5

Your Customers and Employees
Want You to Succeed

47

Imagine a seller/buyer

relationship in which there is

immediate trust and belief that

the best solution will emerge

because they are working together

to discover a solution.

Sharon Drew Morgen
Selling with Integrity

DO YOU ever feel like you are running down a football field toward your goal and everyone—your customers, your employees, even your family— is playing for the other team? Do the people around you seem to be doing their best to block you and tackle you to keep you from getting into the end zone?

That is exactly how every day looked to Stacey before she began practicing the principles of Strategic Synchronicity. The faster she ran, the harder she fell.

She was telling a friend about her frustration with the latest tackle when the friend asked, “Stacey, what if you just think this person is playing for the opposite team? What if the truth is that he is really your teammate and he is trying to stop you from going the wrong direction down the field? ”

This was the moment she was finally ready to receive the support and assistance from others that she desired but could never believe was actually possible to receive. Just as we discussed in chapter 2, the first step in attracting what you desire is to envision it and the second step is to be open to receiving it.

48

Imagine what it would be like if every one of your customers was actively supporting you and your business in your quest to succeed. Would they be providing referrals to other perfect customers? Would they be paying for the full value of your services? Would they be buying more often? Would they be placing larger orders? What would they be doing to help you that they are not doing now? What would they be continuing to do that they are already doing to help you?

Now that you have the vision of these new teammates assisting you to succeed, are you willing to receive their support? Being willing to receive their support implies that you are putting your full belief into your Strategic Attraction Plan. In order to believe in your plan, you must believe in yourself. Once that belief is in place, your business will never be the same. It’s this confidence that causes you and your business to be much more attractive to perfect customers, employees, and vendors.

When you believe in yourself, the actions that follow will be completely different from those in the past. You will be likely to share information that you never considered sharing before. You will be likely to ask questions that you never thought to ask before. You will allow yourself the freedom not to know all the answers. You may even find that you don’t have to work as hard. By trusting yourself and your Strategic Attraction Plan, you may find, as all of our clients do, that you can actually take a vacation and return to your office with everything running smoothly.

Say Good-Bye to Discounts and Special Offers

Let’s begin with attracting perfect customers who support you in being successful. The only way to attract pure and altruistic customer loyalty and support is by being loyal and supportive of your customers. The usual surveys, free trial offers, frequent-flyer programs, and other incentives being touted by the proponents of “relationship” and “permission” marketing as the best ways to secure customer loyalty are no longer working. These premiums, techniques, and baits have simply trained consumers to wait for discounts and special offers before they buy. According to Geoffrey Brewer, writing in Sales and Marketing Management magazine,“One smart way to deliver value is to make sure that all your communications speak directly to customers’ specific needs. The last thing customers want is more junk mail that bears their names but little else that is relevant to them.” The result of Brewer’s research? Companies need to do a lot more listening in order to know what messages are the best fit for their customers’ needs.

49

Remember, the third standard of Strategic Synchronicity is “like attracts like.” If you want your customers to give their loyalty and support to you, then you must give it to them first. Solve a perfect customer’s problem and you have gone far toward deepening your relationship.

Loyalties are formed through the building of mutually beneficial partnerships. As in any relationship, when there is an equal balance of giving and receiving, there is a natural desire to remain in association. One does not have to be coaxed, bribed, or prodded to maintain the connection.

Having interviewed a myriad of Fortune 500 firms and customer service experts, Rahul Jacob reports for Fortune magazine,

The real magic of customer loyalty is . . . when you increase it, a beneficial flywheel kicks in. Powered by repeat sales and referrals, revenues and market share grow. Costs fall because you don’t exert excess energy foraging to replace defectors. These steady customers are also easier to serve; they understand your modus operandi and make fewer demands on employee time. Increased customer retention also drives job satisfaction among your employees, in fact job pride, which leads to higher retention. In turn, the knowledge employees acquire as they stay longer increases productivity. The very idea of customer satisfaction helps align employees behind a common goal that everyone can understand.

50

Let’s take a moment to consider this concept closely. Think about your favorite businesses. Perhaps there’s a particular Web site where you can find fascinating information quickly, or maybe your favorite cleaner is the one that always seems to get the stains out of your silk ties, or perhaps there’s one department store at the mall where you can always count on finding exactly the right item. Now think about whom you interact with at those businesses. At the Web site, is it a particular editor or customer service representative? At the dry cleaner, is it the owner? At the department store, do you have a favorite salesclerk? What do you know about these people? What do you know about their interests, their likes and dislikes, their goals for the future? What motivates them to get out of bed in the morning?

You probably know more than you think you do. You have picked up a sense in your dealings with these people that they think like you, have similar interests to yours, or sincerely care about you. You at least know that one of their positive traits is that they make your life easier. It’s the reason that you keep coming back to these businesses.

Now consider whether all of your customers could say the same about you. Have you shared both your personal and your professional missions with them? Do your most perfect customers know that they are your favorites? If they do, have you told them why they are so wonderful?

51

We are always amazed by the answers we receive to that last question. The vast majority of people say, “I told them I appreciate their business.”Of course you appreciate their business. That almost goes without saying. What about telling them that you enjoy serving them because they always appreciate you, or they always have a funny story to share, or they always send interesting feedback about your Web site, or they always pay their bills on time so it makes it easy to pay yours on time, too? Share those specific details that will help these special customers realize that they stand out from the crowd.

What about your growth and expansion plans or the situations that have stopped you from achieving your plans? Have you shared them with your special customers and asked for their feedback? Did that last question shock you?

All too often, we realize too late just how much our best customers like us, depend on us, and want us to succeed. Think about how many times you have come to rely on a favorite hairdresser, restaurant, or other business only to be taken by surprise when you learned that it was relocating or going out of business because it was not as successful as it appeared. If you had known about the situation sooner, you would most likely have taken some action to help the business.

In the same way, your perfect clients don’t want to have to find someone else to meet their needs if you go out of business. For them, it would be as if someone moved their lighthouse. Where will they find another guiding light? Where is their safe harbor in the middle of a storm? You must let them help you succeed by giving them the opportunity to provide input and advice along the way. This is where your willingness to trust the process is essential.

In part III,Tip 2, “You Are More Attractive When You Let Your Perfect Customers Know They Are Perfect,” you will be guided in how to use this trust to develop a more loyal and supportive relationship with your most perfect customers. In the meantime, here are some other suggestions.

52

Ask, Ask, Ask, and Then Ask Again

Angela Caughlin of Millennium Success Consultants reports: “Recently, I was working with a large corporation that had used very few of the resources I had recommended. At our last meeting, I asked, ‘What can we do to move this forward?’ The person I was meeting with replied, ‘I don’t know,’ but in the next breath he asked me if I could attend a meeting with one of his supervisors, one of the primary decision makers within this corporation. He had given me the answer I needed. This supervisor was the person that would ultimately move our business forward! ”

One of the most important pieces of advice that we have ever received about asking for feedback was given in a presentation by Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books and products. He attributed the vast success of these products to his persistence in asking for what he and his business partner,Mark Victor Hansen, desired. They presented their idea for the first book to more than a hundred agents and publishers before they found one who was interested. Their commitment to their mission and vision is awe-inspiring.

How many of us ever apply that amount of persistence to obtaining feedback? Most of us would be concerned about “bothering” other people. Yet, as Jack says, what can it hurt to ask? Even if you are turned down, you are no worse off than you were before you asked. In the process of asking, you have the opportunity to receive valuable feedback that you would not have received otherwise. And there is always the possibility that your request will be accepted.

53

Honestly Share Ourselves

We are always touched by the openness of the replies that we receive from readers of our “Daily Strategic Attraction Tip E-zine” (www.perfectcustomer.com) when we make a specific request for input. These readers, many of whom we have not met in person, freely share themselves and their advice with us. It is obvious that it is not too much trouble for them to take the time to help. In fact, they appreciate the opportunity to do so.

Take note that for Strategic Synchronicities to appear, we must be willing to give up our belief that it is not appropriate to bring our personal lives into our business lives. They are one and the same; their fragmentation is an illusion. It is important to combine our personal and business lives to create close, strong, and satisfying relationships with our customers.

By sharing our personal experiences openly, we can give others a truer sense of who we are. For example, we advocate being truthful with clients and customers when our personal lives interfere with our business, causing us to cancel an appointment. This honesty makes it easier for others to understand and to support us so that we can keep our agreements.

For example, Stacey travels to Chicago on a regular basis to help her father get back on his feet after he experienced a stroke. As you can imagine, our schedules went a little out of whack while she was first adjusting to stretching her capacity to take on additional responsibilities surrounding her father’s care.

In addition, some new emotions began surfacing along with her new responsibilities. If she had attempted to keep those bottled up, they would have simply gotten in her way and made her completely ineffective in any area of her life, especially in the area of being of service to our clients.

54

Fortunately, she did not have to keep them bottled up. We are blessed with perfect clients and associates, so when she explained to our clients the reason she would have to be away from the office and why her replies to their requests might be delayed, they responded to her with genuine love and support. They also allowed her to express her true feelings of grief and concern so that she could more easily move through them. More than that, in welcoming the sharing of her authentic thoughts and feelings, these clients felt free to share their own trials and tribulations. Because of this mutual openness, the relationships we both have with these clients became stronger, more committed, and more supportive. This open sharing turned what could have been a tragedy into a triumph!

In moments of personal happiness, we are greeted with the same support from our perfect customers and collaborators. For example, when Jan’s daughter and new grandson come to town, she arranges her schedule to spend quality time with them. By apprising her clients in advance and keeping them posted on her grandson’s development, they can share in Jan’s joy of being a grandparent. They also share the triumphs of their own children and grandchildren. This mutual sharing produces even richer relationships.

Perfect Employees Care, Too!

Although we have been stressing the importance of sharing ourselves with our customers, every one of the ideas in this chapter is directly applicable to our employees, our coworkers, and our vendors.

Our employees want to receive more than just a paycheck from their jobs. They want to feel that they are fulfilling their personal missions, too. More and more companies are devoting massive amounts of attention, time, and money to team building and other activities as a means of improving employee productivity and morale. Yet it is still far too common to find that these same companies expect their employees to be excited and motivated by a company mission statement that does not give voice to the employees’ personal commitments.

55

If you are a business owner, manager, or department head, consider whether you are aware of the personal and professional mission statements of each of your employees. If not, then consider sharing the core values exercise in chapter 1 with each of them so that you can assist them in aligning their statements with your company goals for the greatest success of everyone involved.

If you are an employee of a company, give your trust to your manager and share your personal and professional mission statements. Ask your manager to assist you in aligning these statements with the company’s and department’s goals for the greatest success of everyone involved. If you feel that this suggestion is naive and simplistic with regard to your relationship with your boss, then you may first want to use the exercises in part II to create your plan for attracting a more perfect working environment, one that supports and encourages you in aligning your personal and professional goals. The right position that fits your needs exists somewhere. The question is whether or not you believe you deserve it.

A foundation of support is essential to ensuring the success of the Strategic Attraction Plans you will create shortly. A lighthouse can’t stand strong and tall and unwavering unless it is anchored into a firm foundation and has been built with the most effective materials for withstanding the mightiest storms. Remember, it’s important to give yourself every advantage in becoming as attractive as you can be.