Smart companies realize that customers and clients are the ultimate CEOs and determiners of economic survival. (In membership organizations, members take on this role.) 

Thus, to succeed today, organizations must 1) focus on the sort of consultative, “relationship” selling that ensures success for their key clients and customers (or members), and 2) provide excellent service from top to bottom. The courses described below, geared to all levels of employees, are designed to build and sustain the long-term relationships that ensure organizational survival.  

For more information, complete course descriptions, or consultation, please click on the Contact Us button.

Clients for Life: The Power of Consultative Selling

Today, trusting, long-term relationships are the goal, not “quick sales”.  At this course, participants learn how to practice the powerful “Platinum Rule”—to give people what they want and need, not what the seller would want in that same situation. They also learn how six ways to raise the comfort level with and become more likeable to a client; how to “flex” to different personality types, generations, and organizational levels; how to lock in loyalty; what to do when clients don’t return calls; how to deal with angry, demanding, or too-chatty clients; 10 ways to keep clients during economic downturns; 10 ways to stay on a client’s radar screen; and how to reach the inner circle—to move from “helpful expert” to “trusted guru”—in 8 (not-so-easy) steps.

In short, participants learn how to make a positive impact with clients by helping more than selling, listening more than talking, problem solving more than persuading, and creating long-term partnerships rather than one-time sales. (1 day)

 

People often need to influence others’ thinking, whether those “others” are legislators, a board of directors, customers, employees, or volunteers. At this workshop, participants learn more than 20 motivators which cause people to buy products, services, and ideas. They also discover how to persuade by meeting the psychological needs of four personalities. Participants learn an acronym (S.M.A.C.K.) to simplify complicated concepts and make their message convincing and compelling; three ways to improve their presentations, and finally, how to use their own natural enthusiasm to get their message across. (2 hours.  For a more in-depth training program, please see “Persuasive Presentations” in the “Presentations and Training” section.)  

How front-line employees manage customers’ behaviors can make or break a business. At this workshop, participants learn how to handle three challenging customers—those who are “good” (but endlessly chatty), those who are “mad” (angry or hostile about something specific), and those who are “ugly” (constantly demanding.) These techniques work as well with face-to-face encounters as over the phone, and as well with internal customers (fellow employees) as they do with external ones.  (1 to 2 hours) 

 

World-class customer service doesn't happen by accident. It results from extensive customer surveys, strong alignment of policies with organizational core values, careful hiring and training, and constant motivating and monitoring—in other words, from a non-stop attention to detail. In this seminar, participants learn how their organization can build and maintain a strong service focus, from the top down and from the bottom up. They get at least 50 solid, practical strategies to move from customer satisfaction to lasting customer enthusiasm. They can also learn the customer service secrets of legendary companies like Southwest Airlines, Disney, the Seattle Fish Market, and others, so that they can, as Tom Peters advises, “Steal from the best, and then adapt.” (½ day)

 

Customers sometimes don’t give people (whether frontline employees or sales professionals) the respect they deserve because they simply don’t look or sound authoritative. This session reveals how to convey competence and confidence. It shows participants how to build an image from the inside out, through professional bearing, mannerisms, and speech patterns. (1 hour to ½ day)

 

The “Platinum Rule” is even more powerful than the “Golden Rule.”  It urges one to give people what they want and need, not what the giver would want in that same situation. In this workshop, participants learn how to make a positive impact with customers by advising more than selling, listening more than talking, problem solving more than persuading, and creating long-term relationships rather than one-time sales. They also learn how to focus on the needs of four personality types, so they can produce a win, win, win outcome—for themselves, the client or customer, and the company. Finally, participants consider the features of their company’s products and services, and learn how to translate those features into benefits. (½ day)

 

Today, providing super service isn’t optional—it’s the key to surviving in an increasingly competitive business climate. Customers want organizations to know and exceed their expectations, demonstrate that the company cares for them, and work immediately and decisively on their behalf when problems arise. This training program shows participants how to do exactly that, by teaming up to ensure world-class service. 

Because Jeanne designs training to meet or exceed our customers’ expectations, this program is custom-made to your company’s unique needs. Most organizations include units on why a customer leaves and the cost of a lost customer; how to create positive “moments of truth;” how to build rapport and show empathy; how to use the semantics  of superior service (tone of voice and choice of words); how to explain policies politely; how to handle difficult customers; and more. For some clients, the “FISH” approach (popularized by the legendary Seattle Fish Market) is appropriate, and Jeanne presents a workshop using the video. 

(½ day to 2 days long. Because the program is custom-designed, it can also be delivered in units which best meet your time-frame needs. For instance, a full-day course can be delivered in four 2-hour modules, two half-day modules, or one full-day module.)

 

Whether someone is promoting a product, a service, or an idea, s/he must appeal to people’s self-interest, make the message understandable, and get their commitment. At this presentation, participants are given 10 persuasive keys to unlock the doors of client acceptance. And the acronym P.E.R.S.U.A.S.I.O.N. makes each proven technique easy to immediately recall and apply. (1 hour. “Ten Keys” is often used as a conference presentation, and  it is also part of the 1½-day course called, “Persuasive Presentations,” detailed above.)