Brad Rhame

Motivational Thoughts on Success, Leadership and Martial Arts

Archive for the category “Business”

11 Jul 2022

The Art of Customer Service

The basis of the words “Customer” and “Service” come from “Custom” and “Serve”.

When we are helping anyone anywhere in the world and offering them elite customer service, then we should be serving them in a customized way.

Too often people think of customer service as a way to ask, “How may I help you?” and then proceed with generic or common answers. The art of customizing every interaction is lost in the mundane daily tasks. We get so caught up in making every day the same and thinking that every customer is the same, that we forget that the experience is what brings people back to our establishment, time and time again.

If a woman walks into a clothing store and beelines for the “Customer Service Counter” so she can complain about a transaction or return a piece of clothing, then we should be asking questions with the intent of listening. We should seek out ways to make this experience better and at the same time make it unique to her. Everything starts with body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

There are tons of YouTube videos and books on body language. There are even college classes that have this as part of the curriculum. With that said, I do not feel the need to go in-depth on body language, facial expressions and tone of voice.

What I would like to say about those things is to picture yourself speaking with the nicest person in the world or that you know. Imagine they are standing right in front of you. By changing the way you interact with someone, it can affect the way they respond

We all have bad days. We all get tired of doing the same thing every day. At the same time, we get tired of not having a good experience at an establishment. I can’t think of one person who wakes up and thinks, “I sure hope everywhere I go today gives me a hard time and makes it miserable to be there!” Each of us desires to enjoy ourselves and if we aren’t, then we hope someone changes that for us.

And if that doesn’t happen, then we usually end up going somewhere else.

My goal is to be the best at customer service, that anyone has ever seen. I know that by having that standard I will give them great service in my eyes and hopefully in their eyes too. We can’t make everyone happy or super excited that they met us, but we can always give it our best shot.

So, the next time someone walks up to you lift your body from the chest, reach for their hand (if it is appropriate), give them a good handshake with an even better smile and ask them what you can do for them. Then, proceed to listen, as if this person is your favorite person in the world to be around. Give them your undivided attention and truly seek to understand their problem or desire. Then, do everything you can to make that happen. And never let them go without doing something extra for them.

I used to work at a pizza joint that had an acronym of AGG. Apologize. Give them what they want. Give them something extra. Giving something extra doesn’t always have to be physical or tangible. It could be an extra bit of advice, directions or a recommendation. People love great service. They love to be entertained.

Why do we go to amusement parks?

Why do we go to comedy clubs?

Why do we go to movie theaters?

Yep, for entertainment. We love to be entertained. We love the experience. We love walking out of a place with a smile on our face and our heart feeling full.

That is the purpose of CUSTOMer SERVice.

Make it unique.

Make is special.

Make it as effortless for them as possible.

If you do this, then you will always have customers and you will always be in business.

I promise!

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28 Jul 2018

Watch as Gary Vaynerchuk teaches you how to mass produce your content

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6428628857133236224

This flip chart, that Gary V and his team put together, might be the best content I have seen in awhile! Pull out your notebook and get ready to take some notes. You will not be disappointed. I call this…”Simple, yet Profound”

Posted in Business, Motivation | Leave a comment
28 Feb 2016

Sales, Stories, and Car Accidents – by Brad Rhame

My entire “driving” life I have always wondered why people feel the need to slow down, when driving past an accident.  I mean, they see stuff like this or worse on TV…right?!  Well, it finally made sense to me over twenty years later.

 

I was driving home last night and came to find out that I couldn’t even pull down my street, because there was a car that had crashed into a telephone pole and knocked down a power line.  My family was outside watching everything happen and so I joined them.  We were like bugs attracted to a light.  With all the ambulance, police and fire department lights, we were all amazed at what was going on.

 

As I was standing there watching this event unfold, I realized I was like one of “those people” who would slow down at an accident to see what was going on.  Then, I remembered a YouTube video that I had watched a couple days earlier, by Christine Clifford.  She was talking about selling to people through the use of stories.  Her main point was to use your story to get people interested in your product or service.

 

This all made sense as we were standing there at the car accident site.  We were wanting to know the story of what happened.  This required us to pay attention to the details, through our eyes and ears.  When we finally had most of the details, we were able to put the story together for others to hear.

 

That is why we go and see movies, read books, and listen to music.  We want a story told to us.  People love stories and some love telling those stories.  Think of how people gather around to hear others tell an amazing event that happened to them.  That is why it is so important to be a good story teller.

 

Those who can master the art of story telling can transfer that into their sales presentations.  By capturing a client’s attention, through the art of story telling, we can give them a better idea of how our product or service works.  So, if you want to become great at sales, then you need to master the art of telling a good story…your story.

 

There is one nice thing that this revelation has done for me twenty years later.  I won’t become frustrated anymore at people, in traffic, who slow down to watch an accident.  They are just looking for a story to tell.

 

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03 Nov 2015
2 Comments

The Number One Requirement for Achieving Success

Everyone is looking for the secret to achieving their dreams.  The one idea or act that will help them conquer all their obstacles.  Well, there is a “secret” that everyone knows, but not everyone practices.

It’s called Selling.

If you can’t sell yourself on getting out of bed, then you will miss out on life.  If you can’t sell yourself on losing weight, then you will always be out of shape.  If you can’t sell your boss on getting a raise, then you will be in the same financial situation as the year before.

Everything in life requires selling.  Everything.

Selling is an art.  To sell well, requires constant focus.  Just like losing weight or anything worth achieving in life, you have to be willing to do the work.  Too many people live life like a lottery game.  They are just hoping that one day everything will come together.  Well…life doesn’t work like that.  If you are hoping that things will change, then you have to be willing to change them.  Take control of your life.

Selling is used everyday by children, who are looking to get something from their parents.  Selling is used by doctors, who have to convince their patients to get better.  Selling is used by teachers who have to persuade their students to do their homework or study for a test.  We are selling ourselves everyday in everything we do.

If you want to offer life more, then learn the art of selling, persuading, convincing or whatever other word you want to call it.  Selling will always be a part of our lives.  We just have to realize it and know how to use it.

Posted in Business, Leadership, Motivation and tagged , , , , ,
13 Mar 2015

How Great Managers Succeed – by Brad Rhame

Good mangers manage processes, while Great managers lead people.  I have a saying I like to throw around and that is, “Companies(buildings) don’t run themselves.”  It takes people working together to build a great company.  People can make or break a business…daily.

 

Have you ever arrived at where you were going, when you never had a destination in the first place?  What about getting to that same place, for the first time, without a map?  That is precisely why companies have vision and mission statements.  They also have an assortment of goals that keep them on the road(mission) to success(vision).

 

Those things are definitely needed for a company to become great.  It is also highly recommended that current and potential clients be given first class treatment.  You want them coming back and they are your biggest advertisers.

 

It is great to want to put the customers/clients first, but if your team is not happy, then you are not growing(in a healthy way).  Sure, a company can grow, but the turnover will be higher, if the employees are not put first.  Happy employees make for happier customers.

 

As a manager you need to control the processes, while tactfully leading your employees.  They need to know you have their back, or a time will come when you need them to have yours and they will not be there.  Employees are like plants that need to be nurtured.  They also need breathing room and the ability to grow.  Some need more attention than others.  There needs to be a balance of positive feedback and constructive criticism.

 

There are some employees that are like loyal dogs.  You can beat them daily and they keep coming back.  Sometimes it is because the money is too good and other times it is because they cannot get another job…right now.  The days of “old school” management are over.  People want to be treated better than fair, whether customer or employee.

 

If you want to have a chance at becoming great, then you have to be great to those that work under you.  Remember their birthdays.  Throw them “thank you” lunches or parties.  Have an “employee of the week” award.  Walk by and shake their hand for a job well done.  Thank them for a great idea.  Admit when you are wrong.  Laugh, or at the very least, smile more.  BUT…more than anything, show them you care.  And before you know it, you will have a company on its way to becoming great!

 

Best of luck!!

And like Zig Ziglar used to say, “I’ll see you at the top!”

 

 

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23 Jan 2015

Why Falling is Good for You – by Darren Hardy

As your mentor I want you to remember this… You will get knocked down. Know that it’s okay. It’s okay that it hurts a bit, too. Let me share with you my own experience of getting knocked down:

via Why Falling is Good for You.

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20 Jan 2015
1 Comment

Baby Steps to Success – by Brad Rhame

Life is about baby steps.  So many of us never do anything, because we are “All or nothing” people.  That is one of the worst kinds of thinking we could nurture.  If you decided to do 365 pushups in one year, then wouldn’t it be easier to do 1 a day instead of 91 over four days?  I know…plus one more, but you get the point.  It is easier to get in shape slowly and over time, than it is quickly.

 

Whenever we go “all or nothing,” it doesn’t take long to go back to doing nothing after doing it all.  It is too much stress on the body and brain.  We get pumped up about achieving something great, but do not take the time to think it through, over the long haul.  We start psychologically breaking down.  We start to realize that it is impossible to keep this kind of energy going.  Then….as soon as we mess up a couple times or slack off…we Quit.  Possibly, never to return or at least not for a long time.

 

If you want to be a great writer, then you have to start with a sentence.  Then a paragraph.  Then a page. A chapter…and finally a book.  Work on writing one great sentence each day you wake up.  After a week or a month, move on to writing a paragraph each day.  Slowly but surely you will have your book.

 

The same philosophy goes for anything you want to do in life.  Baby steps will get you to where you want to be.  If you don’t believe me, then watch the movie What About Bob.  A funny movie, but it changed the way I looked at life and achieving success.  Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your success.

 

Think small and grow big!

 

Brad Rhame

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14 Jan 2015

Conquering Your Dreams: Step 7

Good morning my friend! My… you look marvelous! Do you know how great you are?! Do you know how many people there are on the planet and how few get up every morning and seek an insight to level up their success? You’d think EVERYONE would do that right? I mean this DarrenDaily is FREE… given freely to anyone who wants to subscribe. By percentage, of the 7 billion, few do. But YOU do. And yes, that makes YOU special. Speaking of which, number seven in Conquering your Dreams is…

via Conquering Your Dreams: Step 7.

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13 Jan 2015

Conquering Your Dreams: Step 6

Good morning! We are on the back slope of the 10 steps to Conquering your Dreams… do you feel the wind in your face? Okay, number six is…

via Conquering Your Dreams: Step 6.

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08 Jan 2015

Conquering Your Dreams: Step 3

Continuing our mentoring session on how to (finally, this time!) CONQUER your dreams. WARNING! You’re not gonna like this one. You thought there was a shortcut, cliff notes or some “secret” that allowed you to just chant, rub crystals or sit on your couch and rubber cement pictures onto your vision board as the way to achieve your dreams. Uhhh, nope. THIS is what it takes, everytime, no matter what:

via Conquering Your Dreams: Step 3.

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