What about the guy you lobotomized? Did he get a refund?

Within the realm of social media, there is a lot of talk about EVERYONE in the organization being a part of sales and marketing efforts. Long before the advent of Facebook, Twitter, or even email, companies were operating under this strategy.

This isn’t a new concept. The tools we use to engage the customer have changed over the years, but the strategy is the same. All great companies strive to exceed customer expectations. That’s how they become great companies.

The process has to start somewhere. I believe it starts with customer service. Our sales efforts have always focused around offering exceptional customer service and customer engagement.

In a sales organization you can either sell on price or on quality/service. If you are going to be the lowest priced commodity out there, customers don’t expect to receive high quality or great service. You are also not going to build any brand loyalty, since your customers are only interested in low price.

As an example, book a trip on a “discount” airline and your expectations are minimal. Hopefully the airline will get you to your destination. Hopefully your bag will go on the same flight as you do. Hopefully the flights will take off and arrive close to the scheduled times.

Now compare that to buying a first class ticket on a full service airline. Where are your expectations now? You expect to be treated a little differently, right?

Well anyone who knows me, or has done business with one of my companies, should expect to receive “first class” service. I expect my employees to treat their clients as if they worked for them and not me. No matter how prepared an organization is, problems come up. How your company/staff handle these problems will either build brand loyalty or brand distrust.

My sales staff will usually handle these hiccups by asking for more concessions than the actual clients would expect.

Since the sales people have the most direct interaction with the customer, we normally go with their suggestions. This level of customer service costs us more money than if we just did the minimum, but, it builds customer loyalty.

It’s not just my direct employees that I expect this level of effort from…I expect it from everyone in the supply chain who “touches” any component of our products. Take for instance our label supplier (Mike @ Labels and Systems). Mike makes ALL our labels and decals. His pricing is competitive, but not necessarily the lowest around. HOWEVER, Mike has bailed me out on numerous occasions…running and shipping labels within 24hours to make sure we didn’t miss a production deadline.

How much is that level of service worth to me? It’s priceless. It’s also one of the reasons I would never think about switching label suppliers.

It’s that extra effort, the things you can’t put a price on, that differentiates between a good company and a great company.

What kind of company would you rather do business with…a good company, or a great one?

Bonus Question:

The title, while also a vague reference towards customer service, is a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie TOTAL RECALL. Sharon Stone had a very brief part playing his "wife" in the movie. What was her character's name? (Can't remember...click here for the easy answer.)

TRANSFORM CLIENTS INTO SALESPEOPLE

Customer service as marketing and sales tool?

I grew up in Central Florida.

When I was in high school, I was lucky enough to land a job at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. I say “lucky” because one, it was a job at Disney; and two, the experience introduced me to the Disney approach to customer service.

The job itself, like most high school jobs, was menial. However, the education I received from working for “the mouse” has continued to serve me over the last 24+ years.

Disney is often referred to as “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Anyone who has visited the Magic Kingdom, or any of the Disney parks, can attest to the validity of this statement. Not only are you happy to be at Disney, you are also happy giving them all your money.

For Disney, the secret to achieving this level of happiness starts with a commitment to customer service (They call is guest service, which makes you feel like you’re part of their family.)

Disney initiates their guest service program long before you ever reach the park. Call them for help with your reservation and by the end of your call you will feel like you have been having a conversation with a relative…a relative who has up-sold you during the entire conversation.

I have been involved in sales most of my adult life. Phone sales (think stock brokers) are the most difficult type of sales jobs I can think of, yet the folks at Disney make it look easy. Some of my favorite sales conversations with Disney guest relations’ representatives have gone like this, “As long as you are staying on property with us, you should think about the Disney meal plan.” Another favorite is, “I see you are scheduled to stay with us for two nights. If you extend your stay an additional night, I can offer you the following deals…”

When you hang up the phone, you’ve got a smile on your face; you feel like you have just made a very helpful new friend, and you have already blown your vacation budget before ever leaving the house.

As a business owner, we always look at ROI (return on investment). Whether we are contemplating the purchase of a new piece of manufacturing equipment or the hiring of additional employees, we want to know how much that investment will add back to our bottom line (and, how long will it take to recover those investment dollars).

But things like a commitment to customer service, or an “investment” in social media marketing are difficult to analyze quantitatively. If we can’t put an actual number on the effectiveness of these marketing practices, how can we determine if those investments are adding to our bottom line?

Measuring the ROI of customer service, like that of social media marketing, is nearly impossible…at least in traditional terms. Can you quantitatively measure how each dollar spent towards customer service adds to your bottom line? No.

Can you track how much revenue has been added to the company relative to the number of man-hours your staff has spent engaging your clients in social media spaces? If you can, email me the formula…please.

The message has to be clear and consistent among the entire organization. But a long-term commitment to customer service (and social media) programs will pay off. Engage your customers, build a relationship with them, exceed their expectations and they will become your best marketing and sales team. They will talk about you in a positive light. They will refer you to their friends and families. And, they themselves will continue to do business with you.

Disney engages you at every point during your visit with them. Everyone on the front line has a mandate to exceed the customer’s expectations. From the moment you arrive, you are continuously greeted by, “Have a Magical Day.” And every employee (cast member) works hard to make sure your stay is magical.

At the end of your visit with them, no matter how much money was left with Mickey, Minnie and Donald, you have had a magical time…more importantly (from Disney’s perspective), you have already started planning your next visit. (And next time you are going to coordinate with friends and family, because imagine how much fun it would be to go as a big group…)

If your clients don’t have that same level of passion about your organization, ask yourself what can be done to foster that level of loyalty. Do you engage your customers, or do you react to problems and issues as they arise?

Have a great Disney guest relations’ story? Please, share it below.

Is your organization committed to exceeding customer’s expectations? Are you using social media as part of that commitment? Let me know what you’re doing, and if it’s working for you.