One day CEO

When i am conducting any workshop or a counseling session or meeting, i think, behave and communicate as if i was the ceo of the participants.  Not in the sense that i show my power to them but in the concern i have that they change into star performers that will work like guided missiles relentless on reaching the targets.  In short through my trainings i am doing the ceo’s a big favor. 

Today i trained people from about 20 different companies and 3 sectors  i was there ceo for the day. 

I asked them first

1.who they thought were your customers?

2. do you think you are a good customer service provider? Grade yourself out of ten.

3.  What is the basis of your grading?

4. What are the negative experiences of providing customer service?

5.  What are the positive points?

Then i took the lead from their negative experiences to build the course on the day itself. 

there were a people from the automobile sector.  They had a problem.  One of their competing dealers of the same brand suddenly slashed their price leaving many customers angry.  So they were really angry customers. 

I taught them a technique that goes like this.  Have someone in front of you raise his arms and spread them and ask him to keep it there.  Then somone else to make his hands drop.  She will say it but he won’t drop.  Finally ask her to raise her hands too and and mimick the difficulties he is facing.  Then keeping eye contact make her raise her hand.  The other person will also follow.  Finally make her drop her hands and following her he will also drop them. 

This is the principle by which you deal with very very very angry customers. 

This principle is also like a car running at 100km/hr heading towards you (the culprit in his eyes).  The point is to make the roads winding and narrow at variou places so that the walls absorb the speed and slows the impact.  By the time it reaches you it will so slow your arguments will win. 

Next lesson was to show customers that you are excited to see them.  Treat them as you would a relative at your home. 

A pax said that for her customers were god.  I asked her did you derive this from textbooks and she said no she derived this from a nepali maxim that says guests are god.  I really appreciated this. 

Why do customers look for managers instead of lower staffs?

This is because lower staffs operate in black or white.  While managers can work in the grey area.  It means they can discriminate, deal on a case by case basis, have a strong understanding of exception concept. 

A game about working in a team

i divided the group arranged in two rows into two teams, put two glasses on the floor after the table, asked them to get one page, make as many pieces and put them in their respective glasses , all this in two min and 3 rounds.  At the beginning they threw it from wherever they were but most of it was lost.  LAter on they learnt and passed the pieces of paper to the person nearest and he placed them. 

Dealing with customers on the phone

MAke sure that you mutter words like yes, no, hmm, oh, ah, so that the person can be sure you are listening.  When making a strong point, make sure that he is quiet and silence is at least 5 seconds long. 

Remember angry customers have not only intellecual need to know the answers to their complaint but the emotional need to be listened and emphasized. 

How to convince customers not the break agreeements? The most important thing is that they must trust you.  Otherwise no amount of convincing arguments will work.

What is the role of positive attitude in dealing with customers, especially difficult ones?

No matter how you well you deal if you think the bad behavior of the customer is wrong and that he is a sinner, he will not be calmed.  You must think that he must have had a bad day and have compassion. 

Negotiation part of customer dealing and sales

Through a discussion make sure the customer has invested so much of his time and intellectual and emotional capacity in dealing with you that the cost of switching for his is high.  Then make the final comment, “If you’re not interested you can go elsewhere.”  He will buy from you. 

What to with customers who are eating on your time? Be assertive, not submissive and certainly not aggressive.

How to do attitude programming?

1.  It is best when you are exercising.  Feed your mind with visions of success and words of strength.

2.  When you have negative self talk going on , write it down and on the next column correct it.  use the corrected attitude.

3.  Associate yourself with positive attitide people.

4.  Read inspirational books.

How to stay fresh all day?  There is an outer mind who tells the inner mind that you not fresh.  Tell the inner mind to refuse to accept this statement of outer mind and say, “no i am fresh.”

In the whole i told the paxes that they are supposed to have a growth mentality. They must have a personal vision that has in it their success linked with the company’s.  Would Ronaldo be famous and successful without football.  We all need a medium and for us the company is the medium like the horse is to the jockey.