"There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."
- Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart.
Recommended
book of the week:
The One To One Manager – Don Peppers &
Martha Rogers, Ph.D.,
Doubleday, New York
This
week's "moment of truth".
Using
a person’s name.
"Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language", so said Dale Carnegie in his 1936 classic book 'How to Win Friends and Influence People.'
I believe that Carnegie's book was written at least fifty years ahead of its time. In the industrial age, achieving success was possible by adopting a 'best product' or 'best price' strategy. However in today's information age, where price or product can be bettered within five minutes of a new product or service hitting the market, the key to lasting business success lies in the strength of one's customer relationships.
Nothing is more important in the development of any relationship than the use of a person's name, as there are very few things in life that are more personal.
When we look back through the pages of history, it is easy to see that one of the common characteristics of successful people was their ability to remember people's names. During the last fifteen years of working with hundreds of business organisations covering many different industries and professions, I also observe that top performing business leaders of today share the same trait, an ability to remember and use peoples names.
I believe the first step in remembering people's names is to firstly take a look at your self-talk. How often do you hear people say, "I can never remember people's names"? Another example of negative self-talk is those who say "I never get a car-park close to where I am going". And guess what, they never do. I am a great believer in the self-fulfilling prophecies of self-talk.
"If you think you can, or think you can't, either way you're right." - Henry Ford
The next step in remembering people's names is to use their name as quickly as possible. During an introduction use their name. Thank them by using their name.
Also set up systems that support you. When you meet people and they give you their business card, at your earliest convenience, take the time to write a note on the back of the card where and when you met them.
Send them a thank you note after meeting them. Not only is this practice great for helping you remember people's names, it is also one of the most cost effective ways of developing and maintaining great customer relationships.
So what's in a name? EVERYTHING!
Until next week, stay true to yourself and to your customers. And remember great customer service relationships happen by design, in the moment, moment by moment.
