We are so excited to welcome Donna Cutting to the spectacular lineup of powerful women in our first Ladies In Business Today series. In addition to participating in our interview, Donna is in the midst of a blog tour to showcase her new book “The Celebrity Experience!” This book is definitely a “must-read” for every entrepreneur, no matter what stage your business is in and I highly recommend that you follow the links at the bottom of this post and get your very own copy! Your customers should not have to satisfied with receiving good customer service . . . but they should expect red-carpet customer service or The Celebrity Experience!
In 1987 I was part of the first full-fledged acting troupe for the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. We descended on the town of Lititz, PA in June for two months of rehearsals before the Faire began. Thirty or forty actors were housed in what used to be a Lutheran Church on the corner of 501 and West Orange Street. There, for two months, we lived, laughed, ate, slept, rehearsed and took lessons in stage combat, Elizabethan culture, history and dialect, and improvisation.
Twenty years later as I prepared to write The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service, an improvisational game we used to play in our rehearsal hall (the old church sanctuary) called “Yes And.” In this game, two actors would be in a circle and one would start a scene. He’d say something like “Ah, my long lost brother, I have looked so long and hard to find you.” The second actor would say “Yes and . . ,” then add to the scene. For instance, “Yes and I have been abroad and seen the most fascinating sights.” The first actor would respond with “Yes and . . . ” – you get the picture.
The idea was to teach us to ADD to a scene, not “negate” it or “neg” the other actor (as we liked to say.) If the second actor had replied, “I’m not your long lost brother,” the scene would go nowhere. So it is with customer service.
When I asked myself, “How can we treat our every day customers like celebrities” the answer came – by saying YES more often. You see, the difference between you, me and Julia Roberts is that when Julia Roberts requests something the answer is always yes! No matter how unusual the request, everyone around her works to figure out how to make it happen. You might say they OWN her request.
So often the rest of us are used to hearing “No” from service professionals. How many times have we longed to hear “Yes, and I can help you with that problem,” only to hear instead, “Sorry, can’t help you” or “No, the policy is.” You call the mortgage company with a problem and they tell you to call the insurance company, who tells you to call the mortgage company, etc. The scene goes nowhere. You might say we constantly get “negged” when all we want is for someone to own the problem.
If you want to have a reputation for better customer service (and get more referrals in the process) consider using this old improvisational technique. The next time a customer comes to you with a problem, think “Yes and . . .,” then find a way to help them.
For instance:
- A woman found that her grocery store was out of two items needed for a special meal she was preparing that night. A clerk got in his own car and drove to another store (in the same chain), picked up the two items and had them for the customer before she had checked out. She continues to tell everyone she knows about the outstanding service she received.
- The hospice nurse who knew her patient was upset he wouldn’t see his horse again before he died, and found a way to bring the horse to his hospital window so he could say goodbye. The family tells the story to this day.
- A restaurant owner who started to turn away two customers when they arrived five minutes after closing. Instead, he invited them in and brought out everything that was still available in the kitchen. They had a grand time and have introduced no less than 30 people to that restaurant.
These people are all masters of “Yes, and.” As a result, they’ve got loyal customers who are buzzing about their business or service.
The question is, how creative can you be when a customer comes to you with a dilemma? When you answer with a “Yes, and” you’ll find yourself with more buzz, more referrals, and more business.
Donna Cutting is the author of The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service and a frequent keynote speaker on the topics of employee engagement and customer service.
This guest blog post was part of the beginning of a virtual blog tour for Donna’s book. You can read more about her book by visiting these blogs:
Teresa Morrow http://www.keybusinesspartners.com/2008/09/17/giving-your-customers-the-celebrity-experience/
Dr. Sally Witt www.drsallywitt.com
And tomorrow the virtual book blog tour continues at these blogs:
Beverly Mahone http://www.talk2bev.blogspot.com
Terry Booth http://nashvillerealestateblogger.com/
Denise O’Berry http://www.allbusiness.com/operations/3357-1.html
Follow this link to buy the book: Purchase Donna Cutting’s book
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