You Haven't Hit Your Peak Yet!

8Customer Service

Warning—Customers are perishable

A man who had lived an exemplary life died and was given a preview of heaven and hell. In heaven, people were peaceful and serene and smiling. In hell he was given a stretch limo, the best food and drink, and an endless list of parties. He chose hell.

As soon as he walked through the gates, the devil began flogging him with a whip and he was thrown into a fiery chasm. “Wait!” he said. “Yesterday I was treated like a king, and now this. Why?”

“Ah,” said the devil. “Yesterday you were a prospect. Today you’re a customer.”

Unfortunately, the same thing happens in many organizations. They wine and dine you to entice you, only to lose track of you and seem disinterested after you make the decision to buy.

There’s one thing no business has enough of: customers. Take care of the customers you’ve got, and they’ll take care of you.

There’s one thing no business has enough of: customers. Take care of the customers you’ve got, and they’ll take care of you.

That’s why I preach, “The sale begins when the customer says yes.” Good salespeople make sure the job gets done on time—and done right. They must have a fanatical attention to detail!

Companies and sales reps that understand this mentality do extremely well. They’re at the head of the class. They understand the 80/20 rule—that 80 percent of their business comes from 20 percent of their customers. And trust me, it’s trending toward 90/10.

That’s why you have to cultivate the people ...