Now is the time to rise
up, be counted, and kick butt.
By:
Jeffrey Gitomer
For
years big corporations ruled the world, and the business
world – not any more. Most of them are hurting – wounded
– dying – or dead.
Big
banks, big homebuilders, big auto makers, big
newspapers, big stockbrokerages, and other “big”
companies are underwater or treading fast. The only
thing sinking faster is the price of their stock.
Business
is so bad at big hotels that in Las Vegas, hotel people
are actually becoming friendly. Before President Obama
put the hex on Las Vegas, I traveled there once a month
doing corporate events and seminars. During the past ten
years I can report that Las Vegas did not have the worst
service in America – they had the worst service in the
WORLD. Times have changed. Drastically. Have you heard?
GREAT
NEWS: This economic situation has created the greatest
opportunity for small business in the past 100 years.
You have the opportunity to topple, or at least outsell
and outserve, the giant of your choice. While they’re
busy cutting everything, guarding “shareholder value,”
and their employees are guarding their desk and their
job, NO ONE is guarding their customers (AKA: the
lifeblood of their (and your) business). Is that cool,
or what?
Here’s a
list of what you have to do in order to out-do in these
times, and for all times:
Out
think.
Whatever big companies are thinking, it isn’t enough.
You don’t have to go very far to beat them in this
department. In most cases just think “for the customer”
rather that yourself, your job, or your shareholders.
Think “invest,” not “cut.” Think “value,” not “price.”
Think “be your best.”
Out
hustle.
This is easy. Most big companies are about as agile as
the Queen Mary. And their employees have a sense of
urgency about them that’s somewhere between zero and
minus zero. Employees of large companies typically have
an attitude of “someone else will do it.” This is your
game plan: Get up early. Stay up late. Talk to every
customer you have ever had. Schedule breakfasts and
lunches six weeks in advance. Let your customers know
your new hours start before they get there and end after
they leave.
Out
sell.
Be there
for the business, and be there when your customer is
ready to do business. This means you also have to be
there when they are NOT ready to do business. You can’t
just hang around for orders. You have to be a consistent
value provider in order to be able to earn the business
when the time is right and the time is ripe.
Out
serve.
Now is
the time for all good companies to come to the aid of
their customer. (With homage to typing teachers.) Now is
the time to INCREASE service and service offerings, not
cut back.
IDEA:
Next time a customer calls and asks for help or a favor,
before they can say a word, you interrupt and say,
“Whatever you want, the answer is yes!” This will make
them smile, and feel great about asking. Set the tone
for positive action with your words, and follow it up
with your deeds.
Out
deliver.
Cut your
delivery times in half. No longer is the excuse “The
trucks are already loaded” a valid one. Do whatever it
takes to deliver what they need, when they need it.
Out
humanize.
Throw
away your computerized answering service before and
after hours. And throw away your voicemail. When the
phone rings, answer it. This will put you ahead of 99%
of all other businesses in the world. Big businesses
answer their phones with a computer and say, “In order
to serve you better…” Who the hell are they kidding?
(Answer: themselves.)
Out
communicate.
Throw away the “policy manual” and your “corporate
speak.” It’s no longer valid in these times. Any fool
quoting “policy” or avoiding direct answers in times of
economic chaos is certain to lose now and into the
future.
Out
truth.
One day the bank says they’re in great shape. The next
day they lay off 30,000 people. All truths are
eventually revealed. Why not just start with it? The
more truth you tell your customers BOTH external and
internal, the more they will respect you, and remain
loyal to you.
Out
Google.
This is the easiest one of all. When your customers go
shopping for whatever it is you sell, make certain
you’re number one in your name, and at or near the top
in your product or service. This is solely dependent on
your “Googlejuice” – not your size. When your customer
needs an answer or a resource, they Google it – just
like you do.
Out
surprise.
Even in these times you can still be memorable. Create a
budget to surprise customers. Anything from a pizza, to
lending an employee for a day or two, will be
appreciated. And remembered.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible and The
Little Red Book of Selling. President of Charlotte-based
Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales
meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on
selling and customer service at www.trainone.com. He can
be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to
salesman@gitomer.com © 2009 All Rights Reserved -
Don't even think about reproducing this document without
written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy
Gitomer, Inc. • 704/333-1112
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