| What do Olympians and Hall of Fame athletes
all have in common?
"Peak performers and high achievers have a bias to
action." So says Bill Cole, MS, MA, known as America's Mental Game Coach. According
to Cole, who coaches Davis Cup Tennis Players, Olympians and executive achievers:
"high achievers can't wait to get started, they want to take action now, have a
can-do attitude, and a 'good as done' vision of success that drives them."
Cole knows! He has coached professional tennis clients at
the US Open and Wimbledon in 2001; "peak performers consider their success a done
deal and act with confidence, starting projects now and adjusting as they go along."
The same holds true for the best sales and customer
service practices. For example, top service and sales professionals:
- See a need and fill it (exemplifying this same 'bias to
action')
- Anticipate a problem and head it off (proactively serving)
- Don't rest on their laurels or reputation ("standing
pat")
- Are always looking for better ways to serve their customers
(continuously refining and improving)
- Explore new and emerging markets before their competition
- Respond immediately to serve customers in need
It is said that there are two types of people in our world:
Those who make it happen (demonstrating this bias to action) and those who let things
happen to them (the passive set).
Those in the latter group, who 'lay back and wait,' are
wont to ask "what happened?" as their customers migrate toward those more biased
to action. Make sure your service staff and sales professionals are biased to action. Can
you answer these questions about your own staff?
- Do they anticipate their customers' needs?
- Are they poised to serve? (If not, they'll swerve
reflexively when they should serve instead.)
- Are they trained and empowered to act independently without
supervision or permission?
The Ritz-Carlton hotel staff is not only trained to serve,
but empowered to rectify problems wherever and whenever they are found. Each employee, at
any time, is authorized to spend up to $150 per guest to fix a problem or rectify an
unsatisfactory situation to the benefit of a hotel guest. The results: Instant action! No
excuses such as "I don't have the authority…" or "it's not my
responsibility."
Your staff should similarly be biased to action to solve
problems, improve systems, train new personnel, up-sell and cross-sell, and enhance
customers' experiences in any number of ways. Once you are biased in this way the
opportunities to serve multiply. The difference is in one's orientation. When you are
looking for ways to serve customers they suddenly appear, in little and big ways.
Customers pine for staffs that are more than pledged to
serve, but poised to serve. Help your staff be biased to action and the reaction of
customers will be great. On your marks, get set, ACT! |
