Kevin Stirtz’s Amazing Customer Service Rule #47

Don’t multi-task when you’re helping a customer

I know I’ll get some feedback on this.

“I have to multi-task” people will say. “Otherwise I can’t get all my work done.”

Another common response: “I can do other things while I listen and still provide good service.”

Yeah right. Maybe that’s true. But probably not.

Some people are very good at multi-tasking. And I know some people can listen while they are doing something else. But just because you CAN do something does NOT mean you should.

The fact is we all can listen better when we focus on listening to the person we are speaking with. The only way we can operate at our best is by focusing on the customer we’re with. If we are trying to do several things at once we risk doing none of them well. Maybe that’s okay if you’re ordering lunch or emptying the trash.

But it’s not okay if you’re helping a customer.

Because when we’re helping a customer we have to do everything we can to give them our best. We need to be on our “A” game 100% of the time we’re with customers. No exceptions and no excuses.

The bad news is, we’re all busy and we often feel if we don’t multi-task we’ll never get everything done. I completely understand. I’ve been there. Still am.

One way I deal with this is to focus on priorities. I consider what I need to do to accomplish my goals. Then I focus just on those tasks. This gives me “permission” to offload (or ignore) many things I might otherwise bury myself in. If they are important, they’ll re-surface.

The good news is, people will notice. When you focus just on your customer, they will notice. They will see and feel the difference. They will see how attentive you are. You’ll be more likely to connect. Your level of service will be better because you’ll be in a better position to understand and help them get what they want.

They’ll also see the difference between how you help them and how your competitors do. And, they’ll repay you with greater loyalty, more referrals and more business.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy, a speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Stirtz has been quoted in such major media as BusinessWeek, the Boston Globe, Smart Money and the Chicago Sun Times. Get a free copy of his Amazing Service Toolkit.

In part one of this program we talk about the importance of being flexible as we serve our customers and help them get what we want. Part two helps us remember the most important part of our jobs: helping our customers get what they want.

Enjoy!

Kevin Stirtz’s Amazing Customer Service Rule #11

Be Flexible

In customer service, as with most things there is no one right answer. There is almost always more than one way to accomplish something. But we don’t always admit it. Too often we focus on one way to do something. Maybe it’s the only way we know. Maybe it’s the fastest, cheapest or easiest route to helping our customer. But that doesn’t make it the best.

Remember, our goal is to help our customers get what they want, within our ability. So we always need to look for alternatives. We need to be creative. We need to think beyond the first solution that comes to mind when we’re working with our customers.

Being flexible means being willing to try a different path. (This is good advice in life as well as business.) Always consider other options as possible ways to help your customer get what they came for.

It means offering customers more than one solution. By offering choices we’re making it more likely they’ll get what they want. There are few things worse than being a customer and someone says “that’s the only way you can do it”.

Being flexible also means being willing to try new things and go the extra mile for customers. It means being a problem solver rather than an order taker. Customers know the difference. Stay flexible as you provide solutions to your customers. They’ll thank you with their loyalty.
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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy, a speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Stirtz has been quoted in such major media as BusinessWeek, the Boston Globe, Smart Money and the Chicago Sun Times. Get a free copy of his Amazing Service Toolkit.

Bad customer service experiences are so common they’re cliché. They’re like bad breath in the morning. We all have them and they stink. But they are a fact of life. I believe most of us have far more bad customer service experiences than good.

My mission is to change that. Which is why I talk and write about how to improve customer service.

And one of the best ways to improve customer service is to look at example of where and why and how it’s gone wrong. So here’s your opportunity to help. Plus it’s a great way to vent. Very therapeutic!

Click here to share your customer service stories with the world.

By the way, they can be good or bad stories. It’s always nice to have a balance. I will use many of these stories in my articles, books and presentations.

Please be as factual and as accurate as possible. And remember, the purpose here is not to “blast” a person or company. It’s to help us all find ways to improve the customer service we offer.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He is a customer service speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Kevin has spoken to thousands of people across the USA and in Europe about how to improve customer service. Get a free copy of Kevin’s Amazing Service Toolkit here.

This week I am hosting the Customer Service Carnivale so my friend Maria Palma can take a well-deserved break.

The idea behind a blog “carnival” is to show appreciation for other bloggers who write on a certain topic. It’s an aggregate of clips (and links) that point to other posts around the web that are all tied together by their topic: customer service.

The Customer Service Carnivale happens about every two weeks. You can find out more here .

Raymond, of Money Blue Book blog, addresses what can be a touchy topic: outsourcing and the customer service problems it can cause due to language differences. Read his post here.

Allison Nazarian offers useful advice on getting to know your customers. Read her helpful suggestions here on AllisonNazarian.com

Reminding us of the importance of understanding our customers, John Furst offers his thoughts for staying current with how your customers prefer to communicate. John blogs at the E-Biz Booster Blog.

Gavin Ingham writes about sales but clearly understands the need for delivering customer service to your customers. Catch his latest thoughts here at GavinIngham.com.

Dave Ratner, of Dave Ratner’s Blog, shares a wonderful example of how not to deliver customer service and why it’s important to never put the burden of service on our customers. We need to do the work for them whenever possible, as Dave demonstrates so well.

A foundation of great customer service is knowing what your customers want and how you’re doing in delivering it to them. John Crickett relives a story about a local bookstore that clearly does not live this by rule.

Last week I wrote about how Target got a black eye because a manager decided to focus on store policy rather than help a customer get what she wanted. This story has buzzed across the Internet with horrifying speed. I hope the big dogs at Target take notice and make amends soon.

Later this week I’ll be writing about customer service horror stories. If you have a shocking example of bad customer service you’d like to share, please send it to me before Friday August 22. Thanks!

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He is a customer service speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Kevin has spoken to thousands of people across the USA and in Europe about how to improve customer service. Get a free copy of Kevin’s Amazing Service Toolkit here.

This morning I read a surprising story in my hometown newspaper, the Minneapolis StarTribune. A Target store manager threatens to call the police on a 79 year old customer, has her hauled away to a hospital for a mental evaluation and then files a trespass order barring her from returning to the store.

All this happened because she wanted to return a product and get her money back.

Of course, when you tell it this way, Target sounds like an evil monster.  At the very least the store manager who handled the situation sounds like he needs more customer service training. The facts seem clear though. The customer had a receipt. Target had already taken her money. Was she wrong in expecting her money back? I don’t think so.

On the other hand, Target could argue their policy is that a customer has to wait seven days for a refund if they paid with a check. No exceptions. This is to prevent Target from losing money due to fraud. Except, in this case, the customer’s check had already cleared. They had her money.

And, Target could also argue the lady was “acting crazy” or she was “out of control” or at the very least “causing a scene”. And maybe she was. But that sort of conclusion would be in the eyes of the beholder.

Unless you were there, you’ll never know. And I’ll never know. So I will not judge Target on what I think might have happened. I’ll stick with the facts and offer some advice on how to prevent situations like this in the future.

What DID happen was Target got some very bad publicity because of how they treated a customer. And it did not have to happen.

Advice #1: Give the customer her money back (cash, not gift card)

An easy solution would have been to give the lady her $30. I know that is, technically, against their policy but policies are not federal laws. They are not carved in stone. And if you’re given the responsibility to manage an entire SuperTarget then I would hope you have enough authority to bend a few policies in service to your customers. Especially when the reason for the policy had been nullified: Target already had her money. There was no way she could have been “ripping them off”.

Advice #2: Communicate with your customer

Rather than judge her based on her age, appearance, temperament or the way she talks, just communicate with her. Listen, let her vent, apologize and confirm you understand her story. Then talk with her like you’d talk with a friend - not like she’s an adversary. This might have prevented the situation from escalating.

Advice #3: Remember, you are there to help your customer (not to cite policies)

If the store manager had remembered his job was to serve his customers and acted like it, he could have avoided this entire situation. His focus should have been to be a problem solver, not quote policy.

Advice #4: Never fight with your customers

When a situation starts to spin out of control, it’s hard to shove it back in the right direction. But I can guarantee, fighting with your customers is not the solution. Calling the police and filing court orders will only make the situation worse. Sure, if the customer presents a threat, you have to deal with that. But I find it hard to believe this customer was threatening anyone. Again, if the store manager had taken the time to understand the situation and given her the cash refund she asked for, maybe all this could have been avoided.

Many people will argue that you should never break a policy. Policies exist for a good reason: to protect the company. But that’s the wrong attitude. Customers come first. They are not always right but they are always necessary. Every business exists to serve their customers, not to serve policies.

When a company has a situation like this, it appears to be focused on serving itself, not its customers. And that will drive customers away faster than anything.

I’ve shopped at Target for decades. I’ve watched it grow into one of the world’s most successful retailers. Target has become an industry leader and they’ve done it while maintaining a corporate reputation that says “we care about our customers”. From the products they sell to their store design and placement to how they treat their customers, they do a wonderful job serving their customers. They are a good corporate citizen and Minnesota is lucky to have them. So it’s too bad to see an article like this. It mars an otherwise fine reputation.

On the other hand it provides a fantastic reminder that we are here to serve our customers no matter how challenging that task might be.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He is a customer service speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Kevin has spoken to thousands of people across the USA and in Europe about how to improve customer service. Get a free copy of Kevin’s Amazing Service Toolkit here.

Kevin Stirtz’s Amazing Customer Service Rule #1:

“Remember why you’re here.”

We all get busy in our jobs. It seems there are always more things to do than any one person could possibly get done. From meetings to special projects to covering for co-workers. The list never ends.

It’s a wonder we get anything done at all!

This is why we need to remember our priorities. No matter how many things we have on our task list (or piled on our desk) there is always one priority that’s more important than all others.

Our customers.

No matter what our job is, we need to be doing something that helps our customers get what they want. No matter what our role in the company is, our work needs to play a part in helping our customers accomplish their goals.

Jan Carlzon, former president of Scandinavian Airlines said this:

“If you’re not serving the customer, your job is to be serving someone who is.”

When we forget this, we risk deploying fewer resources to serve our customers needs. Fewer resources means we’re less likely to do the best job we can for our customers. And it means we’re leaving the door open for competitors who are willing to do what it takes to serve our customers better than we are.

There is no room for waste in any company. Any role or activity that does not lead to a happy customer needs to be looked at closely. Is it critical to the company or not? If not, find a way to redeploy those resources.

Running a business means helping our customers get what they came to us for. That’s why we’re here.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He is a customer service speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Kevin has spoken to thousands of people across the USA and in Europe about how to improve customer service. Get a free copy of Kevin’s Amazing Service Toolkit here.

This summer I’ve had fun. My newest client happens to be the host organization for one of the largest events in the USA: The 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC).

The RNC is expected to draw 45,000 visitors to the Minneapolis St. Paul metro area. To make sure those guests have the best experience possible, the people putting on the event have recruited over 10,000 volunteers.

That’s where I come in.

The people in charge want the RNC guests to have a great experience while they’re here. Makes sense. So they asked me to help.

I created customer service materials, based on my Amazing Service System, for their volunteers. It covers things like, basic customer service, listening skills, how to handle challenging situations. And I created some learning examples for volunteers - situations they might encounter as they work with RNC guests.

It’s always fun being part of a big event and they don’t get much bigger than this. What I really like is how focused everyone is on making sure the RNC guests have a great experience.

Too often large events focus so much on the event itself they forget about the people. They don’t invest enough time and energy into finding ways to help their guests have the best experience possible.

Politics aside, I think this will be a fantastic event, because the organizers have focused on the right things: the people and the experience.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He is a customer service speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Kevin has spoken to thousands of people across the USA and in Europe about how to improve customer service. Get a free copy of Kevin’s Amazing Service Toolkit here.

Kevin Stirtz’s Amazing Customer Service Rule# 20:

“Be grateful for their business”

At some level we’re all grateful for our customers. Because we know without them we would not have a business.

And, with busy schedules and hectic lives, it’s easy to forget how important our customers are. It’s even easier to forget to show it. And it’s easy to discount or disregard any one customer. Because most customers, by themselves, are not going to make or break our business.

But every customer is a person. And one thing people want most is to be appreciated. We like people to notice us and recognize that we’ve been here before. It’s nice to hear someone say “I know you could take your business elsewhere and I appreciate you sticking with us.” (How often do you hear that? How often do you SAY that?)

If you do this for every customer you have, every time they do business with you, your company will stand out from the crowd. People notice little things like being appreciated. And, all else being equal, customers will reward such little things by choosing to do business with your company rather than your competition.

So, there are several levels of being grateful for our customers. One is simply appreciating them as people, fulfilling their need to be appreciated.

The other is having the right attitude. This means adopting a mindset that says:

1. I understand my customers have made a choice to be here - NOT somewhere else.
2. Without my customers I would not have a job or a paycheck.
3. Therefore I need to show my appreciation to every customer every time I work with them.

If every employee in your company recited these three things every day before they started work, would they treat customers differently? How would that affect your business?

What if management made this attitude part of the company’s values. How might that change the way people deal with customers, especially during challenging situations? How much could you increase customer loyalty by doing this and what would that mean to your company?

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He is a customer service speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Kevin has spoken to thousands of people across the USA and in Europe about how to improve customer service. Get a free copy of Kevin’s Amazing Service Toolkit here.

Just today I learned my latest book “More Loyal Customers” has been selected by Customer Service Manager to be on their Recommended Reading List.

Wow! This is cool.

Customer Service Manager is an e-magazine for customer service professionals and anyone interested in providing top notch customer service. They are a leading customer Service website with over 40,000 visitors every month.

Other authors with books on this list are Ken Blanchard, Jeanne Bliss, Peggy Carlaw and Vasudha K. Deming. Their books are big sellers on Amazon.

Carve out an hour of your time and learn some new ways to get more customers coming back.

On August 21, I will be conducting a free teleseminar in partnership with the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce. The seminar is 60 minutes long and starts at 7:00 PM Central.

The teleseminar will offer a ton of ideas and tips you can use to keep your customers coming back. It’s a great way to learn some new tips and you never have to leave your house or office.

Click here to sign up. See you there!

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He is a customer service speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Kevin has spoken to thousands of people across the USA and in Europe about how to improve customer service. Get a free copy of Kevin’s Amazing Service Toolkit here.

“Marketing for Smart People”

(Click here to download)

“More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons To Keep Your Customers Coming Back”

(Click here to download)

Both books are available in e-book (PDF) format and can be download at no charge. Paperback copies are available at Amazon.com (enter the book title in the search form at the Amazon website.)

Since I like quotes and I use them often, I decided to create a resource that combines the power of quotes with a topic I am passionate about: customer service.

This free resource is available to anyone who is interested in improving customer service. It’s a custom compilation of over 200 high quality customer service quotes from authors, celebrities, athletes, business executives, and other thinkers from around the world.

It is (I believe) the largest resource of its kind. I have selected these quotes because I think they offer a great deal of wisdom, insight and experience that we can all use.

Anyone who is interested in improving customer service should find value here. This includes employees who work with customers as part of most of their job. It also includes team leads, supervisors, managers and higher level management people who are tasked with raising the level of service for their organization.

This resource is also good for professionals such as customer service speakers, trainers, authors and consultants.

Please click here to go there now.

Kevin Stirtz’s Amazing Customer Service Rule #44

Do something extra.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to make a customer smile is to do something extra. Because it’s unexpected, it’s a pleasant surprise. It’s something they’ll remember and talk about.

When you do something extra, it’s like giving your customer a gift. It’s a wonderful way to show you care about them as a person as well as a customer.

One way to do something extra is to just give them a little more than they paid for.

For example, at the Perkins in my town, the night manager would often slip a bag of muffins in my hand as I paid the bill. I never asked for them but I was always grateful.

Another way to is to do something completely unrelated.

A few years ago, we returned a dog-feeding device because the dog we bought it for died. As part of the return process I mentioned this to the company (so they knew it was not a product issue). Several days later we received one of the nicest, most heartfelt sympathy cards from this company. It was completely unexpected and incredibly kind, something my wife and I will not forget.

It had nothing to do with the products they sold. They were just being human. They were letting us know they cared about the loss of our pet.

There’s another reason to do something extra for your customers: It will make you stand out. Nobody does this anymore. Most of us have to stop and think about the last time we got an “extra” from someone. It’s a lost art.

So find ways to make “something extra” a regular part of your customer’s experience. Get your employees involved and brainstorm ideas. Eventually, your “something extra” attitude will become part of your brand. It will attract more customers and keep your customers coming back. I guarantee it!

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He is a customer service speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Kevin has spoken to thousands of people across the USA and in Europe about how to improve customer service. Get a free copy of Kevin’s Amazing Service Toolkit here.

by Kevin Stirtz

I have published a free resource useful for anyone who wants to improve customer service in their organization. It’s called:

“The Amazing Customer Service Toolkit” and you can download it here for no charge.

It contains advice and ideas for people to understand their customers better so they can offer better service than their competition.

I developed the resource to fill a gap that currently exists in customer service training materials. Most customer service books and programs focus on either management or employees but usually not both. This resource is useful for both management as well as front-line staff. I designed it to address issues and challenges they both face in their jobs.

The resource is being offered at no charge so more people can benefit. In the challenging economy we’re facing, not every company can afford to hire an outside expert. This resource brings customer service training expertise to any organization that wants it for free.

Please download this and take a look. And share it with your friends and colleagues.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at www.AmazingServiceGuy.com.

We all know it’s important to have loyal customers. But do you know how important it is? A study by Bain & Company suggests that a 5% increase in customer loyalty can improve profitability by anywhere from 25% to 95%. It shows us there are big opportunities available for owners and managers who are willing to do what it takes to increase customer loyalty.

The good news is, it’s not hard. And you can do it with the people and resources you have right now. It takes time, effort and patience to make it successful. But you can make a huge impact on your business.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Ask your customers what they want.

This is different than what they expect. What customers expect is usually less (often a lot less) than what they want. But you need to know what they want.

What do they want in general? What are they trying to accomplish (or avoid)? Why did they choose you instead of your competition? What are their priorities and preferences?

Keep in mind different customers focus on different aspects of what your business does and how you do it. But if you speak with enough, you should see patterns and trends. You should develop some profiles of what various customers want.

Also look for how your customers want to be served. This will vary a lot and is harder to discover. Most people focus on what they want because it’s easier to talk about. But people like to be treated well. We all have different definitions of what being treated well means. You need to learn what it means to your customers.

2. Tell your customers what to expect.

Some companies try to be all things to all customers. They do too much and none of it well. Every company has a unique set of resources that gives it a competitive advantage. these are your company’s strengths. Learn what they are. Use them to determine what your company can do better than anyone else in your market.

Once you know what your company does best, compare that list with what your customers want. These two lists should overlap. (If they don’t, you have a problem!) Where they overlap is what your company should focus on. These are the things you need to do for your customers: the combination of what they want most and what you do best.

From this list you need to develop your message. You might call it a brand promise. You might call it your Customer Service Standards. What you call it is not as important as what you do with it. Use it to tell your story. It tells people why they should do business with you. and it helps them know what to expect when they do business with you.

Then make sure your customers, employees and management all understand your message. Do everything you can to share your message with these three groups. Post it in your store, on your web site, on your business cards, in your ads and anywhere else your employees, management and customers will see it. Get it noticed!

3. Create easy ways for your customers to offer feedback.

This is where many companies stumble. They focus so much on getting new orders and delivering the product or service, they forget what happens afterward. The only way you can consistently get better at what you do is with a steady flow of honest and direct feedback.

Find many ways for your customers to let you know what they think. Brainstorm with your employees. Make it a contest. Copy other businesses. Ask your customers. Do a Google search! Try different communication channels and keep trying until you find a bunch that deliver the amount of feedback you need (which is a lot).

Make sure this step is done by your employees. Don’t rely on outsiders (consultants, survey companies, etc.) to do this for you. They are your customers and you need to communicate with them directly. You’ll learn more from them this way and you’ll develop closer ties with your customers. You’ll also get another benefit. Customers love it when a company pays attention to them after the sale. They feel important because you’re asking them what they think.

Finally, make sure your customers know how they can contact you. Publish and promtoe the many ways customers can connect with you. Encourage them to reach out to you often.

4. Listen to what your customers say.

Many companies talk about customer feedback. Some do it well. Most don’t. Because they don’t work vary hard to hear what customers are saying about them. They might hear the obvious, like complaints and “thank yous” but nothing else. If you want to increase customer loyalty, you need to do better. You need to make a special effort to find out what customers are saying about your company, your products and your service.

This includes more than the feedback mechanisms you create (Step 3). It includes the many other ways people communicate about your company. The Internet is full of people’s comments about their customer experiences. Make sure you are mining this resource on a regular basis.

When you build trusting relationships with your customers and you open the lines of communication. You position your customers as partners. They can help you learn how to do a better job. But you need to communicate with them to make this happen. You need a steady flow of quality customer feedback.

Are you doing what you said you would? If not, what’s missing? Are they getting what they want? Is the message you’re sending the right one? If you have developed a brand promise, is it really what your customers want? And since things change, you need to stay abreast of changes in what your customers want.

Look for the Amazing Service Gap. This is the difference between what you promise your customers and what you’re actually delivering. Their feedback is how you know what your gap is. So listen for ideas on how to do better. Find ways to close the gap.

In addition to listening to your customers, you need to gather and store what they tell you. Most companies have plenty of contact with customers. But they never keep track of what their customers say. And if they do keep track, it’s often hard to access because it’s in a file drawer somewhere or buried in a database that nobody knows how to use.

Make sure the feedback you gather is stored in a way that people can get to. In fact, you should publish it. Make it available to everyone in your company. The more people who see it the more ideas you can generate to use it (Step 5). By having a lot of people look at it and talk about it, you’ll be able to see your customers more clearly.

Conduct regular and frequent meetings to talk about the feedback and draw conclusions about what it means. Look for trends and patterns. Also, look for what’s not there. Are there things you think are issues or concerns but that do not appear in any customer feedback? If so, what does that tell you? If it’s not important to your customers, should it be important to your company?

5. Act on what your customers tell you.

Information is no good if ignored. Beyond listening to your customers and considering what they say, you have to use it. This doesn’t mean you act on everything. Remember, Step 2, you can’t do everything everyone wants. So you need to pick and choose what feedback to act on. Focus on what will help your company do what you do best. Choose ideas that will help you close the gap (Step 4).

You might find feedback that takes your company in a different direction. Your brand promise (Step 2) might be missing the mark. Maybe you have a changing customer base or a changing market. If your feedback suggests this you need to consider how it affects your business. Then either act on it or make an informed decision to not act on it.

The bottom line in Step 5 is to do something with your customer feedback. It’s a gift from your customers so treat it as such. Make sure your thank every customer every time they offer feedback. And, let customers know what you do with the feedback. If they know it gets used they’re more likely to keep offering it. Help them get involved and stay involved as your partners.

6. Repeat.

Like the shampoo bottle says, “lather, rinse, repeat”. But in this case you should be repeating forever. This is a never ending process of learning, sharing, and working together.

Managing your company is no different than practicing a sport or hobby. The more you do something, the better you get. And since people and situations change constantly, this process needs to keep repeating so you don’t miss these changes. Keep cycling through again and again. You’ll get better at knowing what your customers want and at giving it to them. Your customers will see you are truly focused on helping them get what they want. They’ll have little incentive to go elsewhere.

You’ll never please every customer every time. But if you follow these steps you’re much more likely to please most of them most of the time. That will keep your customers coming back again and again.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at www.AmazingServiceGuy.com.

Challenging economic times can be scary. Every day we hear news about lay-offs, company closings, mortgage foreclosures and more.

But no matter what’s going on around us, we all have the ability to make our lives less stressful and more secure. An excellent way to do this is to increase our own job security. (It’s not hard to do.)

Remember, in tough times it’s even more important for companies to make their customers happy, so they keep coming back.

That’s the foundation of building your own job security. If you consistently make your customers happy they’ll help you have more job security by staying with you. Every smart manager knows one of the keys to a profitable and growing business is to have employees who keep customers coming back. You can be that person!

Here’s a five-step system to make it happen:

1. Serve your customers.

Serving your customers means putting them first. It means helping them get what they want. Remember, your customers come to you to accomplish something they want or to avoid something they don’t want They believe you can help them. (Otherwise they would have gone somewhere else.) They have chosen you!

Honor their choice by doing everything within your ability to help them. This means focusing your attention and efforts on discovering what they want and helping them get it. You put their interests and desires first. It means your sole motivation is helping them get what they came for.

2. Connect with your customers.

Connecting with your customers means getting to know them as a person. You develop a relationship with them. Of course you keep it professional and in the context of your business. But it’s okay to learn about them as you help them. In fact, the better you get to know them, the better you can help them.

As you develop a relationship with them, you build trust in each other. They trust your ability and motivations. You trust what they tell you. This helps you help them. It improves communications.

This does not have to take long. Sometimes a “social chemistry” can develop within minutes. It shouldn’t be phony or manipulative. It needs to happen naturally. If you care about your customers, if you use your people skills, if you ask pertinent questions, if you listen and really focus on helping them, then you’ll develop a great rapport with them quickly.

3. Have fun.

One of the biggest reasons customers don’t return is they have no reason to. Sure they might get what they want but they often get it with no personality, no sparkle, no sizzle. Their experience is a dud. It’s about as exciting as cleaning your ears. There’s nothing memorable about it. Or worse, employees are crabby, grouchy or even angry and they show it. Yuk!

On the other hand, companies that enjoy tremendous customer loyalty offer their customers something they can’t get anywhere else: FUN. They provide them an unexpected, positive experience. They have fun with them. The employees enjoy their work and each other and their customers. It’s not that they goof off or waste time. They don’t. But they find ways to bring fun and joy into their work and they bring their customers along for the ride.

4. Be flexible.

With most things there is no one right answer. There is almost always more than one way to accomplish something. But we don’t always admit it. Too often we focus on one way to do something. Maybe it’s the only way we know. Maybe it’s the fastest, cheapest or easiest route to helping our customer. But that doesn’t make it the best.

Our goal is to help our customers get what they want, within our ability. So we always need to look for alternatives. We need to be creative. We need to think beyond the first solution that comes to mind when we’re working with our customers.

Being flexible means offering customers more than one solution. By offering choices we’re making it more likely they’ll get what they want. There are few things worse than being a customer and someone says “that’s the only way you can do it”.

Being flexible also means being willing to try new things and go the extra mile for customers. It means being a problem solver rather than an order taker. Customers know the difference. (So do managers.)

5. Make them happy.

This is the most important thing you can do with your customers. If they are happy with your service they will come back. They will help increase your job security because they’ll stick with you and your company. Note, this does not mean you do anything and everything to make your customers happy. You’re always limited by the resources and policies of your company. But it does mean you do everything within your ability to make them happy. Get creative and look for ways to give your customer a great experience.

You want your customers to leave happy. That’s your bottom line. Make that happen and everything else will follow.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at www.AmazingServiceGuy.com.

The buzz in the world of coffee these days is not being produced by caffeine intake. It’s generated by the swirl of news reports and comments about Starbucks plans to close over 600 stores.

For me this begs the question: Did Starbucks stumble on their vaunted customer service? As Starbucks has become an American icon, as much a part of our landscape as McDonald’s and Wal-Mart, have they lost their customer service edge? Has growth come at the cost of serving their customers in their unique way, the way loyal Starbuckians have come to expect?

There is evidence to suggest this is the case. In a recent BBC News article, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz commented on the “dilution of the Starbucks experience”. He added “the firm had lost its focus”. Comments from Starbucks customers also support this notion:

From OregonLive.com

And some customers who say they have asked a barista to make them a cup of bold coffee say they have been refused.

An employee on the other end of the line offered her a free replacement, and when Curry stopped by the store two days later to pick it up, a store manager accused her of running a scam.

From OrlandoSentinel.com

There have been other disturbing signs over the past five years. Staff turnover seems epidemic; I seldom see the same faces on repeat visits. I read about poor staff morale…And staff seem less knowledgeable about the coffees and each blend’s character.

Author Kim Fellner, asked “Can Starbucks really be big and good at the same time?” And her answer seems to be “no, they can’t”. In interviews with Starbucks employees she heard comments like this: “When I started six years ago, this was the best job of its kind. Now it’s all about the money. It’s like nobody cares about us any more.” And if employees feel their company does not care about them, the chances are they’ll care less about the customers.

But, I’d bet my mortgage payment that for every bad customer service story at Starbucks there’s a good one.

In what is probably the most astonishing example of an employee putting her customer first, Starbucks barista Sandra Andersen gave up one of her kidneys for a customer. Maybe that’s too far beyond the norm to even count. But more typical examples abound:

From Telegraph UK

It’s not about the coffee, the latte or anything else for that matter. It’s about the ambiance. A temporary haven to duck out of the grind of a hectic morning/afternoon and relaxing over a coffee, tea etc.

From Galesburg.com

The monthly coffee seminars, the friendly (and quite often funny) conversations in the cafe and the drive (through), and the knowledgeable staff make this a top-notch establishment.

Across the USA, communities are asking Starbucks to reconsider closing their favorite Starbucks. How’s that for customer loyalty? Having your customers beg you to stay! Most companies can only imagine having such a bond with their customers.

It’s easy to assume Starbucks growth into the 8000 pound gorilla of coffee shops had a deleterious affect on their ability to offer the same customer experience that made them famous. When you have 16,000 stores and over 300,000 employees, it’s hard to be on your “A” game with every single customer interaction. There are bound to inconsistencies, foul-ups and a general change of culture. It’s a natural side effect of growth.

At the same time though, Starbucks has drilled themselves into the lives of their customers like few global goliaths ever have. They’ve become a part of the fabric of their host communities, a fabric many people do not want torn.

So, is Starbucks retrenching because of bad customer service? Lacking  any sort of scientific data I’ll go with my gut and say no. Customer service is not the reason Starbucks is slowing. I think it’s a combination of many things like the economy, competition and the evolution of their market. Though many of their stores probably fail to deliver the typical Starbucks experience, overall I think they do a pretty decent job.

What do you think? If you have an opinion, let me know by taking this short survey or leaving a comment.
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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at www.AmazingServiceGuy.com.

With all the buzz about Starbucks these days, I think it’s a good time to take their temperature. Let’s see if the famous coffee shop chain is still thrilling their customers with over the top service that helped them become an American cultural icon.

So it’s your turn, dear reader. It’s your opportunity to be heard, to join the chatter and tell the world what you think of your local (or favorite) Starbucks store.

Click here to go to the survey now. (It’s only 5 questions so it won’t take much time, honest.)

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at www.AmazingServiceGuy.com.

Yesterday my latest book was reviewed by Glenn Ross, a writer for the AllBusiness.com website. AllBusiness.com is a busienss information website with several million readers every month.

Glenn writes about customer service and customer experience so he felt my book was a natural for him to review.

Here are some of his comments:

The book is only 81 pages long and while I wouldn’t call myself a speed reader, I did finish the book in about 45 minutes.

Good observation Glenn. My commitment when writing business books is that they will always be short and to the point. If they are fast reading they’re more likely to get read.

I believe the book has value to three types of people. First, If you’re a senior manager who wants to improve your company’s customer service, use the 21 lessons as a checklist to compare your practices against Kevin’s suggestions.Then close the gaps.

Great advice on how to apply this book. And don’t stop once you’ve gone through your checklist. Remember: lather, rinse, repeat!

Second, every retailer ought to have a copy in their stores for new employees. Give them a week to read it at work as part of their training. Then ask them how they will incorporate these lessons into their behavior.

I hadn’t thought about this book as required reading for all new employees but I like the idea. This would give your staff the opportunity to all get on the same page (no pun intended) regarding how you will serve your customers. Then use the book at weekly staff meetings to brainstorm how you would implement the different lessons. Pick a new lesson each week.

If you know someone just embarking on their management journey, this book will be useful to them. Even if they don’t like to read “businesss” books, this book is short enough to keep their attention.

Even if they’re not in the customer service part of management, this book can be helpful. It’s written from the perspective that the entire organization should be designed to serve the customer - because that’s why the organization exists.

Two other chapters I liked were at the end. The first, What Real Customers Say About Customer Service, is a bulleted list of answers to the questions, “What is great customer service?” It happens when…, and “What is lousy customer service?” It happens when employees… Answers to both of these could easily be converted to a wall poster and posted in the backroom.

This is another practical idea to extend the learning from this book into the workplace. Find as many ways as you can (like Glenn’s suggestion here) to keep information like this in front of your employees.

You can read Glenn’s entire review here.

(Disclaimer: I am also a writer for AllBusiness.com)

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at www.AmazingServiceGuy.com.

The events, called ‘We Mentor Success’ conferences, offer seminar-style instruction, in-depth networking opportunities, and hands-on workshops and mentoring with nationally-known experts in small business disciplines such as sales, marketing, finance, human resources, technology and customer service. The conference series runs in September and October in Austin, TX, Detroit and Las Vegas.

Each day-long event begins with a series of focused presentations to the group. After lunch and networking, attendees will select three breakout sessions where the group sizes are much smaller. These sessions are designed to promote interaction with the instructor and opportunities for attendees to experience business mentoring from recognized experts in fields from sales, to customer service, to performance management. At the end of the day, attendees will gather with other business owners and the speakers for an informal networking opportunity.

The conferences are scheduled for September 25 in Las Vegas, October 2, in Detroit and October 16 in Austin, TX. More information can be found at http://www.wementorsuccess.com

The site is called EzineArticles.com and it’s the largest of it’s kind in the world with millions of readers. In fact, Alexa.com, a website ranking service, rates EzineArticles.com as the 322nd most popular site on the Internet. This makes it more popular than well known media sites like USAToday.com, BusinessWeek. com and Forbes.com.

Sure this is not a huge deal. It won’t even buy me a cup of coffee at my favorite local coffee shop. But it’s still fun to see your name on a list every now and then (as long as it’s not the wrong list!).

Kevin’s Amazing Customer Service Rule# 16:

“Discover what your customers want.”

I admit, this seems overly simple. To run any successful business it’s a given we need to know what our customers want. But do we always know?

My answer is: “No we don’t.”

We think we do. We hope we do. Or we never even think about it. We just assume we do. And if we don’t really know, we risk focusing our resources on things our customers don’t care about. That opens the door to more competition and fewer loyal customers.

Successful organizations DO know what their customers want. They ask them. And they keep asking them (because things change).

You need to have processes and systems in place to continuously connect with your customers. You need to constantly learn why they do business with you rather than your competition. What brings them back to you? And why did they select your company in the first place?

Of course, you also need to know what their problems are. What are they trying to accomplish or prevent by coming to you? And how do they want to be treated as they work with you? What experience are they looking for? What would make them happy as they do business with you?

Your employees are your best resource for discovering what your customers want. I know a lot of companies use consultants and survey companies to collect this information. But if you want the best results, have your employees do it. They can best communicate with customers because they have the best access. They already have (or should have) relationships with their customers so it should be easy. They’re already in contact with them so it should be convenient.

Make it part of their job, part of their routine. Train, motivate and encourage them to have conversations with customers that result in your company knowing more about what your customers want. Help them get better at connecting with customers to learn why they do business with you. Do this and you’ll be on your way to more loyal customers. I guarantee it!

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at www.AmazingServiceGuy.com.

by Kevin Stirtz

Kevin’s Amazing Customer Service Rule #30:

Thank your customers

Thanks
Merci
Danke
Masuma
Ga ‘
Mahalo
Mila Esker
Grazie

(My thanks to the people who created the webpage: “Thank you in over 465 languages”.)

This is one of those customer service “rules” that shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t even have to be a reminder. To thank someone for being a customer should be automatic, not because we’re trained or measured to do so but because we are actually thankful for their business.

But, sadly, it ain’t necessarily so.

The good news is, this gives the rest of us a huge opportunity. While we can’t change the whole world, we can change our little corner of it. Which means we can make sure we take the time to thank our customers. It means we can help our employees understand why they should be thankful for our customers. It means we can do things to ensure everyone associated with us understands what it’s like to be appreciated.

We could talk for days about how to motivate people to be thankful or, at least, to say “thank you”. But I don’t believe people should be taught to be thankful. I don’t believe it matters if employees thank customers because their being measured against it. The act of thanking our customers needs to come from inside. It needs to be genuine.

Show your employees how to be thankful.

Employees will follow their leaders. They will repeat what their role models do if they respect them, trust them and feel good about them. So, the best way to get your employees to be thankful is to thank them. Show them how important they are by acknowledging what they do. Tell them and show them you appreciate them.

If you thank your employees on a regular and frequent basis (and you do it sincerely) they will thank their customers. If you are thankful for them (and you show it) they will be thankful for their customers. They’ll even start to thank each other. (Not every employee will do this but most will. And those who don’t will be telling you something about themselves.)

And, by the way, this works in all areas of our lives. Try this with your spouse, your kids, parents, friends, anyone you care about. It works. And it creates better and stronger relationships that are a lot more fun. I guarantee it!

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at www.AmazingServiceGuy.com.

Kevin’s Amazing Customer Service rule# 31:

Respect your customer’s opinion.

Our customers come to us for our knowledge. They want our help in accomplishing something.

But some employees take this to mean the customer’s opinion does not matter. They go directly into “arrogant expert mode” and act like the customer has no useful information to contribute.

As a customer there are few things that irritate me more than an arrogant, know-it-all sales or service person trying to tell me what to do without first listening to what I have to say. This is one of the fastest ways to drive customers out the door and straight into the welcoming arms of your competition.

Customers are more informed than ever before. They know WHAT they want. Our job is to help them figure out HOW to get it. That requires both their knowledge and our expertise.

An effective way to do this is by asking the “w” questions: who, what, why, when, where and their cousin, how.

Another way is by listening well. Use these tips to help:

1. Focus on them by giving them your complete attention.
2. Pace yourself by listening at the speed they’re talking.
3. Use nonverbal and audible cues to show you’re listening.
4. Be open to their ideas and opinions.
5. Let them vent (if they’re upset).
6. Clarify by asking questions and confirming.
7. Let them finish before you start talking.

Use what they tell you as you help them get what they want. Then you’ll be on your way to delivering Amazing Service.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at Amazon.com

The economic impact an event like the Republican National Convention has on a host city is tremendous. But if the event is done extremely well, the benefits can go on for years.

Here are ten customer service tips to the people hosting the 2008 RNC to help the event be spectacular in the eyes of the delegates, media and others who make the event what it is.

Top Ten Customer Service Tips for the 2008 Republican National Convention

1. Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Remember, this is a political convention. People are coming to discuss one of the three things you’re not supposed to talk about in public. Oh, and by the way, many of these people will disagree with others. So, the potential for hot tempers, emotional flareups and verbal conflicts will be extremely high.

To help them have the best experience possible, remember this. Look for signs of potential conflict and act quickly to avoid or prevent problems. Don’t get caught up in political debates while you’re serving coffee or giving directions. And, get extra rest before you go to work during the RNC so you’re mentally and physically prepared help a lot of stressed out people without losing your cool.

2. Go the Extra Mile for Everyone, Every Time

Some RNC guests will need a lot of hand-holding. They’ll be away from the resources and conveniences of their homes and offices yet they’ll still have work to do. Help them be successful and effective by going the extra mile. Offer to do more than you normally would. Show them how important they are to you, your business and your community.

3. Be Fast and Friendly

Big crowded events often sap people’s patience. Add the heat and humidity and pressure of getting things done on the road and it’s even worse. Move as quickly as you can as you help people. Be as efficient as you can and show them you respect their time. Here is where teamwork will be critical to providing great service.

4. Have Extra Patience and Tolerance

Even though some guests might not show you any patience, make sure you start each day with plenty of your own. Do whatever you have to do to be extra patient with everyone. Some RNC guests might be hard to understand because of language or cultural differences. Give them a little extra attention. Be tolerant of their differences and requests even though they might be beyond the norm for you or your company.

5. Be Proactive

RNC guests will be busy, tired and out of their element. They’ll have plenty of needs and many questions on how to get things done. Try to anticipate what their needs might be. Think about what you’d find helpful if you were in their situation. Then plan how you can help your guests handle these needs.

6. Provide Food or Refreshments

Minnesota is hot and humid in early September which can wear people down. And when you travel you often have less access to food and beverages. So, do a big favor for your RNC guests and have healthy snacks, beverages and other refreshments available, especially if you run a hotel, motel or meeting facility.

7. Offer Space for Work and Rest

Depending on the type of business you have, try to offer quiet space for RNC guests to email, write, make calls or just relax. Remember, this is a working event for most of them. They’ll have deadlines and commitments. We all know how hard it is to be productive on the road. By offering some quiet work space you’ll make their time at the RNC much more enjoyable.

8. Have Information Packets Available

One of the most challenging aspects of traveling is knowing how to get around in your host community. Ease the burden on your RNC guests by offering information packets for them. Your city, chamber or convention and visitors bureau might already have a packet. Or create your own. Include shops, restaurants, transportation, services, emergency information, coffee shops etc. Anything you can do to help your guests find their way around will help make their stay easier and memorable.

9. Brainstorm with Your Staff

Before the convention starts, meet with your employees for a brainstorming session. Talk about how you can help your RNC guests have a successful and memorable experience here. Think of how you can help them be productive in their work and comfortable while they’re here. Make a list of things your company could do. Then have your staff find creative ways to make the list a reality.

10. Debrief and Discuss Daily with Your Team

Once the RNC has begun, you can still find ways to provide amazing customer service to your RNC customers and guests. Every day before things get crazy, meet with your staff and debrief what happened the day before. Did they have any unusual requests? Were there any difficult situations? Review each day and learn from it. Engage your employees to find creative solutions to your customers special needs while they’re here for the convention.

[Click here for a PDF version of this article]

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at AmazingServiceGuy.com

Help your customers get the outcomes they want.

Our customers come to us for something. They want to prevent something bad from happening. Or they want to make something good happen. Either way they’ve come to us for help. So we need to help them get what they want.

But too often we become focused on what we want. We create policies and procedures that help us but do nothing for our customers. It’s easy to get so focused on managing our businesses that we forget what our purpose is. We want to be efficient and profitable so we devise ways to do just that. But we often forget how those changes affect our customers. Or worse, we make the changes without even thinking about our customers.

Every action we take, every decision we make and every policy, procedure, rule and guideline needs to be created to help our customers get what they want. The first thing we think about as we decide how to do our jobs and manage our businesses needs to be: “How can we create a great experience and help our customers accomplish their goals?”

It’s not always easy. But if we do this every time our customers will notice. And they’ll repay our efforts with their loyalty. From there everything else is easy.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at Amazon.com

Last week I read an article about people called “high-milers”. These folks go to great lengths to get amazing fuel efficiency from their cars. Some have high mileage cars like the Toyota Prius. Others don’t. But they all make it their goal to squeeze every last drop of fuel efficiency they can from their autos.

I found the article fascinating because the it talked about specific things these people do to get higher mileage. Most suggestions they offered were low-tech things anyone could do. Like coasting when ever possible or driving the speed limit. They employ a lot of little behavorial changes to produce some remarkable outcomes, like 100 miles per gallon!

What I really like about this article is that it shows us how easy it is to make changes in our lives. It’s not hard to produce a different outcome than what we have in the past. Even better, producing big changes in outcomes does not necessarily require making big changes. Because a lot of small changes can add up to a big difference in outcomes.

The same is true with customer loyalty. You can experience big changes in customer loyalty by making small changes in how you deliver customer service. You do not have to make massive changes to your organization to improve customer service or customer loyalty.

But you do need to be consistent about the changes you make. And you need to keep doing them or you won’t see the outcome you want.

So, take time to discover what you can do better for your customers. Learn this by asking them. Then implement small changes in that direction. Get your employees involved in creating the changes. Teach them what they are accountable for and monitor their behavior. Make these your new customer service standards.

If your employees change their actions according to your new standards and they stay consistent then you’ll start to see improvements in your customer loyalty. It might take awhile but stick with it and you’ll see amazing results.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at Amazon.com

Too often I hear people give bad advice to others about how to talk with new potential clients. Rather than focus on what the customer is trying to accomplish now, they try to get their foot in the door for a long-term relationship with the company.

It’s like talking about marriage, kids and and the white picket fence before the other person has even committed to a first date.

I know why they do this. Part of it starts with good intentions. As a professional, you want to make sure your new (potential) client has the right information so they can make the best decision about how to accomplish what they want. That’s our job. Customers know what they want. We help them figure out the best way to get it done. So, we need to ask questions and, sometimes, suggest alternatives in the interest of helping them get what they really want.

And this is good. This is as it should be. But then too many people take a wrong turn. They start putting themselves first.

For example, consultants will go into a first interview for a specific short-term project and they talk about being the client’s long term advisor or partner. Something the client has shown absolutely no interest in.

Or, speakers and trainers will meet with potential clients about a single event the client wants done and they talk about multiple workshops, ongoing coaching and strategic consulting to help them accomplish their long term objectives. All they wanted was a 1/2 day training session!

It’s good to help our clients explore possible solutions to help them accomplish their goals. That’s our job. It’s not our job to take them in a different direction because it benefits us. We can justify it by saying “it’s in the customer’s best interest” or “I’m just covering all the bases”. But I don’t buy those excuses.

And the test is simple. If you find yourself always (or almost always) pointing your clients toward the same thing (something that benefits you and is different than what they came to you for) then you’re selling. You’re not helping. And you’re focusing on what you want, not what they want.

So stop doing it.

You might argue that you have to sell your products or services or you’ll be out of business. You argue that need justifies offering those products or service to everyone you speak with.

But that’s wrong. And it will not help you grow your business.

If a client (or potential client) wants something that your product or service does not fit, don’t offer it. Help them find a company that does fit what they need. That’s helping, not selling. And it’s the best way to build a loyal customer base. It’s also the only way to deliver Amazing Service.

The first rule of Amazing Service is to deliver what your customers want, plus a little more. It does NOT say deliver what you want and hope it helps your customer get what they want.

Some people will read this and say “What’s wrong with trying to establish a long-term relationship with a client?” Or “What’s wrong with trying to look beyond their current need and help them with potential future needs?”

There’s nothing wrong looking toward the future. In fact, many clients will appreciate it. But the issue is how and when you do it. Your first obligation is to help them with their current need. Until you’ve done that, you don’t have the right (or, quite likely, the credibility) to talk about the future. Let your client get to know you first. Let your relationship build and develop. Show them how good you are by helping them accomplish what they want now. Demonstrate your ability and willingness to be partner with them.

You need to show them you can be a valuable partner, not tell them. Showing is helping. Telling is selling.

The first step in building a valuable long-term client relationship is helping them. Help your client get what they want and do it so well they’ll be happy to continue doing business with you in the future. Then stay in touch in a professional and helpful way and you’ll have a much better chance of becoming a trusted and valued partner for them.

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Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing service to every customer every time with no exceptions. See his latest book, “More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back” at