil-A vs Popeyes—what the numbers reveal
29:20 5 mistakes that break customer experience (overview)
31:10 Mistake #2: People aren’t the problem—systems are
36:30 Mistake #3: Define “great” or employees will decide
41:10 Mistake #4: Want them to care? Show them you care
47:40 Mistake #5: Customer service is an identity, not a department
53:10 Final takeaway + where to connect with Francis

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