storytelling

The Perfect I’m Sorry

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The Perfect “I’m Sorry”

I was in awe and actually stunned last week.  Like the cool, slow motion, jaw dropping kind of stunned.   Really I was.

I had realized right then,  while sitting there next to Eric and listening to both he and the upset customer, that I had never ever heard it like that before.  And I have heard thousands and thousands of customer service calls over these last 25 years.  

Until last Wednesday I don’t think I’ve ever heard those two words said just like that and in that way. 

“I’m sorry”. 

But alas, here is how he said it!   He said “I’m sorry” and then said                nothing.  Nothing!  You know, the dead air kind of nothing, the “you can hear a  pin drop”  kind of nothingness.  

The two words “I’m sorry” weren’t rendered meaningless by adding moronic drivel like “…..that happened” or “…we did that” or ”…this happened to you” or  “…we made a mistake”  or “ …we won’t do it again” .   None of those polluted words were suffixed to the most perfect “I’m sorry” I’ve ever heard.

That’s it.  Two words.   “I’m sorry”.    And then, no more sounds.  No clickety clack keyboard sounds of moving on.   No blathering, babbling or god forbid – cross selling.   Not even a cough.  Nothing – just nothing.

Wait was important.   Wait for it to sink in is what I realized he was doing.   Wait for it to really mean something to the customer. 

And then, on the other end of the line, the soft voice of the customer finally, agonizingly and mercifully said “OK”. 

Perfect.  That’s all Eric needed to hear. 

Think about his choice of using those particular words.  There is so much personal lasting ownership in the two words “I’m sorry” when they are left the heck alone.   There is vulnerability and sincerity in just those two words and in exactly those two words. 

I suspect he already knew what I also had just realized sitting next to him.   That using an “I apologize” or any variation of that is just not the same when you compare.  I’ve heard it a million times and truth be told, it antiseptically washes over people.  “I apologize” rings emptily of what you did while “I’m sorry” rings importantly of how you feel. 

You (and I) have two words to practice now with the 3rd part being the perfect silence that follows.  I never expected to get taught such a wonderful service lesson on a late Wednesday afternoon from a guy I never met before named Eric who has been on the phones for only 4 precious months.    And over the years and maybe even in this blog, I’ve written inaccurately now it seems,  about how to apologize and make amends with customers in need.  For that I simply say

 

I’m sorry. 

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

 

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Bake Sale Confessions

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Bake Sale Confessions

Last week at the Bake Sale I lied, cheated and deceived. 

And while I kind of feel bad about it,  I kinda don’t.

I did it all for charity. 

And OK, I did it to prove a point too.   One you need to remember.

Jeanie and I were in charge of the Bake Sale table for that hour.  Sales needed a boost.    It was all for a good cause – a charity that needed money to do good.   Jeanie and I go way back in the sales world.  We knew we needed to apply our skills.    I winked, she smiled and knew what I was going to do.

One large plastic tray laying on the table had a single package of wrapped homemade cookies left in it.  “$1.00 for 2 cookies” it said.  A lady walked by, saw that it was the last one and ….poof!…. she bought it and it was gone.  An empty tray now.  A nice big empty tray.  Perfect.   I took 2 sorry looking single packages of other homemade cookies hadn’t sold at all and placed them along with their description and price tag in the newly emptied large tray and walked away. 

Those unsold cookies looked so puny in that big tray but they also looked like the only two left in what must have been (perceptually anyway), a full spread of those cookies at one time. 

What hadn’t sold at all;  these 2 cookie packages – were gone in less than 5 minutes.  Charity Cha – Ching!

That tray was gold.  When it emptied, I placed other items ( many that were single sole items to begin with) and put them that tray tucked up against the corner looking like the last of the most popular product on the table.  Disappeared they did. 

On occasion, I admit I threw in a whispered “That’s the last one….” to the unsuspecting passerby while pointing to the giant tray of what must certainly look like the hottest selling treats in the Bake Sale.   Folks stopped, then stared, then snagged the item and shelled out the cash. 

The ultimate of course, was the single $10 raspberry pie that was always just a single pie made for the Bake Sale.  I realize as I write this, that my local Priest reads this blog but I have to admit my white lies went eggshell on me and I shouted  “This is THE last raspberry pie!” and  placed it carefully in what had become the Solid Gold Tray of Charity.  It sold right away along with my soul perhaps, to the Devil.

I’ll take my chances with the Devil because of the Cause (Rev. Paul, help me out here will ya? ).  No one was hurt.  And the event was something that totally outweighed the means I suspect. 

It’s not rocket science; this Bake Sale behavior.   It’s Psychology.  We are simple, good people who act way more on emotion and peer pressure than logic.  Way more than we’d like to admit.   So if you mix popularity ( it must be good) with scarcity (there aren’t many left!) like the “last remaining” baked items put in that big tray – you create a recipe most people can’t avoid tasting.

It’s why we stand in line for IPhones, why we rearrange our lives in trying to get tickets for one of only two shows and why we pay high prices for the best seasonal seafood.

But it’s also why we look twice at the last products on a shelf amidst a sea of like products in a supermarket or club store. It’s also why QVC still tallies “how many left” on the bottom of the screen during a pitch.  It’s why in the end, we respond so well to things that are popular and scarce.  It makes us want.

I’m not advocating lying or cheating or deceiving.  (OK, maybe a little for charity).  But you all have products or services or even people that are truly popular and scarce.  Shout it out!  Find your Solid Gold Tray and place them there.  Let your customers, prospects, colleagues or employer see what is so precious and rare.

From a Bake Sale,  to your company’s Biggest Sale,  to just Better Sales for you no matter what you sell – remember the power of the near irrestistable mix of popularity and scarcity;  it’s an influence like nothing else.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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Angela’s Assist

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Angela’s Assist

“What are you buying it for?”  

 “Oh, that’s wonderful…”

 “Let me do that for you…..”

 “I think you should grab a couple more…”

 “That looks beautiful on you…..”  

 “Oh, I don’t like that one on you so much, not conservative enough…”

 “You know what would really make that look sharp…. is a belt..”

 “A necklace will really tie it together and show your personality…”

“You may want to grab another blouse with the 50% off promotion and mix and match this.”  

 “Good luck, I know you’ll get the job”.

Yep.  That’s pretty much verbatim what sales associate Angela said to my 23 year daughter 2 weeks ago as we shopped for her first real business suit as she was about to interview for a customer service role in one of the largest investment firms in the world.

 It was a memorable almost “wow” service experience as her mother and I watched Angela guide her through the buying process.   She wasn’t pushy; she wasn’t hovering as in fact, Angela was helping two other customers at the same time.

 It was however, so smart.  It started with the right question.  Not just “What are you buying?” But, “What are you buying it for?”

 The rest of her comments and questions make smart sense.  They are honest.  They are helpful.   They are overtly credible and said with the tone and content that she has “totally been here before”.   And it was in the end,  not about the suit at all – but about the goal our daughter had in mind – landing that job.

 She did land that job.  [Today, in fact :)]

And while the business suit Angela helped pick out for our daughter probably wasn’t the reason she got the job, it sure didn’t hurt and better, what a great lesson in customer service Angela gave her to steal from for the interview.  It works on a lot of levels.  

You can steal shamelessly from Angela too.  Read the comments she made and the questions she asked.   Think about them.  Apply accordingly.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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PS:   If you’d like to see Angela in action, head to the clothing store Ann Taylor at Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, NH.   I’m sure she won’t mind that I sent you there.  🙂

An Inspired 28 Minutes

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An Inspired 28 Minutes

You don’t need to know who Curtis Martin is.  You don’t even need to know football.

All you need is 28 minutes to watch his induction speech into the Football Hall of Fame this month.

It’s got nothing to do with football or winning or awards or records.

It has everything to do with a higher and nobler purpose in whatever it is you do.

And I promise you, it is one of the most inspiring, moving and worthwhile 28 minutes you’ll ever spend.

It may even change you.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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Thank you Life, I needed that.

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Thank you Life, I needed that.

I didn’t blog, tweet, update status, check email, VM or watch TV for a week.  I don’t remember the last time I did that.   One colleague had my number to call me if absolutely needed and halleluiah, she didn’t call.

I went on vacation last week.  On a lake in New Hampshire. 

Thank you Life, I needed that.

Interesting and strange new (old?) things happen when you unplug for a week;

You tend to see more up high. (Maybe because your head is not so literally “down” all the time?).  I saw leaves actually already changing color (in mid August!).  And because I was looking up more, I bet that is why I saw that eagle on Tuesday.   

You really do laugh harder (like the crying laughing kind) around real human faces than at gorilla glass or a monitor in front of your mug.  Monopoly (yes – the board game) was a total blast.   And it’s true my dear 15 year olds, this game does require you to use math skills “for real!”   

You definitely need both hands to go fishing, to swim, play bocce, baggo and Frisbee.  I had forgotten about that.  Oh and when you go undefeated in bocce and baggo (as I did) – using both hands to taunt your opponents is a must.

You can sustain commitment too for more important things.  If I was worried about “staying connected” we never would have set the Lake Webster McCarthy Family volleyball record of 163 volleys without a drop.  Why?  Because 5 of us stayed in the water for 4 straight hours to set the record. 

You realize some little/big things you never would if you were hunting all day for a closer cell tower or wifi.  Family and friends have more than just a profile, friend count or followers; they sleep late or get up real early.  They cook well (and you never even knew it).  They can tell a great story, do good impressions, do a 360 dive off a dock while clapping  hands 6 times, reveal things about themselves you never knew (hate horseradish and love pickled olives?) and can do a perfect underwater handstand.

They say a good vacation gets you rested and recharged for work.  That’s kind of true.  I think it can recharge you a bit for Life too – especially if you make sure the only thing that really needs recharging when you get back are the abandoned gadgets you left behind.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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Useless Vs. Priceless Phrases

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Useless Vs. Priceless Phrases

I have three Priceless Phrases that can make your life easier (and/or more successful) if you chose to use them immediately.

But before I get to those, let me share some favorite Useless Phrases so the distinction between the two types of phrases becomes very clear to you.

3 Useless Phrases 

  • I’m a big fan of shouting “Lords of Light!” when surprised.  ( Silly phrase – Just darn odd too)
  • Being of Irish Boston heritage I will say a whole lot of (when angry)    “ _______, Mary and Joseph!” (I left it blank because I swear my Mom still can hear me and she would not be happy).
  • If you are a faithful blog reader you know that lately I’m partial to randomly saying “That’s not a real puppy. That’s too small to be a real puppy”.    I use this phrase (stolen from a TV commercial) when I see people obsessed with social media.  

None of these phrases really do anything for me.  Nor certainly, will they do anything for you.

But now these next phrases – Have at em’ – They will set you free!

3 Priceless Phrases 

“OK, let’s talk a bit more and see what we can do”.  Is part of your job helping people?  My guess is yes.  Is part of your job getting requests or demands from colleagues or customers?  Then this phrase is for you.  Nobody likes to hear “no” right off the bat (and few of us like to say it).  This phrase takes requests or demands and gets you both a little time (critical for discovery) and focuses on what “can” be done vs.  what can’t.  Tension is therefore reduced and work can begin.  Make it your own – “talk” can become “meet”, “we” can become “I”.  You get it.

“Who besides yourself…”  So easy, but nobody says it.  Talking with customer, colleague or service provider no matter – this phrase gets you way more than you think.  Want to talk to the decision maker?  Presume the person you are talking to has some kind of influence and ask “Who besides yourself has a say in investing here?” Otherwise you risk disconnect or diversion.   Protect the pride and ego of the people you talk to- it helps you.

“Tell me more about that…”  Fantastic for a networking event, or easing the challenge of going to party with people you may not have ever met or simply doing some good discovery with a client.  We all love to talk about ourselves or what we do.  This phrase fuels that making you also perceived to be “such a great listener!” No harm in saying “Tell me more about that” a dozen times in an hour at a convention, conference or party.  Bonus:  You can make this phrase more effectively open up your clients, new friends or potential customers by narrowing the focus (vs. the broad word “more”).  Ask “Tell me the best part about that”.  It allows for often a faster focus point for the responder and better, it keeps that person focused on the positive – all good when they think back on talking with you.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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“That’s Not a Real Puppy”

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“That’s Not a Real Puppy”

“What?  Thats not a real puppy. That’s too small to be a real puppy.”

I love this commercial on a lot of levels.   And I love that line about the puppy.   I quote it often when I see heads down  staring into the great smartphone abyss (and my family thinks I’m crazy because I say it).   Have a look at the commercial first and refresh your memory – I’m sure you’ve seen it.   Then, let’s talk about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUGmcb3mhLM

I get it’s about a car.  And about how this car ( the Toyota Venza) actually gets you somewhere to interact with people.

And I get it’s about how “younger” people may not quite understand what “being social” really means and Mom and Dad do.  OK cool.  Great message. 

But it says a lot more to me than that.    

It says that sitting at a computer or with your smartphone all day with your fans, friends and followers probably isn’t a good thing all an all.  And it is starting to show.  

  • Last week in USA today,  it was noted that driver’s license acquisitions across the US are way down over the last few years with many teenagers delaying the getting of a liscence till nearly 19.  A key factor attributed is the rise of social media and requisite devices we all have; that the need to hope in the car and physically “get together” is not there.
  • One of the hottest Training trends is Companies creating courses for new employees teaching them how to speak effectively in meetings and on the phone.  The courses also contain training about how to use proper eye contact.  All this because “conversation isn’t something folks are that good at anymore”.
  • It’s no surprise that in the developing worlds you are far likelier to see investment in wireless networks than in roads development first.  Makes sense on a competitive level but getting connected and getting around isn’t getting easier unless you have smart phone.   

Are we destined to in 5 years time be holed up in our basements, bedrooms and boardrooms connecting online and online only?

Technology at its best,  is disruptive and changes the status quo.   But when part of the status quo was a round of handshakes and a smile, a face to face lunch in in the cafe with a colleague,  attending a party or an outdoor cookout, or a backyard game of volleyball or going for a walk – what’s so wrong with that?  

I’m as guilty as anyone taking too much time online connecting with my Blogging. Twitter and the like and I can see how easily it can keep you in your chair.  I think we have to fight that and fight it hard.   I think that soon – digital isolation is not going to just hurt you at home (“687” friends isn’t really possible)  but at work too.  If you have only an all-digital relationship, how long before your prospects or customers say.. “What?  That’s not a real person.  That’s too small to be a real person..”..

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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I am Joe’s Lead

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I am Joe’s Lead

I am Joe’s Lead.

Here I  sit, in Joe’s queue.  And It’s way boring man.

All I can see sitting in this CRM is this big banner over my head that says “moc.ecrofselas”   That cursor thingy keeps swiping by me now and then,  but never quite lands on me.

It’s been 2 darn days.

Waiting.  Waiting.  Waiting.

And I am dying fast.  Way faster than anyone realizes, particularly, Joe.   He doesn’t get it.  I’m a Small Business Lead you see.  We don’t wait for anyone.  We are crazy busy.  If we ain’t moving – we’re dying.

I raised my my hand two whole days ago!  But I am dying so fast I am starting to lose my memory as to why I am here.  When Joe finally clicks on me and calls my business owner he’ll  probably flat out forget why the heck he made me.  He might even deny I exist at all because frankly  he can’t remember why he filled out the form, and dammit, he’s busy.

Joe has a bigger problem about me, Lead.  He doesn’t get me at all.   I’m not “his lead” or his “commission ammunition” or his  “meal ticket”.   That just ticks me off.  I am not something to burn thru, beg for, to be traded around or worse – to be ignored.  And don’t think I don’t hear Joe dissin’ me and my peeps when he occasionally says we are “weak” or a “joke” or “trash from corporate”.      If I could ( stupid glass!), I’d  reach out and slap Joe’s scowl and headset clear off his face when I hear that.

Nope, Joe doesn’t get me.  I raised my hand somehow, some way 2 days ago.   It doesn’t matter how high I raised it – I raised it!  And I am not a Lead, I am a Need of my business owner!  I’m a gap, an idea, a dream, a pain that won’t go away, a prayer to save a business, a chance to go big, a plea for some education because I just don’t understand, a fear of my competition, a hope for a few more sales per month or a chance to put a stop to all these customers leaving us.

I am all of those things and more.  I am a Need, not a Lead.

Hope this clears things up a bit.

So Joe do me a favor will ya? Click on me man.  Do it fast before I forget how you could help me.  God knows I needed something.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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My Books For Dummies

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A box of Online Marketing for Dummies book showed in my office today.  Good little book. Going to hand them out to folks and some customers too. 

But it got me thinking.

I really need the books for dummies you see below.  (Something tells me I am not alone.)

Send me please!

Managing Email For Dummies:  I’ve been in “email jail” more than Lindsey Lohan lately.  (Email Jail is when you have wasted so much of your memory that you get locked up and can’t send messages).  Aside from that being kind of Lindsey Lohan’s problem too, I just can’t delete my emails.  What if I need them? And what’s wrong with 3,000 emails in my Inbox anyway?

How To Say “No” For Dummies:  It is just hard to say “No” – “No” to people, an opportunity or a need.   But if you say “Yes” to everything, nothing gets done well and it gets really customized and expensive and people are crazed putting out fires all day because not everything gets done well.  A vicious cycle.   But it’s hard to say “No” because people look at you funny and they don’t smile back. 

How To NOT Multi-Task For Dummies:   Of course we know the truth – True Multi tasking is a lie (and proven a lie by the way) as very, very, very few people can actually do it.  But how do you stop trying?  IM, the Twitter Feed, Email,  a Conference Call, a bird flying by the window etc.  Even in “flesh to flesh” meetings we all bring our gadgets and distract ourselves.  We meet but never “meet”.   I’m not the only one on a conference call who has ever said “Let me think about that” praying to all that is mighty that no one realizes I haven’t a clue what I was just asked about.

How To Go Green At Work For Dummies:   Not sure about this where you work but where I am, I’m afraid to throw something away.    There are  blue buckets and green buckets and tall brown buckets and huge grey buckets with like, locks on em’ everywhere.   There are buckets with holes, buckets with floppy tops and there are the unlabeled nondescript buckets just randomly lying askew in hallways staring at you, judging you as you walk by with nothing to give.  For coffee, should you use paper “tree killing” cups? Or the styrofoam “landfill forever” cups? Or do you use your own cup and waste the water to clean it?  It’s not easy being green, or is it?   

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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Sudden Death

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Sudden Death

I don’t like going to the Doctor much but he’s a smart and funny guy, so it’s kind of bearable. 

Bantering with him last week (cuz’ the longer I can keep him talking, the less prodding he ends up doing – which is fine with me),  I joked about how I read that recent studies suggested a daily aspirin regimen could cause some nasty side effects like stomach issues.  (I don’t have a problem with the daily aspirin he recommended but like I said, the more I keep him talking….. )

Anyway, being funny but mostly smart,  he said, “Well then don’t take the aspirin Einstein, it’s no big deal to me. The side effect though could be Sudden Death for you – so have fun with that.” 

Hilarious.

But it hit me as a bit more poignant as I walked out of his office thinking about how we do some horn blowing at work about the perceived awful side effects of doing this or that, but sometimes we forget the side effects of making a change to something we know works could be a lot worse.   

You can give up walking over to talk to someone or using the phone:  Heck, a stroll down the hall wastes time because you don’t know if someone is there.  A phone call or Skype doesn’t get recorded so you don’t have a record of what you talked about like email does.  But truth is, face to face and/or voice to voice carries a gazillion other intangibles that are still valuable.  And the “Sudden Death” impact of giving that up?  Sudden Forgetfulness of YOU.   Do people only know you by your emails?  If so, you matter little to them no matter how many you write.   

You can give up making quality cold calls:  Cold Calling has awful side effects at times that can be painful, depressing and darn near ruin your day or week.  So you can hire someone else to do it for you or fire off a gazillion emails and skip it altogether, hoping the darn phone rings.  Or you can suffer the Sudden Death side effects of not cold calling and not make any sales at all.  Good luck feeding the kids with that.
You can give up saying fervently “Thank you” or “I’m sorry” or “I appreciate you” or “Mr.”  or “Ms.” to customers:    After all, everyone has no time, everyone is busy and heck, there are a lot more important things I should be saying to customers.  But no, your getting in the words “today’s special promotion is…” or the “the confirmation number is…” or the “best number to reach you if we get disconnected is…” doesn’t trump the power of the smaller phrases or titles.   The Sudden Death impact of losing those little ones is the erasing the difference between you and someone that can be replaced by a computer.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark