Delivering at ?Wow? Levels

the answer from most of you will be no. People today are so accustomed to poor or mediocre service?both before and after the sale?that when they get something a few notches above mediocre, they are certain to notice the dif- ference. It?s very rare for people to deliver at levels that really create an exceptional experience and positive impres- sion. Ask yourself what percentage of the time you even remember the person who served you. If you did remem- ber them, what percentage of the time did you remember them because they ?sucked?? I would expect that you don?t remember more often than not?and when you do, it?s because it was a bad experience, not a good one.

This is a perfect follow-up to my discussion on customer satisfaction in the previous chapter. You have to do every- thing you can to hold on to your existing clients at all times because they represent the foundation on which you grow your business. Without positive word of mouth, you have no chance of sustaining yourself?much less conquering mar- ket share. And the best way to retain your clients or custom- ers is to please them beyond their expectations and to keep doing so?before, during, and after the sale. If you truly want to satisfy them, make sure they?re impressed before the sale; otherwise, you won?t have a chance to impress them later!

While this is always the case, it is especially critical that you deliver at a whole new level during a period of con- traction in order to differentiate yourself because (1) you cannot afford to miss opportunities; and (2) this is the time to take market share from others. You don?t want customers just to be satisfied; you want them wow-ed!

The wow experience is actually easier to accomplish during ?bad? times than good, because your competi- tors are so locked up on problems during down times that their ability to deliver a positive experience has likely dete- riorated. They become victims of the economy because they have no intention of creating their own economy or understanding of how to create one, and they perpetuate these declining conditions without even thinking in terms of wow. It becomes very difficult and maybe impossible for them to think in terms of wow when they are completely committed to ?woe is me.? It is essential that you go above and beyond to impress consumers when they tighten up financially and become more selective. Delivering a wow experience gives you a much better chance of separating them from what they are being told is so precious and vital to their survival: their money. With the media?s constant reminders of doom and gloom during times like these, the wow part of an experience is the only thing that prompts customers to actually tell you yes.

An important rule to remember: Price is never tfte way to create a wow experience. The product is probably not a way to create a wow experience either, unless you are the only source for a particular product or service, which is

unlikely. The wow moment occurs when you present the product, let customers know how it can solve their prob- lems, and figure out how it makes them feel as well as how you present, service, and deliver that experience.

The best way to increase your customer base is to give clients more than their money?s worth. Reducing price or cost does not add value or solve problems; it merely reduces the cost of the product and can actually diminisft perceived value. Most salespeople think that price is a way to make a better deal or sell more products, but I can give you an almost endless list of companies that have gone out of business while operating as the lowest-cost provider. Because their margins are so low and they are forced to run so tightly, they don?t bother to think in terms of wow and aren?t able to financially deliver this kind of experience. Write down the names of at least three big companies that failed in the last 12 months because they offered the lowest price with no wow component. Some are among those same companies mentioned in Chapter 6 that have enormous advertising budgets and big promises of customer satisfac- tion. They added the fact that they were the lowest-priced provider to their pitch, but now they?re out of business and unable to deliver any kind of service.

Look for every opportunity to go the extra mile and give that little bit of additional service; it can mean the dif- ference between merely satisfying the client or customer and dazzling them. Just in the way you greet someone, answer the phone, or get them a cold drink can create the wow experience. When I was in my twenties, I was selling a

highly competitive product. I was meeting with a prospect on a very hot day, so I asked him if he would like something to drink. He said, ?I would love a Diet Coke.? I left him and came back with a silver platter, one glass with ice and one without, straws in both, and a can of Diet Coke. As I pulled the tab and opened it for him, I smiled and asked, ?How would you like it?in the can, a glass, or over ice?? The client looked at me and said, ?Wow, nobody does that. You should be selling luxury yachts or something!? We made a deal on a highly competitive, high-margin product, and I closed the transaction without discounting the product. Even better, I continued to sell to this man and his family for years, and tftey all sent me business as well. They would bring people to me and tell their friends that regardless of what they paid me, I would exceed their expectations. Now tftat is advertising that works! There are unlimited creative ways to deliver a wow experience that have nothing to do with discounts or even the product being sold.

A friend of mine recently came to Los Angeles to take some courses that I had recommended. He was planning to stay at the Peninsula Hotel, where he normally stays. I suggested that he instead stay at the hotel where the course was being held. I admitted that the hotel I was recommend- ing couldn?t compete with the Peninsula in terms of loca- tion, proximity to shopping, or even the amenities to which he was accustomed, but I guaranteed that it would exceed the Peninsula?s service and that he would get more out of his studies by staying there. He took my suggestion.

I called the hotel?s managers and asked them to go the extra mile and do whatever it took to wow my friend. They welcomed him upon arrival; they unpacked his clothes, hung them in the closet, and made sure the staff addressed him by name each time they saw him in the lobby. How does an unknown, small hotel in a less-than- desirable location compete with?and even take custom- ers away from?a great hotel in a prime location with an international name and all the amenities? By delivering wow experiences to customers who are so impressed that they refer others to it! You can?t advertise wow; you can only deliver it.

The single best protection against a downturn in business is having an active list of wow-ed, elated, truly satisfied clients who give you a steady stream of continu- ing assignments because they love the way you treat them. You must also commit to wow the clients in your power base?whether they buy from you or not. Follow-up, con- tacts, e-mails, and personal visits are all opportunities to wow those on your list. Anyone can buy a product similar to yours, and someone is always willing to sell it for less. The only thing that keeps you above the fray is cultivating, nurturing, serving, and doing everything you can to amaze your current customers.

Don?t seek to satisfy; seek to wow. Tfte more you wow, tfte less you ftave to promote?because otfters will do it for you! If they give you a dollar, ask yourself, ?How can I deliver 10 times that in terms of wow??

CHAPTER

Date: 2016-06-12; view: 99