DATING Your Customer - Customer Service for OFSA

©2011 James Feldman All Rights Reserved

D-A-T-I-N-GD-A-T-I-N-GYour Your

CustomerCustomerJames D. Feldman

D-A-T-I-N-G Coachwww.ShiftHappens.com


Are your families Are your families satisfied?satisfied?

Think!


What matters most?What matters most?Why do I care?Why do I care?

Make it short and sweet.


Start hereStart here• Craft your message• Present ideas• Generate excitement• Deliver Meaningful Memories• Create evangelists


Become an Become an environment where environment where

excellence is excellence is expectedexpected

Not just celebrated


Voice of the Voice of the families evolutionfamilies evolution

1980-90: cheaper, better product 2001-05: better product, nicer service 2006-11: faster, better buyer process


What am I What am I selling?selling?

Take a moment


Create an Create an experienceexperience


Establish a common ground


Listen more than you talk


Treat families as friends


Turn prospects into Turn prospects into friends.friends.

Families into Families into evangelists.evangelists.

Create a relationship.


Dazzle customers with your service

D-A-T-I-N-GD is for DAZZLE



Dazzle & Delight

Family service is NOT a department…

Family service is an ATTITUDE!


Dazzle & Determine

• Treat your families the way you want to be treated

• Honor the uniqueness of each family

• Give your family 100% of your attention

• Listen more• Talk less


Dazzle & Differentiate

• Under promise and over deliver• Determination is what family

service is all about• Recap the discussion• Always invite your family to

refer to other families • Become their resource


Dazzle & Discover

• Replicate what is working• Create re-touching tools• Nothing or no one is disposable• Nothing is too caring• Think about developing the

family long term relationship


Dazzle Families by:

• Anticipating their needs• Focus on their desire to do

business with you



anticipate

D-a-t-i-n-gA is for Anticipate

Anticipate the needs of your family


anticipate

Acknowledge

Embrace change & manage it…the best

way you can


anticipate

Accept

Do not resist the idea of change or the

implementation of change


anticipate

Attitudes

Attitudes are caught… not taught!


anticipate

K N O W L E D G E

96%11 14 15 23 12 5 4 7 5


anticipate

H A R D W O R K

98%8 1 18 4 23 15 18 11


anticipate

A T T I T U D E

100%

1 20 20 9 20 21 4 5


Have the right attitudeHave the right attitude


anticipate

B U L L S H I T

103%

2 21 12 12 19 8 9 20


anticipateY O U R W I S D O M

162%

25 15 21 18 23 9 19 4 15 13


D-A-T-I-N-Gt is for treat

Be problem solvers for your families


treat

Teach• Give priority to family needs• Empower employees• Emphasize improvements rather than

maintenance• Commit to quality


treat

Training

Excellent family service must be developed with proper focus and spotless

coordination of people and procedures


treat

Timeliness

Deliver answers & solutions when the family needs them

NOW!


treat

Tackle

Deal with problems in real time


treat

Teamwork

It takes a T-E-A-M to consistently produce superior family service:•T – Talent•E – Enthusiasm•A – Attitude•M – Motivation


treat

Tenure

To ensure a long-term, beneficial relationship, handle your families:

• Respectfully• Individually• Attentively


D-A-T-I-N-GI is for

InnovationUnderstand most rules should be flexible


innovate

Innumerable

• Wealth flows directly from innovation

• Wealth is not gained by perfecting the known, but by seizing the unknown

How many pens can we use?


innovate

Important

• Everyone likes to be thought of as important.

• Make your family feel important and they’ll make you feel the same way.

• Did anyone thank your family for their business?

• Did anyone ask them if they were happy with their service?


innovate

Ignite

• The family is KING & knows it• New ways of doing business

are being created each day• New products are not an

option• New uses for existing products

win new business• Families vote with their dollars • The playing field has changed--

you must change with it


innovate

Identify

• Management must foster a climate open to innovation

• The management team must set the stage for innovation and creative thinking


innovate

Insecure• Every company that plans to compete in

the 21st century needs to develop new ideas and next-generation approaches.

• Families are no longer stuck with one resource or supplier.

• The Internet has opened the entire world to families who can surf and find what they want, for the price they want, with the service level they expect.


innovate

Inoculate

• We work best these days when we function as thinkers -independent problem solvers - rather than waiting for higher levels of management to do our thinking for us.

• Employees and management need to stay in alignment with the objectives of your organization.


Failure and innovation are related

Success only truly comes when you learn from failure


You must be better or lose the competition

You must be better than your competitors

©2011 James Feldman All Rights Reserved©2011 James Feldman

D-A-T-I-N-G N is for NurtureTreat your employees with the care and respect you’d like them to give to your families

©2011 James Feldman All Rights Reserved©2011 James Feldman

The Best Employees are:

•Dependable •Trustworthy•Relationship oriented•Solution minded•Action oriented•T•E•A•M Player•Take Direction•Great Attitude•A Family advocate


nurture

Negligence

• Is the greatest reason employees leave a company!

• Not for better pay…but for more recognition.


nurture

Notify

• Increase each employee’s awareness of their need to EXCEED co-worker expectations

• Build a T-E-A-M• Talent-Enthusiasm-Attitude-

Motivation Together-Everyone-Achieves-

More


nurture

Needs

• Co-workers must interact before they can act on behalf of a family

• Employees must work together to form a cohesive group

• YES must replace NO• CAN DO must replace “that’s not my

job”• A people-approach results in profit


nurture

Needs

• Recognize employees have practical information and power.

• Treat each employee as an appreciating asset…appreciate your assets!


nurture

Nourish

• Create clear rewards• Include recognition• Build excitement• Repeat & refine


D-A-T-I-N-GG is for guarantee

Exceed the expectations of both employees & families


guarantee

Grateful

“Never forget the customer owns the store” – Sam Walton, Wal-Mart

“If you can’t please your current customers…you don’t deserve the new ones” – Scott Cook, Intuit


guarantee

Give

Find continuous ways to give to others around you, especially your:•Families•Employees•Suppliers


guarantee

Garnish

• Your family service with unexpected, pleasant extras to let your families know they’re special to you

• It’s guaranteed to get their attention


guarantee

Gifts (free)

• Listening• Affection• Laughter• Compliments• Advice• Favors• Cheerful disposition• Handwritten notes


guarantee

Gush

• Set yourself apart from the competition

• Eliminate non-productive tasks

• Concentrate on those people that suggest your service to others


Top 10 most profitable Top 10 most profitable

phrases:phrases:10. “1 apologize for our mistake. Let me make it right.”

9. “Thank you for your business. Please come back again.”

8. “I’m not sure, but I will find out.”

7.“What else can I do for you?”

6. “What is most convenient for you?”


Top 10 most profitable Top 10 most profitable

phrases:phrases:5. “How may I serve you?”

4. “How did we do?”

3. “Glad you’re here!”

2. “Thank you”

1. “Yes”


Focus on the family, Focus on the family,

not the competition.not the competition.

• Families are ALWAYS looking for better alternatives.

• Become the FIRST choice and not the last.


Focus on new benefits, not features.Focus on new benefits, not features.

Families are not looking for a miracle—they just want their loved ones to be respected!


Focus on new benefits,Focus on new benefits,

not features.not features.

Find new ways to INNOVATE: •Substitute topics•Redefine your category•Retarget•Promote•Eliminate•Recreate


Update your products Update your products

before your competitionbefore your competition

Setting the pace means leading the competition.

Once a client asks for a feature--it has already been provided by someone else.


D-A-T-I-N-G Your FamilyD-A-T-I-N-G Your Familyis like any other is like any other

investmentinvestment

• One size does not fit all• Solutions need to be

personalized• Form Alliances• Be flexible• Be responsive• Focus on your ROI

Return on your Ideas


Don’t follow paths, create trails.Don’t follow paths, create trails.

• Define the end result, then create your path to reach it.

• Dare to be different.• Learn from other industries.• The most important part of your

marketing plan is your message.

What is yours?


Don’t follow paths, create trailsDon’t follow paths, create trails


D-A-T-I-N-GD-A-T-I-N-GYour Your

CustomerCustomerJames D. Feldman

D-A-T-I-N-G Coach


Talk To MeTalk To MeLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jamesfeldman

Twitter: @ShiftHappensNow

Hashtag: #shifthappens

www.shifthappens.com


““Of the 100 largest United States companies Of the 100 largest United States companies at the beginning of the 20th century, only 16 at the beginning of the 20th century, only 16 are identifiable today. Considering more are identifiable today. Considering more recent history, of the companies in the recent history, of the companies in the Fortune 500 in 1970, one-third had ceased to Fortune 500 in 1970, one-third had ceased to exist by the early 1980s. And during the exist by the early 1980s. And during the 1980s, a total of 230 companies 46 percent 1980s, a total of 230 companies 46 percent disappeared from the Fortune 500. Obviously, disappeared from the Fortune 500. Obviously, neither size nor reputation guarantees neither size nor reputation guarantees continued success or survival." continued success or survival."

- Strategy & Business Journal - Strategy & Business Journal

DATING Your Customer - Customer Service for OFSA

Education

family employees

family needs

t t i t u d e

service d

dazzle families

family advocate

family isking

superior family service