customer service and sales tips

Unhappy Customers are a Golden Opportunity

2011-12-13T16:12:00.000-05:00

In a response to an article I wrote for Gitomer's Sales Caffeine, about how to greet an unhappy customer, I received this great letter from Bill Pennola. It really shows how important having the right attitude is in serving your customers.

"A number of years ago I was a manager for a major electronics retailer in the New York City area when a customer stormed into the store with a portable radio that supposedly did not work.

He demanded at once to speak to a manager and insisted at the top of his lungs someone was going to "take care of him immediately." I walked up to this irate customer and extended my hand to greet him while saying, Hi ! My name is Bill and I am the store manager, I don't believe we have met. How can I help you today?

This time the customer slammed the radio on the glass counter and insisted it was a piece of, (well you know what) and wanted his money back. I might want to add here, the store's policy is to refund up to 30 days and the manager can make a decision to extend that if need be.

I mentioned to the customer, I would be more that happy to refund his money but did he really want his money or did he want a radio that worked. I asked if he purchased this radio for a reason and would it be better if the item he purchased performed to his expectations? He relentlessly agreed.

I asked him what exactly was it that did not work on the unit? He replied. "It won't even turn on." I opened the radio battery compartment and found that the batteries were installed incorrectly. After installing new batteries into the unit and demonstrating the radios' key features, the customer started to get a grin on his face.

I then apologized to the customer once again and provided yet another set of batteries gratis. He was so happy the radio worked he actually purchased two more with enough batteries to last a lifetime.

He thanked me on the way out and mentioned he would tell his friends about the great customer service and would buy all his electronics from me in the future.

A few months went buy when this same customer once again stormed into the store. This time a younger fellow by his side. They came right up to me and he introduced me to his son and said to him , John your in good hands, Bill will take great care of you. John then proceeded to spend over $ 10,000.00 on a new Home Entertainment system complete with flat panel TV and all of the works.

Since that time, over 10 years ago, I have looked at all unhappy customers, as Golden Opportunities and cannot wait to "take care of them immediately."

How are YOU handling these "Golden Opportunities?"

Rules Are Rules, But Where is the Humanity?

2011-11-06T18:14:00.000-05:00

Terri Wessinger wanted a new life in Idaho but a run in with U.S.Air turned that dream into a nightmare.

"She had nothing but an airline ticket and $30 in her pocket," reported Michael Finney of ABC news affiliate KGO. Since she had not flown in awhile she was shocked to find that there was a $60 fee for her baggage. She offered to pay for her bag upon landing, but her offer was declined. She was also told she couldn't leave her bag, so she ended up stranded at the airport for eight days. Finally she was rescued by the Airport Church of Christ who raised money to help her get to Idaho.

Yes, it is the passengers responsibility to pay for her luggage. Those are the rules. But, I am horrified that not a single person at US Air could be human enough to make an exception. It is not that Ms. Wessinger wanted a free ride. She wanted to pay once she got to her location. It would have been easy enough to hold her luggage in Idaho until she paid its ransom, er baggage fees.

When a company stops thinking creatively to help solve a customer's problem you have to wonder if that is an airline you want to do business with.Even if a company has no heart they should at least consider the REALLY REALLY bad publicity that happens when the press gets wind of your inflexible policies.Yes, they got the bag fees plus the $150 in change fees, but what did that cost them in public opinion?

All in all not a smart move any way you look at it.

Ask the Question

2011-10-11T10:04:00.002-04:00

Netflix messed up again. No, I am not talking about their huge price increase, although that was pretty jarring. And I am not talking about their plan to split their once beloved company in two. I am talking about a letter I just received from them.

Along with millions of other users I recently quit Netflix. Basically, I didn’t love them, I didn’t hate them, Netflix was just a monthly expense I was willing to pay. Even though I had underutilized their service for the last year, I hadn’t planned on quitting until they started all this alienating, customer-unfocused nonsense.

But, this last letter made me realize they really need help.

Dear Laurie,
We know you recently canceled your Netflix membership, but we want to share this news with you.
It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.
This means no change: one website, one account, one password…in other words, no Qwikster.
While the July price change was necessary, we are now done with price changes.
We're constantly improving our streaming selection. We've recently added hundreds of movies from Paramount, Sony, Universal, Fox, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, MGM and Miramax. Plus, in the last couple of weeks alone, we've added over 3,500 TV episodes from ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, USA, E!, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Discovery Channel, TLC, SyFy, A&E, History, and PBS.
We are committed to making Netflix the best place to get your movies & TV shows.
Respectfully,
The Netflix Team

So, what is missing? They never asked the question. “Will you give us a second chance?” Or, “Will you renew your membership?” Or, “With these changes, will you come back?”

To be honest, I am not sure I would have rejoined in any case. But, I certainly would have clicked a link that said, “Click here for more great reasons to be a member.” Or, “We want you back, and we mean it — click here to renew.”

It is easy to see that Netflix messed up by not asking the question, but the real question is “Do YOU ask the question? In the twenty some years I have been coaching sales people, I have found that one common reason they don’t close more sales is that they forget to ask the question. Or, they think that the question is implied. Or, they think that asking is presumptuous.

SERIOUSLY! You are in the sales business, ask the sales question, ask your customer if they want to buy.

Five Quick and Easy Ways To...Lose Your Customer by Sunny Brady

2011-05-19T09:01:00.004-04:00

Your business spends a lot of money trying to attract new customers. But after you attract them,how hard do you work to keep them attracted?

Many business owners mistakenly think that when they lose a customer, it is due to reasons beyond the business owner's control. In other words, customers leave only when their needs change and they no longer need the product or service that the business provides. But in actuality, this reason accounts for relatively few customer bounces. In fact, statistics show that it is responsible for fewer than 10 percent of them. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the fault for customer loss rests squarely on the shoulders of the business. Some of the reasons cited include things like disappointment with the quality of product or service, unfair pricing, and equipment that doesn't work. But even these things aren't the major culprits. The real eye-opening statistic is this one: about three out of every four customers leave due to what they perceive as poor customer service.

Any business owner who minimizes the importance of customer service needs to read the above paragraph over and over again. Attracting customers is a waste of money if those same customers end up leaving you. And if they leave you because they feel you are servicing them poorly, then there is surely something you can do to prevent it. But on the other hand, if you are content to see them walking away, then maybe you should just continue to make the same customer service mistakes that I see so many businesses routinely make. What are they? Well here are some of them:

Laziness: I'm constantly surprised at how many employees don't do their homework. How can you tell your customers which of your products will best solve their problems if you haven't bothered to learn the strengths and weaknesses of all of those products? How can you communicate your company's policies and procedures to your customers if you haven't taken the time to learn them thoroughly yourself? How can you know whom in your company to contact if your customer has a question outside your area unless you are completely familiar with your corporate structure and co-worker responsibilities? Nothing impresses customers more than a company rep who knows his or her facts and follows up to find the best solution for them in a timely manner.

Over-persistence: The most common cover-up for an employee who has a limited amount of knowledge about his company's products is to talk up the one or two products he does know well and drill home their selling points ad nauseum. And the most common cover-up for an employee who hasn't bothered to learn his customers well enough to understand what they really need is to try to sell them something they don't want - and then to make up for their ignorance by over-selling it. Marketing to your customers is one thing. But doing so to the point of annoyance can be a real turn-off.

Surly, disagreeable, or uncommunicative attitude: An agreeable and empathetic demeanor is a great first step in gaining the customer's trust. A smile or a nod of the head can go a long way. So can calmness, especially when you are faced with an agitated client. It's all part of communication - probably the single most important ingredient in good customer relations.

Failure to listen: Another huge element of communication is the ability to listen. This is truly the only way you learn about your customer. Yet you'd be surprised at how often I see company reps, intentionally or not, dominate conversations with their customers. Being a good listener is a skill, but it is a skill worth knowing when you deal with customers. You not only learn about them but you also show them your concern.

Early surrender: Very often customers present problems that are not easily solved. Maybe they are being blockaded by your company's restrictive policies or red tape. When this happens, the last thing customers want to hear is ìSorry but that's the way we do it.î When presented with tough problems or situations, it's tempting for employees to give up trying to solve them. Yet solving those problems exactly what customers expect and usually what they are entitled to.
Employees who are not easily swayed and who have an ability to see things through to the end are worth their weight in gold.

Customer loss is preventable. The vast majority of the time, you can keep your customers if you can make them feel that your company is doing everything it can to service their needs.Delivering first-class customer service is a conscious choice. And it's a choice you need to make. When you treat your customers well after you attract them, that attraction will last forever.

Sunny Brady helps businesses and homeowners seeking self storage in Florida find it online, including listings for self storage in Ocoee. In her spare time she likes to get outside, ideally with a bike.

Groupon gets “IT,” The Whitney Doesn’t

2011-03-25T11:33:00.001-04:00

I am a huge fan of Groupon. I often use their offers and I am always excited when I get a chance to try out new places and services.

When The Whitney, an elegant fine dining restaurant in Detroit, had a Groupon offer I snapped it up. I was once a loyal customer of The Whitney but it had been some time since I dined there. I was thrilled to get a chance to go back to one of my favorite places.

Well, my schedule became insane and I found myself approaching the expiration date of the offer. About a week before, I called and asked for an extension.
I was turned down. Although I was disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to use the offer, I gave it to some good friends of mine. When they tried to use it on the final weekend, they were told that there were no reservations available. Their request for an extension was also turned down.

As a result of this, The Whitney now has two very disappointed couples. I wrote The Whitney to tell them how unhappy we all were but I got no response.

About a month later I saw that they had a new offer up on Groupon. I called the Whitney again.

This time I spoke with Matt, the manager. Matt couldn’t have cared less that I was unhappy or that my friends were unhappy. He even told me I should have contacted him sooner. When I told him that I had called, that my friends had called and that I sent an email, he was unfazed and unconcerned. He told me that it was the Whitney’s policy that they do not offer any extensions. When I asked, was it his policy, Matt said no, it was the owner’s policy. When I asked to speak to the owner, I was told that the owner does not speak to customers. WOW.

This would have been the right time to apologize profusely and offer something, however small, to win me back. But NO. Confronted with his attitude and rigidity, it was clear that being “right”, at least in his mind, was of the utmost importance. He simply didn’t care if I was his customer.

In my mind, the ENTIRE purpose of a Groupon is to create an opportunity to get new loyal customers. Businesses never make money on the Groupon, rather it’s a good-will gesture to introduce or reintroduce your product or service. Wouldn’t it make sense to do everything you could to keep your potential customers happy? Why would you solicit customers and then, not only deny them the chance to experience your food and service, but anger them in the process?

So now I have a personal grudge against The Whitney, and I will be happy to give a reverse endorsement if asked, “Go anywhere BUT The Whitney.” At this point I can only expect that the service at the restaurant would match the service I got from the manager — arrogant, cold and indifferent — not what you want from an upscale dining establishment.

Now to be fair, he did say, “If you have a problem, contact Groupon.” So I did.

I visited Groupon’s website planning to send an email with the hope that I would get a response. Boy, was I surprised. Yes, there was a place and an email address to send a message, but there was also a phone number.

I called and spoke to Cameron. I told him my tale of woe about The Whitney. He immediately gave me a refund. He was warm, friendly and concerned.

Now that was great customer service. In fact he exceeded my expectations in every way.

So, what is the “It” I mentioned in the headline? Well, “It” could translate as “giving exceptional service”. With that definition in mind, Groupon certainly gets what giving exceptional service is all about — and The Whitney certainly does not.

But more importantly, is what the “It” is to me. The “It” is my loyalty. Groupon has won my loyalty and The Whitney has lost it.

United Gate Agent WOWS With a Simple Act of Kindness

2011-03-20T12:26:00.002-04:00

I fly a lot. When I say a lot, I mean a LOT. This is not a plea for sympathy or an act of bragging. It’s just to give context to what happened to me — a simple act of kindness that I have never experienced in all the times I have flown.

I was sitting at a United Airlines gate waiting for my plane from Chicago to Detroit, when the gate agent called my name. This alone surprised me. Although I am an “elite” flyer on many airlines I am “nothing” to United Airlines. Usually you’re only called to the gate if you are going to be upgraded, which I knew was impossible.

I walked up to the gate agent, Liz Williams, who said to me, “I noticed that you were sitting at the back of the plane and I wondered if you wanted to move closer to the front? I have a window seat that you might find more comfortable.”

WOW! I was totally taken aback.

No one in all the miles I have flown has ever asked if I wanted to move my seat for my own comfort. There have been hundreds of times when I have begged a gate agent for a more comfortable seat. Mostly, I am treated as a bother. “Sigh” they usually respond, “Let me see what I can do.”

Sometimes I am upgraded when the computer spits out my name. And as much as I appreciate being upgraded, I appreciated this event even more.

I realized that it meant that I was no longer only a “filled seat”, no longer a bother. Ms. Williams thought of me as a human being with needs, wants and desires.

This act of one person helping out another person wowed me.

Wowing the customer didn’t cost Ms. Williams or the airlines a single cent. But it had a huge effect. It made me think, “Wow, maybe I should fly United more often?”

I translated her one act of kindness as an example of how United will treat me in the future.

What simple act of thoughtfulness can you do to wow your customer?

Concierge Shuttle Service

2010-08-17T17:38:00.002-04:00

“Now, don’t worry. Every afternoon, sometime between two and seven, we will have a thunderstorm. If you are in one of the parks, just find shelter, but don’t leave. It will pass over quickly. Most people don’t know this and they will leave.” That is what Todd Affricano, our shuttle driver, told us, his passengers, on a recent trip from Orlando International Airport to our hotels.

He proceeded to give each of us tips for where we were staying or for what we were planning on doing. “Here is the map for Universal Studio” he told three passengers. “Get there early. And start out at the back of the park. People are like sheep. They start to their right and go to each attraction in order. You will save hours by starting at the back.”

He told a young couple with a child “If you need anything from the drugstore, it is right across the street from your hotel.”

Every guest in his shuttle was given an “inside tip” that was personalized, relevant and interesting. Throughout the drive, Todd filled us with valuable information that all of us on the shuttle bus could use. As a result, a few things happened. First, the ride from the airport just flew by. Secondly, everybody on the shuttle felt special. Thirdly, Todd distinguished himself. In all the times I have taken that shuttle, NOBODY ever did what he did.

I know that sometimes, when it is time to tip, I feel resentful. Often the driver will go round and round the airport making sure he gets every last customer (this can add an hour onto our trip) or the driving is so erratic everyone is scared for their lives. But, on this trip, we all couldn’t wait to tip Todd. I saw every passenger pull out more money to compensate him than usual. Todd was the world’s best concierge and he had “earned” every cent (and more).

How do you give “concierge service” to your customers? Do you provide your customers with “inside information” that they cannot get anywhere else? Do you personalize their experience?

If not, you need to start today.

"Do I look like someone who is here to help you?" United O’Hare counter staff disappoints

2010-03-27T10:51:00.002-04:00

Mike was waiting for his flight from Chicago to Detroit. It had been a long day for him. He had been working in Minneapolis earlier in the day and this was his last leg home.

He noticed on the board that his gate had been changed from 30 to 28. Knowing that there are sometimes mistakes he walked up to a uniformed United gate person who was standing at the counter. “Hi, is the flight to Detroit now leaving from 28?” “Do I look like someone who is here to help you?” she barked. “Er, well, yes, you are at the counter in uniform.” he replied. “This counter is closed.” was the last thing she said to him.

Mike walked over to another uniformed gate person to ask the same question. Her reply was “Just look at the board.” and she was done talking to him, too.

Mike was astounded that he would be treated so badly. He vowed to never fly United again. I can’t blame him. There is no excuse for the treatment he received. “Do I look like someone who is here to help you?” May be one of the most outrageous statements I have ever heard from a customer service person.

I know that the gate personnel are not richly compensated, but with attitudes like the ones Mike encountered, I think that they need to find new work — somewhere far away from customers.

Guest Post from The Amazing Service Guy Kevin Stirtz

2010-03-24T06:36:00.006-04:00

Six Steps to More Loyal Customers

We all know it’s important to have loyal customers. But do you know how important it is? A study by Bain & Company suggests that a 5% increase in customer loyalty can improve profitability by anywhere from 25% to 95%. It shows us there are big opportunities available for owners and managers who are willing to do what it takes to increase customer loyalty.
The good news is, it’s not hard. And you can do it with the people and resources you have right now. It takes time, effort and patience to make it successful. But you can make a huge impact on your business.

Here’s what you need to do:
1. Ask your customers what they want.
This is different than what they expect. What customers expect is usually less (often a lot less) than what they want. But you need to know what they want.
What do they want in general? What are they trying to accomplish (or avoid)? Why did they choose you instead of your competition? What are their priorities and preferences?
Keep in mind different customers focus on different aspects of what your business does and how you do it. But if you speak with enough, you should see patterns and trends. You should develop some profiles of what various customers want.
Also look for how your customers want to be served. This will vary a lot and is harder to discover. Most people focus on what they want because it’s easier to talk about. But people like to be treated well. We all have different definitions of what being treated well means. You need to learn what it means to your customers.

2. Tell your customers what to expect.
Some companies try to be all things to all customers. They do too much and none of it well. Every company has a unique set of resources that gives it a competitive advantage. these are your company’s strengths. Learn what they are. Use them to determine what your company can do better than anyone else in your market.
Once you know what your company does best, compare that list with what your customers want. These two lists should overlap. (If they don’t, you have a problem!) Where they overlap is what your company should focus on. These are the things you need to do for your customers: the combination of what they want most and what you do best.

From this list you need to develop your message. You might call it a brand promise. You might call it your Customer Service Standards. What you call it is not as important as what you do with it. Use it to tell your story. It tells people why they should do business with you. and it helps them know what to expect when they do business with you.

Then make sure your customers, employees and management all understand your message. Do everything you can to share your message with these three groups. Post it in your store, on your web site, on your business cards, in your ads and anywhere else your employees, management and customers will see it. Get it noticed!

3. Create easy ways for your customers to offer feedback.
This is where many companies stumble. They focus so much on getting new orders and delivering the product or service, they forget what happens afterward. The only way you can consistently get better at what you do is with a steady flow of honest and direct feedback.
Find many ways for your customers to let you know what they think. Brainstorm with your employees. Make it a contest. Copy other businesses. Ask your customers. Do a Google search! Try different communication channels and keep trying until you find a bunch that deliver the amount of feedback you need (which is a lot).

Make sure this step is done by your employees. Don’t rely on outsiders (consultants, survey companies, etc.) to do this for you. They are your customers and you need to communicate with them directly. You’ll learn more from them this way and you’ll develop closer ties with your customers. You’ll also get another benefit. Customers love it when a company pays attention to them after the sale. They feel important because you’re asking them what they think.
Finally, make sure your customers know how they can contact you. Publish and promote the many ways customers can connect with you. Encourage them to reach out to you often.
4. Listen to what your customers say.
Many companies talk about customer feedback. Some do it well. Most don’t. Because they don’t work vary hard to hear what customers are saying about them. They might hear the obvious, like complaints and “thank yous” but nothing else. If you want to increase customer loyalty, you need to do better. You need to make a special effort to find out what customers are saying about your company, your products and your service.

This includes more than the feedback mechanisms you create (Step 3). It includes the many other ways people communicate about your company. The Internet is full of people’s comments about their customer experiences. Make sure you are mining this resource on a regular basis.
When you build trusting relationships with your customers and you open the lines of communication. You position your customers as partners. They can help you learn how to do a better job. But you need to communicate with them to make this happen. You need a steady flow of quality customer feedback.

Are you doing what you said you would? If not, what’s missing? Are they getting what they want? Is the message you’re sending the right one? If you have developed a brand promise, is it really what your customers want? And since things change, you need to stay abreast of changes in what your customers want.

Look for the Amazing Service Gap. This is the difference between what you promise your customers and what you’re actually delivering. Their feedback is how you know what your gap is. So listen for ideas on how to do better. Find ways to close the gap.

In addition to listening to your customers, you need to gather and store what they tell you. Most companies have plenty of contact with customers. But they never keep track of what their customers say. And if they do keep track, it’s often hard to access because it’s in a file drawer somewhere or buried in a database that nobody knows how to use.

Make sure the feedback you gather is stored in a way that people can get to. In fact, you should publish it. Make it available to everyone in your company. The more people who see it the more ideas you can generate to use it (Step 5). By having a lot of people look at it and talk about it, you’ll be able to see your customers more clearly.

Conduct regular and frequent meetings to talk about the feedback and draw conclusions about what it means. Look for trends and patterns. Also, look for what’s not there. Are there things you think are issues or concerns but that do not appear in any customer feedback? If so, what does that tell you? If it’s not important to your customers, should it be important to your company?

5. Act on what your customers tell you.
Information is no good if ignored. Beyond listening to your customers and considering what they say, you have to use it. This doesn’t mean you act on everything. Remember, Step 2, you can’t do everything everyone wants. So you need to pick and choose what feedback to act on. Focus on what will help your company do what you do best. Choose ideas that will help you close the gap (Step 4).

You might find feedback that takes your company in a different direction. Your brand promise (Step 2) might be missing the mark. Maybe you have a changing customer base or a changing market. If your feedback suggests this you need to consider how it affects your business. Then either act on it or make an informed decision to not act on it.

The bottom line in Step 5 is to do something with your customer feedback. It’s a gift from your customers so treat it as such. Make sure your thank every customer every time they offer feedback. And, let customers know what you do with the feedback. If they know it gets used they’re more likely to keep offering it. Help them get involved and stay involved as your partners.

6. Repeat.
Like the shampoo bottle says, “lather, rinse, repeat”. But in this case you should be repeating forever. This is a never ending process of learning, sharing, and working together.
Managing your company is no different than practicing a sport or hobby. The more you do something, the better you get. And since people and situations change constantly, this process needs to keep repeating so you don’t miss these changes. Keep cycling through again and again.

You’ll get better at knowing what your customers want and at giving it to them. Your customers will see you are truly focused on helping them get what they want. They’ll have little incentive to go elsewhere.

You’ll never please every customer every time. But if you follow these steps you’re much more likely to please most of them most of the time. That will keep your customers coming back again and again.

Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy, a speaker and trainer who helps organizations of all kinds deliver Amazing Customer Service. His recent book: "More Loyal Customers" has won 5 star reviews at Amazon.com. You can find more at his website: http://AmazingServiceGuy.com

Taking responsibility for a problem— Rehearsal the app

2010-03-21T09:24:00.002-04:00

I recently read about a new iphone app that sounded interesting, Rehearsal the app This is what I saw at the top of their home page, even positioned before an explanation of their product:

The email issues we had Tuesday (3/2/2010) (Apple featured us on the front page of the App Store and we were overwhelmed) have now been fixed. Notifications are now flowing smoothly once again. Thank you for your patience – if you gave us a 1 star rating, we don’t blame you – it’s pretty frustrating to not have an app work the way you expect it. We hope you’ll work with Rehearsal, and reconsider your rating in the App Store. Thanks!
A special thanks to the server team at GoDaddy.com – they came to our rescue, and we so appreciate that.

I was so impressed by this message because it was the perfect way to address the issue. (My guess is that it would have been impossible to contact every user that encountered a problem.)

Let’s look at the elements that made this effort so effective:

Acknowledge the problem (with date included) The email issues we had Tuesday. 3/2/10
Fix the problem Have now been fixed. Notifications are now flowing smoothly once again
Be grateful thank you for your patience
Express empathy If you gave us a 1 star rating we don’t blame you-it is pretty frustrating to not have an app work in the way you expect it
Request future business We hope you’ll work with Rehearsal and reconsider your rating in the App Store.
Be grateful Thanks
Acknowledge those that helped a very classy shout out to the folks at go daddy with another note of appreciation
A special thanks to the server team at GoDaddy.com – they came to our rescue, and we so appreciate that.

All in all, a really great way to take responsibility for a problem. It gives me confidence in the company and their product.

Do you handle your problems as proactively?

Nordstrom is listening — and that is a good thing

2010-03-14T13:14:00.001-04:00

I recently wrote an “open letter to Nordstrom” and then tweeted the url for everyone to read. People commented on my post that I should send this letter to Nordstrom. I didn’t even have a chance to think about it because not more than 5 hours after I had posted my article I got a letter of apology from the corporate office. It seemed sincere and asked for details about the event that I blogged about.

Now THIS is how a company should be using Twitter. Many of us use Twitter to “talk” or maybe worse, “sell”, but he companies that are really ahead of the curve are using Twitter to listen. Between Google alerts and Twitter, a company can keep updated on what their customers are thinking and talking about.

Before the electronic information revolution, a company would have to read letters, maybe do surveys, and walk the floor to get a better understanding of what their customers really felt about them. But, all too often, customers never complain (or compliment) a company directly. Instead, they would sit over a cup of tea or a beer and tell their friends and family. If the story was really juicy, whoever heard the story might then tell their friends and family.   It’s great that companies now can get real-time, unfiltered comments from their happy and unhappy customers. The trick, of course, is to do something with all of this input, and do it right away. Contact the author if you can, and if not, post an open apology. Internally, address the problem through training.

Start listening to your customer. You might not always like what you hear, but at least you will learn some things and be in a position to do something about the problem.

There’s a reason that Nordstom is a leader in customer service—it’s because they are extremely responsive to their customers. See what you can do to emulate them.

By the way, Nordstrom if you are listening, all is forgiven.

An open letter of apology to Nordstrom counter staff

2010-03-10T07:39:00.001-05:00

Hi,
I am writing to you to apologize for my rude behavior yesterday. My girlfriend and I were looking for makeup, came up to your counter and interrupted the conversation that the three of you were having with one another. Yes, my mother raised me better than that. She did tell me it was disrespectful to interrupt a conversation. But, you know me, I just had to find out about the eye shadow your company sells.

Now, I am sure your conversation must have been important because you were so engrossed that you never even saw us standing there. Maybe you were talking about how Michigan, our state, has been so badly hurt by the recession—perhaps more than any other state in the nation. Or, maybe you were commenting on how Nordstrom, usually very busy, was essentially empty of customers that day. Maybe you were chatting about how if business didn’t pick up, you might all lose your jobs. Whatever it was, we could clearly see your conversation was way more important than us.

 The nice thing is, that although we interrupted you, once one of you pointed to the makeup we asked about, you went right back to your conversation.

Here is my promise to you: I will never, ever, ever, bother you again. You can count on it.

Best wishes
Laurie

I Am NOT a Table: aTale of Medical Customer Service

2010-03-08T20:41:00.004-05:00

This morning I went in for a medical procedure, and left with some pretty strong opinions on how medical personnel can improve their customer service.

The first nurse I encountered was perfect. She walked in, greeted me immediately, introduced herself, and then, told me step-by-step what she was going to do. So that there were no surprises, she explained that she was inserting an IV in my hand, commenting that this would be the last pain I would feel for the rest of the procedure. It went down hill from there.

"I Am NOT a Table": Lesson #1
The anesthesiologist was the next person in the room. He walked in, placed my medical records on my legs (No! I am not a table) and then proceeded to review it without either greeting me or introducing himself. A few minutes later he finally decided that I could know who he was and introduced himself.

Customer service tips:
Do not use the patient as a surface to place your records, there are tables in the room. It is disrespectful to use the patient as a table.

When you walk in the room, introduce yourself to the patient immediately. The patient shouldn’t have to guess who you are and why you are there. It is stressful enough without the added mystery. What may seem like seconds to you can feel like an eternity to your patient.

"I Am NOT a Table": Lesson #2
I was then wheeled into the procedure room. The anesthesiologist nurse complained to me that she was starting to get sick and her throat was hurting her.

Customer service tip: If you are sick, you have no business working with patients. And even if you feel that you have taken every precaution to not spread your illness, there is no need to discuss it with your patient.

"I Am NOT a Table": Lesson #3
As I was waiting, other medical personnel were in the room. They all started chatting with one another as if I was not in the room, or, to continue my metaphor, like I was merely a table.

Customer service tip: The procedure room is not a place to chat with one another. If you want to chat you can talk to the patient, unless they prefer quiet, in which case you should be quiet. Not including the patient in your conversation is disrespectful and unprofessional.

"I Am NOT a Table": Lesson #4
As I was lying on the gurney I started to feel woozy. I had no idea why. I asked the nurse why I was feeling that way. She responded that she had started to giving me a sedative.

Customer service tip: Do not start giving medication without informing the patient what you are doing and explaining how she might feel from it. Feeling woozy shouldn’t be a surprise. Once again I felt like a …yes you guessed it “a table.”

So medical personnel, whether you are a Doctor, nurse, or whatever, remember that the person lying on the gurney is your customer. Treat this person with respect. Not only is it the right thing to do, it makes good business sense. If your customer/patient doesn’t like how you treated her she might never come back, or she may tell all her friends not to go to you, or even worse—she might write an article about you.

Do You REALLY want Kevin Smith to be Your Spokesperson?

2010-02-16T09:03:00.004-05:00

My guess is the answer is a resounding "NO!" especially if you are Southwest Airlines.

Recently Kevin Smith was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight because he was too fat. He started tweeting about it, and I mean tweeting non-stop.

When Kevin Smith tweets, people listen. People like CNN, TMZ, People Magazine and Larry King. People who are more than happy to share Smith's story of bad customer service.

All of a sudden, Southwest had to start handling a public relationship nightmare. They now are in the position of having to try to overcome tons of bad publicity.

The whole notion of bigger customer's having to buy two seats has been in the news recently. But this is different. This is a man who fit in his seat without having to have the buckle extender.

It of course makes you wonder how many other people have had to deal with this embarrassing situation. Smith was mortified to have to take the walk of shame off the plane. Yes he is a celebrity, but NO ONE should have to be taken off a plane in this way.

In his smodcast Smith says...
"There is no customer service whatsoever left, I am not going to say in this whole country...
But how do you show that little interest in somebody who like holds sway over your ...job?"

He has a great point. All of us, not just celebrities, holds sway over the jobs of the people who serve us.

Now I am not saying that anyone should lose their job over this incident. Just that if you are in the customer service business you really should provide exceptional customer care.

Erhard BMW provides exceptional customer service

2010-02-04T09:53:00.001-05:00

It was 4:01 PM this last Saturday. I pulled my car, with the horrible clanging shocks, up to the service entrance. I knew Erhard's BMW service department closed at 4, but I was hopeful that someone could at least tell me if it was dangerous to drive the car.

Now, most businesses that close at a certain time don't let any new customers in after that time.The workers have put in a full day and they lock the doors right at closing time. But not Erhard, they are in the customer service business and nothing was more important to them than me. Or at least that is how they made me feel.

I not only had my car taken on a test drive and put on a hoist (thank you Sam) but they arranged for me to take a loaner car. Late on a weekend day it would seem impossible to offer me a loaner car. But they found one. By the way the new BMW was awesome!

What this meant was that everybody had to stay late on a weekend night.
And to a person they never made me feel like they were doing me a favor. You may know what I mean by that. The service provider says "Well, (sigh) I guess I can help you, (sigh) but only this once. You know you are here after closing time."

Erhard's team treated me like a valued guest. In fact they acted as if I showed up first thing in the morning. I was never made to feel guilty for making them stay late.

I love this dealership. They continually exceed my expectations.

What are you doing to exceed YOUR customer's expectations? Take a tip from the Erhard team and go the extra mile.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE HYPERSENSITIVE CUSTOMER?

2009-09-15T14:46:00.002-04:00

ARE YOU READY FOR THE HYPERSENSITIVE CUSTOMER?

As if businesses weren’t struggling enough these days, a recent study out of the U.K. has revealed the emergence of the “hypersensitive customer,” a consumer that has less cash, more information and less tolerance for poor customer service than ever before. The study, conducted by UK accounting and business consulting firm BDO Stoy Hayward, found that in the last 18 months, customers have become less loyal, as they realize how privileged retailers are to have their business. In fact, 48% of consumers admitted increasing their expectations over the past two years.

Customers are plugged in, with easy access to consumer reviews, detailed technical information and competitive product information. They have tighter budgets, so they’ve become more discerning in both the products they buy and the service they expect. 74% of respondents in the study said they wouldn’t purchase products and would leave the store if they encountered what they deemed to be poor service.

Are you and your business ready for the arrival of the hypersensitive customer? If not, now is the time to examine your customer service practices and get them in line with the needs of today’s consumer.

There’s a new customer service book on stores shelves and online resellers that can help you manage this new breed of consumer. When you order “Who’s Your Gladys?” today, you get a special package of 40+ electronic bonus gifts in customer service, sales, marketing and professional development. Buy your copy today at www.whosyourgladys.com Watch the WYG book trailer here: www.youtube.com/whosyourgladys

What is adequate compensation for being stuck for hours on the tarmac?

2009-09-11T09:19:00.004-04:00

It seems that more and more passengers on planes are being stuck for hours on the tarmac without, food, water or working bathrooms. I asked Linked In members to answer the question: “What is adequate compensation for being stuck for hours on the tarmac?” The following are some of the answers:

“Honestly I don't think there can be any perfect compensation. You can't replace time.... and time is essentially what all of the passengers lost. Time spent with children, parents, grandparents, clients, bosses... take your pick. None of which can be gotten back. What is more bothersome is that lack of true compensation is only intensified by an airline, regulating authority, and any other number of persons who weren't willing to go beyond "the book" and come up with a solution to the problem.

How do you compensate for 5 hours? Starting with an apology and responsibility would be a good start.....” B. Smith

“I would want 2 complimentary First Class tickets with open ended dates to whatever location I choose. And free drinks whilst on the tarmac.” S. Andrade

“Free travel for life on that airline, should I ever wish to use it again (highly unlikely). At least $1,000 per hour for each and every passenger, plus extra compensation for any business lost as a result, plus a harassment fee of $10,000 per person.” F. Feather

“The thing to realize about compensation (or free blankets or free scotch or anything else) is this: There isn't some great pot of money lying around at an airline that they can use for stuff like this.

If an airline had to compensate passengers there would be only one way they could fund it: By raising fares - And that would impact you and me.

What I would much prefer would be a clear mechanism whereby passengers could buy insurance options which are presented 'in their face' at the time of ticket purchase that would cover them for the duration of their itinerary. The insurance would provide compensation due to delay or would get you on another carrier (if available) if you're delayed more than X hours or whatever.” G. Glave
“At a minimum: a free round-trip ticket and a handwritten letter of apology from the CEO.” J. Chernin

"Ultimately the people need to be shown that the problem is being fixed so it does not happen so often. I read the blog of the leadership of FAA, DOT. There were tons of people complaining about similar incidents that did not make it into the news media. The airline industry is entirely too cavalier about the inconveniences for their customers.

I accept that when there is a snow storm, or earthquake, or other severe emergency, it is not unreasonable that people might be stuck in a transportation facility for many hours without access to working toilets, food, medical services etc. and some people die in such conditions. Children are much more vulnerable to this semi-torture than adults. The transportation service should pick up their medical support for several years, in case of complications.

However, there have been several recent incidents where a plane was diverted from primary city due to thunderstorm, landed at an airport where the weather was fine, the toilets were fine, the security was fine, there was no logical reason why the passengers could not have had access to food, comfort, toilets, phones, etc. except that the personnel running the facility were brain dead on what could be done outside their normal routine, overworked, did not want to phone their supervisors at 3 am for guidance. Then next morning, when higher authority showed up for all relevant agencies ... airlines, airport, security ... it was a massive buck passing operation, no one was in charge, no one was responsible, the only stuff they had to do was obey some laws prohibiting plane crews from flying when they so tired from being awake & working for over 24 hours, so they had to be replaced, but there was no law to protect the customers, so tough luck, they get to continue to their destination arriving 24 hours after departure, on a plane whose toilets still not working, because while there is some law that a plane is supposed to have toilets working, that law does not get enforced.

There needs to be like a 911 for the news media, to inform them where there are planes, etc. that have been where how long, so that the news media can then descend on the homes & offices of the relevant airlines and other folks in charge, to ask how come. I would like to see people who are at ticket counter of airline X, or going to buy tickets at airline X, being asked by news media people what they think about airline X causing passengers to be stuck on runway for so many hours, and does that mean they might switch to airline Y?

There needs to be a 911 for this kind of situation to government authorities, after the passengers have had to wait more than some reasonable time interval, where the CEOs and other top managers of the transportation facilities involved are taken by police to a jail where there is no working toilet, no food, nothing to drink, not even water, no access to medicines, no comfortable place to sit, provided with phones & informed that they get to stay in that jail until
(a) their customers have got quality relief and compensation
(b) they (the CEOs etc.) have been in the jail for 2-3 times the time duration their customers were without working toilet, food, etc.
(c) when they get out, they go straight to hearing with a judge, where they need to give satisfactory explanation how this happened & what they have done to prevent it happening ever again.” A. Mcintyre

“If you compensate the 'victims', and such conclusion and characterization ought to be validated, you stand to repeat the issue and create more victims. If you penalize the root of the problem, the people whose chain of decision making leads to these situations, and I am not pointing to anyone here as I have no basis to do so, then you may give those folks the right incentive to go out of their way to deplane that next batch of victims. A win-win situation for all.” H. Benamar

What do you think is adequate compensation? Write and share your opinion!

Are you wasting your time waiting?

2009-08-26T19:07:00.004-04:00

It is not that you don’t have a busy enough life. You work, you have family and friends that need attention. However busy you may be, at some point everything comes to a screeching halt — your cable has stopped working. You now find yourself at the mercy of the cable company.

“We can have a repair person to your home between 8-12 tomorrow.” You have no choice but to stay put. You think to yourself, “Well maybe I can just run to the store to grab some milk”, but then you remember the last time you did that the repair person came and went and you had to start all over again. To make matters worse, the cable repair person ends up running late. At 12:15 you call the cable company and learn that they will be there within an hour. You have now wasted more than half a day.

You have most likely experienced a similar scenario. Why can’t there be a simple way to solve this problem and set us free?

As it turns out, there is a solution. Yuval Brisker, co-founder of TOA Technologies, experienced the same problem, but luckily for us, he figured out how to solve it. Brisker — a true renaissance man — designed a predictive web-based system, ETAdirect solution, that benefits both the customer and the company that uses it
As a customer, you will no longer be tied to your home waiting. Through text messages, automated voice call, email and/or online tracking, you will be informed when the repair person will arrive.

Generally, you the customer, will be “on call” for a two hour window. You let the company know your preferred mode of contact, and will be told when to expect the repai person within a one hour window.

For the company, TOA’s ETAdirect system helps manage a mobile workforce with planning and routing and dispatch and scheduling. Furthermore, it can help retain customers through better customer service.

One of my favorite features of the system is that it will offer to reschedule an appointment if the customer is not able to keep it. Too many companies neglect to reschedule their customer’s appointments. This simple step is good for the company and the customer.

I don’t know about you, but I sure want my cable company, phone company, plumber, etc to get this! (You know who you are!)

Customers like to be remembered

2009-08-20T10:38:00.003-04:00

Last week I was working in Orlando. I was staying at the Disney Contemporary Resort. Of course I am aware that Disney prides itself on superior customer service, so my expectations were pretty high. Even with those high expectations I still found myself amazed by a specific event.

After my class was finished I walked up to the reservation counter for the California Grill. Apparently it is a very popular restaurant so reservations are not easy to get. I was dining by myself so I thought I would check to see if I could eat later. A lovely woman behind the desk greeted me and told me that there should be no problem. It was a short unremarkable encounter and I walked away.

Later that night, after changing into more comfortable clothes, I decided to try and eat at the California Grill. I had no problem getting in (even though the place was packed.)

I was enjoying my meal at the sushi bar (the food was amazing,) when the woman who greeted me walked up to me and said “Wow, I am so glad you decided to come back.”

This blew me away. As I said, we had an unremarkable conversation, it lasted only seconds and I wasn’t even wearing the same clothes. But Ashley Call, the restaurants Guest Service Manager remembered me. And by the simple act of remembering me and telling me she was glad I came back she transformed my evening.

I felt important. I felt valued. I felt appreciated. She took a good evening and made it great. I eat at a lot of good restaurants, but I would go out of my way to go back to this one because of Call and her staff.

Call told me her goal was to make sure every guest leaves happy.

What do you do to make sure every customer leaves happy? How do you make your customer feel important, valued and appreciated?

Try doing something today to transform your customer’s experience.

Customer Service Tips from a Suburban Detroit Restaurant

2009-07-07T13:54:00.002-04:00

In a recent post, I wrote about my friend’s experience at Beau Jacks, a suburban Detroit restaurant. Their experience was exceptional; so, I decided to interview the owner, Gary Cochran. I wanted to learn what he does to keep his customers coming back 3 or 4 nights a week. His restaurant is so successful that patrons are willing to endure long waits, because it’s worth it, even in Detroit’s depressed times. Beau Jack’s is also one of Jay Leno’s favorite Detroit restaurants.

Here are Cochran’s tips for a successful business:

Don’t do traditional advertising.

Cochran doesn’t buy traditional advertising. He puts his money into supporting his loyal customers’ causes. When his customers ask him to buy ads in yearbooks, pay for sponsorships, or supports charitable golf outings, he does it. “I do my advertising with the people who eat with me.”

Keep your staff pumped up.

Cochran creates a weekly newsletter for his employees. The bottom of the newsletter has a motivational quote intended to keep his people thinking positively. He tells them, “ We don’t have to take part in this recession if the food and service is great.”

Have high standards.

“In this economy we have to dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’.” Cochran makes sure that his parking lot is repaved and painted every year whether it needs it or not. He has an iron and ironing board outside of the staff’s dressing room so that everyone looks impeccable. He believes that good is not good enough. “I don’t want you to pay for good, you pay for great.”

Treat your customers like members of a private club.

Cochran encourages his staff to learn customers’ names and preferences. “I always tell my staff that if they worked in a country club they would remember their names and that they like five olives in their martinis.”

He also provides his staff with business cards that they give out when they hand the customer the bill. He encourages the staff to tell the customers, “Ask for me next time you come in.”

Treat special needs customers differently.

Even though his customers may have to wait up to 45 minutes to be seated, he understands that it can be a hardship. When a customer is using a walker, he tries to seat them sooner. If customers have small children with them, the wait staff may place an order for chicken strips (on the house) so that the minute the family sits down there is food for the kids.

Don’t ask your employees to do anything you wouldn’t do.

Cochran hasn’t had a day off in the last 18 months. He can often be found with a coffee pot in his hand, bussing tables or picking up a dropped napkin. The treatment of his staff is so good that he has kept his employees for decades. His newest employee has been with him for six years.

Empower your employees.

His servers know that if they are overwhelmed with customers and are not providing great service, they can buy the customer a dessert with apologies. If there is a problem with food, they know that they can go to the chef or a manager and get the issue resolved.

If you take Cochran’s tips and translate them for your business, you too can do what Cochran does and “not take part in this recession.”

You Lost My Sale Today

2009-06-08T18:55:00.003-04:00

Yes you did. You probably don't care. At least that is how it appeared to me. I came into your store. Oh, I bet you don't think of it as YOUR store. I imagine you just think of it as the place you work. Which is probably part of the problem. But, I think of it as your store. And you ignored me. I walked in looking confused but interested. You were talking to your friend. I know you saw me. You just thought your friend and your friend's boyfriend were more interesting. You looked at me without acknowledging me or greeting me. You never stopped talking to your friend for a minute.

So, I walked out. The fact that I walked out without buying anything didn't seem to bother you one bit. Well, why should it? It's not YOUR store after all is it?

But wait, you get a paycheck right? Who do you think funds that check? Yes, it is me. And all the other people who buy things from your store. If you keep ignoring customers, the "owners" of the store won't be able to afford you. And in these tough economic times, that time may be sooner than you imagine.
So, please, the next time a customer enters your store greet them. Ask how you can be of assistance. Treat that customer as if your job depended on it...because it does.

Using Tweets to Provide Exceptional Government Service

2009-06-05T09:53:00.004-04:00

The Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, was looking for creative ways to provide customer service to his citizens without costing the city a lot of money. In a press conference, that was replayed on Youtube, he announced a new and innovative way for his citizens to communicate with the city's government agencies through Twitter.

A few years ago the city took 2300 phone numbers and a very difficult to navigate phone tree and merged them into a 311 call center. This call center is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is also available in 179 languages.

The Mayor said that they were looking into a text-messaging component to this call center but the price was prohibitive. He found that integrating Twitter into the system was the perfect answer. Twitter and the city's Dept of Technology worked together on this project.

Citizens can now press d sf311 on their Blackberry, I phone or non-smart phone as well as through their computer in order to send a question or complaint to the 311 call center. Once the tweet has been sent, the call center routes it to the correct department. Citizens can send photos (graffiti tags, abandoned mattresses or potholes) along with their tweet.

Bix Stone, co-founder of Twitter, said " People are moving their communication to a more open medium using tools like Twitter and Social Networking and Youtube." Clearly Mayor Newsom understands this better than anyone. His speeches are broadcast on Youtube and he is the first Mayor to integrate Twitter into his 311 call center.

Newsom said that he wanted to empower his citizens. He wants "800,000 eyes and ears on our streets."

Whether or not your local government can use technology as creatively as San Francisco, you do need to make exceptional customer service a priority.

Find ways to make it easy for your citizens to talk to you. If nothing else make sure you have a simple phone system that has no more than a few prompts. Respond to emails and letters quickly. Return your phone calls promptly. Follow the spirit of Mayor Newsom's goals.

Seriously, you don't want my business?

2009-05-04T14:52:00.004-04:00

I need your help. I want to hear your stories. Tell me about the many ways that businesses tell you that they don't want your business. Please post your stories here or email them to me at lauriebrown@thedifference dot net.

Here is a favorite of mine:

My sister-in-law was recently visiting NYC and wanted to buy a pair of comfortable walking shoes. Her husband googled "Comfort shoes New York." He found a number of shoes stores, one of which was Treadeasy shoes.

She called the number and this is the conversation:

Treadeasy shoes (TS): Hello

Sister-in-law (SIL): Hello, is this comfort shoes?

TS: (Deep sigh) NO! This is TREADEASY comfort shoes.

SIL: Well I am looking for comfort shoes and my husband looked on the internet and your number came up.

TS: (Sigh) This happens ALL the time. You need to return some shoes? They are on the internet and we are not. We are referral only. DId someone refer you?

SIL: No, I am just looking for comfortable shoes.

TS: Well our shoes start at $250 dollars and I am not sure THAT is what you are looking for.

SIL: Well, you are a shoe store, right? And I am looking to BUY some shoes.

TS: (Laugh) Well, OK.

SIL: Where are you located?

TS: Well, we can meet you on 42nd st.

By this time my sister-in-law was tired of trying to give this business her money. She thanked the woman and ended the conversation.

Now to be fair, maybe there is a great deal of confusion about the differences in the stores. But imagine if the conversation went this way instead.

TS: Hello. Treadeasy shoes. My name is______________. How may I help you?

SIL: I am looking for comfortable shoes.

TS: Well, that is great. We specialize in high end comfort shoes through referrals. May I inquire who referred you?

SIL: Actually we found you on the internet. Is there anyway that I can still buy from you?

TS: Of course. Let me tell you a little about our business and how we can show you our shoes.

Now, I don't know their business model. But, I truly believe that a warm greeting and not showing frustration is a good start no matter what your business model is.

I would like you to think about the way that you make it difficult for people to give you their money. Try instead to be warm, helpful and gracious. I can't imagine ANY business in this economy that doesn't need each and every one of their customers.

Customer Service Lesson from Salvation Army

2009-04-03T14:13:00.003-04:00

So, I got a call today. It was from Jason at the Salvation Army. I knew what he wanted. It is what EVERY charity I give to wants. I was sure he was going to ask me for more money. They all do.
But, boy was I wrong. He didn’t want money. He only wanted to thank me.

Jason told me how grateful he was that I had donated to their Bed and Breakfast Club, a fundraiser that Dick Purtan puts on every year. And you know, I believed Jason. I think he really was grateful to me, and the others who helped Salvation Army meet their goals.

He told me that he always thanks his donors with a call or a written note of thanks. He told me about all the wonderful things Salvation Army does with our money. I was touched by his enthusiasm and his sincerity.

You can bet the NEXT time Jason contacts me I will be happy to talk to him again and to give to the Salvation Army. Why? Because, he took the time to begin building a relationship with me. He called simply to say thanks.

So, what can we learn from this charity and more importantly from Jason? Gratitude goes a long way to making your customer feel valued and important. I continually harp on the fact that your customers have an almost unlimited amount of choices on whom to give their money. The same is true for charities, especially in these tough times, charities have to compete for your money. Saying thanks, being truly grateful, goes a long way to creating the kind of relationship that makes your customer happy to do business with you.

Today, call your customer to just say thanks. Write them a personal note. Stop by their home and drop off a small token of your gratitude. Then let me know their reaction.

Also, if you can, give some money to the Salvation Army or the charity of your choice. The world will be a better place for it.

Stop lowering your price, raise your customer service

2009-03-30T14:47:00.002-04:00

Prakash Sadagopan, Director of Product Strategy at Converges recently spoke at the OSS/BSS Asia Pacific Summit. His report was ground breaking. Through research he found that the customer’s experience was as important as the product being sold, and more important than brand or price.

So, what does that mean to you? If you are trying to compete as the lowest price competitor you may very well may be missing the mark. So many businesses try to compete with lower prices. If you are one of those lowest price competitors, my guess is that you have to trim expenses. Often, when trimming expenses the first thing that goes is trained , engaged employees. After all if you think that your customer just wants the lowest price why would you bother with having a full service staff. Instead you should consider ways to simplify services and processes.

Customers who are always looking for the lowest price are not loyal. They skip from one company to the next looking for the next best deal. To really build a business you need and want a customer base who is loyal to you. Those loyal customers form the backbone of a successful business, because they not only come back time and again, they tell their friends and family about you.

What do these potentially loyal customers want from you? According to Sadagopan, 64% of the customers want knowledgeable employees, who address their needs on the first contact and treats them like a valued customer.

He ends his presentation with four steps that you need to take to start building your loyal customer base.
1. Proactive Care actively seek out opportunities to help your customers
2. Lifetime value Use every contact to increase the value of your relationships
3. Agent efficiency Help your agents resolve customer issues quickly
4. Automation effectiveness Improve automation to the point where customers prefer it.

In future columns we will explore each of these steps. For now, look for ways to make your customers feel valued and respected by greeting them warmly the minute they walk in your door.

Good Old Fashioned Customer Service is New Again

2009-03-09T09:29:00.004-04:00

I just read an interesting article in the Bay City Times, about retailers in Bay City Michigan. I am sure you are aware of how tough things are in Michigan. But the retailers in this small town have figured out what to do to keep their customers. Not surprisingly, their secret is, as they say, "good old fashioned customer service and building relationships"

In the article, Susan Yaklin-Everson, a co-owner at Violets Blue, said that "she is going the extra mile on customer service." Water Front Market owner Greg Schultz said "he's surviving a tough economy by putting himself in the customer's shoes."

These simple ideas can make a huge difference in YOUR business. I recommend that you (or a friend or family member) pretend that they are a customer and try to do business with you. They should look at your policies and processes. Your phone system, can they get to who they need easily (no far cheating on this one?) Have them pretend that they don't have the secret direct number. Have them try to return something, or make an appointment or reservation.

Most businesses that I have worked with have found that they made it hard for their customers to do business with them, in one way or another. You might be surprised at how hard you have made it for your customers.

Do what they are doing with great success in Bay City, go back to providing good old fashioned customer service and start today.

Can You Afford to Give Exceptional Customer Service in Tough Economic Times?

2009-03-07T07:19:00.006-05:00

Okay, perhaps the better question is "Can you afford not to?

Recently, J.D. Power and Associates reported that exceptional service satisfaction enhances automotive dealer and manufacturer profitability by improving customer retention even as sales decline.

I have one comment on their finding. "Duh!"

OK, seriously, they are absolutely correct. NO business can afford to NOT provide exceptional service 100 % of the time.

You have experienced it yourself. You walk into a business, whether it is your physician’s office, a fast food franchise, a department store or the offices of a large corporation, and you are welcomed like a valued guest. The greeting you receive is warm, sincere and immediate. The rest of your experience is made better by this simple act. But, you have also experienced the completely opposite experience—probably more often. You walk in and you are treated badly or maybe worse—totally ignored. No matter how positive the rest of your experience with this business may be, you are much less likely to be a satisfied customer.

Great customer service has always been important. But, in these tough economic times, businesses can’t afford not to get their customer service absolutely right. And yet, more often than not, this best practice eludes most service providers.

An online survey showed that 77 percent of customers will never return to a business simply because of how they were greeted. Most of them leave without ever saying why. With that huge of a loss in business, it’s clear all businesses need to greet their customers properly.

Today, create goodwill and great experiences at your business by providing exceptional customer service. Write and share what you did.

The Power of a Handwritten Note

2009-02-13T09:45:00.004-05:00

There is something special that happens when someone takes the time to put pen to paper and leave a thank you for your kindness or business. I was recently a guest at Crowne Plaza in Philadelphia and I left a tip for the housekeeper. (Note: I really am a good hotel guest, I don't leave a mess and my towels are always hung up.) Even though I always leave a tip for the housekeeper something different happened. This time I got a note back from her. I was delighted.

By simply putting writing that note she created the begining of a relationship with me. Do you think I made sure I left another tip the next day? You betcha. I would guarantee that this woman receieves more tips than her counterparts.

But, unless you are in a similar position you might wonder how this might help you and your business. In March I blogged about a Dentist who used handwritten notes to help his business.

No matter what business you are in, your customer will notice when you take the time to write them a note. It doesn't matter if it is on the bottom of the invoice you send, a postcard, a thank you note or a letter. Just take the few extra seconds it takes to write a note.

We have become adept at using technology to communicate in a variety of ways. Twitter, Facebook, E-mails, IM's, text messages allow us to instantly communicate to our friends and our customers. That's great. Instant communication can keep our customers in the loop. But for making a real impact on our customer nothing can beat a handwritten note.

Write someone a note today. See what happens.

How to Greet Your Customer-Attitude is Everything!

2009-01-15T11:30:00.006-05:00

In a comment on a recent post Mr Q stated "The standardized greeting is a nice idea, one from which many businesses could learn. The other element, of course, is HOW the greeting is delivered... is it forced or insincere? If so, the WHAT will be completely lost in the HOW. So, as with all good managers, the mayor and/or city council must pay attention in an ongoing fashion to both the message and the delivery."

It was such a great comment I decided to write more about it. MrQ is absolutely correct. The HOW the greeting is delivered is absolutely essential. The following is from my soon to be published book "The Greet Your Customer Manual"

The most important element of your greeting is your attitude. No matter how hard you try to fool people, a negative attitude will be apparent. You give it away through your facial expressions, body language and vocal tone. Sometimes you reveal a negative attitude through what you doan't say or do.

A good attitude is one that is appropriate for your position of business. Clearly a funeral director needs to project a more somber attitude then a balloon store clerk. But both should be connected to their customers and concerned with their needs. Yes even the balloon clerk.

For most businesses, a good attitude means that youa re positive and upbeat, but in a genuine way. A phony cheery greeting has never once been mistaken for a good attitude. You can't successfully paste an insincere smile on your face in order to mask your true feelings. ou need to smile warmly and show enthusiasm for your customers.

So check your attitude. How would you feel if you were greeted in a similar fashion to the way you are greeting your customers?

Greeting Your Customer for Cities-Boardman Does it Right!

2009-01-13T08:19:00.004-05:00

Chet Phillips, Boardman Oregon's new mayor understands the importance of a great greeting.

In an article in the East Oregonian, Erin Mills reports about Phillips first city council meeting. At this meeting Phillips announced his "Welcome to Boardman" campaign. He has asked all business owners to greet every new customer with "Welcome to Boardman."

Having the entire city greet visitors with this very welcoming greeting will have many benefits for both the city and for the merchants. First of all it is a great way to brand the city. After a few experiences hearing "Welcome to Boardman" visitors will think "WOW! That is different!" and they will tell friends and family about how welcome they felt. The best form of advertising is always going to be word of mouth. I can imagine Boardman getting known from this simple step.

The other benefit is that it will encourage all businesses to offer a warm greeting. Too often businesses can forget this important step. We get busy or distracted and forget to just say
"Hi" or "thanks for coming in" or any other greeting that shows that you are grateful to have this customer choose you.

In my soon to be published book "The Greet Your Customer Manual" I talk about how to greet your customers in a way that makes them feel like valued guests. I am so glad that the Mayor see how important a greeting can be for businesses and cities.

Why not start greeting your customers so that they feel like they are important to you. Tell me ways that you greet your customers!

Customer Service=Convenience

2009-01-11T08:48:00.004-05:00

It has been my believe that what customers really want is EASY. Make it easy for them to do business with you and you will have a customer for life. Even in tough economic times most people still value convenience over price.

It is amazing how many people make it hard for their customers to do business with them. Everything from making finding their phone number on their website into an Easter Egg hunt (tip: have your phone number as the footer on every page or at least have a clear "contact us" navigation button) to responding to emails and phone messages quickly (tip: 24 hours is TOO long these days. People want to hear back the same day if at all possible)

People need/want to have what they want quickly. Anything you put in their way ends up costing you the customer. We all have way too many choices where to do business. Easy to do business with will end up winning.

Yes, even "free" services need to be convenient. An article in the Star Community Newspaper talks about Shelley Holley, who has taken over the roll of library director at the Frisco Public Library. Holley's goal is to make her library relevant and convenient. She hopes to create a central area where where patrons can "...do things that sometimes now you have to go to several different areas of the library to do." Holley said.

What can you do to make it EASY for your customer to do business with you?

Look at these areas, as your customer might:

Phone systems. Have a friend or relative (who doesn't know the secret routes) to try and call your business. We sometimes haven't tried our own system since it was put in. If they they have to go through more than two sets of prompts you are NOT easy.

Email. Again, have someone outside attempt to contact you by email. How long did it take to get their mail responded to?

Parking. Is it easy to get into and out of your building. Sometimes you can control the parking but you can get innovative. Holiday Market has valet parking during holiday peak hours.

Returns. Yes, people can take advantage of liberal return policies. But I know people who ONLY shop at stores that allow returns easily. If you feel the need to have policies to protect you than make sure that they are clearly marked EVERYWHERE (Ie. on the sales slip, on your website, at the cashier etc. It doesn't hurt to have the salesperson say it out loud.

These are just a few of the ways you need to make your business easy. Now, let's hear from you.

What have you done to make your business easy? Or, what have others done that have made it hard for you to do business with them.

A prize to the best response!

A Holiday Greeting That Worked

2008-12-19T10:55:00.003-05:00

OK. I know that the holidays are coming. It isn't a suprise. I know who I am giving to and what I am giving. So why do I wait until the last minute? Well that is probably unanswerable. However, it is clear that I am NOT the only one waiting to the last minute to order for their loved ones. So, as a business servicing these late-comers how do you greet them in a way that is personal and fun?

I think Harry and David succeeded in greeting me in a appropriate and fun way. An automated message came on and said "Thanks for calling Harry and David, we make your holidays easy." At the end of the automated message he said "relax." It wasn't so much a command as an invitation. Then the warm welcoming voice of the sales representative came on "Happy holidays How may I help you?"

Having just laughed at the request to "relax" which was the last thing on my mind I was pleased to hear her voice offering help. In minutes I was off the phone having sent my gifts. You know what? I am more relaxed!

Think of ways you can greet your customers in a way that acknowledges their situation and feels personal even if it is an automated message.

Stop Telling Us it's Our Policy!

2008-12-10T09:27:00.005-05:00

Unbelievable. In this dire economy companies are still telling customers "Sorry, I can't do that, it's our policy." Can you really afford to push your customers away because of some stupid misguided policy? Really?

Last Saturday I went to a local dim sum restaurant to celebrate my friend Mary's birthday. There were 10 of us dining and we ordered A LOT of food. One of the guests asked for low sodium soy sauce. He was told "Sorry, that is only for people who are eating sushi." We were stunned. "Really?" he asked. "We can't have low sodium soy sauce if we don't order sushi?" "Right" our waitress said. We did the only sane thing we could do and ordered sushi we DIDN'T want so that we could have the low sodium soy sauce.

So, we got what we wanted. But did the restaurant get what they wanted? If their only concern was preservation of a condiment, then yes they did. But if their goal was pleasing their customer and making loyal customers, no they did not.

I know for a fact that most of us will choose the other dim sum restaurant that doesn't have this crazy rule next time we want dim sum.

Before you start feeling superior, check yourself. Have you or your employees, ever uttered the words " Sorry, that is not our policy" for ANY reason? If you, or they have, then you are as guilty as the restaurant. I am sure you think you have a more substantial reason for saying this. But, it still has the same effect on your customer's opinion of you.

Stop telling your customers that you have a policy that thwarts their desires. Make your policy "Customer Satisfaction" Try it today!

Putting Great Customer Service First

2008-11-28T07:50:00.007-05:00

In a recent article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Joe Guy Collier writes about the changes that AFC Enterprises new CEO, Cheryl Bachelder is making to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. Bachelder said "We would like for our service, our guest experience to be as sharp as our food."

This kind of forward thinking is exactly what we all need to focus on in these tough economic times. Instead of letting the economic downturn get her down she said "We've had to be more focused, but I actually think that's been a blessing. We're going to get the fundamentals of our business moving the right way."

Popeye's has a system for immediate customer feedback that tracks hospitality as one of ten attributes. This feedback provides the managers the information they need to continuously improve.

Are you focusing on improving your customer's experience, or are you just slashing prices in hopes of winning your share of your customer's hearts and pocketbooks?

Focus on providing your customers what they want and need and you can win them over.

Great Customer Service Lesson from McClures's Pickles

2008-11-02T14:47:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I went to the Royal Oak Farmers Market. I was happy to see that the wonderful folks from McClure's Pickles were there again. A few weeks ago I tasted their fabulous pickles and bought a jar. My husband and I were overloaded with goodies and the bag that dropped right by our car was the one that contained those pickles. The jar was smashed into smithereens and we wrapped it in plastic to get it to the garbage at home. The car had the wonderful aroma of pickles but we didn't get to eat any.

So as I walked up to their booth, two weeks later, I told them about my accident. "Why didn't you come back in we would have given you another one for free?" But instead of just saying I should have come back, she handed me a new jar and said "Here take this one please." I didn't accept her very generous offer, I happily paid for it.

I thought to myself, "You just made me a raving fan customer."

But here is the lesson to all of us. Being generous is the key to exceptional customer service. She could have easily said "Oh, you dropped the last one, sorry to hear that." and I would have been fine. I would have still bought another jar and gone on my way. But, because of her kindness I feel a huge sense of loyalty. They wanted to take care of me now I want to take care of them.

It is sometimes the smallest acts of kindness that can turn someone into a lifelong customer. What can you do in these difficult times to go the extra mile and do something to help your customers and win their loyalty?

What is THE most Important Dental Tool?

2008-03-12T10:17:00.007-04:00

You might have looked at the picture and decided on your "favorite" tool. But in actuality the dentist's (actually ANY service provider's)most important tool is the pen.

My friend Mary had some dental work performed by her dentist, Bobby Grossi from DaVinnci Dental In Clawson, Michigan. Dr Grossi took over the practice from another dentist about 8 months ago. Mary liked her original dentist and had been with him for years. When Dr. Grossi took over she assumed that her dentist trusted him and so she decided to stay with the office.

Dr. Grossi obviously doesn't take customer loyalty for granted as a number of business owners do. He knew that he needed to offer superior customer in order to keep these new customers coming back to him.

Dr. Grossi HAND wrote a note to her. It said:

Mary,
I hope everything is going well. It truly is a pleasure to provide you with dental care. You are a lot of fun to work on, and I enjoy your company. I hope to be your treating dentist for years to come.
Thank you
Bobby Grossi

This is a PERFECT thank you note. It was handwritten, it was personal, it stated his goal (to be your treating dentist for years to come)

Mary was thrilled to receive this note and now feels even more loyal than she might have after a good visit.

But lets look at the other benefits. The handwritten note was so note worthy that she shared it with everyone at a group breakfast. Everyone looked at the note, everyone was impressed. And I am pretty sure that everyone thought to themselves "Why doesn't my dentist send me a note?"

Also she happened to hand to a customer service trainer, me, who has now written about it in her blog.

I had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Grossi. I asked him why he wrote the note. He said that he wants his patients to know that he is a human being that is grateful for their business. He treats his patients the way he would hope to be treated.

I asked if he had any comments from his patients about the notes. He has received comments but he said that his goal was not to get a specific response, it was just to let them know that they were appreciated.

If you are thinking, "yea I would love to have the time to do something like that." throw that excuse away. Dr. Grossi says he spends about twenty minutes a day writing his notes. You have twenty minutes to let your customers know you appreciate them, don't you?

If you don't, make the time. These kinds of notes work better than all the other kinds of outreach you do. People respond better to a friends recommendation than an ad in a paper.

Do it now! Write your customer a thank you note...I am going to!

How Hard is it to Smile and Say Hello?

2008-01-25T14:54:00.001-05:00

I just went to my city hall to pay my taxes. The woman behind the counter looked at me as I waited for her to finish with the gentleman in front of me. Although she looked directly at me, she did not in any way acknowledge me. No smile, no "hi," no "I will be right with you." Not even a nod.

How did this make me feel? VERY uncomfortable. VERY unimportant. VERY invisible. The strange thing is that she did look at me. How hard would it have been to add some sort of human contact to make me feel welcome? Literally she might have had to make the slight physical effort to raise the corners of her lips into a smile. Or move the muscles in her neck to nod. But seriously not much effort at all.

So why didn't she do it? My guess is that no one, not her bosses or her customers ever bothered to let her know the impact of her inaction. Probably no one taught her how to be kind and welcoming. In fact no one ever spent anytime helping her understand the importance of greeting her customer.

Just because she is a civil servant doesn't mean that we residents aren't her customers. And ALL customers (no matter what you call them: clients, patrons, patients, guest, buyer, member, or enrollee) deserve your warm greeting.

Start paying attention to how you are treated. As you become more aware of how you are treated it will be easier to judge how well you are doing with greeting your customer. And if you are a manager, start training your employees on what a good greeting looks and sounds like. Then reward them whtn they do it correctly.

Customers may not tell you how they feel...but they will tell their friends. Make sure they are telling good stories about you.

Great Customer Phone Skills Hasn't Changed in 40 Years

2007-12-01T07:28:00.000-05:00

I was just having lunch with my best childhood friend, Eileen. I was telling her that I am working on a booklet on How to Greet Your Customer. She mentioned that when she was 16 she worked for her father who was a CPA. She told me how when she started her job she was given rigorous training in customer service and phone skills. Apparently at the time, Michigan Bell, trained people on the appropriate way to use their switchboards and talk to customers.

Here are some of the things she learned:
1. Always say the name of the business
2. Never leave someone on hold for more than 30 seconds
3. When you put someone on hold, always explain what you are doing. ("I am going to put you on hold for a few seconds so that I can find the document you requested.")
4. Never transfer someone without explaining to the caller who you are transferring them to.
5. Never transfer someone without letting the person who you are transferring to, know who the caller is and what they want or need (if you know this)
6. As the switchboard operator, you are the face of the company. Often you are the first impression a client has about the business. It is your responsibility to make that a positive impression.
7. Always smile when on the phone. (Her father also suggested she place a mirror in front of her to remind her to smile.) A smile warms up your voice and makes you sound far more pleasant.

I was delighted to see that great customer service is timeless. The only thing I would add to this list, is:

8.Say your name after saying the business name.
"Good morning, Otto, Keller and Skye, this is Laurie Brown speaking." Saying your name allows the client to feel like you are willing to take personal responsibility for the call.

As you look at the above list, ask yourself "Am I doing all of these items on a regular basis?" If so, great! Your business will prosper from these great customer phone skills. If you are not currently doing all 8 items, start today. Your customers will be delighted.

Blog Action Day

2007-10-15T08:10:00.000-04:00

You may be wondering what a customer service and sales tips blog is doing promoting environmental awareness by participating in the national Blog Action Day.

Well, first let me explain what Blog Action Day is all about. According to the folks at Blog Action Day,"On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future."

As I watch more and more people using the environment to "sell" their products and services I tend to get a bit cynical . Sometimes I think..."Hey wait a minute you are USING my concern about the environment to SELL me something." But then I step back and realize that anything (including ads) that make us, even for thirty seconds, think about reversing some of the damage we have done is a good thing.

So if there is anyway you can use "Going Green" to the advantage of your business, go ahead. Perhaps you can stand out from your competitors by being the first to use "green". It might even be something small like using recycled paper for your business cards or something much larger on a corporate level.

So, in honor of Blog Action Day, do something to communicate your concern for the world we live in. If you have a blog join the conversation by registering your blog and then writing about the environment. If you don't have a blog you can still engage your customers in the conversation.

What Restaurant Service Can Teach Us About Word of Mouth Referrals

2007-10-03T08:35:00.000-04:00

Recently my family dined at a new restaurant in our neighborhood. We were greeted by the hostess and we asked for a table for four. There were three of us there and my husband was parking the car. She informed us she wouldn't seat us until all of our party arrived. I laughed as I looked at the empty restaurant and said "You are joking, right?" She informed me that she was serious. I said "No, really you WON'T seat us until my husband finishes parking? REALLY?" She then said the absolute worst words ever spoken "Yes, I am sorry it is our policy".

Luckily a waitress offered to seat us before I went into a lecture about customer service, and how customers needs need to supercede policies.

I once spoke to the VP of food and beverage at the Ritz. When I asked him his philosophy of customer care he said " I treat people as if they were valued guests in my home." With that in mind, I can't imagine that the restaurant or the hostess would tell their guests to wait until everyone got there before letting them into thier home.

How many times has this hostess aliented her customers with her rigid attitude? How many people have communicated this treatment to their friends?

For quite awhile I have been writing about the importance of exceptional customer service. This has been especially true because of the internet. More and more we look to the web to tell us about others experience with a business. You probably have googled either a business, product or person to learn more about them.

Before the internet word of mouth referrals were pretty limited. If you messed up maybe that person would tell his or her friends, but the damage would be limited. But now one well written post could literally ruin the reputation of you, your product or service.

In a recent article in the NY Times Joe Drapes writes:

"While chef worship is in vogue, members of the next generation at the front of the house seem satisfied to practice their craft anonymously and perhaps more subtly. Their livelihoods, after all, depend on it in an era where the story of a bad dining experience can be posted on the Internet within minutes.

“I cannot afford to lose a single customer,” said Mr. Grieco, who opened Insieme more than five months ago and, with Mr. Canora, has owned Hearth in the East Village for nearly four years.

“It used to be that if something went wrong, you might lose a circle of family or friends. Now, half our reservations come from the Internet, and a negative experience on a blog can affect thousands of potential customers.”
Where first impressions mean much and can be spread instantly, there is a thriving market for hosts adept at managing image as well as business."

However it seems that some people have not yet gotten the message. How about you? Do you really understand the power of word of mouth? Have you googled yourself recently to see what people are saying about you?

Start (or keep)providing the kind of service that gets people talking about you in a positive way.

How Do Your Customers Find You?

2007-08-06T09:42:00.000-04:00

I just called my plumber, Levine and Son's to fix my stopped up sink. I have been doing business with them for over 10 years. I am a member of their family club. One look at my record would show that I am a loyal, long time customer. But the woman who answered the phone asked. 'What did you use to get our number?' Frankly, I was a bit surprised. I am used to being taken for granted at most of the places I do business. I asked her why she needed to know this. She explained that this was so they could make sure they were spending their advertising money well.

It turns out that the yellow pages was still the most effective source for new clients. But her repeat customers used the paper cubes they gave out and the stickers that they place on their appliances.

"Where did you find our number today?"
It is a really good idea to ask this simple question to your customers when they call. Although you may ask this question for your new customers, it makes good sense to ask it from your loyal customers too. You just might find that you are spending you money in the wrong places.

How Great Customer Service Can Overcome a Really Bad Product

2007-06-19T20:06:00.001-04:00

I use my cell phone a LOT! I use it for business. I use it to stay connected to my friends and family. I use it to check email. I believe that my cell phone is one of my most important tools.

Needless to say when my samsung cell phone started dropping calls I was worried and upset. I mean how many times can you tell your client that you really are not trying to repeatedly hang up on them.

All I really wanted to do was to smash the dang thing or quit using ATT/Cingular or whatever they are calling themselves these days.But instead I got Phillip Trammel on the phone. My lucky day...or maybe more truthfully ATT's lucky day.

Phillip did EVERYTHING right. He took ownership of my problem. He started problem solving and made sure I got a new phone. But that was just the beginning. He promised to call me back to see if that solved the problem. "Yea right" I thought. I will never hear from him again. Boy was I wrong. He called as promised and when he heard that the phone still didn't work he tried a new sim card. He promised to call back to see if this solution worked...it didn't...but he did call back. I am on my third phone and he is set to call me again in a couple of days.And I know he will call.

Here is the interesting thing. Although none of his solutions worked, I am willing to stay with ATT. Why? Because someone cares enough to make sure that my phone WILL work. Even if I found a new phone service I wouldn't have Phillip...and I want him on my side

Do you do the things that keep your customers loyal?

What Business are You In?

2007-06-10T22:49:00.000-04:00

Really Easy Phone System

2007-05-16T10:38:00.000-04:00

So you say that your phone system really makes it easier for your customers? It is time to come clean. Most likely your phone system is only for your convenience not your customers. What is my proof? I just came across Get Human. They have a a list of 500 companies that they grade on the ease of their phone systems, the phone number to reach them and they also tell you what you need to press to speak to a human.

As they describe themselves on their website;"The gethuman project is a consumer movement to improve the quality of phone support in the US. This free website is run by volunteers and is powered by over one million consumers who demand high quality phone support from the companies that they use."

Do you really think that you can afford to ignore one million consumers.

Here are some tips, from my article Getting Out of the Phone Loop, to make your phone system more consumer friendly:

Make it easy to contact your company
Have your phone number clearly displayed on everything: all printed and electronic media, receipts, your email signature line, on magnets, notepads and anything else your customers may keep. List your phone information in online directories, yellow pages, etc.

Some other things that make contacting your company easy are a toll free number to make it affordable for your customers to contact you at any time, if you use phone words, include both the spelling and the numeric equivalent.

Make it easy to talk to a human
Don’t make your customers search for a method to talk to a living, breathing person. If you have an automated phone system, it can be extremely frustrating and impossible to get in touch with a human being. Consider reducing the number of prompts in your system. One set of prompts is the limit for most people’s patience and goodwill. If you absolutely, positively must have more than one set of prompts, make sure to offer your customers the option of speaking to an operator in the first and subsequent series of prompts.

Make it easy for your customer to reach the person they need
Have employees take ownership of every call. If they can answer a question without transferring, have them go ahead and answer. If the caller needs to talk to someone else in the company, have the person who has answered the call tell the customer that they are going to be transferred, making sure they have given the caller the correct number in the event the caller gets disconnected or “lost” in the system. If at all possible, try to get a system that allows your employees to stay on the phone with the customer until the transfer is made.

As in any other business situation, have the employee introduce the caller to the person they are being transferred to. The employee should provide a brief recap of the customer’s needs and or questions before politely saying goodbye to the customer.

Make it easy to be on hold
30 seconds doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Phone time is different than regular time. When you are waiting for someone to help you, 30 seconds can seem like an eternity. If your people have to place a caller on hold, make sure that they check back every 30 seconds to update the customer and/or give them the option of being called back. Don’t ask the customer to call back, instead offer to call them back. Calling back your customer is a way of acknowledging that you know their time is important and you appreciate their patience.

If you utilize music for the on hold time, make sure that it is consistent with the image of your business. A better idea is to play information tapes that tell your customer about your business or give them some ideas to improve their life or business.

Make it easy to have a voice mail returned
If a customer leaves a voice mail message, they expect to get a call back quickly. Have your employees change their voice mail message each day. If they need to be out of the office, or if they are unable to return messages that day, their message should not only indicate that, but should also have the number or extension of a person who could be contacted immediately.

Sometimes (often) we are unaware of just how difficult and frustrating it can be to talk to a human at our own business. If you think you have an easy system, try it out yourself. Have friends and family members try it. Ask your employees to give it a try. Have them tell you what the easiest part of their experience was, as well as which parts were frustrating. Then fix the problems immediately. Make it as easy as possible for your customers to do business with you.

If you would like a copy of the article "Getting Out of the Phone Loop" email me at lauriebrown@thedifference.net.

Don't Lie to Your Customer

2007-03-10T15:32:00.000-05:00

Perhaps the headline of this blog offends you. You are thinking, "I'm honest with my customers; I pride myself on being ethical." Unfortunately, too many "ethical" companies, comprised of many ethical people, lie to their customers on a regular basis. Not necessarily big lies, or calculated lies, but rather broken promises. From the broadest advertising campaign promise, to a commitment made by an individual employee, any time a promise made to a customer is broken, they've been lied to.

A case in point: Rochelle needed to rent a car for her trip to Louisiana. She chose Enterprise because of their promise of convenience. As anyone who's heard their TV commercials knows, Enterprise makes this promise: "We'll pick you up!" What could be simpler?

Rochelle and her daughter arrived at their destination and were ready to get their rental car and continue on their way. Well, Enterprise didn't show. They waited and waited. Finally, Rochelle called. A woman answered, "Oh, we are swamped! It will be about 45 minutes for us to pick you up."

Again, Rochelle waited and waited! After another 45 minutes came and went, she called once more. The same woman, a bit more frantic, answered, and said, "I will send someone right now." Finally someone came and took Rochelle and her daughter to the rental office. It turns out that that one woman was the only person there. She was the one taking care of renting vehicles, cleaning cars, answering phones, etc., etc.

Did this woman mean to lie to Rochelle? Most likely not. I am sure she would be shocked to be called a liar after all, she was doing her job to the best of her ability. But she did lie, and in fact, ultimately, all of Enterprise lied to Rochelle. In every Enterprise commercial in which customers are picked up easily and on time the company is making a promise: this what we'll do for you! When Enterprise fails to make sure that each and every rental location can keep this promise they are bound to end up lying to their customers.

The problem with broken promises and lies is that customer will remember and chose another company. Even worse, the customer may then tell their friends and family about the lie too!
Just as Rochelle told me her story, and I am now telling to you, maybe you will tell it to someone else. You can see how one small story can snowball.

Are you lying to your customers? Does your advertisement promise something that you are unwilling or unable to provide? To be successful, you need to keep all your promises, however large and small.

Keeping your word is the first step to winning and keeping your customers. Make sure you do it every time.

Just say "YES" to Your Customer

2007-02-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

You walk into your supermarket with a store coupon that expired yesterday. You ask the cashier if they would honor the coupon. “No” the cashier responds. No explanation, no apology, just “No.” You leave the store feeling angry and unappreciated.

Or perhaps you call a local business asking if they would stay open a few minutes longer because you are caught in traffic and you hear “No.” You leave the conversation feeling frustrated and upset.

If you counted the amount of times you are told “No” from the very people who depend on your good will and business your head would spin. How many times after being told “No” do you make a mental note to never go back to that establishment.

Saying “No” is generally the lazy response from a disinterested person, or at least that is how it feels to hear it.

How many times do you say “No” to your customers or clients? Perhaps you hide behind policies and procedures. Do you really think that it feels better to hear “Sorry, No, it’s our policy?” Probably not.

But obviously we can’t say “Yes” every time our customer asks for something. So how do we know when to say “Yes” without it becoming a problem? Put it through a very simple filter that I learned from a friend. If it isn’t illegal, immoral or unethical, say “YES.”

Instead of saying “No,” the next time, stop, take a breath, and say “let me see what I can do.” Then do something, find a way around the issue, call a supervisor, be creative. Even if you can’t say “YES!” you can show the customer that you are doing everything possible.

When you say “YES!” you are showing your customer that you value their business and that you care about their best interest. Let them know you are as loyal to them as you want them to be to you.

Just say YES!

The Importance of Greeting Your Customer

2006-12-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

Here is a question for all of you. How many of you, as a customer, have had a bad sales experience? Hmmmm. Looks like that's all of you. So think about it, if all of you have had a bad experience, that means that all of your customers have had one too.

What does this have to do with greeting your customer? Well if all of your customers have had a bad experience, then they probably consciously or unconsciously have a chip on their shoulder or a wall up. Have you ever noticed that some customers come in with an attitude? So many salespeople end up feeling defensive when their customers are on the offense. But it isn't about you. It is about the other consultant. So what can you do to remove the chip and break down the wall?

Greet them warmly and sincerely. A true warm welcome can be totally disarming. I recently went to a restaurant in Santa Fe and I was blown away by the greeting. The gentleman at the front door greeted us as long lost friends. He truly seemed grateful to have us come to his restaurant. To be honest I didn't love the food. It was good, not great, but the experience was so amazing I would go back in a heartbeat.

So what are the elements of a good greeting?
1. Immediate recognition. Don't wait even a couple of minutes to acknowledge your guest. If you are anywhere in proximity of your customer say hello. If you are with another customer you can still acknowledge them and let them know you will be with them as soon as possible. Nothing is more frustrating than waiting for someone to acknowledge you.

2. Make the greeting warm and sincere. If you are not truly grateful that this person decided to walk into your establishment you need to rethink where your check is REALLY coming from.

3. Handshakes are optional. I used to recommend that EVERYONE get a handshake, but the fact is that there are many cultures that find that offensive. My best tip is to wait with your hands at your side until the customer makes the first move and then do what they do, whether it is a handshake, bow or kiss. If you would like to know more about working with different cultures I recommend the amazing book "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands".

4. Avoid "How may I help you?" this question allows the customer (in a sales situation) to say "just looking" at which point you are already in a hole. Start off with "How are you?" or comment on something they are wearing "great glasses , where did you get them?", even a comment on the weather can help you to start building rapport. But if your customer doesn't like small talk get to the point quickly.

5. Understand them. Begin your relationship with the true goal of finding out their wants and needs and making sure that you fulfill them.

These five steps will help you start building rapport and trust. The sooner you can build rapport and trust with your customer, the sooner you can remove that chip from their shoulder or start tearing down the wall and create a "customer for life"

Even though this all sounds so basic, aren't you amazed at how often you are ignored or treated badly?

Remember you only have about five seconds to create an impression. Make sure it is a good one!

When Should You Stop Building Value?

2006-11-12T09:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to Wholefoods to buy some groceries. As I walked in I was immediately drawn to the flower display. The last time I was there I purchased some beautiful lilies that lasted weeks. This time they had peonies! Peonies at this time of year are unheard of. Because my mother used to raise these flowers on the side of our house, I have a special attachment to them. I picked them up and placed them in my basket.

After shopping for 45 minutes, I walked up to a cashier in a good mood. My good mood ended the minute the cashier took one look at my beautiful, prized peonies and said, "Wow! These are REALLY expensive!" I acknowledged that they were, and told her that I felt they were worth every penny, since they were rare at this time of year. She replied, "I don't know, I might spend that much for seven flowers, but certainly NOT for three." Again, I was placed in the position of defending my purchase. "I really love these flowers." I didn't go into the fact that I was approaching the anniversary of my mothers death and the flowers were a way of staying close to her. But the cashier didn't stop there. Once again she challenged my purchase by saying "I don't know, these really are EXPENSIVE!"

Now first of all, I do not come to a cashier with the hope of being criticized for my choices. Nor do I want to have to defend my purchases. Nor do I want to be made to feel foolish or as if I didn't know how to spend my money. All I want is to get out in a timely fashion.

I have no idea what her intention was with this bit of banter. Perhaps she felt she was "engaging the customer". What she did accomplish was to make her store seem like they charged too much and her customer, me, was an unsuspecting dupe.

The customers experience doesn't end with the placement of goods in the shopping cart. One could even argue it doesn't end until all of the products purchased have been used. Certainly, the check-out is a major part of the shopping experience.

Strangely enough, this was not the first time I have taken products to a cashier and was told, "WOW! This is expensive!" I would prefer to hear the equivalent of what waiters say at fine restaurants, "Excellent choice!" This allows a customer to feel smart.

The fact is, we all want our choices to be validated. Had this cashier said, "Oh what beautiful flowers, I know you are going to love them." I would have left the store feeling like I had made a wise choice. Instead I found myself rationalizing my purchase all the way home. It also left me with the feeling that Wholefoods was TOO expensive.

I am sure this tactic of critiquing the customer's purchase was not part of the training curriculum. But do you think that cashiers are trained to add value at the end? Clearly, this doesn't happen at many places.

If you have a cashier at your establishment, train them how to continue building value at the cash register. It really will help.

If you would like a white paper on the value of building value write to me at building value@thedifference.net I will send you one for free!

Policy vs. Customer Part 2…Customer loses again!

2006-10-22T06:38:00.000-04:00

My brother wanted to buy his wife 5 dozen roses for her birthday. He is very busy and frequently out of town. He decided that the easiest method of sending her flowers was to call ProFlowers, an online florist that he has done business with in the past.

He called their 800 number and warned the customer service person that he had had bad service in the past and was giving the company one last chance. She couldn’t find his record and proceeded to take his order.

(WARNING! This next section is going to sound unbelievable but it is EXACTLY what happened!)

He said “I want you to send 5 dozen roses to my wife”
She replied “Sorry Sir, I can only sell you 1 dozen roses”
He: ”What? You won’t sell me 5 dozen roses?”
She: “Sorry, our roses only come in 1 dozen”
He: “Well your website says you have a 2 dozen bouquet”
She “Okay, I can sell you 2 dozen roses”
He: (his patience running extremely thin) “Then sell me TWO 2 dozen bouquets and ONE 1 dozen bouquet. That will add up to five dozen roses”
She: “Well, I will still have to charge you separate shipping on each of these.”

Needless to say he didn’t buy from ProFlowers. He did get a recommendation of a florist, Blossoms, in his neighborhood who was willing and able to sell a five dozen rose bouquet. Even though he ended up spending almost twice as much, he was a VERY happy customer because the experience was easy and the flowers were magnificent.

Every client I share this story with is appalled. Then, I ask them if they have a policy that is similar. The answer is almost always "yes."

Take a long hard look at your policies and get rid of the ones that make it hard to do business with you.

I believe that customers most often care more about EASY than they do about CHEAP.

How can you make it easier for your customer to do business with you?

Laurie Brown, is a professional speaker and author who helps people improve their customer service, sales and presentations skills. For more information on Laurie’s training seminars, books, articles and recordings, please call Laurie at 248.761.7510 or email her at Lauriebrown@thedifference.net or visit her website www.thedifference.net

Policy VS. Customer...Customer loses!

2006-10-13T10:01:00.000-04:00

Every time receive bad customer service I think...Okay not so bad...I can at least use this story in my class or my blog. Yesterday was no exception.

I called Cingular to find out why my son's phone wasn't working in Berlin Germany. The woman, "Patty" was helpful up to a point. She suggested that I tell my son to power his phone off and on. I was IMing him while speaking to her.

At one point as I was waiting for his response she said "I can't stay on the phone while you put me on hold. It is our policy." I responded "You are not on hold. I am speaking to you. I have to wait to hear back from my son." She repeated herself and I found myself saying things like " I am a REALLY good customer. I have three phones with your company, surely you should be able to stay on the phone while I get info from my son." Apparently I was wrong and she insisted that she had to hang up. I asked to speak to her supervisor and she managed to get my call cut off. By the time I heard the click I was furious.

I called back to speak to a supervisor and the woman who answered asked if she could help. When I explained the issue she apologized and I insisted that I speak to a supervisor (once again!) This time she stayed on the phone while she tried to find one. They were all in a meeting or hiding or something. She tried to get me to their voicemail ..Surprise surprise...It didn't work.

She said that she was going to leave a message and I should hear back withing 24 to 48 hours . Pitiful!!

Perhaps they really do have a policy that says that they can not be put on hold. Okay. But each employee should be empowered to make exceptions. One look at my record should have given me "special status".

However EVERY customer should have "special status". Patty decided that the policy was more important than the customer.

Look at your policies...Are you doing the same thing? Are you choosing to enforce a policy simply because it is a policy? Or are you choosing your customer?

You know what my recommendation is!

The Downside of Upselling

2006-06-26T10:16:00.000-04:00

Like all of you, I hate the idea of leaving money on the table. That is why I like the idea of "upselling". Simply put upselling is offering your customer the opportunity to add additional NEEDED items to his or her order. My guess is that you have experienced upselling in your daily life. Fast food joints are notorious upsellers, constantly asking “would you like fries with that?”

So what is the downside of upselling?

It's Boring!!! When your upsell is rote, as in "would you like fries with that", your customer not only expects it, but is most likely not even listening. Even if you have a process or script that you have to follow at your business, that doesn't mean that you can't have some fun and be creative. Even in the case of fast food franchises, where the cashier is required to ask the customer to add to their orders, the cashier could say something different like " Hey you look hungry today...would you like add our amazing crisp fries to your order?" Surprise your customer with the unexpected.

It's Impersonal!!!
My friend Peggy says "I am offended when I am 'cookie cuttered'. At least use my name, that way I know that you know who you are talking to." When you offer the same upsell to each and every customer, you lose the opportunity to make your offer personally meaningful. Everytime you offer your customer an additional item you should be sure you understand your customer well enough to give them something that has value to them.

It's Annoying!!!
When my husband goes to get his morning coffee from his favorite coffee shop he just wants his coffee. Even though he has been going in every work day for the last 2 years they still ask him if he would like a scone. Everyday for the last 2 years he has turned them down. By continually asking him the same question and getting the same answer, they have risked his good will. If you know your customer doesn’t want what you have to offer…stop asking.

It's not Done Correctly
Most of the problems with upselling comes down to this issue. Truly, good upselling is a combination of process and attitude.

What do I mean by "done correctly"? First of all it is essential that you know your customer well enough, so that your offer has value in their lives. That kind of deep understanding of your customer comes from having a process that has you asking questions and digging deeper. As Steve Waterhouse in his “Total Customer Selling Process” (TCS) states, you need to “step back” and look at who and what are influencing your customer. This global view allows you to really understand your customer.

Secondly, it needs to be done with “true caring”. Don’t offer them something they don’t need or want just to make more money. “True caring” means you genuinely want to help your customer, and you only offer that which has real value to them. That you act with integrity.

So who benefits from upselling? Both you and your customer should benefit. First of all, it allows you to make more money from your customer. Obviously that benefit alone is why upselling has become ubiquitous in most fast food franchises. But if done correctly, the true benefit is to your customer. You can help your customer become aware of additional products and services that will meet their needs and solves their problems.

If you are in the customer service business you should consider upselling as one more way of helping your customers. Your job is being a problem solver. What are your customer’s problems? And how can your products and/or services solve those problems?

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Objection Detective

2006-04-22T05:24:00.000-04:00

Why do some salespeople hate objections? My guess is that they feel it disrupts the flow of their sales pitch. Or perhaps they believe that the objection signals to them that they have lost the sale. Neither of these are true. An objection should never be considered a disruption or a loss. Objections are simply the customers way of asking for more information.

So, I recommend that instead of doing your best to avoid objections you become an "Objection Detective." Make it your job to unearth every objection that the customer has. Have a "bring it on" attitude to objections. Because they are not the END of the sale they are the BEGINNING of the opportunity to understand your customer better and provide them with what they need to make an informed purchase.

Many salespeople think it is best to leave the objection buried. Perhaps if they ignore it it will go away. But, when you do that, it eventually will come back to haunt you. Like any infection left untreated, it will only grow and grow. Your job is to surface it, clean it and move on in the sales process. Unanswered objections lead to lost sales or the need to lower the price to keep the sale.

So, how do you go about becoming an Objection Detective? You have to listen very carefully to what the customer is telling you. Sure you need to hear the words they are saying, but it is even more important to hear what they are not saying. Customers talk to us in all sorts of ways. Their body language, facial expressions and tone of voice often provide more information than their words. Watch for the sometimes subtle (and not so subtle) changes in a customers demeanor and then ask the questions that will uncover the issue. If you see that your customer stops making eye contact or starts fidgeting or looking at his watch, it is time to slow down or back up and find out the source of their discomfort. Even a slight change can signify a serious underlying objection.

The more objections you uncover and answer, the easier the close will be. And you want an easy close don't you?

In future blogs, we will discuss the types of objections and the best way to answer them. Until then, try becoming an objection detective and see what results you get. I would love to hear from you.

Investment on Returns--Customer Service

2006-03-13T09:07:00.000-05:00

So there I stood, feeling incredibly stupid. Having waited in line for a few minutes to return a paperback copy of Harry Potter, which I realized I already owned once I brought it home, I stood face-to-face with the cashier. I looked over his shoulder and read “Barnes and Nobles”, I looked down at the imprint on my plastic bag “Waldenbooks”. I paused , turned beet red and said “Oops, I am obviously in the wrong place”. I started to turn and leave when he gently stopped me with the words “If we carry that book we would be happy to refund it for you”. “Really???” I asked. “Sure no problem let me have a look”. He determined that he already had 24 copies in stock and was more than happy to take one more. He handed me a credit card looking store credit, had me sign a receipt and that was that.

But that was not the end of the story. I was so blown away and so grateful I decided to go buy a CD. Now the CD was about twice what my refund was so I handed the card and the money and I took my CD and left

But that was still not the end of the story. As soon as I got out of the store I called my brother and 5 of my friends to tell them about this amazing customer service. And now of course I am telling you, too.

So let’s look at this story and see what actually occurred. Barnes and Nobles made an “Investment on my Return”. What exactly was the “cost” of this investment? Perhaps there was a cost for training the employee that taught him to act in this kind and generous way. But other than that it cost them nothing. Okay maybe there was some cost for restocking. They will surely sell that other copy. But then we need to reverse this formula and see what the Return on Investment was.

Here is where the real power of this theory is seen. They not only were repaid their initial outlay of $7.99, they received an additional $7.99 that I most surely would not have spent otherwise. They received free word of mouth advertising (which is far more powerful and effective than traditional advertising) and they created a loyal, raving fan customer.

“Returns” are often emotionally charged events. Think about it. People return things that “don’t fit”, that they “don’t like” , that they “can’t afford” , “wasn’t what they expected”, that are of “inferior quality”, that” they don’t need” or “they don’t want”

For a lot of your customers returns are either embarrassing, filled with disappointment or frustration or at the very least a major inconvenience.

How you handle this touchy situation will impact your customers decision to continue doing business with you.

There are many stories going around about how Nordstrom would take anything in a return (including a car engine). Of course you don’t have to go to that extreme to make your return policy fair, easy and effective.

What does it take to create a return atmosphere that will keep your customers coming back?

Create
Management needs to create a policy that is fair, easy and effective. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and make a decision that benefits them.

Train
Once you have your policy make sure that your employees understand what the policy is and how to implement it.

Empower
This may be the most essential element of the process. Empower your employee to “do the right thing” to “err” in favor of the customer. Then publicly stand behind that employee even if his or her decision goes beyond your policy. Take them aside privately and discuss and modify.

Educate
Your customers need to know your policy inside out. This is especially true if your business has strict regulations. If they need to have a receipt to return the product then it is best to say to the customer as they are checking our “Remember if you need to return this we require the receipt. Would you like it in the bag or would you like to have it?” Granted this will not guarantee that the customers will remember but it does help. Also have the return policy displayed at the check out line and on the receipt.

Bend within Reason
Rules are important, but customers are more important. Even with a strict return policy you need to be customer focused. Do what you can to help that customer with their need. Remember the Investment of Return.

Truly looking out for your customers best interest is actually in your best interest. Take a long hard look at your policy. Is it serving you and your customers? If not change it NOW!

Million Dollar BAD Customer Service

2006-03-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

I was watching the Today show this morning and heard the story of a woman who was attacked by bed bugs at a pricey Catskill resort. She was suing the resort for twenty million dollars. TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS!! Yes you read that right!

What was interesting about this suit is that some of the suit was related to the fact that she had 500 bites all over her body (yes they showed pictures), but some of the suit was based on how they treated her after she complained.

She felt that they showed a blatant lack of concern for her issue. She was offered two free nights but declined the offer.

How could this resort avoided the multi-million dollar suit? I am sure that in most cases the offer of two free nights might have been sufficient for a small problem. But this was no small problem. They should have offered her compensation that was equal to the suffering.

They should have shown empathy and concern. They should have paid all medical expenses. They should have engaged her in the solution to her problem. "What would be a fair compensation?" She may not have come up with a "fair" compensation but at least they would have the beginning of a negotiation that didn't involve high priced lawyers.

They also would have avoided probably MORE than twenty million dollars of really bad publicity.

The next time you think that the problem your customer has with your product or service is no big deal or could be handled with a band aid, remember that it could turn into a multi-million dollar problem. Fix it now, fix it fast, fix it right.

Truly EXCEPTIONAL Customer Service

2006-02-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

I went to a local branch of LaSalle Bank today. I had to deposit a check into my business account. No big deal, but I left my checkbook at home which meant that I didn't have my account number. I searched my purse for a moment and then I gave up. I turned to my friend Karla and said " Oh I am going to have to put this in the ATM, I can't find my account number". You have to understand that I must have said those VERY same words at least a gazillion times in bank lobbies. But today was different. Today I was in Michelle Ingrao's lobby. She said "Can I help you find your account number?" "Er, ah" I stuttered "sure, thanks."

And so she did. I asked how she does that. She explained that she truly doesn't eavesdrop (ok that is a relief) but her ears are tuned into keywords. "Account number" was one of her keywords.

That was a display of really great service. When you can take care of your customer BEFORE they ask for your help you really wow them. And more importantly they talk about you to their friends.

So what are the "keywords" your customer uses? How can you listen for them so that you can be there for them? Find 3 keywords today and give it a try!

Cost Control

2006-01-19T07:21:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to a local restaurant to purchase dinner for my family. I like this place. The food is eclectic and well prepared. They had a special written on their chalk board. It sounded great, turkey meatloaf. I knew that their version would be perfect and I ordered it.

The waitress told me it came with mashed potatoes and wilted spinach. Well I am watching my carb intake and I asked if they could substitute vegetables for the mashed potatoes. She thought not, but would go in the back and ask the chef. The answer came back “NO”. I asked if I could have more spinach instead of the potatoes. She said “NO.” “Why not?” I asked. She replied “cost control, spinach costs more than potatoes.” Well, I knew that this was a small, probably struggling business and I could appreciate the need to be cost sensitive, so I offered. “No problem, I’ll pay extra for the spinach” (I’m thinking that I will get the award for most understanding and reasonable customer of the month)

But boy was I wrong! Not only did I not get the coveted most reasonable customer award, I got one more big “NO!” At this point I was frustrated at their unwillingness to meet my needs and I left without ordering anything.

So their cost control efforts created a profit control of much bigger proportions. Even though they had saved money on the vegetables that had lost my four dinner orders that evening, which didn’t seem to phase the waitperson or chef one bit.

Clearly this was not a cost control issue, this was a control issue. The chef had created a “perfect combo” and was not about to ruin his piece of art for a mere customer. He was devoted to his vision and not his customer’s needs. He forgot he only gets to create because of people like me, his customer.

Perhaps as you read this you are thinking, wow I would NEVER treat my customers that way. Maybe you wouldn’t. But if you have said “no” to your customer in the last month, you might have to rethink that idea.

Sometimes our customers are unreasonable. Sometimes they ask for outrageous things. But sometimes it is easier for us to say “no” then to find a creative solution that meets everyone needs.

The next time you are about to say “no” to your customer, stop for a moment, catch your breath and instead say “Let me see what I can do.” If nothing else the customer will feel that you are on their side and trying to help them. Then get creative and find a way to give your customer what they need.

Closing Time

2005-11-27T14:05:00.000-05:00

While visiting my son in Chicago, I went to a Cingular wireless store in his neighborhood to get some help with his phone. The store I walked into was closing in 5 minutes. I was welcomed into the store like a long lost friend. I explained what I needed (which took a lot of ingenuity and patience) The customer service representative was amazing. He figured out how to fix the problem. This was NOT a quick fix at all. He needed to remove a sim card from his telephone and put it my son’s phone and then switch it back again. This took a few switches to get it right. All the time he was smiling and chatting. It was now 15 minutes after closing and I was feeling guilty. After all I hadn’t bought my phone from this store, nor was it likely that I would in the future. When I said “Thanks, but I can see I am keeping you from closing up and going home.” He let me know that closing time was when everyone in the store had their issues resolved. WOW!!! And he meant it! We stayed there for at least 30 minutes past closing time. And I wasn’t the only customer still there. His manager was setting up an account for another customer. Again, he was smiling and perfectly happy to be helping his customer. So what impact did that have on me and how I viewed Cingular? Simply put it made me want to buy from this store specifically, but it had a more global impact. It made me glad that I was a Cingular customer (not something that I always feel.)

Two days ago I had a very different experience. I went into a store that was part of a chain. It was 6:57 and the store closed at 7:00.There were four other customers in line. I was greeted with “We are closed now! You have to leave!” “WHAT???” I thought. I still have 3 minutes time left. The manager explained that when they were through “dealing” with the customers that were already in que that it would put them PAST their closing time. So even though the store was “technically” still open, the existing customers would make it so an additional customer would throw them past the time they could go home.

Was this a reasonable rule? Perhaps, it would be considered reasonable if you were an employee-centric business. I am not sure however you can grow a business being employee-centric in THIS manner. As a customer I would be more understanding if you said to me; “I am so sorry, my kid is sick and I have to get home to take care of him.” Then I have the choice of being generous and saying “no problem.” But telling me to leave was simply enforcing a rule for rules sake. It said to me that as your customer I have no value. Believe me I left there with the intention of NEVER coming back!

Walking into a business a few minutes before closing time will give you great insight into how much you are valued as a customer and a human being.

But of course you know I am going to challenge you to look at the messages you give your customers. How do you act when your customers come in at the last minute? If you want to keep them coming back and telling their friends and family about you, you need to welcome your customers whenever they arrive at your business.

Know to Grow Your Income

2005-08-23T08:13:00.000-04:00

It is getting harder and harder to stand out from the crowd. What can you do so that customers know you, choose you and recommend you? However to make a quantum leap in your income you need to have satisfied customers referring you. Focusing on the following three points will help you become more successful.

Know Yourself
To powerfully communicate the benefits of choosing you over others you really need to know yourself and learn how to communicate what makes you unique in a few succinct phrases.

Begin by taking one of the many personality tests that are readily available, such as: DISC, Keirsey Temperment Sorter, or Myers-Briggs, among others. You can find these easily by doing a search on the internet. These tests can give you great insight into your strengths and weaknesses. They help you understand your core values and personality type. Understanding who you are may help you distinguish yourself from the competition and can be the foundation for communicating your unique value and your personal brand.

Your personal brand or image is a combination of your passions, strengths, skills and traits. Spend some time getting to know your self:

· Write a list of your personal passions. What do you love doing? (Is it interior design, teaching, art, music, golfing, football, reading, travel? Don’t worry about whether or not it is work related.)

· What are your skills and talents? (Are you perceptive, spontaneous, theatrical, detail-oriented, organized, do you speak other languages? Again, don’t limit these to your work).

· Write a list of your personal traits. (Perhaps you are punctual, or a “people person”. Are you optimistic, open minded, curious, determined, spiritual, or team oriented?)

Look at your list from your customer’s point of view. Which of these qualities that you have identified would be valuable to your customer? Take those items and use them to help you create a few concise sentences explaining your unique value to your customers.

Use this knowledge to also help you find a niche market‑‑ something you really love. Once you find your niche, become an expert in that area. That doesn’t mean that you can’t sell outside of your niche. However, the more expertise you gain, the more likely you are to become well known in your field. It is not uncommon for other customers even competitors, to say “Oh, you need Joe. He knows everything about new construction.” These personal recommendations can be the most inexpensive and effective marketing tools.

Know Your Customer

To be able to truly meet and exceed a customer’s needs and wants you have to know that customer. In your effort to gain this knowledge you need to gather information. The more you know the more you can meet your customer’s needs, both stated and unstated.

Start broadly and then get more specific.

Then, start to narrow your research. Learn about the community in which you sell. Become involved in community events. Pitch in, support and help your community grow, while learning about its unique qualities. These activities not only help you learn about the community, they bolster your image as a valuable member. People like to do business with helpful people they know and with whom they can identify.

After you understand the broad information about your customers and their communities, you need to listen to what they say. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Customers often complain about feeling the consultant didn’t listen carefully to their requests or needs. Listening is an art. It goes beyond the obvious. Customers aren’t always great at communicating clearly; they sometimes don’t even know what they really want or need. You need to listen with all your senses in order to unearth and translate their true needs and wants. It isn’t sufficient to just hear the words your customers say. You need to watch body language, be sensitive to tone of voice and try to interpret their sometimes vague descriptions. By asking carefully constructed questions you can actually help the customer better understand his or her needs.

Know Your Team

Customers are becoming more and more demanding. You need a team that meets these ever increasing demands. Customers expect you to recommend the RIGHT person for their needs. These people must not only match your personal brand/image (they are in effect representing you), they also must have unique qualities that meet the needs of your customer. I know of one Realtor who has three mortgage brokers he trusts and recommends. He has a “three piece suit guy,” he has a HOG (Harley owners group) and a dynamic woman. He mixes and matches the team member to the specific customer. This is done so that each customer can feel totally comfortable. You should also have a trusted team of insurance providers, painters, plumbers, and stagers to call on. Basically, the more one-stop you can be for your customers the happier they will be. Spend time with each of these people. Ask questions. Get recommendations. Do research and background checks.

Be sure to spend time each day learning more about these three keys to success. They are the most powerful way to be a consultant that others want to do business with and refer to their friends and family. Remember you need to Know to Grow Your Income!

Perfect Customer Service

2005-07-21T22:33:00.000-04:00

This morning I went into my local Kinko's to pick up an order that I had placed earlier that day. The store was pretty busy. A cashier was directly in front of me, setting up the till. As she was counting out the money I asked her if "I should come back later?" She snapped at me "I am doing the best I can!" as she walked over to another customer.

Perhaps you are thinking "Laurie, you are calling THIS 'perfect customer service'? Boy, you must be easily amused." Actually the story goes on...Even though I was taken aback I waited patiently for her to return. When she did I said "I am really sorry, I wasn't trying to push you, I really wanted to know if I should come back later." Her face softened and she replied" I am so sorry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I am frustrated that there were not enough people scheduled for work."

Again, you might think "Laurie, an apology does not make "perfect customer service". Well you are right--so far it wasn't perfect but how she handled the rest of the transaction made it perfect.
She rang me up and took my money. But I realized she charged me less that my bill stated. "Um, excuse me" I said " You undercharged me." Her answer delighted me. "Oh, I gave you the rude salesperson rate!"

She managed to turn a very unhappy situation to a great one. She had followed the simple rules for customer service and then some!
1. Apologize with empathy
2. Take care of the problem
3. Symbolic atonement
4. Be light hearted

It is so interesting that a bad experience can turn around so quickly into a great experience. I have been telling everyone (including you) about how great Kinkos is.

Think about the last time you created a problem for your customer. What could you have done to make it better and in fact make it "PERFECT"? Try to think on your feet the next time and turn it around.

Three times a charm

2005-06-07T09:31:00.000-04:00

Recently I received three thank-you's for a relatively inexpensive product I purchased from a website. Now perhaps you are thinking that three thank-you's are a bit of overkill for purchasing a $29.95 item. Not at all. Each thank-you was different. And each thank-you had a different impact.

The first thank-you was an auto-response email. That thank-you let me know that my payment was received. Although it was impersonal (as all auto responders are) I felt safe in knowing that the site got my order. Then awhile later I received a personal email from the person I purchased this CD from, Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound. This thank-you was more personal and I felt that she appreciated my purchase. It allowed me to fell more connected to her. But it was the third thank-you that really made an indelible impression on my heart and mind. When I received the CD that I had ordered there was a hand written note on her stationary. It said "Laurie, Thanks for your order. Have fun submitting articles! Joan" Great note, but the best part was at the top of this note. Her cartoon mascot the "Publicity Hound" had a cartoon balloon that read "Hi Laurie" coming from the mascot's mouth.

This note was fun. But the other great thing about the note is that it had Joan's contact information. Address, fax, phone, email and website (www.publicityhound.com). This meant that I would be able to call her or reorder without a lot of problems trying to find her.
I asked Joan about her process and how much time and money it cost her to do her thanks. Needless to say it cost her very little time and even less money. Even so she has found this extra effort has been noticed by her customers. Who, partially because of these efforts have become loyal, repeat customers.

Now this is not an advertisement for Joan, but I must tell you more about her. She is the perfect example of what I have talked about in these blogs. A great combination of generosity and gratitude. She has an email newsletter that she sends out that is jam packed with great free publicity tips. She often speaks for free to members of her organizations and she has great products.

Think about your own thank yous. Do you even thank your customers once? Do you take the time to hand write a personal note? Whether your customer buys a $50,000 car or a $30 CD they deserve to be thanked. I believe that a simple verbal "thanks" is not enough anymore. There is too many places to buy our products and services. We must set ourselves apart by the simple yet extraordinary acts of gratitude and generosity.

So write at least three thank-you's today to your customers, whether they have purchased from you recently or not. Oh and by the way when you do thank them, make sure your contact info is on the card or note.

The Price Game

2005-05-19T07:54:00.000-04:00

Ask yourself a question. What business are you loyal to and why? When I have asked this simple question to thousands of my students, I hear statements like: "They remember my name", "They listen". "They know what I want and need", "They go the extra mile". Not a single person has said "They had the lowest price!" Amazing isn't it?

It would seem from this informal survey that the key to loyal and repeat customers who recommend you to their friends and family is NOT the lowest price. Why as sales people do we spend so much energy in the "lowest price" game? Because that is what it is...A game. The customer comes in and says "Give me your lowest price!" And if you fall into their gameplan they have derailed you from your real job which is to build value.

Think about it...If you offer the "lowest price" isn't there somebody somewhere that can offer a LOWER price? Probably. And there is no way to win with a price shopper. They will leave you the minute that someone else offers a lower price. Customers play the price game because they don't want to feel stupid.

So start building value in your business, in your product and most importantly in doing business with you. Find out what your customer needs. Really listen to them. They don't need the lowest price! They do need a fair price!

Show them what they get when they buy "you". What services are you able to provide that sets you apart? Give them the kind of service that they can brag to their friends about: "My sales consultant makes my service appointments for me! I don't ever have wait for the service advisor to get to me!" My sales consultant set up my TV for me without an extra charge!" "My insurance sales consultant remembers my birthday with a hand written card."

And remember everyone loses when you play the price game. Everyone wins when you build value!

Managing Expectations

2005-04-26T07:50:00.000-04:00

Everyone talks about exceeding your customers expectations. It is true. It is no longer good enough to just meet their expectations, you DO have to exceed their expectations to succeed. Today's customer is very well educated and demanding. The internet has opened up a whole world of possibilities. They want high quality, exceptional service and low low prices. I am reminded of a sign I once read at a printers office... "Fast, cheap, good..Pick two." However customers don't want to just "pick two", they want the whole enchilada!

There is a simple way to exceed your customers expectations most of the time. And that is to manage those expectations. Be in control. To put it simply, it is like competing in a race, AFTER you decide where the finish line should be.

Often times you don't know what their expectations are. It is almost impossible for you to win without this knowledge. If you help to establish the expectations you are far more likely to impress your customer.

Last week I was looking for some real estate in Chicago for my son. On Sunday I called a realtor. He told me he was at an open house, but would be back to his office later that afternoon and would email me some listings. He never sent me any emails that night and he didn't call me back until the next day. Clearly he set up an expectation that he didn't meet. Now the interesting part of this story is that I had no expectation about when he would get back to me BEFORE he set one in my head. At best since I was calling on a Sunday I assumed that he wouldn't get back to me before the next day. But he set an expectation in my head and he didn't follow through. He would have done better by saying " I will email you the listings tomorrow" and then email them to me that night. He would have set up my expectation and then exceeded it.

My orthopedic surgeon, when looking at the xray of my broken ankle, told me that this was a "good" break and there was no damage to the ligaments and that when the bone healed there would be no other problems. Imagine my surprise to still be limping four months later. He didn't manage my expectations well. If he had said "It looks like a simple break, but only time will tell how fast you get better" I would have been less unhappy with the outcome.

Think about what you promise your customer. Are you sure you can fulfill that promise? If not DON'T make it. Give yourself some wiggle room, give yourself some ability to "under promise and over deliver." Set your customers expectations so that you can always exceed them.

The Grump Factor

2005-03-30T07:19:00.000-05:00

You are sitting at your desk, reading your email and open the latest missive from your boss. Once again the bonehead has come up with a new direction for your company. You clear your throat and ask the person next to you "Have you seen what the idiot has sent us now?." In the cafeteria you sit with your co-workers grossing about how stupid this company is. But this doesn't just happen today. Everyday you find yourself at odds with the management. And while you have always been a "good soldier" and done exactly what was asked of you, you can't help but let your feelings be known.

Or perhaps you are the more silent type. Sighing, rolling your eyes, and simply showing through your body language that you are greatly put upon.

You might think that if you are really good at your job, and you do everything that has been asked of you that you will remain, in the eyes of your employer, a valuable member of the team.

However, in these times of cutbacks, more and more employers are considering the "grump factor." Simply put, the grump factor is a measure of how difficult it is to deal with an employee. How grumpy you are.

Recently a Fortune 500 company had to make a 20% cut in their workforce. The management chose the people that were going to be laid off. Every single employee was a hard worker, in fact some off them were the best at what they did. Each employee tried to figure out why THEY were chosen? What was the reason that the more incompetent employees were left standing while they were let go? Was it that they earned more money? Was it a personal vendetta against them? Was it sexism or ageism? Each employee failed to look at where the blame lay. Which was at their own feet. In a discussion with the management they stated that they used the "grump factor." Employees that had a bad attitude were considered expendable.

Obviously when it comes time to downsize many factors are considered. But more and more employers want to work with people who are easy to deal with. Employees who love what they do, and show others that they love it. I am not talking about a saccharine sweet phony attitude, I mean a sincere joy.

When Barbara Walters is asked by young people "What do I have to do to get ahead?"
She tells them "Don't complain, don't whine. Just make yourself so good that they cannot let you go. And don't be afraid to get the coffee if they ask you to get the coffee."

Not sure if you're being perceived as a grump, take this simple test.

Do you find yourself very easily identifying problems with your company and/or co workers?
Do you share that information with others? (including family, friends , co-workers)
Do you discount possible solutions as unworkable?
Is your criticism a validation of your over all perspective?
Do you often hear others with similar complaints?
Do you lend a willing ear to their complaints?
Do you sigh, roll your eyes or otherwise display your negative feelings using body language or tone of voice?
Are your creating less because of your displeasure?
Are you late to work or meetings?
Do you resent helping others finish their work?
Are you waiting for a change to happen?
Has anyone pointed out your negative behavior?
Do you have "good reasons" to be unhappy at work?

If you answered yes to more than 3 of these questions you may be a grump. I can guarantee that you will limit your growth unless you work on turning your attitude around.

Today, look at the three things you like best about your job. Try and focus on the good. Let others see and hear your positive comments. Start turning it around today.

Reject their Rejection

2005-03-23T06:37:00.000-05:00

I just had a conversation with a friend of mine who owns a very successful business. He was hoping to expand his workforce so he placed an ad in one of those online job listings. He said that he was getting one resume about every 10 minutes. He said that about half of them were qualified for the job. He then said "I am turning them all down." I was shocked. I knew he needed to expand his sales force. He just got through saying fully half of them met his expectations. Yet he was rejecting ALL of them. "Why?" I asked. "I want to see if they continue to pursue the work." " But you just told them that you were rejecting them." "I want them to reject my rejection! If they take 'no' for an answer, without some sort of followup they are not going to be the kind of sales force I need."

Are you accepting "no" from your customers? Or are you rejecting their rejection? Are you following up to find if there is any other information that you could provide them that might change their mind.

Now mind you, I am not advocating stalking your customer until they finally say "YES!" That would be a bit creepy.

But, if you really feel that you have a product or service that meets their needs why not take it a step further. Without being pushy, ask if they need anymore information about you or your product or service.

Reject their rejecting and see what happens! Let me know!

Gratitude, the gift that keeps on giving

2005-03-14T15:39:00.000-05:00

Last night I was watching Boston Legal, and at the end of the show an announcer said "thanks for watching ABC" I was floored! Now maybe all television shows thank you for watching them, but I don't think so. But as I thought about it, they all should be thanking us. We are the reason they get to go to work everyday and we have a LOT of choices what to watch these days.

Last week an automotive sales consultant in my class said that he always thanks his customers for coming in. I didn't get the sense that this was a perfunctory "thanks", but rather a sincere expression of gratitude. And when you think about it we all should be grateful for our customers.

Gratitude is the gift that keeps on giving. Think about a time when you did something nice for someone and they didn't say "thanks!" You didn't need them to say thanks in order for you to feel like you did a good deed. You know that what you did was kind or thoughtful. You needed the thanks to know that they "got it." But the loser was really the person who didn't say thanks. It meant that for what ever reason they were not able to really get the fact that someone did something nice. Gratitude feeds us by allowing us to see the good around us. The more we can express gratitude, the more we are able to notice the good and then feed off it.

Your customer might liked to be thanked for coming in. In fact I am sure they would. But do you think that you also might treat a person differently if you felt grateful to them? I know I would.

And wouldn't your day feel better if you spent a few minutes in the morning thinking of ten things you are grateful for. Wouldn't that change your attitude?

I am grateful that you have taken time to read this blog. Let me know what you are grateful for!

Give to Get Back

2005-03-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

I just read an article about Miuccia Prada, the men's clothing designer in the March issue of GQ. She said "Everybody wants love for themselves. I hear this all the time from the women I work with. I hear them say "I want, I want", I never hear them saying what they want to give." Now you might be thinking, great Laurie, I thought this was a sales blog, how does a fashion designer talking about women's love lives have to do with me and selling? Good question. Well, in the 18 years I have been training sales consultants I generally hear" I want more sales, I want more customers" and like Ms Prada I rarely hear what the salespeople want to give.

The more we think about what we have to offer, our value proposition, the more successful we will be. What sets you apart? What are you willing to do to make your customers life better or easier? What are you willing to give your customer. This giving can and should take the form of community involvement, volunteer work or just plain going the proverbial "extra mile" for your customer.

Customers are egotists (as we all are) and they want to know "what's in it for them?" Your job is to let them know what you are willing to give. It could be your time, your expertise, your understanding of their unique needs and wants.

So the next time you encounter your customer think to yourself "what am I going to GIVE this customer", "NOT what do I want from them?" Let me know if it makes a difference!

Selling tips

2005-02-27T09:46:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning and started thinking about selling. The fact is we are always selling. We sell our ideas to our bosses or coworkers. We sell products and services to consumers. We sell ourselves to our loved ones. But most of us sell backwards. We sell our products, ideas or ourselves without knowing, or maybe even worse, caring about, what our customer, coworker, boss or loved one needs. Egocentric selling is only going to be successful some of the time.

The most important aspect to selling is to know your customer. Sounds simple doesn't it? But how much time do you spend learning about your customer BEFORE you start selling them? When you give a presentation do you interview members of your audience? When you start to sell someone a product or service have you taken the time to really understand their needs and wants? Do you understand their pain. If you can remove their "pain" the chances of a successful sales grows exponentially.

So how do you find their pain? By asking questions and listening carefully to their answers. I am a huge fan of the book "Spin Selling" by Neil Rackham. If you don't own a copy I suggest you buy one right now.

I will leave you with this thought: Tomorrow, before you start selling your idea, product or service, ask yourself, "Do I really know my customer?", and if the answer is "no", then make it your business to find out everything you can about that customer, co-worker or boss. I promise it will pay off.