During the course of many years in customer service oriented businesses, I have learned many beneficial concepts mostly through OJT (on the job training). I have had a few mentors and valued teachers from whom I have learned how to be successful in a business that interacts with customers. As such, I have developed what I call ?Golden Rules? that are guidelines of how to conduct business on a daily basis. Since personal interaction is a key element of the business, or any business, these Golden Rules focus on communication and expression. I would like to share a few of these with a brief explanation of what they mean. If you have read my column over the past year, some of these Golden Rules may sound familiar. 1. Be impeccable with your word. We will be tempted to say almost anything for gaining business. We will want to deliver the undeliverable just for that coveted commission check. This Golden Rule is an ethical thing. This is also the most important Golden Rule, in my opinion. There are implied benefits that will come to fruition over the long term by imposing this guideline. Don Miguel Ruiz wrote a book entitled ?Four Agreements.? This is one of the agreements and warrants a very in depth understanding that can be further researched and highly recommended to do so. Your word (small case) has to do with the things you say. They make up sentences, phrases that you speak and write. They come out as opinions, or comments, thoughts in your head, or could even make it into policy in some situations. On the other hand your Word is much more. Your Word (upper case) has to do with the power you have to create through every kind of expression you make. You create through multiple types of expression including emotions, attitude, actions, what you refrain from, and what you express your faith in. You can create dynamics of respect in relationships by being silent and listening attentively. You can create a different experience for yourself and others by refraining from an emotional reaction. You create an income for yourself by how well you express caring in the activity of your work. This can happen in a very subtle and almost passive way of just accepting what you think about yourself as true; being authentic. You express in a multitude of ways through out the day and being impeccable with your Word applies to all of them. To be impeccable with your word is an art requiring constant vigilance. It is not something that you can decide to do one day and master by the end of the week. The mastery of any art, like music, painting, or sculpture, requires practice. To master the way you express your emotions, actions, thoughts, beliefs, will take practice just like any other art. As I have stated in past columns, be authentic in who you are, and that positive energy will be an extension of your impeccable word. 2. Under promise and over deliver. We always want to promise the world to our customers; don?t! Be very conservative about what you promise and what is delivered in the way of services, timeframes and products. If you know you can respond back to a client in a matter of hours or by the end of the day, do not state that. Say that you will call back the next day. In this way, you will impress the client when you do call back in hours that same day. You now have gained a perception of being on top of your game and the client is impressed with your diligence. Also, what if right after you talked to the client and promised you would call back in hours, you receive another call shortly after that is a crisis with another customer, and you become so involved in ?putting out that fire? that you do not have time to call back in hours like you promised. Now you over promised and under delivered. 3. Don?t take anything personally. Many times in conversation, the other party involved may say something that will sound offensive in some way. We tend to take this personally. You did nothing wrong and you were very polite, so why is the customer so rude? It is not about you. You do not know what is going on in the life of the person you are talking to at that moment. For example; I could call a referral prospect. I am polite over the phone and state who I am and how I received the person?s contact information. The prospect may respond, ?What the hell do you want? Why are you calling me? I am not interested!? and hang up on me. This may make one feel depressed, angry, or ready to quite the business and get a drink. How a person responds to you is not about you. That prospect could just have a bad day. There may be serious drama going on in his or her life at that time. Maybe a favorite TV show was on at the time and the prospect was pissed off for being interrupted. You have no idea why the prospect responded as such, but do not take it personal. Call again another day and see if the response is different. Just remember, that you will encounter negativity in many forms; it is not about you, so just move on. Stewart Mednick is a seasoned mortgage banker and published author. His writing focuses on relationship development, personal empowerment, customer satisfaction, marketing and sales techniques. Stewart is available for marketing consulting, personal coaching and training sessions. If you have a comment or a question for Stewart, contact him at 651-895-5122 or [email protected]
