March 31, 2012

Why salespeople need to be accountable for fixing service mistakes

Source: Pexels

Why salespeople need to be accountable for fixing service mistakes.

Service recovery is a critical way to build customer loyalty

Service recovery = fix your blunder and surprise the customer with what they don’t expect.

Sales are in a critical position in the organization to influence the outcome of a customer screw-up yet they are rarely held accountable for it.

Service recovery is not a vital component of sales’ performance plans and as a result it is not reflected in their compensation plan for bonus pay.

To be successful in sales, recovery needs to be front and center in what they do.

Who is in a better position to initiate action when a customer has been disappointed? When the organization has broken a promise? When the solution provided doesn’t work to specifications? When the solution was not provided when it was promised?

Typically, if the salesperson has developed a trusted relationship with a customer they will get the call and will be expected to get things back in order. Yet in too many cases, the salesperson will pass this service complaint off to others in the organization whose role is to deal with after-sale matters.

Sales needs to take the lead in the service recovery process.

They are responsible to build meaningful relationships with customers and therefore must include actions taken when things go wrong.

The sales behavioural charter defines those behaviors that sales must continually demonstrate - service recovery must be part of it.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 3.31.12 at 10:39 am by Roy Osing
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December 15, 2011

4 easy ways to know if you have a great customer relationship

Source: Pexels

4 easy ways to know if you have a great customer relationship.

Building deep trusted relationships with business clients is critical to the long term success of your organization.

But how do you know if you are making any progress?

Here are 4 clues to tell you if you are on the right track or not.

1. You are always invited to your customers’s strategic planning meetings

They value your opinions on the issues facing their organization.
They know that you know their business. They trust your intentions. They honor your strategic skills and experience. They view you as a friendly ‘expert from afar’.
You are a valuable member of their direction-setting team.

2. You have ‘an office’ on their premises

A close presence exists between you and the client. It may be a physical presence where you actually have an office on the client’s premise or it could be a virtual presence where you are listed as one of their team members.

They want you accessible. Close at hand. To bounce ideas off. Test some ideas. The ultimate expression of trust and value is real estate owned by the customer; given to you.

3. Your customer never issues a Request for Proposal when they need a solution

Why bother? They have so much trust and faith in you that going out to get others to submit a bid on what they want is seen as a waste of time.
When your customer needs something, you are already on it.

There is no need to involve other suppliers. You take action. You deal with it seamlessly.

4. You are never referred to as a salesperson by the client

Your currency in their organization places you among their leadership team.
Labels are meaningless.
You are their trusted colleague. Their partner. Their friend.

It’s one thing to say that your objective is to develop deep relationships with your clients; it’s quite another to achieve it.

Observe how the client treats you and it will tell the whole story of the relationship.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 12.15.11 at 10:06 am by Roy Osing
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October 31, 2011

What is a customer ‘secret’ and why is it really important to business success?

Source: Unsplash

What is a customer ‘secret’ and why is it really important to business success?

Successful organizations know more about what people want than their competition; they use information — customer ‘secrets’ — as the power ingredient in their value proposition mix to separate themselves from everyone else and to achieve incredible levels of performance.

The winners are the insightful ones because there are two tiers of information available to organizations; the first tier is common, and the second one rarely gets used.

Tier #1 is the ‘needs-layer’; it consists of what people need.

Tier #2 is the ‘secrets-layer’; it consists of what people want.

A typical organization talks about the importance of determining what their customers need and delivering appropriate solutions accordingly.

The theory goes: identify what a person needs; build a product or service that delivers the needs and provide it. Simple enough.
The problem is that every competitor is doing it and no one in the market gains any sustainable advantage.

And the added challenge is that the needs of most people are already satisfied; most people already have the things that sustain their everyday lives.

So how can you be successful in attracting them if you and every other market player are using the needs-layer as the basis for your marketing efforts?

You can’t.

People are now more than ever doing business with organizations based on their wants and desires; products, services and experiences they ‘covet’ and ‘lust for’ as opposed to what they need.

And the successful organizations understand that it’s the secrets-layer of information on people that provides the insights they need to get and keep an advantage over their Tier #1 competitors.

So, what’s a customer ‘secret’?

A secret is an individual thing; it’s not a mass thing. Crowds don’t have secrets; individuals in the crowd do.

My secret is not likely to be the same as yours because we are different people with different backgrounds, different competencies, different lifestyles and, in organizations, different financial and market challenges.

A secret reveals itself as a habit, bias, dream, hope, skill, competency, lifestyle choice, family priority, ego drive, friendship affinity, recreation preference, entertainment choice, or in the case of an organization, inventory problems, cash flow margin challenges, employment equity concerns or product quality issues.

If we can discover the secrets of individuals or business decision makers, we will be in the enviable position to deliver something that they can’t get anywhere else (since others are still basing their offerings on what they learn from needs-layer information).

What does it mean to marketing?

A secrets-layer focus changes both the process we use to obtain information on people and the type of information we gather.

The focus of research must be to discover the secrets that every person has, with the trust and conviction that sustainable competitive advantage will result from using this information to develop products, services, packages and other offers (as an aside, packages solutions can only be created if we holistically understand what people desire.)

Marketing strategy must move away from periodic needs based research of mass markets to continuous secrets based learning of individual people

And the secret learning process must be continuous; information is constantly streamed into the organization as a result of ongoing customer engagement as opposed to conducting periodic studies which only provide a snapshot in time of what people are wanting.

What does it mean to customer service?

Secrets-layer information feeds the service recovery process — what the organization does in response to a service blunder that royally screws the customer. The objective is service recovery is to turn the service OOPS! into a loyalty building event where the customer is more committed to the organization after the mishap than they were before it occurred.

The service recovery process looks like this: fix the problem fast (studies show that a response is necessary within 24 hours) + surprise the customer with something they don’t expect.

If you can’t respond to an OOPS! in 24 hours you lose and chance of enhancing customer loyalty

And the essential ingredient of a surprise is the secret-layer; some fact or fantasy you have discovered about the screwed over person that they would be startled to learn that you know about them.

What is critical to get full value from the secret-layer in service recovery is that secret information is available to the service organization in real time.
When a mishap occurs, “What secrets do we know about this customer?” must be answered quickly so the recovery process can conclude within 24 hours.

Use the secret to personalize the process of apologizing for the mishap and ‘atoning for your sin’. Make it special. Show them that you put thought into what is the right way for you to make amends.

And they will quickly forget about the OOPS! and all they will remember is how amazing they felt when you recovered in a personal way.

What does it mean to sales?

A secrets-layer focus means that sales must be held accountable for gathering customer secrets, leveraging them as a customer engagement tool and reporting the information back to their colleagues (like marketing and customer service) who are then able to use them as needed.

Even though sales is in a great position to ask the right questions of customers, listen, take notes, and record what they discover, they are rarely asked to perform this function. They continue to be expected to perform their traditional — and commonplace — role of pushing products and services to their markets and hitting their short term quota.

And unfortunately, this traditional role contributes virtually nothing to enable an organization to stand out from their competition and gain a strategic advantage.

Notwithstanding the fact that the process exposes opportunities to grow revenue, secret gathering is an excellent way for a salesperson to deepen relationships with their customers.

The mere fact that it’s the secret discovery process is highly interactive means that relationships are automatically strengthened (with the caveat of course that fulfilling promises made is done promptly and to the customer’s satisfaction).

The way to get sales to be ‘secret agents’ is to build secret gathering into sales performance and compensation plans otherwise it won’t get done.

Sales bonuses should assign a material weight to this component to get sales attention - I suggest at least 25% of the sales bonus should be based on secret gathering effectiveness and that a customer report card be used as the measurement vehicle.

What does the discovery process look like?

The fact is that people are willing to give you their secrets every time you engage with them if the right approach is taken. 

All you need to do is to show that you are more interested in them than you are in pursuing your own agenda. By your actions tell them that you are a ’human being lover’, and that you are interested in their story.

The secret floodgates will open.

The secret gathering process looks like this:

Ask a question > listen > record what you hear > ask another question > ask another question > repeat.

The point is that we have all been taught to be in the transmit mode, anxious to tell the other person what we have been up to, what we have to sell and the attributes we possess.

To really learn about someone we need to make a right-angled turn from this behavior. We need to be open to others and focus on learning what THEY are all about.

As a way to get started, create a secrets manual on each of your high value customers

Have fun with the idea. How about a secret agent award to honor the person who discovers the coolest secrets every month?
Or an annual recognition award of someone who excels at continually maintaining and sharing their secrets manual?

A sustainable advantage is the most difficult thing for any organization to achieve in markets overwhelmed with intense and aggressive competition.

It’s ironic that most organizations look to the text books on strategy for the solution. They all look to technologies, products, services, branding and a plethora of other tactics to one-up their competitors, yet there is one rather mundane and non-sexy thing that can be done to attain incredible strategic success: discover the secrets that decision makers house and protect — and exploit them to grow business.

Secret gathering is strategic and it should be developed as a core competency in your organization if you want to standout and power up your business.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead book series

• Posted 10.31.11 at 10:41 am by Roy Osing
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July 18, 2011

Why Customer Secrets Are the Ultimate Game-Changer in Business

Why Customer Secrets Are the Ultimate Game-Changer in Business

In the cutthroat arena of modern business, where competition is fierce and differentiation is elusive, the most successful organizations don’t just understand their customers—they know them.

They go beyond the surface-level needs and tap into the secrets that drive individual desires, cravings, aspirations, and behaviors.

These secrets are the untapped goldmine that separates the mediocre from the extraordinary, the followers from the trailblazers.

Needs are common; Secrets are power.

Most businesses operate in the first tier of customer understanding—the needs-layer.
They focus on identifying what customers need and delivering products or services to meet those needs.

But here’s the brutal truth: everyone is doing this.

The needs-layer is saturated, and it offers no sustainable competitive advantage. Why? Because most people already have what they need.

The real opportunity lies in the second tier—the secrets-layer.

This is where you uncover what customers want, what they covet, what they dream about, what they crave.

It’s where you discover the hidden drivers that make them tick.

The Secrets-Layer: The Untapped Frontier of Customer Insight — A customer secret is not a mass-market trend or a generic desire.

It’s deeply personal, unique to each individual. It’s a habit, a bias, a dream, a fear, a lifestyle choice, or even an unspoken aspiration.

Crowds don’t have secrets—individuals do.

And when you uncover these secrets, you gain the ability to deliver something that no one else can.

You create experiences, products, and services that resonate on a profoundly personal level.

This is the ultimate differentiator.

While your competitors are busy meeting needs, you’re fulfilling desires.

While they’re playing catch-up, you’re setting the pace.

◼️ What Does This Mean for Marketing? — The shift to a secrets-layer focus transforms the way you approach marketing.

Gone are the days of periodic, mass-market research that gives you a snapshot of what people need.

Instead, you must adopt a continuous, individualized learning process.

You need to engage with customers on a deeper level, uncovering their secrets in real-time and using that information to craft hyper-personalized offerings.

This is not just about selling; it’s about building intimate customer relationships.

When you understand a customer’s secrets, you can create marketing campaigns that feel tailor-made for them.

You can craft messages that speak directly to their hopes, fears, and aspirations.

This is how you build loyalty, trust, and long-term engagement.

◼️ What Does This Mean for Customer Service? — Customer service is no longer just about fixing problems—it’s about turning mistakes into moments of magic.

When a service blunder occurs, the secrets-layer becomes your secret weapon.
By leveraging what you know about the customer, you can turn a negative experience into a loyalty-building event.

A service mistake can create a “gaspworthy” moment and a raving fan forever.

The key is speed and personalization.

You need to respond within 24 hours, and you need to surprise the customer with something that feels deeply personal.

Maybe it’s a gesture that aligns with their lifestyle, a gift that reflects their hobbies, or a solution that addresses a challenge they’ve been quietly grappling with.

When you recover in a way that feels personal, the customer doesn’t just forgive you—they become even more committed to your brand.

◼️ What Does This Mean for Sales? — Sales teams must evolve from being product pushers to secret gatherers.

The traditional role of hitting quotas and pushing products is no longer enough.

Salespeople must be trained to ask the right questions, listen intently, and uncover the secrets that drive customer decisions.

This is not just about closing deals; it’s about building trust.

When a salesperson takes the time to understand a customer’s secrets, they’re not just selling—they’re connecting.

And that connection is what leads to long-term relationships and repeat business.

To make this happen, organizations must incentivize Secret Gathering.

Sales bonuses should be tied to the ability to uncover and leverage customer secrets.

This isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative.

◼️ The Secret Discovery Process: How to Uncover What Really Matters — The process of uncovering customer secrets is both an art and a science.

It starts with asking the right questions and listening deeply.

You need to show genuine interest in the customer’s story, not just your own agenda.

When customers feel heard and understood, they’ll willingly share their secrets.

The key is to shift from transmit mode to receive mode.

Instead of talking about your products or services, focus on learning about the customer.

Ask questions, take notes, and follow up.

Over time, you’ll build a Secrets Manual for each high-value customer—a living document that captures their unique desires, preferences, and challenges.

◼️ The Ultimate Competitive Advantage — In a world where technology, branding, and product features are easily replicated, customer secrets are the one thing that can’t be copied.

Customer Secrets are the ultimate source of sustainable competitive advantage.

When you understand what makes your customers tick, you can create offerings that feel irresistible.

You can build relationships that are unbreakable.

And you can achieve levels of performance that are unmatched.

The question is not whether you should start uncovering customer secrets—it’s how quickly you can make it a core competency in your organization.

The organizations that master this will not just survive; they will thrive.

They will be the ones setting the pace, defining the future, and reaping the rewards of a customer-centric revolution.

The hidden edge is there for the taking. Are you ready to unlock it?

Cheers,
Roy
My Podcast Show Audacious Moves to A BILLION shares the specific Moves I made to achieve jaw-dropping growth in an insanely competitive internet business.

”The Audacious Unheard of Ways I Took a Startup to A BILLION IN SALES” is the latest in my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series.

• Posted 7.18.11 at 11:00 am by Roy Osing
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