Customer Delight

November 16, 2009

“If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that.  Word of mouth is very powerful.” – Jeff Bezos

The times are changing.  Before the buzzword was “customer satisfaction”.  Now, it is “customer delight.”  It does not mean that we should abandon “customer satisfaction”.  We should always give customers exactly what they want.  Then, we must add a good experience, if possible memorable.

Happy customers keep coming back.  Happy customers tell their friends about our products or services.  However, some business gurus believe that “customer delight” might be a waste of money.  I believe otherwise.  It is only a waste of money if the business does not deliver the first part, which is giving the customers what they exactly want.

Happy customers must be our objective.  Yet we must remember that before we can deliver customer delight, we must deliver customer satisfaction, then our people must connect or engage the customer positively.  This is primarily important to service oriented companies.  Yet even before that, our people must have the self-confidence to engage the customers.

Developing Your People’s Confidence. Your people cannot deliver good customer service if they do not have confidence in their ability to interact, to convince, to appease, to communicate, and to inspire.  Customer service begins with increasing the team’s confidence.  The company must deal with issues that can paralyze a front liner from speaking with confidence.  It must also deal with boosting the individual’s perspective of himself and the company.

Developing the Ability to Connect. Customers should be engaged in a positive way.  The failure to engage the customer in a positive way may result in decreased loyalty to the company’s products or services.  When the customer calls or visits a branch, every front liner should be able to engage the customer in a positive conversation even if the customer seems upset.

Creating Customer Delight. Because the front liners are equipped with self-confidence and with the ability to engage, the next goal is creating customer delight.  For service companies, this is critical.  Assuming that all things are equal between your product and your competitor’s.  The edge will have to be in the personal touch.

I have been loyal to a barbershop for many years.  But before that, I was at another barbershop.  What made me switch?  First, because almost all the barbers in the new barbershop understand how I want my hair to look and they are able to give me that look.  Second, because there is always a short relaxing massage for the back, arms, neck and head, which I do not get from my first barbershop.

My wife and I decided to invest in a condominium unit.  The sales agent helped us make the decision.   We are happy with the purchase but we also recall having so much fun conversing with the sales agent.  We then bought another condominium unit plus four parking spaces from the same agent.  When we decide invest again, we intend to buy through the same agent.

If the customers feel happy buying your products or services then you have the upper hand in gaining new customers and in retaining them.

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A Tale of Two Salesmen

July 25, 2009

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” – Helen Keller

“The poorest man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream.” – Pennsylvania School Journal

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Maybe you have heard of the tale of the two salesmen who went to Africa. The story goes like this.

A western shoe salesman went to Africa to scout the market. He wired his manufacturer, ‘I want to come home. Nobody wears shoes in this part of Africa.’

They brought him home and sent another salesman. The new salesman hurriedly wired an order, ‘Everybody here needs shoes!”

Seeing everyone bear-footed in that area of Africa may have discouraged the first salesman.

He must have thought, “Geeesh, nobody uses shoes here, not even a hand-made footwear. How in the world can I sell shoes here when they don’t see the benefit of it? I better go home.”

He missed the opportunity to make it big. He could not see.

On the other hand, the second salesman thought, “If I can only convince them to wear shoes. If I can show them the benefit. I can almost imagine whole villages buying my shoes. Wow! Aside from helping them enjoy the benefit of wearing shoes, I am going to make a great profit! I can get married and start a family and I can buy that dream house…”

When I first heard this story, I said to myself, “I am determined to be the second salesman who saw the opportunity rather than the trend.”

I must admit though that there were moments in my life that I stayed on the “what is” and accepted it rather than on the “what can be” and dared to make a difference.

Now I cannot imagine life without vision. It is not worth living.

Which of the two salesmen are you? The one who could not see the potential or the one who could see the vast opportunity?

If you choose the former then you have destined yourself to be average or less. But if you wish to be the latter then you have taken the first step to a great life.

By Ed Pilapil Jr.

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Maximize Your Potential: How to Go Beyond Your Limits

August 22, 2008

Maximize Your Potential

An e-book version of my new book, Maximize Your Potential: How to Go Beyond Your Limits is now available. Everyone has untapped potential and there are two ways to approach it. The first is to ignore it, thus, it remains dormant. The second is to pay attention to it and cultivate it, thus, you become more productive and effective. If you want to pay attention to it and cultivate it then this book is for you.

Maximize Your Potential: How to Go Beyond Your Limits is about increasing your capacity to be more and achieve more. It is also about inspiring you to take that God-given capacity and unleash it to the world despite the obstacles that you may face.

The book discusses 9 factors and action items that if applied will guarantee that you will Maximize Your Potential.

  1. Understand Yourself
  2. Be Passionate
  3. Hunger for Knowledge and Wisdom
  4. Develop Your Inner Strength
  5. Have People Support Groups
  6. Be Serious About Your Goals
  7. Always Have a Plan
  8. Take Vigorous Action
  9. Self-Evaluate and Adjust

Click here to visit my landing page and click ORDER NOW to pay via PayPal or Credit Card.

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Your Employees Should Know the Real Boss

April 11, 2008

Every knowledgeable entrepreneur and employee should know that the real boss is neither the president nor the chairman. They are bosses too but they exist to serve another boss. No it is not the stockholders of the company. A group that is even bigger. So who is the real boss? The customer!

It is the customer who pays the rent, the electricity, the salaries, the dividends, and the new equipment. All businesses exist to serve the customer. If the customers are happy, money flows in. If the customers are not happy, less money or no money will flow in.

Since the customer is the boss, the customer should be treated well. Let me drive the point stronger. Since the customer is the reason the business exists, the customer should be treated like a king.

How do we treat the customer like a king? Allow me to name a few.
1. Courtesy. Observe the best companies in the world. Their people always show courtesy to the customers. Every time I enter a Jollibee, McDonalds, or Starbucks store I am greeted with happy faces.
2. Respect. One way to show respect is to get their opinion about the product and service. Requesting them to fill up a feedback form or by directly asking them is an expression of respect. “Sir, how did you find the meal?” Another way is to make the service a little faster. When I was in Thailand, I had a suit made. I was pleasantly surprised by the workmanship and their ability to finish it in less than 24 hours.
3. Happiness. Extraordinary establishments go beyond the expected service. They make their customers happy. I was with a friend in a coffee shop and he ordered a tea latte. The store did not serve a tea latte but they made efforts to produce it instead of saying that they did not sell tea lattes. My friend was so happy with the extended service.

You as an entrepreneur probably know this but the question is, do your employees especially the front liners know this? Do they know how important one customer is? Do they know how to give the extra mile to a customer?

I was once in a well-known bank, sitting and waiting for their staff to process my request. A young lady came in with a query. She seems troubled and she was asking something that the tellers obviously did not know. I thought the tellers would respond with a smile and say, “Ma’am we do not have the answer to your query now but I can take note of it. I will try to have the answer by tomorrow morning. Here is my number. Please call me.” But they did not. They answered with a simple, “We do not know.”

The lady left upset. Then the tellers giggled and said mean words about the customer right in front of me, another customer. I realized that even in huge establishments, not all the employees know that the real bosses are the customers. All the employees should be reminded that they should treat the real boss with respect and courtesy.

© Ed Pilapil Jr.

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What are Your Goals?

January 16, 2008

“Most of us serve our ideals by fits and starts. The person who makes a success of living is one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That’s dedication.” – Cecil B. DeMille

What is a goal and what is it not?

A goal is a specific target that you aim at. It is not vague, broad or general. The goal of the hunter is to shoot the prey where it is fatal. The goal of the football player is to kick the ball in the goal. The goal of the basketball player is to shoot the ball in the basket. The goal of the boxer is to prevail over his opponent, hitting him where it hurts the most. If these athletes aim broad, they will never hit their targets. They will never succeed.

A goal is not a philosophy in life. It is not a mission statement that gives meaning and purpose to ones existence. It is not as big as a vision where you picture an end result that can be life-long to achieve. It is tangible. You know when you have achieved it. It can be measured. The score in a game will say who won. The judges scorecard determines the winning boxer if there is no TKO. A goal has a deadline. The hunter cannot wait forever otherwise the prey will run off. The games of football, basketball and boxing also have time limits.

Success is setting a series of goals and hitting them one at a time until you reach your dreams. Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevski expressed, “Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.”

What is your dream? What are your series of goals to achieve that dream?

Ed Pilapil Jr. ©

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As an Entrepreneur You Should Have the Courage to Follow Your Course of Action

January 2, 2008

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have heard it many times in my own life. “That won’t work!” I still followed my gut and started the business with only $1000, which I borrowed from a friend. Like any other business it had its ups and downs. But when I look back at the last four years, I am so glad that I followed my gut. I knew I could have been wrong. But I felt that I could be right as well. The particular business I started now has more than 10 branches with a steady cash flow. But the money is secondary. The primary thing that drives us is the mission, “Changing Lives through Learning!”

My business, Power Memory Franchising, Inc., is not free from problems but I am happy to say that more than 15,000 people have experienced the memory improvement courses. We have produced many honor students and board/bar passers.

Expect people to say negative comments about your ideas or plan of action. But do not be moved by them. The worst comments may even come from your closest relatives or friends. Most of them really do care for you and they hate to see you fail. But there would be some who would just be sarcastic especially those who believe that you are not capable.

There are times that you just cannot avoid hearing their comments but if your gut tells you to take a risk do not be afraid to try. Ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that can happen?” Have a realistic answer. Then ask yourself, “What is the best thing that can happen?” Have a realistic answer. You will know if it is worth it.

If you fail at the first attempt, do not worry. You never learned to swim the first time you jumped in the water. Failing until you get it is part of the process. Of course, you may hear people say those irritating words, “I told you so?” Do not be affected. Take courage. Keep working on your idea.

Do you have the courage to act on a plan even if there are people throwing negative comments?

Ed Pilapil Jr. ©

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It is Never Too Late to Set a Goal

December 27, 2007

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis

Col. Harland Sanders believed that it was faster for a man to rust than to be worn out. He obviously acted on this belief. Retired at age 65, with only $105 from Social Security, he ventured to sell his recipe. He offered it to more than 1000 restaurant owners. His deal was that he earns 5 cents for every piece of chicken sold. One thousand eight restaurant owners rejected his offer. But the Colonel did not give up. Prospect 1009 was the first to agree.

He started franchising his chicken in 1952. By 1964 he had more than 600 franchised outlets in Canada and America. In the same year he sold his interests for $2M to a group including John Y. Brown Jr. who became the governor of Kentucky in 1980.

There are many success lessons we can learn from the life of Col. Sanders. One of them is that it is never too late to set a new goal to work on.

Are you retired? What is your new goal?

Ed Pilapil Jr. ©

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Motivational Speaker

December 26, 2007
Seminar Topics

Do you want to see your organization in high motivation mode? Do you want to develop a positive culture? Do you want teams that deliver results? If your answer is yes, yes and yes then you need motivational seminars or training that can energize your organization? Please read the partial list below. If you have a topic that you want to request that is not found on the list, please make the request by leaving a note below.

Culture of Excellence
The first step to a culture of excellence is to understand it. That means every member of the team has the same concept and standard of what is excellent.

Success and Values
Success and values are very much connected to each other. Instead of just focusing on the results, the team should also focus on values that bring about the results.

Integrity in the Workplace
Integrity is not just about morality. It is also about integration. It is about having a unified, well integrated team.

Creating a Positive Environment
Each team player can contribute to a positive environment, an environment that feels good to work in.

Speak with Confidence
Communicate your thoughts with confidence and clarity. Overcome the fear of speaking before small groups or large crowds.

Building Your Self-Image
Reflect an aura of cleanliness, confidence, concern and happiness that will gain you respect, recognition and opportunities.

A Happiness Centered Business
The workplace can be a happy place if there are efforts to make it such without sacrificing the deliverables.

Motivation for Financial Freedom
The road to financial freedom begins with strong motivation. Increase your worthy reasons, increase your motivation.

Become a Person or Company of Significance
Significance is the value we give to others. It is the memory we leave in the hearts we touch.

How to Practice Mutual – Coaching
You can practice mutual-coaching if you are willing to improve yourself through the feedback of others and, if you are willing to help others improve.

Strengthen Your Teamwork
Teamwork can never be overrated. No one can do it alone. There is always someone else who helped, assisted, supported, advised, encouraged, and more. All success is about teams who pulled together.

Continuous Learning in the Workplace
Small companies may not be able to afford educating their employees as some big companies do. But they can run a continuous learning program. That is one of the best ways to empower your team.

Team Motivation
Talent and skill is not enough for a team to soar. Talent and skill withmotivation can produce amazing results.

Developing Inner Strength
Never allow anyone or any environment to affect you negatively. Develop yourinner strength and you will be able to influence your environment in apositive way.

The Extraordinary Life
The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is that littleextra.

How to Deal with Failure
Failure can be the end of you if you allow it to. But if you learn to riseabove it, failure is not the end! Deal with it by learning from it andmoving on.

Motivation Factor
Motivation is always a plus factor to yourself and the others around. Useit to increase your potential.

Law of the Farm
Sow, nurture, and reap – this is the law of the farm – you sow what youreap. Sow good seed to others, nurture it, one day will reap it.

Ed Pilapil Jr. ©

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An Entrepreneur Should Write Down Goals

December 19, 2007

“Goals that are not written down are just wishes.” – Anonymous

This is really elementary but it is surprising that quite a number of small business entities do not write down their goals.  Maybe they do not see the importance of writing them down.

It is my observation that most of these entrepreneurs have general goals rather than specific.  Generalities in terms of goals will not help you succeed.  It is not enough to say, “I want to earn more than enough every month.”

General goals will allow you to see your target in a blur.

Your goal must be more specific like, “I want to earn $10,000 a month.”

If you are more specific with your goal, the target becomes clearer.
That means you can aim more accurately.  Accuracy is not possible with general goals.

With a more accurate goal, your planning process will be more fine-tuned.  The activities you put in place will be aligned towards the specific goal.

There is always an advantage to writing down your goals.  They remind you and they keep you in track.  It is so easy to be swayed from our goals if we are not focused.  Having written goals that you commit to helps you focus your energy, time and resources.

Ed Pilapil Jr. ©

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Don’t be an Entrepreneur without a Goal

December 18, 2007

 

“A man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder.” – Thomas Carlyle

Without clear and specific goals, you will end up nowhere.

An entrepreneur without a goal could be the most pathetic entrepreneur ever, not to mention boring. His business drifts where the waves throw it because it has no direction.

An entrepreneur with a goal on the other hand knows where he or she is going. What must be accomplished is clear. The future has been envisioned.

All business activities or series of efforts are orchestrated toward the goal.

The goal motivates the entrepreneur to think and work. His/Her daily routine could not be a drag or a bore. It is very exciting especially when there is progress.

Write down your goals, post them where you always see them, establish a process to reach them, make a timetable for each part of the process, estimate the cost, and act on them!

Ed Pilapil Jr. ©

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