Article I wrote.

If You Don't Take Care of The Customer Someone Else Will!
By John Baca

In the last ten years, companies have made it more difficult, more confusing, and more frustrating to deal with them than ever before. They give all the "special offers" to the new customers; they've removed human beings from answering phones and answering questions. They make us pump our own gas, check on our packages, book our own airline tickets and figure out when they've made mistakes on our accounts. They've cut their training budgets and have trimmed their service staffs to the bone. They moved their customer service departments off shore, where people don't understand how we think. Then, they charge us fees for the privilege of using their "customer" services!

Is it no wonder we've become rather selective to whom we pledge our loyalty? No, customer loyalty is not dead, but it is hurting bad. It is given only to those companies that earn it and keep earning it by delivering value and positive experiences on a consistent basis.

"If You Don't Take Care of The Customer Someone Else Will", Simply means that there are a whole lot of other companies that will gladly give customers what they are looking for. When they walk away they walk away quietly. Problem is you have to find them.

LOYAL customers give you referrals and sing your praises in your advertising and testimonials. Referral business is like "free" new customers. So the money you would have paid to GET the new customer reflects back down to your bottom line.

When we FEEL good about doing business with a company we form emotional ties, not just financial ties with them. Let's face it, customers are emotionally attached to their money - if we want them to give some of it to us - we need to get them emotionally attached to US.

Employees and Customers are people. As people we are perceptive, conscious, sensitive, alive and feeling beings! It's an essential part of our nature. When we finally recognize that in business, we'll work harder at building the emotional equity with a customer that determines whether or not they become a loyal customer or a lost customer. We come back to companies that have what we want and create a positive experience for us. We leave companies that don't have what we want or create a negative experience for us. Experience is emotional.

I want to give my money to companies that want to help me be the best ME I can be - whether I'm buying cosmetics or computers or telephone service or food. I want to do business with someone who has my best interests in mind.

"If You Don't Take Care of The Customer Someone else Will" This means a whole lot more than we ever thought. Let's start doing a better job of creating experiences that the customer perceives as positive, caring, and yes, maybe even loving.

I find it is sadly true that most companies don't have a strategic plan for keeping customers, keeping them happy OR keeping them coming back time and time again with their money and their friends. Even though Customer Loyalty was determined to be a #1 concern of major corporations, how many companies do more than pay lip service to the importance of customer service and loyalty in their organization? Your guess is as good as mine. Based on the service I receive as a customer, well, I can understand why more customers aren't loyal, can't you?

Recently, I wanted to do some spring cleaning and I wanted to rent a trash bin. I proceeded to call 10 disposal companies in my city. Only one answered the phone within 3-5 minutes, sad but true. Do they really want our business, the message while on hold says, "your call is important to us" but I wonder just how important and how they stay in business. This is a small sample of the kind of services one can expect, not only from a disposal companies, but other service companies thought out the USA. In this case, guess who got the business? Yes! the one that actually answered the phone.

What can YOU do to change that? What can you do to turn the tide on this disturbing trend and develop long lasting, loyal customer relationships?

I'll do my own research, haul my own lumber and pump my own gas - but if I'm doing the service work - then I want the lowest price possible! I'm not loyal to companies that don't care enough about me to make my experience with them easy, stress and hassle free, and pleasant.

How about you?
_____________________________________________________

John Baca
target=_bacpro43>CLICK HERE

I Will Greet This Day With Love In My Heart

I will greet this day with love in my heart.
for this is the greatest secret of success in all
ventures. Muscle can split a shield and even destroy
life but only the unseen power of love can open the
hearts of men and until I master this art I will remain
no more than a peddler in the market place. I will make love
my greatest weapon and none on whom I call can defend
against its force.

My reasoning they may counter; my speech they may
distrust; my apparel they may disapprove; my
face they may reject; and even my bargains may cause
suspicion; yet my love will melt all hearts
liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay.
I will greet this day with love in my heart.
And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look
on all things with love and I will be born again.
I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet
I will love the rain for it cleanses my sprit.
I will love the light for it shows me the way;
yet I will love the darkness for it shows me
the stars. I will welcome happiness for it
enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness
for it opens my soul. I will welcome obstacles
for they are my challenge.
I will greet this day with love in my heart.
And how will I speak? I will laud mine enemies
and they well become friends; I will encourage
my friends and they will become brothers. Always
will I dig for reasons to applaud; never will I
scatch for excuses to gossip. When I am moved to praise
I will shout from the roofs.

Is it not so that birds, the wind, the sea and all
nature speaks with music to his children? Henceforth
will I remember this secret and it will change my
life.
I will greet this day with love in my heart.
And how will I act? I will love all manners of men
for each has qualities to be admired even though
they be hidden. With love I will tear down the walls
of suspicion and hate which they have built round
their hearts and in its place will I build bridges
so that my love may enter their souls.
I will love the amibitious for they can inspire me;
I will love the failures for they can teach me. I
will love the kings for they are human; I will love
the meek for they are divine. I will love the rich
for they are yet lonely; I will love the poor for
they are so many. I will love the young for
the faith they hold; I will love the old for the wisdom
they share. I will love the beautiful for their eyes
of sadness; I will love the ugly for their souls of
peace.
I will greet this day with love in my heart.
But how will I react to the actions of others?
With love. For just as love is my weapon to open
the hearts of men,love is also my shield to repulse
the arrows of hate and the spears of anger. Adversity
and discouragement will beat against my new shield
and become as the softest of rain. My shield will
protect me in the market place and sustain me when
I am alone. It will uplift me in moments of dispair
yet it will calm me in time of exultation. It will
become stronger and more protective with use until
one day I will cast it aside and walk unencumbered
among all manners of men and,when I do, my name will
raise high on the pyramid of life.
I will greet this day with love in my heart.
And how will I confront each whom I meet? In
only one way. In silence and to myself I will
address him and say I Love You. Though spoken
in silence theses words will shine in my eyes,
unwrinkle my brow, bring a smile to my lips, and
echo in my voice; and his heart will be open.
And who is there who will say nay to my goods
when his heart feels my love?
I will greet this day with love in my heart.
And most of all I will love myself. For when I do
I will zealousy inspect all things which enter my
body, my mind, my soul, and my heart. Never will
I over indulge of my flesh, rather I will cherish
my body with cleanliness and moderation. Never
will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and
dispair, rather I will uplift it with knowledge
and wisdom of the ages. Never will I allow my soul
to become complacent and satified, rather I will feed
it with meditation and prayer. Never will I allow
my heart to become small and bitter, rather I will
share it and it will grow and warm the earth.
I will greet this day with love in my heart.
Henceforth will I love all mankind. From this moment
all hate is let from my veins for I have not time
to hate, only time to love. From this momment I take
the first step required to become a man amoung men.
With love I will increase my sales a hundredfold
and become a great saleman. If I have no other
qualities I can succeed with love alone. Without
it I will fail though I possess all the knowledge
and skills of the world.
I will greet this day with love, and I will succeed.

From: "The Greatest Salesman in The World" By
O.G. Mandino's. At your local book store.

Enjoy!
John ( bacpro)