Apr 1, 2025
How do you Perceive Good Customer Service?
One of my favorite quotes about customer experience is from Stanley Marcus of Neiman Marcus. He said, and I paraphrase as best as I can remember, “The hardest part of customer service is the customer. They’re not always right, but they’re always the customer.”
In part one last month, we explored sales and selling. Specifically, how our behaviors as sales reps help customers buy goods and services. The sales interaction represents a two-sided coin. On one side, the sales rep, skilled in the art and science of selling. Flip it over. On the other side, the customer, driven by purpose, on purpose, for purpose to buy stuff.
Customers are…
A simple working definition is customers are people who buy goods and services, and in doing so, supply revenue to the organization. Organizations can have a vision to provide amazing goods and services by the best people possible, but none of that matters unless someone shows up. And when they do, a few things immediately stand out.
First off, customers don’t just show up, they have a purpose for showing up. They made the choice to let whoever is in the store – maybe they know each other, maybe not – to serve them. Second, regardless of how they show up; ready to buy, inquisitive about something they need or upset about something that may have happened…they are giving us a chance because they need us as much as we need them. Lastly and most importantly, our goal is to meet them where they are, not where we are.
Everything is too expensive.
That is, until value has been established. Regardless of what the customer’s buying…it doesn’t matter what…it’s all expensive until the value (desire, need, solution) becomes greater than the price of the thing. When the “want” becomes greater than the “wallet”.
In selling, figuring out the balancing act of price and value is all about discovery. To figure out what’s driving the customer’s wants, needs, desires, and solutions. We then align that information with the information we have about the goods and services that make up the best options.
I have found that customers don’t buy so much what the stuff has (features), they buy what the stuff does (benefits). That cause-effect relationship is driven by our ability to know enough about the product to make the connection of value to and for the customer.
“Value is not determined by those who set the price. Value is determined by those who choose to pay it.”
Simon Sinek perfectly sums up the correct point of view and then directs our goal of discovery. To figure out the customers perspective and create a “value bucket”. To discover what’s driving the customer’s decision making and then put things in that bucket.
It begs the question, what are things that can add value?
It depends and it varies. One of the first key components in adding value is brand, or company perception. Specifically, how an organization is seen as having a positive reputation for delivering excellent service and known for the best wireless experience, caring community engagement and best in class products.
Another component is the quality of the retail ecosystem. How we do what we do in our stores and with our call centers with a focus on finding the right solution for the customer. Providing personalized care within a seamless process making it easier for customers to buy our goods and services.
And lastly, a tremendously valuable component, the people who sell and support selling. The greatest asset of any business is its people, and it’s the front-line team members who represent the drivers for adding to the value bucket. Seen each day in how we interact and care for every person. This represents our outlook, mindset, passion, and purpose in what we do and how we do it. With every customer, when we deliver our best self, we demonstrate the ultimate quality customer experience.
I’ll end with this…
If selling is what we do to achieve sales, then the price is what customers are willing to pay to enjoy the value in the thing they buy. Customers buy as a result of the sales rep selling. We need both sides of the coin. Which side needs your attention?
Just like last month, as an individual or sales team, consider the following questions and how your answers have the possibility to shape all the next steps.
- Define Customer…what does this mean?
- What are the different types of customers? What does each need from you?
- Does personality play a part in selling? How does that factor with each type of customer?
- Think about all aspects of the retail experience and interaction, what creates value?
- How do you create value with your customers?
- To what extent will you make that happen with every customer, every time?
- Same question from last month, would you buy stuff from you? Why or why not?
Want to learn more perspectives about how to give good customer service? Visit our podcast or one of our locations.
Mar 3, 2025
How do you Perceive a Salesperson?
Patient: Doctor, you have to help me stop talking to myself.
Doctor: Why is that?
Patient: I’m a salesman, and I keep selling myself things I don’t want.
Maybe you giggled, maybe you didn’t. The thing is, we all know “salespeople” jokes. Because we’ve all had that one salesperson (or a multitude of them) who ruined it for all the others that came after. You know, the one that defined every characteristic of a “bad” salesperson. Some barely said hello, while others seemed disinterested. Few asked any questions and may have rushed to make a recommendation and maybe even hastily positioned something you didn’t ask for. They clerked the sale instead of creating a meaningful customer experience. Never made eye contact, never listened, never really got to know me, the customer, and so on.
Sales is…
A simple definition of sales is the exchange of money for goods or services. Salespeople (or sales reps, sales consultants, sales professionals, etc.) are the people who perform the tasks necessary to necessitate that exchange. Normally, these people follow specific behaviors to help customers buy those goods and services.
I always find a little tension here. “Sales,” for me, represents the outcome of the exchange. Think about the word. It’s a noun, a thing. Sales…how many sales did we have today? “Sell” or “Selling” represents what we do to create “sales”. This is a verb implying action. Which of the two do we place our energy, effort, and enthusiasm? The analysis of outcome or analysis of behavior?
When I am with salespeople, I am typically less interested in their sales and more interested in their capability to sell.
Are you a wireless retail company that happens to make sales or are you a selling organization that happens to carry wireless retail products and services?
Given the context of the Wireless Retail Industry, in almost every selling skills workshop I have delivered, I pose this question. Consider how you would answer.
Let’s be real, we want sales, and a lot of them. This is a constant goal and aspiration. We want maximum achievement, and we measure it in every way possible. And given all of that attention, sales will always ever be a result of behavioral choice.
So back to the question, if we are a selling organization that happens to carry wireless stuff, the implication is that we focus on selling and selling well, and it doesn’t matter what stuff we have to sell. It implies because we are really good at the art and science of selling, we can sell anything. We have mastered the selling process and all the behaviors that cultivate desired sales outcomes. Does that mean we meet and exceed every sales target? No. It suggests by focusing on the selling behavior, we are in a more likely place to meet or exceed a sales target.
There are only five steps in selling.
I’ve gone through a litany of selling skills course and I’ve delivered just as many. Some others wrote, some I wrote. Regardless of who wrote them, what they’re called, or where they go or how you deliver them, they are “Hi.”, “What do you want?” “How about this.”, “Buy it.”, and “Thanks.” I understand I have oversimplified them. Said another way, they are GREET, DISCOVER, BUILD, CLOSE, and THANK.
The premise being, if I know these well and why they exist in that order. Providing that I learn all the behaviors associated with each step and practice them often. If I know to what extent I need to deliver them and receive subsequent coaching and correction after delivery. Presuming I care about the interaction and put all my efforts into a professional point of view…if I do all these things, then, I believe, the sales will follow.
I’ll take a step farther. If we do all of that well and believe that what a salesperson does matters, we aren’t just selling, we begin creating relationships with our customers. We establish value for customers. We pivot from salespeople selling stuff to customers buying stuff. This is where it gets really interesting. More about this in part two next month.
I’ll leave you with this. I learned a long, long time ago that the highest paying job in the world is “sales”. It’s also one of the lowest paying jobs in the world. What is the difference? I contend it comes down to the art and science of selling. It’s all about mindset and outlook driving behavioral choice.
As an individual or sales team, consider the following questions and how your answers have the possibility to shape all the next steps.
- Define Sales…what does this mean?
- Define Sell or Selling…what does this mean?
- In your store and/or market, how are salespeople perceived?
- Think of a bad salesperson or experience, what happened?
- Think of a good salesperson or experience, what happened?
- Would you buy stuff from you? Why or why not?
- If tomorrow all the product you currently sell goes away and is replaced by completely new stuff, could you sell it?
Want to learn more perspectives about how to be a great salesperson? Visit our podcast or visit one of our locations.
Jan 31, 2025
You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation.
I’ve found this time of year is not just about making resolutions. For organizations, it’s also about engaging in initiatives. Maybe some brand-new idea taking shape into action or executing existing stuff in more efficient and effective ways. Regardless, executing initiatives requires that an organization has a firm foundation upon which to build its future success.
This is not just an organizational reality or team dynamic; I challenge each of us to embrace our own individual initiatives – the things we want to achieve personally this year – and then consider if we have a firm foundation before executing our plan.
What makes up a firm foundation?
In a recent leadership forum in Miami, I got to hear from a trusted colleague and friend, Richard Fagerlin. Richard is the President of Peak Solutions, Inc., a company focusing on leadership and culture development. In our time together, he shared his thoughts about cultivating three foundational facets when implementing initiatives. They are Clarity, Cohesion and Execution.
Clarity represents a degree of understanding; specifically, regarding the depth of understanding to ensure all parties involved know precisely the what, why, how and to what extent. “We know what to do”.
Cohesion represents the state or action of working together; specifically, regarding how all necessary people and actions operate as valuable parts of a united whole. “We’re doing it together.”
Execution represents the act of getting the initiative done; specifically, regarding the energy and effort required every day to accomplish targeted goals, actions and behaviors. “We’re getting it done”.
When all three of these facets are defined, understood, and fully engaged with passion and purpose, initiatives seem to move forward in a healthy way. It’s when one or more are absent or fall short, that’s when we have challenges and maybe even difficulties. For instance:
Having cohesion and execution, but no clarity, causes reckless behavior. Which can end up having a frustrated team wondering what, why, how and to what extent. If you have clarity and cohesion, and lack execution, you can end up getting stuck in analysis paralysis and never really getting it or anything else off the ground. If you have clarity and execution, and lack cohesion, it can feel right except all parties can end up doing their own thing and inconsistency becomes an acceptable norm.
So, what’s the goal? It would seem striking a balance and ensuring all three are in check is a healthy place to start.
“Organizational health is the single greatest competitive advantage in any business.”
This Patrick Lencioni quote suggests culture and its relative firm foundation is much more than just a three-element alignment for an organization. If you zoom out, I believe you can see all sorts of ways and means to ensure that one or many have access to professional and personal development. Consider the opportunities like systems, processes and programs designed to elevate success, learning, connectedness, awareness, mindfulness, health and well-being.
Co-Founder Kym Russell has always stressed that our greatest resource at Russell Cellular is people – every single team member that makes up our RC Family. And when we can support one another in our pursuit of the mission, priorities, objectives and calls to action, whatever our job function, we are not only successful…we are also healthy – operationally, organizationally and culturally.
When we all aim for the next right thing and we do it often as second nature behavior even and when no one else is watching, that is what is healthy can look like when flowing downstream from culture. It’s an upstream pursuit of caring for every person and providing the best wireless experience to every customer, every time… and best employee experience to every employee, every time.
Adoption & Maintenance of a Firm Foundation
Let’s say the vision and all the elements are in place, now what? Well, to be fair, that is the age-old question. Most organizations are rarely short on vision, although they are not always crystal clear. They aren’t short on ideas, although many still lack wisdom. They are never short on intention, despite feeling the pain of slow results and not deviating from the plan when necessary. All of that to say, starting is hard, following through and sticking with it is harder.
Paying attention to and sticking with the three elements above is a great place to start. I would also, as either a leader or follower, evaluate and consider some of the following components that make up a foundation; like leadership, communication, self-discovery – team discovery, learning, goal setting, expectations, standards, coaching, feedback, measurement, performance reviews, support, conflict resolution, and surveys. Each lends perspective and attention to the levels and depth of any foundation.
Stating the obvious, build the foundation before you build the house. A house will only ever be as good as its foundation…so, make it solid, make it strong before you make anything.
As you contemplate what makes and maintains a firm foundation – organizationally or personally – consider the following questions.
Foundational Questions for Lasting Success
- What’s the ‘root’ why behind your initiative?
- What is the ‘truth’ for this to move forward?
- What’s the difference about ‘this’ time?
- What’s the ‘wise’ first thing to do?
- What’s the ‘one’ thing that needs to happen and keep happening throughout?
- What could go ‘wrong’?
- What’s the ‘best’ measurement?
- Who really ‘benefits’?
- During implementation…What’s ‘right’, ‘wrong’, ‘missing’ and ‘confusing’?
- How will we know we ‘won’?
Want to learn more perspectives about building a firm foundation? Visit our podcast or visit one of our locations.
Jan 2, 2025
It’s that time of year again when we promise ourselves some desired improvement or change to an aspect of our life in the coming New Year.
New Year’s resolutions essentially mark the start of a new year as an opportunity to set goals for personal growth. Committing to new habits or behaviors is a way of reflecting on the past and actively striving for a better future.
On or about every January first, we all seem to engage in this ubiquitous act. Said another way, resolutions are an act engaged everywhere by everyone done at about the same time. It is omnipresent. And to the surprise of no one, in 2024, the most common resolutions were improving health and well-being. Specifically eating healthier, reducing stress, exercising, spending time with family and friends, reducing time on social media, and saving money.
“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the years’ (resolution).”
There are two challenges in making resolutions. One is conceptual and the other is about implementation. The first can be found in our definition of what we’re trying to accomplish; call it defining the why…the true why. It is about uncovering the physical, emotional, mental, and/or spiritual reason for inspiring us into the resolution.
The quote above by Henry Moore is a tremendous way for each of us to contemplate and go deep into what we want to accomplish. Very rarely do we measure the impact on our year, but rather in our day-to-day living. Resolutions, when vetted then and adequately engaged with a defined why in place, become daily aspirations towards specific actions with immediate outcomes. The goal is to reduce our vision into a reality of daily inputs with daily outputs.
“Making New Year resolutions is one thing. Remaining resolute and seeing them through is quite another.”
Alex Morritt is hitting the nail on the head. This is the second challenge, and it represents the biggest tripping point, which is staying committed to the resolution. It’s all about the follow through, even when and especially when it’s hard, inconvenient, disruptive, or it becomes boring and repetitive.
Lack of follow-up and follow through cause the majority of all initiatives to fall short. We can become disillusioned when what we thought we’d be doing doesn’t align with what we’re actually doing. We can get upset when things don’t happen fast enough. We can get agitated when the plan falls short. We can get bored with the same thing repeatedly being done. We can drift off course when other things take precedence. There are so many viable reasons why we should stop, which means our reason why we’re doing this, whatever it is, must always supersede and be bigger than any reason why we stop.
Effective New Year’s Resolutions have Parts.
As with any goal or objective with a clearly defined purpose, comes a requirement to have an equally clearly defined plan. Each element critical to the other like the one piece of the puzzle that is uniquely designed to fit in an exact place to reveal the finished puzzle.
Even though that ‘puzzle’ analogy may make complete sense, is not the way I would advise constructing a plan for a resolution. Resolutions need to be less concrete and unyielding, and more flexible and able to adapt to change. Maybe a better analogy is a game plan in sports. Games plans can be and, most often, are fluid by design. They have options and built-in contingencies based on probabilities, trends and unknowns. Call it, being proactive in being reactive.
Having said all that, there are some constants and best practices to consider in the midst of the unexpectedness, uncertainty, and disruption during resolution implementation.
New Year’s Best Practices
Figure out your why: Be willing, honest and open to defining the true root cause of wanting to improve or change a behavior or behaviors.
Make your resolution behaviorally specific: Be clear about what you want to accomplish. For example, instead of just “exercise more,” you could say “go walking for 30 minutes three times a week”.
Come up with a plan (not the plan): Determine how, when, where, who, and to what extent you want to accomplish your resolution.
Plan for tripping points and excuses: Consider what might derail you from your efforts and how you’ll deal with it. Create contingencies.
Get an accountability partner: Let a friend, family member, mentor, or peer know what you’re doing and why, and then ask them to check in with you regularly to hold you accountable.
Track and reward your progress: Keep a journal or diary to stay focused and recover from setbacks. Celebrate your progress with a treat or something special.
Mix it up and stay flexible: Keep things interesting by adding new activities, changing up some methods and inputs, or be sure to improvise when needed with your resolution.
No matter what, stay positive: Remind yourself of the desired outcome of your resolution to stay focused and motivated. If there are setbacks or failure…accept, learn and keep moving.
Resolutions come and go. The ones that stick and bear fruit are the ones that are designed on purpose-for purpose, done one step at a time-one day at a time and measured by progress not perfection.
What’s this year going to bring?
New Year’s Challenge Questions
I challenge you with the following questions as you reflect backwards to project forwards.
- Why even do a resolution?
- What have you done in the past?
- Pick a resolution and ask why this/why now?
- Can you define a clear expectation and all necessary/specific behaviors?
- What’s the plan…what, how, when, how often, by when?
- How will you acknowledge effort in failure, obstacles, achievement, partnerships, support?
- Which criteria will effectively measure your success?
Want to learn more perspectives about Reflection? Visit our podcast or visit one of our locations.
Dec 3, 2024
“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards”
Soren Kierkegaard was definitely onto something when he shared this idea. While you and I reflect on what’s happened and what has been, we bring that understanding and what we’ve learned into our next steps. In a way, we reflect backward to project forward.
At this time of year, one cannot help but reflect. With all the stuff that’s made up our day-to-day work life and home life outcomes, we naturally end up reviewing all that’s happened throughout the year. We contemplate the impact and influence it has had in us, through us and around us.
Then comes a change of perspective.
Imagine looking behind. And then, to re-orient our gaze, we turn our head towards what lies ahead. In the turn, it’s there, right dab in the middle, where we find a precious space. It’s what Viktor Frankl identified long ago,
“Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lie our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.”
This represents a pause between what has been and what may be. We leverage our outcomes to temper our future choices.
This means stepping out of an old year into a new and uncertain one with faith and hope. Which can be hard for many of us to do. It’s challenging because we don’t know what lies ahead, and it’s difficult to fully realize because what got us to this point may not get us to the next one. I am reminded of a pivotal quote by leadership guru Marshall Goldsmith.
“What got you here won’t get you there”
It’s acknowledging the behaviors, strategies, or habits that led to the outcomes in our past may not be sufficient to the thinking and doing for our future. Essentially, we will need to adapt and evolve as we step into the possibilities of our new year.
This may very well involve the process of ‘start, stop or continue’. For me, I’ve always done my very best to ‘abandon all hope for a better yesterday’, and acknowledge, accept, and then let go. I stay fully aware in that pause after reflecting to recognize that all the successes, failures, wins and losses…they’re historical. They’re in the past. The only thing with distinct clarity in this moment is the two inches right in front of me. Clarity is found in the middle of reflecting and projecting. I am here. Now what?
What, Why, How, To What Extent
Here’s the thing, we cannot just move forward because it sounds good. We need to avoid some blind statement like Do Better or Follow my Passion. It should be “Follow my passion…” and then add to it the specific aspect or aspects as to what that means, how it will be seen and give it some tangible measure. All too often, when we make decisions in the new year, we say something without rigorously defining it. We have to be honest with ourselves and avoid empty promises and platitudes.
We have to know WHAT we’re striving for, WHY that, HOW to make it happen, and TO WHAT EXTENT we will execute it and live it…each and every day. One must own the true understanding, by both believing and committing that this will impact ourselves and those around us. I know plenty of people who say it, and don’t live it or follow through with it. That has been me in past seasons.
Now layer this with what Tony Robbins says…set goals, not resolutions. And then create a plan and act. In fact, it’s not the goal we’re going after as much as it is becoming the person who can accomplish the goal. This creates a posture of grace to live it out, with the flexibility in being real and doing this the best way we can. Perfectly imperfect. Our mission and vision within the goal doesn’t change. The way and means to achieve it, can and will change. And that is OK.
Bottom line, now is the perfect time to reflect backwards to project forwards. We end well so that we may begin well; moving forward, unburdened by what has been.
I challenge you with the following questions as you reflect backwards to project forwards.
- Can you describe what happened… what did I achieved?
- What did I notice…what did I learn?
- Where did you encounter challenges… what held me back?
- Which habit defines me…what habit requiring change will help me the most?
- How will I respond…what is my focus as I move forward?
Want to learn more perspectives about Reflection? Visit our podcast or visit one of our locations.
Nov 18, 2024
Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared
“We have so much to rush for, so many things to fix and problems to solve, with all of that happening I’m trying to remind myself of self-care every day…” – Jonathan Van Ness
The idiom of “The calm before the storm” represents the quiet time or lull before a period of great activity or trouble. It is a time when one prepares for what is to come.
October may very well represent a veritable calm before line-ups, inventory flux, and staffing headaches combined with traffic, transactions, and tedious hours. Not to mention the polarity of grumpy customers (and team members) with all of their holiday cheer in tow.
It typically becomes a month of preparing efficiencies. The challenge can arise from multiple reasons, not just one. It represents an ideal time to pre-check or pulse-check oneself, the team, and the business for the potentially crazy times that lie ahead.
The thing is, inevitability comes into play when there is a reality shift. Preparedness gets tested—not just the structure, responsibilities, and behaviors but also the mindset. We experience the whirlwind.
Self-Care: The calm before quickly becomes the calm during
Fourth quarter challenges each of us. In almost every way possible, we will see our mettle from a hectic time’s perspective. It also defines the limits one will be willing to accomplish any and all things that need to get done. Each of us during this time will be stretched and formed by all the possible things that could happen, might happen, and will happen. There is absolutely no one-size fits all formula to navigate the tumultuous time from the days leading up to Black Friday and beyond.
If we had to identify the things that must be done without fail and those things that must be done to drive the business within the whirlwind of holiday craziness, what would they be? Here is a tip…pick up a handful of gravel and throw it all up in the air. Then, decide which rocks need to be caught.
Self-Care: Keep calm and carry on
This phrase originated as a motivational poster produced by the Government of the United Kingdom in 1939 in preparation for World War II. The poster was intended to raise the morale of the British public. In our current scene, it now enjoys general currency as an expression of resilience. And that is an exceptionally critical characteristic during Q4 in retail and living out the whirlwind of holiday selling.
We can be in the midst of a storm; the storm does not have to be in midst of us.
Hurricanes are very real example of a storm. A true whirlwind. Did you know that even in the middle of a hurricane, the bottom of the sea is calm? As the storm rages and the winds howl, the deep waters beneath sway in gentle rhythm. Below there is no storm. It’s calm beneath the waves. How do we emulate that calm within?
If I had one bit of advice, it would be self-care
Every year about this time I explore how we take care of ourselves during the holidays – a time when things can get crazy busy and overwhelming. Call it health and well-being when we’re busy being busy. Consider the following components of heart, mind, body and soul as a starting point.
Heart
What represents our outlook? Evaluate your passion and purpose. Set reasonable expectations and goals for holiday activities. Invest in establishing routines and keep things simple. Look for progress. not perfection. Remember that the whirlwind is short-term, so be patient and take things week by week, day by day, moment by moment.
Mind
Our mind is essential during this time. I will always believe the quality of my thinking determines the quality of my life. Of my circumstances and the pathway for success…and failure. Our choices direct the outcome. Control your control-ables.
Body
Let’s be real, there’s no perfect way to take of our self. We do the best we can, when we can. Maybe the best we can do is being aware that if we’re low energy or motivation, if we feel stressed, if we’re run down…we have to do something to take care of our body. Pay attention to eating, sleeping, exercising, and rely on our source for resting and replenishment.
Soul
Starve our ego. Feed our soul. How can we ensure we are feeding our soul? Believing in and paying attention to what really matters like doing the next right thing in the service of others. Maybe the best and most significant way is about our belief. To believe in our self and take care of our self.
Each of these traditionally represent a way of understanding ourselves as a whole person. Each interconnecting – the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual components not only influencing our actions as one offs, but also creating a broader consideration when they all become a collective mass of consideration during a whirlwind.
I bring all of this up because we are coming into a time when speed, volume, frequency, and unexpectedness will be elements of our reality. It will be the varying degrees of the whirlwind encountered during the intense phrenetic busyness of both the holidays and Q4 retail selling season that will test our calm during the storm. Go deep and find your rhythm.
I challenge you with the following questions to consider how you embrace self-care in the whirlwind.
- Define self-care?
- What are you prepared to do to balance your heart, mind, body and soul?
- How are you orienting your heart, mind, body, and soul?
- Give an example of what you can do to take care of your heart, mind, body and soul?
- In what ways do you understand your heart, mind, body and soul?
- Are you squared away…emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually for what lies ahead and what lies within?
Want to learn more perspectives about Self-Care? Visit our podcast or visit one of our locations.
