I subscribe to a newsletter published by the premiere Sales Training firm Carew International. It's called "Messages from the Mentor" and it's weekly message is short, to the point and monumentally useful.
The January 24th edition hit home with me. Read it, because it will remind you that when you put the customer first, you're really saying, "you can count on me".
Here's the newsletter copied in its entireity:
"You Can Count On Me
Customers are reluctant to take business away from a salesperson who is doing a brilliant job of attending to their needs and who can be counted on to come through for them in a clutch every day, all the time.
Even if your competitor comes in with a supposedly better deal, puffed up with lofty promises and a broad range of tempting concessions, remember, you are the incumbent. By virtue of the fact that you are a "known quantity" and a person the customer can rely upon to look out for their best interests. This means you always come through on your promises.
By doing this, you have created a pattern of predictability, or the "You Can Count on Me" factor that is of monumental value in the customer's eyes. Customers just don't dismiss the importance of a "You Can Count on Me" salesperson who doesn't let them down.
The reduced anxiety and resulting peace of mind that you bring to the customer relationship is evidence of your sincere concern and devotion to the customer's wellbeing. This devotion will be a powerful deterrent to anyone attempting to grab your business and run. Remember the "You Can Count on Me" factor. It's all about the customer trusting you."
Go to the Carew site and get your own subscription to "Messages from the Mentor".
What have you done today that shows you care?
Friday, January 26, 2007
Friday, December 08, 2006
Benchmarking for Continuous, Ongoing, Unending Improvement
The first line of this blog by David R. Butcher says it all:
"Whatever you call it, improvement must not be a one-time project."
Benchmarking is such a great tool for improving customer service and the customer experience in general. And, as this blog points out, benchmark information is often free from associations or even companies willing to share.
What have you done to make a difference today?
"Whatever you call it, improvement must not be a one-time project."
Benchmarking is such a great tool for improving customer service and the customer experience in general. And, as this blog points out, benchmark information is often free from associations or even companies willing to share.
What have you done to make a difference today?
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Marketing can't be measured...but it can, and it must be!
The danger of blogging is that the bloggers feel that they must have the answers. My opinion is that we just need to touch those that do, and provide a resource to experts in the field.
When it comes to putting the customer first, it is absolutely critical that the process is measured thoroughly so that we know what works and what satisfies the customer. Following are several links to sites and their authors that know this topic thoroughly.
Michael Webb of Sales Performance Consulting does a fantastic job of laying out the basics of sales and marketing metrics.
His book Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way is on my pile of books to read. The site supporting this book is Six Sigma Selling and worth a visit before reading the book. Download the first chapter for free, but the site is worth a visit just for the information it carries.
The Knowledge@Wharton site has a podcast interview with the author of Marketing Metrics: 50+ Metrics Every Executive Should Master. Click here to listen to the podcast, it only takes 10 minutes...registration to the site is free and worth a look around.
And don't forget...go out and do something that shows you care.
When it comes to putting the customer first, it is absolutely critical that the process is measured thoroughly so that we know what works and what satisfies the customer. Following are several links to sites and their authors that know this topic thoroughly.
Michael Webb of Sales Performance Consulting does a fantastic job of laying out the basics of sales and marketing metrics.
His book Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way is on my pile of books to read. The site supporting this book is Six Sigma Selling and worth a visit before reading the book. Download the first chapter for free, but the site is worth a visit just for the information it carries.
The Knowledge@Wharton site has a podcast interview with the author of Marketing Metrics: 50+ Metrics Every Executive Should Master. Click here to listen to the podcast, it only takes 10 minutes...registration to the site is free and worth a look around.
And don't forget...go out and do something that shows you care.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Gain the Competitive Advantage
This arrived in my mailbox today and I want to share it on this blog:
"Message from The Mentor
------------------------------------------------------------------
Gain the Competitive Advantage
In the future, you will have to appeal to more people more rapidly in an ever-changing world if you want to compete in the contest to win. Never relax. Be ambitious. Every day of your working life rededicate yourself to learning more and getting better. Become a luminary that people can come to for guidance and inspiration. It will give you a decided competitive advantage.
Use your uniqueness. What you do and how you do it is distinct and special. People are buying the conviction and passion for your cause that they see burning in your eyes. Let your example tell the whole story. Get them to want you first and what you are selling next. Be the benefit.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mentor
Carew International, Inc."
Receive messages from The Mentor directly. Go to Carew International to subscribe.
Go out and do something that shows you care.
"Message from The Mentor
------------------------------------------------------------------
Gain the Competitive Advantage
In the future, you will have to appeal to more people more rapidly in an ever-changing world if you want to compete in the contest to win. Never relax. Be ambitious. Every day of your working life rededicate yourself to learning more and getting better. Become a luminary that people can come to for guidance and inspiration. It will give you a decided competitive advantage.
Use your uniqueness. What you do and how you do it is distinct and special. People are buying the conviction and passion for your cause that they see burning in your eyes. Let your example tell the whole story. Get them to want you first and what you are selling next. Be the benefit.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mentor
Carew International, Inc."
Receive messages from The Mentor directly. Go to Carew International to subscribe.
Go out and do something that shows you care.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Transparency...techno-burden or value builder?
Why are Dunn and Foley the "victims" of transparency? Because they did something wrong. If they had done something morally right they wouldn't care if their constituents had found out through transparency.
Similarly, if you hide from your customer those things that would disturb them and you can't explain your reasons to their faces, you should consider different courses of action. If you put your customer first, then anything you do can be explained, and transparency is not an issue...it becomes quite refreshing.
Customer intimacy, customer-centric, customer focused...not enough to build a brand... unless we put the customer first.
Ed Cone's blog on CIO Insight discusses this issue in Understanding transparency, the hard way.
Go out and do something that shows you care.
Similarly, if you hide from your customer those things that would disturb them and you can't explain your reasons to their faces, you should consider different courses of action. If you put your customer first, then anything you do can be explained, and transparency is not an issue...it becomes quite refreshing.
Customer intimacy, customer-centric, customer focused...not enough to build a brand... unless we put the customer first.
Ed Cone's blog on CIO Insight discusses this issue in Understanding transparency, the hard way.
Go out and do something that shows you care.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Attention scarcity hurts the customer
What's stopping us from serving our customers, and growing our business, is not the lack of ideas, nor the lack of talent...it's the lack of the scarcest resource of all, attention.
The idea that attention is a commodity that needs managing has been discussed for many years. There was a book written about it, The Attention Economy. But 5 years after its publication we're still not seeing the idea catch hold.
Corporate America runs around going to meetings, burning off quite a bit of energy, while they throw their attention at all the wrong things. And, the customer tries to make sense of it.
Recall the last bad experience you had with a company. Did they really pay you the kind of attention you thought they should? Of course not, they didn't put you, the customer, first.
Go out and do something that shows you care.
View the book: The Attention Economy
The idea that attention is a commodity that needs managing has been discussed for many years. There was a book written about it, The Attention Economy. But 5 years after its publication we're still not seeing the idea catch hold.
Corporate America runs around going to meetings, burning off quite a bit of energy, while they throw their attention at all the wrong things. And, the customer tries to make sense of it.
Recall the last bad experience you had with a company. Did they really pay you the kind of attention you thought they should? Of course not, they didn't put you, the customer, first.
Go out and do something that shows you care.
View the book: The Attention Economy
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Is putting the customer first scalable?
Putting the customer first as a means of delivering business growth. That's a novel thought. But, if you try to implement even a test of something so simple the first roadblock that you will face is someone protecting the status quo by asking, is it scalable?
What does it mean to be scalable? When a test market is being designed, and a well-meaning staffer says, "we can't do that, it's not scaleable", what they are really saying is, "we can't repeat the program on a national scale within the current budget." But, that's not the definition of scalability.
A definition of commercial scalability on Wikipedia offers the following: "scalability of a company implies that the underlying business model offers the potential for economic growth within the company." So, if within the test market you are able to prove, i.e. measure, that the business activities result in profitable growth then that meets the burden of the scalability test.
Putting the customer first will always cost more money during a test situation for two reasons: you're operating on a highly customized situation and you're doing something that the existing organization is not designed to do. But, you first have to show that it will work and deliver an ROI. Then you start implementing changes within a defined budget.
I prefer to find out what level of investment is needed to grow the business, staying within a target ROI, then to artificially set a budget and make miracles happen....year after year.
If we want different results, we need to try something different. Don't use "scalability" as an excuse to repeat the same mistakes.
Any thoughts?
What does it mean to be scalable? When a test market is being designed, and a well-meaning staffer says, "we can't do that, it's not scaleable", what they are really saying is, "we can't repeat the program on a national scale within the current budget." But, that's not the definition of scalability.
A definition of commercial scalability on Wikipedia offers the following: "scalability of a company implies that the underlying business model offers the potential for economic growth within the company." So, if within the test market you are able to prove, i.e. measure, that the business activities result in profitable growth then that meets the burden of the scalability test.
Putting the customer first will always cost more money during a test situation for two reasons: you're operating on a highly customized situation and you're doing something that the existing organization is not designed to do. But, you first have to show that it will work and deliver an ROI. Then you start implementing changes within a defined budget.
I prefer to find out what level of investment is needed to grow the business, staying within a target ROI, then to artificially set a budget and make miracles happen....year after year.
If we want different results, we need to try something different. Don't use "scalability" as an excuse to repeat the same mistakes.
Any thoughts?
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