Saturday, October 16, 2010

Whatever Happened to Customer Service?



How many times have you visited a business and waited for assistance?

Better yet, were there several employees standing around and no one approached you?

In my opinion, and as a fellow business owner and consumer, the one thing guaranteed to tarnish the reputation of a company is its failure to properly service their customers.

Let me share a story with you.

I was personally involved in working with a client several years ago.  This customer contracted with another vendor for alternative services; the vendor informed me that customer service wasn’t important to him. Furthermore, his product was the key to his clients’ loyalties.

Wrong! In this particular situation, I assisted the company by setting up their merchant services accounts for payments processing.  The vendor designed a proprietary software system that would have it all: inventory, tracking, accounting, a payment module, etc.  You get the picture …

Anyway, when I inquired about the timetable for completion, the vendor (who owned the business) told me in haste that my priority of servicing this customer was not his concern.  He went on to say that he was in demand because of his superior system.

To make a long story short, we ended up installing stand-alone terminals for this customer free of charge, while the vendor with the proprietary system continued working independently, communicating very little with the customer.

I am sure you know what came next.  During the 2 months that followed, the customer’s busy season arrived.  Because of our efforts he was at least operational.  Furthermore, our business was benefiting tremendously by the peak sales of the season.  The vendor however neither completed nor installed his system.  His own business missed out on the entire 3 months of optimum activity.  The amount of money the customer spent on the system was wasted also.

Six months later, my partner and I paid our customer a personal visit. The off-season ensued.  The customer praised our efforts and rewarded us with referrals for our excellent customer service.  Out of curiosity we decided to go to the vendor’s office and see how he was doing. Guess what?  His office was available for lease; he had no forwarding address.  He was nowhere to be found.

The moral of the story is this...NEVER underestimate the POWER of good service and the importance of personal relationships.  If you are consistent and sincere in your approach to consumer satisfaction, your business will perform beyond your expectations.

You never know who will become your greatest ally.  The customer service you provide after the sale determines whether the customer will remain loyal.  Remember the phrase “bad news travels fast”?  It’s true.  An unhappy customer is a vocal grenade thrown over your bough.  Too many of them and your ship will surely sink!

Of course, the product or service you offer is important.  It will entice the buyer; however, your service is what will make them continue choosing you, and NOT your (sometimes cheaper) competitors!


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

It Takes A Vision, A Plan and Action To Create Results!

7 Effective Ways To Set Your Goals In Motion:

1. Stop seeking approval from people. This advice is VITAL for success. Often we worry what others say or feel about our thoughts and actions. I know it happens to me. It is imperative to follow your dreams and trust yourself WITHOUT the approval or permission from others. If you don't how will you ever begin?

2. Don't wait for perfection. Have you ever heard the early bird gets the worm? It means that if you waited for everything to be perfect, the timing will NEVER be right.

IMPORTANT! Consider YOUR dream and YOUR desire. Have you ever wanted something so bad, but waited and waited? What happens? Not only does the desire fade, but so does the original dream as well. You may NEVER have the RIGHT time, amount of money or knowledge to do it perfectly. Start NOW and edit it later.

3. Create time for the goal. You MUST make TIME for your dream. If you VISUALIZE it, PLAN it, and ACT on it. Anything is possible with time and persistence. Make sure you do not get distracted and then forget what your mission and dream is...

4. Decide once and for all! Are you ready to make that dream a reality? Many people everyday talk and think about their goals and where they want to be years from now. Make a DECISION to GO for it. Then create a PLAN and ACT on it. Step-by-step and you will achieve your mission.

5. Be bold and take the initiative. Take CHARGE of your life. No one else can make your VISION a REALITY but you. Stop finding excuses and worrying about others. If you are waiting for others to act, it may be a long wait. It's YOUR dream, YOUR goal, YOUR life. So get going and ACT now!

6. Invest in your dreams. No plan is FREE. Invest you time, money and resources to learn what it takes to make YOUR dream a reality. Set up an account to provide for the future.

7. Do one thing at a time. It is easy to become overwhelmed and have information overload. It is HARD to get things done when your mind and work area are cluttered. Focus and do one item on your list at a time and it WILL get done.

For example: It is hard to do 30 things at once. But if you have 30 days to do 30 chores, you can do one task a day and complete your project. Also it allows you to focus on what needs to be done for that one specific day and duty at a time. 

NOTE: Excellent work and great accomplishments are usually seen by those focusing on a piece of the puzzle each day. When you are doing your specific chores, you'll be surprised at the creative genius that comes out of it. It helps too if you know what you are working on and what results you aim to accomplish.

Source: Caroline, Jalango, "7 Effective Ways to Set Your Goals in Motion", at www.motivation-zone.com/13901.html

I appreciate your feedback and questions. Please take the time to add a comment to the post. If you want to reach me, email me at: ggitter@gmail.com

Wishing everyone the best of success.

Greg Gitter

Monday, October 4, 2010

7 Steps To Succeed In Business and Life...

Good Morning,

In over 20+ years I have learned that the rule of thumb for success boils down to 7 key components:

1. The Right Attitude and Behavior
2. A Plan and Blueprint for Action
3. The Tools and Knowledge To Succeed
4. The Software/Systems to Build YOUR Database
5. Strategic Alliances and Resources for Objective
6. Revenue Stream and Contributors to YOUR Plan
7. A Way to Contact and Reach prospective B2B Clients with your message

Everyday, I try to apply one or more of these factors into the situations I encounter.

Have a great day!