November 2018
When You Get, Give
Oprah Winfrey says when you get, give. And once you learn, teach. I believe if we focus more on giving thanks, we will find more joy in our lives. My goal this November is to be thankful every day. If we focus on finding happiness, the bar keeps rising. It may get harder to find and become more of a challenge. But that is not the case with true joy. Last Thanksgiving, Clare and I wanted to make good use of the time we had to bless others. We decided to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at the Boise Rescue Mission. If you can serve others who are less fortunate, that is a great step toward recognizing and acting on your gratitude. As the time-worn saying goes, starting
your morning with gratitude will provide you with a better attitude.
I feel that taking time to express gratitude has made me better at my job. I’m moving from being a sales trainer and business coach to being an encourager. My favorite encourager is a man in the Bible named Barnabas. His role was to encourage Saul — who became Paul — in his quest to share the Word. We all need encouragement. Use this month of November to practice the art of being thankful. When you get, be sure to give or pass it on. When you learn, do your best to teach. I’m thankful that you read this newsletter every month and that I get to serve you. -Dave Tester
One book I encourage you to read this month is called “Miracle Morning.” It’s written by Hal Elrod. It’s a quick read. Not only will it help you wake up earlier, but it will also put your heart in the right place each day, noticing small things. Our little acreage has helped us in the practice of appreciating small things. For example, on the last day of October, our rose bush provided us with two final red roses. When we smell sugar beets, alfalfa, or even onions being harvested, we appreciate the hard work of farmers. I’m even thankful for hot water in the shower.
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Retain Employees, Retain Customers
One Relationship You Don’t Want to Take for Granted
When you have high employee turnover, chances are that you have higher-than-average customer turnover. This is a detail that too many companies overlook. If your business is customer-facing, your employees must build relationships with customers, and these relationships are key to retaining your customers’ patronage. When a customer-facing employee leaves your company, customers have to start over and build a relationship with someone new. Not every customer will be willing to do that. Their sense of loyalty has been eroded, and it gives the customer the perfect opportunity to look elsewhere for similar products or services. While employee retention is not the sole factor in customer retention, it does influence it, so examining your staff turnover rate is always a good idea. The costs associated with replacing an employee are high. You have to find the right candidate and train them. Couple that cost with the cost of losing a client, and you lose a significant amount. According to a 2015 ERE Media study, to replace an entry-level employee, it costs about 30–50 percent of that employee’s annual salary. Need to replace a midlevel employee? It costs about 150 percent of their annual salary. Get to senior or highly specialized employees, and the cost reaches about 400 percent of their annual salary.
is to retain a current customer. Considering all of these costs, why wouldn’t you do everything you can to retain good employees?
Employee retention is critical for morale. When you lose one employee, it’s not uncommon for others to follow. Of course, it’s also critical to understand why employees decide to leave. This is where in-depth exit interviews can provide valuable data. Know exactly why employees are leaving, and you can fix the problem. Additionally, consult with current employees on what the business can do better. The more you know, the more you can do. Right now, there are people on your team who are thinking about leaving your company. A 2017 Gallup survey found that 51 percent of workers are thinking about leaving their current company. The biggest reasons include a lack of advancement opportunity, poor work-life balance, and high stress. A 2017 Mercer Global Talent Trends study found that 34 percent of employees plan to leave their current position within the next 12 months. Realizing the value of your employees contributes to the success of your business. When you’re proactive and willingly cultivate a positive work environment, you retain employees. All you need to do is remember this simple equation: Happy employees = happy clients.
On the customer side of things, a Bain & Company study found that it is 5–25 percent more expensive to get a new customer than it
Tester- MONIALS Amanda Lenke - Marketing Manager, Simplicity Homes LLC
“We so appreciate what you do for us, Dave!”
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Handling Negative Customer Experience
Though many people are quick to say failure is not an option, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. If we never failed at anything, how would we learn from our mistakes? Mistakes create the building blocks to success — it might be rough and bumpy, but we learn and move forward. It’s the same when you find an angry customer on your hands. You can use the opportunity to learn and make sure their next experience is better. How do you handle a mistake? First, don’t point fingers. If a customer wasn’t satisfied with their interaction with your business, own up to it. When you try to defend yourself, it creates more issues. The customer wants the problem resolved. They don’t care about the reason you failed. Approach the problem with an open mind and calm demeanor. Let the customer know that you are sorry for your mistake, and be empathetic. As a bonus, offer them a free coupon of some kind to entice the customer to come back to your company. It shows that you are truly sorry for what they went through. Facing negative feedback through online reviews can be tricky. It can feel as though they’ll make or break your company. This, similar to talking to an angry customer, depends on how you handle the situation. One option is to focus on getting the review removed.
If you have proof that the review is untrue, this may be possible. However, if the review is correct, addressing it as politely and calmly as you can will be the best approach. Let them know you are aware of the problem and that it’s being addressed. Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s how we fix and learn from our mistakes that shows our true colors. Showing your customers you are able to handle mistakes will leave a far more lasting impression than the mistake ever will.
Take a
Claudia’s Cry-Baby Cranberry Sauce
BREAK
Ingredients
• 2 (14-ounce) cans whole-berry cranberry sauce • 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained • 1 cup chopped walnuts • 1–2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, to taste
Directions
1. Mix together cranberry sauce and crushed pineapple 2. Add to mixture walnuts and horseradish, to taste. Refrigerate or serve immediately.
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Tester TIME 17707 Madison Rd. Nampa, ID 83687 (208) 707-9807 www.dialingstrangers.com
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
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When You Get, Give
Don’t Take This Crucial Business Relationship for Granted
Tester-monial
Handling Negative Customer Experience
1 Easy Step You’re Not Taking
1 Easy Step You’re Not Taking
- “I left a voicemail.”
- “They are not interested.”
The saying goes, “If it was easy, everyone would do it!”
- “The prospect wasn’t in.”
- “I didn’t want to sound pushy.”
IF IT WAS EASY EVERYONE WOULD DO IT
I disagree.
Do these excuses sound familiar? Remember that with website leads, you only have six minutes to respond with a follow-up phone call or the prospect moves on to the next vendor. And here’s the No. 1 complaint of people looking to do business with you (or anyone): “They didn’t follow up when I called!” Make sure you have a real, live person answering the phone. Train them to ask for a name (first and last), phone number, cell phone, how the prospect heard about you, and why they are calling requesting you. Follow up the same day. Build a system around this. By the way, in terms of asking for a referral from current clients, here is the script: “Thank you for your business. By the way, what do you like best about working with us? Can you think of anything we can do better? Oh, by the way, who do you know who we should know?” Call three current customers every day. Use that script. Own that script. And, of equal importance, follow up on the leads. It’s a way to make sure you’re ahead of the competition. The remedy is easy, but again, not every business will implement it.
Because when it comes to following up with leads, it’s easy. However, fewer than 20 percent of salespeople do it. The converse of that equation means that 80 percent of leads do not receive follow-up, which is a staggering figure
that many business owners disagree with me on. I mean, they’re spending good money to get leads and hire great salespeople. How could 80 percent of leads be ignored? So, I pick up the phone and dial someone on their current customer list. On behalf of the company, I thank them for their business and ask for a referral. I usually reach one live person every six calls. Then I ask the owner whether I should follow up or let his team do it. Of course, the owner says his team will do it — that’s why he pays them, right? I follow up with his team the next week and find that 8 out of 10 calls never resulted in a conversation (80 percent ring a bell?) Why not? Here is the excuse list:
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