The A to Z of Small Business Sales - Loyalty Part 2 - Loyalty Starts With People
The A to Z of Small Business Sales - Loyalty Part 2 - Loyalty Starts With People
Loyalty programs for corporations inevitably mean giving the customer something of perceived value. So loyalty becomes a transaction not a relationship. Air Miles is a good example.
The Economist Magazine recently reported that over two trillion air miles remain unused. Interesting eh? Why is that? You give something away, and people don’t use it! Just imagine if all of a sudden and all at once, customers decided to cash in. Of course, they won’t be able to. Most Air Miles programs make it difficult and inconvenient to use the program by controlling destinations, flight times, capacity and other customer service problems. The Air Miles Loyalty customer is treated like a second class citizen. Some loyalty program!
Another loyalty program - this one for employees - used to be the Christmas Turkey. It’s not in of style these days. Why? Because it was a turkey! The employee expected the turkey. It became part of the compensation package. Employees got a turkey regardless of how well they performed. If they didn’t they were upset. Not getting a turkey became a de-motivator. There was no value and no relationship to or for anybody.
On a smaller scale coffee shops often have a bonus card that offers a free coffee for every ten purchased. This card is meant as a loyalty builder for customer retention. But does it help? Or is it also a bit of a turkey.
Most coffee shops have them. Starbucks is an exception. Is there any advantage for the business to having a card except to mimic the opposition? No. And besides have you noticed that there are often restrictions on what size your free coffee is? I usually buy an XL - extra large - coffee Xl coffee guy. Consequently I expect my freebie to be XL. But, some shops only offer a free small one. So the card annoys me. Not going to get my loyalty!
I should mention Starbucks again. Have you noticed the quality of service? Do you know how they train people? Have you experienced their service when they make a mistake? Starbucks service is exceptional - it’s big business and small business rolled into a unique and successful package. I’ll write an article about my experiences with them - all positive - later.
I recently helped a charitable organization raise funds by selling lottery tickets for them. The grand prize was a million dollar home. There were also many other wonderful prizes. Of course many charities today use lotteries to raise funds. The lottery has become something of a commodity. Charity lotteries actually compete with each other.
What was my experience with the charity lottery? Was it that everybody supported a good cause or appreciated the value of what the charity was doing for the community? No! One individual who had not benefitted from using the charities services at no cost to themselves, and who had also won a house four years ago, no longer supported our lottery. She went somewhere else and bought tickets for a different lottery. No loyalty there? Other previous supporters compared the odds in four competing lotteries and bought tickets on the one they deemed had the best odds. Others declined to buy because they’ve never won a prize. Not much loyalty eh?
Why is that? It’s because you cannot buy loyalty. Loyalty is something that is earned every day and through relationships.
The question I would ask is how can a business owner and a business show loyalty TO customers or employees - not the other way around. If you the owner are not loyal, why should the customer or the employee?
Is it a question of customer loyalty or of owner loyalty? It’s interesting when you flip the question isn’t it? President John F. Kennedy did this many years ago - (I’ve paraphrased.) - “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
How could a business owner demonstrate loyalty? My suggestion is to ask. Find out what your customers and employees want, need, enjoy and so on. from their answers, you will figure out what you can do. The Sales Processes that I have suggested in earlier articles (Guest, Conceptual, Counsellor) all require ‘relational’ communications and a ‘discovery’ of the customer’s needs.
Find out what a customer needs. Develop a relationship with a customer. Listen. Ask questions. Be interested. All these statements are prerequisites to an effective, efficient and productive Sales Processes. In a small business, the owner must lead the way and be the change he or she wants to see in their business.
What is that change? let’s start by ‘Being Interested’ and as I said in Part 1 “Loyalty and the Value of Loyalty”, treat people well - in fact, I should say ”Put People First”.
‘Being Interested’ and ‘Putting People First’ is easy and it’s natural. Humans ultimately are social animals. We love to relate. We enjoy sharing our stories. We like to learn. We care. All our religions tell us how important it is that we develop these characteristics.
So, what’s the problem? The problem is we are so used to telling others what to do, that we don’t do it ourselves. Leaders MUST DO. Leaders lead by example. Business owners should be leaders in their own business.
I want to you to ask yourself - “How do I treat ME?” YES, ME! “Do I put me first?” “Do I take an interest in me?” “Do I help me?” “Do I ask myself how am I doing and what do I need?” And if I do - “Do I FOLLOW THROUGH and look after myself?”
It might sound a bit crazy but if you don’t treat yourself right - why would you treat others right? Indeed you won’t be able to because you have no personal experience - you’ve received no personal feedback from yourself? If you are not in touch with yourself, how do you expect to be in touch with others - your family, friends, employees, customers?
Loyalty - starts with yourself.
As for your customer - when did you get in contact with a customer and it was not for the purpose to sell him or her something or to answer a complaint? Why not get in touch with customers for no reason? Ask them a few questions about their business, their needs, how they use your product, their experience with your product.
As for your employee - when did you last talk to them and not ask them to do something for you or a customer, or to tell them they did something wrong? Why not take them to coffee and just ask “How are things going? What is the one thing ‘I CAN DO’ for you that will help you do your job better or make you successful?
More on treating yourself, your customer and employers as people in a later article.
The A to Z of Small Business Sales Loyalty Part 2 Loyalty Starts With People - To learn more about this author, visit Norm Tucker's Website.
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Part 1 of Loyalty recognized why loyalty was important to small business. But it also asked if loyalty might be an illusion. And finally it suggested that loyalty for small business owners depended on how YOU treat people, people such as your employees, customers, suppliers, accountant, indeed your friends, acquaintances and just people you meet on the street.
Loyalty programs for corporations inevitably mean giving the customer something of perceived value. So loyalty becomes a transaction not a relationship. Air Miles is a good example.
The Economist Magazine recently reported that over two trillion air miles remain unused. Interesting eh? Why is that? You give something away, and people don’t use it! Just imagine if all of a sudden and all at once, customers decided to cash in. Of course, they won’t be able to. Most Air Miles programs make it difficult and inconvenient to use the program by controlling destinations, flight times, capacity and other customer service problems. The Air Miles Loyalty customer is treated like a second class citizen. Some loyalty program!
Another loyalty program - this one for employees - used to be the Christmas Turkey. It’s not in of style these days. Why? Because it was a turkey! The employee expected the turkey. It became part of the compensation package. Employees got a turkey regardless of how well they performed. If they didn’t they were upset. Not getting a turkey became a de-motivator. There was no value and no relationship to or for anybody.
On a smaller scale coffee shops often have a bonus card that offers a free coffee for every ten purchased. This card is meant as a loyalty builder for customer retention. But does it help? Or is it also a bit of a turkey.
Most coffee shops have them. Starbucks is an exception. Is there any advantage for the business to having a card except to mimic the opposition? No. And besides have you noticed that there are often restrictions on what size your free coffee is? I usually buy an XL - extra large - coffee Xl coffee guy. Consequently I expect my freebie to be XL. But, some shops only offer a free small one. So the card annoys me. Not going to get my loyalty!
I should mention Starbucks again. Have you noticed the quality of service? Do you know how they train people? Have you experienced their service when they make a mistake? Starbucks service is exceptional - it’s big business and small business rolled into a unique and successful package. I’ll write an article about my experiences with them - all positive - later.
I recently helped a charitable organization raise funds by selling lottery tickets for them. The grand prize was a million dollar home. There were also many other wonderful prizes. Of course many charities today use lotteries to raise funds. The lottery has become something of a commodity. Charity lotteries actually compete with each other.
What was my experience with the charity lottery? Was it that everybody supported a good cause or appreciated the value of what the charity was doing for the community? No! One individual who had not benefitted from using the charities services at no cost to themselves, and who had also won a house four years ago, no longer supported our lottery. She went somewhere else and bought tickets for a different lottery. No loyalty there? Other previous supporters compared the odds in four competing lotteries and bought tickets on the one they deemed had the best odds. Others declined to buy because they’ve never won a prize. Not much loyalty eh?
Why is that? It’s because you cannot buy loyalty. Loyalty is something that is earned every day and through relationships.
The question I would ask is how can a business owner and a business show loyalty TO customers or employees - not the other way around. If you the owner are not loyal, why should the customer or the employee?
Is it a question of customer loyalty or of owner loyalty? It’s interesting when you flip the question isn’t it? President John F. Kennedy did this many years ago - (I’ve paraphrased.) - “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
How could a business owner demonstrate loyalty? My suggestion is to ask. Find out what your customers and employees want, need, enjoy and so on. from their answers, you will figure out what you can do. The Sales Processes that I have suggested in earlier articles (Guest, Conceptual, Counsellor) all require ‘relational’ communications and a ‘discovery’ of the customer’s needs.
Find out what a customer needs. Develop a relationship with a customer. Listen. Ask questions. Be interested. All these statements are prerequisites to an effective, efficient and productive Sales Processes. In a small business, the owner must lead the way and be the change he or she wants to see in their business.
What is that change? let’s start by ‘Being Interested’ and as I said in Part 1 “Loyalty and the Value of Loyalty”, treat people well - in fact, I should say ”Put People First”.
‘Being Interested’ and ‘Putting People First’ is easy and it’s natural. Humans ultimately are social animals. We love to relate. We enjoy sharing our stories. We like to learn. We care. All our religions tell us how important it is that we develop these characteristics.
So, what’s the problem? The problem is we are so used to telling others what to do, that we don’t do it ourselves. Leaders MUST DO. Leaders lead by example. Business owners should be leaders in their own business.
I want to you to ask yourself - “How do I treat ME?” YES, ME! “Do I put me first?” “Do I take an interest in me?” “Do I help me?” “Do I ask myself how am I doing and what do I need?” And if I do - “Do I FOLLOW THROUGH and look after myself?”
It might sound a bit crazy but if you don’t treat yourself right - why would you treat others right? Indeed you won’t be able to because you have no personal experience - you’ve received no personal feedback from yourself? If you are not in touch with yourself, how do you expect to be in touch with others - your family, friends, employees, customers?
Loyalty - starts with yourself.
As for your customer - when did you get in contact with a customer and it was not for the purpose to sell him or her something or to answer a complaint? Why not get in touch with customers for no reason? Ask them a few questions about their business, their needs, how they use your product, their experience with your product.
As for your employee - when did you last talk to them and not ask them to do something for you or a customer, or to tell them they did something wrong? Why not take them to coffee and just ask “How are things going? What is the one thing ‘I CAN DO’ for you that will help you do your job better or make you successful?
More on treating yourself, your customer and employers as people in a later article.
The A to Z of Small Business Sales Loyalty Part 2 Loyalty Starts With People - To learn more about this author, visit Norm Tucker's Website.
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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