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

Chapter 20. Winning Is Never Final and Losing Is Never Fatal

Stuff is going to go wrong, so get over it. Fix it and move on, and above all, be thankful. This is a gift that keeps on giving. The key is to get people to fail faster.

Some customers are like porcupines: You just can't pet them. You can't please them. You can't console them. But they are a gift that keeps on giving because they offer us challenges that other, more agreeable customers don't.

If it's understood that in order to have more success in life we need more failure, we therefore should teach people to "fail faster." You don't necessarily have to get "good" at it—but don't be afraid to get past the problem. While loyalty is a gift that keeps on giving, frustrating customers are also a gift that can pay you big dividends. Customer loyalty can be defined in many ways. One of the best: The one who fixes the problem gets the biz!

I have been an agent with the Knights of Columbus Insurance for nearly four decades. We actually have clients who own 40 to 50 contracts on themselves and members of their family. We know that happy members are 12 percent more likely to add more business simply because they are so pleased with our ratings and service. We know also that we close 26 percent of all new prospects on whom we call. We're aware of these statistics because I've been keeping score on them for the past 20-plus years. For instance, we know that 41 percent of the people we talk to on the phone will say, "Sure, come on out." ...