Phillip Van Hooser's Blog: Build Performance Blog, page 22

How to Boost Sales and Customer Service with 1 Question

Every company wants more sales and happier customers, right? They spend a lot of money on promotions and processes while overlooking an easier, cheaper approach. Here’s how to boost sales and customer service with one question. Check this out.

Forgetting How to Boost Sales and Customer Service

When following up with customers or wrapping up orders, many sales and customer service professionals simply forget to go one step further. Ask this one additional question and see what opportunities to boost sales and customer service it uncovers. Here’s a quick story to illustrate my point.

A few years ago, I was conducting a training session with a group of salespeople, when I offered them this one suggestion.

“The next time you close a sale, the next time you meet with a customer, as you’re finishing up the interaction, remember to ask this question. ‘What else can I do for you today?'”

What Else Can I Do for You Today?

I didn’t really think too much about the point to boost sales and customer service until three days later. I got a telephone call from one of the people in the training program and he said,

“Thank you, Phil. I owe you lunch!”

“What do you mean you owe me lunch?” I said.

He replied, “Because of that question you gave us in the training program the other day…”

Frankly I had to be reminded. “What question are you talking about?” I asked.

“You  said the next time we close a deal, we should ask this question: ‘So, what else can I do for you?’ Well, I did that today. I closed a nice deal, sold some things. But as I was finishing up the order, I asked that same customer, ‘So what else can I do for you today?'”

The customer replied, “‘Well, if you can help me find a dryer for our industrial operations, that would be great.'”

“‘A dryer? Tell me more about what you’re looking for.'”

“As he explained what he was looking for, I realized a different division of our company sold those industrial dryers.”

The caller said, ‘Let me make a telephone call for you,’ and Phil,” he said, “I closed $65,000 more business that day because I asked that one question: “What else can I do for you?”

“Phil, I owe you lunch!”

I laughingly said, “No, you owe me more than lunch!”

One Little Thing to Get Alot More Business

The caller really didn’t owe me anything more because I love helping sales and customer service professionals understand what they can do to meet and exceed the expectations of their customers! 

So, what else can I do for you today? Let’s talk! 

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For more sales and service boosting ideas, pick up a copy of Willie’s Way: 6 Secrets for Wooing, Wowing and Winning Customers and Their Loyalty today!

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#boostsalesandcustomerservice #williesway #whatelsecanIdoforyoutoday

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Give Your Ear, Get Employee Loyalty

Leaders, it is your responsibility to consistently push the envelope to drive increased performance– year after year– through your people.  To do that, you have to give your full attention ➡️intentionally.  You have to listen on purpose. When you give your ear, you will get increased employee loyalty.

Give Your Ear, Get Employee Loyalty

Leadership is influence.  If you want to create a deeper influence with people, you have to serve them.  One of the most valuable ways you can serve your people is to listen to them. 

The thing is, you can hear but never listen.  Very few leaders listen well.  Instead, what happens is you get caught up with what you already know, how you can fix it, what you think they should do, etc. All of those thoughts start flipping through your mind as someone else is talking to you and you are ready in an instant to respond back to them… without ever really listening to what they have to say.

Listening is a skill.  Great news for you  ➡️skills can be learned!  If you think about it, you probably never signed up for Listening 101 in college, right?  They didn’t even offer it!  You have not been formally taught how to listen well–MOST LEADERS HAVEN’T!  At VHA we train leaders of all levels across the country to become more influential leaders, including teaching them a time-tested process for listening well. We’ve been able to come alongside companies and see how intentionally listening is transforming their internal culture and their customer loyalty.  Think your team could benefit from training?  Lets Talk.

 

Listening Tip

I can’t dig into the listening process we teach right now, but here is a quick tip!

How Company Policy Hurts Customer Service

Some of the biggest customer service challenges organizations have to deal with are created by their own company policy. Here’s how company policy hurts customer service and what companies can do to avoid these challenges in the first place.

How Company Policy Hurts Customer Service

It may not be intended, but some company policies can be huge stumbling blocks to great customer service. It’s even worse when that policy turns into a crutch to defend poor service and apathetic attitudes. That’s unquestionably when company policy hurts customer service.

Here’s how I described it in “Secret 5” of Willie’s Way: 6 Secrets for Wooing, Wowing and Winning Customers and Their Loyalty:

“…too many service providers almost instinctively throw up the ‘policy perimeter’ saying things like, ‘I would love to help you but our policy says…’ In essence, such statements (and the limited thought process behind them) communicate the following. ‘If we don’t allow you, the customer, to breach our established policies, then we won’t have to use imagination, creativity and customized approaches to help you with your personal service issues. It will be easier for us if you do it our way.'”

Using a line like Dwight Shrute’s “that very well may be against company policy” is no way to deliver great customer service or win customer loyalty.

Looking for more ideas on improving the service you offer customers? Grab a copy of Willie’s Way here.

So how can companies and organizations avoid the customer service challenges company policies can create?

Bend the Rules, Sometimes

A good place to start is to evaluate which rules can and cannot be bent or broken.

First, list the policies and procedures that are never to be breached. These actions would be illegal, immoral, unethical, too risky or too costly. Safety, finances and personnel would be included here.

Then look at rules and practices that have more latitude for independent decision making. Closely consider those that directly impact customers.

“Bending” these rules, sometimes is where smart customer service professionals can use imagination and creativity in hundreds of ways to make customers feel special!

So my question is very simply this. What policies are standing in the way of making your customers happy, excited, looking forward to doing business with you?

Once identified, don’t be afraid to start bending the rules!

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If the service performance of your people needs some refining, our service training can help — let’s talk!

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#companypolicyhurtscustomerservice #williesway #bendtherulessometimes #dontsaypolicysays

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Increase Customer Retention Rates

No matter your gender, generation or geography, there are a few things you can do every time you interact with a customer that will increase customer retention rates.  Check out these practical, actionable tips for you and your team to implement today!

Increase Customer Retention

As service professionals, how to increase customer retention rates can feel like a really difficult goal to accomplish

How to Define Professionalism

There are a lot of people who value professionalism but there aren’t as many who practice professionalism. I often get asked, “Phil, what’s your definition of professionalism?” Even though there are many definitions to consider, how to define professionalism — for me — must focus on practical application. Here’s my definition.

How to Define Professionalism

Professionalism is the advanced level at which isolated individuals perform specific tasks or activities. Let me break that down for just a minute.

1. Work Harder, Go Further

First, “the advanced level…” I often times simply say, that advanced means “good enough is not good enough” for a professional. In other words, when someone says, “that will do” or “that will pass,” a professional realizes there is still more work to do. The “advanced level” is going past what most people would do to what more could or should be done. So the first part of defining professionalism is the advancement of effort — we work harder and we go further.

2. When No One is Watching

Secondly, “the advanced level at which isolated individuals…” We don’t earn or prove our professionalism only in front of a customer or an audience. We earn or prove our professionalism when no one is watching. Is our commitment just as secure when there is no one around as it is when we are trying to impress someone?

3. Best Effort Always

“The advanced level at which isolated individuals perform…” In the end, we all have jobs to perform. Performing is not about a performance as if on stage, but on the other hand, professionals are always on stage. People are always watching us in our workplace, watching us as we interact with customers or with colleagues or even with subordinates. We are always performing and we must perform at our best. We must always put our best effort forward for professionalism to be evident.

(Do you need some help getting your people to give their best effort? Our Secrets to Influential Service & Professionalism training could help — let’s talk.)

4. Committed to Expectations

“The advanced level at which isolated individuals perform specific tasks or activities.” The first thing we must understand is what is expected of professionals. As soon as we understand what is expected, then we must commit ourselves to performing at high levels the tasks and activities assigned to us.

I wrote about “the magic of service professionalism in my customer service book, Willie’s Way: 6 Secrets for Wooing, Wowing and Winning Customers and Their Loyalty.

(For details on a chance to win a Kindle version of Willie’s Way, look here.) 

“Magic (defined)… possessing distinctive qualities that produce unaccountable or baffling effects… It’s not based in the ‘woo-ooo-ooo’ realm of the paranormal. It does not depend solely on entertainment or enchantment to yield its positive effects. This definition comes closest to explaining the mysterious, mystifying, almost magnetic effect…service ‘magicians’ have on their customers.”

Seemingly magical effects on relationships with customers, employees, vendors — even family and friends — can be expected when we know how to define professionalism and diligently practice it. Professionalism isn’t magical, and it isn’t hard to define — professionalism is a simple process that is consistently and masterfully applied.

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#howtodefineprofessionalism #serviceexcellence #workhardergofurther #professionalism #influentialservice #customerservicetips #williesway

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Be an Attractive Woman in Business

As a woman in business, external beauty may get you in the door, but internal beauty will be the stronghold that makes you successful there.  If you want the people on your team to be drawn to you as an influential leader, choose to develop the most attractive attribute for women in business.

Influential Leadership

I wrote a post on Facebook the other day, “If you have had a really great leader in your life, tell me what they did that made them stand out to you.”

Immediately, people of all generations started telling stories of influential leaders in their lives.  There was one attribute that rang true for ever leader mentioned in the monsoon of comments.  The leader who influenced them the most…was kind.

KIND.

People were not telling stories about a leader that increased company profits year after year.  They were not talking about someone who made a name for themselves in the industry.  No one mentioned a person’s impact on them because of all the diplomas and awards they had sitting on a dusty shelf in their office.  There wasn’t a single story about a leader who made everyone else feel like they were beneath them.

Think about that for a minute.

If you want to retain more employees, if you want higher employee engagement and if you want to increase trust, respect and influence with your people, make the conscious choice to be kind.

 

Kindness Breeds Influence

John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence.”

Influence is somewhat of a business buzzword these days so I wanted to look up the official definition:

Influence:  the capacity to have an effect on the character,

development or behavior of someone or something

Leaders have the power to transform lives and businesses.  But, just as Maxwell said, in order to lead you have to have influence with people.  I believe to my core that you create deep, long-term influence with people by showing kindness.  I am a word-nerd, so let’s define kindness:

Kindness:  having a friendly or generous nature or attitude

Would your people say you have a friendly or generous nature or attitude?  If you are unsure or know the answer is a definite “no”, then your starting point to becoming a more successful woman in business starts with choosing to be more kind.

If you are thinking this is a bunch of fluff, I want you to describe an influential leader in your life.  Does your description of them include how they were generous to you in some way?  Did they teach you something, give their time and impart their knowledge?  Maybe he or she helped you in some way…recommended you for an opportunity or gave you just the right advice when you needed it?  Did they make you simply feel valuable?  In most cases, the answer to one or all of these questions is “yes.”  That just proves the point that when you show kindness to your people, you create influence with them.

You won’t always feel like being kind.  But you shouldn’t always act how you feel.  If you want to be a more successful woman in business then you have to choose to take immediate massive action to show more kindness to your people.

Be an Attractive Leader

Your leadership success is more significantly impacted by who you are than what you look like.  Outward beauty may get you in the door initially, but inner beauty will attract and enrich long term professional relationships.

As human beings, we can sense whether someone’s intentions are good or bad.  If you try to use kind acts to manipulate, you will lose.  But when you realize the responsibility you have as a leader to help nurture and guide your followers and you choose to own the tool of kindness to build others up, inevitably, you will win.

In life and in business, you will attract what you put out.  If you want to attract success, help others become better.  You can attract positivity by consistently showing people the brighter side.  If you want to attract good people, choose to always be kind.

My challenge to you today, whether you are a man or a woman in business, is to shift your focus to your responsibility to care for your people.  Go out of your way to do something deeply kind for them today.

Need More In-Depth Inspiration & Training for Your Female Leaders? Let’s Talk!

#womeninbusiness #womaninbusiness #femaleleaders #bekind #kindnesswins #leadership #modernleadership #influence #influentialleaders

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How to Discuss Poor Performance With an Employee

How to discuss poor performance with an employee — it’s one of the most challenging jobs for a supervisor or manager. I often get asked for guidance on how to handle this situation more effectively, therefore, I’m giving you four steps to reach a more productive outcome when talking with an employee about poor performance.

How to Discuss Poor Performance With an Employee
1. Get Right to It

Many people will tell you to use the “sandwich approach.” It works like this: compliment the employee on something good about their performance — tell the employee what they are doing poorly — then tell them something good again.  I am completely opposed to this.

“Sandwiching” poor performance between compliments of good performance often leaves the employee confused about your message and intent. That’s why I say, “get right to it.”

My opening line goes something like this, “John, this is not my favorite part of my job, but it is a part of my job that I must do. So it’s my job to tell you about some concerns I have relative to your performance.”

2.  Be Specific about Poor Performance

You must tell the employee very specifically what the performance problem is and it’s best to have specific examples documented. For that reason, my Critical Incident File is a great method for tracking this information.

3.  Define Expectations for Performance Improvement

Additionally, you must be define specific expectations for performance improvements. Clearly communicate how their performance behaviors must change.  If there is a time frame for the improvements to happen, define exactly what the time frame is.  Additionally, you can help employees measure their progress using these questions.

4.  Offer Encouragement

As uncomfortable as discussing poor performance may be, it is important to finish with encouragement. So my closing line sounds like this, “Jen, I care about you and your performance. If I didn’t think you could improve, we wouldn’t be having a conversation about it. I know you can do more and I’m here to support you in your efforts.”

Need Help Improving Your Leaders & Teams Communication? Let’s Talk About It.

#discussingpoorperformance #performanceimprovement #poorperformance #employeeevaluation #employeefeedback

 

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Phil Van Hooser Honored with NSA’s Cavett Award

Some of you may have heard through the grapevine or seen social media postings from others my recent good news, but I wanted my friends, colleagues, clients and followers to hear it directly from me.

National Speakers Association Cavett Award

On Tuesday evening, I was named the recipient of the 2019 Cavett Award at the National Speakers Association’s Annual CPAE Hall of Fame banquet in Denver. The award is named in honor of NSA’s founder, Cavett Robert and is considered NSA’s most prestigious award.

Frankly, I am both surprised by the recognition and tremendously honored. Though I’m confident there are many deserving NSA members, I simply can’t imagine any who would be any more appreciative of this recognition than I. I accept that God has blessed me with a unique combination of talent, desire and opportunity in order to encourage and instruct others by way of my leadership message.

I’ve had the opportunity to do so for hundreds of clients and thousands of audiences throughout the United States and around the world over the past 31+ years. That in itself has been a tremendous honor for me. But this Cavett Award further confirms for me my Lord’s desire to graciously provide even more than any of us can hope, dream or imagine.

The Spirit Behind the Cavett Award

According to the National Speakers Association, “Many members already know, or have heard of, NSA Founder Cavett Robert, CSP, CPAE. He believed the strength of spirit and growth of our profession would prevail, if all of our members focus on unconditionally giving of themselves to our community…The NSA community is known for the concept of removing competition by building a bigger market for all speakers. The strength of NSA is in the education we provide and the strong community we have built.”

In the spirit of this award, I’m even more committed than ever to helping others grow personally and professionally! Thank you for believing in me and for allowing me to serve you and your organizations. I respectfully share this recognition and honor with each of you. 

Here are a couple moments from this unforgettable night!

#Influence19 #NationalSpeakersAssociation #CavettAward #SpiritofCavett #influenceandimpact #professionalspeaking #keynotespeaker

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Be More Successful

I am going to make an assumption about you — you want to be more successful.  That’s why you’re here.  While there are many things that can be done in order to be more successful, I am going to discuss two actions you can take starting today.

Take Risk

Have you ever dreamed of having or doing or trying something? Something that was really important to you but you could never bring yourself to take the actions necessary to make that thing happen? If so, you’re certainly not alone.  Hear me carefully, if you want to be more successful, you must take more calculated risks.

My father and I regularly drove through the countryside during my childhood. There was one particular farm along the way that every time my dad and I passed that farm, year after year my dad would say exactly the same thing, “I should have bought that farm.” He didn’t need to say more. I knew the story too well. 30 plus years earlier, an opportunity to purchase this particular farm had come his way. He wanted it. He wanted it desperately, but he hesitated. Now, his reasoning for passing on the opportunity made perfect sense to almost everyone at the time. He had legitimate concerns. Concerns such as limited resources, uncertainty of the future, imperfect timing, competing obligations and of course there was simple garden variety risk.

You know, the dictionary defines risk several ways, but this is my favorite. Risk, the chance of experiencing unfortunate consequences by engaging in some action. Listen to that again. The chance of experiencing unfortunate consequences by engaging in some action. That could be anything. Unfortunate consequences could be the result of going to college, getting married, buying a home, having children, taking a job, accepting a promotion, going on vacation. The list is literally endless, but remember these very same risky activities also happen to serve as the very things that provide a sense of motivation, gratification, fulfillment, happiness, appreciation, even joy. All of which ultimately enhance the quality of our lives.

Unfortunately in the end, my dad didn’t buy that farm and the opportunity never came around again. His focus was fixed on all the possible unfortunate consequences rather than on the possible opportunities for success and he ended up paying a hefty emotional price. For the rest of his life, he regretted his inactions. Author T.S. Elliot once said, “Only those who are willing to risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” I’m not a gambler and I’m not suggesting you should be. But I am encouraging you to evaluate calculated risks more intentionally before walking away from an opportunity.

 

Questions to Ask

Here are four questions to ask yourself this week as you encounter situations that might seem a bit risky on the surface.

What’s the absolute worse thing that could happen here? Be honest. Make a list.
What’s the absolute best thing that can happen here? Make another list.
Am I willing and able to handle the possible consequences of either or both? Anticipate your risk tolerance.
Is it worth the risk? 

 

Never Give Up

If you want to be more successful, you must never give up.  The world appreciates fighters – I know I do – men and women who struggle to overcome apparently insurmountable odds on their way to doing and becoming more than anyone could have ever imagined they would. Luckily, peak performing success is not a function of an individual’s intellect, or education, or opportunity, or even overall support system. Each of those is a wonderful advantage, but unfortunately not every leader is blessed with such advantages.

For many of us, there comes a time when we must depend solely on our internal resolve. We must buckle down, bow our necks, and do what’s necessary, as unpleasant as the task at hand may seem, in order to get the job done. Does that sound like a motivational speech to you? If so, sorry, but that’s what I’m feeling today. I’m feeling a need to encourage and remind leaders everywhere that, when things don’t go exactly as you had planned or wished, you can’t just throw in the towel, quit, and go home. Your role as a leader demands much more. Your followers expect much more.

Consider these words from Theodore Roosevelt: “It’s hard to fail, but it’s worse to never have tried to succeed. Therefore, do what you can with what you have where you are. And as a result, far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

 

Create Your Own Success

For over 30 years I have helped leaders across the country improve their performance so they can be more successful.  But, at the end of the day, to be even more successful than you are, you must choose to take more risks and never give up.  Mark Twain once wrote 20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did. So, throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. So today, take the risk and don’t give up.

 

Need Help Improving Your Leaders & Teams Communication? Let’s Talk About It.

 

#success #successmindset #successfulleaders #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #professionaldevelopment #keynotespeaker #leadershiptrainer #takerisk #nevergiveup

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High Performance Secrets

High performance secrets — when put into practice — will push you towards the professional success you are looking for.  I have had the privilege over the past 30 years to get to know hundreds of high performers across the country, across many different industries.  They all have a few things in common…I like to call them high performance secrets.  Today I am sharing two of those with you.

#1 Desire to Exceed

This first secret for high performance is — an internal desire to exceed. 

Opposite of high-performers, under performers are relieved to relive rather than desiring to exceed. Being an under performer does not make someone a bad person, however being an under performer does result in wasted time, wasted opportunities, and worse still, wasted talent. Many under performers underperform due to their desire to live in the past and cling tightly to fleeting memories of former success and glory. They hold on to tasks they’ve accomplished, awards they’ve received, promotions they’ve earned — all great of course, but all in the past. The fact is our followers are less concerned about how the past used to be for us and far more concerned about how the future is going to be for them.

On the other hand, high performers will enjoy an occasional trip down memory lane, but they don’t pitch their tents and they don’t stake a claim there. Peak performers are constantly making new plans in order to realize and enjoy new successes.

 

Your Turn

Let’s focus on you for a moment.  Answer the following questions:

1 — As a general rule, do you tend to look backward longingly at career accomplishments, or forward expectantly to new career goals?

Do not be fooled when reflecting on this question, it’s not just a matter of semantics why your personal perspective here really matters.

2 — Do you tend to depend exclusively on your former knowledge, skills and understanding — how you’ve done it before — to overcome the challenges you face? Or, are you diligently studying, exploring and developing appropriate strategies for new challenges that are being experienced all the time?

Let’s face it, the world is not changing. It’s already changed and you must change, that is, as a leader. Remember the old adage, if only tool you have is a hammer, then probably every problem looks like a nail.

3 — Do you tend to ignore or resist messages like this thinking it’s meant for someone else? Or, does it start you thinking about a multitude of opportunities to be found around you?

I trust that if you’re not a peak performer now, that you’re sincerely desiring to exceed previous levels of performance and accomplishment. But watching and doing, well they’re two different things. It’s now time for you to do something. It’s time for you to go out and exceed. You can do it. I know you can.

 

 

#2 Crystalize Thinking into Goals

This second secret for high performance is — crystalize thinking into goals. 

Being crystal clear about your destination is absolutely critical to long-term high performance leadership success.

High performers control their thoughts.  We best control our thoughts when we direct those thoughts towards a concrete goal or action. Now, I don’t presume to know your thoughts or goals, but since you may regularly be reading these leadership blogs, I assume you have some desire to be a more effective leader. Therefore, I’ll suggest some things for you to think about, coupled with some possible goals for you to consider.

Suggestions for You

First, think about what you’re reading and its ultimate effect, if any, on your leadership readiness. A personal goal, for example, might be to read for at least 20 minutes a day. Simple enough. You could choose a book, newspaper or magazine articles, blogs, leadership websites, whatever.

Second, think about who you’re interacting with and what you’re learning from them. A personal goal might be to have lunch or even a telephone conversation monthly with a leader that you admire and can learn from. Just do it. Pick up the phone and call them. I’ll bet you’ll be amazed at their accessibility and willingness to share with you. But don’t forget you always pick up the check for the lunch. It’s okay to be a sponge, but it’s not okay to be a leech.

Finally, think about the last time you spent time just thinking. A personal goal might be to have a retreat at least once a year at the beach, on the farm, maybe even in your study. Remember, it’s not about the location, it’s about isolation that counts. Take time to think about who you are as a leader, what you’ve accomplished, and frankly, how much farther you have to go.

 

High Performance

Whether you have been a high performer for a while or you want to become a high performer — your success starts with a choice.  So today, choose to do one thing to increase your performance and get you closer to your goals.

 

Need Help Improving Your Leaders & Teams Communication? Let’s Talk About It.

 

#highperformance #highperformancesecrets #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #keynotespeaker #leaders #desire #goals #goalgetter

 

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