“Customer Service occurs whenever clients request something from you.” ~ Lee Salz
- Good Customer Service = doing whatever is required to fill that request.
- Bad/Poor Customer Service = there was an issue, something went wrong.
As I was reading chapter 13, it hit me that looking at “customer service” this way means it’s NEVER a differentiator or a reason to work with you. Instead it’s the basic expectation a customer has of getting what they require.
Sure if your customer service is better than the competition in some way and that difference is something your prospects and customers find valuable – that PIECE is a differentiator.
Here are a few of my personal PIECES clients have shared make me different:
- gets me answers faster
- willing to decline business if it’s in the clients best interest
- makes working together fun
- keeps track of my overly full to do list
- pleasantly persistent
- LOVE THIS! you are the best and I don’t know HOW you come up with this stuff
Talking about one or more of those six sounds so much different to a prospect than saying I give good customer service.
Back in 2014 Dan Waldschmidt got me thinking differently with Do you fill your prospects with delight? If you look again at my list; all of those things are about working with ME – they are what makes the work we do together, delightful.
“Account Management Sell Different! strategy is the prescriptive value you deliver
to your clients above and beyond the benefit your products or services provide.” ~ Lee Salz
The most important thing about having a Account Management PLAN is to ensure there are both salesperson and corporate habits around retaining and growing existing clients. Those account management habits will also help you acquire new ones, who find that type of relationship with their vendors valuable.
For more on this topic AND MORE I recommend you buy a copy of Lee Salz’s latest book Sell Different!