Stop Whining! Your Service Sucks! (an edgy conversation)

Let’s be very clear about something.

Horrible customer service is the fastest way to drive your dreams into bankruptcy.

No amount of whining, whimpering, and halfhearted excuse-making can remedy selfish behavior.

Sure — the late 1990′s brought us the age of “more selling, less service”.  And that certainly sounds logical, right?

After all we are emerging from the worst buying environment in more than eight decades.  It would seem that you need to “get out there” more than ever.

It’s that “Stop being an order taker and start being a whale hunter…”type of sales preaching.

Admit it.  You’ve had a sales manager get “up in your business” telling you that you need more cold calls and more ways to “fill the funnel”.  Right?

And…  your manager if probably right.

Being proactive has never been more in style.

But chasing new customers is the slowest way to grow your business.

It takes massive amounts of time and more times than not doesn’t even work.  You chase.  They stay out of reach.

Somehow the easiest revenue strategy — investing in the relationships you already have — seems to be the solution that we avoid at all costs.

Think about the last time that you actually reached out to an old customer.  You needed something right — more money, a referral, your invoice paid a little faster?

Anything else is just flat out annoying.  It’s a waste of your time.  After all you’ve closed the deal already.  You’re not a babysitter, cheerleader, or someone who let’s people take advantage of them.  Right?

Well guess what?  That plan stinks.

You need to stop whining about not winning and start serving.

When was the last time that you provided an outrageous customer experience?

Not answered a question or returned a phone call within 24 hours.  That’s all considered the bare minimum.

When did you make your customer feel so special and cared for that they became ravenous fans?

Instead we tell ourselves that chasing the next big deal is the right direction.

Maybe it’s because we’re too embarrassed to admit that we just don’t care enough to be the high performer that we pretend to be.

Maybe fixing our service was the answer all along.