Posted: April 1, 2020 | Categories: Customer service, Leadership, Self-Improvement

Dale Carnegie spent over 40 years working with teams and individuals in their efforts to become stronger leaders.  As he reflected back on his career, it was his belief that giving honest and sincere appreciation was the most overlooked principle of leadership.  When we fall short in this area, relationships can suffer.  Here is an example.

I know someone who loves to do little things for others.  If she goes on a trip, she buys something for each of her co-workers.  She remembers birthdays, and takes pride in giving special cards and a little gift.  She is also involved in a group, and just two weeks ago made cupcakes for a member who was celebrating their birthday.   She was excited going in, but not coming out.  She did not receive one thank you for the cupcakes of her efforts to make them.  Had this been the only time this had happened, she could have probably shrugged it off.  She reflected on all the things she the little things she had done this year, and could not recall one person saying thank you.  She also realized that not saying thank you is a new trend.  Just think of your own experience:  For me, when I buy something at the store, about half the time the clerk says thank you.  Where I come from, forgetting to say thank you is rude.

Now that many of us have some extra time brought about by this Corona virus, how about making a goal to strengthen our relationships?  Did you enjoy the musical performance?  Take the time to say thanks.  Did someone take the time to smile at you today and brighten you day?  Let them know it.  Did someone make something for you or send you a card or nice email?  Take the time to thank them sincerely.  Your star will shine.  Let’s end with the immortal words of Dale Carnegie referring to those who take time to appreciate:

“The rare individual who honestly satisfies this heart hunger will hold people in the palm of his or her hand and even the undertaker will be sorry then he dies”

Posted: February 27, 2020 | Categories: Customer service, Sales

The simplest and most accurate description of selling that I have seen is to “create and keep customers”.  That sounds nice.  We just need to be careful we don’t gloss over the second part of this statement…KEEPING CUSTOMERS.  I find that this part is often overlooked.  To keep a customer we need to build a comfort zone around them that is so powerful it cannot be penetrated.

I have a comfort zone story:  In the summer of 1974, I had just moved up to the Chicago area and was looking for a barber.  My current barber was outstanding, but he was in Kansas.  I was forced out of my comfort zone.  So, Mike and I began.  He was a great barber, and I now had a new comfort zone.  He was with me through the times of my life, including the haircut he gave me to look good for my wedding in June, 1978.  We were born the same year, so hi age was perfect.

The years rolled on, and in 1989 I moved to a suburb 40 miles away from Mike’s shop.  That’s OK.  I made the drive each month to get my haircut from Mike.  Then, one day I called for an appointment, and Mike had no openings.  I needed a haircut, and I was forced out of my comfort zone.  I went to another barber locally.  Scott took care of me, and did a good job.  He wasn’t Mike, but then again, Mike wasn’t him.  31 years later, Scott is still my barber.  I never went back to Mike, but I did give him a courtesy call and thanked him for the years of service. This experience taught me a lesson:  Comfort zones are very powerful, and if we don’t create them for our customers, they can easily be snatched away.  Do you have a strategy and specific action plan for keeping your valued customers, or do you take them for granted?  Remember the old dental commercial:  “Customers are like teeth…ignore them and they will go away!”

Posted: January 17, 2020 | Categories: Customer service, Leadership

“The rare individual who honestly satisfies this heart hunger will hold people in the palm of his or her hand, and even the undertaker will be sorry when he dies”

-Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People

For many years I was a training facilitator for The Dale Carnegie Course.  The above quote was one of my favorites.  It encapsulates what I believe is the most important thing to know when building relationships and leading others:  Making the other person feel important.

Once I worked with a fellow named Don.  He had a way of making people feel special.  He would greet people with a warm, sincere smile, and immediately begin to ask questions that enabled them to talk about themselves.  Remember, that is everyone’s favorite subject!

Don was an avid fisherman, and one time he went on a trip way up north in the Canadian wilderness.  In his experience, he interacted with the guides and staff at the lodge.  As usual, he showed his genuine interest, and was able to find out things about people that were very informative and entertaining.  The conversations Don had with them was one of the highlights of his trip.  When Don checked out, the host said, “I keep hearing from my staff members about you.  They want to know when you will be coming back.  They have never done that before!”

What Don did was what many of us don’t feel we have time to do:  Find out what makes others feel important and listen to their story.  If we do, we will brighten people’s day and make them feel important.  We may never know what a difference that will make.

Posted: November 6, 2019 | Categories: Customer service, Sales

I once heard the term “comfort zone” described as the “mental home in which we live.”  When we manage our relationships well, we help create a comfortable “mental home” for our prized customer base.

This past week I visited the store where I purchased my cell phone a couple years ago.  I had a problem, and they solved it.  At the end of the conversation the service agent asked me if I would be interested in moving my cable, Internet, and land line service to them.  We compared the plan we had to their plan.  We determined that switching to them would save us $20 per month.

My wife and I had the luxury of time, so we we looked at the new proposed plan and reflected on the past two occasions when we needed to talk to the service department of our current vendor.  Considering these two conversations, we concluded that the service was outstanding.  We were not that confident that switching to the new company would mean better service.  Our current phone company has created a “comfort zone” we did not want to leave.  We decided to stay with them in spite of the $20 savings.

As I reflect on this situation, I am amazed that we would be open to changing vendors after a relationship of 20 years.  I realize it wasn’t the 20 years that created the comfort zone:  It was all the contacts or “moments of truth” along the way that were well managed.  The lesson is this:  With each customer we have moments of truth.  It is vital that we find a way to manage these moments.  If we don’t, we will weaken the comfort zone, and open up the door to our competition.

Posted: October 4, 2019 | Categories: Customer service, Sales, Self-Improvement

When I began my career, one of my first objectives was to build my skills in professional selling.  I enrolled in a 12-week course that broke the sales process into five steps that contained 23 fundamentals.  Soon after I began the training, I asked myself, “Why do they just teach the sales process to salespeople?  Why not everyone?”  What I discovered was that learning the fundamentals of the sales process not only helps our success in selling, it also positively affects our personal lives with friends, children, and partners.  Allow me to illustrate by giving a simple overview of the 5 steps of selling:

Step #1:  Generate rapport.  We begin in a friendly way that results in the prospect viewing us favorably.  This enables us to generate a willingness to have a conversation.

Step #2:  Show genuine interest.  That’s fine that we are a nice person.  Our next step is to understand the other person, their situation, and what they need.  We do this by asking good questions, listening to the answers, and affirming that we have heard correctly.

Step #3:  Present the solution. Now that we know what someone needs and why it is important to them, we can recommend a solution that appeals to their interest.

Step #4:  Secure commitment.  Once we have agreed on the solution, we ask for their commitment.

Step #5:  Act.  Now that we are committed, we take action!

OK.  Now imagine you needed to have a serious conversation with your teenager.  Wouldn’t this process apply?  My recommendation:  Learn the sales process (but don’t tell them you are not in selling)