Bringing More to 2018
It’s a new year. You know this, I know this, and your customers know this. So, what does this mean for your business. How do we kick it up a notch and deliver more added value and receive more from our customers? And how can a paradigm shift propel us into checking all of our goal boxes and then some?
Hello 2018. It’s a new breathe of fresh air. We can put behind us the failures and the resentment of the past, and learn. We can lean into the future with a bright and positive outlook. Why? Because we have the ability to make choices. And we have the forethought to limit choice to deliver a specified outcome. Here are 5 ways that you can choose to embolden the way that you are perceived to your customer base, and how you can make 2018 that Golden Year that everyone refers back to with a smile.
TRUST
Relationships, that’s what you are building. Not with someone who is just a fly by night one time purchase one night stand kind of customer. You are looking to build relationships and trust with everyone you meet. Why? Because it’s nice. But also, because they know someone, who knows someone, who knows someone. All of those someone’s add up. And at any given moment, one of those someone’s might be in the market for what you are selling or serving up. According to SirJohn Ragland, sales and service differ in that:
There is great deal of difference between sales and customer service, though the two are very closely related. With sales the goal is to do exactly that, sell! Negligence in this field would mean that a prospective customer does not buy. With customer service the goal is to be certain that customers get what they want. Negligence in this field would be a customer leaving dissatisfied. Great salespeople will have the know-how to transition from their sales technique into that of customer service. In customer service you should be listening to your customer and be able to identify with anything they say or do, able to assist and understand knowing the customers’ needs.
In sales you are to be able to pitch anything to anyone whether they like it or they need it. In sales you also are to persuade the customer to purchase your product. In customer service the customer should be persuaded that their experience is as of as much value as the product being purchased. A product can later go out of style or become broken (just a few examples) and no longer be of any value to the customer. However, when great customer service is administered within sales, though the product may be worthless, the experience within the purchase remains fresh. Great experiences equal great recollections.
Bottom line, sure products must be sold but when customers know they can purchase from companies that afford them the privilege of feeling important and that of familiarity, a great salesperson has delivered to them great customer service.
I think that it would be understated that in both areas a trust and a relationship — a rapport is developed, and then earned or further solidified through action. Those actions can be communication, but most times also requires doing something in the physical sense. Bridging the divide between me and you, and creating an us.
INTEGRITY
Another thing that goes hand in hand with trust is integrity. We need to be able to know that you will follow through with what you do when you have a service. With a product line, we need to know that you stand behind your product, and that your product is of good quality. One of the ways this happens is by reviews. People tell a story. And when they are allowed to tell a story about their experiences, we get a snapshot of what might happen if we pulled the trigger. Warranties are a great added benefit, because this allows us access to a service of repair or a guarantee that we didn’t get a lemon. More and more the warranty writers are getting with the legal teams and coming up with loop holes and legal tricks which seem to disqualify you from utilizing the warranty for the intended purpose or the warranty might look good upfront, but start to look bad when time goes by and you find out you were sold a bogus warranty, or a warranty that doesn’t actually do anything useful. Integrity is key. We want a company who does what they say they do and says what they do.
People are your greatest resource, they say. And when it comes down to it, they can be your downfall. Treating your customer like they are a person first, and figuring out how to solve a problem they are having, or a solution to something they may benefit from is really about looking at sales from a different paradigm. We are in the business of helping people. And that is what you should bring to the table with your services or your products. Fulfill a human need and solve a problem with a worthwhile product or experience.
DO WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT — Automate the Rest
Automation is the new equalizer. If you can automate a process that would normally take a lot of time to do, you can invest that time working on the things that you do best. This is a chance for you to hire less people to do a job, but also have the right people doing the right workflow in your company. I mean, if you are a cook, you probably shouldn’t be out there in the field farming, it’s not a good use of your time. And vice versa. Find the best spot for each of your employees, and Automate the rest. You then, have the advantage of data collection to find ways to make your company more efficient. Automation and data collection will help you analyze and adapt to create a higher conversion rate or a much more fluid workflow or process.
If you aren’t using IFTTT or Zapier at this point, I strongly encourage taking a hard look at how you can implement this type of automation in your business.
GET ORGANIZED
Organization is key. And for this, there are literally thousands of different tools you can use to make sure that you are connecting with your staff, with your inner soul, with your thoughts from last week, or bracing and scheduling for the future. This is a huge list that we had to pare down. So we are giving you 5 things that will help with your organizational needs personally, in your business, and for your teams.
- BaseCamp — Use BaseCamp 3 to organize your teams and work on projects in an all-in-one solution which gives you messaging, to-do lists, Work Threads and Posts which you can reference, link with API to Google Docs, One Drive, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, etc. There’s an app that is fluid and beautiful on Google Play Android App Store & the App Store on iOS.
- If you are just looking for the best To-Do List on the Planet, that’s easy — TODOIST
- Self Journal — This is for you paper and pen people. If you are looking for a journal solution, which will help you get your butt in gear and your focus focused — this might be the tool for you. Runner up, Panda Planner Journal.
- Last Pass- This is the last place you need to store your password. If you don’t have a password locker or a password vault or whatever the cool kids are calling it this year — I’m talking to you. This will help you keep your passwords secure, and you won’t have to worry about writing down your passwords on sticky notes, or in notebook apps which you can’t find or lock. Generate healthy, beautiful, un-crack-able, passwords which you can reach in seconds. I used to be a big 1Password Fan, until they tried to charge me $65 to use my iMac. Forget that. You don’t really need the paid version of Last Pass, unless you want to share your vaults and implement this as a business strategy for your team. If that’s not you, grab the free one and be done with it. There are chrome extensions and android extensions that will give you quicker access on mobile and on your computer. Utilize these. This is a game changer for passwords. Get it!
- And number 5 is bit.ly. Bitly creates short links — so that when you post something it doesn’t have this huge gangly line of text that runs off the page to link to your blog, or picture, or anything really. How do I set up a Branded Short Domain (BSD)? You can use your domain (if it’s short enough — or buy one which is shorter) and link it up to your Bit.ly Account (which is free, BTW) to create Branded Short Links. If you need a place to post your PDF first, try DocDroid or TinyPic; but if you want a branded short code — BITLY. I’m telling you.
REST
Don’t burn yourself out! You know it happens. You’ve seen it. Someone tries to do to much, work too many hours, no vacation time, isolation, looses his focus. If you aren’t working for time with your family and friends, set some time away for yourself. You need to rest. Americans are working too many hours without a vacation. Japanese workers are falling asleep on the job.
