I am constantly amazed how often I hear the phrase "I don't have time to read, write, blog, etc" yet the average adult watches close to 3 hours of television every day. What are you doing every day to be more successful in your career? Author and Salesman Jeffrey Gitomer gives us a peek behind the curtain as to what has made him so succesful. It could be the most important six minutes of your day today!
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In this highly digital world we live and do business in, it can seem like the telephone and its primary function have become archaic. Some say that texting, instant messages and emails are easier and more productive. While you can maintain and expand your brand to some degree through these channels, you miss the personal interaction that a conversation over the phone can offer. A customer calling into your customer service department is not just an opportunity to answer a concern or respond to a concern. Rather it’s an opportunity to expand your brand by having a captive conversation with your customer for a short block of time. Instead of looking at this as simply a time answer their questions or hear their concern, it’s a great opportunity to execute and build a stronger brand. Remember, you have your customer’s undivided attention for 5-10 minutes. You can choose to merely satisfy their request or use this time to create a loyal customer and even more importantly, a future referral.
Many customer service departments utilize a customized script for when a customer calls in with a request, complaint or simply a question. These are great tools for new employees and specifically for new and recurrent training purposes. I wonder though how often the company brand is mentioned in these customized scripts? What better way to reinforce your brand that with your front line employees. These are the folks in the trenches that often deal with the emotional customers who are not usually calling to tell you how much they love your company or your products. They are not meant to be just a firefighter putting out the random hot spots but rather a vehicle to delivery your brand to every customer they come into contact with. Zappos is a great example of a company that totally gets this concept and has been extremely successful due in large part to the fact that their employees not only understand but live out their brand every day. They use the interactions with their customers over the phone as an opportunity to “Wow” them with superior service. They actually want their customer to call them because they understand that each time is an opportunity to strengthen the brand and win the customer for life. One way they motivate their customers to call is by putting their customer service phone number on the top of each web page. Are you using your telephone to merely interact with your customers or to build a stronger brand? In today’s ultra fast paced society it can seem like a real challenge to stay connected with others. Networking in business is such a valuable, proven tool that it is a shame that many people feel they don’t have the time to network. However, social media sites such as Facebook and Linkedin are tools that offer great ways for staying in touch with others. If you think social media is all play and no work, then you don’t know what you’re missing!
Relationship and Networking expert Keith Ferrazzi gives us 5 ways you can stay connected using social media. Check out the list below and see how you can put one or more of these ways to use today to help you grow your network and business! 1. The Good Samaritan: Scroll through your Facebook or LinkedIn wall and find two people you can help. Remember, it doesn’t have to be something big. Even a cheerful “hello” can be helpful some days. But you might be surprised how easy it is to find more specific opportunities to help when you go looking. 2. The Resume Builder I: Go to LinkedIn and write a recommendation for someone whose work you admire. 3. The Resume Builder II: Ask a former boss whom you know appreciated your work to write a recommendation for you. Let them know one great sentence is really all you need! (I guarantee you that nine times out of ten you’ll get more than just a sentence.) 4. The Positively Postal: Make list of people with birthdays and anniversaries in Feb or March. Buy cards, sign, stamp, and send. A month of goodwill created in less time than it would take to watch Law and Order! 5. The Conversation Starter: Leave a comment – or better yet, a question – on a blog post or status update that doesn’t yet have any comments. Or… why not…. Share your favorite relationship-building “mission” with the community here. If you peruse the Business section of your local bookstore and/or your favorite online bookstore you will find no shortage of books written on the subject of getting more business or winning more customers. Yet in today’s business environment the one quality that seems so often to be missing with many companies, is good service. There is nothing more frustrating when you are a consumer than when you receive poor service or you get the feeling that a company could care less whether you continue to buy their products or not. What companies seem to forget is how willing and likely consumers are to share their bad news or tell their friends and co-workers about who not to do business with.
Here are 10 easy steps you can follow to ensure you drive your customers away: 1. Don’t call your customers back when you promise them you will 2. Spend more time telling your customers what you can’t do instead of what you can do 3. Ignore your customers by not staying in contact with them 4. Provide poor after sale service 5. Have a staff full of unhelpful or rude employees 6. Make your customers wait either in line or over the phone because of poorly trained staff 7. Have your customer’s phone calls be placed on hold by an automated voice 8. Have a staff full of employees with an “I can’t be bothered” attitude 9. Provide a complicated process for your customers to file a complaint 10. Have a very difficult return process |
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