Presentation Skills for Speaking in Public

September 14 - Melville, New York   9 am to 5 pm

Offered through TRAININGSHARE Public Workshops.

The Taylor Performance Solutions team has over 20 years experience supporting individuals who want to:

• Increase confidence and reduce anxiety when speaking to groups.
• Improve the organization and look of presentations.
• Improve speech and body language to enhance the message impact.

Register today and learn how to:

1. Control your nerves and harness nervous energy to work for you.
2. Deliver a presentation exuding confidence and poise.
3. Organize your ideas in a persuasive, informative way.
4. Control your voice, gestures, body language and facial expressions.
5. Create interesting and easy to follow visual aids.
6. Motivate your audience to take action.

The fee is only $475.00 and the class is limited to 6 people so you receive personal attention. register today - take control of your career!


Register for Presentation Skills for Speaking in Public

Do you live your brand?

I recently visited a bank that has signs all over about their "Exceptional Service". I read these signs in great detail as I waited 10 minutes for someone to help me at the customer service area. Then I read more signs while I waited at the teller line. When this line didn't move, I walked outside to the ATM machine, and read more signs. The ATM machine was not working, so I walked to the drive-through window. The teller at the drive-through asked me to use the ATM machine, as she was the only teller working at the time. This story doesn't have a great ending and I am sure you can imagine just how pleased I was with their "exceptional service".

So, what is the morale of the story? Make sure the actions, behaviors and skills of you and/or your employees align completely with the features/benefits you advertise as part of your brand.  

Companies spend a lot of money working with advertising agencies and marketing firms to develop their brand and to develop the tag-lines/benefits they should communicate to their customers that correspond with the brand. Unfortunately, not as much attention is spent on ensuring that every employee in the business knows how to "live" the brand.

If you promise quality service, do you and your employees have the skills and training to deliver quality service? Does everyone know why quality service is important? Can everyone make decisions, when working with customers in difficult situations, that demonstrate your tag-line of quality service? Do they make your quality service feel like the best service available in the industry?

There were so many opportunities for the employees in the bank example in the beginning of this article to demonstrate the "Exceptional Service" they promise, yet they didn't. Send us your thoughts on when and how the employees could have "lived" their tag-line of "Exceptional Service" and we will post the best responses in our next newsletter.

Link for Reader Poll -  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DSMRF6Y

Managers - Is it time to protect your training investment?

Training can only bring employees so far and then it is up to management and the employees themselves to reinforce what was learned in training and make it stick long-term.  So, how do you know it is time to reinforce so you can protect your investment of time and money? Here are two easy steps:

1)      Ask Your Employee to Assess

        Ideal Timing  - One or Two Weeks after Training

Depending on the skill your employee learned, sometimes asking a few questions can determine if this employee needs some additional reinforcement coaching or training. Here are some examples:

What are one or two things you are doing differently as a result of the training?

The answer you get should be specific to the topics learned in the training. It should mirror the activities or role-plays that the employee completed in the training.

What changes came easy and what changes are more difficult? What are you finding most helpful?

Most adults can change one or two skills or behaviors at a time. If your employee says everything came easy but when you review results (see next set of tips) they are not where you want them to be, you may need to do some reinforcement. 

If you think about what you learned in training, what had the most impact on how you do your job?

If your employee cannot come up with something that had a specific impact and this employee had a need to improve in areas covered in the training, you may need to do some coaching and training as reinforcement.

2)      Observe Behavior – Review Results – Ideal Timing – 30 to 45 Days after Training

Sales Training

If your employees attended a needs based selling program, they should be closing more sales, achieving a higher cross sell ratio and they should be having rich dialogues with your customers. You can quickly identify if your salespeople are reverting to a transactional approach if their first question or comment to a customer is focused on either the transaction request or a product.

Example - This sales person may need reinforcement training or coaching because the response is too transactional/reactive:

·         Customer – I would like to open an account…purchase a couch…sign up for your services…

·         Your Sales Person – What account…which couch…which services?

Example - This sales person may not need reinforcement because the first response is focused on the customer and what the customer needs:

·         Customer – I would like to open an account…purchase a couch…sign up for your services…

·         Your Sales Person –  Great. Thank you for coming in. My name is Linda. What is your name? What brought you here today? We have many accounts…couches…services…in order to identify the right solutions for you, do you mind if I ask you some questions?

Customer Service Training

Observe your customer service employees after a customer transaction. Listen to what they say (or mumble). Observe how they hang up the phone. Pay attention to their body language.

What can your observations tell you about the need to reinforce training? Well, if the training focused on how to ensure customer’s expectations are met and exceeded, regardless of how difficult the customer may have been, your employees shouldn’t be complaining about the customer after a transaction, shouldn’t be mumbling ‘what a pain …’ and definitely shouldn’t be slamming down the phone.

If your training focused on the skills of communicating with customers, even when they are angry, your customer service employees shouldn’t look stressed during or after a customer interaction. They should be ready to move on to the next customer. Their body language should always be approachable and their voice calm.

Is it time to protect your investment? 

Feeling Unproductive Too Often? Try Developing Some of These Habits

Often, during our training classes, participants are not sure about how the tips we are providing can actually help them be more productive in their roles and less stressed in their life. Sometimes our facilitators provide personal examples to help the individuals decide if this tip will work for them. Since not all our readers can attend a workshop, I thought I would share my examples and ideas with you. These are my "Top Five Habits". Developing these "good" habits over the years has helped me feel productive 95% of the time, enabled me to always meet deadlines (usually early) and  reduced much of the stress that can come from running a business and a family! 

1. Plan the Next Day Before Leaving Work for the Day - This means different things to different people and what it means to me is that before I leave the office, I review my outlook, my project list, and my upcoming week and write a to-do list of what I want to accomplish the next day. This is the only thing I see when I get to my desk in the morning. And, because of this, I can get started right away in the morning. (Cleaning off my desk every night was a great tip I got early in my career...really helps clear the head.)

When I do this task at night, I feel a sense of accomplishment, feel in control, and feel like I can leave work at work! So, this habit not only increases productivity, it helps create work/personal life balance.

2. Keep a Bound Project List and a Bound Daily Task List - I referenced the project list in #1 above. I have two notebooks and one is a 5 X 8 notebook which is where I list my projects (which for us are our training assignments or responses to RFPs.) Our assignments usually take between one month and six months to complete so this is an important list. The smaller notebook holds my daily to-do list. This is the list that I see in the morning. The project list helps you manage priorities and the to-do list helps you manage your day. Project Management software is also helpful; however, if you spend as much time out of the office as I do, it is always good to have a backup. 

3. Control the Uncontrollable by Leaving Room in Your Schedule - I have always had fairly demanding work schedules and in the sales and training roles that I have held over the past 20 years, I can't always predict what the day will bring. (Sound familiar to most of you reading this?)  I hear my training participants say all the time that the biggest challenge they have in managing their time is dealing with all the fires they need to put out every day. Well, building in flexibility to your schedule allows you to manage these fires. I make sure that every day I have 30 to 60 minutes of time blocked off with NOTHING in it. This way, if something very unexpected comes up, I have an hour to pull from. If there are no unexpected events that day, I have an hour to do whatever I want. And, sometimes, this means leaving early - I especially like when this happens on a Friday.

4. Schedule Daily Tasks According to Brain Energy and Physical Energy - This habit has really helped me become as productive as possible. Here is what it means - every one of us has times in the day when our brain is on full speed and times when it feels like it is asleep. The same goes for our physical energy. So, how does this affect how productive we are? Well, have you ever tried to read a book and you find that you have re-read the same page twice? Have you ever started a task and gotten frustrated because it is taking much longer than it should? Sometimes this is because we are trying to force our bodies and brains to do things that they are not best suited for at that time of the day.

For me, I have what I call a coffee brain. Between 6:30 am and 11:30 am - I can write, I can edit, and I can do it quickly and accurately. I know this about myself and I try to schedule my office days around this. I also know that if you ask me to proof or edit a document after 3 pm, it will take too long and I won't do a perfect job. So, at 3:00 pm, I try to do something that is slightly more physical. My best brain time is in the morning and my best physical energy is in the afternoon. If you have the ability to align your tasks with your brain and physical energy, definitely try it out!

5. Reward Yourself When You are Extremely Productive - The rewards don't need to be dramatic. It could mean taking a walk, leaving a little early, having a leisurely cup of coffee. Really, it is anything that makes you feel good for working hard and being productive.

If you are interested in learning more about how we help managers and staff enhance their productivity, give us a call (631) 465-2024 or email us at solutions@taylorperformance .com.

Thanks for reading and have a productive day!

Linda Berke

I'll Do It Later - How to Avoid Procrastination or Feeling of Overload

Procrastination or feeling overloaded are two common time-wasters. There are two types of time-wasters, internal and external. Internal time wasters are those we create ourselves. These are habits or behaviors that work against us as we strive to be productive. External time wasters are those caused by outside forces or other people.

Even though procrastination is an "internal" time waster and "overload" is an external time waster, the steps to overcome them are similar. These five steps can help you with your overall time management if you procrastinate. 

Step One - List specifically what you avoid or what gives you a feeling of overload. Look for trends to identify why you procrastinate or get the feeling of overload. Do you avoid tasks that bore you or ones that frustrate you?

Step Two - Identify when you procrastinate or when you feel overloaded. Is it a particular time of day, day of the week, type of project? Make necessary schedule changes to help you avoid the time waster.

Step Three - List what you do instead of the "It".  Do you do something you enjoy more? Do you try to tackle an impossible project? Identify ways to overcome your obstacles.

Step Four - Break large tasks into small tasks. Make your project or task more manageable. Set short term goals and deadlines.

Step Five - Start with the easiest step. Many people make the mistake of trying to finish the most difficult task first so they can gain a sense of accomplishment. This often leads to frustration and more procrastination or overload. If possible and logical, finish the easy tasks first and gain momentum to complete the more difficult tasks.


Last Step - Reward yourself when you complete something you did not want to do or you struggled to complete! A reward can be a short walk, a coffee break or a phone call to a friend. Relish in your success and energize yourself for the next task. 

Do You Delegate Enough?

All managers and supervisors we work with know intuitively that delegation is critical to helping them save time. Yet, when we poll them in training, most do not delegate enough. usually they don't delegate because of three reasons:

1. They don't see the true value of delegating.
2. They don't know how to communicate the task to be delegated.
3. They confuse delegation with dumping.

So, here are some easy steps to follow:

1. Do a time log and identify the tasks that take a lot of your time.
2. Analyze these tasks to determine if they are taking away time from tasks that you should be doing.
3. Determine if someone else on your team can do the task and will benefit from doing the task because it will mean added responsibility or learning something new.
4. Outline specifically how the task should be completed and what the end result should look like.
5. Set up a private meeting with the employee to discuss this new assignment.
6. Explain to the employee the importance of the task, why it needs to be done and how it impacts other people or departments.
7. Explain specifically what is expected - in terms of both process and end result.
8. Ask the employee if he/she has any questions about the task.
9. Thank the employee and let the employee know that you are there to help or answer questions.

Follow these steps and you will find that you have more time and a more productive team.

Business to Business Sales Tip - Winging It Is NOT a Strategy

What is the difference between an average salesperson and a stellar salesperson? Hands down it is preparation. Clients tell us, those salespeople who have excelled after we’ve trained and coached them, were able to shorten their sales cycles because they changed the way they prepared for their sales calls. This feedback comes from a wide range of salespeople – from those with limited experience to those with 20 years in their field. It also crosses all industries. Though other changes were made after training, it all links back to good preparation!

This is music to our ears because one of our most important teaching points during sales training is “Winging it is not a strategy!” Or, as a recent participant said during a break in a training class, “Winging it is a strategy, just not a good one!”
So, to ensure that you don’t waste your time and your prospect’s time by going to a sales call unprepared, we suggest a multi-tiered approach to preparation that is strategic and prospect focused.

Research the Business – Plan to Use the Research

To be competitive and successful in today’s selling environment, research is critical. Learn as much as possible about the prospect’s business, industry, competition, current challenges and decision makers before your first meeting. Use the time during your sales call to learn what you can’t learn from public sources. This is a better use of the prospect’s time and will help you establish trust, credibility and an open dialogue.

Use the information you learn and show the prospect you are focused on them. If the company’s history is on their web site, develop rapport building questions to help you open your call. “I saw that you started the business in 1982. How did you get started?” If the company lists two distinct product lines, ask “Those two product lines are very different, can you tell me more about this business strategy?” Use your industry knowledge to show that you care about the business more than you care about selling your products. “Your industry has been challenged by the recent change in legislation, how have you responded to this change?”

View the Call from the Prospect’s Perspective – Become a Value Add Business Partner

Since your prospect is the one making the decision about whether or not to use your products and services, align your call agenda with the prospect’s agenda. What do you think they want to focus on during the meeting? What would be a good use of their time? How can you structure the meeting so the prospect can share and you can learn? Take the word “pitch” out of your sales vocabulary – prospects don’t want to be sold to – they want to be offered solutions and they want to make educated decisions about their business that help their business.

Plan Questions - Identify Value and Urgency from the Prospect’s Perspective

Prospects make a change when there is value to the change and make decisions quickly when they see the upside to moving forward. Before your sales call, plan the questions that will help you and the prospect identify the value of working with you. Plan to learn how the prospect will specifically benefit from your product or service. Approach the call as a problem solving meeting not a sales pitch. And, most importantly – plan to listen to the responses the prospect gives!

Plan Your Sales Call from Open to Close – Run an Effective Meeting

What do most professionals say is the biggest time waster they experience? Meetings! Why? - Because most meetings are run poorly. An effective sales call is a well run meeting and well run meetings start with a strong agenda. Plan how you want to begin the call and add structure to your opening so the prospect knows you are organized and professional. Write the questions you need to ask during the call and analyze them to ensure that they are focused on finding solutions, identifying value and creating urgency. Anticipate concerns the prospect may have and ways that you can prevent or respond to these concerns. Plan to talk about your products and services as customized solutions to their specific business challenges or as ways to help them achieve their specific goals. Plan the question you want to ask at the end of the meeting to gain the highest level of commitment.

So, “don’t wing it, plan it” and both you and your prospect will reap the benefits!

© 2008 Taylor Performance Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Any use of this article or its content including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of Taylor Performance Solutions, is strictly prohibited.

The Blitz - What Can You Expect?

We work with many retail banking professionals and other sales professionals who use the "blitz" or the "drop by" methods of prospecting. I remember blitz's well from my Branch Manager/Commercial Lending experience in the 80's. A blitz meant that we identified a geographical area or a group of businesses to call on to introduce our company, our products and our services. The goal was to get in front of as many prospects as possible. We prepared by gathering brochures, business cards and giveaways.

Now, I will be honest, I never liked the blitz approach. To me it always felt unrealistic that I could visit a business owner unexpectedly and expect him/her to drop everything they were doing so we could have an impromptu sales call. Even when we tried to "warm up" the visits by researching the prospect in advance, these efforts seemed to be more about quantity than quality.

So, speed up to 2010. I am now helping my clients be more effective with these blitz's or drop by methods. I am also subjected to these blitz's as I am a business owner who has ended up on many prospect lists. Based on what I have learned over the past 20 years, these are the three key strategies that our clients find to be beneficial and this is what we help them prepare and practice:

1. Manage Expectations - You are advertising your company when you stop by on a blitz. You have about 30 to 45 seconds to state something that will generate interest from the business owner. 90% of the time you will not be able to have a sales call immediately, but if you are effective in your initial statement you may be able to schedule an appointment for a future date or at the very least, warm up the prospect for your next attempt.

2. Manage Your Pipeline - If you stop by a prospect's place of business, meet with the receptionist and leave a business card - do not mark this as a sales call in your call report or CRM system. This was not a sales call, it was a commercial. You will have unrealistic sales forecasts if you consider this a sales call with potential to close.

3. Prepare and Practice Your Opening Statement - Make sure it is focused on potential solutions and demonstrates knowledge of the prospect or the prospect's industry. You have 30 to 45 seconds to generate interest - don't waste it by telling the prospect you offer Free Checking or you are having a sale.

So, what are your thoughts? How do you differentiate yourself from your competition who may be blitzing the same prospects? What do you do to get past the gatekeeper in these situations? How do you follow up if you did at least have a chance to provide your commercial?

Supporting Your Success - Build Your Skills: Leadership Tip

Supporting Your Success - Build Your Skills: Leadership Tip

Leadership Tip

Leadership Tip

Three Core Competencies

If you run a business or a department and are responsible for the performance of a team, it is important to understand three key competencies in your role that have a direct impact on your success. In your role, at any given time, you may be called on to:

1.      Lead

2.      Manage

3.      Coach

 

Lead – What words come to mind when you think of a leader? A leader motivates, inspires, innovates, empowers, aligns, is visionary and sees the big picture,

 

Manage – A manager directs, handles, organizes, controls, is very hands-on and tells people what to do.

 

Coach – A coach develops, mentors, teaches, observes, is very hands-off and asks people what they think they should do before telling them.

 

Why is it important to be aware of and understand the differences between these competencies? The most important reason is so you don’t inadvertently take the wrong approach, which can be very demotivating for the employee and unproductive for you. What approach should you take in the following scenarios?

 

A. You hear an employee giving inaccurate information to a customer, which could result in a lost sale. Should you manage the situation and step in immediately? Should you let the person make a mistake and coach him/her later? On the other hand, do you find another customer, give accurate information and try to lead by example?

 

Best Approach – Manage the situation delicately by stepping in and giving accurate information to the customer. Do not say that the employee is wrong or demean the employee in anyway. Simply say, “Mr. Customer, I would like to add to what Jodie is saying…” In this situation, you have to weigh the risks. If you decide to coach, how much will this lost sale/lost customer cost the business? If you try to lead by example, you are assuming that the employee will realize that your demonstration is for her benefit.

 

B. Production is down in your plant and you believe it is because you have many new employees still learning the ropes. You have a big push this week to get products out to a distributor. Do you give an inspirational speech to motivate the troops, i.e. – lead by inspiration? Do you step in and work the line because you know you can work faster than anyone else can? Do you observe your slower employees and look for opportunities to train them and improve their efficiencies?

 

Best Approach – Coach the employees who have the potential to change behavior and skill with your observation and feedback. This will bring you more long-term results and create a more motivated work force. If you step in and manage the situation, this can be de-motivating and does not help you next week when you have another tight deadline. Your employees will still be at the same skill level as this week. An inspirational speech has some short-term benefits but you cannot depend on the message to help you over the course of the week. People forget easily!

 

C. You just learned that your company is going to restructure all the departments and align them according to the industries you serve. Your department will be affected slightly because you will be assigned a few more responsibilities. You are not happy with the changes. Do you have a meeting with your team and share your frustrations so they know you are on their side? Do you maintain a positive outlook and look for the ways this change will benefit everyone in the company? Or, do you meet one on one to address each individual’s concerns?

 

Best Approach – Be a leader and inspire the team to embrace the change. If you try to show your team that you are on their side and don’t like the changes, morale and productivity will drop. Meeting one on one is also an option if individuals have expressed a resistance to the change. If you choose to meet one-on-one, make sure your coaching is focused on future performance and on making the change work.

© 2008 Taylor Performance Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Any use of this article or its content including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of Taylor Performance Solutions, is strictly prohibited.

Customer Service Tip - Responding to Irate Customers

Responding to Irate Customers

 

None of us wake up in the morning hoping that we will have an irate customer, however, this is a reality in any customer service role. It is not always your fault, but it is your responsibility to rectify the situation. How you and your employees respond to an angry customer has an impact that goes beyond the interaction itself.

 

If you handle the customer with respect and listen carefully to his or her concerns, you have taken an important step in creating loyalty. Loyalty brings repeat business and customer referrals. If you don’t respond in a way that resolves the issue or calms the customer down, you are likely to lose the customer and all potential referrals from this customer. How much does it cost you to let a customer walk away angry?

 

Since we don’t want to lose money because of a situation being handled poorly, assess how you currently respond and make sure that you don’t fall into the trap of responding with these three anger response traps. Sometimes our response obviously fits into these categories, but sometimes they are more subtle.

 

Poor Response Category #1 - Returning Anger with Anger

 

If you match the customer’s anger with your own, the situation will only escalate, sometimes out of control. It never resolves the situation or calms down the customer.

 

Real Example Heard While Mystery Shopping a Client’s Competition

                Customer - “What do you mean I have to wait in this long line? THIS IS ABSURD.”

 Employee - “Don’t take it out on me. It is not my fault. This is our busy time.”

 

If you were this customer, what would your next response be? I am willing to bet it wouldn’t be a nice comment.

 

Poor Response Category #2 - Ignore the Customer

 

When a customer is angry, he or she wants to be heard. If you ignore the anger, the likelihood is high that the anger will get worse.

 

Real Example Heard While Shopping!

Customer - “Your employee over there was totally rude to us! I want to speak to your manager.”

Employee – “Are you ready to complete your order?”

 

I doubt very much this customer would be ready to complete his or her order. He was probably more ready to take a swing at the employee. Luckily, the manager stepped in.

 

Poor Response Category #3 - Patronize the Visitor

 

Many times employees patronize the visitor without even realizing it. Telling a customer to calm down usually comes across as being condescending or patronizing. Your might as well tell the customer that his or her feelings are not legitimate.

 

Real Example From a Family Member This Past Holiday Season

Customer – “If you don’t refund my money I am never doing business with you again.”

Employee - “Calm down; you don’t have to be so upset.”

 

How do you feel when someone tells you to calm down? Most people don’t like it and usually get even angrier.

 

With all the challenges facing people because of the state of the economy, many people have short fuses. Support your customers in these challenging times and they will support you in the future! Keep a long fuse and don’t fall into any of the anger response traps above.

 

If you or your employees want to enhance the way they respond to angry customers, call us at (631) 465-2024 or email us at solutions@taylorperformance.com. I hope these tips help you be more aware the next time you face this challenging situation.

 

Regards,

Linda

Reprint Permission

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Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the following credit appears: Reprinted with permission from Taylor Performance Solutions, Inc’s Supporting Your Success www.taylorperformance.com – (631) 465-2024 – solutions@taylorperformance.com

©Taylor Performance Solutions, Inc. 

Top 5 Negotiation Behaviors

#1 - Learn - Before you move from the selling phase to the negotiating phase of the sales cycle, learn as much as possible about the needs of your client. Understand how the client defines value, know the client's business priorities and who/what you are competing with for the business. Negotiate from a point of value and not price.

#2 - Think before you speak - Use pauses strategically. You do not have to fill the void if no one is speaking. This is critical, especially after the other person has asked you to make a concession.

#3 - Get all the cards on the table - Do not give up anything before you know everything. If you give something up too early, you may find that later on you didn't need to make the concession.

 #4 - Move slowly - If you want to build a relationship with this client, don't rush to come to agreement. When negotiators rush, they make mistakes.Mistakes cost money!   



#5 - Maintain confident body language - If your client pushes back on terms or price, ensure that your body language does not give the appearance of a lack of confidence or a belligerent attitude. Do not cross your arms, move your chair back or scrunch your forehead. Sit up straight, move forward slightly, and maintain a calm composure.

Reprint Permission

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the following credit appears: Reprinted with permission from Taylor Performance Solutions, Inc’s Supporting Your Success http://www.taylorperformance.com/ – (631) 465-2024 – solutions@taylorperformance.com

©Taylor Performance Solutions, Inc. 

This is a great book, a quick read and it has terrific pointers for performance coaching and really helping your team succeed.

Superior Customer Service = Increased Sales

Superior customer service naturally increases sales. It’s a simple statement, and one which most business owners know intuitively. But do they take time to implement internal processes necessary to make the link?

What is customer service in the 21st century? As the saying goes, ‘It’s not your father’s customer service.” Certainly, being nice to customers still rings true in the ears of business owners, employees and consumers.

If businesses are to exceed customer expectations at every point of contact, it takes a great deal more than niceness. Today, this means always focusing on the customer’s needs. It’s not about what you have to sell, be that a product or a service, it’s about what the customer needs.

Businesses that see the link between sales and service don’t just focus on their sales team and the profit from each sale. They focus on making sure the customer is more than happy with their purchase and highly pleased with their experience while purchasing.

It’s not enough today for customers to be simply happy and simply pleased. Competition is fierce in every industry; more than economic factors weigh heavily on who will become your loyal customers.

Let’s take a look at Business A and Business B, which are on equal footing when it comes to price, selection, quality and other tangible factors. Why, then, will Business B retain this customer? By exceeding customer expectations, providing superior customer service, and addressing the customer’s needs.

Business B found out it’s not too hard to improve sales by developing a loyal customer base. Business B’s customers are more than just satisfied, they are loyal. They make unsolicited referrals, they generate repeat transactions, they purchase more than merely-satisfied customers, and they forgive mistakes (yes, we all make mistakes). Perhaps most important, Business B has a good chance of retaining its loyal customers, even if the competition approaches or prospects them.

Exceeding customer expectations is not a difficult challenge once you define what your customers expect and train your team to meet and exceed expectations. Using research and experience, Taylor Performance Solutions has developed a list known as Core Customer Expectations^SM.

Each core expectation carries equal weight in retaining loyal customers. If even a single expectation is eliminated from a transaction, consumers tend to get annoyed, upset, and in some cases, angry. What sets Business B apart from Business A is its mission statement: To meet and exceed customer expectations consistently through a commitment to the standards defined by Core Customer Expectations^SM.

A side benefit to these standards: happier employees. It makes sense that when customers are content, employees have less stress, experience greater pleasure during their day, and enjoy increased job satisfaction.

Defining Core Customer Expectations^SM

Customers expect ten core elements in each transaction conducted by your business. These are:

• Work with representatives who listen to them
• Receive individualized service
• Be treated with courtesy
• Be treated with respect
• Receive helpful and timely information
• Hear reasonable explanations for delays
• Be recognized
• Be serviced by representatives pleased to be at their jobs
• Receive quick and courteous problem resolution
• Work with knowledgeable representatives

The questions you need to ask yourself are these:

• Isn’t this what you expect as a customer?
• Can all your employees deliver on Core Customer Expectations^SM?
• Does your business provide service that naturally increases sales?

Superior customer service naturally increases sales. Taylor Performance Solutions can help you achieve these goals. We apply Core Customer Expectations to all our business relationships.

Reprint Permission

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the following credit appears: Reprinted with permission from Taylor Performance Solutions, Inc’s Supporting Your Success www.taylorperformance.com – (631) 465-2024 – solutions@taylorperformance.com

©Taylor Performance Solutions, Inc.