you can make the right choice.Second, consumers not only expect

more, they expect different. They wantchoices, and they want their productsand services customized to the choicesthey make. For instance, people don’tjust buy a cup of coffee anymore. Theygo to Starbucks and decide between adouble-shot espresso, a skinny, low-fatlatte or the Ethiopian blend.

Third, consumers are more informedand empowered. They have more infor-mation, more power to choose, andmore choices to make than ever before.So if, by some remote chance, that BestBuy clerk was not able to explain toyou the differences in DVD players,you can go home and go online. Youcan research the model features foryourself, find the best price, and buythe DVD player from your computer—

by Frederick W. Smith

THE OTHER DAY I SAW ASmith Barney magazine

ad with a headline thatread, “A job well done is a job that’snever really done.” And I thought,what a perfect commentary on deliver-ing outstanding customer satisfaction!No matter how good you are, you’vealways got to get better. Satisfyingyour customer is a never-endingprocess. The sooner you accept thatpremise, the sooner you’ll raise the sat-isfaction of your customers.

Why is keeping your customershappy a job that’s never really done?

First, customers expect more today.They are like my kids, who used to sayafter opening the last present onChristmas morning, “What else?” It isthe age of consumers, and if we don’tbuild it, sell it or ship it according totheir expectations, they will not come.Moreover, unlike their counterparts of30 years ago, today’s customers are notwilling to trade price for poor service.Even if they pay less, customers expectmore. If you walk into Best Buy to pur-chase a DVD player at a discountedprice, you still expect the salespersonto explain the features of the models so

Excellence

DIANNA BOOHERMake Prospecting Pay . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3COLLEEN FRANCISAvoid Sales Mistakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4HARSHAW AND EARLEMarketing Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4STEVEN BOAZEEffective Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5ALF NUCIFORAProtected Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6NIDO QUBEINMarket Your Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . 6JOE VITALEWrite Hypnotic Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

LEE KARJALAPromote for Pennies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8ROMAN AND MAASMedia Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8CURTIS N. BINGHAMCustomer Insight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9GEORGE LUDWIGCommit to Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . 10TOM REILLYIt’s Our Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10TOM HOPKINSObjections Equal Desire . . . . . . . . . . . 11DAVID SCHREIBERKeys for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

STEVE COSCIACustomer Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12SHAUNA BONABeyond Gadgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13PAM LONTOSWhat to Say . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14ARNOLD SANOWBody Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14GUSTAFSSON AND JOHNSONBuild the Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15BILL BROOKSIs Your Word Good? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16KEVIN SCOTTTyranny of the Urgent . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Volume 4 Number 7 July 2004

Customer SatisfactionI t ’ s a j o b t h a t i s n e v e r r e a l l y d o n e .

S a l e s a n d S e r v i c e

and all inside the time it might takeyou to visit another discount store.Customers will go around the systemdue to these new information sources.

Today’s consumers expect more,they expect different, and they havemore options for getting those expecta-tions met.

The Customer MindsetNow let’s talk about the psyche of

21st century consumers—the mindsetthey bring not only to the marketplacebut also to the breakfast table.

First, they have fewer strong rela-tionships in their lives. They are lessconnected personally. Ironically theworld has grown smaller throughtechnology, but because of that tech-nology, our connectedness to othershas weakened. Greater geographicmobility, changing family patterns,and shifting values also undermine thepersonal bonds so important to livinga balanced life.

Second, consumers are a cynicalbunch. They are much less trusting ofinstitutions than in the past. And forgood reason. With scandals in govern-ment, corporations, churches and newsorganizations, it’s much harder to trustthe very institutions that once servedas standard-bearers.

I N S I D E

How does this lack of connection andincreased cynicism play out in the market-place? The net effect is that these conditionsmake it much more difficult for companies to sus-tain profitable growth. Why? In short, compa-nies can’t depend on consumer loyalty. Justas in their personal relationships, con-sumers don’t “bond” with brands, and theydon’t trust what companies are telling themabout products and services.

In the transportation and logistics indus-try, it’s particularly challenging to deliver aholistic experience since we are a verymature industry. FedEx, for example, hasalways emphasized great customer service,but now that we offer a broad array of ser-vices beyond just express delivery, we areseeking to differentiate ourselves throughan outstanding customer experience, whichis broader than just service. Not surprising-ly, we’re taking the holistic approach.

How Do We Do It?How do we focus our organization on

delivering an outstanding customer experi-ence? Let me share four of our practices.

1. We put the customer at the heart ofeverything we do. We have institutionalizedthis focus by making a positive customerexperience one of our core values. It’s ourDNA. It’s what we’re all about.

2. We measure every point of customercontact, from beginning to end of the cus-tomer experience. When I say measure, Imean we ask our customers about every-thing, it’s not just “Did you get your issueresolved?” but also “Did our service repgreet you in a friendly manner?”

3. We seek to align all our internalprocesses so they add value to the customer’sexperience. We look at everything we dofrom the customer’s point of view.

4. We try to deliver a positive experiencenot only to our customers but also to ourother constituents: our employees, ourshareholders and our communities. By deal-ing consistently with all our audiences, wedevelop long-term relationships based ontrust and rooted in loyalty.

Take these four steps to stay focused ondelivering outstanding customer satisfaction.

Customer SatisfactionStill, in a world that wants everything

yesterday, it’s a challenge to stay ahead ofthe customer satisfaction curve. I have sixsuggestions to help you tune in to your cus-tomers and increase their satisfaction withyour products, services, and company.

1. Listen to and capture the voice of yourcustomer. Know what delights and painshim. This is not a static voice, so the conver-sation must be ongoing.

2. Anticipate your customers’ wants andneeds before they even realize them. Did youeven know you needed a remote keyless

Volume 4 Issue 7

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2 S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E

door lock for your car? I didn’t until I gotone; now I can’t leave home without it.

3. Realize that you can’t build a wallaround the customer. Never assume thatbecause your company is embedded in theirsystems, they will stay with you. With so many sources of information and service,customers can walk away quickly.

4. Appeal to your customers on both anintellectual and emotional level. You want thecustomer to say, “Choosing that companymakes good sense and makes me feel good.”

5. Use technology to enhance the customerexperience, not to avoid an experience withthe customer. For instance, if your automatedphone system is designed to handle cus-tomers’ simple requests, that’s efficient andeconomical. But if your customer needssome information or action that’s not evenoffered as an option, he’ll abandon the trans-action in irritation. In this example, technolo-gy is hurting your business and customer.

6. Cherish your good reputation and doeverything you can to keep it strong. If youdo, you’ll reap several dividends. For onething, the halo effect of an excellent reputa-tion paves your way into new markets in thenext state or country. A strong reputationleads to strong customer support. In one sur-vey, about half of the 22,000 respondentswho gave companies a high score hadbought products from that company in thepast year. More than half of those samerespondents said they would make a futurepurchase and recommend the company’sproducts or service. Respondents who gavehigh scores were also more likely to invest inthe company and to recommend the compa-ny as an investment. So, whatever you do toenhance your company’s reputation willyield excellent financial returns.

Roll Up Your SleevesI hope I have shed some light on three

things: the fickle nature of customer satisfac-tion, the constant effort necessary to keeptabs on customer expectations, and how tofocus your organization on deliveringagainst those expectations.

Once you roll up your shirtsleeves on thejob of customer satisfaction, you can neverroll them back down, or turn off the lights,or leave the building. You must be willing tochange your business model, your businessstrategy, or even your view of the universeto make sure you’re satisfying your customer.

You’ve heard, “It’s a dirty job, but some-body’s got to do it”? When it comes to cus-tomer satisfaction, I’d say, “It’s an essentialjob, and everybody’s got to do it.” SSE

Frederick W. Smith is Chairman, President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the FedEx Corporation. This article is adapted from hisspeech at the J.D. Power & Associates Customer ServiceConference in Santa Monica, California. www.fedex.com

ACTION: Start producing customer satisfaction.

setting them straight.Instead, ask: “What do you know

about our firm?” This allows theprospect to talk so you can verifyunderstanding. Then you need onlycorrect misunderstandings and “fill inthe blanks” about things that lead themto the relevant point you want to make.

5. Introduce yourself with a benefitstatement. Typical introduction toavoid: “This is Eric Anderson withBooher Consultants. We offer commu-nication training in such areas as salespresentations, proposal writing, busi-ness writing, customer service, andinterpersonal skills.”

Better: “I’m Eric Anderson callingfrom Booher Consultants. We helpmanagers increase the productivity oftheir sales teams by improving theircommunication skills. Specifically, wehelp them organize and deliver moreeffective sales presentations and writesales winning proposals.”

6. Use tentative wording. Effectiveopening comments often include suchphrasing as might, possibly, should, inmany cases, according to our research,depending on your situation, and of course.Declarative statements that makedefinitive promises beg the prospect todoubt or argue. For example: “We canshow you how to cut your utility billsby 25 percent or more.” How could acaller possibly know that when callingon a prospect for the first time? Suchan arrogant statement causes prospectsto slam down the phone.

Softer words mark you as a credi-ble, reasonable person who knows thatsituations vary. You can then transitionto ask prospects specifics about theirindividual situation.

Example: “According to our beta-sites, this software can speed up pro-cessing time by 65 percent, dependingon exactly how you have your dataentered now. May I ask you a couple ofquestions to see if you could possiblybenefit from this ‘upgrade’?

7. Leave messages when you shouldbe sleeping. Even if you don’t want tobe bothered to call from exotic orinconvenient locales, you can accom-plish almost the same effect by leavingvoicemails for your customers andtough prospects at odd times—late atnight, on the weekend, on a holiday.They may feel that your hard work,more than that of your competitors,deserves their business. SSE

Dianna Booher is CEO of Booher Consultants, a commu-nication training firm. This article is an excerpt from herbook, From Contact to Contract. (Dearborn 2003).www.booher.com. 817.318.6000.

ACTION: Take these steps to prospecting success.

to introduce herself. It goes somethinglike this: “Hi, Jack. This is AmandaLovell with Smithson United. I’m thenew account executive who’s takenover your account. I was just calling tointroduce myself.”

“Who? What company did you say?”If they’re inactive accounts you’re

calling, they likely don’t even considerthemselves your customer. Even ifthey do, they don’t know or remembertheir old account rep. If they do remem-ber, they don’t care. And what’s more,they care less that you’re new. They’rethinking: “Why are you wasting mytime to call and tell me you’ve beenassigned to call me?” What they maycare about are the same things yourother prospects and customers are in-

terested in—what you can offer them.Here’s an opening with a more sub-

tle reference to the past, but yet a focuson a future benefit: “Ms. Clayton, thisis Tony Gladstone with Quaxton.We’ve provided courier services to youin the past. I was calling to let youknow that we’ve expanded the ser-vices we offer now so that we alsotransport larger shipments of …”

4. Use effective opening questions.Never ask: “Have you heard of ourfirm?” If prospects say yes, you’re inthe awkward position of telling themabout your company anyway, whichwastes their time telling them whatthey already know. If you tell themagain, it implies that you didn’t listento what they said. Your “retelling” alsoassumes that they don’t know theright things about your firm, so you’re

by Dianna Booher

PROSPECTING DOES TAKEtime. But if you don’t do

it, eventually, your real sell-ing opportunities will dry up. As a suc-cessful sales professional, youunderstand that prospecting keeps theleads flowing, your pipeline full, andyour commission check fat.

Effective ProspectingTo find new clients, use these tips:

1. Be deep, not shallow. Don’t assumethat every “no” gets you closer to a“yes.” That’s not necessarily true. Ifyou build a shallow prospect list—withthe quickest, easiest contacts to find—you may be spending your time callingall the wrong people and getting morethan your fair share of no’s. Instead, it’sworthwhile to spend more time creat-ing a deeper, better prospect list fromthe start. This way, it takes fewer callsto get you to each “yes.”

2. Leave the door open when you dis-qualify prospects. When you disqualifya prospect, use wording that leaves thedoor open for follow-up, should the sit-uation change, such as when moremoney’s available; when the prospectmoves into a position of greater poweror influence; when there’s a moreurgent interest or need; or when there’sa better fit for your product or service.

Examples: “With the informationyou’ve given me, I really don’t thinkwe could solve the problem you’reexperiencing now. I could refer you to acolleague. Would you be interested inhaving a name to call on that issue?”

“From what you’ve told me, it seemslike you’re really fighting an uphill bat-tle on this decision with the team asdivided as they seem to be currently.Would you just like to give me a call ifyour situation changes?”

“So what’s your take?” is a goodgeneric closer to leave the door open.Example: “It sounds as though we maynot have a good match for what youneed. What do you think?” Prospectsget to tell you no and save their pride.

3. Avoid the typical “I’m yourreplacement rep” introduction. The typi-cal attempt to reactivate an old accountstarts with a newly assigned rep calling

Make Prospecting PayT r y t h e s e s e v e n p r o f i t a b l e t i p s .

S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E 3

S A L E S / P RO S P E C T I N G

onds, 99 times out of 100, they willsimply lose interest, stop listening,and start looking for a way to get youoff the phone. State up front exactlywhy you are calling. Your prospectswill appreciate your openness.

Breaking the Rules There are ways you can stay in

touch with your prospects more oftenthan once every six weeks and still notbe considered a stalker. Use a combi-nation of direct contacts (the phone)with indirect contacts (email or mail).To start, try this schedule:

Week 1–2: Follow-up call with actionitems noted for the next direct contact.

Week 3: Company email newsletter,announcement or article. It doesn’treally matter what, provided it is con-tent-rich and NOT an advertisement.After all, this contact is intended to

increase your credibility, not weaken it. Week 4-5: Another indirect contact

such as a birthday or anniversary card,a note in the mail with a news clip theymight be interested in, or an emailwith news about their industry. Thiscontact should strengthen your person-al relationship and rapport.

Week 6-7: Follow up again withanother direct phone call.

When making a follow-up call,never be thinking about what you’regoing to say while the phone is ring-ing. Even if you’re a veteran salesper-son, script the first 45-second “opener”of your next call right now. Then, lookin a mirror and say it out loud. SSE

Colleen Francis is president and founder of EngageSelling Solutions. colleen@engageselling.com.www.engageselling.com

ACTION: Develop new phone strategies.

by Colleen Francis

IN SALES, THERE’S A FINE LINEbetween persistence and

stalking. In my experience,with the exception of prospects whoare already in the sales cycle, that line isusually drawn at about once every sixweeks. So, since you only have onceevery six weeks to make a direct impres-sion on your “B” and “C” list pros-pects, how can you make sure your fol-low-up calls have the desired impact?

Avoid MistakesThis week, let’s go back to the sci-

ence of sales, and dissect a typical open-ing call that I hear 80 percent of the timewhen I’m coaching sales people:

“Hi Mary, this is Colleen from EngageSelling. How are you today? Great. I’m justcalling to check in and see if anything haschanged since the last time we spoke?”

Did you spot what’s wrong withthis opener—and why? I see at leastthree big mistakes, any one of whichcould cost you a potential sale.

1. Never use an opening statementthat starts with “how are you today!”Why? Because all it does is remindyour customers of all those dinnertimecalls they receive from telemarketers.Are you a telemarketer? I didn’t thinkso. So don’t act like one!

Instead, try this rapport-winningphrase: “Did I catch you at a bad time?”This works because it points out theobvious and makes the customer laugh.Of course it’s a bad time! Any non-scheduled call is an interruption, and nointerruption comes at a “good” time.

2. Stop calling just to check in. Instead,say: “The last time we spoke, you….” Bytaking the customer back to the lasttime you spoke, you remind them ofyour relationship, and prove that youare carrying through on what you wereasked or promised to do. Nothingbuilds rapport better than a promisekept. And as we know, rapport leads totrust, and trust leads to loyal customers.

3. Don’t be vague. These days, yourprospects don’t have the time to try todecipher why you’re calling—and nei-ther do you. If a prospect doesn’t knowthe purpose of your call within 30 sec-

WHAT ISthe pur-

pose of market-ing? Some people say it’s to get yourname out. Others say marketing posi-tions your company or builds yourbrand. Most people hope marketinggenerates sales or at least leads forsalespeople. Then there’s the groupthat just says marketing’s jobis “to make money.”

All of these answers arepartially right, but they arethe results of what happenswhen your marketing andadvertising does the threethings it is supposed to do:

1. Capture the attention ofyour target market. How canyou best capture the attention of pros-pects? Most of what you have learnedabout marketing is wrong because itdoesn’t allow you to accurately, effec-tively, and succinctly portray yourinside reality to the outside world.Unless you know better, you can’t dobetter. When you learn to be of moreworth to the marketplace, you will getmore response from the marketplace.

2. Facilitate the prospect’s decision-making process. Your prospects needto buy what you sell. They crave theinformation and solutions you pro-vide. Your job is to share information

to help them make the best decisionpossible. Learn what’s important toyour prospects, educate them aboutwhat constitutes the best deal, andshow them that you provide that bestdeal in terms of price and value.

3. Give your customers specific, low-risk, easy to-take actions that facilitatetheir ability to make a good decision.

You can’t cram everythingthat a person needs to knowinto one ad. So, find waysto give them more informa-tion by using reports, web-sites, audio, and CDs.

Why do marketing peo-ple always feel forced intocompeting on the basis ofprice? If you feel that’s the

case, it’s your own fault. Your lack ofmarketing has led to a situation wherethere is no perceived distinctionbetween you and your competitors.

Effective marketing achieves allthree objectives. It causes yourprospects and customers to conclude:“I would have to be an absolute foolto do business with anyone else butyou, regardless of price.” SSE

Richard Harshaw and Edward Earle are cofounders ofY2Marketing. This article is adapted from their upcom-ing book, Monopolize Your Market.www.y2marketing.com. www.mymbook.com

ACTION: Ensure your marketing meets these purposes.

4 S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E

SA L E S / P E R S I S T E N C E

M A R K E T I N G / P U R P O S E

Avoid SalesMistakesBe persistent, but don’t hound.

Marketing PurposesI s y o u r m a r k e t i n g d o i n g i t s j o b ?

by Rich Harshaw and Edward Earle

consultants, florists, churches, syna-gogues and reception halls. When acustomer buys from you, what otherproducts and services is he likely towant or need? Those businesseswould be excellent ones for you tonetwork with.

2. Competitors can also be an excel-lent networking opportunity. Justbecause you go head to head withother businesses doesn’t mean thatyou can’t work together for mutualgain. Have you ever noticed how oneairline will book you on another carri-er if it doesn’t have a flight to the des-tination or at the time you want?Airlines have an agreement wherebythey book business for each other in

return for compensation. You mayfind it useful to work out such anagreement with some of your competi-tors. Or you may have an informalagreement whereby you refer one ofyour competitors to customers for nopay. I frequently refer other speakersto potential clients if I can’t do a dateor provide the kind of service at theprice the client wants. Other speakersdo the same for me as well.

3. Before going to a networking func-tion, prepare in advance. Bring plenty ofbusiness cards. If you want to beremembered, have your picture printedon your business cards and do some-thing with your nametags that willattract attention. Also before going,compose and memorize a brief memo-rable statement and unique salesproposition when writing the descrip-tion. For example, if I were going to a

networking function, my descriptionwould be “I like to work smarterthrough my books, tapes, and seminars.My latest work is focused on teachingpeople how to become financially inde-pendent working in a one-person,home-based business. I know first-handthat it can be done, and I want others toprofit from what I have learned.”

4. Once you get to the meeting, makegood use of your time. Arrive early andleave late. That way you will meetmore people. Don’t stand around andwait for others to come to you. Act likea gracious host. Go up and introduceyourself to others. Find out what theysell and who they want to connectwith. Encourage others to tell youabout their businesses, and you will beremembered as a brilliant conversation-alist. If you know someone who mightbe a potential customer for them, passthe information along. After you learnabout his or her work, be sure to deliv-er the short message about your busi-ness to everyone you meet. Exchangebusiness cards and write anything youneed to remember about them on theback of their cards. Don’t be abrupt,but try not to spend more then 10 min-utes with any person. Remember: youare there to market your business andto help others. The more people youmeet, the more chances of forming afew good profitable relationships.

5. Be sure to ask for leads and refer-rals. That’s why you’re there. Afterdescribing your business and your typ-ical customer to them, ask them whothey know that fits the description. Itmight be that person or someone theyknow who could be your next big cus-tomer. As you get leads, write themdown and follow up as fast as possible

6. Always remember the law of life:What goes around comes around. If youwant to get referrals, you need to givereferrals. Reciprocity is the basis for allgood relationships, and it’s especiallytrue in business. When someone sendsa customer to you, acknowledge itwith at least a thank-you note. A smallgift is even better, and sending him orher a customer is better yet. Keep intouch with those you network with. Ifyou see an article or item of interest tothem, clip it out or fax it to them.

Finally, when you refer a customer toa business, make sure it’s a quality busi-ness. If the customer gets poor treat-ment, it will reflect poorly on you. SSE

Steven Boaze is chairman of The Corporate HeadquartersBoaze.com which houses and controls 5 web sites includ-ing Web Development services. www.boazepublishing.biz

ACTION: Start networking effectively.

Effective NetworkingG e t b u s i n e s s s a l e s s e n t y o u r w a y .

S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E 5

M A R K E T I N G / N E T W O R K I N G

by Steven Boaze

WHILE SATISFIED CUS-tomers may be your

best sales force, that doesn’tmean they are your only sales force.There are many other people out therewho can send business your way if youmake the effort to network with themand make it worth their while.

The concept of networking andword-of-mouth marketing is a hottopic in business today for one simplereason: many people are starting orgrowing companies that need to findother businesses they can work withfor mutual benefit. That’s why you willfind so many professional or serviceorganizations through which you canmeet other people. The key is to pickthem wisely. Choose only those thatwill be good for business networking.

Network How-ToHow do you decide whether or not

to join an organization or go to itssocial functions? Ask yourself: “Am Ilikely to meet people there who willbuy from me or refer customers tome?” If the answer is “no,” don’t go—unless you have some other reason.

The world is full of professionaljoiners who never met an organizationthey didn’t like. They go to all themeetings, hold offices, and serve oncommittees and boards. Since they doall that free work, the organizationslove them. Nothing wrong with that—but when you run a solo business, youcan’t delegate your work to otherswhile you go out and play social but-terfly. Your networking time needs tobe marketing time. This means puttingyourself in front of customers or peoplewho will send customers your way.

Here are six guidelines for network-ing with others for mutual gain:

1. Look for businesses that comple-ment yours to network with. For exam-ple, put a tax accountant, financialplanner, estate-planning attorney,stockbroker and insurance agenttogether and you have five people whocan refer customers to each other end-lessly. Similarly, a wedding photogra-pher would find it profitable tonetwork with caterers, jewelers, bridal

• Always set the mark apart. If possi-ble, set the mark apart from otherwords or phrases by capitalizing it,using italics, or a different font or color.• Never alter the mark. Always keep

the mark in the form it was registered.Don’t abbreviate it or change itsspelling. Don’t hyphenate or make upnew words derived from the mark.And, always use consistent colors.• Police the mark to insure that others

do not infringe on it. Failure to identifyand act upon infringement may resultin the mark’s diminished value or,worse still, outright loss. Infringersshould be put on notice immediatelyand, in extreme cases, seek court pro-tection in the form of an injunction.

Another Company’s TrademarkYou may use another company’s

trademark in your marketing if youfollow two rules:

• Use the mark exactly as the competi-tor does. This includes the notice anduse of colors. Several states have dilu-tion laws that can be triggered by fail-ing to use the mark properly. • Be sure that the use does not imply an

endorsement. The competitor’s markidentifies his goods and services andyou can’t use it as an endorsement ofyour product or services. Screen yourads and brochures to ensure there is noactual or implied endorsement.

Trademark protection is a dutywhich, if neglected, leads to branddeterioration. It can never be done toosoon nor practiced too diligently.Because it’s not glamorous, it’s oftenoverlooked. So, ask yourself, “Howwell protected is our trademark?” SSE

Alf Nucifora is an Atlanta-based marketing consultant.Email alf@nucifora.com or visit www.nucifora.com.

ACTION: Establish an effective trademark.

by Alf Nucifora

AT FIRST BLUSH, THE SUB-ject of trademark regis-

tration can be driven byfear of the unknown and the cost ofventuring there. In truth, the applica-tion process, though not without itstribulations and risks, can be relativelystraight-forward. Trademark protectionis both a vital, competitive, counter-measure (it protects your turf), as wellas an important tool for preserving andenhancing brand value over time.

If you think you want to apply for atrademark (in the case of a product), ora service mark (in the case of a service),first do a “knock-out.” Your attorneywill run the trademark through all thefilings on hand at the U.S. Patent andTrademark office. This search will tellyou the probability that you will obtaina trademark registration or, conversely,infringe on someone else’s mark.

If you’re ready to file for formal reg-istration, be prepared to provide specif-ic documentation, including ablack-and-white rendering of the markand specimens of its actual use in pack-aging, brochures, advertising, etc. Evenif there are no infringements with theapplication, you need to allow up tonine months for approval, with an aver-age filing cost of $1,500 per application.

Trademark Rules to Live ByOnce a trademark is registered, its

usage must adhere to a set of rules inorder to maintain its status and viabili-ty. According to Jon Andersen, thereare five simple rules that will keep themark out of danger:• It’s always an adjective. To avoid the

mark becoming generic (Escalator usedto be a trademark), use it as you wouldan adjective. Don’t pluralize it; use it inthe possessive form or as a verb. And,follow it with a generic noun.• Always use the proper notice. If the

mark is registered, use the ®. If notand registration is pending, use the ™on the shoulder or heel of the mark.You can also use an asterisk (*) on theshoulder with the footnote “Trademarkof XYZ company.”

by Nido Qubein

TAKE A SLEEK ROADSTER,strip it of all identifying

marks, give it a $40,000sticker price, put it on your sales lot,and wait for customers to pounce. Youmay be sitting in yoursales lot for a long time.

Take the identical car,set a three-pointed starin the middle of thegrille, add the identify-ing insignia SLK-32 tothe rear, and watch theaction. When the wordgets out, customers willbe willing to buy thevehicle at $15,000 overyour advertised price.

What’s the difference? The differ-ence is that your customers are look-ing at an authentic Mercedes-Benzroadster. The decals add nothing tothe performance or comfort of thecar. But they add immensely to theperceived value because Mercedes-Benz has established a differentialadvantage that distinguishes it.Customers are convinced that this isa vehicle that offers quality, perfor-mance, and prestige.

Every business and every productneeds a differential advantage—somequality that sets it off from the compe-tition. It must be an advantage asreadily recognizable as the Mercedes-Benz star. It must speak for itself.

What is your differential advantage?Only you can decide. But when yourcustomers can instantly spot the valuein it for themselves, you’ve achieved it.The better you can translate yourunique marketing advantage into spe-cific value to the customer, the strongerwill be your marketing appeal.

Internal MarketingBefore you can sell your clients and

customers, you have tosell the people withinyour company by mar-keting internally. Youhave to sell your ownpeople, even yourself, oninvesting the resourcesnecessary to do the mar-keting job and do it right.

This calls for leaderswho are open to newideas and methods andwilling to adjust to

change. They must exemplify thequalities of flexibility, creativity andsensitivity. They must be willing tomarket their differential advantagewith all of their time and effort.

With that kind of marketing, yourpeople will give your products or ser-vices a differential advantage. SSE

Nido Quebin is chairman of Creative Services and GreatHarvest Bread. 800-989-3010. info@nidoqubein.com

ACTION: Begin marketing within your company.

ProtectedMarketingUse trademarks to protect you.

6 S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E

M A R K E T I N G / T R A D E M A R K S

M A R K E T I N G / I N T E R N A L

Market YourAdvantageStart your marketing from within.

written for Italians. I have to translateboth so you can understand and makesense of them. If I don’t, you won’tcare.

Here’s an example of what I mean:Recently I was hired to rewrite abrochure. My client handed me theirdraft. It read well. There were linessuch as, “When was the last time youfelt okay?” Well, nothing wrong withthat. It works. But I found a way totranslate it into something more mean-ingful, understandable, and emotional.And I did it with just one word. Iwrote, “When was the last time youfelt fantastic?”

The translated line communicatedbetter. It’s the difference between hear-ing the line in Italian or in English.

As Mark Twain put it, it’s “the dif-ference between lightning and thelightning bug.”

Maybe that example is too simple.At another point in their brochure,they were trying to explain the conceptof suppressing emotions, and howsuppression could be harmful. Theirwords were fine, just as Italian wordsare fine. But they didn’t communicatein a way most people would hear. So Itranslated their words to, “Suppressionis building bombs. When you bury anemotion, you bury it alive.”

See the difference? I do this with allmy copywriting. I take what I’m hand-ed and I translate it into benefits, clearlanguage, and bottom line emotion.This truly does feel like translating lan-guages to me. And like learning any

new language, it takes time to master.I take the copy given to me, turn on

the part of my mind that knows howto speak copywriting, and I translatethe words in front of me into wordsyou can understand.

I also do this “CopywritingTranslation” with news releases. Forexample, last month I was hired towrite a news release for a woman’sbook. I could have written a headlinethat said, “New book explains how tocommunicate better,” which is whatthe book was about. But that’s Italian.It doesn’t speak in emotional terms orin a way most editors want to hear.

After doing some research andlearning more about the author, I trans-lated the above headline to insteadread, “Female Pentagon AdvisorReveals Tips to Success.” The latter isfar more intriguing. All I did wastranslate her book into news. I took itfrom Italian to English. I took it fromEnglish to Emotion. I took it fromwords to power.

Good Copy SecretWhat’s the secret to being a good

“copy translator”? I could probablyquote a relevant line from any numberof books on marketing. But I’ll grabone from a 1965 book I just receivedtoday. It’s by Robert Conklin. The titleis “The Power of a MagneticPersonality.” He wrote: “Every timeyou state a fact, describe how that factwill benefit the other person.”

There you have it. It’s what I’vebeen saying for years: “Get out of yourego and into your reader’s ego.”Translate what you want to say intosimple words and concepts that makesense to your readers. Readers under-stand what will benefit them. Whenyou present them will benefits, youprovide them with value. Plus, youengage their emotions and, as a result,their checkbook.

I hope I’ve done that with this arti-cle. I began with the idea to tell youhow I write sales copy. But I didn’twant to just say, “I translate all wordsinto sales copy,” which may or maynot make sense to you. Instead, I want-ed to describe, with examples, what Ido so you truly comprehend it.

Now that you know my secret, goforth and translate your sales letters,advertisements, and news releases intoones that will make you millions ofdollars!” SSE

Dr. Joe Vitale is president of Hypnotic Marketing andauthor of many books on marketing. www.MrFire.com

ACTION: Become an emotional translator.

by Joe Vitale

IMAGINE SOMEONE HANDSyou the following mes-

sage: “Riguardo a gli dice ilmio segreto di dollaro di milione per scriveredi copia di vendite. Questo è qualcosa nonho mai detto nessuno altro nel mondo intero.Lo dirò giustamente adesso, se lei prometteatiene quest’un segreto. Stato d’accordo?”

You wouldn’t be too interested in it,would you? It would look strange.Confusing. You might assume it’s fromanother language, but unless you knewItalian, you would only be guessing tothe language and the message.

What would you do?Obviously, you would need to

translate the message. How? In thiscase, you might just go online at agreat website for translating languages,enter the above text, and quickly dis-cover that those words in Italian actu-ally mean:

“I’m about to tell you my million-dollar secret for writing sales copy.This is something I’ve never told any-one else in the entire world. I’ll tell youright now, if you promise to keep this asecret. Agreed?”

Ah! Now it all makes sense! Nowyou know what the words mean, andyou are free to enjoy them, act onthem, or just dismiss them. But at leastnow you understand the communica-tion. Relax. Breathe. Smile. Ahhhhhh.

Translate EmotionWhat does all this translation busi-

ness have to do with how I write hyp-notic sales letters, ads, and newsreleases? In a nutshell, translating isexactly what I do in writing sales copy.When someone hands me a technicalmanual on a new software program—with the idea they want me to write asales letter for the software—what I dois translate that manual.

In short, I do the same thing the lan-guage translation website does. I sim-ply look at what the manual says thesoftware does, and then I translate itinto benefits that make sense to you,the consumer. In a way, the manual iswritten for techies, much like Italian is

Write Hypnotic CopyB e c o m e a t r a n s l a t o r o f e m o t i o n .

S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E 7

A DV E R T I S I N G / W R I T I N G

noticed as quickly as a cleaner ad thatpromotes just a few things. A smaller,less expensive ad will be noticed better.

5. Leave flyers on cars and at homes.Check your local laws and make sure itis legal to advertise this way; get localpermits where necessary. One call to CityHall should get you the informationyou need. Hiring a reliable teenager todistribute usually works, but again,check local labor laws to make sure youwill not be in a bad position if youremployee has any problems on the job.

6. Promote the strengths of yourbusiness. Trying to make your businessall things to all people is a mistake.Analyze what is selling, beef up cate-gories that sell the most, and consider

dropping any category that contributesless than 10 percent to your sales.Carry a great selection of yourstrongest products.

7. Put signage on your car. This couldbe a magnetic sign. Besides the nameaddress and telephone number, add amessage about your strengths: “BestKitchenware in Town.” “Great Selectionof Tools.” “Toys, Toys, Toys.” “DollarOffice Supplies.” You get the idea.

Use these tips to promote your busi-ness for little money. SSE

Lee Karjala is the Director of Special Projects andNewsletter Publisher for STK International, Inc. news@stk-international.com. http://www.stkinternational.com.

ACTION: Promote your business.

by Lee Karjala

YOU HAVE A STORE. YOURlocation is good. You

have repeat customers.Good! You’re not growing as fast asyou want. Why not? Promotion!Promotion brings new customers intoyour store. Promotion gets you noticed.Promotion fills your cash register.Promotion costs money!

So, how do you promote your busi-ness without spending a bundle?

1. Learn what your customers want.The best you can expect from most pro-motions is an increase in traffic as newcustomers come in to look you over.Unless your business addresses theirneeds, new customers will walk in andthen walk out. Your challenge is toknow what your customers want andneed. How do you find out? In a word,“Ask” Engage those repeat customersand ask them. Help your customersunderstand that you are trying to makeyour business a better place for them.Customers want stores to stock prod-ucts they want to buy. You need thisfeedback to know what products wouldsell that you are not now carrying.

2. Aim your promotion at serving andkeeping the customers you already have.These customers form the core of yourrepeat business and promoting them isthe cheapest promotion you can do. Itcosts far more to bring new customers.Compile an e-mail mailing list. Askevery customer if they want to receivefree information. Then e-mail them oncea month to promote new products andservices. Don’t expect immediateresponse. Keep sending a steady flow ofe-mails, and results will happen!

3. Use the blank back of your busi-ness cards. The blank back of your busi-ness cards is the most under-used itemyou have Get a rubber stamp made tofill the back with a message that eitherpoints up your specialties or offers adeal. Promote your web site on theback of your card.

4. Keep your ads simple. If you dospend money for a newspaper ad,leave some white space in the ad. Don’tfill up every square inch of your spacewith words. A “cluttered” ad won’t be

WE AREwitness-

ing an explo-sion of media—a proliferation of op-tions—all with a heavy dose of technol-ogy and consumer behavior models.

Media is always changing on thesurface, yet still presenting us withsome tough questions, such as “Whereshould we place our message?” Putyour money where yourbusiness is—or where youwant it to be. Media plan-ning starts with a state-ment of objectives.• Who do you want to

reach? Describe your audi-ence’s demographics—theirage, sex, income, education,family status, and buyinghabits. Be precise. Not “primaryemphasis on men,” but “70 percent ofmessages to men, 30 percent towomen.” Describe their lifestyle orpsychographics. Translate descriptionsinto actionable terms. For example, notinfluentials, but CEOs, or directors ofcultural institutions. Describe how thedecision process works.

• When do you want to reach them?Do people buy your product year-round, or primarily in the summer oron weekends or just when it rains?Some products are keyed to holidays.

Be specific. What percent of mes-sages should be allocated by quarter,by month, or even by day of week ortime of day? Allocate your media to

periods when people decide to buy, notnecessarily when they make the pur-chase. The higher the price tag, thelonger the lead time. Travel to Europepeaks in summer, but the decision ismade in spring.• Where do they live? All business is

local and varies across the country.National marketers face a tough deci-sion—whether to advertise nationally or

locally. Be specific whendescribing key markets andwhat percent of businessthey represent. Total salesmay be higher in a largemarket like New York, butBostonians may be bettercustomers.• How do you want to reachthem? What is the best envi-

ronment for the prospect—and theadvertising? Products have differentgrowth curves. New products typicallyaim for high trial initially, then try tosustain this level with repeat purchases.Awareness builds rapidly, but salesgrowth is slower.

Every new medium—from radio totelevision and now the internet—prompts a fresh look at advertising.Create a media plan to make the bestuse of options for communication. SSE

Kenneth Roman, former CEO of Ogilvy & Mather, iscoauthor of, Writing That Works. Jane Maas is a strate-gic and creative consultant. This article is adapted fromtheir book, How to Advertise: Building brands andbusinesses (Thomas Dunne Books). 212-674-5151

ACTION: Create an advertising plan.

A DV E R T I S I N G / P RO M O T I O N

A DV E R T I S I N G / P L A N N I N G

8 S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E

Media PlanningP l a c e y o u r m e s s a g e .

Promotefor PenniesFuel business for next to nothing.

by Kenneth Roman and Jane Maas

mining the efficacy of solutions. Inaddition, the Conduits assess customervalue and other metrics.

Here are some great examples.• Customer advisory boards. Ensure

that these are composed of economicbuyers of your products/services froma sampling of the customer base. Youmight rotate the membership every oneto two years to ensure fresh insight.• Technical advisory boards. These

should be comprised of “user-buyers”who will be using your products or tak-ing advantage of your services. Fromthese, you obtain valuable insight help-ful to develop/refine products.• Guest customers. WebMethods uses

“Guest Customers,” where customerspresent info on themselves and howthey are using products to groups with-in the company who don’t have cus-tomer contact (ie. accounting).• Product or service “proving grounds.”

LL Bean invites outdoor guides to aspecial weekend escape where they tryout new products and give focused and

even harsh feedback.• Host/monitor chat-rooms and discussionboards. MercuryInteractive’s VP ofServices, Patrick Saeger,gleans ideas and identifies problemsthrough the company’sproduct discussionforums. “Thought-lead-ers” can be identifiedand used to gatherinsight and championproducts and services.• On-site assistance for

a day. Companies with a strong ser-vice/consulting component shouldsend an engineer, consultant or otherappropriate person to a customers’ sitefor a day to simply help them gain thefull benefit of your product/service.They can glean huge amounts of insightin doing so.• Sales and support channels. Send

salespeople out to find answers to spe-cific questions. Have the support or callcenter reps poll their callers with a 1 or2 question survey. Leverage these chan-nels to gain answers to specific ques-tions and gather information.

These Customer Insight Channels™

could be leveraged to gather customerdata that is then converted to insight,made actionable, and used to drivestrategic, customer-centric change. SSE

Curtis N. Bingham is president of The Predictive Consult-ing Group. Email: cnbingham@predictiveconsulting.com

ACTION: Create customer conduits.

• Unprofitable customers. Often com-panies, particular successful ones, donot know what a good customer lookslike. They grew by taking the businessthat came in the door, but they havenot yet invested in insight about whatkind of customers are good ones.• Lackluster product/service perfor-

mance. Lack of market adoption meansthe product or service missed the markand does not adequately solve customerpain. Customer knowledge needs to per-vade a company’s management and itsinnovation in product, markets, andbusiness extension. Every company hasto be alert in these areas because growthis a broad-based challenge—simplydoing one thing well is not enough.

Most companieshave only two commu-nication channels withcustomers: sales andcomplaints. Both areimportant—companiesneed to sell and cus-tomers need ways toseek redress—but nei-ther tells a companywhat the customer needsto make them successful.

To ensure success,you must deliver whatyou know your cus-tomers and prospectsneed, want, and are willing to pay for.There are four steps to success in thisprocess: 1) proactively listen to cus-tomers in an organized, meaningfulfashion; 2) take customer data action-able; 3) drive customer-valued changethroughout the organization; and 4)measure effects of the change. The firststep is critical for the success of theremaining three.

Customer Insight Conduits™

The fastest way to gain insight intowhat customers need and want is bycreating Customer Insight Conduits.™

These conduits are channels throughwhich information passes primarilyfrom customers and the marketplaceto a function within the company thatcan make data actionable and drivecustomer-valued change. They pro-vide an early-warning system forproblems, as well as diagnostic toolsfor understanding issues and deter-

by Curtis N. Bingham

DOES YOUR COMPANY SUF-fer from declining prices

and margins, decaying sales,unprofitable customers, or lack-lustermarket performance? The solution tothese maladies may not be spendingmore money on advertising, replacingthe VP of sales and the rest of the salesforce, or further cutting costs. No, theanswer may lie somewhere else entire-ly—and if recognized and addressed,may resolve all of these symptoms.

The problem may lie in the way thatyour products and services aredesigned, developed, delivered, andrefined. Who drives these activities? Isit engineering, management, support,or sales? If the customer is not in thedriver’s seat, your revenues, profits,and even your company may be at risk.

Most companies don’t understandtheir customers—what they need, want,and are willing to pay for. Without thisunderstanding, companies do not knowwhat products or services to offer, orhow to market and sell to prospects.

The only way to guaranteeincreased revenues, stronger, longer,and more profitable customer relation-ships is to center strategic decision-making on actionable customer insight.

Four Symptoms and StepsCompanies that operate without suf-

ficient customer insight tend to facefour common symptoms:• Declining margins and prices. Price

and margin are excellent measures of acompany’s ability to make its valueproposition successful in the market.Too many companies do not recognizewhen the market no longer values it’sofferings and resort to price cuts orother margin-cutting promotions• Decaying sales. A company out of

synch with changed customer needs willsuffer as sales decay. When customersare harder to find and sales are moredifficult, the reason is often that a com-pany has not driven customer knowl-edge into its processes. Adapting every-thing a company does—from productdevelopment to core metrics of busi-ness health to customer value—is a keystrategy to re-invigorate its sales engine.

S E RV I C E / I N S I G H T S

S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E 9

Customer InsightS t a r t g r o w i n g y o u r b u s i n e s s .

plaint with such speed that your clientsmove from irritation to amazement.• Leave ‘em with a little lagniappe.

Lagniappe is the customer service philos-ophy of providing your clients with alittle something extra or an unexpectedgift. Lagniappe is a Louisiana FrenchCajun word that means “an unexpectedextra.” It’s the bakers dozen, the feel-good freebie, the bonus coupon, thesurprise homemade warm and gooeycookies on your hotel nightstand.• Become a collaborative partner.

Create clients who are so loyal thatthey not only refuse to take their busi-ness elsewhere but welcome the sales-person as a collaborative partner. Thisloyalty is the result of high trust, out-standing service, and follow-up.

Benchmark the best practices that havesatisfied your clients in the past, whilelooking for new ways to serve them.

• Cover all the bases. To develop a widerelationships within an account, you’vegot to know who the players are. Identifyall relevant buying influencers and deci-sion makers and investigate who hasthe influencing power. Finally, developrelationships with each of the buyinginfluences, especially those with power.

Relationships are the foundation fortowering sales success. Sales superstarslove people, and they love to provideincredible value to those whom theyhave the privilege to serve. Superstarsdeepen and widen their foundation ofrelationships so that high-trust, clientloyalty, collaborative partnering, andsuperstardom can be realized. SSE

George Ludwig is a speaker, sales trainer, coach, and consul-tant. This article is adapted from his book, Power Selling:Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code(Dearborn). www.speaking.com/speakers/georgeludwig

ACTION: Follow these ideas for service mastery.

by George Ludwig

SALESPEOPLE MUST “DESIGN”their relationships with

buyers and have a long-term vision of what a healthy relation-ship looks like. They must commit tothe principle of relational banking.

In relational banking, you build upan emotional reserve of trust with theclient by staying committed, beinghonest, and focusing on service. Themore of these deposits you make, thehigher the trust and the greater theaccumulated relational wealth.

When you waver in your commit-ment, break promises, and under-serveyour client, you make withdrawals.Eventually, if you make too manywithdrawals, your account willbecome overdrawn. At that point, theclient opens an account with someoneelse. Making too many withdrawalsleads straight to relational bankruptcy.

Improved BankingHere are seven ideas to help you

practice relational banking:• Deepen your relationship. The prima-

ry reason that top producers’ salesnumbers climb so high is the depth oftheir foundation, formed by their rela-tionships with clients. You need tobecome a service superstar. Superstarsare clientcentric. They focus on servingat such a high level that their clientsare wowed. They put their clients atthe center of the universe.• Have clients join your club. Create

high trust by initiating buyers after thesale and welcoming them into yourspecial club. Clients appreciate person-alized service after the sale and thefeeling that they’re important.• Become “Johnny on-the-spot.”

Superstars develop impeccable follow-up, stay on top of the details, anticipatewhat their clients need, and provide itbefore ever being asked. Top producersknow that they must respond to theirclient’s needs quickly.• Be seen as Mr. Fix-it. Turn client com-

plaints into kudos. Become Mr. Fix-Itwhenever your clients have problemswith your products. Repair any com-

by Tom Reilly

IRECENTLY SPOKE TO A MAN-agement group in New

York on “Value AddedTeamwork” and one participant, aproduction supervisor, said to me,“Tom, don’t you think salespeopleshould get away from saying mycustomer? After all, isn’t it ourcustomer?” Many salespeo-ple become so territorialwith customers that theylose sight of whose cus-tomer it is. It’s not yours ormine—it’s our customer!

Company CustomersThis echoes two trends

we see today —the popularity of theteam approach in sales and the trendtoward work groups as a way to achieveefficiency. “We is stronger than me!”

Companies are painfully aware thatcustomer retention is a major survivalissue and teamwork helps. It costs thecompany five to six times more toattract a new customer than to keep anexisting one. A 2 percent reduction in acustomer attrition has the same effecton profitability as a 10 percent costreduction. And, it takes an average ofseven calls for a salesperson to close a

new account versus three calls to closean existing customer. Nailing the backdoor shut is a necessity.

Keeping customers happy is a func-tion of exceeding their expectations.Companies are re-defining customer ser-vice as a mindset—it’s becoming every-one’s responsibility to satisfy customers.

Create SatisfactionEveryone has a customer—either

internal or external. External customersare the end users or consumers of aproduct. Internal customers are thosewhom you serve. Service-minded com-panies have discovered two corollariesof customer service.• First, everything you do to serve your

internal customer has an effect onyour external customer.

• Second, you can only serveyour external customer to

the degree to which youserve internal customers.

So, what do we have?Team members not onlyworking in concert to satis-fy the traditional customer,but team members working

together to serve other team members.Imagine working for a company

where everyone treats each other withthe respect due an external customer?“We” is contagious. Everyone wants tobelong. Employees who join the teamare the greatest standard bearers.Customers who join the team are thegreatest marketers. SSE

Tom Reilly is author of books including, CustomerService Is More Than a Department (636)537-3360.www.tomreillytraining.com

ACTION: Provide service to your organization.

Commit toCustomersSelling is the beginning of service.

S E RV I C E / C O M M I T M E N T

S E RV I C E / C U S T O M E R S

1 0 S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E

It’s OurCustomer!No w t ea m s o f fe r s e r v i c e .

live up to their expectations, andafraid I was a “take-the-money-and-run” salesperson whom they’d neverreach again when they had questionsor problems about the product afterthey owned it.

Provide DaringSo I began to make some changes in

my presentations. I eliminated wordsfrom my vocabulary that provokedfear—words such as “monthly pay-ment” and “contract.”

When we hear the phrase monthlypayments, we visualize ourselves writ-ing out another check every month.That’s certainly a negative image! So, Ireplaced the term monthly payment with

monthly investment. Do you hear theterm “investment,” you feel muchmore positive about the purchase.

The term “contract” brings to mindsomething legally binding, somethingyou should have your attorney lookover, something you’ll have to go tocourt to get out of. I came up with sev-eral alternative words for that term andinterspersed them throughout my con-versation to avoid raising my prospect’sdefense barriers. I now use the termspaperwork, agreement or form. Those aremuch softer, less-threatening terms. Tryusing them in your next presentation.

For those salespeople who still fearhearing an objection, let me explainwhat objections really are. Besidesbeing a normal part of the sellingsequence, objections are defense mech-anisms. They are ways for the buyer to

tell you that you’re moving too fast,that they need more information beforethey can feel confident about goingahead with the investment. Alwaysremember, the prospect is not objectingto you, personally. They are objectingto some aspect of the product or servicethat they are not yet comfortable with.

Handle ObjectionsI teach two don’ts and one do for han-

dling every objection you hear:• Don’t argue. If this sounds silly to

you, good. Even though you alreadyknow this, do you fight with prospectsin the back of your mind? If you do,eventually it will show. Whenprospects object, they’re asking formore information. If the salespersongets upset, sarcastic or applies pressure,he or she is killing the sale. If the sales-person wins the argument, the prospectis beaten and will often find a way toget back at him or her—usually bybuying from someone else.• Don’t attack them when you over-

come their objections. Put spacebetween your prospects and their objec-tions. You must separate them fromtheir objections to be sure that whenyou shoot at the objection, you don’t hitthe prospect in a vital spot. Develop asensitivity to how your prospects feelwhen they voice their objections. Showconcern for saving their face, not prov-ing them wrong. If you start fightingtheir feelings, their negative emotionswill always take over.

You work so hard to eliminate nega-tive, fear-producing images, so don’tblow it when you hear an objection.Objections simply tell you where theirinterests lie. From this information ,learn what you must emphasize, elimi-nate, or change before they’ll buy.

For example, if a man buying tiresfor his wife’s car expresses concernabout the safety or reliability of thetires, he’s concerned for his loved ones.You would then sell security. If insteadyou harp on the low cost, he will real-ize you’re not paying attention to hisconcerns and you’ll likely lose the sale. • Do lead them to answer their own

objections. Maneuver prospects intoanswering their own objections. Mostprospects will do just that given timeand a little more information. After all,deep down they want to go ahead.They wouldn’t waste their time object-ing to something they didn’t want toown, would they? SSE

Tom Hopkins is world-renowned as America’s #1 salestrainer. 800-528-0446. www.tomhopkins.com

ACTION: Turn objections into answers.

by Tom Hopkins

WHEN I WAS STILL NEW INmy selling career, I had

this dream. In it, I went in tosell my product to a married couple—and they were so helpful! They thor-oughly enjoyed my presentation. Theyagreed to everything I mentioned. Theydidn’t ask any questions or give anyobjections. They even helped me fill outthe paperwork! The whole transactionwas completed and in record time. Iwalked out their door with check inhand, several qualified leads and twovery happy people waving good-bye.What a wonderful dream!

Somehow, I don’t think I was alonein having a dream of that sort. Mostnew salespeople think that’s what sell-ing is like. Unfortunately, some veteransalespeople keep looking for thatdream to come true, as well.

Selling ProcessThere are seven steps in the selling

process: prospecting, original contact,qualification, presentation, handlingobjections, closing, and getting referrals.

Handling objections is a normal stepin any sale. It’s human nature to object,hesitate, stall or procrastinate whenmaking any decision that separates usfrom our money. We have to feel confi-dent that we are exchanging our hard-earned money for the value and thebenefits we want. I know that’s trueabout me, so why should I expect myprospective clients to be any different?

My success rate in sales increasedtremendously when I came to expect tohear objections instead of fearing tohear them. When I began to listen forthem, I was amazed to learn that I washearing the same three or four objec-tions in every situation. I began think-ing: Why are my prospects saying thesethings? What can I do or say to helpthem get comfortably past these points?

I put myself in their position anddiscovered most prospects were object-ing because one basic emotion wasbeing triggered—fear. They were afraidto make an irreversible decision; afraidto make a commitment with theirmoney; afraid the product wouldn’t

SA L E S / O B J E C T I O N S

S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E 1 1

Objections Equal DesireP r o v i d e s e c u r i t y f o r y o u r c u s t o m e r s .

cost. The sooner you are honest, thebetter off you will be—and you willbuild customer loyalty as well. Don’tforget, employees are customers too.• Be a person of integrity. We all

desire to be known as people ofintegrity; however, have you everthought about what integrity means?The Random House dictionary definesintegrity as “adherence to moral andethical principles; soundness of moralcharacter; honesty, a sound, unim-paired, or a perfect condition.” Practiceintegrity, demand it, and live it.• Be positive at all times. Positive atti-

tudes rub off on people, as do nega-tive attitudes, and your attitude affectseveryone you work with. Alwaysgreet the customer with a smile.• Involve everyone in everything. Most

people say they don’t get enough

information about the direction theircompany is headed. Clearly communi-cate the goals and the culture of thecompany. I believe in the adage, “Tellme, and I will forget; show me, and Imight remember; involve me, and I willunderstand.”• Train, train, train, and re-train. Train-

ing is an on-going process that allmembers of the team are responsiblefor. There is only one thing worse thana trained employee who quits—that isan untrained employee who stays.

When excellence becomes your pas-sion, there is no end to the greatnessthat you can achieve. SSE

David Schreiber is president of The Customer RelationsGroup, specialists in innovative training, speeches, seminars,service audits, needs assessment and consulting. (770) 395-1212. www.customerrelations.com

ACTION: Start using these keys today.

by David Schreiber

IINVITE YOU TO MAKE THESEnine keys for success a part

of your daily routine. Theywill make you better at what you do.• Emphasize teamwork. Teamwork is

so much more than just workingtogether. Everyone can be a team play-er, every moment of every day. Teamwork is defined by the extent to whichall actions, decisions and behaviorcontribute to the organization. Team-work is a state of mind, an attitude,and decision. You’ll make hundreds ofdecisions every week that will defineyou as being a team player. You mustunderstand your role as a team playerand be 100 percent committed to yourorganization. We are stronger collec-tively than we are as individuals.• Communication. This involves every-

thing we do, requires give-and-take,and allows for feedback and question-ing by all parties. You create a climatein which open and honest discussion iseither welcomed or inhibited. I believewe were given two ears and one mouthfor a reason. Use them in proportion:listen twice as much as you talk.• Encourage and reward innovation.

Innovation is the restless drive toimprove and the consistent desire tothen push harder. The Japanese callthis kaizen or continuous improvement.To be innovative means you are will-ing to fail and accept failure as onestep closer to success. It shows that atleast you tried. There is not much youcan do that can’t be undone. Failure isonly another way to succeed. • Reduce and simplify internal

bureaucracy. Just because it has alwaysbeen done “that way” is a poorexcuse. Trash your bureaucratic poli-cies and re-define them in terms ofyour internal and external customers’needs and expectations. Make yourcompany an easy place to do business.• Always be honest. If you have bad

news, give it to the customer beforethey have to call you. If you have goodnews, give it to the customer first. Mis-takes will always cost the companymoney. The longer mistakes go unde-tected or unsolved, the more it will

by Steve Coscia

IRECEIVE NUMEROUS CALLSfrom telephone company

sales reps who try to sellme a variety of business

services intended to be “new,” “better,”“faster,” and “cheaper.” These calls arealmost always the same in that thesalesperson is neither familiar with meas a consumer nor interest-ed in me as an individual.

Chilly CallsThese are “cold” calls.

The salesperson soundsrushed as he reads a scriptwith a tone that lacksenthusiasm and energy. Amonotone presentation doesnothing to elicit my interestin their products or services. In thebackground I can hear other callersmaking similar pitches to otherprospects.

In customer relationship manage-ment (CRM), one would think thatsellers maintain a profile on me—mybuying patterns and preferences—inorder to slant their pitch with informa-tion that might catch my attention. Butsuch is rarely the norm.

Recently, however, I received a salescall from Sarah, a rep from the financial

Keys forSuccessMake your life exceptional.

SA L E S M A N AG E M E N T / K E Y S

SALES MANAGEMENT/RELATIONS

1 2 S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E

institution that handles my company’scredit card. Her presentation was terrif-ic. Sarah’s voice was alive with enthusi-asm. Her pace was deliberate andfriendly. I did not hear any backgroundtelephone exchanges. It was just Sarahand I in a one-on-one conversation.

Not only did Sarah maintain her com-posure and demeanor, her sales pitchcaught my interest. Her company haddone their homework. Based on mycredit card transactions, they knewwhich airlines I flew frequently, the ho-tels where I lodged, and even whichairport executive lounges I visited.Sarah had a profile on me, and herscript captured my interest.

Sarah was trained, prepared, andarmed with valuable information. Thatknowledge enabled Sarah to leverage

the reality that, as a busi-ness person, I do not buythings. I buy what thingscan do for me. In this case,what I purchased weremore travel perks. My plat-inum upgrade cost morethan a gold card, but it pro-vided more value.

The goal of CRM is toup-sell a current customer.

The up-selling potential is contingentupon the relationship a company haswith its customers and the planningand infrastructure invested in convey-ing a positive vocal image. The firstmoments of an up-selling call willeither enhance or diminish the busi-ness relationship. SSE

Steve Coscia, president of Coscia Communications, is abest selling author, columnist, 20-year customer servicepractitioner and telephone skills specialist. 610-853-9836.steve@coscia.com

ACTION: Provide value in an up-selling phone call.

CustomerRelationsDo you really understand CRM?

Instant access only serves your needswhen your team understands how tokeep digital conversations mission-appropriate. Without gatekeepers andpriorities, instant access not onlyreduces communication effectiveness,but can also be a serious distraction.• Flexibility and mobility. Wireless

and mobile technology and the rapidincrease in Wi-Fi hotspots let you andyour employees communicate effec-tively away from the office. And sincemany of the new devices are genuine-ly hands free, you can now be fullymobile while also fully connected. Youcan support team members in the fieldby giving them remote access toprocess and product data on your net-

work or the Net. You can also receivedata from field workers and then pushspecific information to them based onthat data—everything from decisionsupport and diagnoses to system con-figurations and pricing. But increasedflexibility and mobility come withinherent risks around data deliveryand control. As leaders, we are respon-sible for managing the corporate mes-sage and for driving knowledgemanagement initiatives. This responsi-bility becomes more complex and criti-cal as we are forced to consider notjust laptops and telecommuters butwearable computing solutions thatmake every employee a potential,mobile input/output device.• Data integration. Smartphones and

other hybrid devices blend the capa-bilities of phones, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), and the Web, allow-ing you to synchronize all the personaldata from your PC, LAN, and mobiledevices. This means fewer problems

by Shauna Bona

THE EXPLOSION OF NEWcommunication tech-

nologies—and new uses forold technologies—gives us all moreways to communicate. But better gad-gets don’t necessarily deliver betterinformation. Although we live in atech-driven world, strategic communi-cation requires a different set of dri-vers: namely, the requirements of yourorganization, the needs of your targetaudience, and the nature of the knowl-edge you wish to impart.

Technology expands our choice ofmedium and can alter the context inwhich we deliver our messages. Buttechnology does not mitigate the needfor well-crafted content with a well-defined business purpose—in fact itcompounds this need.

With every choice that technologyoffers comes a new set of decisionsabout how to communicate most effec-tively: How to use telephone messag-ing without removing the human touchfrom transactions; how to use emailwithout creating information overload;and how to balance the competingdemands of remaining fully accessibleand maintaining clear priorities.

Mirror ImagesI like to joke that the benefits of new

communication technologies are a mir-ror image of the drawbacks: • Speed. Technologies such as email

and Weblogs let you quickly communi-cate throughout your workplace andthe world. But as anyone who has eversent a volatile email to the wrong per-son can testify, speed of delivery is notalways good. Too often, the quick mes-sage is the unplanned, unedited mes-sage—or the message that has no cleartie to your business strategy.• Instant and, in some cases, continu-

ous access. Solutions like instant mes-saging enable you to connect witheveryone. But instant access also makesit easier for team members to veer intocommunication rat holes—potentiallylosing focus on critical path processesbecause the technology creates a(sometimes false) sense of urgency anddemands back-and-forth response.

P U B L I C R E L AT I O N S / C O M M U N I C AT I O N

S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E 1 3

transferring data from one work envi-ronment to another and a theoreticalend to version control mishaps. Butsynchronized data is only as helpful asthe data you start with and the process-es you establish for sharing it. The morewe automate information exchange, thegreater the burden to ensure that theinformation is meaningful.• Support for visual, textual, and aural

communicators. Combine digital cam-era, video, and television with hybriddevices and you see how new technolo-gies let you communicate in many ways—with text, pictures, the spoken word,even music. Field workers can deliverimages directly to the office withouttaking time to compose text, and theycan capture sound to accompany thevisuals. But the ability to deliver a mes-sage in any way obligates us to choosethe best way. And failure to match ourmedium and message can leave uslooking sloppy or inconsiderate.

Outweigh the DrawbacksThe benefits of new communication

technologies outweigh the drawbacks.But the price of our expanding choicesis that information design strategies aremore important. Information design isthe practice of identifying, planning,and creating information to meet thespecific needs of a specific audiencewithin a defined context.

It’s about helping business commu-nicators deliver the right message atthe right time to the right audience inthe right medium. It’s about recogniz-ing that your choice of medium is ametaphor for how you and your orga-nization embrace change and for whatyou value in your interactions.

Whether you are first to adopt thelatest gadget, you communicate bestwhen you consider questions like these:• Who am I communicating with and why?• What are my objectives and how can I

structure my message to help meet them?• What does my choice of medium tell my

audience about me, my company and message?• In what context will this message be re-

ceived and how does that affect the recipient’sability to interpret it and act accordingly?

Better gadgets don’t necessarilydeliver better information. You need touse technology effectively. Having thedesign strategy lets you capitalize onthe benefits of new technology withoutlosing your message in the buzz of fastand frequent communication. SSE

Shauna Bona is copresident of McKinnon-Mulherin, astrategic communication and information design firm.sbona@mckinnon-mulherin.com. www.mckinnon-mul-herin.com

ACTION: Improve the way you communicate.

Beyond GadgetsC o n n e c t i n a h i g h - t e c h w o r l d .

or hobbyists? Managers or employees?Discover who the target is. When youknow about the publication’s audi-ence, you can think of your topic fromthe intended reader’s perspective andpitch the article idea. • Do it for the PR, not the money.

When you talk with an editor, be sureto let him or her know that you’d liketo exchange the fee for writing thearticle for a byline that includes somecontact information or mentions yourbook or company. Remember, yousimply want some publicity. Create ashort byline that states who you are,what you do, and how to contact you.Make it short enough so the editorwon’t feel a need to cut it.

When you’re being interviewed by

by Pam Lontos

AS PROFESSIONALS, WE ALLknow how important it

is to sell ourselves. Wedevelop our programs, we build rela-tionships inside our industry, and wecreate our own unique products.Beyond those basics, however, we needto cultivate media publicity as a vitalpart of our activities. That’s why get-ting featured or quoted in the rightmagazines and e-zines is vital.

Break in to MediaBut how can you attract an editor or

reporter’s attention in order to be theexpert source quoted or the subject of afeature article? Three suggestions willhelp you break in to print media.• Call as many editors as possible. Have

you ever read a newspaper or maga-zine article and seen someone quotedand then ask yourself, “How did thisperson get the magazine to call him?”Many people mistakenly believe thateditors and reporters seek out individ-uals to quote as expert sources. However,often either the individuals , their office,or a PR firm initiated that publicity.

You will have to make the first con-tact. While the thought of calling aneditor or reporter directly can be intim-idating, remember that by doing so,you are helping them. Publicationsneed new material. You can stand outby making contact with those whodirect the publication’s content. • Ask key questions. Once you get an

editor or reporter on the phone, youmust ask key questions in order tomake your pitch more compelling.Don’t make the mistake of touting allyour experience, presentations, andideas. This is an immediate turn-off.Realize that an editor or reporter onlycares about their readers. So instead oftelling them all about your topic, firstlearn about the needs of their readers.

Ask, “What are your readers lookingfor?” “What are you looking for?” and“What’s the specific focus of your pub-lication?’ Answers to these questionswill help you fine-tune your pitch tobest suit their reader’s needs. Find outwho reads the publication. Is the audi-ence male or female? Business people

P U B L I C R E L AT I O N S / M E D I A

P U B L I C R E L AT I O NS / I M AG E

by Arnold Sanow

FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE LAST-ing impressions. In fact,

it’s not what you say, it’swhat you radiate that counts. Only 7percent of the message that people per-ceive comes from the words you use; 38percent is from your tone ofvoice; and 55 percent isfrom your body language.

So to get your prospectsand customers to like you,trust you and respond toyou favorably, you need tobe sensitive to the messagesyour body is conveying.Many salespeople thinktheir verbal skills are allthat matter. But people are picking upwhat they are really saying by observ-ing their body language.

A recent client of mine who owns atravel agency was telling a customerabout how nice a certain hotel was.While she was talking she was fidget-ing and shaking her head. Althoughher words were positive, her body lan-guage was negative. Her customerwalked out without booking any trips.

Get A Fair AdvantageTo get an advantage in your busi-

ness and exploit your opportunitiesthrough effective use of body language,

use “SOFTEN” to maximize your sales:• Smile. A simple smile shows that

you really care about the customer. Italso provides a sense of warmth andincreases your likability. As the sayinggoes, “A smile is the light in the win-dow that tells people you are home.”• Open posture. By keeping an open

posture (not crossing your legs orarms), you will appear to be openminded, less defensive, less arrogantand more approachable.• Forward lean. One of the best ways

to show interest is to lean forwardwhen communicating. If you are atten-tive and interested in them, they will beinterested in you.• Territory. In the USA the acceptable

distance between two people is 14 to46 inches. Stand closerthan this and people willbe distracted, while fur-ther distance is interpret-ed as aloofness.• Eye contact. One way toestablish trust and rapportis through eye contactwith your listeners.However, in a businesspresentation, eye contact

should not be held for longer than fouror five seconds with any one person.• Nodding. Nodding shows attentive-

ness, enthusiasm and validation.In sales you want people to focus on

the substance of your message and notthe style in which you present it.

By understanding and being sensi-tive to our body language and the mes-sage it is sending, we can increase ourchances of making the sale—and givingourselves an “unfair advantage.” SSE

Arnold Sanow is a speaker, trainer, consultant, and authorof Marketing Boot Camp. He can be reached at 703-255-3133 or e-mail: speaker@arnoldsanow.com

ACTION: SOFTEN your image.

a national publication. Ask the personwho’s interviewing you, “Could youplease mention my hometown?” or“Could you please mention my compa-ny’s name?” or “Could you pleasemention my book in the article?” Thisenables people to find you so they caninquire about your services.

Getting published and quoted inprint publications promotes business.You can either do it yourself or hire aPR firm. By implementing these sug-gestions, you can gain the recognitionthat leads to increased revenue. SSE

Pam Lontos is owner of PR/PR, specializing in profession-al speakers and authors. She is an author, speaker, and for-mer VP of Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting.(407) 299-6128.

ACTION: Get more PR opportunities.

1 4 S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E

BodyLanguage Gain an unfair advantage.

What to Say P r a c t i c e g o o d P R .

their constant pursuit of service main-tenance, service performance, and ser-vice innovation. One trap executivesfall into is the “tennis match” betweenreducing costs versus generating rev-enue. Rather than pursuing them asparallel activities, many companiesemphasize improving productivityand lowering costs until they eventu-ally rediscover the need to betterunderstand their customers, innovate,and generate revenues. Excellent com-panies manage and improve constant-ly, whether at the innovation stage, themaintenance stage, or the performanceimprovement stage.

Service companies need to focus onall three activities simultaneously tobuild a competitive service advantage.

For a service organization, differen-tiation comes not from doing any onething better than competitors but fromlinking an entire network of activities.

Practice Creativity and SpontaneityAs the leader of a service organiza-

tion, you are not the only one withgreat ideas. View your employees andcustomers as sources of creativity andinnovation. Emphasize creativity andspontaneity as cultural norms on adaily basis. Consider five points thatemphasize creativity and spontaneity:• Profit gives us resources. This places

an emphasis on using profits to feed cre-ative renewal within the organization.• Reaching good results with small

means. The easiest solutions to problemsare often the most expensive and medi-ocre. Creative solutions make improve-

ments without wasting resources.• Simplicity is a virtue. The more com-

plicated the organization and its solu-tions, the more paralysis or lack ofcreativity that results.• Doing it a different way. Encourage

people to question why things aredone in a certain way and dare themto be different.• Taking responsibility is a privilege.

Employees are reminded to exercisetheir right and privilege to make deci-sions and take responsibility. The fear ofmaking mistakes is the enemy of devel-opment and the root of bureaucracy.

Lead the WayA service leader is more than just

another participant in this process. Anorganization looks to its leaders to gen-erate ideas, make decisions, and leadthe way. Good ideas have a way of get-ting lost. Service leaders keep track oftheir own ideas and those of theiremployees and customers.

Remaining disciplined and focusedon your target customers should not killcreativity. It takes tremendous creativityto innovate within constraints. Yourlinked activities or seamless system willrupture unless you retain a constancy ofpurpose. Don’t just grow for the sake ofgrowing. Good growth occurs whenyou add valued for existing customersor replicate your linked activities fortargeted customers not yet served.

Discipline and focus require anunderstanding of your service organiza-tion. Improving customer satisfaction orincreasing customer loyalty cannot beviewed as stand-alone solutions to yourbusiness problems. Service leadersunderstand their business model from asystems perspective. Profits provideresources, resources create a satisfiedand committed workforce, your work-force co-produces a service offeringwith your customers, customers have agreat experience, and these customersbecome your friends and partners.

Service leaders are temporary man-agers of great organizations. If you seeyourself as larger than the organizationyou manage, you’re the wrong personfor the job. We could all learn somethingfrom leaders who quietly and continual-ly pursue goals that benefit everyoneinvolved, from customers and investorsto employees and society as a whole.SSE

Anders Gustafsson teaches service quality management atKarlstad University, Sweden. Michael D. Johnson is the D.Maynard Phelps Professor of Business Administration andprofessor of marketing at the University of MichiganBusiness School. This article has been adapted from theirbook Competing in a Service Economy (Jossey-Bass).

ACTION: Become a great service leader.

ECONOMIESare more

service-basedthan ever! Competitive forces continueto push you to provide customers withmore than just product value. Servicevalue, solutions, and experiences differ-entiate competitors. Competing throughservices is a way of life.

Are You Building the Culture?We follow a three-part framework

for creating a competitive serviceadvantage: 1) live the culture, 2) stayfocused, and 3) link activities.

1. Live the culture. Your cultureserves as the basis for a more specificcustomer service culture. This culturedrives your strategy decisions, theactivities that you link and for whom,and your ability to execute a differenti-ated service offering and provide it tocustomers. Employees and customersneed leaders who live the company’svalues, not just communicate themthrough memos and presentations.

Spend time in a service setting inter-acting with employees and customers.You can’t understand your people,much less have them live the culture,unless you are right there with them.

Service leaders manage the prob-lems associated with growth by devel-oping leadership teams. Each linkedactivity, brand, or franchise has its ownleaders who can live the culture andmanage by walking around.

2. Focus on employees. How youtreat your employees determines howthey’ll treat your customers. Servicesare, after all, highly individual andpersonal experiences. Acting smallwith customers means having youremployees go purposely out of theirway to treat customers personally. Thekey to creating an effective customerservice culture is treating your employ-ees with respect, deferring to theirexperience, and creating a fun place towork. Excellent service leaders andtheir employees manage to have funeven as the organization grows.

3. Link your activities. Manage alllevels of service development simulta-neously! Service leaders are marked by

Build the CultureL e a d y o u r t e a m t o s u c c e s s .

S E RV I C E / L E A D E R S

S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E 1 5

by Anders Gustafsson and Michael D. Johnson

Wouldn’t it make more sense forthem to make their customer happy,perhaps even delighted? But wondersnever cease and good common senseseems to be an ever-elusive commodi-ty for far too many businesses.

Service for CustomersHere are several ideas that can pre-

vent service disasters from happening:• Realize that customers are your

most valuable asset. It costs a lot to getthem, so keep them.• Your reputation is the most impor-

tant marketing strategy you have. Beknown for honesty, exceeding expecta-tions, and satisfying customers. • Look at the terms of any guarantee

by Bill Brooks

LET ME ASK YOU A TOUCHYquestion. At what point

in time do you ever hedgeon the real spirit and intent of yourproduct or service guarantee? I’ll betyour reaction to that question is “I meetevery word, intention and customer’sunderstanding of our guarantee.”

Guaranteed ServiceI can think of several cases where

what I (the customer) understood whatI thought the seller’s guarantee meantwhen the product was sold to me—only to have different experience whenthe product or service I purchased ingood faith went sour.

I had this happen to me just lastyear with a placement agency. A friendof mine experienced it recently with amore tangible product, a heating andair conditioning unit.

First, it was tough for her to convincethe supplier that there was anythingwrong with the unit. Then she had toconvince him that it was a mechanicalproblem that should be covered by theguarantee. The issue is still up in theair after the customer spent $4,000 forthe unit and endured many stressfulmeetings with a series of people.

The answer is simple: Replace theunit! No questions asked. My friendhas done business with the contractorfor 20 years. Come on, what is yourcustomer worth to you?

Apparently, many business peoplejust lack vision. I have given my side ofthe story about the placement agencyto at least a dozen business ownerswho were interested in their service inthe last year. So, that’s 12 customersthey have lost. If I am successful, therewill be 12 more this year. If I can onlyrelate my story to more people, I knowI can sway lots of others.

How about my friend? She is readyto stop doing business with the instal-ler; have the unit taken out and dis-played in her front yard with a lemonsign on it; tell everyone she knowsabout the lousy treatment she got, and;and demand her money back.

S E RV I C E / G UA R A N T E E

Tyranny ofthe Urgent Pro vid e rele va nt t rainin g.

SERVICE MANAGEMENT/TRAINING

by Kevin Scott

FOR MANY ORGANIZATIONS,“tyranny of the urgent”

is the modus operandi. Let mefirst explain that I divide tasks into twomajor categories, important and urgent.Important tasks are critical to the long-term success of a project. Typically, theyrarely need to be donetoday, tomorrow, or evennext week. Urgent tasks callfor urgent action. When theurgent task meets theimportant task, the urgentmatter will often crowd outthe important.

An Urgent MatterA shipping manager

may cut corners to get ashipment out the door on Friday after-noon. The accounting manager may“tweak” a journal entry to fix a mistakerather than make an adjusting entry. Anew employee may be thrown into aposition because it is easier and fasterthan to train him.

Employee training is often the firstthing to go when the pressure is on.The old comment, “We cannot affordthe time to train someone to do theirjob, let Sally learn it as she goes” isoften the norm. When the work is lateand the quality is not where it shouldbe, poor Sally is called on the carpet.

Training RequiredWhen determining what training is

required, complete five steps:1. Determine what skills and knowl-

edge will be required. To perform thetasks efficiently and effectively, peopleneed to understand what is requiredand why things are done the way theyare. If individuals understand a taskand not merely the mechanics, theywill apply their knowledge to differentsituations and have greater recall of themechanics.

2. Assess the current skills and knowl-edge. This can be done by conductingsurveys and interviews, or by review-ing personnel training records.Communicate that surveys and inter-views will be used to develop a trainingplan, rather than to weed out those who

lack the required skills. Ifpeople feel threatened,they will likely over-esti-mate their skills andknowledge.

3. Assess the gap. Thedifference between steps1 and 2 is the gap inskills and knowledge thatwill need to be closed inorder to maximize effi-ciency and effectiveness.

4. Develop a plan to close the gap.List all of the gaps and the magnitudeof each. Establish a program to addresseach gap.

5. Execute the plan. I notice a directcorrelation between the amount of “rele-vant” training provided and the level ofsuccess. A knowledgeable employee isfar more productive than an employeewho is flying by the seat of his pants. SSE

Kevin Scott is president of Navigator Consulting,a change management consultancy. 813-719-2272.kevin.scott@navigatorconsulting.net

ACTION: Find out if your employees need training.

1 6 S A L E S A N D S E R V I C E E X C E L L E N C E

Is YourWord Good?Back up your pledge to clients.

you have in writing and work to exceedthem, even if it costs you money. Don’tmake your customers prove their pointto you. You provide a service (farbeyond any product you sell), and thatservice includes making their life easier,not harder!

Are you in business for the short-term, immediate, transactional activityof today? Or are you in business for thelong haul? I hope that you prefer thelong haul. But the choice is yours. It isalso your customer’s. SSE

Bill Brooks is the CEO of The Brooks Group, an interna-tional sales training and business growth firm based inGreensboro NC. 336-282-6303. www.thebrooksgroup.com

ACTION: Make customers your business.