Category Archives: Customer Service

Notes and thoughts about exceptional (or exceptionally bad!) customer service.

Keeping the wolves at bay

Keeping the wolves at bay…

I have had a client for a long, long time. They are a signature client and many other clients come on board with me because of THEM! They are important to my past, present, and future success.

Recently, they decided that they wanted to start looking around at other options. New, sexy, exciting, (unproven) options! They have included me in the process and are giving me the chance to stay in the game with them.

Tomorrow, I present to their team – and here’s why I’m 90% positive I am going to keep the relationship…because every chance I get, I talk to them about all the great things we’ve been able to do together over the years. We have a PARTNERSHIP. When THEY wanted to make a big, unprecedented splash in their industry, I was there. IT was awesome. When they wanted to expand their reach, I was there, we have results to show for it. When they wanted to support new markets, I was there and it made a huge difference.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

But, if I weren’t communicating these wins with them (like a walk down memory lane), then it’s easy for them to forget when something new and sparkly shows up on the scene. It’s why I am going to keep this business (they even let ME select the position I wanted in the order of presentations. I picked LAST, of course).

The principles I’m talking about are easy to apply in any industry. They go like this:

When you get a new client

Send at least a handwritten thank you note, if not a gift. AND thank the person who sent them to you. This works with selling cars, furniture, appliances, real estate, mortgages, farming equipment, office supplies … ANYTHING.

When you have had a client for awhile

Check in to see how they are using your products. Has anything changed in their life? What is coming up that you should know about?  If you are a car dealer, you will find out that a daughter is about to turn 16 and a new car is in order (probably for mom and dad, but a new car, nonetheless). If you are in furniture, you will find that a baby is on the way, or that an aging couple is moving to a smaller place and needs help with the new setting.

When you have had a client for a few “seasons”

Send tokens of appreciation and schedule a coffee, simply to “walk down memory lane”. If you are in real estate, you can reminisce about how far that couple has come from their “first home buyer” experience to upgrading to a home for babies and for helping the first child get their first home. If you are in appliances, you can chortle about the surprise new range that he bought for his wife on their fifth anniversary.

The point

The point is…if you want to have a successful book of business that builds on itself, you will keep it personal and you will remind your clients of the partnership you have developed over the years.  This may seem like a lot of work, but BELIEVE ME…the repeat business and referrals you will receive FAR OUTWEIGH the cost and effort it takes to keep getting NEW clients.

Love the partnership UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

What I learned from Galaga this week

Have you ever played Galaga (the video game)?

I LOVE that game. Haven’t played in years.

This weekend, I went to a resort in the Smoky Mountains that had the vintage game Galaga! YAY! I was so happy.

I started playing. I was having a blast. Playing and playing and then…something interesting happened.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

I started approaching the HIGH SCORE! YAY! I was going to beat that high score. WOW! The first time EVER I was going to be on the screen for being the HIGH SCORE.

So, what did I do? I started playing the game with an eye on the score…and GUESS WHAT!

GAME OVER at 10 POINTS UNDER the high score. Aaaaargh!

Isn’t that just how it goes? You are playing like a winner and THEN you look at the score and GAME OVER.

I played another game after that and came nowhere near my first score. Then, I just turned the game off.

The lesson? Keep your eye on playing. Let the score INFORM you, but keep your eye on the game.

When I am being my best and doing everything I know to make my customer happy, game on! When I calculate against what someone else has done or the “score” I am hoping to achieve…it comes to a DEAD STOP!

Love the game UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Where TRUE professionals win their chops!

If you are a true professional, it is LIKELY that you have Narcissistic Tendencies.

I know I do.

I want to achieve MY goals! I truly do.

Yet..I have realized..I MUST GET OTHER PEOPLE what they want for me to get what I WANT.

I don’t care if you are religious…this story still applies.

C.S. Lewis wrote an essay about Heaven and Hell.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

In each scenario, everyone had a BANQUET laid out in front of them at the table. The trick was that everyone had splints on their arms which prevented them from getting their hands to their mouths.

In HELL, everyone sat around the table – lamenting that they could not feed themselves from the sumptuous table.

In HEAVEN, everyone fed each other.

WHO ARE YOU? Are you looking to feed yourself OR looking to feed others and trust that you will be fed? It’s an important choice.

LOVE your community UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Repeat after me: You’re welcome.

You have NO idea how important this one phrase is.

Ponder it.

Get back to me.

Do you get it? (Most don’t)

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

Love acknowledgment UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Sales is a Science? REALLY?

I was in a sales training the other day. The man in front (who hasn’t ever actually sold anything…He’s been “in” sales – sales management, sales operations, stuff like that) was laying out the Art and SCIENCE of Selling.

Really?

This is where salespeople get hurt! Damaged! When they start to believe what the ‘experts’ say about how to do sales.

I AM SALES. I do it every day. Face to face. Phone to phone. Front lines.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

I will tell you that there is NO SCIENCE to sales. If you’re talking about the “models” and “experimentation” and “observation” part of science..Sure, I’ll give you that.

BUT calling something science IMPLIES that you can do something re-producible, every time. As in…every time I put this many Hydrogen atoms in with this many Oxygen atoms, I will get water. Every time.

We could NOT have landed Curiosity on Mars without heavy-duty science. Hell, we couldn’t plug in our lamps and read by the light reliably without science. Or keep our food cold in the refrigerator.

THERE IS NO SUCH formula with sales.

Which is why salespeople get messed up. They hear things like “the science of sales” and they follow some formula that someone else MADE UP! (Still haven’t seen the math that works every time). But it doesn’t work for them, so they think they are just not doing it right. And they get beat down… AND they are trained to beat their customer into submission.

UGH!

NO!

Someone needs to tell these fabulous salespeople that they have been snowed. Today, I am your someone.

Sales is an art. A beautiful and precious art. Something to master. It requires all of you and every bit of personal and professional growth that you can imagine.

Someone who does sales well is a GIFT; to their company, their family, their customers and themselves. (Read this wonderful story: http://www.sellingfearlessly.com/mound-road/)

People LOVE to buy things that they want and need from other people.

Where is the breakdown then?

When we treat something so MAGICAL as sales as a “science”, we diminish the human spirit to numbers and formulas.

People are NOT numbers and formulas and they do not appreciate being treated that way.

I treat YOU as someone I want to discover. I seek to understand what you truly desire and do everything in my power to fulfill that desire. And to tell you when I cannot – but still collaborate to get you what you really do want. THAT is why I ROCK in sales!

I sleep in on days you don’t need me…and I work until 3 am on days that you do.

I fulfill on your intention. I get you what you want.

I AM The Irreverent Sales Girl … and SO ARE YOU!

Wanna move a crazy economy forward? Let’s ALL get in the business of getting each other what we want and need! Let’s engage in the ART of it.

I love sales UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

 

REALLY great salespeople, employees, people view themselves…

….as the CEO of their own company!

I am clear that if I do not do my job, the people in my company don’t eat, don’t feed their children, don’t provide health insurance to their loved ones.

THAT is what it means to be the CEO…you view the WHOLE of your impact.

Great accountants know this. They provide a solid ground to walk on.

Great attorneys know this. They provide clarity and protection.

Great receptionists know this. They are the brand of the  company.

Great salespeople know this. They know that they feed and clothe everyone in their company.

WAKE UP! What you are doing is CRITICALLY important!

When you “show up”, everyone around you wins! (This includes you)

When you “phone it in”, it may not seem important in the moment, but it matters beyond what you can imagine (To YOURSELF especially – now, you are someone who “phones it in” – not someone who GOES FOR IT –  just sayin’)

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

NOW, what do you see about your current job…more important…what do you see is possible?

Love your life UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Does “Love” matter in a Fortune 25 Relationship?

Today I met with my client. An executive of a Fortune 25 company.

Together, for the last 12 months, we have been working to make sure their programs work (the ones I sold them).

It has been an uphill battle. They signed on with my company in good faith. They wanted our product (and needed our product). My key contact has taken a stand that my service will work in her company – despite management changes and priority shifts (anyone who works in Fortune 500 knows that this is standard – everything changes on a dime).

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

My client took a risk with us. There were glitches at the beginning that, frankly, put her job at risk.

But, she got in touch with me, and my company fulfilled (and in some cases, over-fulfilled) on her expectations.

Turns out, we have been able to TRIPLE results! YAY!

Today, I had coffee with my client. Her job is going great. Her boss is now impressed. We shared a couple of personal stories.

At the end of our meeting, we hugged and she said, “I love you, dear!”

Can a Fortune 25 person say “I love you” to a salesperson? Turns out, the answer is “YES”, if you’ve fulfilled what meant the most to her and her and her position!

Can men share this sentiment? I hope so!

But, today, I got an “I love you” hug from a Fortune 25 executive. And I am happy!

Love your clients UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

I hesitate to do this, please forgive me!

For three-and-a-half years now, you have been coming to my site for inspiration and resources. And love. And permission to be you….

Tonight, I am going to step outside of what I normally do…I am going to recommend that you BUY something. Aaaarrrgggh….you think…NOT YOU! I trusted you!

Yet, I have examined this curriculum, the price…I have personally met the people… Additionally, I MAKE NO MONEY if you participate.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

This stuff is really good.

I believe that you should put 3% of your income aside for education (Personally, I put 10% aside). This could fit into your professional development budget!

And this is some of the best stuff around.

Please check out http://bit.ly/NTMwQ2 and pick the teleseminar that is best for you. (I especially recommend Anthony Iannarinao – WHOA). You will NOT be disappointed (and if you are you can tell me).

I am also committed to the success of the most profound leaders in the sales industry…the ones who want to bring a Dash of Dignity to the Art of Selling…THIS MISSION is important to me. I’m just sayin’

Thank you for trusting me.

GO LOVE YOUR SALES UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

How do you engage someone in ways they never imagined?

I was attending a conference session headed up by a very interesting organization called Care2 (Make a Difference) at www.care2.com. I do NOT condone every one of their messages, but they solidified something for me.

Care2 postulates that if you have a business that satisfies 6 Basic Human Needs, you have got a winner!

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

I was thrilled. First, I already work to incorporate all of them – AND it gave me ideas for getting even better. I am thinking about painting these 6 key words on my office wall to remind me (and all those who work with me) to fulfill these needs in every interaction. Ready? Here they are:

1) Significance: Day-In-and-Day-Out, I make sure that EVERY person who interacts with me is acknowledged publicly. Think I can’t keep it up? TRY ME!

2) Connection: People have a deep desire to feel connected – to a person, a brand, a company, a vision. I work HARD to provide pathways to this. I will never stop!

3) Contribution: People are DYING to make a difference. I am so grateful that YOU make a difference with me. It is my goal to demonstrate publicly the difference you make and the contribution you are to my life, to others’ lives, and to all of your communities.

4) Certainty: People want to know what to expect when they listen to my messages.I believe they expect Dignity, Irreverence, Inspiration, and something that reminds them of who they are. I work very hard on this quality. The Irreverent Sales Girl does not swear and rarely disparages – UNLESS you are so totally off base that disparging you is the only avenue I can see (*grin*).

5) Variety: The yin to the yang of Certainty. (Or is it the other way around?) In any case, people want to be Surprised and Delighted. They like a twist. They want something a little unexpected. This is why I stay FAR away from “warmed over porridge” otherwise known as sappy platitudes. There is plenty of that everywhere else.

6) Growth: People want an opportunity to grow. Everything I offer is designed for exactly that. So that I can grow and hopefully offer something that inspires you to grow, too! If we do not all grow together, I’ll likely get left behind! No GOOD!

Feel free to steal these tenets if you’d like. I stole them after all! I think they are amazing!

Let’s go forth and give people what they want!

Love your work UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

 

Ask and You Shall Receive … A lovely guest post from Kira Geairn

I just started my first retail job and went into it thinking it was going to be a breeze. How hard could selling shoes possibly be? Turns out, harder than I thought. My first real day (i.e. after my training day) I had a goal of selling $600. After five hours I hadn’t even come close! I finished the day with under $200 in sales.

Pretty pathetic, huh?

The second day I went in with pretty low expectations but decided that I was going to try opening up more. I started approaching people more often and asking other employees or my managers when I needed help. I even gave a client to someone else because I was too busy helping other people.

I ended up selling $615 when my goal was only $400.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

The biggest differences? Asking for help. Trying to be independent or self-sufficient will only go so far.

It’s a lesson I’ve been learning this year all over the place and one that I’ve been fighting pretty hard. But the adage “Ask and you shall receive” is rapidly becoming my mantra. Good things will only come to those who ASK for them!

So whether you’re a CEO or a shoe salesman, SUCCESS is only available to those who ask.

From ISG: Great work, Kira.

Love your peeps UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl