Franks 10 Rules on Keeping Customers Loyal

1. Never let personal needs, self-pride or prejudices get in the way of doing what is right for the customer

2. Appreciate the customers’ business – and tell them through your work, your attitude and communication

3. Pay attention to detail

4. Support your products, your team members, your company and your industry

5. Always look for ways to make it easier and more pleasant to do business with you (be compared to a five star restaurant)

6. Listen to your customers, get the details right

7. Script out and practice what you are going to say and how you are going to do it

8. You don’t know everything

9. Remember, nobody is perfect. Sometimes people screw up

10.Don’t ever be afraid to say “I’m sorry”, even if it isn’t your fault

Do You Do Business With People You Don't Like?

Recently I presented a Customer Satisfaction workshop in Las Vegas at the ACCA "Raise the Stakes" Annual Conference. There was probably 150 - 200 people in my class.

That evening at one of the social events one of the participants came up to me and said; "I was in your class today. You know I saw you speak on the same subject once before and didn't realize it was going to be the same material. I was considering getting up and going to one of the others, but I stayed till the end". I asked him why he stayed, and he said; "I like you and I like what you have to say".

After thinking about this, I realized that I need to add one more essential ingredient to the customer satisfaction pyramid. THE CUSTOMER MUST LIKE YOU.

Think about it, no matter how efficient the service or competitive the price, if you don't like someone, you won't do business with them. Just yesterday morning I called my new accountant's office and asked for a document to help me organize my taxes. The rep on the phone informed me that I am not in the system and she does not provide these documents if you are not in the system. . . leaving me no option for anything else. So naturally I just sat quietly on the phone waiting and she said "hello, are you there? I said yes. She said "Is there anything I can help you with?" I responded, "I don't know, I am not sure what I am allowed to do or say since I am not in your system." Then she asked my name again and now found me in the system. No apology, nothing. At this point, I am debating whether to do business with these people because, I do not like the lady that answered the phone. This doesn't have to happen.

Want to grow your business? Make friends and be nice. Get people to like you. Doesn't seem that difficult to me.

What Makes YOU So Special?

Why Would Someone Do Business With You Rather than Your Competition?

Your answer better not be lower price. You know better than that! My good friend Alex Walter keeps reminding me to tell you that you need to raise your price anyway!

What makes you better, is a question you need to ask yourself on regular basis. Why? If your answer sounds like a good to you and your friends, than you can expect your customers to believe it too!

At a recent workshop of mine I invited Thomas Jackson, CEO of Jackson systems and Duane Shover of Momentum Business Results to speak about their businesses. Tom Jackson immediately began speaking about how his organization can help the contractor improve his business, increase profitability and add value-added services to their customer base. Duane Shover spent a little bit over an hour discussing how small incremental improvements in your business will turn into momentum results with minimal effort.

Both speakers main topics revolved around the idea that you must offer services and experiences for your customer that your competition does not offer or is not willing to offer. A simple promise like "Satisfaction Guarantee", "Drug-Free Workplace" or "We Promise to Arrive When Promised or Your Service Call is Free" will make all of the difference in the world!

You're not in the business of selling boxes of equipment off of some shelf. Realize that what you offer is a great service experience and you commit to deliver as promised, and that they will be thrilled with what you did, no matter what.

If you have not already done so, take a moment to review my schedule below and sign up for a class that will change the way you do business forever. There is plenty of room to move upward. There are more than enough contractors going broke, Don't be one of them.

How Are Your New Years Resolutions Holding Up?

It's 2012 and I'm sure everyone has already started to follow through on some of our resolutions, ideas and objectives that we had meticulously worked on back in the fall or winter of 2011. By now everyone should be getting used to writing 2012 instead of 2011. Or . . . maybe not.

As professionals, we have every intention of making the appropriate changes and improvements that we've been thinking about for months or maybe years. Then, a repeat of 2011 happens. We get too busy once again to do anything differently than we've been doing. We get so overwhelmed with the day to day challenges that we cannot find time, not even one hour a week to devote to our new ideas. Eventually our excitement and motivations of making these great changes eventually fades away, just like they have every prior year. And nothing is implemented.

I remember watching a program on television a few years ago where the guest speaker was discussing the importance of daily exercise. He mentioned that we have to set aside the time to exercise just as we set aside time to eat and use the bathroom. This comment really hit home for me and got me started on a regular exercise routine. I also realized that the same applies in my business. It is essential that specific time is dedicated to work on projects or resolutions just in the same way that time is set aside to eat lunch or breakfast. It is way too easy to just put off change if we look at the process as an additional task or workload. A determination and priority to make it part of the daily routine must be established and followed through on.

When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great.

An economics professor made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class "... All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. Could not be any simpler than that. (Please pass this on)
These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work and sit around protesting because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

Planning for 2012

It's that time of year when I begin contemplating about how my year turned out and what I need to do, or plan to do for next year. Because of that, I created a checklist of questions for my contractor friends to help you plan for the new year. This is simply a list of things to get you thinking on some possible improvements in your life and business.
What are the obvious issues and challenges that have propped up over and over again that need resolution so that it doesn't repeat in 2012? (make a plan of action for resolution)
What are the training needs of your employees and what could be done to fulfill those needs? Include yourself in this group.
Take time to evaluate new technologies and software that will enhance and improve your business objectives and personal productivity.
What kind of things do you need to stop doing that really add no value to your career or business?
What kind of things do you need to start doing that adds value to your career and business?
Take some time to evaluate all of your financials and determine what part of your business may need some attention, change, updating etc. to reduce overhead, and increase net profit margin.
Make it a point to solicit ideas and recommendations from your team members. Believe me, I've got some of the best ideas from the folks on the front lines. Unfortunately in most cases they are never listened to. So try listening and if it pays off, they should be rewarded accordingly.

Would You Spend $49.99 to Get Some Great Business Tips?

Basically, Frank Besednjak has decided to make segments of his great workshops available for viewing online. He has teamed up with Nordyne University to help create one of the worlds best overall HVAC Business training and support online networks available anywhere! These programs are professionally produced in a professional studio.

The first in a series of online seminars is now available. This program is a compilation of great ideas and methods used by some of the best contractors in the country. The title is "Simple Tools To Increase Profit Margins Now" and that is exactly what it is!

This first program focuses on some basic fundamental ideas that you could use right now to battle the issues of this economy and help move you ahead of your competition.

The $49.99 price is a limited time offer and will not last , so take advantage of this special price and watch the program today!

Here is a description of the program content: Just click anywhere below to view the video:
"A presentation and discussion on new and proven ideas, methods and systems currently practiced by successful contractors to gain a competitive advantage in their market. This program is designed to increase overall business performance by offering participants new methods, ideas and strategies that will enhance employee professionalism, improve profitability and increase customer loyalty."