Are you a rule follower or breaker?
The second sale is dependent on what took place after the first. Those after-the-sale service deeds, good or bad, will determine the customers' reorder actions. They're going to buy again, but the question is from whom?
Everyone will tell you they focus on delivering great customer service. Very few do.
Ask anyone what their core principles or rules for customer service are and they will either pull out the company policy (telling you what you can't do) or answer: duh.
The reason that customer service sucks (and is getting worse) is that there are no "core principles" behind the training and the policy. For service to succeed, there must be an understanding of "why" by the service provider, or the "what" doesn't matter.
At the fulcrum are core business principles, personal principles and service strategies that must be learned and understood before you can even think of taking on the corporate teachings about rules and policies.
Most companies think it's their "people" that set them apart. Almost. It's their friendly people. How friendly are your people?
All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. All things being not quite so equal, people still want to do business with their friends. How many business friends do you have?
Customers call, contact or visit for one reason. They need help, answers, orders, service and information. The question is what do they get?
When you're done speaking with a customer, that's when they start talking. And they will say one of three things about you and your company - something good, nothing or something bad - and the cool part is that you choose. What do your customers say after a typical transaction with you?
Memorable service leads to positive word-of-mouth advertising and repeat business. What's so memorable about doing business with you? Are you creating actions, moments and stories good enough to be retold? What's the word on you?
Word-of-mouth advertising is 50 times more powerful than advertising. Word-of-mouth advertising is the most powerful form of advertising known to mankind. Are your customers telling your prospective customers how wonderful you are?
Memorable service strategies and techniques can be learned the same way you learned to add and subtract. The difference is that math is based on logical solutions, and serving people is based on emotional solutions. You must self-study what you never learned in school. How many extra personal development courses are you taking? How many personal development books have you read in the past year?
There is a logical and emotional side of serving the customer. Fixing the problem is the logical side. The emotional side is fixing the issues that surround the problem. Do your solutions include the logical and emotional needs of your customers?
Customer problems and service needs may have an emotional ripple effect. Rescheduling appointments, or production, office stress, employee tension, interruptions of service to their customers, people in urgent need, angry people, upset staff are all ripple effects that may come as a result of the service they need from you. Do you understand the total problem, or just your part of it?
The customer may never be satisfied, but may be loyal. Knowing the difference between satisfied and loyal will give you the direction you need to act accordingly. Are you measuring customer satisfaction or customer loyalty?
Satisfied does not mean loyal and loyal is all that matters. Satisfied customers will buy anywhere. Loyal customers will stay with you, fight before they switch and tell others to do business with you. Which would you rather have, 1,000 satisfied customers or 1,000 loyal customers?
Customers will need your product or service again. A customer ready to repeat his purchase is a powerful business advantage. The only question is will they buy from you?
Customers vote. And they have choices. They elect how to spend their money based on past performance. How many will vote for you more than once?
The easier it is to do business with you the more likely they are to come back. One of the most amazing phenomena I have found is how tough it is to place an order. Automated attendant, short working hours, long "on-hold" periods, transfers to voice mail, slow response. All those actions spell one word: competition. How easy is it to do business with you?
The customers' perception of good or bad service is the measure of your success or failure. How do your customers perceive you?
That's a lot to think about when an angry customer is on the other end of the line screaming his or her head off. The secret is if you get the big picture, understand and master the core principles, the irate call is much more under control. Your control.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of "The Sales Bible," and "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless." President of North Carolina-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be e-mailed at salesman@gitomer.com
Jeffrey Gitomer
