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

Chapter 23. Mentor Your Client

What does mentoring a client have to do with anything? You say nothing? I say everything!

Mentors and coaches have to love you enough to give you not only the good news but also the bad news. Fabulous companies like Milliken and Disney got that way because of their undying commitment to coaching and mentoring their people to greatness. Great mentors emphasize the learning process. They are great teachers first and great coaches second.

Great coaches and mentors never miss a training opportunity. They see both failure and success as power forums to teach their players how to get it right. They utilize prevailing lessons about character, courage, and honor to make compelling points. In doing so, they make a lasting impression on those whom they mentor and coach.

Superb mentoring relies on superb storytelling. People learn best from examples that are applied to real-life stories about situations to which they can relate. The unforgettable insight they glean from this process helps develop empathy and understanding of others' challenges and goals. Quality coaching can help a customer service representative become "client cozy."

Good mentors have a number of endearing qualities:

1. They have an honest desire to help, to give something back to the profession of which they are a part.

2. The success and positive experiences they've had in their lives make them great candidates for showing others the way.

3. They make the time and have the energy to legitimately help others ...