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...ust didn't work. Visiting a Levi's store might be the best way to get the righ...0 years or clothing from a particular store for 15 years, those businesses pro...

... out if sales are price-driven. What's the sales manager's philosophy? Is it to low-ball the price? If so, this isn't the company for you. The only way you'll keep a customer is to push to get the price down as low as possible — and then some. If that doesn't work, neither will you. "What can you teach me?" Now, you're on a roll. When you're huddling with the sales manager as you wait to meet the vice president of something-or-other, quietly ask what the SM can teach you. You can count on your question to trigger this response: "Hey, you're good. If you come with us, I'll teach you every trick in the book and then some. I'll make you great." Who could possibly refuse such ... work and repulse customers. They want a knowledgeable, trustworthy expert who can be an adviser, not a huckster. "May I visit your marketing department?" If the SM takes you down the hall and says, "Turn to your right and it's the second door on your left just beyond the restrooms," then you know the marketing department is the closet where the sales materials are stored. If the answer is, "You met Judy, our receptionist. She responds to requests for information. Gets everything out fast." Now you've made four valuable discoveries: 1) this company doesn't understand marketing; 2) it has no interest in marketing; 3) it doesn't know where it's going; and 4) it has no plan to get there. At this point ...

... pitch to communicate specifically how your service or product can fulfill those desires. In my marketing workshops, I frequently tell this story to demonstrate to attendees how they can talk their way right out of a sale: A jeweler walks into a computer store and is confronted by a salesman who immediately launches into a rapid-fire monologue about the technological wizardry of a particular personal computer. The salesman is on a roll as he watches his prey listen patiently. About 20 minutes into his pitch, the jeweler timidly asks, But can I use this computer to create letters and fliers? ' That's all he wants to do, but the salesman had failed to uncover and address the real payoff the jeweler was seeking. He overwhelmed the customer with too much information and ultimately sabotaged the sale. Create the payoff ... know why people buy from you? To get the most from your marketing efforts, you must first uncover what a prospect wants-the bottom-line reason-and then tailor your pitch to communicate specifically how your service or product can fulfill those desires. In my marketing workshops, I frequently tell this story to demonstrate to attendees how they can talk their way right out of a sale: A jeweler walks into a computer store and is confronted by a salesman who immediately launches into a rapid-fire monologue about the technological wizardry of a particular personal computer. The salesman is on a roll as he watches his prey listen patiently. About 20 minutes into his pitch, the jeweler timidly asks, But can I use this computer to create letters and fliers? ' That's all he wants to do, but the salesman had failed ...

...oset where the sales literature is stored. If the answer is, 'You've already m...

...asier it is to return an item to a store when you're neatly dressed than when ...

... staring into the eyes of a retail storeowner and a pizza restaurant operator.... Walton in his Arkansas five and dime store and Tom Monaghan in his Michigan p...

...erials. Go to the library, the bookstore, the video store, and the Internet. Travel the custome...

... a hazard by tipping, falling, or rolling? [ ] Are cylinders containing liquefied fuel gas, stored or transported in a position so that...and waste materials (oily rags, etc.) stored in covered metal receptacles and ...

... hellip; ' A little less than 500 years later — on May 25, 1961 — John F. Kennedy said, I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth. These were big, bold, bodacious dreams. Maybe at their outset they were actual delusions. These were dice rolls' that I wouldn't expect the ordinary leader to make. The day these visionaries spoke, their ideal exceeded the science of the day. No sane person would've given their OK on these projects. I'm sure these visions were voiced, decisions were made, and projects started in advance of, or in spite of, a due diligence study. For us ordinary folks, let's study tomorrow through ... seek a lesson in leadership and vision from Columbus or JFK. If you talk to these leaders in private or carefully view their organizations from the inside, you'd see very little new' happening. Many might even tell you about the difficulty or risk involved in change. But suppose we use Dale Dauten's ideas on innovation and do it anyway. I'm guessing that Sam Walton in his Arkansas five and dime store and Tom Monaghan in his Michigan pizza place probably did just do it anyway. The results: WalMart/Sam's Club and Dominos. I'd bet that they said: What if I buy goods in greater volume, pass the savings onto my customers, and treat them in a friendly fashion? I bet I can do better than the other folks in this business. (Sam Walton) What if I ...

... work. If I've learned one thing in my 30 years in the insurance industry, it's that if CSRs don't see customer service as being a top priority of their supervisors and managers, it'll never be a top priority for the agency. Be careful to set a good example and show respect and regard for every customer every time, especially when CSRs are observing your personal approach to service contacts. Roll up your sleeves, managers and owners: It's time to take charge of improving customer service in your operation. Remember, when it comes to establishing and maintaining a high-quality customer service culture, having a Mickey Mouse approach might not be a bad thing. This article originally appeared in The National Underwriter: P&C Edition and is reproduced by permission. Karen Flaherty is the president of Professional ... individuals. If that doesn't describe your staff, get to work! Grow big Mickey Mouse eyes and look around! Observing how service can be delivered helps you realize that what should be done for customers and what's actually being done are often two different things. Use your Mickey feet to get out and gather customer service resource and reference materials. Go to the library, the bookstore, the video store, and the Internet. Travel the customer service road and look for answers and ideas. Use your Mickey nose to sniff out mistakes and bad practices before they affect your customers. Who's responsible for them doesn't matter as much as correcting them. Keep a heads-up attitude in troubleshooting your agency's customer service practices and workflow systems. If you have a weak link, someone you feel isn't as good ...