Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Winston Churchill.

Some time ago Earl Nightingale created a program  called, “The Magic Word.”  The entire program was designed to help you discover what the magic word was.  When you finally discovered it, you had power. The magic word was attitude.  When you finally understood the power of your attitude, you understood the power you held.

It may not be a game, yet our attitude in business is the key to success in so many areas. For that matter, our attitude impacts our relationships in life as well as our health. Regardless of the circumstances in our life where we may not have choice, we have a choice over our attitude.

Think of how many people inspire you.  Think of your mentors in life and business. Do any of these people lack passion for what they stand for, do they lack vision, and is their attitude a questionable or half hearted one? I suspect not one of them would fall in to a category of lack in any of those areas. We are not inspired or attracted to people with a poor attitude, nor is it a pleasure to spend time in their company.

I have listened to speakers who have endured horrendous circumstances in their lives, either physically or mentally.  The books I have read on life stories have provided the same awareness of the one thing that sets each person apart. What has inspired and remained with me has not been their circumstances, it has been their amazing attitude and spirit.

When faced with a choice of doing business with an individual or an organisation, for me the deciding factor between them or their competitors would be their attitude. Whether that business is offline or online, small or large, I want to feel they care about me and value my business. Isn’t that what we all ultimately desire?

Now think of the businesses you admire, regardless of size. What are the qualities that stand out for you? I imagine they are the same qualities as those that stand out for most of us.

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labour and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which.  He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both”  James A Mitchener.

Enjoy whatever it is you do and pay attention to your attitude when doing it.

Warm regards

Christine

“I have never understood the need for records after the money has been spent.”  This was a line I heard yesterday in a vintage movie, from someone who was asked to keep an accurate account of spending .  A line I thought presented an interesting perspective, although not one the Australian Tax Office subscribes to!

With the official  start to a new financial year, it is time to reassess our progress for 2011, and consider how we can make the most of the next six months in order to meet our business and personal goals.

Once again there is a focus on the service excellence awards, where nominations for individual exceptional service are submitted and eventually judged after an extensive process. One would be forgiven for thinking this would bring about a heightened concentration on providing a standard above and beyond the expected. Obviously not so with everyone.

Last week I was told in a very blunt manner to, “next time come in earlier”, when I needed a service that would take approximately 10 to 15 minutes. My arrival was three quarters of an hour prior to closing and I was the only customer needing assistance, with five staff members that I could see. This particular staff member expressed her reluctance to do the job and quite clearly thought her priority was stacking shelves over providing a service that is clearly advertised as being available up until a certain time each day. In other words I was an annoying interruption to her day. Not a good start, middle, or finish.

When placing this attitude against  the attitude of another business I encountered the next day, where everything from the beautifully printed invitations to their clients for a professional development evening which created an aura of anticipation, plus concentrating on every detail right through to the end of the night, the two could only be worlds apart.

Although different industries, they both provide services and sell products which not only keeps them in business, it keeps the staff in a job. The huge difference is that one business has defined their service culture and customer experience, leading by example, the other employs people to provide a service and sell products, without thought to how their customers may be experiencing their service and the inconsistency in those experiences. Another difference is that the business with the poor service advertises customer service is a feature they provide, yet fails to do so consistently, whilst the other business lives and demonstrates it consistently.

The attitude of staff to the organisation they work for is reflected in the way they treat their customers – in both instances.

If our goal is to not only survive, but to thrive in the next half of this year, it is essential to have our customers feel valued, to build relationships and earn their trust.

Go out tomorrow and be exceptional – every day, every time.

Kind regards

Christine

Recently I enjoyed the experience of cruising the World heritage area of Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River on the west Coast of Tasmania.

This cruise alone would have been a breathtaking experience, yet was enhanced by the staff and crew of World Heritage Cruises. A family owned company where at every point, from booking to disembarking, it was clear they were passionate about what they do and engaged with each person in their care. We could not tell the cruise that day was just another one in the thousands they had taken out. Disney is famous for the same approach where their ‘cast,’ as they call their staff, each day  treat every inane or obscure question with genuine consideration for their guests experience.

Another cruise would still have given us the identical extraordinary environment to explore, yet the feelings left after the event would be vastly difference without that same quality of total engagement.

Every interaction in your business is an experience, with the difference being exactly how that experience leaves your client or customer feeling. The other impact the experience has, is in how hard your business has to work in order to attract or retain customers.

It’s rare to hear a business not mentioning customer service as a part of their processes. Yet, extensive research I conducted across Australia and New Zealand, identified just 17% have defined their customer experience. Only 70% of those 17% offer staff training in that customer experience.  The rest are leaving the end result to individual interpretation and chance.

We can’t miss the media focus showcasing customer frustrations as they spend their hard earned money, how essential it is to provide an exceptional level of service.

How often do you walk away from any business feeling WOW that was amazing? On the other hand, how many times do you leave experiencing annoyance or frustration?  Also, there is simply satisfied, not consciously thinking of that business again. In fact we often experience these extremes across one day.

Word of mouth is the most inexpensive and powerful form of marketing. Use it to your advantage. People don’t talk about satisfaction, just poor or exceptional, with the ability to share experiences when their emotions are at the highest through instant communication such as twitter, facebook and smart phones.

Although competition is strong research shows consumers will pay for quality service even in difficult economic periods. We have an innate need to be respected, valued and appreciated. It’s also clear that in the absence of an exceptional experience, consumers will choose price.

Once again, my research identified that from the customer’s perspective, the main reasons for businesses not providing an exceptional experience are:

• staff attitude

• lack of training (knowledge and service)

• lack of interest in the customer

• lack of consistency

Regardless of what we think, it’s what the customer thinks that becomes reality. Good or satisfied isn’t enough. At the very least, our customers should expect satisfaction when paying for any product or service.

From one extreme to another in one day.

With one business it was a superb customer experience throughout, and one that made me happy to spend more than I had originally intended. It was completed by my receiving a card expressing their appreciation for my business. This was balanced by another experience elsewhere that left me feeling completely frustrated.

Regarding the second experience, I am not sure why a large sign stating ‘customer service’ is in place, when it could more accurately just say ‘cashier’. There is certainly nothing remotely resembling customer service about someone chewing gum, wriggling a tongue stud with her tongue, being focused on the transaction and what is going on around her rather than on the customer, handing over my receipt at the same time as dismissing my questions and telling me that it will be easy to follow the process at home.

It wasn’t easy to follow the process at home by the way. It required a telephone call where I was transferred three times until someone could actually assist me because no one knew what to do!

Having said that, the staff member was not unpleasant, so I imagine if asked the question, she would consider she was offering good customer service by the simple fact of seeing a transaction through.

This particular organisation has recently been promoting their renewed focus on customer service in order to reduce a poor customer perception, along with an attempt to retain customers and  increase market share.

Waiting in the queue to be served, it was easy to observe each staff member and how they interacted with other customers and each other. My assessment would be that leadership and training would not be their strong suit, leaving it to each individual staff member to interpret how they provide their customer’s experience.

As we know, this variance in interpretation can be a broad one, with a lack of personal commitment the result when clear guidelines and expectations aren’t set and appropriate standards aren’t led from the top.  A disconnected staff was what I observed.

The first business I mention here is one I will happily recommend, therefore doing their marketing for them, not to  mention using them again myself. The second organisation I will tell many people about – with the completely opposite effect  to their stated objectives.

Instant communication with easily available social media, text messages, and mobile calls, offers a customer an immediate opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings about any business when their emotions are at the highest. Can any business afford that if it is a mediocre or negative experience being shared?

For me, when I am training or speaking, I now have two new experiences to share as examples sending the messages wide and clear.

As a customer, do you have similar stories as these to tell?

Have an exceptional day and a wonderful Easter.

Kind regards

Christine

Having recently returned from Cairns, there were several things I could take from my trip to Tropical North Queensland – apart from wonderful hospitality and enjoying the sight of palm trees.

One is to note that the region is very much alive, beautiful and ready to welcome business and visitors, regardless of a general perception of broad devastation held by many people from the southern states.

I had the privilege of being invited to speak at the first Cairns Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) event for the year. Meeting a number of business leaders and owners during my visit to the area was an associated bonus.

In a region where they have experienced extremes in weather conditions, on top of challenges with tourism through world disasters which has affected some of their major interstate and overseas markets, it is obvious there are clear leaders in being proactive to overcome these circumstances. There are also some who are struggling, yet each business is exposed to the same set of circumstances.

The second point is that acknowledgement, attitude, and action, are common attributes in those businesses and organisations thriving in these difficult times. It highlights the fact that you get what you focus on.

My host, Wendy Ackland of Burnt Toast Marketing, has an approach and commitment to providing an exceptional experience for her clients, fellow members of AMI, and the broader business community. This was clearly demonstrated in every action from the first contact we had, through the organisation and detail provided.

BurntToast® Marketing is an independent agency based in Cairns. The business was established in 2007 and specialises in market research and marketing planning. While they work across all mediums, the firm’s expertise lies with online business tools, which – when used correctly – can enhance and drive your overall business strategy and become a valuable source of research, straight from your customers. A perfect partner to providing an exceptional customer experience.

Wendy is a qualified marketer with more than 12 years’ experience in her profession. She is skilled in consumer behaviour, measuring marketing activity, and in harnessing analytics to create effective marketing campaigns.

She is passionate about her industry and as such, is a strong advocate for the AMI in Cairns where the marketing profession is often overlooked as a serious career opportunity.

Anyone who knows me, or knows of me, is aware of my passion for the importance of a memorable customer/client experience culture and the overall benefits to any business when they apply a defined customer experience model.

Jason Greenhalgh, the Queensland President of the AMI, who flew to Cairns to support the event, also fosters his belief in the connection between effective marketing to bring clients in the door, then valuing those clients by providing an exceptional customer experience to ensure you remain their preferred place to do business.

The third point is, we can’t expect consumers to support local business without businesses being prepared to invest in creating a culture of service within each organisation and continuing to strive to do better in order to earn their custom.

Mahatma Gandhi said: A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.  How true!

Even the taxi driver, who at 4.25am arrived with more than a smile to deliver me safely to the airport, made my final memory a positive one. It was his attitude toward his customer, his company and his region that was the element that stood out for me. A true ambassador!

Service is the one key element that is completely within our control. How we treat our customers and the overall experience that the customer receives will ultimately dictate our success or failure.

Not only is service within our control, research shows that service is the one thing that can, and will, set us apart from our competition. For better or for worse. Effective customer service training is about developing both skills and attitudes.

People are not your most important asset. The RIGHT people are. Jim Collins “From Good to Great”

A little about AMI (from their website): The AMI represents professional marketers throughout Australia, including practitioners from all marketing functions and industries. Through a unified voice, the Institute has established strong links with business, academia and government to become the voice of the marketing profession.

The AMI’s leadership role in advancing the marketing profession has resulted in the emergence of Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) accreditation as a practising benchmark, the establishment of a Code of Professional Conduct, and the move towards defined practising standards for marketers and marketing metrics for organisations.

A final word. Take a trip north and enjoy, especially with those businesses who practice acknowledgment, attitude and action.

Have an exceptional day.

Kind regards

Christine

It is difficult to believe we are well into February, which brings to mind the question of how many businesses have given serious thought to how they will stand out this year?

How will they attract and retain clients or customers?

Have they defined their competitive edge?

I know quite a number of businesses in the Circular Head region of Tasmania who keenly consider these questions, then take action to ensure they remain customer focused.

As the guest speaker for the Circular Head Progress Group ‘Night of Excellence’, I shared in a wonderful evening celebrating the amazing achievements for quite a number of businesses and individuals. In what would be considered a reasonably remote area by people from other parts of Australia or overseas, these businesses demonstrate daily how exceptional they are to continue competing in a much larger arena. Many of the awards they have been recognised with are national awards, often against much larger organisations located in major cities.

Many people may be able to copy the service we offer or the products we sell, yet they are not able to copy how we do it. A major lesson here is being clear on what we offer our customers, valuing them and ensuring we consistently do it better than anyone else. Regardless of our size or location.

Congratulations again to each of the award recipients from Friday evening, and to the Progress Group committee for being passionate about supporting and valuing local business in your amazing area.

Thank you to the hosts of Sheer Pleasure, Heather and David, whose website states, “not just accommodation, it’s an experience” and who obviously live by that statement.

It is often the people who understand the key message who are always open to hear ways and a perspective on how to continue doing even better. They understand we can’t rest on our laurels, we must continue to raise the bar. They understand it is necessary to develop a service culture within their organisation. Thank you for your warm welcome and open minds.

Interestingly enough, today people expect more from us than ever before, yet they have come to expect to receive less. Experience has been teaching them that complacency is more normal than exceptional when experiencing customer service, so they are searching elsewhere to spend their hard earned money. We are craving that sense of being valued by people we do business with.

Stand out from your competitors, consistently offer an exceptional experience and earn the loyalty of your customers.

Have an exceptional week

Kind regards

Christine

Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.  Jim Rohn

Wherever you are in the world as the clock takes us into 2011, I wish you great health, happiness and richness in all areas of your life.

It has been an honour and a privilege to share 2010 with you and I very much look forward to taking that valued association through the year to come.

I am sure you have your personal and business growth well planned. Where I can be of service to help you fulfill these goals, I am here for you.

Abraham Lincoln said “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.” With an entire year ahead, we have the perfect opportunity to aim high, make each of those days count and have a year to remember.

Happy New Year

With warmest wishes

Christine and the team at The Defining Edge Training and Development

It is interesting to see two organisations offering the same service, both stating that customer service is a priority to them, yet the resulting experience is not remotely the same for the customer.

Last week I travelled to Sydney, then Brisbane, followed by a return flight to Launceston at the completion of my business, using two competing airlines for these flights.

With both airlines offering what is essentially the same service, one would expect little difference apart from aircraft, uniform, logo and their magazine. This is not so. Each mention in their printed matter and advertising that an emphasis is placed on customer experience, yet the difference between the attitude of the staff and the total service experience  delivered is evident.

So why does this occur?

What is it about two companies with the same goals that would see them not produce identical results?

The difference is subtle and it is within the culture. One company is making a statement with noise attached, whilst the other recruits for the right culture fit and attitude, values their people first, service experience second and their business third, in addition to training their staff regularly to give them the skills to consistently produce exceptional results. They recognise and reward service excellence. The attitude of the staff is reflected in their roles toward the customer and each other.

Every transaction in your business is a customer experience. The question is, what does that experience say about your particular business? Is it good, indifferent, bad, mediocre, or exceptional!

Have an exceptional week.

Kind regards

Christine

Customer service is continually spoken of amongst business and within the media, with comparisons and surveys often highlighting different issues.

Those who have read my books or articles, heard me speak at events, or have attended my presentations, are aware of my passion for this topic and that I prefer to call it customer experience, because to me that is what it is. Good, bad, or indifferent, it is the experience that will influence how we feel about any business we may deal with and of course whether we will have any further dealings with them.

With the Gala Awards Dinner on Saturday the 7th, where winners celebrated their commitment to providing consistent exceptional customer experiences, it amazed me to receive a telephone call about an appalling situation.

The following occurred at a business in Launceston, where they represent the clients who pay the commissions, and provide for locals and visitors alike. A well dressed and well groomed customer entered with the intent of buying something special for a home he had just purchased, to find the two staff members enjoying cheese and crackers with a glass of wine. Nothing wrong with that at all.

I will let the customer tell you his story.

“There was a man and a woman sitting behind the counter as I entered, the woman said hello and the man stared and said nothing as he was sucking through his front teeth.  As I was browsing in the rear of the gallery, the woman from the counter pretended to be looking at something towards the private studio area in the rear of the ground floor, and was standing to the side for a minute or two watching me.  I actually had to look up at her before she acknowledged me and she then approached me to ask if she could be of assistance.

I said I was admiring some pieces and was happy to browse for the moment.  The woman returned to the counter and continued with the wine and cheese.  I made my way through the gallery back to the front where the two staff were and they immediately stopped talking as I entered. Feeling a tad uncomfortable but still interested in finding the perfect items for my new house, I continued walking near to the counter and looked over at them.  The woman smiled, but said nothing, the man sat there looking me up and down a few times, also said nothing, and started sucking through his front teeth again.

Feeling very uncomfortable at this point, I actually politely said to the both of them “I feel as though I am interrupting your afternoon”. The woman shook her head repeatedly with a slight smile and a mm-mm, the man still sat there staring and sucking in silence. At this point I was feeling so uncomfortable that I was not taking any real interest in anything in their gallery,  I did a very quick loop of the rest of the gallery before acknowledging them with a polite thank you and left.

Returning to give them another opportunity, I walked in to find them still as they were, but the man now had his feet on the counter. I announced that I had in fact just purchased a house that day, to which there was no response. This was not a good start and naturally I was in a great mood, however I was completely deflated by the stares and attitude of the man.

When I said “I had come here to purchase a few things for my new home…”, the man’s legs shot down, body leaning on the counter and he quickly asked “which pieces were you interested in?”  Astonished at the transformation,  I said “it should not be a matter of which pieces I wanted to buy but…”, immediately he threw his legs back up on the counter and folded his arms! Closed, disinterested, end of discussion. I said “Is that it? This is what I’m talking about, it’s about customer service”, he said abruptly and aggressively “I’m not interested in a lecture from you, (pointing with open palmed hand) there’s the door, there’s the door”.

I was dumbstruck, I looked at them and gave them the same polite thank you and left.  I assure you I will not be stepping foot in that premises again, and I will make make it a point to tell as many people as I can not to take their money there also.  I know a few of the artists that are exhibiting there, and will be passing this experience on to them too”.

You can see why I was shocked to hear this story. Unless they are a not for profit organisation with very deep pockets, I am sure the bottom line is an important part of their business plan. If they are the owners, perhaps they need to consider another line of business and if they are employees, hopefully someone will alert the owners to what their customers are actually experiencing.

Another aspect to this is from the artists perspective. Each artist will pay a generous commission for their work to be represented and sold, so I am sure they would be disappointed to know this is how their name is promoted, not to mention the huge loss of potential sales through lack of interest and poor customer experience.

This is in direct contrast to a Launceston based organisation I had the privilege of speaking with last week. The CEO of this particular company has created a definite culture where their client is the prime priority and the client experience is always well above anything their competitors offer. They deal on the world stage against huge multinational companies, yet continue to grow and thrive due to this dedication fostered from the top down and the bottom up. They build strong relationships with their clients as well as within their staff.

They value both, which is the key to a truly successful business of any size.

“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” —W. Clement Stone

Have an exceptional week.

Kind regards

Christine