Tony Bennett died. That’s why I need to give advice to car salesman and anybody in luxury retail who wants to be taken seriously. Before we go any further, spend 4 minutes of your life saying farewell to the guardian of the Great American Songbook. My first CD was Tony Bennett, and I got a tingle the first time I …
Workplace lessons from a social media hit (Karen Cass!)
She has 2.4 million followers on TikTok–and she has some things to teach you about finding your customer niche, improvisation at work and daily habits. The podcast is proud to present improv comedy great Karen Cass! (Forgive me “ums” and “uhs” … I was excited.) Follow her on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. And check out improv theater legend Dad’s Garage …
AI and customers: Which way are you going to lean in?
They’re not happy about it Let’s say you are a car salesperson, and you are greeting a couple of prospective customers who first interacted with your website’s chatbot. The chatbot was good enough to get them to your lot. But they aren’t exactly happy about it. They knew they were playing a game with a computer. They wanted information, the …
Retail’s new approach: CX, Capital One and “Banking Reimagined”
The podcast–on location! We visited the Capital One Cafe in Cincinnati to learn about the bank’s innovative customer experience. It’s impressive–and it really works because of the people. To see the tour, check out our YouTube channel. Thanks to Jenna and Olivia for taking good care of us! Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes? Email Mike and Mark. Listen here …
The passion for the customer that led to the Dad Shoe
To give you a hint as to where we’re going here, “passion” is a loaded word. It literally means “to suffer.” Are you and your team willing to “suffer” for customers that aren’t rich, famous or cool? I’m not talking about prejudice, where you judge a potential customer as not serious because of their dress, gender, age, etc. If you …
Walk a mile in their moccasins
I remember the biggest fist fight my brothers and I ever had. It was tense. Then Dad, in his post-crisis lecture, said: A wise man once said: Walk a mile in your brother’s moccasins. That was it. Hatred left the room in that moment. We died laughing making fun of Dad. But of course he was right. Periodically, managers and …
How to talk to different customer DISC styles
Hip Socket readers, we need your help. A client has asked for a document listing “word tracks” for the best way to speak with customers of each DISC style. We’d like to turn that request into a handout and possibly a podcast episode for our DISC resources page. Please comment on this post answering the question: What words or phrases …
How to become an aspirational brand
“No soup for you!” The Soup Nazi got away with saying that in the classic Seinfeld episode because the soup was just that good. Customers were fawning and falling over themselves to obey the rules and buy soup. I have seen a Soup Nazi approach tried in the real world … but it turns out customers do not fawn over …
How do you deal with a customer who is a fool?
I’m going to submit this with very little commentary. Maybe it’s the approach of Easter, but I think there is some real wisdom in the Bible for customer situations. A bit of background to help make sense of the verses I’m sharing: The book of Proverbs is full of “aphorisms,” short sayings that make sweeping statements about how the world …
Please argue with your customers
I have observed a lot of sales professionals over the years. There are three kinds: If you want to know if you are dealing with a thriving sales professional, look to the long-term outcome. Some salespeople are charming, some are not. Hot spells and cold spells come and go. Many have long careers. But over time, the thriving sales professional …