Can customers really be drawn to you, almost like a magnet?
May 31, 2008
One of the top business, sales, and marketing experts on earth is Mr. Dan Kennedy. Dan has won international recognition as a “millionaire-maker,” helping people in dozens of different businesses turn their ideas into fortunes.
When entrepreneur magazine says about you: “Dan Kennedy has 101 money making ideas for any business owner.”, that is powerful stuff. He is able to take his principles and put them to work for his clients in any industry or business. He currently works with clients in roughly 60 businesses. In any given year, he’ll make as much as a quarter million dollars in a month providing strategies in direct marketing, copywriting and marketing materials, video production and infomercials and profit improvement systems.
Kennedy’s clients include everything from sole entrepreneurs to huge corporations. Here are just a few examples - there’s the husband-and-wife couple who came to Dan with an idea, a mountain of debt, and failing advertising. Less than two years later, they have zero debt and a home-based mail-order business generating over 200 000.00 a month at about a 40% profit margin.
Or, there’s the now-giant Guthy-Renker Corporation, famous for its celebrity infomercials with Victoria Principal and Vanna White, and its Tony Robbins infomercials. Guthy-Renker is a 200-million dollar+ a year business now, and Dan’s been a key member of their brain trust since their very first infomercial (Think And Grow Rich). Or there’s U.S. Gold, a company that has twice increased its sales by millions with Dan Kennedy provided marketing breakthroughs. And the list goes on and on and on.
In the case of my business, Dan brought it to good health with one simple principle I wasn’t applying. I think it is a principle ignored by many businesses. It is the principle of total customer value. Basically, the crucial skill of having relationships with existing customers is an essential profit center. He sees it as even more vital than how well a business is attracting new customers.
We turned our whole business around by focusing greater attention and energy to providing excellent customer service. One of the skills that goes with this focus is handling customer complaints. Learning how to handle customer difficulties in a way that grows the customer’s loyalty rather than fractures it.
A client can take offense to a number of things when it comes to doing business with you. Whether it be the actual product, your prices, or your customer service, some clients just find things to gripe about. And you can’t ignore their complaints. Instead, acknowledge their problem and defuse the situation by:
Thanking them. Often the customer will express themselves impolitely. Start by thanking them regardless. None of this is personal. Stay calm and composed.
Beginning your phrase with, “Let me see if I understand you completely.” Then restate the complaint of the customer. This accomplishes two things. First, it gives the customer pause and a moment to calm down. Second, it shows that you are listening and taking their concerns seriously.
Finding at the very least one thing in their complaints that you agree with. It doesn’t matter how unfounded their complaint is in your mind, you should pick out one major point you agree with. Build your response around that point. For instance: “Well, Mr. Johnson, I can totally relate to you being upset about the late delivery. I will make sure that it doesn’t happen again. Now, about your other concerns. This shows them you are not defensive about the situation, and you are not interested in making excuses, but solving the problem.
Solving the customer’s problem. The client picks a fight, not to fight, but to be heard and make you understand that there is a problem. It’s your role to play along and stay locked in on solving the problem. These situations handled correctly are when true customer loyalty is build. Success here adds to your total customer value and your profits.
I will tell you without hesitation that these techniques saved my business. I knew nothing about total customer value and what it meant to my bottom line. The understanding of the importance of TCV will make you stronger in customer service all by itself. Dan’s “Magnetic Marketing” is the ultimate resource for marketing principles that work to change the fortunes of your business, fast. It is these simple, low cost to no cost strategies, which make the biggest difference. Before Magnetic Marketing, I was ignorant to these concepts.
Dan backs up Magnetic Marketing with a full year’s money back guarantee. Anytime you want to send it back, there will be no hassles, just a full refund. I think that many times, the student really has to be ready for the right teacher appears. With a new business, with limited money to lose, missteps or wrong trails can destroy you before you even start. If you are already going, but just haven’t solved the riddle of how to market for big money profits, you might be ready for Dan Kennedy and the magic of Magnetic Marketing. It could make all the difference and you have nothing at all to lose.
My advice would be to copy those that have had success. Take the trail blazed by the millionaire business man.