It's the Customer, Stupid!: 34 Wake-up Calls to Help You Stay Client-Focused

It's the Customer, Stupid!: 34 Wake-up Calls to Help You Stay Client-Focused

by Michael Aun
Released February 2011
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780470907399

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Book description

Ruthlessly focus on what's convenient for customers, not what's convenient for you

Ninety percent of dissatisfied clients will take their business elsewhere and never tell you why. However, ninety-five percent will become loyal customers again if their needs and problems are addressed and remedied.

Speaker and salesperson Michael Aun shares these secrets and many more in It's the Customer, Stupid!, a guide to growing any business by gaining new customers, and, more importantly, by keeping the ones you have happy and coming back for more. This fun-to-read book explains common myths about sales and customer satisfaction, starting with the fact that most businesses think they're customer-centric, but they just aren't.

  • Get proven steps to REALLY put your customer at the center of what you do

  • Distinguish your business from the competition by understanding the principle that good sales ARE good service

  • Author received the Toastmasters "World Championship of Public Speaking" award and is also a full-time businessman practicing what he preaches daily

It's the Customer, Stupid! reveals key actions that will shake up your business approach. Your customers will love you for them, and you'll love the effect on sales!

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Foreword
    1. Michael Shares His Wealth
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. 1. Unhappy Customers Will Not Only Fire You but They Will Tell Others!
  5. 2. Great Customer Service Is About Getting the Client's Feedback
    1. 2.1. Take a Lesson from Milliken & Company
    2. 2.2. Great Customer Service Is About Great Training
    3. 2.3. You Get the Behavior You Reward
    4. 2.4. Great Client Feedback Will Help Dictate Great Customer Service, if You Bother to Listen!
  6. 3. Fix the Problem; Don't Fix the Blame
    1. 3.1. Stop the Frame
    2. 3.2. The Cost of Lost Opportunity
    3. 3.3. Ninety Percent of Customers Make Decisions Based on Service
    4. 3.4. Why Not Empower the Customer Service Rep?
    5. 3.5. The Cost of Making the Client's Life Difficult
  7. 4. Always Give Them a Baker's Dozen
    1. 4.1. GEO Prism's Mayday
    2. 4.2. Baker's Dozen
    3. 4.3. Creative Thinking
    4. 4.4. A Journal for the Journey
    5. 4.5. Great Customer Service Starts with Even Greater Communication Skills
    6. 4.6. You Need a Mentor
    7. 4.7. Our Training Dictates Our Values and Behavior
  8. 5. Trust, Once Violated, Negates a Relationship
    1. 5.1. Taxpayers Are Customers, Too
    2. 5.2. Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven; Nobody Wants to Die!
    3. 5.3. We Need a Customer Rebellion
    4. 5.4. Making Life Difficult Seems to Be the Goal of Some
    5. 5.5. Trust, Once Violated, Negates a Relationship
    6. 5.6. Profit versus Prophet
  9. 6. Somebody Has to Take Out the Trash!
    1. 6.1. Client Retention Should Be the Model, Not the Exception
    2. 6.2. All I Want Out of Life Is an Unfair Advantage
    3. 6.3. Why Do Your Clients Fire You?
    4. 6.4. Somebody Has to Take Out the Trash
    5. 6.5. Put Them All on Commission
    6. 6.6. Fix the Problem, Not the Blame
  10. 7. You Are Not the Enemy but Part of the Solution
    1. 7.1. Mr./Ms. Client . . . You Are a Liar and a Thief!
    2. 7.2. The Person Asking the Questions in the Interview Process Controls the Interview
    3. 7.3. Let Them Know That You Are Not the Enemy
    4. 7.4. Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill
    5. 7.5. The Irritation Factor
    6. 7.6. Minimizing Delays . . . Feel, Felt, Found
    7. 7.7. Train the Client on How to Be a Better Client
  11. 8. Communication Skills Mean Everything; Join Toastmasters or Dale Carnegie
    1. 8.1. What's in It for Me?
    2. 8.2. The Six Ps
    3. 8.3. Speak with Conviction
    4. 8.4. The K-I-S-S Formula
    5. 8.5. Timing
    6. 8.6. Delivery Is Critical
    7. 8.7. Dramatize the Story
  12. 9. Prophet versus Profit . . . Why Not Both?
    1. 9.1. Prophet versus Profit
  13. 10. Perception Is Reality
    1. 10.1. Listen to the Criticism of Others, but Don't Support Them
  14. 11. Be a Hero or "Shero" . . . Fix the Problem . . . and Then Fire Whomever Caused It!
    1. 11.1. The Minimum Shaft Job
    2. 11.2. Customer Being Proactive
    3. 11.3. Thank-You Notes Pay Huge Dividends
    4. 11.4. Thank-You Notes Contain Four Simple Ingredients
  15. 12. Nothing Takes the Place of Good Manners
    1. 12.1. Fire the Client
  16. 13. Client Loyalty Is Earned, Not Given
    1. 13.1. Loyalty Is a Derivative of Ethics
    2. 13.2. Loyalty Is a Two-Way Street
    3. 13.3. Trust, Earned Over Years, Can Be Destroyed in Seconds
    4. 13.4. Happy Clients Want Intimacy in Their Relationship
  17. 14. Nibble Away at Customer Solutions
    1. 14.1. It Starts with Asking Great Questions
    2. 14.2. Fair Enough?
    3. 14.3. It's Not Surgery That Kills; It's Delayed Surgery
  18. 15. You Can Only Be Responsible for One-Half of a Relationship—Yours!
  19. 16. Lead the Client to Solutions
    1. 16.1. Napoleon the Strutter: The Bantam Rooster
    2. 16.2. No-No Ned: The Never-Never Client
    3. 16.3. Hard-Nosed Harry: The Tough Guy
    4. 16.4. Manny-the-Milquetoast: Timid Tommy
    5. 16.5. Jerry the Jester: The Wisecrack Artist
    6. 16.6. Norris the Naïve: The Untried, Inexperienced Client
    7. 16.7. Middle-Aged Max: The Largest Customer Base
    8. 16.8. Albert the Aged: The Older Prospect
    9. 16.9. The Dean of Mean: The Forceful Buyer
    10. 16.10. Mouthy Malcolm: The Talkative Customer
    11. 16.11. Dobie the Doubter: The Skeptical Client
    12. 16.12. Flawless Francis: The Precision Prospect
    13. 16.13. Apathetic Alex: The Indifferent Prospect
    14. 16.14. Headstrong Henry: The Stubborn Prospect
    15. 16.15. Oscar the Orator: The Opinionated Client
    16. 16.16. Sassy Stanley: The Sardonic Slob
    17. 16.17. Louie the Liar: Pinocchio
    18. 16.18. Gabby the Gossip: The Talker
    19. 16.19. Painless Peter: The Easy Buyer
    20. 16.20. Right-Wing Ralph: The Conservative Prospect
    21. 16.21. Analytical Andy: The Logical Client
    22. 16.22. Buford the Bewildered: The Confused Customer
    23. 16.23. Toby the Tearjerker: The Passionate Client
    24. 16.24. Let's-Make-Him-an-Offer Lance: The Bargain Buyer
    25. 16.25. Microscopic Melvin: The Rational Buyer
    26. 16.26. Wishy-Washy Woody: The Indecisive Client
    27. 16.27. Ornery Olin: The Obstinate Buyer
  20. 17. Find Out What the Customers Need and Give It to Them
    1. 17.1. Find Out What the Customer Needs and Then Give It to Them
  21. 18. Find Out What Others Are Doing and Do Something Different!
  22. 19. Become a Mentor to Your Client; Coach and Counsel!
    1. 19.1. Drill Sergeants
      1. 19.1.1. Drill Sergeants
      2. 19.1.2. Helicopters
      3. 19.1.3. Coaches
  23. 20. Winning Is Never Final and Losing Is Never Fatal
    1. 20.1. It's the Service, Stupid!
    2. 20.2. Values Drive Decisions
  24. 21. Master Your Time or It Will Enslave You
    1. 21.1. Snail Mail
    2. 21.2. E-Mail
    3. 21.3. People Dropping in on You, Virtually or in Person
    4. 21.4. Have You Got a Minute?
    5. 21.5. Myths about Needing or Wanting More Time
    6. 21.6. We Are Our Own Enemy
    7. 21.7. Six Quick Tips to Maximize Your Time
    8. 21.8. Learn to Prioritize
    9. 21.9. Michael Aun Priority Index
    10. 21.10. Analyzing Your Calendar
  25. 22. If You Pay Peanuts, You Get Monkeys!
    1. 22.1. Train Your People Better, and You Will Get Better Results!
    2. 22.2. The Cat Who Sat on the Hot Stove
  26. 23. Mentor Your Client
    1. 23.1. The Sweet Title of Coach
    2. 23.2. Great Mentors Envision Success in Others
    3. 23.3. Envision Success! Keep Your Head Down and Follow Through!
    4. 23.4. Winning Isn't Final; Losing Isn't Fatal
  27. 24. Customer-Driven Leadership Is About Advocacy and Mentoring
    1. 24.1. Some Common Misconceptions about Customer-Driven Leadership
  28. 25. The Old Way Is Rarely the Best Way Because Change Is Constant
    1. 25.1. Throw Out the Old Way!
    2. 25.2. It Applies to Every Aspect of Life Today
    3. 25.3. Don't Worry about What You Are Going to Be When You Grow Up; It Hasn't Been Invented Yet!
    4. 25.4. Supply versus Demand and Diminishing
  29. 26. Respond to the Client Even If You Cannot Provide an Immediate Solution
    1. 26.1. Perception Is Reality
    2. 26.2. Be Different!
  30. 27. Bad News Travels at the Speed of Light
    1. 27.1. Learn the Jargon
  31. 28. Nine Rules That Drive Client Loyalty
    1. 28.1. Rule 1
    2. 28.2. Rule 2
    3. 28.3. Rule 3
    4. 28.4. Rule 4
    5. 28.5. Rule 5
    6. 28.6. Rule 6
    7. 28.7. Rule 7
    8. 28.8. Rule 8
    9. 28.9. Rule 9
  32. 29. Eight Rules to Overcome Fear of Failure
    1. 29.1. Rule 10
    2. 29.2. Rule 11
    3. 29.3. Rule 12
    4. 29.4. Rule 13
    5. 29.5. Rule 14
    6. 29.6. Rule 15
    7. 29.7. Rule 16
    8. 29.8. Rule 17
  33. 30. Six Rules of Service-Driven Leadership
    1. 30.1. Rule 18
    2. 30.2. Rule 19
    3. 30.3. Rule 20
    4. 30.4. Rule 21
    5. 30.5. Rule 22
    6. 30.6. Rule 23
  34. 31. Five Rules That Drive Customer Achievement and Success
    1. 31.1. Rule 24
    2. 31.2. Rule 25
    3. 31.3. Rule 26
    4. 31.4. Rule 27
    5. 31.5. Rule 28
  35. 32. Client-Driven Leadership Is About Removing Roadblocks
    1. 32.1. Rule 29
    2. 32.2. Rule 30
    3. 32.3. Rule 31
    4. 32.4. Rule 32
  36. 33. Six Rules That Drive Client Results
    1. 33.1. Rule 33
    2. 33.2. Rule 34
    3. 33.3. Rule 35
    4. 33.4. Rule 36
    5. 33.5. Rule 37
    6. 33.6. Rule 38
  37. 34. Ten Rules that Drive Client Decisions and Loyalty
    1. 34.1. Rule 39
    2. 34.2. Rule 40
    3. 34.3. Rule 41
    4. 34.4. Rule 42
    5. 34.5. Rule 43
    6. 34.6. Rule 44
    7. 34.7. Rule 45
    8. 34.8. Rule 46
    9. 34.9. Rule 47
    10. 34.10. Rule 48
  38. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: It's the Customer, Stupid!: 34 Wake-up Calls to Help You Stay Client-Focused
  • Author(s): Michael Aun
  • Release date: February 2011
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470907399