Are You Providing A White Glove, Cherry On The Top, First-Class Type Client Experience?

“The way to a customer’s heart is much more than a loyalty program. Making customer evangelists is about creating experiences worth talking about.”

Valeria Maltoni

As we start off our time together, as I ask you to think about the following...

Are you creating experiences worth talking about with your clients? What are you doing to keep your clients coming back for more and more and more of what you have to offer?

In today's radically and highly competitive sales world, what got you to where you're at with your clients, will not keep you there moving forward.

The title of this week's message just might be a cold glass of water for many of you, Are You Providing A White Glove, Cherry On The Top, First-Class Type Client Experience?

If you said yes, how do you know you are? If there is a bit of silence, then you have some work to do.

As we get started let's unpack two words that quite often get intermixed in sales - the use of customer and client.

What does it mean when using both?

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a customer is someone who buys goods or services from a store or business. Let's just say transactional in nature.

The word client can also mean customer, but it has a separate definition as someone who receives professional services. Let's refer to this as transformational in nature.

When it comes to keeping people talking about what YOU do would you like them using the word transactional or transformational?

Therefore, let's adjust our mindset and gain a complete understanding around the use of these two words. Customers are typically people who buy products or services that you supply. Conversely, clients buy and seek out your personalized advice to their particular needs.

When it comes to the experience they receive this can be based on quite a few things, but I believe it boils down to perception. It's the perception these people have of you that determines your sales fate, longevity and sustainability.

Are you building a transactional customer experience or a transformational client experience?

Think about this one for a moment... Do you view your customers as customers, or do you view them as clients? How many of you view them as clients but treat them as customers?

Would you even know?

At this very moment in time, would you know when a customer becomes a client, or the other way around?

You see, when a client becomes a customer, this becomes a problem. I ask you to think about what I just said, and now think of the word... Attrition.

To quote the legendary Walt Disney,

“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.”

FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE

Are you going the extra mile to create a first-class experience?

When it comes to going the extra mile, it would be remiss of me, if I didn't bring in a Napoleon Hill reference,

“An important principle of success in all walks of life and in all occupations is a willingness to Go the Extra Mile; which means the rendering of more and better service than that for which one is paid, and giving it in a positive mental attitude.” 

To go the extra mile, let's unpack a first-class experience.

This experience is characterized by exceptional service, personalized attention, and a focus on exceeding expectations. It's about creating a positive, memorable and heartfelt interaction that not only meets one's needs but also makes them feel valued, appreciated and heard.

Here are a few key aspects...

1. Personalization: Treat people as individuals as you tailor your interactions to their preferences, needs, and desires.
2. Ease and Convenience: Making it easy and seamless for people to do work with you.
3. Consistency: Delivering a consistently consistent experience with every interaction and engagement.
4. Feedback: Actively seek feedback and use it to improve. This demonstrates that you listen and take action as this is a powerful way to build trust.

You do not need permission for you to go the extra mile or to provide a first-class experience.

In an ever-changing competitive business landscape, you must look for smart answers to an extremely urgent question:

How can you protect your client base from erosion as competition intensifies? 

I believe true loyalty breeds true loyalty.

If you want your clients to give you their hard-earned corporate dollars, then you must be willing to continually, faithfully and without any hesitation give a rip about them.

If you want your clients to be forever committed to you, then ensure you're endlessly devoted to them. It’s straightforward and that simple, yet so difficult for many to wrap their minds around.

Here's a little secret... all of you have a first-class seat and so does the competition.

The question becomes...

What are you going to bring to the seat?

PROVIDE A WHITE GLOVE EXPERIENCE

How many of you are providing a white glove and bottle of wine type experience?

I encourage all of you, stop imitating and start innovating.

When it comes to delivering an outstanding experience, far too many in sales are content and complacent.

Success breeds complacency and mediocrity

According to the Forrester analysis published in the Harvard Business Review years ago:

“13% of companies said that they’ll settle for nothing less than having the best customer experience across every industry — in other words, these companies want to be the next Apple, Disney, or Zappos.”

This leaves a whopping 87% of companies who will settle for less than the best when it comes to their customer experience!

Let's think of this in sales terms... How many of you talk about the amazing, over-the-top and outstanding level of service you will provide but ride off into the sunset once the honeymoon is over and you deposit your commission check?

A few years ago, McKinsey and Company, published an article titled, "The future of customer experience: Personalized, white-glove service for all"

In this article, they state, "The modern reality: White-glove service is both inevitable and economical."

A white glove experience is,

"Characterized by attention to detail, convenience, speed, and emotional fulfillment, this high standard of service offers solutions, products, and services that are tailored to each customer’s specific and unique needs."

Have I got you thinking about buying a pair of white gloves?

We all know it because we crave it as well, today's buyer (and you're one of them as well) expect highly personalized service.

According to McKinsey and Company, providing white glove service offers several benefits:

1. Deeper customer trust and loyalty - starts by creating a seamless experience.
2. Reduced costs - start by tailoring solutions to meet individual needs. As an example, offering a simple apology rather than a gift card when things do not goes as planned.
3. Increased revenue - start creating highly individualized and personalized interactions based upon a needs approach as a replacement to the standard one-size-fits-all approach to service expectations.

A white glove experience offers a massively high return on investment.

YOU ARE THE EXPERIENCE

It doesn't take a lot for you to go the extra mile. You must show you care.

This is the core foundation of what it means to sell from the heart (check out Selling From The Heart). It's all about bringing the human approach to sales, making it about your clients and what’s important to them.

You will hear us say, "It's just about giving a rip!"

Your clients are willing to pay for the experience. Go no further than Starbucks.

What's the difference between a cup of coffee from Starbucks and that of a competitor? Simple, the hyper personalized experience.

Check out the book, The Starbucks Experience by Joseph A. Michelli.

I encourage to you to apply the five Starbucks pillars to how you deliver an exceptional, cherry on top white glove experience, then start to watch your sales soar.

Make it your own - Based upon the 5 ways of being. 

• Be welcoming
• Be genuine
• Be considerate
• Be knowledgeable
• Be involved

Everything matters

• Everyone matters

Surprise and delight

• Look for genuine opportunities to do the positively unexpected. 

Embrace resistance

• Do not hide from difficult challenges.

Leave your mark

• When employees’ work environments match their personal values, they are more productive. 

Again, YOU are the experience between you and your clients. Reflect upon the 5 Starbucks pillars and ask yourself:

• How consistently welcoming am I with my clients?
• What details do I tend to overlook with my clients?
• Where can I offer more surprise or delight with my clients?
• In what situations do I embrace resistance in working with my clients?
• What mark am I leaving with my clients? 

THE ONE THING

What is the one special and unique thing that you can provide to your clients? I urge you to uncover what it is because this is what will differentiate you from all the others in sales.

Start getting your clients talking about the experiences they have with you.

I encourage you to bring something amazing to the business table. It's you that makes the difference. It's not your products, your service or your company; it's you. It's how you show up and how you deliver it that makes the difference.

Do not forget, you are 100% responsible for this.

"Providing an outstanding client experience should be a pleasure not a headache."

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.