The single most important thing to remember about any enterprise is that there are no results inside its walls. The result of a business is a satisfied customer.” ~ Peter Drucker
According to Dr. Theodore Leavitt, Dean of the Harvard Business School, the most valuable asset that a company has is its reputation. Dr. Leavitt defines reputation as “How you are known to your customers”.
In marketing and business, we refer to this as your “positioning” or “brand.” Your reputation is determined by the way that your customers and prospective customers talk about you and your company in the marketplace.
Customer service is those activities provided by a company’s employees that enhance the ability of a customer to realize the full potential value of a product or service before and after the sale is made. This will hopefully lead to customer satisfaction and repurchase.
The interaction anyone has at any level with your company, your employees,including you, gives a customer..whether current, potential,(or internal or external) an opportunity to make a judgment about you, your company, all companies like yours in the industry.
Whether you operate in the online or offline marketplace, one of your primary goals and that of your company should always be superior customer service, which will lead to loyal customers, prospects, downline, etc. and retention.
What is your role as a salesperson? In this clip, Brian explains how your role is the same as a company: Create and Keep Customers!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM3SL-7j0ro[/youtube]
How do you want people to talk about your company ?
Do you want them to say that you have high quality products and services, excellent customer service, before and after the sale, that you are a high integrity company and that your people are some of the nicest people to deal with in the industry?
This brings us to the most important part of this lesson. It is the discovery that your personal reputation is your most valuable asset as well. Your personal reputation, the way that you are known to others and talked about by others when you are not there, is the most valuable asset you have in determining your success and happiness.
People who succeed over the long term are those who have excellent reputations. The people around them respect them and talk highly of them when they are not there. These people are known for certain qualities, especially integrity, honor, straight-forwardness, quality work and dependability.
So, your most valuable reputation is your character. It is your willingness and ability to make commitments and then to keep your word. It is your ability to deliver on your promises, to do what you say you will do, every time, without exception.
What could you begin doing, starting today, to make sure that people talk about you in a positive way after they have done business with you?
- Do you have marketing geared toward your current customers?
- Do you take the trouble to find out things they specifically and generally like and dislike?
- Do you ask what you might do to serve them better?
- Do you find out information about your customers?
Keep a list of their names and addresses so you can keep in constant communication with them. If you have an online business, you can easily build a list with a Capture page, an opt-in form and an auto-responder.
Once you establish your reputation..instead of you looking to find new customers, they will be finding you. In addition to that, their lifetime value will be much greater by your building the greater value into your business. This happens just by catering to your current customers rather than doing the usual routine of chasing after new ones.
That is why you will never lack if you keep your customers coming back !
With the right customer service you can keep your customers for LIFE!
A happy customer is a loyal customer. Loyalty comes by your customers knowing you care about them, are actively educating them in the things they are interested in, and knowing you will continuously be able to meet their needs in the best way for them.
Whether you operate a business offline or online, you will need to exhibit these traits with your customers, your internal organization and online with your downline and your prospects in order to fulfill all of your goals and dreams..
I hope you got some great value out of this post today! Please leave me a comment down below and let me know what you liked the most. What have you done to ensure customer or downline loyalty?
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To your success,
Marc@gamechangingsuccess.com
Network Marketing Coach
Continuous Learning Advocate
Skype: healthysuccess
(973) 879-1627
Check Out “The Art Of Closing The Sale
About Marc Korn
Marc Korn is an advocate of continuous learning. Success online and in the offline world is all about training and learning from the experts.... throughout history the common denominator among successful people has been continuing education.Marc is passionate about Network Marketing and helping others.He has learned that Network Marketing is not about recruit, recruit, recruit or sell, sell, sell...but about people.The most gratifying way to achieve success is to help others become successful first.Marc enjoys introducing people to systems and opportunities that will help them to earn additional income working from home.There is no reason why you need to learn it all by yourself. Join Marc and his Tribe mates to see how they can help you.
Hey Marc, enjoyed the video and love that cartoon! Ah, those darn customers, huh? I remember one time when I was still in hotel sales our hotel had a period of several weeks of being seriously overbooked and we had to walk guests to other hotels in the resort. Not fun for anyone. One day I was behind the front desk printing a report and I noticed the clerks clearly avoiding eye contact with the guests standing at the counter. Ah ha! The old “maybe if I don’t look at her she won’t yell at me” ploy! I quickly called a couple of my sales staff up to the front desk to help out and long story short – we were able to demonstrate to the clerks that with a little sincere TLC and eye contact, everything went SO much smoother. In fact most of the guests we walked to other hotels returned once rooms opened again, and many rebooked for the following year before they left.
Hey Marty,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
Great story, thanks for sharing. Top customer service is about being proactive, NOT avoiding the situation.
When you can turn a negative situation into something more positive for your customers, they will remember you and keep coming back and referring others.
Situations like that can be excellent opportunities for business growth if handled properly, just like you handled your situation.
Customers just want to be treated fairly and with honesty and if we provide that, we will have great customer retention. Honesty is always the best policy and you are better off telling a customer something they would rather not hear, rather than telling them nothing at all or being deceptive.
To your continued success,
Marc
What have I done to keep a customer.
Service calls at there house on a Sunday.
Seems small now that I type it out, but at the time it felt like I did them a huge favor.
Thanks for a very informative post, I look forward to the next one
Ben
Hi Ben,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
Don’t sell yourself short, that is exceptional service. Most businesses will not do that and it will separate you from the rest and is a great selling proposition.
Customer service with a smile, even house calls on a Sunday!!
Keep up the great customer service,
Marc
Marc,
This is a great post. I have worked as a customer service rep. for many years, it can be a thankless job, but it is an important one. I make a point of letting supervisors, etc. know if an individual as been great! I know what it’s like to not be acknowledged. That being said I let them know if I am treated ignorantly and will deal with certain companies strictly because of their customer service. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hey Lynda,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
In my offline career, I have developed and managed Customer Service and Sales Service departments for over 25 years and you are so correct, it can be thankless, but it is a critical component. Without a happy customer base, you will NOT have a long term successful business.
I have always made a point of making sure that the customer service reps I deal with know they are appreciated and like you, I always make it a point to inform a Supervisor when I see exceptional service…it must be acknowledged.
To your continued success,
Marc
This is an excellent post Marc!
Customer service is King.
If people in business and businesses themselves would realize this more and more people and the business would be more successful!
Businesses say oh we can just get more customers, that is not the way it works.
Go the extra mile and make the customer happy today.
Thanks for sharing Marc!
Hi Diva Maggie,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
Customer Service is KING..you are so correct.
It is all about making your current customers happy, customer retention and word of mouth referrals.
If you don’t have that reputation, you will constantly be looking to replace the customers that you lose and that is NOT easy…
To your continued wisdom,
Marc
Hi Marc,
Brian Tracy is one of the masters of customer service and leadership. Wonderful video and post.
It’s simple to be phenomenal in the customer service department: learn how to listen, and act on the feedback you receive. Be willing to help, to nurture, to lead, and your business can take off by leaps and bounds.
For every happy customer you receive, they will recruit other people into your business by simple word of mouth. Acts like a charm.
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Hey Ryan,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
Yes, Brian is a tremendous teacher and a true master of the art of Sales and Customer service.
Yes, it is simple to master the art of customer service, yet there are so many that don’t understand the true value and importance and don’t take the time and make the effort.
Those that do, will reap the benefit.
To your continued success,
Marc
Excellent post Marc! Integrity is king! If you put others needs first, solve problems and follow through on your word, they will be life long customers and business partners. Thanks for sharing!
Marc, wonderful exposure to the hard truth…..
I agree with customer service, must be excellent to the point of people willing to seek working with you based on the transparency, and support given to them in every situation. Providing the best as you would only expect for yourself, is the key. To WOW them, in all given area’s of support. Going beyond basics. Living to serve others is what I am all about. When you love what you do, there is no stopping how far you go in supporting all the people who you accepted, to help achieve great levels of accomplishments.
With our business it’s all ways about understanding and supporting the people. They come first and we must allow ourselves to be transparent, and always only utilize ethical behavior. Being passionate about what your doing, will reflect character. Which is a strong supportive component in the formula for excellent customer service.
Marc, your an expert in this field and your knowledge is right on point. This information is actually the formula to success in learning how to provide a high quality service for all people. This is the place to gain that knowledge that will take any business to the highest level.
Well done, once again and it is always a pleasure being involved with such a supportive person as yourself. Marc, I look forward to many years of success, as we lead by example. I soon will be well to continue forward with all the energy required to keep up with your strength in leadership.
Hey Marc,
I have tremendous regard for another early pioneer of contrarian customer service, Sir Richard Branson, due to the way he built his Virgin empire with the base as his employees.
He rightly set out this process in motion at a time when most businesses were doing the opposite; excessive adulation of customers to the point that employee welfare fell to the background.
Branson built his customer service on extremely efficient employees as he placed them above the customer by truly, and I mean TRULY, taking care of them. The result was tremendous job satisfaction, MASSIVE productivity boost and a pride in ownership. And the customers kept coming. Just view their FB fan page interaction with customers.
And the rest is history!
Yasser Khan
Excellent post Marc!
What I do is help when they need it with no strings attached.
I agree with what you replied to above, it is best to be honest with your customers.
If you are, they will understand.
Thanks
Peter
Hey Marc,
Nice post.I fully agree with you that reputation is the most valuable asset of a company.It takes years of hard work to make a brand name that people can trust upon and follow.It is always advisable to provide the customer with the best of services for what he is paying.Because the product or the service may deplete but the name is what customer retains and which is enough to spread the goodwill.
Marc,
I had to return based on this needed subject matter. This is critical in all our businesses. We must learn to be transparent in all our ethical activities with everyone we come in contact with. They are going to be our future clients/members.
We are viewed by our actions and words. You must do as you say and act as if you want to retain that person as a life long customer and friend. Giving support in all areas that may come up. Being that go to guy who all can count on.
Marc you have so much experience in customer retention. I am blessed to be involved with such a leader of men. Thanks for sharing.
Just keep them smiling and happy. They will love your honesty and persistence in making them comfortable in all situations.
Great post, Marc! I think that I am still trying to figure out how best to provide that need, but one thing that I always do is make sure that I talk to the people who subscribe to my list. When I do this, I can get a good feel for what they were looking for when they signed up and how to make my follow-ups work best for them.
Hello Marc
Peter Drucker’s statement “The result of a business is a satisfied customer”, is the core of a business. Sometime in our current culture it seems that everyone is looking at other thing than their satisfied customers. One of the best ways to have a satisfied customer is under promise and over perform. In other word cut out the hype. Excellent post.
Thanks
Perry A Davis Jr
Music City
Hey, Marc,
think you are right with all of what you pointed out here. Although reputation is how customers see us, the best result of business is having a customer satisfied. This is, of course, because customer is the one that always has the right. We all want from customers to talk good about us and we are always ready to build relationships with them, as well as to appreciate their loyalty and brand ourselves through them.
Hi Marc
I just realized that you had a video to show which I cannot accessed (mentioned in Marty’s comment). Nevertheless, I am sure it is informative.
You asked what is our most valued assets??? Agree, your reputation…
For once if your reputation is smeared you’ll have to go to damage control mode. It is much easier to retained good relationship and trust from your customers than try to rectify the wrong.
We have to consistently be transparent and genuine. When customer knows the inside and out of you there is no saying what they can do for your reputation. So, if you are a person who is to them that when you say white is white and black is black than you will for sure have their loyalty for a long time to come….Therefore, honesty ,integrity and sincerity is a great trait to building a trusting relationship with your customer..Thanks Marc for an excellent post..
Reputation is all we have in the end and how we treat ourselves and our customers is critical to our business whether we are online or offline. The questions you post are definitely ones to continually revisit and to evaluate the answers. Thanks for getting my thinking juices flowing this morning.