Why Don’t They…?

Mar 5, 2013 | Sales, Marketing & Customer Service

Have you ever gone into a store and had a heck of a time trying to find what you wanted? You finally had to have someone lead you to it because the store’s signage was poor. Like me, you probably thought, “Why don't they just put up clear signage?” Have you ever tried to reorder from one of your suppliers only to be put through the third degree because they’re updating their Customer Service Management System. Like me, you probably thought, “Why couldn’t they just upload my account history...

Service Your Customers – Turn Them Away

Feb 21, 2013 | Sales, Marketing & Customer Service

I experienced some of the best customer service you can receive yesterday. I was turned away. I had met with a web site designer to talk about redesigning and upgrading my websites. We discussed the shopping cart and site hosting services I currently use and need. We compared them to what his company offered, and he simply said, “Stick with what you've got. You've got a good system in place. We can’t improve on it.” He didn't belittle my current providers or try to sway me into signing up with...

Can You Provide Extraordinary Service?

Oct 30, 2012 | Sales, Marketing & Customer Service

What do you think of when you hear "Extraordinary Customer Service?" For most business owners or managers, when we hear those three words we immediately think of costly endeavors to win over or win back customers. We envision things such as large-scale construction projects to make our sales floors more "customer friendly," intensive staff training on "Building Customer Relationships," or intricately-designed customer loyalty programs to get our customers to buy repeatedly from us. Given these...

What Are You Waiting For?

Sep 11, 2012 | Sales, Marketing & Customer Service

I've just started working with a client who desperately needs to increase sales. His company hired a new sales representative over a month ago. Together they identified key current customers to visit and penetrate further. They decided to focus on this group first, then they'd focus on getting new customers – a smart approach. Yet when I called last week to see how the sales calls (and – I'd hoped – sales closures) were going, I was stunned to hear that the sales representative hadn't made...

Get it “Right”

Aug 21, 2012 | Sales, Marketing & Customer Service

My company is working with several clients who are at that stage of their business planning process where we're analyzing their marketing strategies. An obvious component of this step is revising or developing marketing materials that convey the "right" message, to the "right" target market, to get the "right" results. Getting it "right" with the marketing materials can propel a company's business strategies forward with greater success. Getting it "wrong" can create confusion,...