Customer service training is almost always undertaken to address some problem or achieve some goal that has been eluding a business. The problem is that most businesses wait too long to do it, contends Drew Stevens, a St. Louis-based consultant who specializes in helping businesses acquire and retain customers. He estimates that almost 90 percent of clients he has worked with fall into that category.
If you need sales skills and methods to grow your business then you must join Fast Track Sales Clubs. The unique blended learning provides immediate access to innovative and time tested techniques from Top Sales Expert and Business Growth Specialist, Drew Stevens.
No business grows without acquiring new customers. In fact, nothing happens to your business without a sale. Utilities do not function, employees do not get paid and you do not receive compensation without a sale!
To grow business, acquire and retain clients and gain financial prosperity requires a single focus and most important accountability. Coaches assist elite individuals uncover underutilized strengths and hide weaknesses. Coaching helps provide a single focus and work towards the tip of the arrow rather than just the target.
In addition, in a time pressured world and multi generational environment modalities of learning change. Professionals desire assistance wherever, however and whenever they need it. Using the power of technology coaching is available throughout the day!
Finally, Athletes practice, attorneys practice, students practice and musicians practice. Business professionals must practice! . Too many individuals attempt things once and quit. Whether a diet, gym membership or other life altering experience, individuals try one time and leave without moving forward. The key to self-mastery is continuing. You must practice everyday. Just like you body is an investment, so is your mind!
Join our Fast Track Selling Club and watch your business dramatically accelerate!
After a recent teleseminar, a participant requested information about motivating his fitness trainers. Apparently, when members arrived, his trainers offered little appreciation. Members felt more of an intrusion then an asset.
I encouraged the owner to develop his staff. If your gymnasium as similar issues here are four methods of assistance.
1. Hiring is a key success factor. It is imperative to hire the best people for particular positions even if you pay them more. Do not sacrifice on this issue. Personnel are the linchpin between members and utility bills. Review your staff and ensure you have the proper people in proper positions.
2. Customer Focus. Peter Drucker’s famous quote, “A business exists for one reason- the customer” is paramount to the fitness business. If the mission and vision is to alter the lives of others, it is not rocket science to lose focus. However, many gyms do. All personnel must maintain focus on the client with eye contact, relationships, telephone inquiries, etc. Anything and everything the fitness center does must revolve around the customer.
3. Customer Loyalty. Develop your staff; ensure they understand the importance of proper customer service. Provide foundational customer service skills such as smiling, telephone replies, relationships with clients, service to clients, focus group, etc. Ensure your staff knows that failure to conform to customer service can result in member loss and fitness center closure.
4. Reward Programs. Reward those that set and establish best practices. Employees love recognition. Let them know you appreciate customer service efforts. Perhaps the best performers will encourage others to do so.
2008. Drew J. Stevens. All rights reserved.
Peter Drucker once stated that the purpose of every American business is one thing – creating customers. Research by the American Management Association show that your average HAPPY customer will tell 3 people about her experience with you. Research shows that, out of 25 dissatisfied customers, one customer complain, 24 are dissatisfied but do not complain, and 6 of 24 non complainers have serious issues with the organization. More importantly for selling professionals, customer service is included in 40 percent of every client interaction.
I remember the greatest words I ever heard when seeking to repair my computer after a 3 hour conversation, the representative getting tired stated, “You are a customer, and I will get this repaired for you no matter what”. When you supply grand slam customer service, your business costs are lower and your success greater.
Great Service Requires Great Solutions
After doing some research, I have discovered that the key to grand slam customer service is practicing it. Just like an athlete practices for an event, or the musician practices for a concert, the service provider must practice. Here is my seven-step protocol to enhance your service delivery.
PRACTICE ™ Customer Service
• Positive First Impression – you must be genuinely interested in assisting others. passion and empathy separates the athletes from the spectators.
• Rapport – 98% of every interaction involves trust and respect. Ensure you establish rapport with every client.
• Assess the Issue – Asking provocative questions is the only way to get to the heart and soul of every issue.
• Communication – The best communicators listen first and speak second. Athletes know when to ask and when to tell.
• Time Management – Customer Service representatives are trained to expeditiously respond to issues but can you do this qualitatively too?
• Interest – Gaining interest requires an understanding of the multi generational and cultural issues that assist in building rapport and becoming genuinely being interested in others, a famous Dale Carnegie and biblical trait.
• Closing on a Positive Note – Always close your calls on the positive side seeking to address any open issues and questions.
• Evaluation - Customer service requires conviction and passion to aid others. Once complete with your calls ensure you also evaluate to carry these themes from call to call.
No Clients are the same
You must adjust this process to fit your business and strategy. Ensure success by evaluating your clients, and your staff to closely align the staff with compelling client needs. Document your successes and discuss these with your team, so that your game plans adjust as new needs arise.
© 2008. Drew J. Stevens. All rights reserved.
Let us face it clients can be frustrating. Clients are demanding, clients are wasteful and clients desire more from you than you give. With economic turmoil many companies, solo practitioners, and even medical practices focus on one thing- new clients.
The cost of producing business today is too high. The proliferation of both the Internet and globalization cast a pall over profits. Conducting business today is more expensive, more demanding and requires more innovation. Focusing on new acquisition is vital to success, but so too is profit margin. Most businesses fail in this endeavor, focusing on internal costs such as employees. Perhaps it is time to review client margins. Simply put if clients are an expense and your business is not making profit, terminate them. Businesses terminate employees if unproductive, why not clients?
There are some guidelines to follow:
1. What does the data show. One of the miscalculation in business is a failure to review the data. Sales and service representatives aggregate information daily into expensive databases yet few review it. Ensure success by understanding your profit per client to denote necessary moves.
2. Relationships. Are the relations with clients strong or arm’s length? There is a fear that divorcing clients creates panacea amongst the core. If current relationships are as thick as a piece of balsa wood, then there are more issues beyond margins.
3. Take a Stand. Explain to the client that the cost of doing business is not longer profitable and requires an assessment of the relationship. If a client continually calls your service area and sways attention from other clients, it is time to fold in the towel. A major multi-level marketing firm needed to conduct such measures when a major independent constantly called suggesting incorrect and damaged shipments. The calls, researching orders and re-shipment cost the firm seven times the original order. The firm currently uses 25,000 independent representatives, imagine the expense as issues multiple.
4. Code of Conduct. There will always exist rude clients. Consumers today seek “What is in it for Me” and desire spontaneity. Develop an Customer Ethics Policy and distribute to your clients. Similar to terms and conditions of sale, clients must be bound by acceptable principles. Your organization must disavow obnoxious, unprofessional and unethical behavior and language. It is plausible to develop a “Zero Tolerance” Policy for clients.
5. Laws Under Review. The customer is not always right. We live in a country that prides itself on innocence. Maintain proper documentation. Use this documentation to prove validity. Our electronic world provides tremendous implicit backup, maintain these records, you do not know when you might need them. Good record keeping just might reverse the customer is always right proverb.
Business operations require innovative and cost productive ideas. Every business must be in business to create customers but when they cost more to maintain, they are nor worthy keeping. Review your margins, reduce expenses and stress, create resolve and if prudent fire your customers.
© 2008 Drew J. Stevens Ph.d. All rights reserved.
Upon completing a recent article, I am perplexed. I advocate much like Peter Drucker that the reason to be in business is to create customers. The article I am referring, “How CEOs Should Work with Customers” appears to suggest that CEO’s do not have the time to spend with customers due to a myriad of other items on their agenda. I concur they are busy, we are all busy, however, if executives lose focus from the most vital asset of any organization then it questions strategy.
With recent economic volatility and exasperating increases in customer pay, it is imperative to note that perhaps the eye has gotten off the ball. Organizations today must practice and exemplify customer orientation. It is the customer that pays the utility bill and the customer that supplies salaries. That said why is the client not the focus of all activity within organizations.
Organizations today must conduct themselves thus:
1. Refrain from the mission statement foolishness. Stop paying lip service to customer experience and live it. Mission statements are as useful as the paper scribed if they are not abided. Decrease the chasm but developing a customer service culture.
2. Time. Executives and all staff must spend time with clients. There is no metric establishes percentages, however it is useful to spend time and as much as possible with clients. Customers require vendors they can trust and respect. The relationship grows when customers know you.
3. Talent. Executives must begin to hire talent and create customer services exemplars. Organizations such as Southwest Airlines and Apple exist for one thing- the customer. All talent work synergistically to provide a proper customer experience.
4. Focus groups. Many companies utilize these effective feedback loops and others not. One cannot build product without client involvement. Apple’s success in both the iPhone and iPod stems from insightful feedback.
5. CBWA. Customers by Walking Around. A tremendous concept exemplified in the early 1980’s and since forgotten. Executives gain insightful intelligence by meeting with differing clients, with a variety of needs to decide future products, development and marketing strategies.
6. Communicate. Avatars of successful customer service consistently strive to communicate messages. The proliferation of the Internet and other technologies facilitates communication customers welcome the competitive intelligence.
Customers are assets and require that treatment. Giving them time, understanding their needs and listening to concerns are methods all executives must use to remain competitive.
2008 Drew J. Stevens Ph.D. All rights reserved.
This week Drew Stevens will have featured his article “Love my Alliances, Hate Negotiation” on Salesopedia Home Page. Click here to read Drew on Salesopedia Now!! find this article on how to get what you want and negotiate anything.
Salesopedia is one of the strongest reference forums on the Internet, devoted, engaging and providing introspective information on the profession of selling.


It was approximately 54 years ago, but Peter Drucker was correct about the past, the present and most certainly the future. In his award winning book “The Practice of Management” Mr. Drucker wrote, “The only valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer. …It is the customer who determines what a business is”. Unfortunately for many businesses, their focus is not on the customer but on greed- how foolish.
All businesses make money, yet those that are customer focused are more profitable. Untrue you say, seek avatars such as Harley- Davidson and Southwest Airlines. The extreme loyalty factor from both firms enables them to remain profitable even in these poor economic times. In fact, both refer to customers more as family rather than clients.
There are several reasons why many firms seemingly do not follow the exemplars, these include:
1. Misalignment of the organization – We find that organizations today lack strategic focus. Organizations must research their motives and align them with their client needs. The client determines value and vision and management must not even guess the answer, the customer should systematically provide the response.
2. Lack of focus – Organizations typically loss focus on where they are and where they need to be. Diversification is for hedge funds; product and service companies should follow the shortest path to customer needs and profitability.
3. Greed – A famous line from the 1984 blockbuster movie Wall Street, “Greed is good”, was a mantra during crazed economic prowess. When organizations get greedy they lose focus with stakeholders with employees and more importantly clients. It is better to provide minimum service to clients rather than great service only to lower it during poor earnings.
So what is a CEO/Business Owner or Client Manager to do to augment the gyrations of client loyalty? We provide our clients with Split Second Loyalty – Tools for Success©.
• Culture – The benefit of loyalty to any organization is gaining the “buy in” from the top officers. Harley Davidson’s CEO uses the importance of the Value Proposition to rationally and irrationally build client loyalty. At Southwest, Barrett exemplifies 23 years of service experience. The leader must be the exemplar for all to follow. During Herb Kelleher’s tenure he placed bags in storage.
• Rump Rule – Call it what you will but the best example of customer service is simply walking around and speaking with clients. Apple, Enterprise, and a host of others remain not only profitable but maintain an enthusiastic customer base because they meet with clients and understand the issues. Stop administering and get off your backside.
• Passion – This begins with the hiring process. Talent is innate. Refrain from hiring anyone to fill a seat, employ those that are passionate about service, support and development for the client. All at FedEx and Disney are passionate about delivering to the client.
• Proactive Problem Solving – Give employees the power to make decisions. For one it provides better productivity and morale and it streamlines customer support. Allow staff to work hard and make something optimistic of each situation is, make the client feel good. A cognitive dissonance occurs with most service issues, yet it is instantly avoidable.
Return in a few days, when I will post additional tools to aid your customer service issues that allow for a better experience and a loyal fan base.
© 2008. Drew Stevens Ph. D. All rights reserved.
The Customer Engima
Finding Solutions that otherwise puzzle organizations
Drew Stevens Ph.D.
Organizations believe that they provide exactly what customers desire. Ask any firm and the Paretto Principle prevails. 80 percent of most organizations believe they deliver exemplary customer service. Ironically, less then 20 percent do. According to research by consultancy Bain and Company, only 8 percent of companies really deliver on customer service.
Our present environment exists with a gap in delivering service. There are numerous reasons for the gap, however, we believe two issues contribute to this gap, a) greed and b) the inability of customer relationships.
Greed
Many statements by management consultant Peter Drucker are famous. However, in the book The Practice of Management, Drucker clearly states, “There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer.” Organizations today are trumped by two fundamental issues- competition and productivity. The focus is so acute that raising revenue, higher profits and increasing productivity all ignore the necessary myopia of customer concentration.
Exemplars of avarice include Starbuck’s, the airline industry and retail establishments. Anytime an organization believes they can achieve higher growth they raise fees, not one CEO or analysts stops to ask what the impact of the client is. Prior to heightened fees, customer remain for two purposes 1) either first mover advantage in the case of Starbuck’s or 2) value such as American Airlines. Yet when fees increase, customers tend to jump ship for cheaper and more appealing alternatives.
The solution for any firm is to thoroughly conduct an impact analysis to determine potential market losses. New revenue means nothing when you lose a core customer base. Customer dissonance cannot be taken for granted.
Customer Relationships
Customer connections are very difficult to build- that is to say unless you are focused on your core asset. First, as mentioned earlier, an organizations entire strategy must exist for the client. Strategic questions to ask are, “Who is the customer? Why does the customer buy? What is the value that our firm provides? How do reach disseminate product, service and announcements to our customers? These questions all told focus all beliefs, all values and all attitudes for the company asset. Further, it is imperative to treat the client as such- an asset. Nothing happens, no one gets paid and the electricity does not provide power to the plants unless a customer is involved.
Herein are several techniques to align with your clients-
Refrain from CRM. We do not challenge the power and functionality of Customer Relationship Management. Yet too much resource is placed into these trivial software systems. Stop trying to augment human interaction with software. Just like a political candidate if you desire to press the flesh then do so, do not leave an email to chance.
Interaction. The proliferation of the Internet and technology has taken away the most precious asset of any relationship- interaction. Avatars such as Proctor and Gamble and Southwest Airlines discovered long ago that the better part of customer service is being there! Get off your carcass and stop administering start speaking. Make it a plan to meet with your clients as often as possible.
Enculturation. The entire organization must holistically focus on customer service. Everyone must focus on one thing, why you are in business. Exemplars here are FedEx where the culture suggests, everyone’s employment is based on guaranteed overnight delivery.
Value and Brand. There is little doubt that a housewife buys appliances for service. She buys because of the experience others have had. Speed, cost and service become part of the customer experience relative to value. Cadillac and Coca Cola have become industry standards because of this success. Not many claim to be the Taurus of the business.
Avatars and Advertising. When the service you provide is so strong, your established customer base speaks for you. When the time arrives that prospective clients speak higher than your advertising creating new customer arrivals, your customer gap is immensely narrowed. Crocs the apparel company created a billion dollar entity with little advertising.
Value Again it is so important. What does the customer consider value? The default is price but this is untrue. Price is only part of value. The concept of value is complicated and rather than surmise, the only person to respond is the customer himself. Management must refrain from board meetings and speculation, if your organization desires the response then ask the customer.
Feedback loops. In addition to client visits, ensure success with Customer Briefings, Focus Groups, Interview, 360 feedback and other imperative mechanisms. Customer Service is not one-dimensional and requires that organizations connect the dots between what they learn about customers and what they currently offer to customers. This also includes organizational functions and customer response times.
The roads to customer service and customer loyalty are rocky, uncharted and complex. And, today’s competitive matrix further complicates the issues. There are numerous paths to take and numerous bridges that must be built to close the gaps. However, the most imperative is not discussing matters in the boardroom and leaving the issues amongst the silence. Broken promises are the missing puzzle pieces as they become the keys to future growth. Customer gaps are filled when the culture of the organization from top to bottom, exemplify with admiration and energy an emphasis to a key corporate asset- the customer.
©2008. Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.
About Drew Stevens PhD
Drew Stevens PhD is sales, marketing and customer service expert. Drew assists organizations to dramatically accelerate business growth. He is a consultant, speaker and author of seven books including Split Second Selling and Split Second Customer Service and Little Book of Hope and is frequently called on the media for his expertise. Drew was recently nominated as one of 50 Top Sales Experts. Visit www.drewstevensconsultng.com to download his FREE Sell Well Kit now!
Please review my latest thoughts on customer service in the healthcare industry as authored by Mr. Ed Rabinowitz.
| When Is the Right Time to Cut the Cord with a Patient? | ||
| By Ed Rabinowitz | ||
| Published on July 2, 2008
Click here to read the article on Customer Service with Drew Stevens |
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