Walk With Your Customer Through The Problem

As a Servant Sales Person or any other kind of sales person, the fact is, you will have some problems associated with what you sell. The critical thing is that you walk with your customer through the problem and work to manage or solve it for him or her. I have sold in an industry for many years where we set up an opportunity to sell our product to members of an organization. At one point we hired a sales person who criminally took credit card numbers from our customers to pay personal bills. I can’t tell you the pain, anguish, and humiliation I felt as I went in to explain this violation to the leaders of the 4 organizations involved. It was one of the most difficult moments of my life.

I was amazed, when 3 years later, these organizations each called me back to do another program with them. I’m not sure I would have been so forgiving. In fact, I’ve switched vendors for much less. But here’s my point, many customers will endure a poor service experience if you are straight with them, take the heat, and work closely to get the issues resolved. If you excuse it, bail on them, fail to take responsibility, or remain disengaged, you’ll lose the account. I guarantee it.

If you work in an industry that depends on repeat business, that benefits when a customer returns to buy over and over, stay close to your customer. Stay even closer when they’re having a problem. If you work in a rare industry that rarely gets repeat business, stay close anyway. It’s the right thing to do.

5 Languages of Apology For Salespeople

Expressing Regret… "I am sorry."
Accepting Responsibility… "I was wrong."
Making Restitution… "What can I do to make it right?"
Genuine Repenting… "I’ll try not to do that again."
Requesting Forgiveness… "Will you please forgive me?"

These are the Five Languages of Apology as listed by Gary Chapman who wrote a recent book by the same title. Chapman wrote for couples, families, friends, and those in intimate relationships but his thoughts have great business application as well. His primary thesis is that different people have different needs with regard to apology and what will begin healing and restoration after an offense.

In a relationship, you may have the luxury of getting to know your significant others well enough to know there specific language of apology and what they need from you. In business, I would suggest you might want to cover all the bases like the Starbucks barrista did in yesterday’s post. She perfectly nailed at least 4 out of 5.

Consider the offenses that most frequently happen as you sell to and serve your customers. Put together a game plan that covers most of the 5 languages. You will build stronger business relationships and who knows, some of this might overflow into personal life as well.

Service Recovery In Opportunity

Is there Opportunity in America? I found out their was working with a World Class Sales Representative the week of October 1, 2007. Jesse Achenbach and I were going over his territory and making a game plan for the next quarter at a Starbucks in Opportunity, Washington, a Spokane suburb. I placed my order as I do most everyday at Starbucks in Somecity, USA. Business was brisk and horror of horrors the barrista forgot to make my order. After about 10 minutes I went to check on it and my person who happened to be one of Starbucks highly trained Coffee Masters, fell on the sword, apologized profusely, and told me she would have it right out…. Which she did.

Then she bought my loyalty forever. With my drink she presented me a coupon specifically designed for moments like this. It was a promise of a free cup of anything, anywhere I can find a Starbucks. If your town is like mine, that won’t be hard. Starbucks has always given me such wonderful service, it never much occurred to me that they would need to be prepared for service recovery, but world class organization that they are, service recovery is in their playbook.

Breaking it down, the barrista did 4 things brilliantly:

1. She took responsibility and told me it was her fault. I’m not sure that it was because she took my order and rarely does the order taker actually make the order in a busy Starbucks location. So she not only took responsibility but more than likely took it when someone else was actually at fault. Much harder to do in my opinion.

2. Then she apologized. It was a genuine apology that showed true embarrassment for the service glitch.

3. She fast-tracked my order and got it out quickly.

4. She made amends. She presented me with the coupon in recognition that my time is valuable and so is my patronage.

Now back to the opportunity tie-in. I honestly never knew before this day that there was a city named Opportunity. But here is my point. Every day in business we have an opportunity to serve our customers in ways that will create future business opportunities, not only with them, but also with their friends and acquaintances. Starbucks depends on this almost completely as they really have almost no formal advertising budget. They rely on word of mouth and customer experience almost exclusively.

Hopefully most days our service level is world class. But even in the best companies with the best employees, the wheels will occasionally come off. The point is that this is another opportunity. In some ways it is even a bigger opportunity. I dare say I am more committed to Starbucks after this mishap because of the way they took care of me. Starbucks offers a pretty consistent world class product in my opinion. They also offer pretty consistent world class service. Now I know they offer world class service recovery. How about you?

I hope this is a part of your companies culture. But if it’s not, you can do it on your own. I have dug in my own pocket on more than one occasion to make service recovery happen. Sometimes I was recovering from my own mistake. Other times I was recovering from the mistake of an associate. The bottom line is that every day we all have the opportunity to offer world class service… and when we don’t… we can offer world class service recovery.

Joe Gandolpho is known as the World's Greatest Car Salesman. His philosophy was this: I hope I sell you a lemon... then I'll show you how well I can produce with the service department. For Joe, selling a lemon was an opportunity.

Servant Selling In A Company Weak On Customer Experience

This week I’m going to talk about customer service failure of different kinds, and how to respond. Even great service companies fail from time to time. But what if you find yourself working in an environment that is mediocre or often falls short of what you hope to represent as a sales person? Is it possible to soar with the eagles when you sometimes work with turkeys?

Let me share a story. Denny Flanagan is a pilot with an airline that according to the Wall Street Journal, ranked in the middle of the airline pack in on-time arrivals and mishandled baggage in the first half of 2007. The airline was next-to-worst in consumer complaints. I won’t share the name of the company but the initials are United Air Lines. Wouldn’t you agree that in this environment it would be harder to offer great service than while working for the more customer friendly Southwest?

Denny’s story is amazing. According to the Wall Street Journal article from August 28, 2007 he regularly snaps pictures of pets in cargo compartments and shares them with their owners so that they know they are safely on board. He has flight attendants raffle 10% off discount coupons and unopened bottles of wine. He writes notes on the back of his business card to elite level frequent flyers thanking them for their business.

It gets better. If flights are delayed or diverted to other cities because of the storms, Capt. Flanagan tries to find a McDonald’s where he can get a hold of 200 hamburgers. When unaccompanied children are on the flights, he personally calls parents with updates to reassure them everything is okay.

On one flight, Ajoke Odumosu, a track star at the University of South Alabama who was on her way to Osaka, Japan, for a world-championship competition, realized that when she began her trip with US Airways Group Inc., her luggage had been checked only as far as San Francisco. With the delay, there wouldn't be time to retrieve it and recheck it for Japan. Capt. Flanagan called Chicago and learned that the luggage was already in metal containers ready for loading on the 767, and couldn't be retagged. He called San Francisco and found a manager who agreed to pull Ms. Odumosu's bags aside and retag them for Osaka. In all, he spent 15 minutes on the problem.

To give United Air Lines some credit, they do reimburse many of Flanagan’s purchases on behalf of their customers. And they are now working to help other employees adopt some of his ideas.

Now, back to my original question. Can you give great service in an environment that is not particularly conducive to great service? Capt. Flanagan consistently proves you can. And more than that, his example is making some difference through out the company. Will United turn around and become a company noted for great customer service? Should you stay with your current company and make a difference? Or should you leave and find work with a service superstar? I don’t know the answer to those questions. I’ve wrestled with those myself at different stages of my career. But whatever you decide, you can personally sell ethically, and give great service even while working from an organization that is service challenged.

This Is Sunday...I'm Recharging!

Creating Your Own "Customer Journey Map"

This week we have talked about Servant Selling in a Competitive Environment and how to use outstanding service as a competitive advantage. Customer Journey Mapping is yet another way to examine the experiences you are giving your customers and map out ways to improve that service. As you work through the map, initially resist the urge to include the service other people in your organization are giving. Focus on the the things that happen on your watch first. In latter posts I will talk extensively about ways you can raise the level of service in other departments of your organization. Make sure you are a model of service before you begin to help others.

(To print this out, hold your curser over the document, single right click, select copy, then paste it into a document in a program like Microsoft Publisher, Word, or Apple Pages. Then size it and print as you normally would.)

Build Your Very Own "Purple Cow"

Your “Purple Cow” is a concept developed by the super successful marketing guru Seth Godin. A purple cow is something remarkable...worth talking about… worth noticing...exceptional...new...interesting. Boring stuff is invisible… it’s a brown cow.

Purple Cows are what MOOOOOOVES an account toward your solution.

Because Purple Cows are a breed apart and best of breed.. They are what set you apart from the heard.

Purple cows serve your customer

Purple cows crush the competition.

Purple cows insure repeat business.

Purple cows build your own brand inside and outside the company.


Think about “soft innovations”, the ones you could do without hiring engineers or getting anyone’s approval. How could you improve response time, customer access, improve communication, increase friendliness, increase fun, make the customers use easier, guarantee your service, increase trust, reduce risk. How could you manage your time differently, dress differently, show up with a different attitude? How could you do something remarkable, worth talking about? How could you become or create the next Purple Cow?

If you'd like to study the "Purple Cow' concept more click on the links below and purchase one of Seth Godin's Books.
The Servant Selling Store - Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
The Servant Selling Store - The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable
The Servant Selling Store - Free Prize Inside: The Next Big Marketing Idea
The Servant Selling Store - 99 Cows

The "Outer Limits"

When I was growing up their was a great television show called “The Outer Limits”. It was kind of a Science Fiction deal. What I remember most about the show was the spectacular opening where we we’re warned not to touch the TV and they would be in control of all we would see and hear. (Click on the You Tube and you will see what I’m talking about.)

Harvard’s Ted Levitt's "Total Customer Concept" provides a lens or device that is a great tool to help businesses and salespeople move into “The Outer Limits” of their serving potential. In Tom Peter’s book Thriving On Chaos, he does a wonderful job walking us through Levitt’s device as it applies to Nordstroms, a store most readers have access to. I have my own Nordstrom story that I’ll undoubtedly share in a later post.

At the generic level, the store provides four walls and the category of goods traditional to an upscale specialty clothing retailer. At the expected level, hours are standard and fashions are timely. At the augmented level, Nordstroms spends heavily on “overstaff” the sales floor with “over paid” people by traditional standards. It likewise “overspends” to insure availability of more sizes and colors than usual. And it “overspends” again to maintain numerous, close-to-the-market buying offices which cater to specialized, local tastes.

It is at the potential level, however, that Nordstrom really lives it’s “No Problem at Nordstrom” logo: the flowers in the dressing rooms; a grand piano, with pianist, in each store, the losses from the few who doubtless do take advantage of the “return anything” policy; the empowerment of salespeople to deal with almost all problems on the spot; the routine performance of exceptional acts of service, such as the ones described above.

Peter’s suggests that it is at “The Outer Limits”, the circles of augmentation and potential that huge differences are made in the buying experience and thus customer loyalty. It is at ‘The Outer Limits” where these companies take “complete control” of your perception of what you “see and hear”. He goes on to say that most of this is done through a thousand tiny differentiating details, non of which is very earth-shaking on it’s own.

Assuming you don’t already work in a Nordstrom type of operation, your job as a Servant Sales Person is to start “A Revolution” from the bottom, the middle, or where ever you happen to work. The place to start is with your area of direct control. As you deliver consistent augmented and potential service in your own domain, begin the process of pushing it out into other parts of the organization. Just make sure you get your part in “The Outer Limits” first.

Lets’ get started. Make a list of what would be considered Basic (Generic), Better (Expected), Best (Augmented), and Breakaway (Potential) in your job. Keep working with your list. This is a career long exercise.

Basic (Generic):

Better (Expected):

Best (Augmented):

Breakaway or Break Through (Potential):

Chewing Gum and Serving With Great Design

Business Consultant Tom Peters has been touting design as the key Sales Advantage in the 21st Century well before that Century saw it’s first day. I listened to him rant about the superior design of everything from Apple Computers to Oxo Kitchen Tools. He’s been right of course and I’ve seen the evolution in the directory publishing business I work in for the last 14 years. Even churches are becoming highly design conscious with hipper cooler environments and print materials.

I never really thought about it much with regard to chewing gum until I read the October 2007 Fast Company article written by Evan West. I mostly thought of chewing gum as a commodity with a couple of features and benefits that would determine an individuals choice. The article got me thinking about my own choice of gum and at the time of writing this article I actually came up with at least 16 different feature/factors that at least slightly influence me personally. More on that later.

In the article West tell us that in 2005, Wrigley, the 116 year old leading chewing gum manufacturer opened a brand new 45 million global innovation center to design the chewing gum of tomorrow. Who knew?

The first new product to emerge from this high tech facility is a high concept brand called 5. West says the development of 5 came out of a management edict to make an impact with image conscious young adults who see gum as an expression of who they are. Much of the idea went well beyond the usual issues such as flavor intensity and flavor longevity. With regard to package design Wrigley went where no gum manufacturer had gone before. Shooting for packaging that would make young adults feel comfortable with putting their chewing gum package next to their Ipod they came up with a stylish, dark, sleek pack that masquerades as an accessory.

Before I embark on the description of my own reasons for personal selection let me first give a brief history of my involvement with chewing gum. I never chewed a lot of gum in early childhood and I didn’t eat much candy either. Beyond an occasional stick my mom offered me or the Clorets brand my Grandma Cobb chewed I just wasn’t a fan.

I really preferred Lifesaver’s as a candy and tended to use them as breath fresheners as well. I usually went for the fruity flavors until I learned that you could actually create a spark flash in your mouth with the wintergreen ones. How cool is that? And besides, to be really honest, chewing gum required some extra effort and made me tired.

My first real desire for gum came when I made the 8th grade junior high baseball team at Hamilton Junior High in Fresno, California. It was an honor to make it as an 8th grader on a team that was mostly made up of 9th graders. One of those 9th graders was 3rd baseman George Kawalski. Not only did George play the position I hoped to start at the following year he brought huge sacks of bubble gum to the games. George was a little choosey about who he offered his gum to and when he started offering it to me it was a sign I was working my way into the coveted inner circle of 9th graders.

George’s gum was actually gum balls and a little hard to get started. Further more I had something of a developmental disability in that by the spring of 8th grade I still had never actually blown a bubble. It was a thrill sitting there on the bench to finally see a big beautiful bubble come out of my mouth. In fact, it was such a thrill I had to shout it to everyone sitting next to me on the bench right after it happened. This probably wasn’t the coolest thing I ever did, but to be honest I really wasn’t that cool any way.

I really switched over to gum as my breath freshener of choice sometime in my late 30’s or early 40’s. But here again I experienced a setback. My significant other informed me one day that I didn’t chew my gum correctly. She didn’t make any references to cows or anything but I got the message. This sent me into a bit of a sensitive period not really knowing which way to turn. My sinuses were getting worse and a good breath freshener was becoming important.

Today, I am an avid gum chewer even though my Dentist advises me it can lead to tmj and related jaw problems. Every once in awhile I take a few days off if I’m not going to be around people much. With that as a back drop now I will share the different features and factors that lead me too my current choice. Until I really started thinking about them as a whole I was totally unaware so many different things had influenced my selection.

Flavor Category - My first choice is peppermint. It used to be spearmint but somewhere along the line I evolved. Since most gum’s have a peppermint as a flavor category this is not a big issue.

Individualized Flavor - All peppermints are not exactly the same. I can’t tell you how exactly except that they have slightly different taste qualities

Hit - Apparently “hit” is important to a lot of people because according to West’s article it is one of the features that the innovative people at Wrigley work on constantly. “Hit” is the initial flavor intensity.

Burst - I believe “Burst” is a relatively new feature offered in chewing gums. These gums have a liquid center that offers quick squirt with the initial bite.

Flavor Longevity - How long does it last? I have to tell you that I have tried more than one gum that I really liked but stopped because the flavor quit too soon. My experience is that fruity gums burn out before minty gums but I have know science to verify this.

Breath Impact - I switched from one brand I really liked because a friend at church just couldn’t bear it. My fear was that others might feel the same.

Start Softness - I don’t like to work to hard to get a gum going. A person only has so much energy.

Wad or Chomp Size - I tend to like a smaller chew that encourages small mouth movements. I’m still sensitive about looking bad while chewing.

Fatigue Factor - This is primarily related to start softness and wad or chomp size but I list it here as a feature un to its own.

Healthy Ingredients - My dentist of course recommends sugar less gum if some feels they must chew gum at all. It reduces tooth decay. But beyond that sweeteners have other health issues. Trident has come out with gums that use xylitol which is a sweetener from the birch tree. This has many chemical benefits including actually being an infection, decay, and bacteria fighter in addition to being generally healthy. My friend Brad Vander Ley turned me on to Trident Tropical Twist which I chewed until a friend at church started complaining every week.

Package Profile - By profile I mean how much it causes a bulge in your shirt or coat pocket. Women who keep their gum in a purse probably could care less about this feature but as a guy who keeps his gum in a clothing pocket this is important to me.

Package Access - How hard is it to get the gum out and into my mouth? My current gum is top drawer on this feature. This is somewhat about frustration and ease but it is also about how quickly you can get a piece in your mouth without making a huge scene. I like my gum popping to be subtle and for the most part unnoticed.

Package Hipness - I have to admit, even at age fifty I am a sucker for cooler hipper packaging. I think Wrigley is on to something. I do want my gum to look cool on the table next to my Ipod.

Name - I like cool names too. “5” is a great name. I’m not sure why… I just like it.

Manufacturer - This isn’t huge for me but I do like a reputable brand name.

Whitening - Tooth Whitening is big business these days and Wrigley’s has come out with a version of it’s Industry Top Seller Orbit Brand that whitens as you chew.

Bubble Blow Ability - I haven’t thought a lot about this benefit since my baseball days with George Kawalski but I bet the Bubblicious Brand people have.

Caffeine Kick - You can get Mad Croc which is an energy gum.

Weight Loss - Chewing gum is already a known calorie burner. Some brands have added green tea to enhance this effect.

If you’ve stayed with me this far you may be curious…. What is my current brand etc? As of this writing I chew Dentyne Ice in the Peppermint flavor. I am also chewing it's sister product, Dentyne Blast in the Chocomint Flavor. They don’t have everything I want in the super premium gum category. I wish they used xylitol as a sweetener because I think it’s healthier. And their packaging isn’t as hip and cool as Wrigley’s new “5” is.

Wrigley got my attention and caused me to buy a few packs of “5” but they really lost me on access. The cigarette style case is clumsy to get open and closed and the sticks are individually wrapped. I can’t get to this gum easily. Further, the chomp size is too large. I feel like a cow chewing the stuff. The flavor is great and I love the look of the package. A few adjustments and they would have me.

Now what does this all have to do with selling? I have never really ever had the privilege of receiving a sales presentation on a package of chewing gum... unless you count TV Commercials which really are a form of Sales Presentation. But after thinking through all this I bet I could be a great gum salesman. I bet countless consumers could be persuaded to select a gum more in keeping with their preferences… many of which they didn’t even realize they had.

I sure never realized I had all these preferences until Fast Company and Adam West came along with an article that got me thinking. Wrigley knows that gum is not just a commodity… so much so that they were willing to sink 45 million into an innovation center. And that’s just the start. That center has to be filled with employees, many of them highly paid researchers.

What do you sell and what are your customers preferences. Are you asking them? Are you doing a great job of communicating what’s great about your product or service in language they understand? Do you explain how these features really benefit them? These questions are core to becoming a true Servant Salesperson.

As a sales manager over the years, I have often ridden with sales people who assume our product is a commodity. They grab any old sample out of the trunk with no thought of matching the samples to the style and preferences of the customer they are calling on. Our product/service is designed with about 35 feature and benefit sets that no one else in our industry matches. Only our top sales people regularly highlight these in an interactive presentation crafted to each customers individual preferences.

Tom Peters is right. Design is the critical feature set of the 21st century. Some of that design is functional, practical, and use oriented. Much of the design is becoming aesthetic with more importance gravitating toward how the product looks and feels.

Whatever you sell, pay close attention to how you communicate specific product design created with the customer in mind. It will make you more sales.

Competing and "Connoisseuring"

I once attended a coffee tasting at my neighborhood Starbucks. I had wanted to do this for a long time but the scheduling just never worked out. We tasted Joya Del Via first which is a Latin American Coffee. The name means Jewel of the Day in Spanish. Then we tasted “Eubora” an East African Coffee. The name means Quality and Excellence in Swahili. I was delighted to be able to identify the earthiness in the flavor of Joya Del Via and the citrus qualities of Eubora.

The Coffee Master taught us to swirl the cup and smell the aroma first and only then to take a sip and let it envelop your entire tongue. We were taught the importance of pairings. Joya Del Via was paired with a special Starbucks chocolate cake and Eubora with an apple crumb crisp dessert. I loved the whole experience and plan to do it again. In fact I now have a Starbucks Coffee Passport and plan to work my way through it.

I have never taken a wine tasting class, but I was so encouraged by this experience, I think I may give that a try. I think this is all part of learning how to Savor Life which has been a growing theme for me in the past few years. Savoring requires slowing down, noticing stuff, and learning to make distinctions. Let’s pull each of those three ideas out for minute.

Savoring doesn’t happen fast. In fact, in my dictionary, savor is defined as “enjoying something unhurriedly”. Speed kills the savored moment.

Savoring requires that you begin to observe, to notice, to pay attention to detail. Savoring is a sensory experience. In the culinary area with food and beverage this involves not only taste and smell, but also texture, and sight. I don’t know a lot about wine tasting, but I do know that it involves at least these four senses.. Sight allows you to notice the wines legs which is indicative of viscosity. Sense of smell introduces the bouquet. Taste allows you discern a whole host of flavors unique to each individual wine. Then there is texture and mouth feel.

All of that slowing down and noticing leads to making fine distinctions in each of the categories mentioned. It becomes possible to pull the pieces of the experience apart and notice them individually and in whole.

This process allows someone to place a higher value on something. It also can lead to communicating that higher value and ending up with higher shared values. My wife and I sometimes take walks in the neighborhood. She has many qualities, but one of her finest is the ability to savor nature including animals, sunsets, cloud formations, all kinds of things. When I walked I tended to use the time to go inside and think. But notices everything around her, all the beauty in great detail. She continually points things out that I would have missed. Just like the Starbucks Coffee Master she is attuned to the details.

I am increasingly convinced that all of life can become like this by working on it with intention. We can learn to savor every moment for some aspect of beauty.

What does all this have to do with sales? I believe great sales people learn to be connoisseurs of the their product line. They learn to slow down, notice stuff, and develop the ability to see fine distinctions of value in their product of service. Then like a coffee master they learn to help others see those distinctions. They point out the counterparts to the legs, bouquet , mouth feel , and earthy or fruity flavor. They guide others into the experience and help them become connoisseurs in their own right.

The dictionary says a connoisseur is “someone who has specialist knowledge of or training in a particular field of the fine or domestic arts, or whose taste in such a field is considered to be discriminating”. That sounds like a pretty good definition of some traits of great sales people I’ve seen in operation.

As I said previously I try very hard to select samples that pull on heart strings. Some things need to be pointed out though. If you don’t go through the details people may assume you are a commodity with a product/service/program that is just like every one else presents or what they have seen before.

I talk about protective coatings, magazine grade paper, color, and composition. You want to help your prospective customer become a connoisseur of what ever you sell. Consider talking a wine tasting class or a coffee class from Starbucks. Learn about bouquet, legs, and all that goes into a great wine. Learn about the coffees and where they are grown and how the soil and moisture impacts flavor. Learn about roasting. In short learn the romance. Go to a jeweler and have them teach you about color, cut, and clarity.

Catch some of there passion and watch how they romance their product. Then come back and learn to communicate the virtues of your product in the same way. Go out and turn your customers into certifiable snobs who wouldn’t stand for any less than the quality you offer.


What do you sell? Do you have specialized knowledge of your product/service? Have you acquired a taste for your field so much so that you might even be considered discriminating? If you develop that discrimination and learn how to communicate it accurately it will increase your success dramatically.

Does It Serve Your Customer When You Vigorously Compete?

Absolutely!!!!! Competing vigorously and respectfully is one of the highest values you can offer your customers and clients. You owe it to them to honestly share what set’s your company, products, and service apart. What is it that makes you unique? In fact, sharing anything less than that is down right disrespectful.

Competition is often what drives improved service in the marketplace. You add something great and then your competitor adds something great. Everybody wins. Your customer gets a better product or service and you are driven to provide a better product or service.

One of my fears in adopting the “Servant Selling” Brand was that it would be viewed as wimpy or somehow weak. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Servant Salesperson paradoxically combines great sensitivity with great boldness. And part of that boldness is unabashedly communicating your uniqueness in the marketplace.

Servant Selling should even move beyond communicating uniqueness into creating uniqueness. This may happen at a couple of different levels. The first level is creating uniqueness in how you conduct your part of the business. It may be as simple as giving out your cell number, home number, or securing a blackberry so a customer who prefers to communicate through email can reach you 24/7. It may mean building or assembling presentation tools that allow you to communicate your companies strengths more clearly. The ways you can personally offer better service from the sales position are almost endless.

The second way a sales professional can move into the realm of creating competitive uniqueness is by partnering with others in the organization. Over time you can develop tremendous influence in how your product or service is designed. This design shaping may include aesthetics or functional elements that will in the end better serve your customers or clients. It may be as simple as making sure both the positive and negative customer feedback you receive, get to the people who can stay the course or make needed changes.

This week we are going to look at competing in the marketplace from a Servant Selling perspective. Watch the following YouTube sequence of the Apple Computer ads. Apple has creatively put together what comedians call a "running gag" that is designed to showcase it's uniqueness in comparison to a pc. Allow the ad to help you think deeper about your own company's uniqueness in your market niche. Make lists of what sets you apart from your competitors. Think about how you comunicate those things that set you apart. Write down any ideas that might help you communicate more clearly or concisely. Then think about things you could do to better serve your customer and set your company apart. Write that down. And finally, think about things that your company could be doing differently that would better serve the customer and create great competitive advantage. Write that down.

We'll continue our discussion tomorrow...

It's Sunday.... I'm Recharging!

"Our Business Is Fun"

This was the company motto for Wham-O co-founded by Rich Knerr and Spud Melin. Knerr passed away this week at his suburban home in Arcadia, California. He was 82.

Knerr and Melin went into business in 1948 making $2 a day selling sling shots they made out of old orange crates in Knerr’s garage. The name Wham-o came from the sound Melin liked to make every time he fired one of his sling shots.

In 1958, they introduced the whole country to a round plastic hoop that became a national craze. These “Hoola Hoops” selling for .98 cents a piece were purchased by millions. Just as that fad ended they introduced the one that has produced endless hours of fun for my Labrador Retriever Sammy. The Frisbee is still popular today and has morphed into Frisbee Golf, Frisbee Football, and many other games. They also introduced the world to the Slip ‘N Slide, Silly String, and the Super Ball.

What’s all this got to do with Servant Selling? Actually, quite a lot. The fact is, if your not having a great time serving, your service will eventually, if not immediately become sub par. Fun should be a mandatory part of service you offer, regardless of what you sell.

Dee Hock, the man who turned Visa into a One Trillion Dollar company says, “The only serious work that ever occurs is with an incredible amount of laughter. You can count on it. It’s as close to a law of the universe as you can get. Where there is a group of people assembled in serious, somber, ponderous conduct, nothing is happening.”

My experience confirms this. My friend in Charlotte North Carolina, Billy Stegall is one of the most successful sales people and sales trainers I have ever known. Fun is his number one tool. It’s the same with my record busting friend, Earl Estep in Sacramento. My friend Brad Vander Ley from Denver, Colorado regularly starts off a relationship with a new rep by helping them figure out how to make the business fun. They all have different personalities, but they know how to have fun.

If you are serious about serving, selling, and success… lighten up. Have fun. If it’s not fun, you won’t spend the time to be great… and greatness is where all the money is. That’s not to say you won’t take some hard knocks in the business of selling. You will. But I always remember the advice of football coach turned commentator John Madden, “When you get hit hard, the best thing you can do is laugh.” True in football and true in Servant Selling.

Servant Selling = Supporting Dreams and Goals

Servant Selling is all about helping people reach their dreams and goals. The product you sell may do this directly. In other words you are selling their dream house, dream car etc… What you sell may also be helping people reach their goals indirectly. The specific item is just the vehicle. I am involved with selling a product that more often than not is a vehicle to another dream or goal. Often this is building community, communication, and a sense of group identity within an organization. We also sell family portraits which may be a vehicle to a well decorated home that truly reflects the family identity. Portraits may be a vehicle to share family pride as you pull out those wallets. They may help a child feel important or valued as he or she see's their portrait displayed prominently in the home.

A car may be the dream itself. But it also may be a vehicle to get a date and marriage for a young man. It may be a vehicle to independence. It may be a vehicle to safely and conveniently hauling your kids to soccer practice or a trip to Disneyland this summer. It may be vehicle that communicates success or "having arrived".

A dream home may be the perfect floor plan and architecture but it also may be a safe neighborhood. It may be the place where the kids can grow up and walk to school. It may be the place to retire and a base to travel from.

In some instances Servant Selling may also be about helping people adjust their goals to something that is really attainable. Without pouring water on someone’s dreams it may be they just can’t get there from where they are, and you need to help them see what's really possible. If I walked into the sporting goods store tomorrow and bought a set of boxing gloves to start training for my dream of fighting Mike Tyson I hope the salesman would set me straight. I'm too old, I'm too slow, and I'm too small. Of course helping people adjust their dreams is a sensitive matter that must be done with great respect.

Take a moment and jot down some ideas on how what you sell connects people with their dreams. Keep the list, shape it, and add to it over time. Think about ways to communicate this connection in your sales and marketing efforts.

Be The "Go To Person".... Serving and Solving Problems Outside Your Solution

I used to love to watch the original version of the Christmas Classic, Miracle on 34th Street. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is where Kris Kringle sends a customer from Macy’s where he is working over to Gimble’s, the competitor. I have no problem recommending a competitor in a product niche we don’t serve. I believe that when you help a customer solve their problem it will always come back to you.

Solving customer problems may occasionally go way beyond your industry. My friend Patty Knoch is a loan officer with a bank. She specializes in agriculture loans and works with farmers. One thing I love about her is that she has made herself a go to person for just about everything. The women is the most connected person I know. Tell her what you need and she knows someone who knows someone who will help you get it. Need tickets… Patty has the track. Need the ear of a congressman… Patty has the track. Need a doctor… a restaurant… massage… haircut….

I have to believe this talent/skill and just plain ole desire to help people gets her a lot of business. Being a great salesperson means being a great human being first. I have run across way too many salespeople that are only interested in helping if it means an immediate payoff and commission. Just be helpful to people. Learn about other vendor’s that offer great solutions outside your own business. Be the first one in mind a client calls to solve their problems. Do this with enough people and it will come back to you ten fold.

If you'd like to enhance this skill, check out "How To Build A Network Of Power Relatiohships" in The Servant Selling Bookstore. This Resource is found on page 5.

Servant Selling is Solving Customer Problems

Selling is all about solving a problem for an account or potential customer. In fact just about every business you can think of was started to solve a customer’s problem. And in general, the company that provides the most elegant solution, that is, the solution that fits best and has the fewest potential downsides in the mind of the customer, will get the business.

I said in general because there is one missing element. The missing element is the sales and marketing plan along with the execution of that plan. You can have the best solution to your potential customers problem and still lose the business unless you have developed a strategy to clearly communicate your superior solution.

Inferior companies with inferior solutions take business away from superior companies with superior business every day of every week. You can have the best product solution in the world, but you still have to do a great job of communicating that in a way that resonates with the decision makers in a potential account.

I lost a contract the week before posting this. I had by far the best solution for this customer. But I just went in and answered her questions. I didn't clearly share the uniqueness of our solution the way I normally do. It cost me the commission. Just as important from a servant stand point, I cost her a far better solution.

Sell What They Really Need

Billionaire Investor Warren Buffet says, “Never ask a barber if you need a haircut”. The assumption is that a barber would say you needed a haircut even if you didn’t. Of course this is the assumption about salespeople, that they are only interested in making a sale regardless of the fit with a customers needs. This may be true of many sales people but it is never true a real professional. A great sales presentation is always preceded by a great attempt to discover what it is the prospective customer really needs and wants.

Sometimes it means shooting straight and telling them they can’t get their from here. For 10 years I was a wall covering contractor. I hung wall paper, wall fabrics, wood veneer and stuff like that. One my best accounts was secured when I came out and explained to him in painful detail why the wall covering he had selected probably couldn’t be hung effectively by anyone. I took about an hour educating him on what to look for in a wallpaper and how to prepare the walls. This was quite different than what he was used to. Several months later he called me back and offered me a project. We worked together for years. Don’t tell anyone you can do something well if you can’t and don’t sell them something that just won’t work or accomplish what they want.

Service Starts With Integrity

Integrity may be your best competitive advantage. If not, it’s at least you best sleeping pill. It may be what insures you have a life of friends and family that stick by you.

Let’s get it out there. Salespeople are not at the top of everyone’s mind when asked for a profession noted for integrity. We are right there with politicians which is really a subset of selling. But this is also an opportunity and an easy way to set yourself apart. When the word gets out that you are a person that shoots straight and keeps your word, customers will track you down to do business.

Accessibility

In one of my favorite books, You, Inc - The Art of Selling Yourself by Harry and Christine Beckwith they tell the story of a professional association that commissioned a study poling over 300 clients. They asked one simple question: “As a client, what do you value most?” They assumed that answers like fees and technical skills or competence would rise to the top.

When the study came back, fees ranked 9th and technical skills ranked 8th. What ranked first? “The individual’s demonstrated interest in developing a long-term relationship with my company.” The Beckwith couple thought the answer that came in 2nd was equally interesting: “The speed with which my phone calls are returned”.

Accessibility is square one in customer service. I heard about a customer the other day who was on hold for 1 1/2 Hours. That customer will go to another vendor when she has a chance.

Expectations of accessibility have skyrocketed in recent years for salespeople in the field. When I went to work as a field marketing rep expectations of a returned phone call within 24-48 hours was the norm. Today as a manager I actually get calls from irritated customers who placed a call to one of my reps 2-3 hours earlier and are upset because they “still” haven’t heard from them. The reason can be summed up in two words… cell phones. The expectation is that a marketing rep can return phone calls immediately.

Part of the solution may be to educate your customers about your work day and realities that include 2 hour meetings and long drives through territory with out cell coverage. Beyond that it’s critical to be in your voice mail at 8 am, 12 noon, and 5 pm without fail and block out 20—30 minutes after each check in to return phone calls.

Back to the Beckwith Story. In a follow up survey, the people who placed “speed of response” toward the top of their list were asked, “Does the person need to answer your questions when they return your call?” Those surveyed answered “No”. As it turned out all anyone wanted was a prompt call back. No one expected questions to be answered or problems solved immediately.

The Beckwith Story concluded that callers only wanted what most people yearn for everyday: They want to feel important to another person. People desire a quick response because it communicates, You are important to me.

Adapted from You, Inc by Harry and Christine Beckwith, Warner Business Books, New York, New York

Stereotypical Old School Selling Wasn't Concerned About The Well-Being Of The Customer

Historically, sales and marketing people don't have the greatest reputation when it comes to making sure their customer's best interests are being watched after. Cigarettes are a classic example. Results were just released on studies of the heart medication Vytorin showing that the drug offered virtually no help to those taking it. What is disturbing is that the company may have known about this information and sat on it for two years. The recent mortgage scandal is a prime example of sales people selling products that in many cases were clearly not in their customers best interest.

Sell people what they need. You'll feel better and in the long run make more money off the repeat business.

You Can't Make Someone Buy

Of course you can’t make a customer buy anything. And as they increase in sophistication and cynicism toward sales people in general you can’t manipulate them into buying either. What you can do is create a climate that is conducive to buying. You can build an environment where buying is the likely choice…But only if the purchase meets a legitimate need or want at an investment that fits the individual or organization.

Even if I could make someone buy I wouldn’t want to. It would be the business equivalent of assault. And assault is criminal and disgusting besides. I don’t even think good selling should be seduction. Seduction is like creating an environment for the night, getting all you can for you own profit and pleasure, and cavalierly walking away the next morning in search of another victim.
Great selling should be like a long term committed relationship. It requires two people working together toward mutually beneficial outcomes. It requires a mindset of service, care, and even love.