Posted: July 21, 2021 | Categories: Customer service, Presentation skills, Sales

A couple weeks ago my wife showed me a box of toothpaste. It was the normal family size I had known for years.  Joyce opened up the box, and inside was a tube of toothpaste about 3 inches shorter that the box.  First I was amused, then I was offended. My first thought was, “They actually think we are so pre-occupied that we don’t notice the difference?” If you want to make a small tube of toothpaste, put it in a box that is commensurate with its size. Wait…I’m not finished yet:

Last month we bought a box of snack bars, yet the size had become so small it was like a Mars mini-bar. I had the same reaction as with the toothpaste. There are companies that make full-size snack bars and sell a true family size of toothpaste. These companies will get my business.

I realize these two examples are seemingly trivial things, but let’s look at the big picture:  Successful companies know how to build trust in their brand and with their customers. Deception and playing games erodes trust, and creates resentment. Let’s put our customers first (including our team).

Posted: July 1, 2021 | Categories: Leadership, Sales

Leaders are motivators.  Have you ever been in a situation where someone was trying to get you excited about something, and the incentive they were using was something you simply didn’t care about?  If we want to be about winning hearts and minds, we need to be sure we know their “hot button”.

When I think of this ability, my thoughts go immediately to an incident I experienced in 5th grade.  I received a test paper back, and I was pleased to see there were no red marks.  I got my first “100” for the year!  That meant it was time to celebrate.  I got to put a gold star next to my name on the wall chart.  After that, it was customary to go to Mrs. Pearson’s desk and ring the bell in front of Serapina the Cat.  (Seraphina was a book Mrs. Pearson had read us)

As I was basking in my glory, the person seated next to me (Chuck) wanted to look at my paper.  He had gotten one question wrong, and he wanted to know the right answer.  When he looked at my answer, he exclaimed, “Hey, you had the same answer I did, and Mrs. Pearson marked yours right.”  Smugly, I replied, “Too bad”.  Chuck blew the whistle on me, and soon Mrs. Pearson had my paper in hand.  She affirmed that my answer was wrong, and she was going to subtract the appropriate points.  Then she said, “We have to take your star off the chart, but I’ll still let you ring Seraphina’s bell.  Big deal!  I was not excited.  If Mrs. Pearson was trying to appease me, she actually made things worse.

A few decades later I found myself as a training facilitator of a 12-week leadership course.  Those who had perfect attendance recieved a gold medallion sticker on their certificate when they graduated.  At the beginning of each training series, I got everybody excited about that gold sticker.  The result:  I had the highest percentage graduation of any instructor on the team.  I remembered my experience in Mrs. Pearson’s class.  We love those stickers and stars, and they get us “fired up”.

Posted: May 26, 2021 | Categories: Customer service, Leadership, Sales

If you are a homeowner, you have professionals and tradesmen you count on to keep your dwelling fixed, cleaned, and updated. You have air-conditioning, heating, appliances, and lawn equipment. You protect your physical and financial well-being with professionals like dentists, doctors, and accountants. We establish relationships with these people that often last many years. We trust them. When they retire, we have a gap to fill.

Two years ago, my HVAC guy retired. When he did, he gave me the name of another company I could connect with. The next time I needed help, I called this company. They were on time and solved my problem for a fair price. We were off to a good start.

This year, I decided to do some preventative maintenance, and I had the new company out for a routine AC check. I had the AC on, and it was humid 90-degree day. The tech got out all his equipment and cleaned the coils and grill in the outdoor unit. Next, he went to check the refrigerant. He shut down the AC to clean it. When he went to turn it back on, nothing happened. The unit would not receive power through the 32-year-old junction box. So let me get this straight: You come in on a hot, humid day, my AC is working fine, you work on it, and now it is not working. Hmmm…

At this point I took a step back, set aside the “dinosaur” part of my brain, and began asking questions. As it turned out, the tech was following normal procedure, and when he shut off the breaker, it failed. Now we needed a new box. Paul, the tech felt badly about what happened, and said he would talk to the boss.

About 1/2 hour after the call, I called the owner of the company. He knew all about my situation and was very understanding. He said, “Paul was following the right procedure when he turned off the power outside. If that had been me, I would have turned off the power downstairs since the box was so old” In other words, Roger (the owner) was backing up his tech, and admitted that the problem might have been able to be prevented. Roger’s transparency and empathy convinced me I had the right “go-to” person. He was fair with the charge, and I plan to buy a new unit from him this fall. Roger dealt with my crisis well and used it as an opportunity to strengthen our relationship.

Posted: May 25, 2021 | Categories: Leadership, Presentation skills, Sales

When I was young, I used to watch a TV show called, “To Tell the Truth”. Here’s how it worked:

The show would begin with three people standing side by side. They would each pretend to be the same famous person that you had probably not seen before. (Like Dr. Suess) Each one said the same thing: “My name is Ted Geisel” One of the three was that famous person. The other two were impostors. The show host would then read a sworn affidavit by the famous person describing themselves and all their achievements. Then a panel of celebrities would each have their turn to question the people standing. After their time for questioning expired, the panel members were asked to cast their vote for who they believe was the real Ted Geisel. Even though I wasn’t there to ask questions, I was in on the game, and made my guess when the panel members did. My guess was almost always right. I had a secret that worked:

Instead of trying to judge content accuracy, I focused on the tone of voice, body language, eye movement, and the way the person responded. I was particularly sensitive to those who responded quickly and with confidence. I found the authentic contestants were slower to respond, more thoughtful, and would sometimes ask clarifying questions. In other words, the real person was usually not “slick”.

There seems to be common misconception that when we respond quickly, we show more confidence. Sometimes just the opposite is true. We respect the more thoughtful response that indicates to us that the other person is listening and cares. Being more thoughtful in our responses can increase our trust and credibility.

You may ask, “Is there any time when we shouldn’t respond slowly? Yes. If you spouse asks you if you still love them, respond quickly…very quickly!

Posted: May 19, 2021 | Categories: Customer service, Sales

Let’s say you need to make a change in procedure or pricing in your company, and you are not sure how it is going to go over with your customers. How do you approach your customers about the change? What if we don’t even bother saying anything? Instead, just make the change. Then, at the next staff meeting, the boss asks, “So, is anyone hearing any complaints about the price increase? No? Good.” No, your team isn’t hearing any complaints, but what they are also not hearing is the sound of quiet footsteps walking away.

I hope your company or organization doesn’t use this communication strategy described above. Here are a couple of examples of how this approach can hurt you:

Last year I received a notice from the company that prints my planning supplies. I had been their customer for over 30 years. My supplies included a separate planning book for each month. Each year I would renew my order and the company would send my 12 booklets running from April through March. The notice announced that from this point on, we could only order January through December. That meant I would have to have to throw away 3 months of books. (January – March) As I was reading their announcement, I took a step back and began to think about the system and whether it as still the right one for me. After all, a lot of technology has come along in 30 years. I did not re-order, and ended up with a system I like better, and it is half the price. They lost a 30-year customer! They could have kept me by delaying the start of the change for a year and applying some sort of credit. Instead, they just plowed ahead.

The same type of situation happened to me the past week with my computer protection service. I had been with them for six years. The renewal was due this month. I couldn’t get the order through online and looked for a number I could call for help. There was none. Within 24 hours, I had done my research, and changed to another service.

The message from these two examples: If we want to keep our customers, we need to stay close to them and be sensitive to their needs. Otherwise, bye bye!