I’m about to tell you a story about my friend, Will, who recently paid a visit to a Verizon Wireless store to learn if he wanted to switch his cellular service from Sprint.  Something we can all relate too…

But before I begin, quickly review these basic stages of the buying/selling process*:

1. Introduction: Make a favorable first impression
2. Gain favorable attention: Two-way communication/sell the prospect on you
3. Discover wants and needs: Discover what the prospect wants, needs, and why
4. Presentation: Present your product or service in terms of benefits to the prospec
5. Commitment: Ask for the order/Advance to the next step
6. Follow-up: Over deliver

Keep these stages in mind as you follow along with this story:

Will was intrigued by my Motorola Droid and wondered if maybe he should switch from Sprint to Verizon Wireless so that he, too, could benefit from all the features that the droid, per Verizon Wireless, has to offer.  However, he didn’t want to switch providers just for the product alone.  He also wanted to make sure that Verizon was the best solution for him overall (price, service, products).

When Will arrived at his local Verizon store a representative who I’ll refer to as Cathy greeted him.

Will told Cathy that he was a Sprint customer but he wanted to compare and contrast Verizon’s phones and plans before signing another contract with Sprint.  He also asked one question: “Do you match Sprint’s pricing on phone plans?”

In response, Cathy boasted, “Well…we invest millions of dollars in R&D; wouldn’t you want to go with the best?” (This must’ve been her way of saying ‘no’; they don’t match Sprint’s pricing on phone plans.)

Will was completely turned off by Cathy’s response but kindly told her, “thank you…I’ll think about it. I’m going to compare Sprint’s products and prices, and possibly come back.”

To which Cathy objected, “So you’re going with Sprint then?”  Will never said that; however, he renewed his contract with Sprint later that day as a result of comparing and contrasting his customer experience!

Where in the buying selling/process did “cocky Cathy” lose “willing to switch Will”?

If you ask me, Cathy didn’t get past Stage 2 with Will: Gaining favorable attention.  Will was taken back by her response about being the best because of R&D investment dollars.  Cathy assumed that investing more money into R&D automatically makes you the superior company/provider, and she expected Will to believe her.

What could Cathy have done to save the sale?

Well, as this headline suggests, Cathy could have kept Will involved in the buying/selling process.  Here’s how a better conversation would have looked:

Will: “Does Verizon match Sprint’s prices on phone plans?”

Cathy: “What Sprint plans are you referring to?” (Cathy clears up any ambiguities before proceeding)

Will:  “Well I happen to be looking for the cheapest plan for my personal phone plan since my company already pays for my business phone plan.” (Will reveals he didn’t have a specific Sprint plan in mind, but is looking for the best deal.  He thinks the best deal is the cheapest price; its Cathy’s job to help him discover the best deal is going to be the best return on his investment, without insulting him!)

Cathy: “OK, what are the top 3-5 things you want to be able to do with your phone?” (Cathy makes it to stage 3: Discovering wants and needs!)

Will: “Well, I’m interested in a smart phone. I want to be able to text quickly and easily, take/share photos, and access the Internet if I want to.”

Cathy: “What smart phones, if any, are you familiar with?” (Cathy is learning the prospect’s level of knowledge with smart phones, as well as selecting a benchmark product from which she could upsell/downsell, if necessary).

Will: “Not too many, but my friend has the Motorola Droid and I’m really impressed with the technology.”

At this point Cathy can bring out the Motorola Droid and proceed with Stage 4 (Present the product in terms of benefits to the customer).  Will may be so dazzled with the Droid’s features and benefits that he is sold on the spot and forgets about plan pricing (the Droid will make life more fun and the things Will wants and likes to do easier); Cathy has successfully brought him to this place.

On the other hand, if Cathy failed to emotionally hook Will during this presentation stage, he may still be wondering if he could get a different smart phone for a cheaper plan at Sprint.  Based on Will’s reaction to her presentation, Cathy would have the opportunity to sell ROI with a less expensive smart phone paired with a family plan, for example, or some other strategy that Cathy has rehearsed as a possible scenario.

Always keep your prospect involved:

• Don’t ever be cocky about your product or service.

• You can’t effectively sell your product/service unless you first ask open-ended questions to discover wants and needs.

• Take the time to understand WHY your prospect has his/her particular wants/needs/desires.

• Pay attention to your prospect’s reaction and body language through each stage of the buying/selling process; earn the right to proceed to each successive stage.

• Be prepared to up-sell or down-sell your prospects based on their reaction to your product/service presentation.

What particular buying/selling lesson can you share?

*Stages of The Buying/Selling Process adapted from Resource Associates Corporation’s Sales Development Process

Tweet This Post

Do you know the very first place to begin earning customer loyalty?

The first place leadership and management can begin to earn customer loyalty is from within their own organizations – with their own people, or their “internal customers”.  You must be healthy inside, if you are to look exceptional on the outside.

Part 4 of this article series serves to provide an enhanced appreciation for the internal components that help drive and sustain customer loyalty externally: Being a visionary, Leading with personal power, and Praising your employees.

Be a Visionary

Have you ever worked for a company and asked yourself, “Doesn’t anybody know what in the he** is going on around here?”  Me too.

I have experience with an organization in which the president of the company (a holier than thou sort) changed the direction and focus of the company literally every 2 weeks!

If you could’ve witnessed the impact of that sort of leadership on the workforce, you would’ve seen some very talented employees feeling and behaving confused, frustrated, and fearful.  Confused because they didn’t know which way was up (at work), frustrated because they often felt like they were stupid, and fearful because they were consistently yelled at for the decisions of their inadequate leader.

Now let me ask you, what impact does such a lack of vision and focus have on an organization’s effectiveness for achieving company growth?  Customer Loyalty?

Executives, managers and leaders: If you haven’t yet provided your workforce/direct reports with a vision for success (where the company wants to go, be, etc.), you may want to consider taking some time and reflect on what that vision is, and then share it, many, many times!

If you provide your people with a vision, you’ve provided them with an inspirational purpose that will guide their daily activities for achieving company goals.

If you choose not to be a visionary, I guarantee a majority of your workforce/reports are confused and they don’t know what you want.  How does this look from the outside?  What will be your external customers’ experience?

Lead with Personal Power

Sometimes executives and managers believe if they yell or speak aggressively their employees will know what they want.  A few weeks ago I had the unexpected “pleasure” of overhearing a business owner yelling at one of his employees. It sounded like he was yelling at a misbehaving child or pet.  The employee stiffened up, zipped his lips, and took orders just as he was treated – an obedient child or scared puppy with his tail between his legs.

Why? – Probably because he was afraid of the consequences if he chose to behave otherwise.  Imagine, on a daily basis this employee performs out of fear, not inspiration, to achieve company goals (although this sort of leadership isn’t quite exemplary for goal setting).

What is your method of leading?  Do you lead others with personal power (others perform for you based on your personal leadership and the value you provide others), or, do you choose instead to lead with fear-based authority (you are insecure and misguided about how to get results)?

Sometime today, take a few moments to reflect on how you’ve been getting results from others at work.  On a scale of 1-5, 5 being high for personal power, note your score so you can either keep up the good work, or strive for improvement.

If you lead with personal power, people will do what you ask them to do because you’ve consistently shown them that you are a resource, you listen, empathize, inspire and understand them, and you take the time to help them with their problems.  People will respect you, and take pride in using the best of their abilities to meet your expectations.

If you lead with fear, your commands are a drone, and your results will reflect accordingly.  Again, how does this look from the outside?  What will be the customer’s experience upon interacting with your fearful employees?

Praise your employees (often!)

Your employees are internal “customers”!  Just as your external customers possess wants/needs/desires that they seek to have fulfilled (hopefully via your product/service), so to do your employees have wants/needs/desires they seek to have fulfilled by their employers. If your internal and external customers’ wants/needs aren’t being met, they will not be satisfied, and they will not be loyal to you or your organization.

What is it that you do to help keep your internal customers satisfied and loyal?

The almighty thing you can do better this week (and the many that follow) to boost employee satisfaction is to seek out opportunities to praise them often. Something to the degree of, “Hey…awesome job on that analysis yesterday.  You really have a keen ability for sifting through details.  Thank you so much!”

When you praise your employees, notice the emotion in their face, their sense of pride for pleasing you, and the increase in positive behaviors and performance.

How does THAT look from the outside?  What will be the customer’s experience?

Tweet This Post

What is your favorite story of exceptional customer service where you find yourself looking forward to interacting with the company again and spending your time and money?

Here’s my favorite story that may have some things in common with yours:

My daughter and I were going to one of our preferred restaurants for lunch where we helped ourselves to a seat and waited for a server to bring us our menus (the usual protocol for eating in the more casual saloon area).  We were so engrossed in our conversation we didn’t notice we’d been waiting for a server for about 30 minutes or more.

One of the staff eventually realized we weren’t being helped, and sent a server over who graciously apologized for the wait, and thus offered us a complimentary appetizer.  That was nice, we thought.  But upon deeper consideration, my daughter and I weren’t all that hungry, and didn’t want to spoil our lunch with an app.  When the waiter returned we said thanks, but no thanks, and no problem!  We were impressed with their effort to make it up to us!

Our kind refusal of the appetizer, however, did not satisfy the manager.  The server returned at the end of our meal and offered us complimentary dessert instead!  Oddly enough, my daughter and I didn’t want a dessert either and kindly turned the offer down (we were nice customers, weren’t we?!).  Still, the manager was not satisfied because the server finally came back with our bill paid, on the house…Nice!

On the drive home I kept thinking how awesome it was that the manager went out of his way to make up for having us wait longer than usual for a server.  He wasn’t satisfied unless we were compensated in some way!

What’s more, his objective to create a positive experience between the restaurant and us resulted in two highly loyal customers (although my daughter is too young to buy lunch, she sure has influence!). I tell this story to many people who ask about the quality of the restaurant, and it remains one of my favorite places to eat with fresh, healthy food options and exceptional customer service.

And like a good, loyal customer does, I naturally provide free advertising for:  Mitchell’s Fish Market in Brookfield, WI (Props!)

What is your favorite story?

How do you and your organization (regardless of industry) create exceptional customer experiences?

Tweet This Post