Do You Show Up?

Needing electrical work, few thousand dollars worth, I recently called an electrician who was referred to me.  His speciality was doing just the type of work I needed done.  He promptly returned my call, came over to the house to look at what needs to be done, and left promising he'll call back with an estimate. I said great, and let him know that as soon as I have that, he can get started (a dead give-away he got the job). 

Unfortunately, he never showed up again, nor called.  I called him several time to see what happened. Each time he said he was not well and that he would call me in couple of days. Those couple of days never came.  I then called another electrician, also referred.  We scheduled a time for him to come check out what needs to be done.  He too never showed.  (Hmmm, I was beginning to think if it was me or quality of referrals).  In any event, we called him asking why he didn't show up.  His reply was that we were too far away from his place.  Well, geez, one would think he could have told said that when we first spoke rather then setting an appointment and then not showing up, and not even having the courtesy to let us know he won't be coming.

This reminded me of a situation many years back where Reggie sent me an estimate request for a very small project. I promptly responded and we got the job.  Over the years Reggie gave me lots of work and size of projects also became bigger and bigger.  What started out as a very small project turned into a very profitable relationship over the years.  One day I asked Reggie what lead him to choose me, over others, on that first request.  His response: "Vinay, you were the only one responded and then followed up, as well as then stayed in touch with me". 

Amazing, how true that so often it's simply a matter of showing up which leads to work.  So when someone reaches out to you, do you show up?

P.S. In case you're wondering about that electrical work I needed done.  We finally called a professional company. They promptly showed up and followed up with the estimate as promised.  We happily gave 'em the work, and they got the job done when they said they would, did it right the first time, and they were pleasant to do business with.  Perhaps that's why they are a big company today, because they simply show up and do what they say they are going to do.  Pretty simple. 

Magic Words Customers Love to Hear!

I have a firm belief that words have immense power.  So I asked myself, when it comes to serving customers, what are those magic words that contribute to building strong lasting meaningful relationships? 

Based on my nearly 3 decades of serving customers, I came up with the list below.  Using these with sincerity, combined with your keeping your promises and delivering high quality products and services, lets customers know you love them, that they matter to you. In turn this results in customers loving you.  As a result, everyone wins.  Use these words generously and often and experience for yourself the very positive results that will follow.

• Thank you
• Sure, no problem
• We'll take care of it right away
• Consider it done
• I'm sorry.  Will you please forgive me.
• Please accept my apologies 
• I'll fix it right away
• Problem solved
• All done, taken care of
• Yes, we can do that
• Sure, we can do that
• When you're happy, we're happy
• What can I do for you?
• We're on it, no worries
• We're looking into it right now.  We'll be back in touch very soon.
• What can I do to make it right?
• I don't know, but I'll be sure to find out and get back to you.

Which magic words can you add to this list?  Please share so everyone reading this blog benefits.  Thank you.

How Sticky Are Your Customer Relationships?

I have been reviewing a training manual, for a course on developing strong customer relationships.  Part of that course work includes stats which really grabbed my attention.  As they are so relevant to many of my readers who are involved in getting and keeping customers, I wanted to post them here for your benefit.  These stats are:

If your customer has.......The odds of keeping him or her are.......:
A checking account.......1 to 1
A savings account.........2 to 1
Checking and savings accounts........10 to 1
Checking, savings, and a loan..........20 to 1
Checking, savings, a loan and a safe-deposit box........100 to 1  (Wow, what a jump)

While this is for banking, concept applies to all businesses.  Furthermore, it's important to note that stickiness increases exponentially, as increasing numbers of offerings are used by the customer.  Very interesting and very powerful indeed.

By the way, what's the glue here that leads to customers buying more and buying more often?  Simple.  It's making sure they feel loved and cared for.  That each and every interaction they have when dealing with your organization is a pleasant one.

If you agree with this, what steps are you taking to ensure each interaction your customer has with your organization is a pleasant experience?

My Very First Book, Just Published. :)

Available at Amazon and Barnes 'n Noble.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Customers-Love-Em-Lose-Ways/dp/146205658X

Barnes 'n Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/customers-love-em-or-lose-em-vinay-kumar/1106019203

Check it out.  Thanks. 

The Kingdom of God

For some time now, I have wondered what the following passage means:  "Unless a man is born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God".  I have come to finally understand what it means, to me anyways.  And the more I think about it, the more it occurs to me what a profound statement it is, and one that applies to all, regardless of one's faith.

As I have experienced it, when we are first born in this physical body, many of us do not possess sufficient self-awareness nor the inner strength to make decisions that are in alignment with our true nature.  In regards to career choices for example, we end up doing what others think we should do, what we think will make us look good, what will make us money, more loved, and so on. As Parker Palmer would most likely say, we end up living a life that is not our own.

Lack of self-awareness combined with strong ego that strengthens over time ultimately leads us to make choices that contribute to our living a life that is out of alignment with the life that life wants us to live.  As a result, while we may become materially successful and look good on the outside, deep within we don't feel successful.  Instead, we feel as if something is still missing.  We experience dissatisfaction and emptiness and we long to feel fulfilled.  In some cases, we even silently suffer. I know for it's a journey that I can relate to.

Ultimately we come to a fork in the road where this inner suffering either destroys us, or we come to point through surrender where the suffering destroys the ego itself, which often is itself the source of our suffering.  In a sense, suffering destroys the very thing that causes it.  Once this happens, we begin to realize our true nature and it begins to guide our lives from a place of wholeness.

While it's a painful journey, it is one that ultimately leads to our rebirth, to our being reborn.  And we then begin to take steps towards living a live that is more authentic, being true to what we were built to be.  Then as we begin to live with this alignment, life begins to feel more joyful, for we no longer feel the need to prove but rather be true to ourselves, to our inner nature.

This I believe is what Jesus meant.  So the Kingdom He refers to is right here on earth and when we live in alignment with our natural being, we experience bliss right here in this life itself.  And to experience that, we must first die, dissolving our ego, and thus the referral to being born again.

I have read the Bible only a little, so what exactly is meant I don't know. But this is my interpretation of it. What does it mean to you?  And how have you experienced it in your own life?

What Do You Mean?

The other day I drove past a truck displaying the sticker "Factory Trained".  It occurred to me at that moment how for the longest time I used to equate this to mean the technician is highly trained, an expert in his field.  But this time I wondered, is that really so?  Could it also mean that this individual simply attended say a short education program held at the factory, thus "qualifying" him to display the sticker? 

As I reflected further on this, many other such commonly spoken statements came to mind and I wondered, what do they really mean.  Statements such as:

• Quality first
• The ultimate driving machine
• Best in class 
• World class
• Original Copy
• Certified Pre-owned
• Genuine imitation
• She is so beautiful
• He is so smart
• I need some space
• Grow up
• They are so successful

The older I get, the more I am realizing how very few things in life are absolute, and instead majority of things are relative, subject to one's assumptions and interpretations, and how much I tend to assume that what I am understand something to mean is what the other really means to convey.

As a result, more and more when I now hear such subjective statements, I am starting to ask "what do you mean".  As I do this, I see the gaps in communication surface, resulting communication becomes much more effective, and misunderstandings decrease.  And equally importantly, I am realizing how much my own views are limited due to my limited experience.  So by asking the question, others views come out into the open and in the process I too learn and grow.

So next time you hear such subjective statements, ask "what do you mean".  This will invite dialogue and as you truly listen, you will experience for yourself further learning/growth, better decisions and therefore outcomes, and stronger relationships.  It's absolutely beautiful. 

Go ahead, give it try.  Start asking, what do you mean, by...?

What Led to My Success, and Failure?

In my business life, I have experienced both tremendous success and utter failure.  In both outcomes, I was the same person possessing the same habits, intellect, skills, and abilities.  Therefore, I have often wondered why is it that at times I have succeeded and at other times have completely failed, by any external measure? 

I have been quietly reflecting on this question for over 2 years now.  I wanted to understand what was it that led to each outcome and going forward what can I learn from these experiences. I have finally come to see that when I have succeed, I have met 3 critical aspects and none have to do with my intellect, skills and abilities.  Here they are:

Clear Vision:  I could see clearly my desired outcomes (goals), see myself doing what needed to be done, who I was serving, what value I was delivering, how I was delivering the value, the business strategy (road map), to name just a few of these elements under vision. 

Strong Belief:  I firmly believed in the business, the business model, the team, the value being delivered, and how in the process I, my team, my family, and my clients were benefiting. 

Outcome Oriented  Focused Action:  Upon the foundation of clear focused vision and strong belief, I was able to act with conviction.  Bumps, while stressful at time, didn't throw me off course.  And the more I succeeded, the stronger my beliefs became, energizing me even further.  Nothing could shake me from my path.

On the other hand, when I have failed, I now realize that each of these aspects were missing.  My vision was cloudy. I didn't have a strong sense, and therefore belief, of who I am serving, what value I am delivering, and the business model.  In the absence of these factors, my efforts were half-hearted at best.  No wonder I failed.

While experiencing failure by no means was a pleasant experience, and I don't wish it on anyone, looking back I am thankful for having gone through such experiences.  I believe that today I am a better person because of it for I have learned invaluable lessons in the process.  And I see these experiences as having provided me with inner growth and now serve as stepping stones into my next phase.

So if you're in a place where things just aren't working out, ask yourself, with brutal honesty, are you clear about your vision, do you believe in that vision as well as in yourself, and are you willing to do whatever it takes. If you lack in any of these, I urge you to step back for a moment and do the work necessary, starting with within yourself, to achieve the clarity and conviction you need and then start again from that place. 

Remember, to succeed, you need all 3, and that there are no short cuts. And when you do experience set-backs, have faith that they are there for a purpose, even though you may not see it just yet.