Emotional FEELINGS

1. CUSTOMER
ASTONISHMENT
Strike with Awe
and Wonder

2. Chapter 1
ROCK the WORLD
• Pure Genius
• Outrageous Creativity
• Exceptional Diligence
• Daring to be Different
• Amazing Consistency
• A Little Extra Work
• And/or some Genuine Thoughtfulness

3. Chapter 2
BEWARE Bloopers, Blunders, or Worse
Bloopers Blunders
DLTWID
Dumb Little Thi
D b Littl Things W I
We Innocently D
tl Do
GHOST
Gaping Holes Or Serious Traps

4. Clued-In or Clueless?
~Initial Self-Examination~
Initial Self Examination
 What messages do we UNINTENTIONALLY send
customers that are inconsistent with how IMPORTANT
these customers are?
 What obstacles may be in the way that need to be
eliminated or smoothed out to pave the way for
Customer Loyalty?
 Do we put customers on a PEDESTAL or not? How?
How not?

5.  Do we really want to succeed by making customer relationships a
priority or are we pretending that enough business will walk
through the door that we can afford to “blow off” a customer here
blow off
and there?
 What little annoyance have we ignored for too long that j
y g g just needs
to be fixed now? Do we recognize the little things that are really
big things to many customers?
 Do we have the skill and the presence of mind to deal with all the
other stuff going on in our business so that we’re not distracted
from putting them on the PEDESTAL?
 Do we pay attention to the work environment to head off those
situations that say, “Our employees are just clerks, not business
people”?
 Where have we left the door open for our competition or for
unflattering and damaging scrutiny of some kind?
 Where is our REPUTATION at stake? Where are we weak and
not BOLD enough?

6. GREAT CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
Make the World Go Round!
 Customers give us the OPPORTUNITY to apply our
TALENTS to SERVE them.
 Then, they let us transfer MONEY from their accounts to
ours so that we have financial leverage to ACHIEVE our
GOALS.
GOALS
This SIMPLE everyday economic interdependence is what Business
SIMPLE,
Success, Professional Accountability, and Personal Prosperity are all
about.

7. Chapter 3
TOP OF THE MIND
 DISTINGUISH yourself
 Provide products that are DISTINCTIVE
 Be DIFFERENT from all the others
Begins ith
B i with your LOCAL marketplace and with your
k t l d ith
ALREADY-
ALREADY-LOYAL customers who will help you
create the WORD OF MOUTH that will make you
GROW, grow some more, and then find yourself
ready to CONQUER THE WORLD.
y WORLD.

8. Power UP/Creativity ON
• Be Different • Be Far Out
• Reinvent • Stop Fear
• Think Global • Simplify
p y
• Join Forces • Make a New Face
• Retire a Cash Cow • Get Out
• Govern BOLDLY • Climb
• Set the Standard • End Comfort
• Be a Household Word • Shine
Shi
• Create Surprising • Dare to Dream
Alliances • Seize the Moment
• Change Now • Start a Revolution

9. Chapter 4
ASTONISHING YOU
S O S G O
• Be Interested
• Be Sold
• Be Brave
• Be More Powerful
• Be the Brand
• Be Your Best Self…Be the Example
• Be Astonishing!

10. Be INTERESTED
• Study them in advance
• Learn about them
• Take good notes when listening
to them
• Connect stated WANTS with
underlying NEEDS
d l i
• A LEADER is a READER!

11. Be SOLD
• Sold on your own products
• Study your products
• Use your own products
• Enthused about your products
E th d b t d t
• Sell the BENEFITS of your
products

12. Be BRAVE
• BELIEVE in YOURSELF
• Prepare
• Pay attention
• Listen to your manager
Li t t
• Perceive challenges and
objections as OPPORTUNITIES
to ENLIGHTEN yourself

13. Be More POWERFUL
Once you become interested in
your customers, sold on your
services, and have become
more brave, you will have the
ability to MAKE THINGS
HAPPEN!

14. Be the BRAND
• Build on what is DISTINCT,
DIFFERENT, and UNIQUE about
you.
• Make a list of your talents,
perspectives, values, passions,
skills, insights, and
commitments…RIGHT NOW!

15. Be Your BEST SELF
• Be the BEST VERSION of who you
are
• Your unique qualities and
capabilities will guide you to DO the
right thing t assure success
i ht thi to
• Most important thing about being a
GREAT Leader is EXAMPLE
L d i EXAMPLE,
EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE!

16. Be ASTONISHING
• “To SUCCEED, figure out what you’re really
good at and do a lot of it ”
it.
• Stand for what you do well.
• Refine it, then Expand on it.
• Be PASSIONATE about it!
• Create your own “Value Proposition” to support
it.
• Connect it to what your customers truly need
need.
• Enjoy serving and astonishing them.
• Give of Yourself.
• Make your everyday delivery of “You”
EXTRAORDINARY!
• Expect WONDERFUL Success.
• Realize that the GREATEST Benefit your
customers will derive from doing business with
you is your COMMITMENT to them.

17. Chapter 5
THE STRATEGY
 RESPONSIVE
…Serve Well A I
 ANTICIPATORY
C O Think
Thi k AHEAD Think
Thi k BEYOND
…Build Loyalty For the Customer the competition
 EXPANSIVE Q2 Q4
…Grow the
Business R E
 INTUITIVE Think ABOUT
the Customer
Think BIG about
the Customer
…Lead the Way Q1 Q3

18. Be RESPONSIVE
~Think ABOUT the Customer~
 Do what you do very well to
establish your overall credibility.
 Do it with exceptional consistency so
p y
that the customer feels secure in
relying on your products and
y g y p
services.

19. Be ANTICIPATORY
e C O
~Think AHEAD for the Customer~
 Observe your customer
 Pay Special ATTENTION
 ANTICIPATE needs
 ACT without waiting to be asked
itho t aiting
 Giving the customer OPTIONS
 Being THOUGHTFUL
 “Smooth the Way”

20. Be EXPANSIVE
~Think BIG about the Business~
 Move beyond your business comfort
zones
 Become an Expediter
 Have a H l f l Attit d
H Helpful Attitude
 General Resourcefulness
 Network in order to locate important
resources
 “Think Outside the Box”

21. Be INTUITIVE
~Think BEYOND the Competition~
 Interpret your Core Purpose,
BROADLY
 Scan for patterns that others miss
 Keep your customers informed
K t i f d
 Turn on the LEARNING
 Experiment, Try New Things,
“RE-IMAGINE”
“RE-IMAGINE
RE

22. Part Two
10 SECRETS

23. Secret # 1:
Be Customer Champions
Know what your team STANDS FOR
and communicate it through words and
actions. Ch
ti Champion your CORE
i
PURPOSE in direct response to what
your customers want and need the
most.

24. • CUSTOMER: The individual or organization
next in line to receive value added as a result
of the performance of my/our work; the
individual or organization that purchases the
product of my/our labors or who funds our
enterprise.
• CUSTOMER CHAMPION: Is one who
looks out for his or her customers…someone
who works to a higher standard to please their
customers and who becomes a champion in
their eyes.
eyes

25. Core Purpose
• B i by considering this question: Somewhere at the
Begin b id i thi ti S h t th
center of what’s going on inside your business, there
is a reason for it all – a DRIVING FORCE that keeps
V G O C p
you going from day to day and year to year…WHAT
year…WHAT
IS IT?
• Why is the fundamental work you do important to
your customers and to you?
• When and where and how are your customers
counting on you?
• The more you understand the CORE PURPOSE, feel
PURPOSE,
it, and live up to it, the more successful you become.
• For what will your team be so known? What are the
KEY WORDS you may own one day?

26. Building Commitment
• Do you intend to be ordinary or
EXTRAORDINARY?
EXTRAORDINARY?
• TIP #1: FOLKLORE
What is your team’s folklore? Are there any
legendary customer rescue missions to recount?
Have a quarterly get-together to celebrate your recent
get-
triumphs and current successes
successes.
• TIP #2: CUSTOMER PANEL
Create a Customer Panel with rotating membership.
Invite these customers to attend a semiannual meeting
with your team to tell them what they like about you,
your services and products-h you have helped
i d products-how
d t h h l d
them.

27. • TIP #3: DECISION MAKING
Signal to the world that your CORE PURPOSE, along
PURPOSE,
with your MISSION STATEMENT, are prime criteria for
ith STATEMENT, i it i f
key decisions. When it comes time to rearrange the office
layout, ask, “Will this arrangement make it easier to
fulfill our CORE PURPOSE? When you design the next
PURPOSE?
promotional piece to advertise your products, ask, “Does
this promo represent to our customers what we stand
for?
for?” When you prepare to hire a new team member, ask,
member ask
“Does this person understand our CORE PURPOSE?
PURPOSE?
Will she/he contribute to it?”
• TIP #4 RECOGNITION AND REWARDS
#4:
The timeless principle is simply: people do what gets
rewarded. Yes money is part of the equation, but the real
core of the concept is that we are all creatures of
f h i h ll f
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. Take time as
REINFORCEMENT.
teammates to recognize each other and take into account
those worthy accomplishments that move your CORE
th th li h t th t
PURPOSE toward its fulfillment.

28. 1. Does the statement of CORE PURPOSE look at
your work from the customer’s perspective?
customer s
2. Is it something that adds both importance and
excitement to the work you do even though some
tasks may be routine?
3.
3 Does the statement make you feel included?
4. Is it short, concise, and easy to remember?
5.
5 Can you BUY IN to make it part of your
commitment to the work you do?
6.
6 Does it “stoke your fire” and “ring your chimes”?
stoke fire ring chimes ?
7. Could it cause you to wake in the morning an
spring to your feet?

29. Secret # 2:
Get Connected
Know the interdependencies represented
by
b your own CHAIN OF CUSTOMERS.
CUSTOMERS.
Make communication LINKAGE a top
priority that demonstrates the importance
of all of your customers, internal and
y
external.

30. Chain Of Customers
 It’s not only about connecting with your external
customers; it is very much about the
EFFECTIVENESS of your work team and your
relationships with other internal customers.
customers
 REMEMBER…If
REMEMBER…If you are not serving the end
customer, you’re
customer you re serving someone who is. is
 Develop a more CUSTOMER-FOCUSED
CUSTOMER-
mindset by renaming what you do at work.
work
Consider how you affect those who depend on
you for service.
service

31. Customer Conversations
 The most meaningful feedback you will ever
get from your customers is by way of
“ANECDOTAL DATA GATHERING”. It
GATHERING”.
means that you must create opportunities for
the customer to just chat with you to candidly
share personal insights and those “little
experiences” that really add up to the
i ” h ll dd h
reputation you have with your customer.
 B
Become a WORLD-CLASS INTERVIEWER
WORLD-
and take notes as you engage your customer in
these key conversations.
conversations

32. Tips To Guide Your
Conversations
 TIP #1: Support Your Team
(29 Questions That Will Energize Your
Team - pgs. 62-63)
62-
 TIP #2: Keep It Simple
 TIP #3: Be Proactive
 TIP #4: Seize Opportunities For
Customer Education
C t Ed ti

33. Secret # 3:
Get It Together
Quickly RESOLVE internal conflicts so they
do not become apparent and weaken the
customer s
customer’s confidence in your team.
team
ACHIEVE crystal clear agreements TEAM
PRIORITIES and INDIVIDUAL
d
RESPONSIBILITIES.
RESPONSIBILITIES.

34. ► You may be individually competent, but it is the
combined resourcefulness and the continuity of
service you represent AS A TEAM that makes
you truly powerful for the customer.
► SYSTEMIC and CULTURAL factors do
legitimately g in the way, however, it is up to
g y get y, , p
your leaders to create and maintain an
environment where CUSTOMER
ASTONISHMENT can be a natural occurrence.

35. Principles of Team Conduct
1. Deal with issues, not personalities. Remember to fix
the problem, not the blame.
2. Reserve Judgment. Before taking on the issues, let’s
be sure we understand the issues.
3. Listen with the ears of a DETECTIVE and heart of a
FRIEND.
FRIEND. Listen for the facts and the impacts. Ask
the customer to help you understand why they feel so
strongly.
4. Instead of EGO, how about WE-GO?
EGO, WE-GO?
5. TTB: Touch the Bases! Take a chapter from baseball.
You can run around the ball diamond to home plate,
but d
b t it doesn’t count unless you “TOUCH THE
’t t l
BASES.”

36. Secret # 4:
Know Your Customers
Listen to them Observe them. Make a
them. them
commitment to NO SURPRISES, except
SURPRISES,
on th i bi thd
their birthdays. What you promise is
Wh t i i
what they get and MORE.
MORE.

37. Behavioral Preferences
 How well do you know your customers?
 At a macro level, customers do manifest certain
level
behavioral preferences that give us initial clues as to
how we can better adapt and respond to them in a
more personalized manner.
 Please study the simple grid below:
Deliberate Spontaneous
Rational FACTS FUTURE
Instinctive FORM FEELINGS

38.  The FACTS oriented customer doesn’t function well until you
provide them a level of detailed information. They think
information
things through in an outwardly rational and deliberate way.
 The FORM oriented customer is concerned with organization
and predictability They trust their instincts and are very
predictability.
deliberate about orderliness and an underlying adherence to
tradition.
 The
Th FEELINGS oriented customer has a greater need for a
i d h df
“hands-
“hands-on, here and now” experience that is tied to that
“human touch” we all recognize. This is where the element of
instinct d
i i and spontaneity come in.
i i
 The FUTURE oriented customer think their way through life
with an air of creativity and are preoccupied with the future,
y p p ,
which means their dreams and aspirations are especially
important. They take an outwardly rational approach and are
more spontaneous and q
p quicker to speculate.
p

39.  As you consider this model, you will begin
to recognize your own BEHAVIORAL
PREFERENCES as an individual and as a
customer. Th insight you gain about
The i i h i b
yourself and others will help you to be a
better “READER OF PEOPLE” as you
commit to adapting and p
p g personalizing y
g your
products and services to meet the unique
needs of your va ous custo e s.
eeds o you various customers.
 YOU MUST BE VERSITILE TO
SUCCEED IN BUSINESS
BUSINESS.

40. Five Clues
1. BUILD A BETTER CUSTOMER
RELATIONSHIP as you discover and protect the
values of each customer
customer.
2. Be patient with each customer’s questions (What,
(What,
How, Who, or Why) and provide relevant answers.
Why)
3. Provide what each customer NEEDS in the process
of working with you and making decisions about
doing business with you.
4. Target your marketing and customer support at the
buying preoccupations (Price, Reliability,
(Price,
Enjoyment, or Performance) of each customer.
Enjoyment Performance) customer
5. Deliver information (CUSTOMER EDUCATION)
(CUSTOMER EDUCATION)
in the mode that best fits the distinct learning styles
g y
of your customers.

41. Family Of Customers
1. What are the social and professional profiles of these end
h h i l d f i l fil f h d
customers?
2. What are the demographics? (age, education, income)
3. What is the greatest geographic concentration of your
customers?
4. What is the economic value of one of these customers, on
average?
5. What do your customers most need from you and your
associates?
6. Why do they choose to do business with you?
7. In what other ways (direct or indirect) do your customers
affect your business? Where do they have influence with
y y
others who are important to your success?
8. What distinctive likes and dislikes do your customers
typically have?
9. What mechanisms are in place to assure effective customer
communication?

42. Priority Customers
y
 Have a consistent and ongoing need for your products
and services that translates into a very p
y profitable
business relationship over time.
 Relate to and be inclined to help you achieve your
CORE PUROSE.
PUROSE.
 See a distinct advantage in doing business with you-
you-
something they believe your competitors do not
provide or represent.
 Suppo t
Support you in gett g bus ess with others, if in no
getting business w t ot e s, o
other way than by WORD OF MOUTH. MOUTH.
 Collaborate with you, this is, team up with you to
accomplish special projects that may be of a business
nature or community service related.

43. Up Close & Professional
p
BUSINESS FOCUS:
 Customer’s full name
Customer s
 Customer’s title and professional responsibilities
 Principal products used
p p
 Economic significance to you and your business
 What this customer needs most from us
 Why this customer chooses to do business with us
h hi h d b i ih
 Opportunities for CONVERSATIONS and
FEEDBACK that we must create and encourage
 Key next steps to cement our VALUE ADDED into
this customer’s mind
 How we will measure progress toward
CONTINUALLY IMPROVING the relationship

44. PERSONAL PROFILE:
 Significant commitments and interests outside of work that
may represent opportunities for collaboration and friendship
 Professional experience, formal education, and other
accomplishments to acknowledge and to draw upon
 Personal “points of pride” that are keys to “what is truly
important” to this customer of which we can simply be
aware and acknowledge as appropriate (family, home,
distinctive automobile)
 Important philosophies of business and life (favorite books
are a key)
 Long range career and personal goals that we can support
 Chief worries, pressures, or special sensitivities that we can
,p , p
help minimize
 Favorite restaurants, sports, cultural events, music, books,
etc.
etc

45. Secret # 5:
Know The Bear
There is a bear out there, behind
you. Faster is not fast enough.
Reliable is not reliable enough.
enough
World-
World-Class means you set a
standard f th world t f ll
t d d for the ld to follow.
The bear cannot keep up.

46. Continuous Vigilance:
Vigilance:
Beware Of Morphing Bears
 Vigilance comes in two forms: WATCHING
for problems and PREVENTING problems.
 Bears take on various forms: Incompetence,
p ,
negligence, poor quality, substandard
service, failure to have contingency plans
and letting your competitive edge grow dull.
dull
 Great customer care teams always have a
Plan B and regularly sharpen their
competitive edge through continuous
education and technology updating.

47.  Know the Bears.
 Know your Vulnerabilities.
KKnow your Competition.
C ii
 Know what’s changing in your
g g y
industry and marketplace.
 Know what it takes to outrun the
bears.
 Be Vigilant of BVPD guidelines:
Beauty, Value, Precision, and
Dependability.
Dependability

48. B-V-P-D
 Beauty. Is your product beautiful or
attractive.
 Value. Does your product or service represent
i
a “GOOD DEAL”? Is it an unquestionably
DEAL”?
good investment of the customer s time and
customer’s
money? Is the customer better off because of
your product or service?
 Precision. W ll–d i
P ii Well–
Well designed administrative
d d i i t ti
procedures. Easy-to-understand forms with
Easy-to-
readable print and p
p plenty of space for the
y p
required information.
 Dependability. Will your customer always
proclaim that you deli ered what you
o delivered hat o
promised?

49. Customer Champion’s Creed
1. Make PROIR PLANNING a top priority. Be
eager to learn what is “coming down the
coming
road” for the customer. Provide multiple
options for p
p problem solving and minimize
g
surprises for everyone.
2. Smooth the way for the customer.
Consistently practice the A-R-T of systems
A-
management. Guarantee the availability of
g y
Adequate resources that are fully Responsive
to customer needs and Technologically up to
date.

50. 3. Be sure everybody wins. Be sure your
fundamental goals are to satisfy customer
f d t l l t ti f t
needs, to exceed expectations, and to
equitably support the interests of all key
it bl t th i t t f ll k
individuals who are your partners in
success. KKeep everybody i f
b d informed and
d d
secure in the knowledge that the bears are
far
f away i their forest habitat where th
in th i f t h bit t h they
belong.

51. Secret # 6:
Take Ownership
Champion the idea that “I AM THE ONE.”
For
F each member of your t
h b f team, thi
this
means “I am the one who first spoke with
the customer. And, at the end of the day, I
am the one who will follow through to be
g
sure WE met their needs.

52. The GREATEST Secret Of
The Ages
 At the heart of dealing effecti el with the
effectively ith
world of work and with customers is the
rediscovery that:
You CREATE YOUR WORLD by how you
THINK and SPEAK about it. it.
 You can transform the outcome of situations
you face in business and in life by recognizing
two fundamental thinking channels or systems
and then by choosing the one that works best.
y g

53. Two Systems:
Owner…Victim
 The person accessing the OWNER system
takes responsibility for situations and
outcomes.
outcomes
 In the OWNER system commitment is a
DECISION.
DECISION.
 The person accessing the VICTIM system
simply figures that “stuff happens and you
i l fi h “ ff h d
must struggle through it somehow.”
 In the VICTIM system commitment is just a
FEELING.
FEELING.

54. Secret # 7:
Stake Your Reputation
p
Create your own HALLMARKS OF
PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE.
EXCELLENCE.
Seize those crucial moments of truth in a
way that shows your true commitment to
each customer.

55. Personal Excellence
 To stake your reputation, you must IDENTIFY THE
EXTENT of your commitments.
 MOMENTS OF TRUTH are those crucial situations
where your commitments will be especially important.
 PRIDE FACTORS are the commitments you make as to
how you will handle these situations.
 INDIVIDUAL PRIDE FACTORS usually originate in
one of two ways: (a) as a result of some “childhood
teachings,” (b) in response to “specific customer
situations
situations” encountered in the course of doing business.
 NOTE: The word “ALWAYS” occurs often as a subtle
indication of an especially serious commitment to some
key i i l
k principle or behavior.
b h i

56. Pride Factors
The BEST meet the f ll i criteria:
h S h following i i
1. In response to specific customer situations,
2.
2 Often the result of customer feedback about likes
and dislikes; prior disappointments and future
expectations,
3. Behavioral i that you can see, hear, smell, feel
h i l in h h ll f l
what has been done to make the customer
experience more p
p positive,
,
4. Measurable so you can track your progress at being
more aggressive about your commitments and
improving your performance over timetime,
5. A set of stakes you drive in the ground to mark your
claim to SERVICE EXCELLENCE. And, these
EXCELLENCE.
commitments are about “ALWAYS ” which means
it t b t “ALWAYS,” hi h
they are met consistently and never left to chance.

57. Team Pride Factors
 Imagine the IMPACT of all the members of your
team each working on specific commitments to
g p
their particular customers.
 As you find you have certain PRIDE FACTORS
in common, these can become your TEAM
common
PRIDE FACTORS and will represent a friendly
way to cultivate your CULTURE OF SERVICE
EXCELLENCE and to orient new employees to
“who you are as a team and how you do business
with those you serve.
serve.”
 Your PRIDE FACTORS are about being the
BEST VERSIONS of who you are as you take
pride in what you do and as you POSITIVELY
id i h d d
ASTONISH those you SERVE.SERVE.

58. Secret # 8:
Add Value at Each Step of
the Way
Be sure that whatever it is that you do,
do
you do it with the customer in mind.

59. Customer-
Customer-Need Driven
1. To Be Process Driven: This means that you have a
certain process you follow in doing business with
your customers This process is important because
customers.
it is the basis for fundamental control and
consistency.
2. To B C
2 T Be Customer Driven: Thi would mean that you
Di This ld h
are ready to follow any and all orders the customer
might g y
g give you. This appears to be maximum
pp
responsiveness-
responsiveness-doesn’t it?
3. To Be Customer-Need Driven: This is to focus on
Customer-
the customer’s particular problem, want need or
customer s problem want, need,
expectation and to deliver-to take responsibility for
deliver-
the outcomes that would be most useful and
ASTONISHING to the customercustomer.

60. Secret # 9:
Smooth The Way
y
ALWAYS treat the customers as an
honored guest. NEVER place your
convenience above that of the customer.
customer
Your professionalism will SHINE as you
do.
do.

61. To be ANTICIPATORY in addressing g
customer needs means you “look out” for the
customer to remove any obstacles and
y
inconveniences. It is an extension of customer
courtesy and of adding value. Remember the
“GOLDEN RULE” of customer
care…TREAT
care…TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD
LIKE TO BE TREATED.
CWO - Chief WOW Officer: Be sure you do
C e O ce : e su e
everything you do with the customer in mind.
Co s de what
Consider w you do from the cus o e s
o e customer’s
point of view.

62. S-E-A-S The Opportunity
SUMMARIZE – Don’t prescribe a solution until you can
describe the underlying need. Listen to the customer. Make
notes as needed. Be able to tell your client two or three things
you’ve j t learned about their situation and get confirmation
’ just l d b t th i it ti d t fi ti
that you are on the right track.
EMPATHIZE – Reflect on how the customer must feel about
the i
th impact of this situation on his or her business or personal
t f thi it ti hi h b i l
success. How would you feel if you were in the customers
shoes? How would you hope somebody would treat you in
such a situation? Thoughtfully acknowledge these customer
impacts as you proceed to help.
ANALYZE – Separate symptoms from causes. Depersonalize
the situation so that emotions are put in perspective. Ask for
time to do your homework. Involve the customer in your
planning wherever it makes sense.
SYNCHRONIZE – Coordinate everything for the customer
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until a solution is reached. Assure the timeliness of all
responses to the customer. Keep everyone informed.

63. Secret # 10:
Create Options
p
NEVER say “NO” to the customer. NO
y
is often uncreative. YES is great, but
may be over-commitment. The
customer needs options. CREATE
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THEM. Even partial solutions are
better th
b tt than roadblocks. Be a world-
dbl k B ld
class problem solver.

64. To ACT!
A – Acknowledge the customer and
his/her needs
needs.
• As you acknowledge the customer, you buy
y
yourself time to think.
C – Circumstances: Discuss them.
• As you examine the circumstances, you discover
underlying needs and also recognize the
parameters within which your problem solving
will occur.
T – Tell the customer what you can do.
• As you tell them what you can do, you show your
flexibility AND even a partial solution is better
than a roadblock.

65. Special Thanks
Thanks…
to Roxanne (Roxy) Barajas who developed
this special slide show on the 10 Secrets
to World Class Customer Care by author
Darby Checketts.
Roxy and Linda Mallory Price, principal of
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Lindenwood Insurance Services, Los
Angeles, submitted this as p of the
g part
Silver Agency Forum, Service Excellence
Award.