November 2013
Strategies for Success Newsletter November 2013 Issue 95
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Published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies
www.sellingstrategies.com
Copyright 2013 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.
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In this November 2013 issue:
Thoughts from the office
Josmo’s Café
Thoughts from the road
Stay Energized!
Emily Live
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1. Thoughts from the office
Is everybody in?
Consummate customer service is not a strategy, it’s a way of life. That message was delivered loud and clear at the fabulous NAMIC annual convention in Seattle in September. Keynote speaker Robert Spector, author of the book The Nordstrom Way: The Inside Story of America’s Number One Customer Service Company, delivered a powerful message based on his long-time research of this 112 year-old company in its fifth generation of family ownership and leadership.
Mr. Spector shared personal stories, employee anecdotes, and customer testimonials to drive home his beliefs of what creates Nordstrom’s extraordinary customer-focused culture. While none were new to me, his message reinforced just how vitally important they are. How does your firm measure up?
Tell your story. People relate to past, present, and future. Do all employees know who you are, what you do, and what you stand for?
Hire people who are nice and motivated. “Hire the smile. Train the skill.”
Nurture employees through support, praise, recognition, and reward.
Empowerment. Nordstrom is famous for its simple employee guidebook. “Use your good judgment in all situations. There are no additional rules.”
Emphasize and promote communication and teamwork.
Create an inviting place – in person, online, on the phone.
Be ready at all times to adapt to change.
The sale is never over. Cultivate, nurture, and sustain the customer relationship. It’s a people business, not a product business.
What, if anything, can you and your organization improve so everybody is on the same page?
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Employees treat customers the way they perceive they are being treated. EH
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2. Josmo’s Café (John, Recipe already on site. move recipe to top of list, create webpage and link)
We’re in the heart of pumpkin season! Pumpkin spice coffee latte, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin cheesecake, and surprise, surprise – even M&M’s have a new pumpkin flavored candy! My favorite pumpkin recipe is Frosted Pumpkin Cake Squares. It’s been on the Josmo’s Cafe recipe list for a couple of years, but it’s worth touting again. Enjoy!
For almost seven years, Josmo’s Cafe has been a joy for John and me! Learn the history and try the famous Josmo’s Cosmo cocktail posted on the Josmo’s Café webpage.
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Providing Great Service One Touch at a Time is my latest article in Rough Notes magazine. Six ideas to make your client’s experience the best it can be!
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3. Thoughts from the road
Frenzied and fast is not effective
I was seated on board a flight from Charlotte to Chicago at 9:00 on a Tuesday morning. The cabin door closed and the flight attendant, Jimmy, introduced himself. He told us he’d be doing the safety instructions himself, not using the pre-recorded message. Jimmy then took a long deep breath and launched into the safety spiel. He verbally steamrolled through the instructions – seat belts, exit door locations, oxygen mask use, and evacuation slides. He moved at the same pace as John Moschitta, the Federal Express fast-talking man from the 1981 commercial. By the time he finished I was exhausted and took my own deep breath.
Although the plane was packed with frequent business travelers who, like me, could recite the safety instructions themselves, there were some leisure travelers. I wondered if anyone needed to learn those “important safety instructions.” If so, they were out of luck.
Moral of the story. What we say to others may be everyday information to us, but is it for others? Are we speaking in a way that makes sense to our listeners? That applies to both pace of speech and language. Explain acronyms and specialized language. Keep in mind that we explain things for the benefit of our listeners.
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In case you missed this last month – 17 Terrific Telephone Tips Use them as a customer service topic at your next office meeting! Many thanks to all the readers who let me know how valuable this information is!
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4. Stay Energized!
November Energizer Minute – Positive is All Around. Get supercharged with Energizer Minutes – one-to-two minute audio stories told by yours truly to energize, invigorate, and inspire!
Follow me on Twitter @EmilyHuling to read my weekday Energizer Moments.
Receive your complimentary copy of the priceless 2012 Energizer Minute Collection plus 27 Quick Tips for Business Success when you order $50 worth of books and audio programs.
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Selling Strategies’ purpose is to build top-performing sales, service, and leadership organizations. We offer insurance industry expertise to companies, agents, and MGAs to accomplish culture change, strategic planning and implementation, business development, improving customer experience, and leadership and management development and coaching.
To learn more, visit www.sellingstrategies.com or call me at 888-309-8802.
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Emily, what are your most popular conference speaking topics? Here’s my answer to that frequently asked question.
How to Become the Agent of Choice
Deliver Service that Sells and Protects
Culture – How to Change – Where to Start
A Marketing Plan: Your Road Map to Success
Kick Your “But” – Removing the Obstacles to Sales Success
Click Here for a complete list of speaking topics and information on fees and CE credits.
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5. Emily Live
Please get in touch if you want to connect when I’m in your area or if you’re interested in a similar program for your organization.
Private client – Organic Growth – The Process and Practices of Sustained Success – Greensboro, NC – November 4-5, 2013
Independent Insurance Agents of Kentucky Annual Convention – Louisville, KY – A Marketing Plan: Your Roadmap to Success – November 8, 2013
Private client – How to Become the Agent of Choice – Atlanta, GA – November 19-20, 2013
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Selling Strategies: Strategies for Success Newsletter is published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies. For further information contact emily@sellingstrategies.com.
© 2013 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.