Posts Tagged ‘customer’
I remember my first professional position at age 16. It was a Customer Service position for a newer public company at the time, now a Fortune 500. I spent the first 2 years of my career focusing on customer service. I worked 9AM – 6PM, I took part in active training sessions, I did After Business Hours Customer Service, I kept learning, speaking fluently about my position, seeking help. I was taking 50 calls or more a day. It was truly an earned paycheck at $7.25 hour. I learned as much as I could about what good customer service meant to a customer and what happened when they had a bad experience vs a good one. As a customer service representative it was my JOB, not “just a job” and it was my responsibility to do everything in the allowed processes and within my power to address any issue and make the customer feel like they were the only customer I would ever have – Speaking from experience, it takes a true talent, to turn an irate customer into a laughing customer. To this day, I bring my experience in Customer Service and Technical Training Skills to the table and the detailed customer service experience and process models I was taught with to The Sales Corner, and as well as my other professional positions. I’ve never let myself sway away from excelling at awesome Customer Service because it should be the forefront of any company brand, and should compliment the name and additional services as well as people that are put in front of the customers eyes and ears. After all, it’s the customers that keep all of our lights on in the end. Without customers, we would all suffer job loss, and loss of business revenue. – Matt Geier
Branding With Customer Service – By Drew Stevens
Published on March 14, 2012 @ Stevens Consulting Group Blog
When it comes to sales and marketing many do not believe customer service is part. This is untrue. Customer Service is a vital part. – Drew Stevens and a post on his thoughts about Customer Service and how it portrays your company brand!
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More Articles with “Customer Service” topics that you may find value in:
In Business to make money? Don’t forget about Value Add
Good Customer Service, Talent Makes a HUGE Difference
Look in the Mirror
The Importance of Caring for Customers
Economists studying the best and brightest companies in America found that a large percentage of Fortune 100 companies do not reveal the secret to their success. Nor do the same economists report on the reasons behind a company’s success because as economists, they understand that’s what smart businesses do.
Small business owners will attempt to get more for less because an entrepreneur’s nature is to produce big things from little packages. Some of the top performing small businesses are able to be successful, while others will fail.
Enormous corporations expect to do more with less because the climate of business is changing from hard copy to digital. Some are able to be successful, while others are failing.
What these super successful companies are not saying is that as they move ahead electronically, they are also utilizing new ways to use the internet to nurture relationships the old fashioned way. They are using the internet to create and send out cards. Personalized greetings produced on schedule, and delivered at will. It has something to do with technology, but it also has everything to do with getting back to nurturing the kind of relationships they want to have with their clients.
In today’s sales environment, where new sales are harder to come by, companies are reducing sales forces and retaining only the Top Producers. Subsequently, these companies rely more and more on E-Marketing such as Blogs, Email Marketing, Twitter and Facebook to maintain customers and open doors to new sales. Companies who realize that a deluge of E-Marketing makes the “Power of Personal” even more powerful will benefit dramatically in this environment.
Personal Greetings are Powerful
Before the internet there was the United States Postal Service. Everyone used the mail to send out cards to announce a dedication or event. From hardware stores to dentists, tax preparers and the local newspaper, cards would be delivered saying “Happy Holidays”, “Happy Birthday” or “Big Sale (For Your Eyes Only)”. Companies that developed strong relationships using personal business greetings sixty years ago survive today because of the response. People search out the purchasing power that comes from an inside connection, forget if the connection is high speed or not.
“PEOPLE STILL LIKE TO BUY AND DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE WITH WHOM THEY HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP.”
The power to create and send personal greetings automatically has finally arrived, and not a second too soon. Clients who never experienced the effects of a personal B2B greeting delivered in the mail to their office or home are caught reading the information longer, thinking about its effect, and then saving the card for later use. Digital electronics permit us to reach farther and faster, yes, but a personal message delivered at home or office still works best. It not only builds stronger relationships in a technological world, but they generate more sales from consumers who want to reward businesses that are committed to their clients.
Nancy Guggenbickler
I am in my office the other day when a Vice President of Sales calls and states he needs assistance. The dilemma: the sales staff closing efficiency is off. In addition, the VP continually learns the staff does not meet with the economic buyer and hears the same rote excuse of “no money in the budget”.
For a few moments we speak and since they are not located in my city we agree to discuss how I might help. After 20 minutes of provocative questions and gaining some insight into the objectives of the organization, metrics for accountability and to understand how well we meet those objectives and finally the value to the organization, we agree to my sending a proposal. However, the vice president continually asks me for a foundational fee to better understand the investment. Unwillingly I provide him a very conservative estimate based on similar work. He states, “We do not have money in the budget”.
Naturally I was flabbergasted. The Vice President calls me, desires my input for better closing efficiency and then gives the same excuse as his representatives.
Here are some unprecedented facts from a recent CSO Insight:
• 92% of most sales professionals lack a foundational selling method which continually impacts closing efficiency.
• The percentage of salespeople failing to hit their sales quota rose from 38.8% to 41.2%
• Overall revenue plan attainment dropped from 88.2% to 85.9%
• The top 20% of sales reps are generating 61.5% of revenue
If sales are vital to every organization including the Federal Government, then why not invest in the most imperative asset? Think about that nothing, and I mean nothing happens unless something is sold.
The essence of the issue revolves around two heartfelt realities; 1) failure to invest and 2) taking a good look in the mirror. If the manager desires more sales and better efficiency then he might want to take a good look at his philosophy. Student emulate those that they learn from.
What is the image you see in the mirror?
Copyright 2009. Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.
