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No
Excuse Customer Service:
a Customer Service Article by Charles Marshall
Enjoy No
excuse customer service,
a
customer service article by Charles Marshall. After completing the article, we invite you to read additional more motivational and customer service article selections from our
Motivational Column page.
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No excuse customer service
Okay, you’ve made the sale, but how far are you willing
to go to turn the customer into a client? Only one thing will accomplish this:
superb customer service.
So, then the question becomes: How far are you willing
to go to provide service to your customers? What are you willing to do to
differentiate the quality of your service from your competitor’s? Are you
aware of the invisible line forming in back of you which consists of people
who want a chance to win your customer’s business? What are you going to do to
make sure they never have that chance?
Last November I was mountain biking in the woods, hit a
tree root, and went flying over the handle bars. I sat on the ground for a few
minutes taking inventory of all my parts and, after determining that none were
missing, I got back on the bike and finished my ride. After I got back home,
though, I noticed that my side didn’t feel quite right. I was a bit achy and
my side felt pinched whenever I sat down or got back up.
After about two weeks of this, I was out in the yard
trying to catch my dog. As he darted past me, I reached out and tried to grab
him and that’s when I felt (and heard) the snap of my ribs. I looked at my
wife right at that moment and told her that I had broken my ribs.
The pain was intense. I could barely move without an
excruciating stab of pain shooting through my side. But my real problem was
that December was rapidly approaching, and that is one of my busiest times of
the year. I realized that cancelling this late in the game would mean
disappointing literally thousands of people.
The first weekend in December was my biggest
challenge--traveling 7000 miles in four day to do four events. I wanted to
quit before I even began but instead I made myself a deal.
I told myself that if at any time during the trip I
found the pain was too great and I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, I
would hop a plane and go home.
That one thought allowed me to go from event to event,
one step at a time. The amazing thing was that I was able to complete all my
events and fulfill all my commitments for not only that weekend but the entire
the month of December, traveling almost 16,000 miles during the month.
I heard fitness expert Jillian Michaels once say that
most people have no idea how much they are capable of because they don’t push
themselves.
It’s easy to apply this principle to personal
development, but do any of us bother to apply it to our jobs and businesses?
How far will you push yourself for the sake of your customer? For the sake of
your business? For the sake of your career? For the sake of your dreams? How
much are you willing to suffer, sacrifice, or endure to get the job done?
Are you going to give up and settle for less, or are
you going to endure the pain and see your task through to the end?
I believe that we are capable of more than we know. But
we’ll never realize our potential unless we challenge ourselves to go beyond
that which we believe we are capable. In my experience, the businesses and
individuals that succeed are the ones that are willing to push themselves and
explore their potential. In short, success is not only possible, but I believe
probable, if you are willing to work through the pain.
© 2010 Charles Marshall. Charles Marshall is a nationally known humorous
motivational speaker and author. Visit his Web site at http://www.charlesmarshall.net
or contact him via e-mail at
charles@charlesmarshall.net.
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