We’ve all seen it. Julia Roberts is shopping on Rodeo Drive. She’s dressed in her “professional” gear and gets that infamous attitude from the saleswomen. And of course, we’re all cheering when she stops back by the store in her newly purchased couture, arms laden with shopping bags and delivers my favorite line of all time. “You work on commission right? Big mistake, huge!”

We all love to watch that scene and feel like we identify with Julia. However, I am going to admit something here. I think that, whether we’re willing to admit it or not, all of us in sales have been guilty of this crime. I know this is extremely politically incorrect, but come on now. The minute we encounter a customer, we form some sort of split second judgment as to what kind of client they are.

The problem does not lie in that initial judgment (even though it’s most likely completely wrong!). The problem is born the minute we allow ourselves to act based on that initial opinion.

The single most powerful sales and marketing tool we have is word of mouth from past and current clients. By the same token, the fastest way to lose business is for one person to have a negative experience with anyone associated with your company. If that happens, you’ve not only lost that person’s business, but most likely anyone that person happens to talk to while they’re still upset, and by proxy, anyone that second person talks to, and so on and so on.

So what lesson can we learn from everyone’s favorite working girl’s shopping experience? I know you’ve heard it over and over again, but seeing this happen over and over again in stores across the country, I think it definitely bears repeating. Ever person you come in contact with is a potential sale. Every potential sale is a potential commission for you and a potential increase in your company’s profits.

It’s really that simple, but from my personal experience as a customer, most salespeople don’t seem to get it! All customers want is to feel that you appreciate the fact that they’re spending money on your product. They don’t want to feel as if you’re looking down on them, and they certainly don’t want to feel as if they’re interrupting your day of leaning against the wall looking bored.

If you ask me, projecting an air of self-importance is the single easiest way to fail at retail or any other type of sales. So, the next time you encounter a potential customer try to remember that silver screen moment of Julia and try to decide if you want to be those women that everyone in the theater is booing or the wonderful people who make her feel like a princess!

“Thank you for calling XYZ Company. Your call is important to us but not important enough for us to answer it. Please hold for eternity or leave a message and a representative will contact you as soon as it is convenient for us.”

If you’ve ever used the telephone to contact a business you can relate to the frustration that can result from voice mail or automated answering services. Undoubtedly, when they first became “the way to do business” it was extremely annoying; however, times are changing, folks are automating and imprudent business practices such as this are gaining acceptance (or at least tolerance).

Of course the ole’ time principles of customer services &ndash such as answering the phone before the third ring, avoiding putting a customer on hold if at all possible, and providing personal service &ndash are still superb solutions to customer satisfaction. But, in our automated world, it is vital to recognize the importance of responding to customers quickly and appropriately, especially if they have been forced to listen to a long recording and traipse through a jungle of push buttons in order to leave a message for you instead of being afforded the luxury of speaking to a warm-blooded human.

Whether a customer makes contact in person, via telephone or through email, businesses should strive to provide a timely, if not an immediate response. Customer satisfaction is reliant on responsiveness.

So, you may ask, “What is a timely response?”

Honestly, the definition of a timely response really depends on the customer’s perception. The urgency of their need may play into the mix or their idea of a timely response may be linked to their expectations.

For some reason there is a perception amongst business people that a 24 hour response to a customer inquiry is sufficient. From the customer’s perspective; however, having to wait 24 hours for a quick answer to a simple question or a viable solution to a serious problem is ridiculously aggravating and neglectful on the part of the business.

When customers have a bad experience, from the customers’ perspective, they are sure to seek other options for fulfilling their needs. Plain and simple &ndash poor customer service results in lost business.

Regardless of the type of business you are in and whether you receive customer inquiries via telephone, email or a website contact form, it is absolutely critical that you get back to your customers right away. Placing responsiveness at the top of your customer service objectives is the simplest solution to gaining a competitive advantage, producing satisfied customers, maintaining your customers through repeat business, and building your market share through client referrals. Responsiveness is the single most important factor to enhancing customer satisfaction.

As program chairperson of my SCORE * chapter I am always looking for new presenters to address the group. I frequently ask my fellow business counselors to give me some ideas for topics of interest to them.

In August one member approached me with an idea. He suggested inviting some of the clients that the counselors had worked with this year to one of our meetings to give us some feedback on our counseling techniques -both the highs and the lows.

Five clients were invited to our meeting and they were asked the first 5 questions of this Top Ten list. We learned a lot from the answers we got.

As 2005 comes to a close and we begin 2006 perhaps you are interested in finding ways to get clients to give you feedback about the products and services you offer. Here is a list of 10 questions you could use. Select a few that suite your situation. The key is to ask the question and then allow the client uninterrupted time to answer. Your job is to just listen!

1. What was the greatest benefit you derived from my service**? This question helps you to understand what is working. Sometimes you will be surprised by the answer. Our SCORE chapter has a limit of 3 counselors at one location to counsel one client. Our client panelists said the more counselors the better! We have now eliminated the restriction on the number of counselors.

2. What would you like to see more of when you work with me? For our session the panelists told us some counselors introduced themselves by telling about their business background during the sessions while others did not. The clients said they wanted to hear the qualifications of the counselors who were working with them. Are you forgetting to be consistent when delivering your product or service to your clients? We were! ☺

3. How could I improve my service? Clients often have ideas that are easy to implement but somehow you haven’t thought of. SCORE does both email and face to face coaching. These were face to face clients who wondered if they could get support between sessions through email. Easily done now that we know it might be helpful. (Our email addresses are already on our SCORE business cards!)

4. Is there anything you would like to see me stop doing? This question gives the client the opportunity to tell you about something that isn’t useful to him or her. It was suggested in our session that sometimes it is difficult for the business owner to meet with the counselor because the owner can’t leave his/her place of business. The SCORE clients wondered if it would be possible for the counselors to occasionally meet them at their own place of business. The answer was “Yes”. Again not something we had thought to offer consistently.

5. Is there anything you didn’t get from my service that you were looking for?

Here is an opportunity for the client to tell you other services that you might provide. If you are looking for ways to expand your offering this question is important. In the SCORE session one client wanted to know how he might get a counselor who actually worked in or owned the specific type of business that he had. Access to a database of the counselors in our chapter and their background would be helpful to the counselors and our clients. We will be putting one together. (We did have one counselor with exactly the right background for this client.)

6. Has my staff treated you with care, attention, and courteousness? This would be an important question for a service provider with an administrative staff to ask. Clients don’t always complain about their experience with your staff but might share something significant when asked.

7. Is there an issue that I have not spent enough time on for you? Sometimes clients allow you to move forward but are still thinking about a previous issue. This kind of question helps them to revisit areas they may have not understood and still have an unanswered question.

8. Am I doing what you want me to do? Most of the time we are doing what we think the client wants. It is good to check once in a while to find out if you are actually doing what the client wants.

9. Where have we been less than proactive in addressing your concerns? It may be that the client is expecting you to move into different areas that you think are being covered by other vendors or staff members. “Being proactive” may have a broader definition to the client than you are using. Asking this question might uncover new business.

10. Is our billing clear? Are you getting value for your money? The bill is often a source of anxiety for the client. He/she needs to know exactly what he/she is being billed for. Does your bill show that? This final value question is critical to insuring your client is satisfied with your product or service.

*SCORE &ndash This is an organization that is part of the Small Business Administration in the US. SCORE volunteers are experienced managers and business owners who counsel small business owners without charge.

**I have used the word service here and also client. You could just as easily substitute product and customer.

If you want to be number one in customer service, you have to do a number of things that make you stand out from the crowd. Here are 7 ways that will put you on top.

1. Roll Out The Red Carpet For Everyone. If there’s one thing people hate about poor service, it’s getting treated differently from others. It makes them feel inferior and second-class. Gary Richter says you should roll out the red carpet for everyone, but particularly those who don’t expect it. “I tell my employees, if we roll out the red carpet for a billionaire, they won’t even notice. If we roll it out for millionaires, they expect it. If we roll it out for thousandaires, they appreciate it. And, if we roll out the red carpet for hundredaires, they’ll tell everyone they know.”

2. Take Time To Know Your Customers. The fast pace of modern living together with advances in technology have together put a non-human face on much of our customer service. If you can find a way to re-connect with your customers one-on-one, you’ll strike a chord with your customers that will be like a streak of gold. Kathy Burns remembers a time when people took time to care and listen. “Some of you may remember, and others may have heard stories about, a time in life when the doctor would come to your home to check on you if you were ill. Or maybe you’ve heard about going down to your local pharmacy and having the owner greet you by name and ask how you’re doing. Not only did they ask, but they really wanted to know the answer and they took the time to listen to what you had to say. That’s customer service &ndash taking the time to know your customers, really caring about how they feel, and wanting to go the extra mile to make sure they’re happy.”

3. Be Easy To Do Business With. One of the problems with modern businesses is that the systems we use to save time and money are often devised for the company’s benefit and not the customers. As a result, the customer experience is frustrating and difficult. Tracey Lowrance says this needs to be reversed. “Customers expect single source service. Customers don’t want to be transferred to every unit of your business to have their problems solved. They want to be able to do business with you with the slightest amount of discomfort. You must be easy to do business with.”

4. Go Out Of Your Way To Make Sure They’re Happy. One of the most important things your customers want from you is a guarantee that your product or service will work. So move heaven and earth to make sure it does. Bob Leduc suggests you shouldn’t make people pay until they are fully happy. “Instead of offering a money back guarantee, a service business can provide a guarantee to solve the customer’s problem. For example, a plumber can guarantee to come back without charge as often as necessary to stop the leak. A landscaper can replace without charge any plants that don’t survive for at least 6 months. A sales consultant can continue working without charge until the promised sales results are achieved.”

5. Notice What Customers See. A big part of what customers think about you comes from what they see and believe. Personal Selling Power noticed the following difference in two candy stores. “Although two competing candy stores had the same prices, neighbourhood kids preferred one store to the other. When asked why, they said, “Because the person in the good store always gives us more candy. The girl in the other store takes candy away.” True? Not really. In the good store the owner would always make sure to put a small amount of candy on the scale and then keep adding to it. In the bad store, the owner would pile a heaping amount of candy on the scale, and then take it off until it hit the right weight. The same amount of candy was sold, but perception is everything.”

6. Work On Everything The Customer Experiences. The customer experience isn’t just receiving the service or buying the goods. It’s about all the other little bits and pieces in-between. Such as the manner of the receptionist, the state of the floors and tables, the attitude of other staff, the ease of parking, the tone of the notices, the smile or lack of it on the face of the checkout team. Be like the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas who have a slogan that says: “We spend 600 hours a week pampering the plants. Imagine what we’ll do for our guests.”

7. Believe In Customer Service From The Bottom Of Your Soul To become a great service organization, you have to believe in customer service from the bottom of your soul. It has to be part of the way you work. Anita Roddick, founder of retail cosmetic franchise group Body Shop puts it like this: “I am still looking for the modern equivalent of those Quakers who ran successful businesses, made money because they offered honest products and treated people decently, worked hard, spent honestly, saved honestly, gave honest value for money, put back more than they took out and told no lies. This business creed, sadly, seems long forgotten.”

If you take time to look, there are many examples of great customer service around you. Follow these 7 laws of unbeatable customer service and you’ll join them.

Customer relationship management tools abound, yet let’s hear it for old technology. Your voice is the most multifaceted customer service tool in your toolkit. Your voice can convey concern, care and compassion. It can alternately convey boredom, neglect or contempt. Your challenge: to insure your voice reinforces the service you strive to deliver through your actual words and action.

Customer service is about more than mouthing the words customers want to hear. You have to sound believable. How do you sound? Try this experiment. Call your own answering machine and leave yourself a message normally intended for your customers. Now replay it. Are you convincing? Does sincerity ring from your voice or are you just mouthing clich

By Flemming Andersen

Getting a moving company to help you with the difficult task of moving is a great idea. There are so many moving companies that it may seem hard to find the perfect one for you and your needs. You should treat hiring a moving company like you would if you were hiring a doctor or having any other service done. You have to research the people and the companies to make sure that you getting the best choice for you.

After you find the movers that are right for you and your needs, you should do a few things to ensure that you are protected and that you have an easy and safe move. You do not want to have any problems with your move. It should go as smooth as possible. You should always take notes when you are talking to the movers and write down everything that they say. They will give you a quote and a confirmation number. It is important to get that number as well as the names of the people that you talk to at the moving company. If there is ever a problem, you will know who to talk to in order to get it settled.

You should always make sure that you make a necessity kit for your move. When the movers come to take all of your belongings, you may find that it is difficult to find exactly what you are going to need for the first night in the new home. You should make your own box of the things that you are going to need for the first night and take that package with you. This will include your clothes, toothbrushes, and a set of sheets, blankets, and towels. This will be a big help in the morning.

You may also want to protect certain things before the movers get there. This may include some of your irreplaceable keepsakes. Although the movers are there to do all of this work for you and make your life easier, you may want to box up the things that mean the most to you and take them with you. The movers that you hire should have insurance to cover anything that is lost or broken, however, you can not replace the memories of some things that you have so it is easier to just take care of these things yourself.

Something that will help you and the movers is to take the pets away for the time that the movers are there and for when they take the items to the new house. You may want to take the pet to a friend’s house or a kennel until after the move. Things will be hectic and the last thing that you need is for your pets to get in the way of the movers from doing their job. You want your move to be as simple and as fast as you can.

The last thing that you should do is relaxed. You have hired people to help you with the hard things and it is important for you to let them do their job. You should concentrate on the other things that are involved with moving and do not worry about the movers. They are professionals and they will take care of everything.

For more info visit: .find-movers.org/

Over 40% of America’s largest businesses improve their profitability using outside service providers for their bookkeeping and financial functions. Due to technological advances, this same alternative is now available to small businesses. Firms using the Analytix solution are discovering that moving part or all of their bookkeeping and accounting functions to professional outside providers saves costs while freeing up valuable management time.

Starting or buying a new business is a challenging proposition. Our professionals can help guide you through the myriad of issues that arise during this complex process from helping you structure the company to suit your financial goals as well as helping you through the registration of your business with the appropriate local, state and federal authorities.

Business owners need to maintain accurate financial records to properly manage their business, while also conforming to government regulations requiring mandated filings, such as federal income and state sales taxes. In general, businesses need three types of services during the year which our professionals provide:

Bookkeeping Services:

Bookkeeping is the recording of a business’s financial transactions. It is the first step of the accounting process, which also includes classifying, reporting and analyzing financial data.

Accounting Services:

Financial statements provide owners with crucial information such as the business’s liabilities, assets, equity and profitability over a given period.

Tax Planning and Financial Analysis:

Though U.S. tax laws are complex and changing, there are tax planning strategies that can ensure that business owners don’t pay more than is required or alternatively underpay and risk being audited. Our tax professionals can advise you on the best structure for a new business, sale of a business or ongoing operations so that you minimize your annual tax obligations.

Business tax planning requires knowledge not only of federal and state income tax, but also employment tax, sales and use tax, real estate tax, and franchise tax for some businesses. Our professional will work with you to ensure that no details are missed in tax deductions or credits. This is especially crucial for small business owners, who usually lack in-house financial experts. Some of the issues addressed by our professionals in tax planning include:

All businesses are required by law to file with both state and federal government. These mandated filings range from tax estimates, individual and business tax returns, to quarterly or monthly state sales tax filings. Further, government regulations require that copies be kept of all financial records needed in the filing for up to seven years. Without good record-maintaining, businesses can leave themselves exposed to fines and penalties during an audit by the appropriate state or federal authorities.

Analytix is a premium provider of accounting, bookkeeping and tax preparation services for small, medium sized and fast growing companies. Our clients are served by a professional accounting staff that has a level of expertise not normally found in small businesses.

Statistics show that, on average, U.S. companies lose half of their customers every five years.

It’s true that acquiring new customers will help your business grow. However, your current customers are the lifeblood of your business and keeping them happy should be your highest priority. Here are a few ways to make sure your customers keep coming back.

* Understand lost customers. Many business owners mistakenly believe that customers choose to patronize other companies solely because of better prices. While pricing can be a concern, customers often head to the competition when they don’t feel valued.

A change of lifestyle may have also created a situation where customers no longer need your product. By staying in touch with their needs, you might be able to adjust your offering to continue servicing them.

* Know your customer’s top priority. Maybe it’s reliability or speed or cost. Your company should know your clientele’s No. 1 priority and consistently deliver it. Remember, customers’ desires change frequently, so ask yourself this question every six months.

* Acknowledge the lifetime value of customers. The lifetime value of your customers is the income you would gain if a customer stayed with you as long as they could possibly buy your product or service.

For example, the lifetime value of a customer employing a financial adviser could be several decades and could span several generations. Treat the parents well and you could win the children’s business.

* Create a positive first impression. Good first impressions tend to generate loyal customers, and you get only one chance to make a positive first impression. Appearance is important. The exterior and interior of your business should be neat and clean.

* Listen to the customer. Employees should listen actively to customers. Reassure your customers that you genuinely want to help them. Customers will judge your business based on the politeness, empathy, effort and honesty of your staff.

* Address and resolve complaints quickly and effectively. Inevitably, your employees will encounter unsatisfied customers. Whether they’re returning an item or changing a service, customers expect a fair policy. If you cannot offer a resolution immediately, let the customer know when he or she can expect an answer.

1. Don’t make threats. Have you ever said this, “If you don’t calm down, I’m not going to help you.” Or, “If you continue to yell at me, I’m going to have no choice but to terminate this phone call.” If you’ve ever made these, or similar, statements, I’d bet that your sole intent was to regain control of the conversation. But the problem is, your customer perceives this type of language as threatening and it does not make them back down and it does not create calm. Try a phrase like this instead: “I really want to help you, but your tone/language is making it really hard for me to do that.” And then pause for 2-3 seconds to let your words resonate with the customer.

2. Don’t argue. Trust me on this one - you can never win an argument with a customer. Certainly, you can prove your point and even have the last word, In a discussion on the futility of arguing with people, Dale Carnegie once said “you may be right, but as far as changing your customer’s mind is concerned, you will probably be just as futile as if you were wrong.” Your goal in complaint situations is to retain the customer, not to be right. If you win the argument, you may very well have lost the customer. Carnegie encourages us to carefully consider some hard questions before going to battle with customers: “Is my reaction one that will relieve the problem, or will it just relieve frustration? Will my reaction drive my customer further away? What price will I pay if I win (the argument)?” Carnegie advises, “The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.” By the way, customers will spread negative word-of-mouth advertising to 50 people if they get into argument with you!

3. Don’t hang up on the customer. I realize I sound conservative on this one, but I stand firm. If you hang up on a customer who is already livid, do you think a “disconnect” helps the situation or hurts the situation? The customer still has the problem and most customers won’t give up their fight because you chose to hit the flash button. Most will call back and guess what? They will be angrier than ever AND it will cost far more in time and money to resolve the issue. If you just can’t handle the customer, offer to transfer to a supervisor or co-worker.

4. Don’t make the customer feel helpless. I cringe every time I hear an employee say, “This is all I can do.” When customers feel helpless, some will resort to whatever they feel it takes to get their needs met. This behavior may include yelling, demanding to speak to a supervisor, or starting a blog about your company. This simple phrase changes the entire tone of a tough situation: “Mr. Bryant, what I can do is?”

5. Don’t raise your voice. When I want my five-year-old daughter to use her “inside voice”, I don’t yell, “Lauren, USE YOUR INSIDE VOICE!” I speak in my “inside voice” with the expectation that she will mirror the calm tone of my voice - and she does without any further prompting from me. We must use the same technique with demanding customers. Escalating your voice when dealing with an upset customer will not create calm. It will only incite your customer. Lowering your voice presents you as confident, in control, and credible. In many cases your angry customer will begin to calm down because he realizes his intimidation tactic (yelling) isn’t working. Try making one of these statements in a low volume when dealing with an angry customer. “What can I do to help?” or “What can I do to fix this situation?”

6. Don’t tell a customer she is wrong. You will be smart to never tell a customer s/he is wrong or mistaken. Telling a person they are wrong arouses opposition and will make the customer want to battle with you. (Ever tell your spouse they are wrong?) It’s difficult, under even the most benign conditions to change people’s minds. So why make it harder by starting out on the wrong foot? If you know your customer is wrong, it’s better to start off saying, “I thought the contract read otherwise, but let’s take a look.”

The next time you find yourself the target of verbal abuse from an angry customer, keep in mind these six “don’ts” and you’ll be well on your way to getting the angry customer to back down and regaining control of the conversation.

1. Apologize. An apology makes the angry customer feel heard and understood. It diffuses and anger and allows you to begin to re-establish trust. Not only that, but pilot studies have found that the mere act of apologizing has reduced lawsuits, settlement, and defense costs. You need to apologize to customers regardless of fault. Certainly, the apology needs to be carefully worded. Here’s an example of a sincere, yet careful apology:

“Please accept my sincere and unreserved apology for any inconvenience this may have caused you.”

2. Kill Them Softly With Diplomacy. This simple phrase has never failed me: “Clearly, we’ve upset you and I want you to know that getting to the bottom of this is just as important to me as it is to you.” When you say this, anger begins to dissipate. You’ve addressed the anger directly and non defensively and you haven’t been pulled into the drama of the attack.

3. Go into Computer Mode. To use Computer Mode you take on the formalities of a computer. You speak generally, without emotion, and you don’t take the bait your angry or difficult customer is throwing you. Your words, tone, and attitude are completely impersonal and neutral - (Think of the automated response system you speak to when you call your wireless phone company or bank.)

This “computer mode” response deflects, diffuses, and disarms angry customers because you don’t add fuel to the fire by giving your difficult customer what they want -an emotional reaction. When you don’t take the bait, the difficult customer is forced to stop dead in their tracks. And that means you regain control (and confidence).

The Computer Mode Approach In Action

Let’s say your customer says:

“You don’t give a d*** about customers. Once you get a customer locked into a contract, the service aspect is over.”

While it may be tempting to fuel the fire with an equally hostile response such as “What’s your problem, creep?” don’t take the bait. If you do take the bait, the situation will only escalate and nothing productive or positive will result. A computer mode response might look like this:

“I’m sure there are some people who think we don’t care about servicing customers.”

“People get irritated when they don’t immediately get the help they need.”

“It’s very annoying to experience a delay in service response.”

“Nothing is more distressing than feeling like you’re being passed around when all you want is help.”

And then you stop -like a locked up computer.

No matter how uncomfortable the verbal abuse is or how ridiculous it becomes, continue to respond without emotion. This tactic works because it is neutral, doesn’t take the bait, and because it is unexpected. The difficult customer wants to throw you off, make you lose control, and to get you to respond emotionally. When you fail to do each of these things, you actually regain control.

Go into “computer mode” the next time you’re faced with verbal abuse from an irate or unreasonable customer, and I promise you, you’ll quickly regain control —and you’ll have fun with the process.

4. Give this question a shot: “Have I done something personally to upset you?… I’d like to be a part of the solution.” Of course, you know you haven’t done anything to upset the customer. You ask this question to force the angry customer to think about his behavior. Often, the mere asking of this question is enough to get the ballistic customer to begin to shift from the right brain to the left brain, where he can begin to listen and rationalize.

5. Show empathy - Empathy can be a powerful tool used to disarm an angry customer and show that you genuinely care about the inconvenience the customer has experienced. Expressing empathy is also good for YOU, as it helps you truly begin to see the problem from the customer’s perspective/and this perspective will help keep you from losing your cool when your customer gets hot. By letting customers know that you understand why they are upset, you build a bridge of rapport between you and them.

Here are some phrases that express empathy:

• “That must have been very frustrating for you.”

• “I realize the wait you encountered was an inconvenience.”

• “If I were in your shoes, I’m sure I’d feel just as you do.”

• “It must have been very frustrating for you have waited five days for your order and for that I am sorry.”

6. And finally, here’s a tip that works like magic. …. Show appreciation for the difficult person’s feedback. After your difficult customer has ranted and raved, you can regain control of the conversation by interjecting—not interrupting, but interjecting to thank them for taking the time to give you feedback. You can say something like:

 Thanks for being so honest.

 Thanks for taking the time to let us know how you feel.

 We appreciate customers who let us know when things aren’t right.

 Thanks for caring so much.

The reason this tip works so effectively is because the last thing your irate or unreasonable customer expects is for you to respond with kindness and gratitude. It’s a shock factor and many times you’ll find that your customer is stunned silent and this is exactly what you want. When the customer is stunned into silence, you get in the driver’s seat and steer the conversation in the direction you want it to go.

When you do these things you’ll find that being on the receiving end of verbal abuse doesn’t have to be threatening or intimidating. You can come across as confident, composed and strong…and most importantly, you’ll regain control of the conversation.