Have you ever experienced great customer service? Maybe it was an individual who seemed to go over and above your expectations. Maybe it was they way this person interacted with you — the smile, the showing of concern, giving you their full attention. Maybe it was the way they anticipated your needs and delivered service before you asked for it.

We’ve all had these experiences. Often we tell our friends about it. But have you ever taken the time to analyze what actually happened? Probably not. Instead, you probably just let the experience slowly disappear from your memory. So here’s a suggestion. The next time you experience great service — something that really impresses you — make note of it. Write it down. What was the circumstance, the kind of business, the time of day? And most importantly, what did this person do that impressed you?

By making note of these situations, you will start to develop a file of these instances. And now the important step. Figure out how what you observed can be applied to your own business. Don’t be put off by the fact that you maybe are in a different industry or serve a different market. It’s the principles that are important. The same principles (attention, emotion, caring, speed, etc.) can be applied across situations and industries.

Make note, analyze and apply. You’ll improve your own service, WinFluence® your customers and improve your sales.
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© 2010 by Dennis L. Rosen. All rights reserved. www.winfluencesolutions.com

We all know it is important to have satisfied customers. After all, customers who aren’t satisfied are not likely to return to your business or recommend it to others. Therefore, you probably strive to do the things that will create high customer satisfaction ratings. But if you think this will build your business, you may be disappointed.

As I see it, satisfaction is overrated. What does satisfaction mean, anyway? It just means that your customers view your business as doing a good job or even very good job of meeting their expectations. As such, they are satisfied and are willing to come back. So you are now on a list of approved options in their mind.

But wait. Think of all the grocery stores, department stores, hotels, airlines, etc. you are satisfied with. The same is likely true for your customers. When they think of your business category, they just look down their mental list of satisfactory options and pick one. Which one? Well, of course, the one that is cheapest or has the best deal going at the time. And maybe that’s you – for now. In other words, you have turned yourself into a commodity.

There is a big difference between developing customers who are WILLING to come back versus those who WILL come back. The latter group doesn’t consider your competitors. They only consider you because you don’t just satisfy them like others – you elate them. Doing this requires understanding and satisfying more customer needs better than competition.

Want to know how to do this? Stay tuned.
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© 2010 by Dennis L. Rosen. All rights reserved. www.winfluencesolutions.com

As a discount airline has made the news by announcing fees for use of the overhead compartment on its planes, you should be asking yourself how your pricing strategy — not your price, but your pricing strategy — WinFluences® your customers? It’s not just the price you charge, but your strategy in pricing, that determines whether customers continue to use you or leave you.

The airlines have been struggling. Everyone know this. So to stay afloat, they started by cutting costs. Customers saw this first with disappearance of entertainment (movies, magazines) and then the lack of food. Then the airlines started charging for things that used to be free – food, baggage and blankets. Why? Because they know customers are more sensitive to the ticket price that is heavily advertised — the $99 fare that is only one way and doesn’t include taxes or other charges — than they are to the price of extras.

Any business can do the same. It’s called “unbundling.” Instead of raising prices, you take out products or services that were formally included and start charging for them. This is a legitimate pricing strategy that works – until you cross the “fairness line.” At some point, you take out something and the customer thinks, “That’s not fair.” The result can be customers who get angry and lose trust in your business.

For example, there’s a sub sandwich chain I refuse to eat at because they charge extra for cheese. In my view, a sub is a sub because of cheese. Cheese is not an extra. That’s like charging me extra for vegetables in my salad or extra for tires on my new car. It’s not fair! If they just included the nominal cheese-charge in their total price, I’d have nothing to complain about and would probably buy from them.

Perhaps we have hit the “fairness line” with this new airline charge. It’s been reported that the airline will lower its ticket prices to compensate, but this is not necessarily a matter of trade-offs. If your customers view you as being unfair, the damage is done. So will customers accept this new charge? I’d bet against it, because at this point customers can be thinking only one thing — next, pay toilets.
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© 2010 by Dennis L. Rosen. All rights reserved. www.winfluencesolutions.com

In everyday parlance, we often use the words “needs” and “wants” as synonyms. It’s common to talk about satisfying customer needs and wants without really thinking about what they are and how they are different.

For example, many people think that businesses create needs – that businesses created the need for video games and designer clothes and big cars, for example. Not true! Businesses are incapable of creating needs. Rather, customers have needs that businesses must fulfill.

Needs are physical or emotions requirements for proper functioning in society. Your customer has a whole set of physical and emotional needs that they want fulfilled. If you, your products and your services fulfill these needs better than your competition does, then your customer will “want” to buy your products and services from you.

Look at video games. They fulfill the needs of entertainment, excitement, competition and, for many of them, getting out aggression. These are all needs customers have. Marketers didn’t create them.

The secret is to understand your customers’ needs and fulfill more of them better than your competition does so you are the option that is “wanted.” If you do it right, you can even create “devoted customers.” Check out my book, Create Devoted Customers: WinFluence® Secrets to Immediate Customer Service Improvement, for more information.
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© 2010 by Dennis L. Rosen. All rights reserved. www.winfluencesolutions.com

Have you noticed disappearance of the phrase “thank you” in retail transactions? I hardly ever hear it anymore when I finish at a checkout counter – unless I’m the one who says it. It has been replaced by phrases like, “Have a nice day,” – a nice thought but one that can be expressed at any time. It is not unique to the end of a transaction like “thank you” is. There’s no reason the two can’t be used in combination, but they usually aren’t. Another phrase I hear all the time is, “There you go,” as in, “We’re through now, so go away.” Sometimes the cashier doesn’t say anything because he or she is busy talking to another cashier as the transaction takes place.

It seems to me when customers complete transactions having spent their money at the retailer, they deserve a “thank you.” After all, these do represent some of the “magic words” we were all taught as kids. You will notice that these words are printed at the bottom of your receipt. They often appear on a sign as one leaves the store. Why? Perhaps because management can’t count on its employees to use the phrase. Saying “thank you” strikes me as just good customer service. And given that so few employees say it anymore, using the phrase is one way for a retailer to separate itself from competition and, perhaps, impress (i.e., WinFluence®) its customers.

For my part, I’ve taken to checking out through the self-help scanner whenever possible. At least when I finish the transaction, the machine says, “thank you.”
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© 2010 by Dennis L. Rosen. All rights reserved. www.winfluencesolutions.com

This blog is about WinFluencing® customers to improve sales and service. When it comes to sales, building trust with the customer is very important. There are several ways to do this. One way often missed is to do the unexpected. Customers are always trying to understand why you are doing what you are doing. If fact we do this in all areas of life. We try to attribute a “why” to an event. Have you even walked into a closed glass or screen door? (Yes, you have – I know you have.) After you picked yourself up off the floor, you probably thought, “That was stupid. Why did I do that?” You were trying to attribute a cause to this event so you wouldn’t do it again. Psychologists call this process of attributing a cause to an event “attribution.” Again, we do this all the time. For example, someone compliments you on the way you are dressed, and you wonder, “Do they really think I look good, or do they want something from me?”

In sales, the customer goes through the same process. He/she wonders, “Does this salesperson really think this expensive brand he is recommending is the best one for me, or is he recommending it to get a higher commission?” If they attribute your motivation to the former reason, they are more likely to buy from you. When you do something that is expected of someone in sales (e.g., push your product, put down your competition, recommend the most expensive item), the customer has no way to tell if you are really sincere in your belief or are just playing the normal salesperson role. It’s when you do the unexpected that they will attribute your action or statement to your true feelings.

So what can you do that is unexpected to build their trust. Well, you can speak kindly, at least in general terms, about your competition (and don’t grit your teeth when you do it). You can point out your product line including prices and then recommend a less expensive alternative in the line if it will solve their problem. You can act in a way that does not pressure the customer and gives them more time to make a decision. You can send the customer information about other interests they have that are not related to the sale or offer to help them with something that, again, is not directly related to the sale of your products, thus demonstrating your real interest in helping.

This do not mean that you shouldn’t be a “good” salesperson and close the deal, overcome inertia, up-sell as appropriate, etc. However, to the extent it is possible, particularly with new customers, your ability to do the unexpected can help build their trust in you and WinFluence® them in a way that builds sales.
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© 2010 by Dennis L. Rosen. All rights reserved. www.winfluencesolutions.com

So how do you define customer service. Many business owners define it in terms of actions like “helping the customer,” “delivery on time,” “being friendly,” etc. While providing these actions certain helps in the area of service, defining customer service by example doesn’t really define it. It doesn’t give one the ability to apply their knowledge to new situations or the ability to uncover new actions.

If you are going to WinFluence® your customers (influence them in a way that wins more sales), you better understand what real customer service involves. So here is my definition of customer service:

Customer service is any action your business undertakes that is designed to meet the needs of your customers.

This definition accomplishes two important things. First, it forces you to ask the question, “What are my customers’ needs?” If you are thinking, “They need this product I sell,” you are wrong. They don’t need your product. They buy your product to satisfy multiple needs. What are they? If you don’t know, how can you provide good service? Second, this definition forces you to look look at customer service more broadly. It opens up the door to many more possibilities related to actions you can undertake to WinFluence® your customers.

I’ll discuss more about customer needs and related actions in a future post. For right now, you should ask yourself, “What are my customers’ real needs, and how do the actions of my business satisfy these needs — or do they?”
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© 2010 by Dennis L. Rosen. All rights reserved. www.winfluencesolutions.com

Welcome to the WinFluence® Blog.

WinFluence® refers to influence strategies designed to win — win more customers, win more sales or win cooperation in the office or even home environment. I’m a professional speaker in the area of sales and customer service WinFluence®. I’m also a marketing professor with degrees in psychology. So what I do in my speaking is take the principles that I teach in class and repurpose them (take all the jargon out) for use in business and everyday life.

I’ll have to admit that blogging is a new area for me. I’m not used to providing a constant stream of written thought on a topic. And I don’t want to just provide fluff and comments to fill space. That’s where you come in. I’ll provide occasional thoughts, ideas, tips – comments on related areas in the news, and, hopefully, you will provide your comments and questions. Let’s make this an active blog with the intent of sharing ideas to improve your business, bottom line and your life.

So let me start with a question just to see if anyone is out there. Customer service is one of the major WinFluence® areas I plan to deal with. I’d like to know how YOU define customer service. Everyone says it is important to provide great customer service to bring customers back. What exactly does that mean? I’ll let you know my thoughts on this next time.

So, let the blog begin!
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© 2010 by Dennis L. Rosen. All rights reserved. www.winfluencesolutions.com