The car was drop-dead gorgeous. It had a beautiful dark blue exterior and the interior was brown - very sporty - with a 6-speed manual transmission to boot. There was no use denying it. I was in love. I probably reduced my negotiating leverage immediately by falling in love with it; however, at that point I just wanted to see it in my driveway.
The love affair was tempered, slightly, when the salesman handed me the key. It was bent like the leaning Tower of Pisa. The salesman didn't dare try to bend the key back into place because it certainly would have broken, which would have sent me to another dealership. He promised to order two new keys, so I bought the car and left.
They never sent any keys, nor did they communicate with me again. Weeks later I still had this goofy-looking key in my pocket. Whether he realized it or not, the salesman made a commitment to me, and I placed my trust in him. He failed to deliver. Part of "Hitting the Grand Slam" with your customers is respecting that your customers have choices, and always meeting their intangible needs. Winning, profitable companies constantly inspire customer confidence by their actions, and always conduct business in a trustworthy manner. They keep their word. Commitments that are kept create repeat customers, and repeat customers create profit.
Here are some tips for meeting a customer's intangible needs:
*Follow through! It has been my observation in life that people who do not keep small commitments don't keep big ones either. Customers watch what we do, rather than what we say, because actions, as the old saying goes, speak louder than words. Think about it. If somebody says to you, "I'll call you tomorrow" that's a small commitment. If they don't call you tomorrow, then they have broken a commitment. You will take what they say after that with great skepticism.
*Always act in an ethical manner: From the top of the company to the bottom, always do the right things. Every so often, when I was running my family's retail wine stores, I would come across an associate that thought he or she could pull a fast one on unsuspecting customers. One time, in particular, an associate tried to charge an elderly couple a higher than advertised price for a case of wine. I was devastated, and after dismissing the employee, I reiterated to our staff how important it was in business to keep our customer's trust. The same thing applies to life in general.
*Remember that the customers' service experience isn't over just because you have their money: Often, despite our best intentions, our service isn't perfect and our customers call us for additional help, or to rectify problems. This is "show time"! Customers calling to check on an order, or make other changes are providing us with great opportunities to shine and instill more confidence in our overall trustworthiness.
The good news is that customers are pretty loyal when you get down to it. In fact, according the book When Customers Talk, only 16% of customers will leave after one bad service experience. As a result, even if your organization has slipped up once, with certain customers it is not too late to show your respect by seeking their trust and confidence anew. They will believe they can depend on you, and seeking their trust will pay off over the long haul with repeat business.
Think back over the past 5 years and the amount of change you have experienced over that time. Chances are you are in a different job, home, maybe in a different relationship with an extra child/dog/cat. Change is an inevitable part of lives yet some people respond better to change than others. Every leader today needs to manage change effectively as part of their job. Understanding how people respond to change is a critical aspect of this.
What are the things you need to know about people and change? Firstly, different people react differently to change. Some people relish change and get bored with the status quo. Others prefer more stability. Problems arise when the individual's preferences differ from the situation they find themselves in. So if a stability oriented person finds circumstances are changing or a change lover finds that everything stays the same.
Typical reactions may be stress, negativity or resistance to the change. The best response from the manager is to explain the reasoning behind the change ' put the change in context ' and be patient. In times of extreme change managers might want to identify opportunities to pair up change lovers with more stable oriented folk to jolly them through the tough times.
Secondly, people need to be included in the change process. A famous psychologist Will Shutz identified three needs people have which are relevant to change:
- The need for control
- The need for inclusion
- The need for openness
This means that in any change process there has to be something the individual can control, they need to be included in the process of shaping the change and they need to feel their managers are being as open as they can about the change.
Thirdly, during periods of change people can often experience a feeling of loss and it might take time for them to adjust to new circumstances. It might be useful to consider the following model which is used to counsel people in helping them come to terms with loss:
- Denial
- Anger
- Withdrawal
- Acceptance
Some people may move through these stages very quickly, arriving at the acceptance stage within days of an announcement of change. For others, it may take months to accept the new set up. For the manager, provide opportunities for individuals to share their concerns and learn to be patient as employees take time to work through the change for themselves. But remember, acceptance does not necessarily mean loving or agreeing with the change.
Finally, enforced change, such as an office move, can lead to raised expectations. With the office move, individuals may see an opportunity for a bright, new shiny office with lots of space. Manage expectations carefully through change, otherwise people are bound to be disappointed. If expectations are not met, people are unhappy. If expectations are exceeded, they are happy. In other words, manage expectations down.
Understanding how people typically respond will help the change manager with planning the inevitable change which all organisations experience. Based on this understanding managers need to:
Communicate the reasons behind the change ' be honest and open but don't oversell the benefits.
Give each individual an opportunity to express their concerns and provide reassurances.
Make lots of time for informal discussions, feedbacks and 'water cooler' chat
Give people some choices to make so they feel in control and included
Copyright (c) 2007 Chiswick Consulting Limited
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Both Darryl Rosen & Pam Kennett are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Darryl Rosen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Travel and Leisure. Mr. Rosen served as President and Owner of Sam's Wines & Spirits, a family-owned business established in 1940. Mr. Rosen has founded Grand Slam Results, LLC, a speaking and training workshop firm. For more information, visit. Darryl Rosen's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
Pam Kennett has sinced written about articles on various topics from Psychology, Computers and The Internet and Online Security. Pam Kennett is Director of Chiswick Consulting Limited a management consultancy which provides advice and direction to clients in marketing and human resources. Pam has more than 20 years experience working with a range of companies, from start up to FTSE. Pam Kennett's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.