Generate More Sales

Have you ever been to a store where the person at the counter seems uninviting, almost like you are interrupting them? Or been at a check-out counter while the cashier is talking with other co-workers about the party last night, totally ignoring you, while you wait to pay for items? Or dealt with a company that was eager to get your business, but then as soon as the sale was made, the eagerness evaporated? I love these businesses!

Why do I love these businesses? Because these examples of poor customer service means more business opportunities for us, the customer-focused Master Entrepreneur!

Master Entrepreneurs create and build customer-focused businesses. What this means is the businesses we start and build provide the highest degree of value, service and results to our customers. We mould our businesses to serve others, to enrich their lives and have a positive impact in their lives, profitably.

I recently read the story of how Richard Branson tried to book a flight with British Airways. At that time he experienced such poor customer service that he said to himself, “either they are very busy or have poor service, either way, it’s a good idea to start an airline to compete”. He then called Boeing Co. in Seattle and bought a second-hand Boeing airplane and launched Virgin Airways to compete with British Airways. And Virigin Airways is now the envy and an innovative leader in a highly competitive industry.

Customers are not only external but also internal as well. They are our employees as well. So treating them with respect, fairness, compensating them fairly and looking for ways to serve them creates happy and motivated employees. This in turns creates an excellent working environment and a foundation from which to create outstanding customer service. This approach and philosophy worked great in both my restaurant and coffee shop.

When customer service, value, and results are high, we can expect to generate more sales. And why not? Customers feel appreciated, valued and respected.

How do you improve customer service in your business? Here are a few points to consider:

• Use surveymonkey.com and take a survey from customers about how to improve your website or overall customer experience.
• Hold a focus group and invite customers in to see how your business is fulfilling their needs and how you can improve.
• Create dialogue and conversations with them. Pick up the phone and call customers. Get out of your office and have coffee with them and chat about how the business can improve.
• Ask both customers and staff how you/business rate on a scale of 1-10. When they give you the number, ask “what can I do to make it a 10”!
• Hire people who recognize the importance of customer service and train staff on the importance of having a customer service mentality.

Being customer-focused allows me to put myself in other’s shoes and ask “how would I like to be treated”. This gets us away from seeing everyone as a potential “dollar sign” and allows us to develop more of a service attitude.

People do business with people they like. So adopting a “How may I help you today?” philosophy will ensure continued success in your business because people will feel that you genuinely care. This will result in generating more sales and will result in fewer opportunities for people like Richard Branson.

To your success,
Chris Castillo
Copyright © 2010 Chris Castillo
________________
Chris Castillo is an entrepreneur, speaker and consultant. Chris Castillo is Founder and CEO of Master Entrepreneur International Inc., a business coaching & education company. To learn more about Master Entrepreneur products & services, visit www.masterentrepreneur.com “Master Entrepreneur” is a registered trademark.

At first glance of the iceberg we can see that it is a big chunk of ice floating on water and has nothing to do with generating more sales…unless maybe you are in the business of selling glacier water. 

What our first glance fails to see is that there is a larger chunk of ice below the surface of the water that is even more wonderous, yet potentially dangerous.  It is this exact unseen larger chunk of ice below the water that went unnoticed and made that fatal impact and gaping dent along the side of the Titanic.

So what does this have to do with generating more sales?

Continuing with the iceberg metaphor, generating more sales is really the iceberg that is floating in the water that we can clearly see.  Generating more sales is our clear goal and what we want to achieve in our business.

But deep below in the ocean where we can’t see or isn’t apparent to us, is the iceberg that represents  a series of other issues that need to be addressed in order to generate more sales.  It is these issues that companies must address in order to achieve their clear goal of generating more sales.  This is what being a Master Entrepreneur is; being strategic and proactive about generating sales.

So no matter how great your lead generating strategies are, or how excellent your advertising campaign is, there could be some other issues affecting your sales or missed opportunities for generating even more sales.  It is in your best interest to look deep inside your business to identify and resolve these issues that are not apparent.

What are some of these issues?  Here are some to get you thinking:

• Your impolite and rude receptionist who is pushing customers away
• You provide poor customer service
• You have an overally aggressive salesperson
• Poor and shabby product or service quality
• Little or no after sales service

There are other issues as well that are hidden deep in your business that must be identified and resolved.  But once you take the effort to proactively “face reality” by identifing and correcting these issues, it will significantly impact and support your efforts of generating more sales. 

And it is at this moment that the iceberg that you see floating in the water will become even more wonderous, beautiful and apparent in generating more sales.

To your success,                                                                                       

Chris

Copyright 2009 Chris Castillo

________________

Chris Castillo is an entrepreneur, speaker and consultant.  Chris Castillo is Founder and CEO of Master Entrepreneur International Inc., a business coaching & education company.   To learn more about Master Entrepreneur products & services, visit www.masterentrepreneur.com.  “Master Entrepreneur” is a registered trademark.