Ask the Question

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.

Customer Service Lesson from Salvation Army

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.