Being REMARKABLEby Bob Shaff I March 20, 2014
“So, why didn’t I learn this earlier in my career?”
That’s the thought that went through my mind when, late in my life and career, I realized how that everything in our careers and in our lives is about RELATIONSHIPS. Everything being equal, people do business with their friends. Everything NOT being equal, people still do business with their friends. Friends result from relationships.
No matter what area of expertise you possess or what industry you are in…you are in the PEOPLE business. The people business is all about relationships that you build and earn with others. I believe there is no skill more important in both our business and personal lives than the ability to earn strong relationships with co-workers, our bosses, our vendors, and our friends.
My experience is that becoming REMARKABLE is the best way to earn those relationships, and, by doing so, you will develop two very special attitudes among your business associates and your friends::
• Businesses, customers, and prospects will say: “I’m going to call George Smith. He’s great to work with and will do a superb job for us!!”
• Your friends and co-workers will go out of their way to recommend you every chance they get because they remember, know, and trust you.
I frequently use the word “remarkability” because each of us has the ability to be REMARKABLE…the ability to enable others to remark about us. They will remark about us, because we are better, because we are different, and because we have earned their trust. Being REMARKABLE is the best way to grow your business and to enrich your lives!!
There are 5 actions you can take on the journey to be REMARKABLE:
Go out of your way…
…to make it easy…
for your customers to connect with you…
…in ways they value…
…and sometimes don’t expect!!
Let’s examine each of these 5 actions.
GO OUT OF YOUR WAY
We instantly recognize and appreciate when someone goes “out of their way” for us. When you go out of your way for your customer, they will notice!!
…TO MAKE IT EASY
Time is the most valuable currency in today’s world. Our lives are full of to-dos, action plans, and busyness that keep us hopping from day to day. When someone (like you) makes a task easier, your customers will notice!!
…FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS TO FREQENTLY CONNECT WITH YOU
The key phrase here is FREQUENTLY CONNECT. Too often we pass up opportunities to connect with our friends, our family members, our peers, and our customers. Using the methods that work for you (personal contact, email, letter, phone, Facebook, etc.) find new ways to connect, to say thank you, to wish them well, to celebrate, to mourn, or to just stay in touch. Your customers will notice!!
…IN WAYS THEY VALUE
As they say in the email world: “NO SPAM”! Create topics that your customers will value, and then connect with them. If you’re not sure what they value, ask them!! The more you connect, the more you will find what customers value. You may be surprised how much they value the fact that you cared enough to connect with them. Your customers will notice!!
…AND SOMETIMES DON’T EXPECT
If you do “unexpected things at unexpected times”, you magnify the impact of your action. Flowers or gifts on a birthday or anniversary are nice…and expected. Flowers or gifts on Tuesday (just because) are REMARKABLE. If there is no special occasion, a timely, well-delivered “thank you” is often unexpected and very much appreciated. Your customers will notice!!
Did you notice that all 5 of these actions result in you being “noticed” by your customers? Being noticed is the first step in forming a relationship, and it comes from differentiating yourself from others. I’ve learned that being different isn’t always better, but being better is always different. Being REMARKABLE is the best way to be better.
One more life experience I would like to share with you: About 10 years ago I met Charlie “Tremendous” Jones at a meeting of the National Speakers Association. Charlie told us that we all will be exactly the same as we are today (no improvement or growth) except for 2 things: The people we meet and the books we read. Said another way” “There are only 2 things that will grow, stretch, and improve us: The people we meet and the books we read.”
So, expand your horizons by joining groups of like-minded people. People you can learn from and people who can learn from you. Find some new ways to meet some great people. Then, learn from their experiences, from their mistakes and their successes.
Books (white papers, case studies, blogs, internet news, magazines, articles, audio books, e-books, etc.) are the second way you can grow. There are no new ideas in the world….only ideas that others have tried and that you haven’t. We just need to be reminded of them. Expose yourself and your mind to the new ideas that are in these “books”. Books in your field of expertise…books outside your field…books on topics that you need to learn, books on topics like customer service, the art of speaking, and the art of sales. These topics will open your mind. Make it a goal to find 2 or 3 ideas from each book you read that you can apply to your expert witness business.
So, I ask you to invest in yourself. Grow your business by being more active in your community. Grow your business by reading more books that will improve your skills and that will be a constant stream of new ideas for your life and your practice. Find new ways to go out of your way and to make things easier for your customers. When you do so, in ways they value, your relationships will grow, trust will increase, and your business will thrive in ways you’ve never experienced. And, if you deliver a WOW every so often (unexpected things at unexpected times), you will be well on your way to being the “go-to” salesman, employee, or manager that people around you will use frequently and go out of their way to recommend to others.
Bob Shaff is President of Customers for Life Consulting, where he helps clients earn engagement from their employees
and loyalty from their customers by becoming more REMARKABLE.
Contact Bob at 520-577-0159 or at Bob@CFLConsulting.com.
Visit his website at www.CFLConsulting.com