Dealing with Difficult Customer

Next Level Business Development Inc.

“Business Science Evolved”

Michael T. Sobus, Ph.D.Founder, President

Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training

Mike Sobus [email protected] 978-278-5541

Presented by theDealing With Difficult Customers


Dealing With Difficult Customers

“the Customer Isn’t

Always Right” Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training


Go Ahead, Say It,

Imagine

Wouldn’t it be Great not to worry,

not to fear,not to care too much



First A Confession



4Most Important ThingsTo Know About YourBusiness Coach:

1 Successful Business Executive (1983 to Present)

Mike Sobus

Schedule Your “Cash & Customers Strategy Session” Today!

+1 (978) 278- 5541http://www.nextlevelbizdv.com

Mike Sobus


Over 28 years as a successful business executive with proven experience in marketing, sales, team leadership, management, training, product development, HR, business startups and business turnarounds. Managed multi-million dollar customers including, GE, Miller Brewing, Abbott, Asahi. SAB, and DuPont to name a few and opened new $multi-million markets in Japan, Korea, South Africa, and Eastern Europe including Hungary and Bulgaria. Managed new product development and roll out of $7 million beverage addititive.


1 Successful Business Executive (1983 to Present)

Mike Sobus



2International Business Builder and Turnaround Leader (1983 to 2007)

Mike Sobus


Responsible for building from scratch In just three years a $30 million Specialty Chemical Business for a European-based Joint Venture. Hired and managed a multi-cultural team of 35 professionals in 5 countries, was responsible for the completion of 2 multi-million dollar manufacturing facilities on-time and on-budget and opened highly profitable markets in Easter Europe and Africa. Led the turn-around of a $12 million nanoparticles business from a loss of $1. 2 million to a net profit of $1.3 million in just 3 years. Championed product development and opening of markets in Asia to fuel the turnaround.

Successful Business Executive (1983 to Present)


1Mike Sobus



2 International Business Builder and Turnaround Leader (1983 to 2007) Mike Sobus

3 Avid Learner (1972 to Present)


Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of Maryland, M.Div. from Weston School of Theology and Graduate of Executive Management Program at University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business. In 2008 founded Next Level Business Developmentlicensed and accredited by the Professional Business Coaches Alliance where he remains an active member sharing cutting-edge strategies and proprietary secrets with more than 100 business coaches throughout North America.

Successful Business Executive (1983 to Present)


1Mike Sobus



2 International Business Builder and Turnaround Leader (1983 to 2007) Mike Sobus

3 Avid Learner (1972 to Present)


Happily married and shares the now empty nest with Tank, the cocker spaniel, Moo, the short-hair cat, and any number of fish. Voracious reader of titles on business leadership and management, investing, politics, economics, philosophy, and ethics. Avid pro sports fan who listens to sports radio and recovering golfer. Enjoys Classical Music, exercise, trying to grow things in the garden and fine dining! Guilty pleasures: Tanquary Martinis and arguing politics.

4 All Around Nice Guy. (?? to Present)

A Little About Me

$3 million

new

customer

Prese

ntatio

n Over



Expectations, Expectations!

• My expectations for you:

• Participate actively

• Ask questions!

• Try using what you learn

• Turn off your cell phone

• What are your expectations for me? Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training


Before We Fire a Customer…

• Know Your Ideal Client- exercise 1

• Institute a velvet rope policy- filter

• Be hard-nose about the numbers

• Dump the Duds

• Have a process in place



Customer Service

“You can have everything in life that you want if you help enough people get what they want.”

List 10 things you would like to learn or improve about customer service.



Why is Selling to Existing Customers Important?• Revenue

• Customer Service Institute – 65% of business comes from existing customers

• Technical Assistance Research Programs Institute – 91% of dissatisfied customers don’t return – AND tell seven people!

• Harvard Business Review – Increasing customer retention from 10% to 15% can double revenue.

• Cost

• Customer Service Institute – It costs 5X more to get new clients than to keep an existing one

• Longevity

• National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) – 3-Year study proved that businesses that focused on service were more likely to survive than those who emphasized price or product



It All Comes Down To…

• Customer Expectations

• Meeting (Exceeding!) those Expectations

• Totally satisfied customers are 6X more likely to repurchase than satisfied customers (Xerox Corporation study)



The Business ModelMessa

geVisionCommunication/

MediumConversion/

(Closing)Serve

Receive

Account

Analyze

CREATE

SYSTEMS

Marketing

Marketing

Sales

CustomerService

Bookkeeping,Administration,

Accounting,and

Finance

HUMAN

RESOURCES

LEADERSHIP


Message/Vision• Every great company

starts with a vision of how they will serve the market DIFFERENTLY and BETTER than existing options

• Then they communicate it!



What do customers want?What do customers want?• Convenience

• They want it fast and easy to get

• Low price• They want to get more than they give

• Quality• It must meet (or preferably exceed) their expectations

• Personal Attention• They want to feel unique and cared for

Rank importance to YOUR customers.

Discuss how your business fulfills on the above.

Discuss how your business falls short on the above

Discuss what you can do to improve on these areas.


It All Comes Down To…

• Customer Expectations

• Meeting (Exceeding!) those Expectations



Customer Expectations• Your Message (on which they

acted)

• Price

• Target market served

• Product line offered

• Ease/speed of purchase

• Location

• Ease of use

• Technology, portability,

• Quality

• Personal attention

• Other?Mike Sobus [email protected] 978-278-5541

What Customers Want



CONGRUENCY

What Customers Want…



How to Meet (Exceed) Their Expectations

• Business Appearance

• First Contact

• Other Interactions

• Employees

• Systems

• Magic Moment

• Post PurchaseStrategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training


The 80/20 Rule• 80% of your revenue comes

• From 20% of your clients

• Those 20% are your ideal customers



Ideal Customers

• Loyal

• Spend a lot and often

• Fair

• Profitable

• A joy



Make a List and Check It TwiceNeed to find out who’s naught or nice

• Has the customer purchased several times

• Profitable- Don’t just guess

• Strategically important

• Spent significant money with you



Profitable

• How much they spend

• How often

• What- high margin or low margin

• Referred others to you

• Pay on time

• Full price or discount shoppers



Ideal Customers• Ask for products you are good at

• Value your products/services

• Pay fair

• Challenge you to do better

• Support your continued growth

• Help you move in strategic new directions



Learn about them

• The products or services the love or would love to see

• Customer service elements important to them

• Why they chose your business

• How your business could improve

• How cold you do more business with them



What Characters You Don’t want

• Penny pincher


• Complainer





• Time-waster



• “more for nothing”



• Know it all-egocentric



Handling Complaints• Why?

• Studies have shown that customer will continue with you if they felt they were treated properly

• 90% of unsatisfied customers never complain they just go elsewhere



Handling a Complaint• Respect

• Engage

• Diagnose

• Listen

• Restate

• No blame

• Solution –break into steps



9 steps to fire a client• Be polite and professional

• Stay calm and relaxed

• Offer an alternative

• Send them a letter

• If you need to break a contract

• Remove them from your list

• If they ask why, tell them

• Offer a concession

• If things get out of control, have a plan.









Pulling it together – Get Help

No need to jump, there’s help!

A Special Offer:• Business Builder Review - $199 if you sign

up by the end of the month (normally $299)

• Business Effectiveness Evaluation – get a clear picture on biggest areas of need

• Target Market Review- Demographics Psychographics and Ideal Customer Niche plus a 90 minute meeting to generate ideas and tangible action plans

• Walk away with clear plans for next 90 days










Presented by theDealing With Difficult Customers