Jeffrey Gitomer October 14, 2013
October 14, 2013
October 14, 2013
The following is an excerpt of Law 12: Serve Memorably from my new book, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling:
Think about the most memorable service you have ever received. Ever tell anyone about it?
Now think about the service you provide to your customers. How many people are talking about you?
ANSWER: Not enough.
Every time a customer calls it’s an opportunity. The only question is: how are you taking advantage of it?
Don’t answer with a “thank you for the call,” telling me how important mycall is while you put me on hold for the next available agent. Or to“serve me better,” ask me to select from among the following eightoptions.
Selecting from among the following eight options is notone of MY options – and I have the money – and you want the money – andyou need the money – so wise up.
The last things employers should cut are sales, service, and training. The FIRST thing to cut isexecutive pay, then management pay, then eliminate middle management asneeded. OR MAKE THEM SALESPEOPLE, and have them contribute to theeffort.
Meanwhile, customers need help, service, and answers.Your ability to help them in a timely manner, and serve them memorably,determines your reputation and your fate.
What actions are youwilling to take? What investment are you willing to make? Do youunderstand it’s ALL about customer loyalty (not customer satisfaction)?
MAJOR CLUE: Keep in mind that no company ever CUT their way to success.
REALITY: You cut your way to safety. You have to SELL your way to success.
How ready are you?
If you want to win in this or any economy, you must be ready to win –ready with the right attitude, the right information, and the rightservice heart.
IF YOU BREAK THE SERVE MEMORABLY LAW: If acomputer answers your phone, you have broken the law. If you use theword “policy,” you have broken the law. Start there. The penalty forbreaking this law is two-fold. Loss of reputation AND loss of customer.There are very few laws that have a higher penalty, and very few lawsthat are EASIER to fix. You don’t have to worry about monitoring yourbad service. Your customers will do it for you, on Facebook and onTwitter. Your job is to fix it and continually improve it.
IF YOU FOLLOW THE SERVE MEMORABLY LAW: Your business reputation, both online and person-to-person, will soar!You’ll become known for taking ordinary daily business actions andturning them into pleasant customer surprises. The result is not justmore business – it’s more loyal customers, more referrals, greaterreputation, and more profit.
Think about that the next time you ask me to “select from among the following eight options.”
CAUTION: Ordinary, even polite, service is unacceptable. It will not give youthe competitive edge or the business advantage that memorable servicewill.
At the end of any transaction, that’s when the customer STARTS talking about you.
They will say one of five things about what transpired:
• Something great
• Something good
• Nothing
• Something bad
• Something real bad
And whatever they say leads to the next sale – either at your place, or your competition’s place.
The cool part is: you choose.
AHA! My “memorable mantra”: Find something personal; do something memorable.
AHA! Grow from good, to great, to memorable.
KEY TO IMPLEMENTATION: Start with smart, happy people. Then define what is memorable and howeveryone can achieve memorability with daily interactions (SouthwestAirlines does it with friendly people and humor). Meet with all seniorpeople and staff to create the ideas that wow, and gain the permissionto wow at the same time. Then train AND empower everyone with specificphrases and actions they can take on behalf of customers.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The SalesBible and The Little Red Book of Selling. His new book, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, is now available. For book tour dates and informationabout training and seminars, visit www.gitomer.com or email Jeffreypersonally at [email protected].
© 2013 All Rights Reserved.Don’t even think about reproducing this document without writtenpermission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer. 704/333-1112
