needs Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

18
Jan 18
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Wants and Needs, Which One Will You Get?

We often use the words interchangeably. In our real world experiences there is a difference between wants and needs.

This is always important for those who sell and for those who buy.

We may want the most expensive shoes, the coolest looking car, or the house that offers the most luxury in the greatest neighborhood. Are those the things we really need?

About Sales

Chances are good that by now you’ve already become acquainted with the idea that everyone is in sales. Even the people who are not directly in a sales role are really in some form, part of sales. We all sell something. We sell our ideas, our work, and our skills.

It seems that the sweet spot for the buyer is always based on value.

In the workplace, organizations have the right to choose. They can choose between wants and needs. Potential employees are often selling themselves through the interview process, trying to match what they can offer with the highest price. Is that what the organization wants?

The easy answer of course is, sometimes. Sometimes the budget for the position and the expectations are high enough that the employer shops for the expensive, the smartest, and the talent that they expect to propel them higher.

In other cases the organization may shop only for the minimum. They shop for the lowest price and hope to achieve the highest value. Are they ever disappointed? You bet.

Wants and Needs

It seems logical then that we may not always need what we pay for, but in contrast sometimes we may want more than we what we are willing to pay.

This is why price should not come first, but come last. When you find exactly what you need and it is also exactly what you want then you know you are willing to pay the absolute most your budget will allow.

When we start with price, we tend to confuse the wants and needs.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

27
Oct 17
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Want and Need, What is the Difference?

Tags : customer satisfaction ethics needs sales wants

Is the difference between want and need just semantics? It could be, but if you are in consultative sales understanding the difference may be critical. If you are setting the bar for customer service excellence it has never been more important.

What is the difference?

I want it with four-wheel drive.

I want the biggest engine.

It is common for customers to present with what they want, but do they always know what they need? The basics of delivering exceptional customer service mean that the customer is highly satisfied and hopefully delighted with their transaction. The customer decides, not the vendor.

When the vendor gives the customer what they want, is it the same as what they need? The safe answer of course is, “sometimes.”

Transactional vs. Consultative

The sales exchange at the drive through window of a fast food restaurant most often is not consultative sales.

I want the #1 with a Diet Soda.

I’ll have the big box, hold the guacamole.

Give me the two for $5.

It is a transactional sale and while want and need may still be important, it isn’t nearly as critical. Sometimes it isn’t even our business to know. Suggesting the healthier choice (in your opinion) may seem valid, but it also may not be your business.

Consultative Sales

The other side of sometimes is that sometimes it isn’t. The highest level of customer satisfaction is long-term satisfaction. The customer should understand that what they want is appropriate for their needs.

A commercial grade tool may not be required for the average homeowner. Likewise, a seven-passenger vehicle with a DVD entertainment system may not be what an 80-year-old needs to pick up groceries, even though it is on the lot at a great price and they can pay with cash.

The sales process at a car dealership, with a realtor, or in many business-to-business transactions is often consultative sales. The size, the intended use, product life, and many other variables will condition long-term satisfaction.

Want and Need

Is this all a no-brainer? Perhaps, but the words we chose often have a psychological impact. Our mind-set is important to deliver exceptional levels of satisfaction. When we deliver what the customer wants, and it really isn’t what they need, we might have a problem.

Many people subconsciously search for effortless. They, by nature, like it easy. It might be easy to be an order taker. Closing the sale fast and without debate helps make the numbers, it could also result in a nice commission check, for now.

Businesses with high integrity and ethical standards who are watching lifetime value should know the difference between want and need.

You should too.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

02
Oct 17
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Showing Up For Customer Service Problems

Tags : customer service problems needs organizational culture people

Our mind-set is powerful. What we think, feel, and believe, it drives our choices and decisions. Often, once we are set in our ways and it is hard to change. It’s the teach an old dog a new trick kind of thing. Do you have a culture of customer service problems, or a culture of the customer experience?

Conflict is an interesting word because most people automatically steer towards the negative. They consider situations or circumstances that are undesirable, things to avoid, and conversations to not have. However, conflict or disagreement, when properly managed may have a good side.

Problems or a Culture?

When you think about customer service in your organization, do you only think of the resolution? Do you think of the department that manages the problems, fixes errors, and tries to make the customer feel good? What is the mind-set, should you be thinking differently?

Customer service should not be about a problem resolution department, it should be about an organizational culture. When it is about culture, everything is about the customer before the sale, after the sale, and should anything go wrong, of course, it should be about problem resolution.

Customer service isn’t what you show on the outside, it is about what starts internally and is reflected externally. People have already bought into the political correctness of the customer being right, that isn’t what shapes the customer experience.

The question may become, “When do you show up for the customer?”

Customer Service Problems

Certainly, many people may decide to show up when there is an expressed need. The wrong product was shipped, the product broke, or the service paid for didn’t produce the correct outcome. This invites people to show up.

Other people may show up before there is an expressed need. The idea is that they will build the relationship, build for the order, the referral, or the payoff that will arrive later.

There are also people and organizations that are always there. They show up just because they want to. Perhaps they need nothing, perhaps they aren’t specifically trying to close a deal, they show up because it is what they want to do. It is their mind-set.

Show Up More Often

In business, we always have to think about the return on investment. True, it may feel expensive to always just be there, but your organization shouldn’t only show up for the customer service problems.

What causes your organization and people to show up for the customer is about culture.

At least, it should be.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

29
Aug 17
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3 Common Problems With Your Best Customers

Tags : customer service ego needs touch points

It is often easy to find people complaining about their customer service experience. Do you understand how customer expectations determine the results of any touch point? Do you understand this about your best customers?

Let’s start with two simple definitions:

Customer expectations. What your customer expects, not what you tell them it should be, not what you think it is, and certainly not what is in the fine print of an agreement or contract if it disagrees with what they believe it to be.

Touch point. In this case a touch point is any time a customer interacts with you or a representative of your organization. It might be a person, a website, a telephone, or an email and many other scenarios. Any time your organization has contact with the customer.

So many people and businesses believe that they completely understand customer service. Perhaps they do, but do they practice it?

Problem Areas

Let’s consider a few common problems:

Time. You make an appointment. Either you must in order to do business or you do it because your own schedule is tight. It is not okay for either party to break their promise on the time commitment.
Needs. What you want to sell and what your customer needs might actually be two different things. Likewise, what your customer believes that they need and what they actually need may be two different things. Understand needs.
Ego. Ego is the killer of more deals and more business than any other is. Both parties, vendor and customer, may have a problem with this. Who wins? The customer must win, if they don’t the vendor loses despite what they might think or feel in the moment. If necessary lose your attitude or ego, or else lose your customer.

Your Best Customers

Some customers seem to have high demands, they also may value your business because you meet or exceed their expectations. Don’t misjudge this relationship. A customer who feels insulted by your lack of concern for their high demands may very well be a customer lost.

Every touch point with your customer you have a chance to make a difference, or not.

How do you treat your best customers?

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

25
Apr 17
-

appreciative strategies customer service habits

3 Customer Service Habits You Can Change Right Now

Tags : customer experience customer service habits needs open door

The concept of replacing bad habits with good habits is nothing new. It works for things like eating, exercise, and even sleeping. Many people have a customer service obligation at work, even though they may not always realize it. What customer service habits can you change right now?

Regardless of your workplace role chances are good you can improve teamwork, make others jobs and life easier, and make your organization more efficient and profitable with a few simple habits.

Customer Service Habits

Here are three easy ones:

Assuming needs. Priding yourself on knowing exactly what the customer wants can make both you and the customer feel pretty good. Getting it wrong can be painful and costly. Ask more questions, listen better, and give the customer an opportunity to discuss what the end result should look like. Assume less, inquire more.
Meeting needs. Many people get conditioned to finish the task. It seems that sometimes we lose sight of why we are doing the task and instead only focus on finishing it. Finishing is important but we need to be sure we are meeting the needs of those involved. Sometimes patience and spending time is just as important as finishing.
Open door. You should leave the door open for future opportunities. How you close a conversation or a transaction often has something to do with when you’ll get the next opportunity. You want to ensure the door is open. Consider that, “Have a nice day.” is different from, “See you tomorrow.”

Change Now

It’s easy for even the most business minded people to slip into bad habits. We’re often a product of how we subconsciously move about during our day.

Customer service habits are for everyone. Treat every interaction and opportunity with the intention to help.

You know what to do. Replace worn out habits with fresh ones.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a four-time author and some of his work includes, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce and Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours! Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: needs

Jan 18

-

About Sales

Wants and Needs

Oct 17

-

Transactional vs. Consultative

Consultative Sales

Want and Need

Oct 17

-

Problems or a Culture?

Customer Service Problems

Show Up More Often

Aug 17

-

Problem Areas

Your Best Customers

Apr 17

-

Customer Service Habits

Change Now

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