Build a hugging culture by finding out exactly what your customers want.

No matter what business you’re in, there’s one maxim that universally holds true: if you want to succeed, keep your customers happy.

That’s easier said than done, however. How do you keep them happy? The best way is to develop a hugging culture.

Maintaining a hugging culture means giving the customers anything they want, and that means you have to find out what they want first.

The author implements this strategy in his own chain of clothing stores, Mitchell’s. Mitchell’s employees call their customers by their first names and commit to building lasting relationships with them – the best way to find out what they truly want and need.

When a Mitchell’s employee offers a customer help, they don’t just say, “May I help you?” Instead, they ask something more personalized, like “What occasion is this outfit for?” or “Is this for business or pleasure?” Asking more specific questions allows them to get a deeper understanding of what the customer is looking for.

Getting to know the customers in a deeper way also allows the employees to build relationships with them over time, so they get an even better feel for their individual preferences.

When you go the extra mile for your customers like this, it really pays off. Happy customers will help you expand to new locations, forgive you if you make any mistakes and even invite you into their homes.

At Mitchell’s, employees once fixed the button on a woman’s jacket even though she hadn’t bought the jacket from them. That woman turned out to be Robin Gerstner, the wife of Lou Gerstner, the former CEO of IBM. The Gerstners were so impressed by Mitchell’s service that they invited the author to come to the US Open finals with them, where they promoted his company as “the best clothing store in the world.”