Service, Your Best Friend

The other day the internet in my house went down. I figured I would give it a couple hours and see if it fixes itself before calling the cable company. I finally had to call them and two hours later there was a technician at my house. My toddler was sleeping and he didn’t want to wake him unnecessarily so he decided to first see if there was a problem from their end first. It turns out my house wasn’t getting a signal so he went and fixed it, of course, no charge to me. Let me compare this with my last cable company.

My internet was out so I called them. After being on hold for an hour and half I was told that I must have a cord unplugged. After I reassured the operator may times that my cords were plugged in, he scheduled a technician to come four days later. This time frame didn’t work for me but the operator said “We only have so many technicians”. Cute. The next day my internet fixed itself so I called and cancelled my appointment. The day of my then cancelled appointment came and the technician calls to ask if he could come by. I told him I had cancelled because the internet fixed itself. He told me that was a common response he has heard all day and that it was an outage that caused the problems. Jump to a month later and I have a charge on my account for $40 for a technician visit. After months of dealing with customer service I got $35 back. I was, and still am, furious about that experience. I immediately cancelled my service and will never go back.

Customer service can seem like such a small aspect of business, but it is the lifeblood of success. What experience have you had with good/bad customer service? Comment and let me know.

Ethical Responsibility

Who do you look toward as an example of ethical behavior? For me it is my late grandfather. He was a wonderful man who made an effort to be honest and open in all his relationships. Every time I am faced with an ethical situation I think about what he would do and it helps influence my behavior.

We all need a resource to turn to in order to keep us grounded on our core values. Who influences you?

What is your core competency?

Every successful business has a core competency, something they are best at. What is your personal core competency? A better understanding of what you bring to the table can develop an understanding of how you add value to your customers.

Leader Frustrations

 

During school I have found myself in a lot of leadership roles in various group assignments. Most of the time I feel like I am babysitting personalities instead of developing the project. It is frustrating but an essential role of a leader. Avoid annoyance and develop a long fuse. People want someone to lead them and not merely manage them.

BATNA

BATNA stands for Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement. It is the idea that in any negotiation you should know what both parties best alternative. This will help to have a better understanding of how to best come to understanding.

In sales it is always good to know our client’s BATNA. If we know what our competitors are selling and how this relates to our clients we can better adapt our message to our audience.

Sales and Jump Shots

During the offseason I am helping my players improve their game. One job I have taken is to improve their jump shots. I change little things like moving their elbow or changing their follow through. The results are always very positive. They see a higher shot percentage and more confidence. The only problem is that as soon as they play in a game situation, they revert back to their old shot.

It is one thing to practice improvement but if you don’t implement those changes, you will never improve. What can you do better as a salesman?

 

Stand Out (But in a Good Way)

When I was six years old I was walking home from school one day. I hear a couple older boys behind me giggling then before I know it I was being pelted with water balloons and rubber toy gun bullets. I ran home crying. I couldn’t understand why they were so mean to me. Fast forward to when I was nine years old. A different boy would seek me out every recess to bully me and call me names. This happened for months. Why am I telling you these stories? Because I remember them.

Think back to your childhood. Remember that one person who did something really mean to you? We remember when we are wronged. This never goes away. As salesmen and professionals, it is our responsibility to make sure we avoid being remembered in this way. I spoke with a physician the other day talking about his annoyance with a Pharma Rep. The Rep came into his office, told the receptionist who he was then sat down to work on his laptop. He was completely unaware when the waiting room started to fill up. When the physician glanced into the waiting room he saw the Rep sitting there and some patients standing because there was no place left to sit. He was furious. Not only did that Rep not get a sale, but the physician linked his behavior to the company he represents. Did the Rep know he was causing such harm? Probably not. It just shows that we have to always be aware of what is going on. You never want to be that guy.