Archive for the ‘Prospecting’ Category

Getting it All in Perspective – Sales

May 16th, 2012

It is all about your intention.

In the Experience Economy your sales process is not about ‘closing’ or ‘doing business’. Instead, consider that what you do is guide a client through a process of commitment.

If you believe that actions speak louder than words then you have to accept your client commitment process will leave a lasting and indelible imprint on the overall impression you make on a client.

What impression do your actions make?

Hint: just because you ‘closed’ someone does not mean that you made the right impression.

Posted in Blog, Experience, Good Marketing, Prospecting, Referrals |

Father’s Day Client Event Idea

May 31st, 2011

Here is a little timely imagination to stir into your coffee.

Just so you know, this has been a difficult year for me. My dad lives in a nursing home and he more or less became my grandfather. We don’t speak very often, and when we do I certainly miss my dad. He was my hero, and in my own way I do my own Gerald Moseley-Williams impersonation every day around my house.

This is how we honor our dads – we try to be like them or the very best version of them that we can imagine.

My father-in-law died a few days ago, even when you are expecting it, it’s always a terrible surprise.

June 19th is father’s day this year in Canada, the USA and the UK and it is a fantastic opportunity to make a statement about your personal commitment to your clients while conveniently reinforcing the long term nature of your relationship, health, and investments.

Why we host events …

When clients like you, they trust you and when they trust you they will more likely refer additional business to you. Hosting events for your clients will help you build more meaningful relationships quickly, and you will have some laughs along the way.

A series of events throughout the year that are topical and can be leveraged for financial education are most effective for keeping clients connected and engaged with you.

When clients feel fully engaged with you they invest more assets, remain loyal and agreeable during difficult times and are more likely to talk about you to friends and associates. Events are a great way to generate some buzz, and keep your clients thinking about you.

Father’s Day Event June 19th

Likely most of your male clients are fathers, and in many cases they may still have a father who is living.

Father’s Day is a great opportunity to host a breakfast or lunch meeting in a nice restaurant or a golf club with some of your top clients who have kids. This can be a good meeting with a slightly heavy topic – how about … will and estate planning? No joke, I have an advisor that I know who hosts a will and estate planning event every father’s day – she claims that getting people to laugh is the first step in many cases to bridging a difficult subject.

You could partner up with a legal professional or a tax specialist. You could present a tidy list of things that every father should be thinking about – insurance, savings, education and emergency planning.

You can’t invite everyone …

All of your father’s deserve some kind of recognition – a very affordable idea is to go to Esquire Magazine’s site and type “Fatherhood” into the search bar, this will result in 27 suggested articles including this one that is incredible.

Some of the quotes are just fantastic – like this one:

“Don’t worry, your dad didn’t know what he was doing either.”

Why not mail your entire list of father’s a page of great quotes on fatherhood by various thinkers, politicians, or celebrities? It may not seem like much, but it’s better than a tie or a coffee mug. Challenge your father’s to reflect on what this day means to them, and why being a good father is so important.

Invite your top clients, and assorted centers of influence to your event – keep the numbers small, and try to add some entertainment to the education. I love the idea of a nutritionist, I would attend that.

The bottom line is this – no other professional alive is going to send your client anything to do with father’s day – stand out. Engage your clients on an emotional level.

You want people to talk about you? Do the unexpected – care.

Posted in Campaigns, Good Ideas, Good Marketing, Prospecting |

Is there anything better than an upgrade?

March 3rd, 2011

In a previous blog I wrote about an observation I have had which is that businesses place to much of an emphasis on the importance of prospecting, versus growing the businesses through referrals that come as a result of creating an exceptional client experience for your existing clients.

Specifically I feel that it is completely inappropriate for a business to give products and gifts away to strangers while ignoring an existing client. My bank was giving anyone who would open a new account an iPod.  They were asking me to subsidize the cost of the iPods through my service fees on various accounts, and mortgages.

How about your mobile telephone provider? Mobile telephone companies are possibly the only business that has managed to find a way to both ‘suck’ and ‘blow’ at the exact same time.

I feel like a hostage, certainly not a valued client. They constantly roll out new offers, more competitive fees but if I want the same deal as a stranger (read – someone who isn’t paying them already) then I have to renew my contract.

In other words – “If you want the deal that will help you save a little money, you have to agree to pay us for a little longer, which means you won’t actually save any more money. Thanks for your business.”

I won’t belabor the point – I’ll just point out that every business would get a lot more new clients and good will if they gave me an iPod and said “thanks for being our client.”

Imagine if my mobile phone provider sent me a letter saying “we are going to be charging you less from here on in because we have brought in more competitive fees. This does not in any way effect the term of our agreement. You are a valued client, and we want you to remain with us for years to come.”

An upgrade says “we get it.”

In an effort to get more clients, businesses offer all kinds of incentives to bring more bodies in the door. Often this involves price discounts or some kind of “2 for 1” offer.

We all have businesses that we like to spend our money at – I love to spend my money in my neighborhood and I rally around local entrepreneurs who are doing what they can to make it on their own, I have written about it.

What I like about the small independent business experience is that you know that you matter to the owner, and I often get a hand shake or personal attention which adds to the experience, it makes me feel important, it makes me feel like a preferred client, and it keeps me coming back.

We all want to be recognized and belong to some sort of community. We all want a place to go where everybody knows our shame, oops, I mean ‘name.’

When you get upgraded, the business is telling you “we get it”, “we recognize you”, “we appreciate you” and finally “we really want you to keep coming back.”

From the consumers point of view – you get more value for your dollar. You get the product, and a reminder that you matter.

“Best Clients” want to help you, they want to bring their friends in and introduce them.

A best client isn’t necessarily the client who pays you the most, or spends the most in your store. A best client is often the person who appreciates all that you do. Your best clients appreciate being part of your story, and they appreciate how you treat them.

Best clients are the cheapest form of advertising.

In the Financial Services Industry there is a 47%* chance that your next client will come to you via referral so investing into your business, specifically into your client experience is critical to your success. That is, if you want things to constantly get easier and more enjoyable.

How can you upgrade your client service experience?

Here is a short list of suggestions.

1.       Treat the people who work for you really nicely. They are ambassadors of you, and what you do. If your staff is happy, your clients will feel it. People want to do business with kind, decent people.

2.       Work with an ideal client profile and communicate this to your clients- let them know that you don’t just work with anyone. You are special, and by association so are they.

3.       Prospects check in, clients we wait for. Have a staff member wait for your clients in the lobby. You know when the appointment is, so you should be able to guess when they will arrive. Think about how much better that is versus having your clients check in with the receptionist.

4.       Meet in the boardroom and not the office and make sure that the room is set up nicely for the visit with refreshments, glassware, china, and have all your materials ready and prepared.

5.       Spend the appropriate amount of time with the right clients based on revenue to your business.

6.       Always give your client a gift. It doesn’t have to cost a lot, but good business is about manners as much as it is about delivering services. I give my clients books, or CDs of music that I like that I think they might like too.

7.       Keep your clients on a service schedule, and communicate it to them so that they know what to expect next.

8.       Focus on the small details. As a speaker, one thing that I do (all the time) is that I check in with my client during my travel day, just to let them know where I am at, and that there are no delays etc. I then email them or call them the moment I am at the hotel, and I confirm that I know when my speaking time is, and I tell them that I will be there early to see the room etc. I figure that they probably have a list of things to check in on, and I am probably one of those items – so I take one item off that list for them. May not seem like much, but it’s the first thing the client says to me after good morning “and thank you for your messages yesterday.” Its one of my secrets – feel free to have it.

9.       Don’t feel like you always have to make your lists 10, sometimes 9 is fine.

Let me take this moment to thank you for reading my blog. I really like being a speaker, I like being a coach, and I work as hard as I can to make my blogs something worth reading. So thanks. I like to think I’m getting better all the time.

*SpectremGroup, 2009 Ultra High Net Worth Report

Posted in Blog, Good Marketing, Prospecting, Referrals |

Shifting Perspective – New Spin on Old Thinking

December 7th, 2010

I did a webinar the other day for Raymond James financial these are the speaking notes from my presentation.
Have a great week.
DENNIS

What does it say about you that you bothered at all to make our call today?

The very best advisors are always looking to get better and you obviously are taking your business development seriously. Now take a leap of faith – just do these few things, and see what happens in your life.

I didn’t invent any of this – I am sharing exactly what I have observed are the consistent behaviors or practices of very successful financial advisors. I’m not asking you to have faith in the research, I’m asking you to have faith in a philosophy, and a process to make it a practice.

Some things to keep in mind.

1.      Don’t over-think this. You are much closer than you realize.

2.      You probably have most of your plan figured out – likely your problem is patience.

3.      Good ideas/disciplines/business practices compound – be patient, its magic.



This business is all about trust – if your clients trust you they will do anything you ask them to do.

Once you sort your clients into 3 groups (those who pay you 50/35/15% of your revenue) schedule all your meetings and calls.

Based on a 200 HH practice, typically only 40 HH represent 50% of annual revenue. Revene is assumed at 1% of assets under care.

40 HH = 50% of your revenue.

80 HH = 35% of your revenue.

80 HH = 15% of your revenue.

Structure 50% of your available time (50% of 800 hrs = 400 hrs) with the top 40 HH who earn you 50% of your revenue.

1.      40 HH /400 available hrs = 10hrs/HH/Year.

2.      80 HH/280 available hrs = 3.5hrs/HH/Year.

3.      80 HH /120 available hrs = 1.5hrs/HH/Year.

Ensure you spend the appropriate amount of time per client – you have to be incredibly time and capital efficient.

Now ask yourself why you are doing all of this anyway? Lets assume you want to make more money and take some stress out of your life – we can do that.

Your Goals.

1.      How much more do you want to make?

2.      Assume 100K = 10 Million NNA.

3.      Do you want 1 client with 10 million or 2 with 5 or 3 with about 3.3 each or 5 with two or maybe 20 new HH with 500K? Maybe somewhere in between?

Total Desired income = How much net new assets?

Where is the easiest place to find new people who need you?

How much is out there anyway …

Add up all the assets that exist outside your business – why are you not managing it? What is a reasonable goal for you as far as gathering some of these additional assets?

Assuming you gather that amount of assets – how close will that get you to your goal for increased income this year?

47% of High Net Worth Investors said they chose their advisor because of a personal referral.

How many good referrals do you recieve per year? How many referrals do you receive from your top 40 Families? What about your middle 80 families?

Successful financial advisors get a lot of referrals. It is usually their number one source for new revenue.

Your clients will refer you more business if they trust you, and if they feel that you understand them. To increase trust with your clients make sure you follow a process that explains your process, and your rules of engagement as far as how you run your practice.

Trust isn’t magic – it’s the result of a simple approach.

1.      Are you consistent – from a client standpoint are your professionally predictable? Do you call when you should, do you meet regularly, and do you strive to make your meetings events that your clients look forward to, learn from, and talk about?

2.      Are you and your clients congruent – do they know your process, your value, your definition for what you do, and what value you bring? Do they understand who you work with, who you don’t and why that is?

3.      Are you credible? Do you look the part, do you have a nice office, do you run your meetings well?

4.      Do your clients understand your personal and professional integrity – do you dictate the process and the pace of the relationship – have you clarified your Ideal Client Profile, and have you told your most desired clients who to refer, and how to do it?

5.      Finally – are you accountable?

Increase trust by scheduling appointments well in advance, which builds the perception of professionalism (you are prepared) and value (appointments are necessary). Increase trust by being consistent, and by reporting to and educating your clients about the current state of the markets, the economy, etc. and regularly present solutions or at least options to some of the challenges your client’s may face.

You have to ask your clients for partnership. You need to ensure that they understand what you do, why you do it, how you do it, and for whom you prefer to do it for. Your clients need to understand exactly how to refer someone to you – and you have to create an environment where they want to do so.

Investors sometimes make irrational, emotion-based decisions when they feel stressed or at risk.

When the news seems less critical, logic and reason tend to win the day. This means that when your clients feel informed, they are much more reasonable and open to taking advice, and much more likely to refer you new business.

They will refer the people they care about to you because they don’t want to see the people they care about suffer – but if your value is in doubt your referrals will suffer.

This is why having an incredible client experience is so important.

Your job is to keep your clients engaged with the process of accumulating wealth, and what can be done with it for personal, family, and community gain. Economics and the business world are fascinating – educate your cleints about their money, and their relationship with it.

Educate, entertain, empower. This is essentially what we are trying to do as far as building a successful business.

Get the Essentials Planned First – Your basic Communication/Update Schedule.

Decide How Many Meetings, and then set them up on TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS whenever possible.

Client events, gold tournaments, and holiday parties are all nice ideas – but getting the meetings and calls scheduled is of most importance – you need to know when you are seeing your clients and they need to know too.

Think Details for a minute.

What would be the most incredible experience for your clients if they came in for a meeting? How would you confirm the appointment? What if anything would you send them ahead of time?

What makes McDonalds so great? A great burger? A fantastic tasting sandwhich? No way. What makes McDonalds so incredible is their process. By following the same process, by never varying their approapch the client is ensured that whenever they go to McDonalds, they know what they are going to get.

McDonalds has accomplished something truly amazing – they have never broken a promise to a client.

What could you do to make your meetings even better?

Record the information from your meetings and calls.

If Referrals are so critically important to you success, then you should do whatever you can to demonstrate that you are worthy of them.

During each call or meeting with a client, all kinds of information is shared in a casual setting. Before you get to the business, you might ask “whats new” or “did you enjoy your summer” or “are you planning to go on any trips” – it could be anything.

The point is that your client is sharing information – and you have the power and opportunity to seize it, leverage it, and profit from it.

Dennis M-W and his family as an example.

I own a business – its what I do for a living, and it takes up a lot of my thinking.

I have a daughter, and I do whatever I can to ensure that I am being a good dad – I save for education, but I also log a lot of hours in the park or playing with Ella.

We own a cabin in the woods, and I like to downhill ski.

If I am on an airplane heading to a meeting, the likelihood that I am thinking about my business or daydreaming about Ella, the cabin or downhill skiiing is pretty high. I don’t really think about very much else.

When I meet my advisor, we will talk about Ella, the cabin and downhill skiing.

The difference between my advisor and most other advisors is this – my advisor will send me something to read, or of interest on ‘cabin-lifestyle’ or an article from a SKI magazine.

This year my daughter, aged 3, is starting to learn to ski. My advisor and I discussed this in September when we met for my fall review.

We used that meeting to talk about what our plan would be for this January 2012 – how much I would be saving, my tax issues re my business, and of course where I am skiing this winter – Whistler in March, VT this winter, and of course at Tremblant where Ella will learn to ski.

Two weeks later I get a letter from my advisor, with a photo-copied article called “How to Raise a Skier” from SKI magazine.

The impact was huge – I was totally impressed. How hard was it for Tom to do that?

How hard was it for him to listen to what I said, record it all in his contact system and then TAKE THE INITIATIVE … he probably went onto ‘google’ and entered ‘how to teach a kid to ski’ and found 8,000,000 possible links to click on, all of them free, then print and send.

Business at the speed of light – sweet.

So now you have your MEETINGS and your CALLS scheduled, and you are prepared to record details from your various conversations and act on them when the moment presents itself.

Now you have to get yourself tightened up just a little.

Switch from working 9-5 every day on everything to a more sensible work week. Schedule specific tasks for specific days.

See all of your clients back to back on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You will be much more effecitve. Your meetings will be more enjoyable – and you will find that you are much more focussed and less taxed at the end of the day.

What about all the other stuff I should/could/would do if I were more on the ball?

Before you can run, you have to walk.

Once you get the essentials completed – then figure out the rest of the year.

You know that Jan/Feb/March is always a big season for reviews, and consolidating accounts, and topping up savings, or setting new goals.

Don’t wait until January to talk to me about it – get me thinking in September when I get back from the lake. Bring me in for a meeting, I will be at an interesting place in my thinking – I’ve had a good summer, I feel fortunate and no doubt a little anxious to get back to work and leave the play behind for a while.

Bring me in. Profile me. Catch up. Ask me about the summer, ask me about who visited, ask me about what is going on with my business this fall – ask me what I want to accomplish next year. Then tell me that when we meet in January we can put all of this in place.

Send me additional information between September and January that continues to educate me, to keep me connected.

Invite me to an event – send me an article of interest.

Demonstrate your commitment.

What does it feel like to be your client?

Imagine you are now a client of your firm.

You respect the professional approach your advisor takes. His/Her process is clear, and you appreciate that they are a specialist who really only works with people like you. Your advisor specializes in working with investors who share your situation.

Your advisors process is clear to you – and you like that your meetings are scheduled well in advance. Every meeting is the same and you look forward to them. Visiting your advisor is an event, and everyone takes an interest in you.

Throughout the year you are invited to certain events, where your advisor teaches you something that is relevant to you, but also he makes them fun by combining a non-financial element. These events are always held somewhere nice, and you feel good about yourself attending them.

On a quarterly basis you receive a statement.

On a quarterly basis you also receive an article that is of personal interest to you – and you always marvel at your advisors attention to detail.

Suddenly, someone you know asks about your advisor … What would you tell your friend?

Posted in Blog, Client Service, Good Ideas, Prospecting, Referrals |

KAIZEN

September 10th, 2010

Kaizen is a Japanese term that means “improvement” or “change for the better.” You can read all about this here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen

This is essentially what separates successful entrepreneurs from not-as-successful entrepreneurs. Successful people strive to improve every facet of their business, and it is a philosophy that is embraced by everyone from the CEO to the night time security guard. And that’s the way we have been running things here at DMWINC.

All two of us have embraced the KAIZEN philosophy.

With that said, the beta testing for the Practice Management Application for www.salesforce.com continues – and I am happy with the feedback. Our beta-testers love some parts of it, while they can’t figure out other aspects of the program at all.

This is actually good news.

The worst thing you can hear is “Yeah, I like it its great” which essentially means “I never actually looked at it.”

We are now going through the beta-testing forms and continuing to make adjustments. You will find a new trailer on the site that shows the client segmentation screen.

FORM A BOARD OF DIRECTORS

This entire experience has been incredible, frustrating, enlightening, inspiring, and terrifying. Doing something new, something risky, something that might not work out but costs a lot of money is scary. Asking other people or constructive criticism (and then getting it) can be painful.

However, its also the quickest and easiest way to get what you want – the business of your dreams.

I encourage you to do this – go out on a limb. Make a list of your favorite clients, and get them around a table as your unofficial board of directors –If you want to know where you need to improve, then the most important feedback will come from those clients who match your ideal client profile.

Often, the first step in receiving more referrals is demonstrating that you want to earn them.

Posted in Blog, Prospecting, Referrals, Services & Solutions |

Forget about the Prospects, and Remember me.

June 30th, 2010

In all likelihood you have a bank account, and a cell phone. If you don’t, then you’re my hero and you can call anytime, I’d like to work for you.

Assuming though, that you’re just like me then perhaps you noticed a curious pitch for new business. Anyone who chooses to open a new account at my bank will receive a new IPOD for their trouble. Similarly, if you open a new account with my cell company they’ll send you a snappy new phone that has every feature short of an exercise ball built in.

What do I get for all my years of being a loyal client? For paying my bill on time (or even better, slightly late so I get a nice interest charge?) I get nothing but service fees, and a phone bill. Who do I thank?

Obviously these two companies want to entice prospective clients to take action – but I believe this approach actually lowers their perceived value. They are turning themselves into a commodity. These companies are saying:

“Our products don’t stand out, we’re essentially the same as everyone else in our field, but we’ll at least give you an IPOD.”

If truly the easiest and most cost effective way to grow your business is through word-of-mouth advertising, then why not do something for me and add to the value I receive – it would increase their perceived value in my eyes, and make them less of a commodity.

When was the last time you reached out and did something for an existing client – just for the sake of recognizing that they are important, and appreciated? Not thanking them for anything they did – just acknowledging that they are important to you?

Keep an eye and your mind on your existing clients and forget about chasing strangers with offers that lower your level of perceived professionalism. Instead, be a hero to those people who already trust you and give them something of value to sing about.

Posted in Blog, Client Service, Good Marketing, Prospecting |

More evidence of an outdated Prospecting/Sales Model.

June 22nd, 2010

My bank is offering a new IPOD to anyone who will open up a new account. I have been a client of my bank for years, I pay all kinds of fees, I have a few accounts, two mortgages, and a trading account. They have never offered me an IPOD for remaining a loyal client. They would rather give away IPODs, paid for with money raised off of my fees to strangers on the street. This is the thanks I get?

There is a similar offer from my cell phone company – in fact, just about everywhere I look businesses of all kinds are willing to do all kinds of things for prospects, but nothing for existing clients. This approach is fundamentally flawed.

Work on getting endorsed, forget about trying to sell yourself.

Surely I’m not crazy. Doesn’t this make more sense – using my bank as an example – they should identify me as a desired client, and send everyone like me who is a client an IPOD in the mail.

Just give it to me, and by doing so recognize the value of our relationship. Don’t they realize that a happy client, in this case me, telling all my friends that I just received a fun new IPOD would open more accounts for them? It’s a story, its buzz, its people talking – about them. A faceless organization that typically gets bad press would get good press – and they are giving these things away anyway? Am I alone here?

GARMIN – A great story

A friend of mine bought some products from GARMIN when he was in Chicago and in both cases, when the goods arrived they didn’t work. The first time was unfortunate, it’s a hassle to repackage, and ship it back, and then wait again for whatever it was you have ordered.

You can imagine that he wasn’t very happy when the new program arrived, and failed. GARMIN sent him his double his money, and apologized for the problems. What I love about it that somewhere along the way he fell in love with them, even though he never actually got what he wanted.

Posted in Blog, Client Service, Good Marketing, Prospecting, Referrals |

Getting referrals is a process – launch it early, and consistently.

June 19th, 2010

When we started focusing on financial advisors over 15 years ago, we established our reputation on our ability to dramatically increase the number of referrals our clients received.

Our secret was that we started the referral system immediately, and we developed a process that ensured that the advisor would never appear needy, or that he or she was bringing their needs to the client.

The Secret? We made sure that this process clearly communicated the value of the advisor’s professional credentials, but also the uniqueness of the particular advisor’s approach and service. We used scripts, and agendas and STRUCTURE. We left nothing to chance – we were almost militant about our insistence that a process be followed. We made it so that the potential client was eager to meet the advisor and trust him or her completely before ever walking in the door. The best part was that since it was a process, we were able to do it over and over again.

Let’s return for a moment to the Island Park ESSO. Would the service be half as good if the kids only ran to the pump half the time? If the experience hadn’t been as positive for me, I would have known long before about the self serve gas station across the street with the cheaper gas.

The easiest and most cost effective avenue for you to grow your business takes advantage of your existing client base – people who are already convinced of the value inherent in your product, service and experience.

Posted in Blog, Client Service, Good Marketing, Prospecting, Referrals |

I may be a preferred client – but as far as I’m concerned this relationship is over.

June 1st, 2010

Are your clients loyal to you, your services or your firm? I have been thinking about this lately because of a dreadful experience I recently had with my airline of choice.

Some background – I fly over a 100 times per year to conduct business development seminars and workshops for financial advisors. I love the work, but I loath the travel so having some status with a major airline can be the difference in my day, little things like quicker line ups, or access to a lounge to get out of the race for a few peaceful minutes helps keep my head on.

My New Coke Moment.

The other week I had to make short notice plans to fly out west for a family emergency. As a loyal client would, I called my first choice, Air Canada, and the sticker price was high. I considered using my points, but because I was calling last minute, they wanted to double the required number of points from 15 thousand to 30. I didn’t appreciate the premium, and frankly points are worth a lot of money, I considered my options.

Sitting at my computer I had a lot of things on my mind – and to be fair, I wasn’t really concerned about the points or the money – I was worried about family. Nevertheless, with the world literally at my finger tips through my Internet browser, I dialled up a discount carrier, Westjet, who I had steadfastly refused to ever use. To my great surprise, I was impressed at how easy it was to navigate their website. Within moments I had options to consider and a quote for a third (1/3rd) of the cost Air Canada had offered.

I determined that saving $1000 was worth more to me than collecting more miles. Furthermore, I felt that gouging me double reward points was cheap and crass and hardly seemed fair, given my history as a preferred client.  I was left with no option other than to try the competition, and I discovered to my amazement that I liked it. I had my New Coke Moment.

The next day I arrived and checked in and headed to the Air Canada Lounge – you must know where this is heading. If you don’t fly AC, you can’t use the lounge. I knew this walking over. In fact, I said so to the agent at the desk, and I offered to use a guest pass to get in, as I explained “I need you to do me a favour, I need to use your business office to send an email, and I’m willing to use a guest pass if that’s what you need.”

Price, Service, Experience – What is most important?

The obvious was both pointed out, while simultaneously ignored. “But you’re not flying AC today, you’re flying The Enemy. “But you see me every week, and I always fly AC.” “Well, you’re not today.” She was right – I wasn’t, and I haven’t since. I’ve taken 30 flights, none of them with my former airline of choice.

What we have to understand is that it is never about the relationship between the client and the firm, or the firm’s policies, or the firm’s products. It is always about the relationship your client has with you. You are the point of sale. You are the face of your firm, the policies, and the products or services. It doesn’t take a history buff to know that “I was just following orders” has never satisfied a jury, or a client.

I wasn’t offended by the policy Air Canada has about who they will, or will not let into their completely empty lounges. I was offended because I realized that all my flying, all the face time in front of that specific person, meant nothing. Air Canada is more expensive than any other airline in North America, but I fly them all the time. I don’t like to waste money, but I have argued over the years that the extra few hundred dollars is actually worth it.  That’s over.

You can be a Hero, or a Huckster – take your pick.

This is what Air Canada coulda, shoulda, and I’m sure with the benefit of hindsight, woulda done differently if given the choice. There is nothing to do about their price – they charge more, and I know that. However, to ask for double the required points to put me in an empty seat was offensive.

The ridiculous lounge affair could have been turned into an opportunity to reinforce my loyalty to AC, by simply saying this:

“I’m sorry that you’re flying Westjet today, but I know you’re a preferred client of ours – don’t worry about the guest pass, enjoy the lounge and consider us the next time.”

Can you imagine the difference that would have made? For starters, I would have spent about $30,000 more already on plane tickets since that happened.

Know your Top 20, and take the opportunities you are given (make a few even)

Establish standards for client service, and use systems and procedures to ensure a consistent and pleasantly surprising client experience. It may be cliché, but little things mean a lot. Keep your clients connected to you – products change, situations change, circumstances change. Your client needs to know that one thing never changes – your professionalism, and your commitment to stick in their corner. Be a hero.

Posted in Blog, Client Service, Experience, Good Marketing, Prospecting, Referrals |