Chapter Six
The Psychology of Exceptional Customer Connections
By Dr. Larry Iverson
“Charge!” yelled the crowd. As the organ at Great American Ballpark in downtown Cincinnati continued to excite the crowd, Jack and Digger sat eating hotdogs in their box seats. They were as excited as everyone else in the stadium. Who knows where Digger got the box seats? He wouldn’t say. He had just called Jack at mid-day and said, “After work, grab your Reds hat. I got us tickets to the 7:10 PM game versus the Dodgers.” He had said nothing about box seats. Jack had expected them to turn upward towards the stairs to the upper deck when Digger had turned to the left towards the field.
“Two down, score tied at two a piece here in the bottom of the 8th inning on a balmy summer evening here in downtown Cincinnati,” said Digger. He loved to give the play by play as if he were the Reds Hall of Famer announcer Marty Brennaman. “Here comes Joey Votto, the Reds all-star first baseman. Man on second and a base hit from Votto would put the Reds on top. The pitch, it’s a hard line drive into the corner in right field. Run scores and Votto on his way to second with a stand up double.”
At the beginning of the game, it had been hard for Jack to get used to this play-by-play action from his seat companion. But, as the game progressed, he began to appreciate the child-like enthusiasm from this sales genius sitting beside him.
As they were driving home after enjoying a four to three Reds victory. Digger said, "Sales champions are made the same way baseball champions are made. In fact, even more so. It takes a lot of hard work and study at your craft. I am proud of you, Jack. You have worked very hard these last few months and now you are showing a lot of fruit. You have not only become one of the best in your company, but you are on your way to becoming one of the all-stars in your industry. Just like Joey Votto, once you reach the top, you have to continue to work hard to stay there, sometimes even harder. There is no coasting in the world of selling."
"I have another article for you to read. It is from Larry Iverson. It is all about rapport and connecting with your clients. As you know Jack, without rapport there is no sale."
I want to welcome you to Instant Rapport Building, The Psychology of Exceptional Customer Connections. Would knowing what communications promote good will and what communications turn customers off be a benefit to you? Have you ever lost a customer and wondered how to bring him/her back? Would knowing what drives and motivates customers to take immediate action help you out?
Well, starting today, you can apply strategies that boost your customers' connection to you. We're now going to look at proven methods for improving your communication and eliminating loyalty barriers between you and your customer. We're going to look at how to read non-verbal communications more accurately and more easily.
You're going to understand the drivers that stimulate loyalty. You're going to know how to build rapport quickly so potential customers want to work with you. You'll also learn how to overcome negatives and trigger a positive mindset rapidly and learn the keys to creating a positive customer mindset about you, your organization, and your products.
Churchill on Self-Leadership
World War II had ended, the treaties had been signed, and Winston Churchill was being interviewed by dozens of journalists asking him why the allied powers won the war and what made the difference? How come the axis powers didn’t come out on top?
Mr. Churchill talked about numerous things that stood out and made a difference, but the one thing he said mattered more than anything else was what he called “individual leadership.” He said both sides had great generals. Both had good armies. They had amazing weapons, and in some ways, the axis powers even had weapons that surpassed the allies. But he said the real difference was the war effort.
People at home were really making a difference. They were doing what they could to make sure the troops knew they were supported. Take the post office, for instance. In many cases, if you had a letter to send but didn’t have enough postage to mail it to someone overseas, they would send it without postage. Why? Because it was that important to make sure the people over there knew you were thinking about them.
There was music being played continuously on the armed forces radio network overseas, so troops could hear music from home, reminding them of why they were there fighting.
And Mr. Churchill talked about self-leadership and what made the difference in this individual initiative. He made a statement that he became famous for. This applies as we begin to talk about creating a connection between us and our customers.
Mr. Churchill said, “To every person there comes a time in life, that special moment when they’re figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to his or her talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be their finest hour!”
This comment says many things. First, it doesn’t say that just the people at the very top of the hierarchy are the only ones who can make a difference. It says, “…to every person there comes a time in life….” It also says that each of us has something to offer. Each of us has unique skills we can do. And, we need to be ready.
With sales and customer service, you need to be ready. You need to be ready for whatever comes down the road at you. This may include customers’ problems or organizational issues that get in the way. So we need to be ready. We need to learn. We need to grow, and we need to be self-led.
Task vs. Relationship in Sales and Service
Have you ever gone out to dinner at a really nice restaurant? Have you also eaten at a fast food restaurant of some sort?
Is there a difference in the quality of service and the type of food you get between the high-end five-star restaurants and the fast food restaurant? You can bet there is.
Now both of them are acceptable. When you go to the nice restaurant, you have certain expectations for the type of food you’re going to receive, how much you’ll pay there, and the type of service you’ll receive. When you go to the fast food restaurant, you have different expectations for how they’re going to treat you, the type of food you’ll get, and how much you’ll pay.
The Contrast in Service & Task/Product
Let’s say that you go out with your significant other or with a good friend to a really nice dinner at one of the finest restaurants where you live. When you get there, you’re seated immediately. It’s beautiful, the ambiance is wonderful, and the aromas are great. Let’s say that the food there is truly spectacular, and not only that, but you also find out that this night everything on the menu is 50% off as a customer appreciation gesture. So, you order and wait expectantly to have this amazing food. And it does get served finally, but it takes them four and a half hours to get your dinner on the table! Is that okay?! I don’t think so!!!
Let’s change this scenario. Imagine that this exceptional restaurant you go to has amazing service. There’s actually someone dedicated to your table alone. If you take a drink of water, they automatically pour you more water. If you take a bite of your roll, they instantly serve you another. Whatever you want, the service is just stunning, actually it’s spectacular—but the food is so bad that you can barely gag it down! Is that all right? No, of course not.
We need both a good product and decent service. You want reasonable food at a decent price, and you want to be treated a certain way in the process. Selling and Service go hand in hand.
You As A Provider
Let’s look at the two components in the way you do business. Let’s say that you are the best at your job, ever in the history of your field. There has never been anyone better than you. If there were a gold medal given like they do in the Olympics, you would easily win it.
Actually, 50 years from now, people will look back and say, “You should have seen them 50 years ago! They were just amazing! The service they gave was just incredible.” So you are amazing at doing the task—but you are such an obnoxious, mean, nasty sucker that nobody can stand you! Everybody detests you! Do you think your job is going to go well, even if you have the best product there is? Not even….
Let’s say, on the other hand, that you are very warm, loving, and kind to your customers and co-workers. Everybody just adores you. You are so sweet—people just follow you around at work. They want to even be in your shadow, just to feel your presence, because you are so wonderful. But—at the same time, you don’t have a brain in your head! You couldn’t do the job if you had to! You have no product knowledge and no skills whatsoever. Is that going to work? Probably not—even if you are the nicest person in your organization.
You need them both. You need to be able to do the job in an intelligent, straightforward fashion, and you need to be able to deal effectively with human beings you encounter.
So let’s begin to look at what you can do to greatly enhance your quality of sales and customer service.
Proprietary Interest
Are you self-employed? Yes, you are.
Whether you work for yourself, a large corporation, or a government agency, you are self-employed and every day you are selling you. You are running your own business.
There’s a business principle that says those organizations that have the greatest growth, that move forward and keep growing, do so because each person inside that organization takes a ‘proprietary interest’ in the business.
Proprietary interest means you act as if you are the proprietor—the owner. It’s your business. You are the one who runs it. You’re the person who takes care of it. A proprietary interest means you are self-employed. You are the business, and your territories, your customers, the people you work with, are central to your success as a business.
The Seven Principles of Partnering
There are seven principles crucial to successful partnering. These principles have been found to be deeply embedded within organizations that thrive and grow.
1. The Principle of Relationships
The first of the seven principles is the principle of relationships. Success in partnering is directly determined by your ability to establish and maintain rapport with customers.
Creating a quality relationship is essential. Your customer will not collaborate with you long term unless they believe you are acting in his or her best interest. The higher the level of trust between you and your customer, the lower will be their resistance that gets generated by fear of making a mistake, acceptance of your suggestions.
Why do people have problems with letting go of their fears? Why do people resist? Because of history, time, and past performance. They want to understand what’s going to happen, how it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, and where it’s going to happen. So, we must build our relationships.
It’s like cooking a meal. The relationship takes a little bit of time to simmer. So, you have to take the time to grow the relationship.
2. The Principle of Sales
Nothing in life occurs unless a sale has taken place—nothing.
Everyone likes to buy, but no one likes to be pressured or hard-sold. The top salespeople are viewed by their customers as servers who help them get what they need or want. You are self-employed and are responsible for the success of your business.
The word ‘sales’ comes from an Old English word, “Selje,” which means ‘to serve’.
If you think about it, the most effective salespeople, the best customer servers, truly serve their way into great relationships and to assisting customers to get what they want or need.
The principle of sales says we are always selling. Every day you had better sell your boss on keeping you, versus firing you and hiring someone else. You had better sell other employees on working with you and collaborating, versus sabotaging you.
If you have customers, you need to be selling them on the benefits of working with you and partnering with you. If you’re in a relationship, you had better be selling your partner every single day, because if you don’t, there will come a day when he/she will go find someone who is prettier, handsomer, funnier, richer, more entertaining, better skill sets, etc. You’d better be selling your partner every day that you’re the best package around.
The principle of sales applies everywhere.
3. The Principle of Goals
To achieve your dreams, you must have clearly defined, written goals that you believe are attainable.
The success you create is in direct proportion to your level of desire and your sustained vision and commitment to becoming the best you can be.
Written goals assist in keeping you on course when the winds of life try and blow you in the wrong direction. We need to find a way to make certain we stay on track. Goals are the way to do it.
It’s been discovered that 94% of those individuals, who are in the top 3% of the most successful, have clearly defined written goals. To assist yourself in getting where you want to go, you need to have clearly defined goals. As a psychologist, I’ve also found that those individuals who live longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives have goals.
Humans as a species have a tendency to have their health diminish when they no longer have a reason to live. Having goals gives you that reason to be alive—to be, to do, and to interact. The principle of goals assists you in staying on track and is vitally important to your success.
4. The Principle of Need
The decision to work with a partner is a result of an attempt to satisfy a need or to overcome dissatisfaction.
Before beginning a project with anyone, you need to be really clear about the need you’re attempting to satisfy. Talking alone will not uncover needs. Only by asking clear, specific, targeted questions will the answers be forthcoming.
Years ago while visiting a friend in his office, I noticed that one of his walls was covered with postcards, plaques, sayings, and little banners. While he was gone to a meeting for few minutes, I read a number of these sayings on his walls.
One of them applies to the principle of need. It said, “Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up and knows it must run faster than the fastest lion. A lion wakes up every morning and knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter if you are a lion or a gazelle—when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”
That is the principle of need in action. You’ve got to be in motion and making progress. You have to be moving forward. So, applying the Principle of Need to helping your customers get what they want is beneficial to you and to them.
5. The Principle of Influence
In every relationship, one person is more influential than the other. In partnerships, the influence is quite often passed back and forth between partners.
If you are more influential, they accept your input and recommendations. If they are more influential, you accept their perspective or methods.
People seek to satisfy the greatest number of unmet needs, the easiest way, in the most expedient manner. To do that, they must first influence themselves to take action, and secondly, influence others to participate in achieving the results.
Influence is in the midst of every relationship you participate in. Not just customer service relationships at work, but also your relationships at home, people who participate in hobbies you may have, interactive groups you are involved with in the community, your church, and so on and so on.
The ability to influence makes a major difference. Your skills at persuading and having influence in many cases will determine your success at attaining the goals you have before you.
6. The Principle of Preparation
The best customer servers prepare thoroughly prior to each contact, and they debrief their results afterwards.
Customers are looking for solutions. Sales and customer service champions plan questions in advance, thereby assisting customers to focus more easily, clearly, and quickly on solutions.
To feel most confident and perform at your peak requires putting the needed time into the preparation. The principle of preparation sets you up to be a success. Spending time thinking about where you’re going, what you want to achieve, perhaps writing an agenda for a meeting you’ll be involved in, takes the time. But—it’s time well spent.
It’s rare that I go to any meeting without preparing an agenda. Even if the other party says they’ll have one, I take one with me. At least 70% of the meetings I go to, the other person or organization has not done one.
Even if they do have an agenda, if we get through theirs, I can throw mine on the table and say, “Here are a few more things I’d like to clarify.” And if they don’t have any written agenda, then I really am in control of the meeting. I can take it into the area most important to me.
Being prepared, being ready to have that important conversation, can make a gigantic difference for you.
7. The Principle of Perspective
The best business people are viewed by their customers as a consultant, an adviser or a partner, not as a sales person. You’ll achieve great results through educating your customers into how your business works and how to satisfy their needs. The Principle of Perspective says it is vital to understand the other person’s perspective, because there is a great chance that the way they see things is not perfectly aligned with your point-of-view.
Here’s a little story about perspective. This is a letter written home from an 18-year-old freshman daughter at college, to her mother and father.
Dear Mom and Dad,
I don’t know if you heard about this on the news a couple of months ago, but my dorm burned down. I didn’t want to worry you, so I went out on my own and found a place to live. It’s even cheaper than the dorm was. It’s really a great deal. Not only that, but I can cook my own food, which is much better than dorm food. It’s a beautiful Victorian house close to campus.
There are eight of us living there, and one of my roommates is an extremely talented musician. He’s the most youthful 40-year-old person I have ever met.
Well, he and I fell in love. I couldn’t believe it—we just have a magical connection. I never thought it would happen to me, but it has. I’ve now moved into his room, so we can save money by not having to pay for two rooms.
I also made a decision not too long ago, to help him further his musical career. I’m going to quit school so I can go to work and support him. I just know he’s going to be a big star one day, and I can help take care of him until he makes it big.
The other day, I wasn’t feeling very well so he suggested I go to the doctor and I did. Guess what, the doctor said I’m pregnant!
Now, Mom and Dad I want you to know I’m not really pregnant. And, I’m really feeling just fine. No, I’ve not fallen in love with a 40-year-old man and moved in with him. I’m still living in my dorm; it did not burn down. I’m actually quite happy with the way things are going in my life right now.
So, Mom and Dad, if you think about how bad things could be—is getting a C minus in English, and a D in Chemistry, really that big of a deal?
Love, Suzie
Now that's perspective
Take the time to begin applying the seven principles of partnering: Incorporate the principles of relationships, of sales, goals, need, influence, preparation, and perspective. You will begin more effectively growing connections between you and your customers that will last a lifetime.
Customer loyalty is built over time, and the better you build the relationships, sell effectively, and have targeted goals, the more likely it is that your customers are going to be happy, satisfied, and want to work with you long term. Using these seven principles of successful partnering can make a significant difference to you and your business.
After he had read the inspiring article, Jack noticed that Digger had scribbled some thoughts on the back of it. He began to read...
Digger Jones' Power Nuggets from Larry Iverson's article
1. Remember the wise words of Winston Churchill when he said, "To every person there comes a time in life, that special moment when they're figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to his or her talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be their finest hour!" This is your time! Grab hold of it... work hard... believe... and make it happen!
2. Successful Selling and Great Customer Service go hand in hand. They are opposite sides of the same coin.
3. You are self-employed.
4. "The higher the level of trust between you and your customer, the lower will be their resistance that gets generated by fear of making a mistake, acceptance of your suggestions." Larry Iverson
5. "Nothing in life occurs unless a sale has taken place—nothing." Larry Iverson
6. Top salespeople are "servers to their clients." The root word in which our word "sales" comes from is the Old English word "selje," which is defined as "to serve."
7. Motion is momentum. To succeed, you must take action…every day!
8. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!
9. You are a consultant.