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Category: Staff Training

Snapshots in Time

One thing that used to drive me crazy in retail was when we had just finished with a huge rush of customers, finally got a moment to breathe, and at that exact moment my father would walk out, see us standing around and yell at us to get busy since we were obviously loafing.

Had he walked out two minutes earlier, he would have seen poetry in motion as the staff expertly handled all the customers, the giftwrapping, the phone calls, and the interruptions with grace and ease. But no, he caught us two minutes later taking a deep breath.

I made a pledge that when I was boss I would never make snap judgments on the snapshot in time.

One brush stroke does not make a masterpiece painting. One snapshot does not make a complete album.

Let’s play a little math game (feel free to skip the next paragraph if you’re not up to math today).

Yesterday we had a decent day serving 256 customers. I had 97 employee hours scheduled which breaks down to 2.6 customers per hour per employee.  The average actual interaction with a customer is around ten minutes of their time in the store, or 26 minutes out of each hour.  That means each employee had more non-interactive time than interactive time. The likelihood of me walking out of my office and catching them not engaged with a customer was greater than catching them engaged.

(Okay, math over)

The key for me is to walk out enough to catch them when they are engaged and observe how they handle that engagement.

There are ebbs and flows of customers in any retail business. If all you ever do is catch your employees goofing off, before you yell at them, realize that the real problem might be that you aren’t leaving your office enough.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I reminded one of my new hires today that we are not just creating sales today, we are creating sales a generation from now when the kids in the store today have kids of their own.  Kinda changes the engagement when think like that, don’t you think?

PPS Remember also that there is a fine line between goofing off and having fun. Since Having Fun is part of our Character Diamond, it is almost impossible for me to catch them goofing off. Such is life in a toy store:-)

Why You Should Go to Austin, Part 2

Yesterday I told you my three answers to Wizard Academy Vice Chancellor Michele Miller’s questions about the Shareworthy Customer Service class I am teaching with Tim Miles January 29-30.

Here are Tim’s answers…

Michele: How did you two come up with the idea of teaching this class?
Tim: About a year ago, two things happened in the same week.

One – one of my clients said to me, “Tim, I’m a liar.” He was becoming aware that his employees weren’t living up the promises we were making in his ad campaign. Since then, his customer service scores (measured by the same Net Promoter Score system used by Amazon, Apple, Trader Joe’s, and countless others) have risen to twenty points higher than Apple’s.

Two – Best Buy made my mom cry. Well, the CEO didn’t make her cry, but one of their Geek Squad members was so rude and condescending to my 76-year-old-non-cryer mother that I couldn’t sit idly by. I did what lots of people do: I took to the Internet and blogged about it to a couple thousand people, and I put it on all my social media outlets. Now, Best Buy’s stock is tanking. Is Trish the reason? Not specifically, but it got me wondering if something systemic was causing companies like Best Buy to miss the proverbial boat.

Michele: We see lots of workshops on creating good customer service. Your course description looks intriguing – what is one thing that sets this course apart from others out there?
Tim: Is our course different? I think so.

For one thing, it’s not just about “being nicer to people,” but rather it’s about building a system that measures and rewards customer delight. It’s about budgeting for it. It’s about where that budget comes from and how to implement it and how to build a culture of ownership among your employees.

Additionally, we went through hundreds of accounts of delightful customer experiences from the very best companies – large and small – in the world, and we deconstructed what made them great. Turns out there are only fourteen different defining characteristics to customer delight, and you can tune them to suit your business.

Michele: What is the most important thing students will walk away with?
Tim: They’ll have a customized plan to build and implement a program that’s currently working for every one of our clients that began using it this year. They’ll begin to spend less in advertising. They’ll create a culture where employees love coming to work BUT aren’t working longer hours or particularly harder while they’re working. They’ll be the one company in town where the best specialists in their business category WANT to work.

Not a bad way to spend two days, huh? Come join us in Austin.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

Why You Should Go to Austin in January

You should go to Austin, Texas at the end of January. Really, you should. It will be more than worth your while.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, January 29th and 30th, I’m teaching a new class about Shareworthy Customer Service at the 21st Century Business School known as Wizard Academy with a fellow named Tim Miles. It’s a magical place in the hill country just southwest of Austin, Texas. This week, Vice Chancellor Michele Miller asked me three questions about the class so she could promote it in the newsletter that goes out to thousands of alumni. Here are my answers. (Tomorrow, I’ll share Tim’s answers.)

Michele: How did you come up with the idea of teaching this class?
Me: Tim asked me:-)

(I believe Tim asked me because Tim reads this blog, follows the work I have been doing to teach multiple aspects of customer service to retail businesses, knows that I know what Wizard Academy is all about, and because Tim’s expertise, while far greater than mine, leans more heavily on service-based businesses. Remind me, and I’ll ask him when we get there if this is true.)

Michele: We see lots of workshops on creating good customer service. Your course description looks intriguing – what is one thing that sets this course apart from others out there?
Phil: I see two problems with most customer service training programs…

First, there is no standard definition for what is Great Customer Service. Everyone seems to have their own opinion ranging from “slightly better than what my competitors do” at the low end to “WOW-ing my customers beyond their wildest expectations” at the upper end. And most businesses have an unrealistic idea of their own level of customer service.  Without a definition, it is hard to objectively see where you stand. Without a definition it is hard to measure results. Without a definition it is hard to create consistency. What drew me to Tim’s teachings and made me want to partner with him is that he and I share the same definition of great customer service – so good, the customer has to share it with others. We both teach from that upper end and show businesses how that level of service is within their grasp once they identify it.

The second problem with most customer service training programs is that they often focus solely on the interaction between employee and customer, creating scripted interactions that eliminate the worst elements of customer service but don’t really delight customers in a Shareworthy way. Although employee/customer interaction is one of the most important elements of customer service, it is not the only one. You can improve your employee/customer interactions exponentially and still be undone by a poor website, a confusing policy, a complicated form, or even a dirty restroom. Tim and I both recognize that to reach the pinnacle of customer service, it takes more than just employee/customer interactions, and it takes more than just scripted role plays. We’ll address all of those elements and show businesses how to make sure everything is aimed at delighting the customer.

What sets our program apart is that we break down the whole concept of customer service – every single element – into understandable and measurable parts. We help each business create a definition by which success can be measured. Then we teach those attending how to create a culture that reaches that level of success consistently and in every aspect of their business.

Michele: What is the most important thing students will walk away with?
Me: There are so many walk-aways that it would be hard to name just one. The segments I will be teaching include four topics that stand alone on their own merit. Add in what Tim will teach and there will be more walk-aways than most people can fit in their luggage. The cool thing is that much of what the attendees will learn can be implemented right away and will start showing a return right away. Instant ROI!

At the end of the two days, what will really take place is an understanding of this whole new definition of customer service, of where the bar can and should be raised. After that, the businesses will have a tool box full of ways to consistently hit and exceed those standards.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I forgot to add… Not only will you make back your investment many times over, you’ll make new friends, eat great food, and have more fun learning than you ever thought possible!

Two Days to Take Your Customer Service to Shareworthy Levels

I’ve written about Wizard of Ads partner – the incomparable Professor Tim Miles.

He wrote the e-book on Shareworthy Customer Service. He also wrote a book called Good Company. He’s tall. He’s smart. He makes up (really cool) words. And he knows more about how to improve your Customer Service than most people walking this planet.

In fact, he is teaching it to businesses all around this planet right now and they are posting growth numbers that would make you blush.

I’ve done my own writing about Customer Service. Most of you have already downloaded my free e-book Customer Service: From Weak to WOW! Some of you have seen the live presentation. Many of you have found new ways to raise the bar in your business because of it.

Tim likes what I’m doing to raise the bar.  I like what Tim’s doing to take the bar galactic.  So we are combining forces and taking what we know to Wizard Academy!

Announcing a new class!

January 29-30, 2013
Austin, Texas

Two full days of instruction from two likable guys who have been transforming businesses through better customer service for years.  (Click the link above to read a full course description.)
Two full days of a true Wizard Academy experience (which in its own right is more than worth the price of admission.)
Two full days of learning what, why, where, who and how to make your customers’ experience so memorable they write books about you and your company (and you don’t have to give either of us the credit!)

Go sign up.  The investment is deep.  The return is deeper.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  If you’re one of the first people to sign up for the class, you get FREE LODGING on campus at Wizard Academy.  That is soooo worth it! Soooooooo worth it!! Soooooooooooo worth it!!!

No One is Buying the Hype

Greatest (biggest, best…) ever!

As soon as you hear it, you dismiss it.  You’ve been burned too many times.  If it sounds too good to be true, you know it probably isn’t.

Hype is dead.  Hype has been laid to rest.  People aren’t buying it anymore.

If your advertising campaign is built on the next biggest, greatest thing, good luck with all that.  You’d be better served to drop all the overblown hyperbole and talk about the downside.

Yeah, the downside.

One of the easiest ways to instill trust in your customers is to be open and honest about what you or your products won’t do.  As in… “This bottle claims to eliminate gas in your baby’s stomach.  We all know that ain’t happening.  Your baby will need to burp no matter which way she feeds.  But here is why you really should think about this bottle versus that other one.  If you are nursing…”

In other words, be honest.

Everyone knows that every product has an upside and a downside.  If you don’t show the downside up front, the customer will wonder what you’re hiding.  They will look for that downside and form a strong distrust of you in the process.  But if you show that downside right up front, first they begin to trust you and second, they are far more willing to listen to everything else you say.

At the end of the day, it is all about Trust.  No one trusts the hype.  No one trusts the salesperson who hides the downside.  So drop the hype, tell the downside.

I’m waiting for the furniture store to run this ad.

“This isn’t our biggest sale ever.  In fact, we’ll probably have another sale next month.  But the items we are selling today won’t be in that sale.  If you’re looking for a great deal on a couch, wait til next month.  But if you need a dining room set, we have a few closeouts we want to move off our floor.  Nothing wrong with them, just not a style that sold well at regular price…”

I think it would resonate far better than the current hype with the circus tents and balloons and shouting MC’s.  Especially to anyone who wants a new dining room set.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Not only should you reconsider your hype ads, make sure you are training your sales staff to tell the downside first.  Be upfront and honest in your advertising, marketing, and in your store.  Your customers will trust you far better.

Is 90% Good Enough?

Last night I went to a Band Parent Meeting for my freshman trumpet player.  The band instructor set up the cafeteria so that he could teach a class and let the parents see how he teaches.  It was a fascinating glimpse into the world of musical instruction.

At one point the instructor talked about his grading policy.  He said everyone will get an A in his class, but not to worry, they will earn that A.  We sat with puzzled looks.  So he explained further.  He has a terminology test coming up next week.  Everyone has to get at least 90% on that test.  If they don’t, they take the test again.  If they don’t on the second try, they continue taking the test until they score at least 90%.  As he told us, if the students don’t know the terminology, they can’t play the music correctly.  Ninety-percent is the minimum and every student has to get there or they can’t become a band.

Then, for further emphasis, he had the band play a piece of music they had just begun rehearsing.  The goal was mastery.  It is not enough to practice it until you can do it right; you have to practice it until you cannot do it wrong.  After playing a few bars, the instructor told the members of the band to purposefully make one mistake and only one mistake while they played the same melody again.  The difference was horrifyingly obvious.  Fifty kids all making only one mistake was painful to our ears.  Fifty kids all getting an A- was difficult to hear.

All students will get an A.

All students will get an A because that is what is expected and they will practice until they cannot do it wrong.  I believe the instructor. I believe him when he says all students will get an A.  I believe it because he has set up his classroom to make it happen.

Have you set up your store so that all your employees will get an A?  Are they expected to master their jobs?  Are they practicing until they cannot do it wrong?  Have you ever heard a band where every musician made one and only one mistake?

Thank you, Mr. Shaner.  I’m thrilled you will be my son’s instructor for the next four years.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Homework in his class is simple.  Have you mastered it? No? You have homework.  Let me ask you… What are you trying to master?

Fake It Til You Make It

When you smile, the simple act of your muscles pulling the lips upward sends a signal to your brain.  Your brain begins releasing Endorphins that lower your stress.  It also sends a signal to your brain to release Serotonin, which boosts your immune system, gives you energy, and makes you feel good.

Even when the smile isn’t genuine.

Isn’t that cool?  You really can fake it til you make it.  Fake a smile and in short time you will feel better.

You can do the same thing with other body language poses.

Power posing is another way to fake it til you make it.  According to a Harvard study, when you strike a power pose, a pose where your body is open, not crossed, and in a larger than life position (think Wonder Woman with her hands on her hips), you increase your levels of testosterone while also decreasing your levels of cortisol.

What are the applications of this for independent retailers?

First, remind your staff to smile no matter how they feel.  Just that act alone will make them feel better soon.  Plus, that smile is infectious.  If they smile, the customers will smile and soon everyone will be feeling better.

Second, teach your staff how to Power Pose every morning before the day begins.  Have them hold that pose for a couple minutes before they hit the sales floor.  Their energy will be better, they will have more confidence, and they will seem more likable and approachable.

Yeah, body language actually does make a difference, both inside and out.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  That picture is from the Monroe Chamber of Commerce Business Summit.  I had everyone Power Pose at the beginning of the talk.  Got the energy of the crowd up before I launched a new motivational talk – Better Your Business by Being Your Business Better which includes elements of Understanding Your Brand with more examples of how it works in real life. If you would like your organization fired up and working towards a common goal, contact me.  The presentation takes an hour (there is a 30-minute Reader’s Digest version if you’re strapped for time) and will do far more than just raise your testosterone or lower your cortisol.

How You Lead

My boys (ages 11 & 13) asked me a question about why I was so flexible and accommodating in scheduling my staff.  They figure I could schedule the staff all the worst hours and save only the easiest hours for myself.

They liked my answer.

Leadership.

There are many styles and philosophies on leadership.

Role Model
You can lead from the front, modeling the kind of behavior you want.  Going first into battle, leading the charge.  If you have a staff that needs an example to follow, this is a good approach to take.  Your staff will only work as hard and care as much as you care. Never more, usually less.  But they will watch what you do and work accordingly.

Sacrifice
You can lead from behind in a role of service, doing whatever you need to do to put them in a position to succeed.  Many coaches take this role, teaching and encouraging their players to do their best.  If you have hired a staff of compassionate, caring people, they will relish in seeing you sacrifice your needs for theirs.

Guide
You can lead from the side, constantly guiding and overseeing their progress while keeping your own shoes out of the mud.  If you won’t be there in the trenches when the action takes place, this might be the preferred role as the staff learns not to depend on you.  Teachers often take this role in preparing their students for life after the classroom.

A smart leader chooses from all three based on the needs of the staff.  It starts, however, with who you hire.  

If you are going to lead from the side because you are leaving the staff on their own, then you need to hire a staff with responsibility and accountability.  If you are going to lead from the front, then you need to hire people who want to be led.  Free thinkers won’t flourish in this style of leadership.  If you are going to lead from behind, you need to hire compassionate, service-based people who will respond to the service and sacrifice you give to them.  You also need to hire people who can take the lead, while you support from the back.

Knowing who you hired and why helps you choose the kind of leadership style that will work best for them.  That’s a pretty good lesson for a couple young boys to already start learning.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  You probably already guessed that I like to hire compassionate, helpful, problem-solving leaders.  I lead from behind, which means when push comes to shove, I’ll more often sacrifice my own needs for those of the staff.  They work harder for me when I do that. (And isn’t that the ultimate goal?)

PPS If you aren’t sure what leadership style will work best for your staff, think about what leadership style will work best for you, then hire a staff to compliment your style.

It’s Our Policy

When you hear a sales clerk say they can’t because “it’s our policy” don’t you just want to throttle them?

Cinda Baxter of The 3/50 Project wrote a wonderful blog on exactly that topic and called those the three worst words to say to a customer, based on an experience that many of us will find all too familiar.

I started to comment on her blog about how I train my staff to deal with such issues and decided it was worth sharing to everyone.

You have policies.  You teach them to your staff.  You ask them to follow those policies.  You even have reasons for each of those policies.  But every now and then a customer makes a valid point for bypassing those policies.  Before your staff blurts out those three bad words, do you empower them to make policy exceptions on the fly?

I do.

I teach my staff our policies, especially the why behind each policy, but then I let them make adjustments to meet our one and only true goal – to make the customer smile.  The only thing I ask is that if they bend a policy to get a smile, they have to report back to me what they did.

Sometimes they absolutely nail it and do the right thing by the customer (and because of it I sometimes have to adjust the policy).  Sometimes they do things that I wish maybe they hadn’t done.

Either way, I always praise them for first making the customer smile.

Then I praise them more for taking initiative.  Then I praise them for what they did right.  Then, and only then, will I offer suggestions for how they could have done it differently.

By doing it that way I continually empower them to take initiative.  I continually empower them to make our customers happy.  I continually empower them to think on their feet and make smart decisions.  The praise is the key to the empowerment.  Fear of criticism is what holds most people back.  Heaping praise on them makes them want to do it more.  Heaping praise on them followed by suggestions for doing it better makes them want to do it more and do it right.

The end result is that the only time my employees every say the phrase, “It’s our policy,” is in response to, “Wow, you guys are all so helpful!”

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Policies are really only guidelines.  Remember that the most important goal of any transaction is to earn another transaction down the road.

Are Your Staff Experts?

Of course they are experts!  You trained them to be experts.  Here is an easy way to prove to your customers that your staff are experts.

I saw this at The Harvard Book Store.  Each staff member made a recommendation including a little card with a reason why they suggested that particular book.

Two things impressed me about this.

First, they have a lot of staff with a wide variety of backgrounds.  I knew just from looking at this display that I would most likely find someone that could help me.  Trust is a huge factor when you are going after the Relational Customer.

Second, the staff knew their stuff.  I only had a few minutes to spend in the store and I spent most of it reading their recommendations.  They had excellent reasons for each book, which only added to the trust factor for me.

Staff recommendations are a simple way to prove your mettle to your customers.  Just be sure to do it right.  Here are four things to do when setting up a staff recommendations section in your store.

  • Make sure everyone on the staff does it.  Go big or go home.
  • Make selections from a wide variety of departments.  Give every customer a reason to stop and see.
  • Give good reasons for each suggestion so that a customer will know instantly if that is the product for her. Explain who will benefit from the product and what those benefits will be.
  • Make sure the items are in stock.  Quick way to destroy trust is to get a customer sold on a product you don’t have.

You have spent hours training your staff to be experts.  Make sure your customers know how smart (and helpful) your staff can be.  Staff Recommendations are one easy way to do that.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS The only downside to this display was that it was tucked out of the way.  I only found it because I was getting out of another customer’s way.   It was up front, right by the door, but tucked behind two big poster signs for new book releases.  Make sure yours is easily visible.