Do The Right Thing, Get High Marks

I have always believed that customer service is number one when dealing with consumers. At the radio stations we bend over backwards to do the right thing for our clients. When they have an issue, we do everything in our power to address it head on, make it right for them and then try to go above and beyond. It is the old adage of making lemonade out of lemons.

We are a small organization and don’t have the resources to employ a complex customer satisfaction program. Although, I do believe that we have a fairly decent pulse on what our customers think and we try to be proactive in ensuring that we are doing the best that we can.

I mention all of this because I am beginning to wonder how valid these costumer service surveys really are.

While in college, I cut my teeth in radio doing music and audience research, I went on to become the research director of a radio station, I worked for a radio programming consulting company and traveled the nation conducting focus groups and designed and analyzed customer service studies, I also worked for a national research company doing research for Fortune 500 companies. One of the major tenants that I learned and reinforced with clients was that you had to take great care in making sure that you do not bias the survey, because if you did, it would invalidate the research and prove it worthless.

When conducting research you don’t necessarily want it to tell you how great you are (although that would be nice), you want it to tell you how you can become better. It needs to be pure, honest and unbiased.

A couple of weeks ago the AC went out on my Honda. I took it to the local Honda dealer and had a less than pleasant experience. The day after I my car was repaired I received a telephone call from Honda (the manufacturer) requesting that I participate in a customer satisfaction survey. I agreed and answered the questions honestly.

The very next morning I received a phone call from the service writer at the Honda dealership asking me why I gave him and the dealership poor marks. I was honest with him and told him why. He tried to justify his position and told me that the issues that I had were with the dealer and the manufacturer and not him and that he was just following the rules.

He continued and inquired if during the survey Honda asked me to participate in a follow-up survey. I said they did. He then went into this long diatribe about how he gets evaluated and compensated based on the results of these surveys. He asked me to give him high marks; he told me he would rotate my tires and give me an oil change for free in exchange for my good words. I told him that would not be necessary and that I would answer the questions honestly if and when I took the survey.

Fast forward to yesterday. I called Sprint regarding some questions I had about my BlackBerry. I was on the phone with them for more than twenty minutes and as it turns out they gave me the wrong information. At the end of the call the customer service representative was sure to ask; “Is there any reason why I would not be able to give her high marks if I was contacted by Sprint for a survey”. Once again, I told her that I would answer the survey honestly.

In both cases, with Honda and Sprint I did get the surveys via email and I did what I said I would do. I answered them honestly!

Here is my question? Does everyone answer the surveys honestly when prompted, bribed and cajoled to ignore the facts and just give good marks? I don’t think so. While the customer service reps might get their bonuses for high marks, they are really doing their employers and customers a disservice. They are masking issues and biasing the studies.

Sprint and Honda actually think that they are doing a great job taking care of customers, but in reality, there are issues that need to be addressed. Are these surveys a farce and a waste of millions of dollars? Maybe, maybe not, you be the judge!

I have a simple philosophy. Just do the right thing and the surveys will come back strong!

Oh… by the way. The AC blows cold air again!

Over The Top Service

Fran and I were fortunate enough to attend the Superbowl this past weekend in Tampa. We stayed in Orlando at the Yacht Club at Disney World. While the outcome of the game wasn't what we hoped for, the service at the resort was more than we expected.

The people at Disney have authored the book on total customer service. From the moment we pulled into the resort we were greeted and treated like a valued guest. Everyone from the doorman to the maids in the hall always had big smiles, said hello followed by the statement, "Have a Magical Day".

What was most refreshing was how the staff would go above and beyond to cater to your every need. I had left the battery charger to my camera at home. I went to the front desk to see where the nearest store was to go buy one. The front desk manager said that they have a whole basket of chargers behind the desk and she would check to see if they had one that would work for my camera. Unfortunately they did not have one that worked for my Canon camera.

What she did next, blew me away. She said that she had a Canon camera at home and that she would be more than happy to take my battery home with her, charge and return it to me the next morning, then loan me the charger for the duration of my visit. I have never met this woman before in my life and I could not believe that she was willing to do that. As it turned out her charger was for a different battery, But just the thought that she was willing to do that for me was unbelievable.

The good news was that the battery lasted all weekend and we got some great pictures from the parties we attended and the game.

My battery experience was followed up with another great experience I had looking for a pool party at the resort. I had mistakenly gone to the wrong pool ( I think that there were three pools there). I asked the maintenance man at the pool for directions to the correct location. Instead of giving me directions, he personally escorted my to the right pool. Wow!!

The front desk manager did not have to offer to charge my battery for me and the maintenance man did not have to escort me to the right location. But they did and that is why Disney is a huge success and has an incredible reputation for customer service.

Disney has even created a cottage industry on business and customer service through the Disney Institute where you "Experience the Business Behind the Magic"

In business, we should go the extra mile, it goes a long way and yields BIG benefits!

The Day the "Geeks" Stole Christmas!

The unthinkable happened on Christmas Eve, my home computer crashed! I diagnosed the problem and determined that it was the power supply that had failed.

I patiently waited until the day after Christmas and went to the nearby BestBuy on 90th and Shea and bought a replacement power supply first thing Friday morning. While in there I saw their Geek Squad department. I asked them If I could bring in the computer and have them replace the power supply for me if I had problems. They said they could and it would cost fifty dollars.

I took the new power supply home, mounted it into the computer and then got thoroughly confused on where the half dozen or so cables went to. Instead of sitting down and reading the directions, I decided I was going to give my self a holiday present and take the computer back to the "Geeks" at BestBuy and have them install it for me. That is when the nightmare compounded!

I brought the computer to them, I had already opened the case and mounted the power supply. All they had to do was connect the wires. The first thing I noticed when I got there was a sense of arrogance by the "Geeks". They told me that they would first have to clean the computer before they installed the power supply. That cost an additional twenty dollars added to the fifty that it was going to cost for the install. I was not happy but saw that I did not have a choice and agreed to the frivolous up-charge. When asked when I could expect the computer back they were ambivalent and said they were not sure but that I should have it within 24 hours.

I went home and late in the afternoon I received a call and email from the Geeks. My computer was ready.

This will come as no surprise to you, Fran was out shopping. I called her and asked her if she could pick the computer up on her way home. She said no problem. An hour later, she called from BestBuy. They would not release the computer to her. They said she needed the receipt. She asked if they could put me on the phone to authorize it? They said no and were quite rude to her.

At around six-thirty Firday night I made it back to BestBuy and picked up the computer. Took it home, plugged it in checked my email and updated some software which required that I restart the computer. To my surprise, the computer would not restart. The power was on, but it would not boot up. Not Happy!!!!

I unplugged all the cables and went back to BestBuy and talked to the arrogant "Geeks". They looked at the computer and said that the CPU fan was bad, the CPU was overheating and was shutting down the system. I told them that I thought that it was strange that before they cleaned the computer everything was working fine and now the fan is bad. They could care less and would take no responsibility for the fan going bad. I think that when they cleaned the computer with their compressed air something lodged in the fan motor causing it to fail. I asked them if they had a fan to replace it with and they said no and that I should go to Fry's electronics and get one and if I wanted they could install it for me for an additional sixty dollars.

I'm getting unhappier as the moments pass. On the bright side, Jude one of the "Alien Geeks" was actually compassionate towards my cause, he was pleasant and helpful, he tried to resurrect the fan but could not. He was nice enough to remove the fan for me so I could take it to Fry's and get it replaced.

A Breath of Fresh Air:

I came home called the Fry's in Tempe to see what time they would be open until and if they had the part. When I called the young man that answered the phone said they closed in fifteen minutes at nine pm. He could not have been nicer of more helpful. He checked his inventory and saw that they did not have the part in stock but had it online and at their Phoenix store, the cost was ten dollars. He gave me the skew number and said I could order it online and have it ready for pickup in Phoenix first thing in the morning. My plan was to pick up the part, return home and install it myself. This was a project that I felt I could handle.

I went online, ordered the part and was off to Fry's first thing Saturday morning. When I arrived I was greeted by an associate who directed me to the checkout line to pick up the fan. I decided that I would walk around the store for a while and look at all the computers, electronics, gadgets, software and more before I checked out.

In my travels through the store, I saw that Fry's has their own tech support and repair service similar to BestBuy. I stopped by the counter and once again was greeted by a friendly associate. I recounted my nightmare to him and asked him if they could install the fan for me and how much it would cost. He said they could, it would cost thirty dollars (half of what the geeks wanted to charge me) and take about fifteen minutes. Oddly enough, the computer was still in the back of my car from the night before, I brought it in, picked up the part and had them install it for me.

When I came back fifteen minutes later the computer was ready, the associate plugged it on for me and showed me that it was working fine. My nightmare was now over.

Back in May I wrote about the great customer service that Fry's has. I learned my lesson, I should have gone to Fry's first. To me, BestBuy is just like the corner convenience store. You pay a premium and the customer service is lousy. Do yourself a favor, take the extra time and go to Fry's. They have great customer service, a larger inventory, better variety and their prices are the best in town.

The irony of the story is, I gave a few BestBuy gift cards as holiday presents this year. In retrospect, that is like putting coal in someone's stocking!

Learn from my mistake go to Fry's!!!!

What You Learn In College Can Go A Long Way

I remember many years ago sitting in a college economics class. The professor explained that one of the most important things about going to college was the experience. You learn how to think and become more worldly and your able to be thrust into any situation and hold your own.

At twenty years old I didn't quite grasp the concept entirely. It was not until I was out in the work force and into my sales career that his thoughts crystallized with me and started to make sense.

The RAB posted a sales tip from business author/consultant Jonathan Farrington in their "Radio Sales Today" email. It's titled "You Have to Sell Yourself". I think this is what my college professor was talking about.

Today, I get it!!!

"Just as you are selling to people, you must also remember that you are not only selling and representing a product or service, but you are in effect selling yourself.

When beginning a sales relationship, it is important to remember a few key aspects to representing yourself well. First, be interesting. If potential customers are bored by you, they have less of a chance of being enthralled by any product or service you are representing.

Develop intellect. Of course, you are an intelligent person, but can you converse in an intelligent manner? Can you discuss related subjects with thoughtfulness and hold your clients' interest?

Never be arrogant -- never talk up or down to your potential clients. It's rude and will serve only to alienate them. Respect the buyer, and they will respect you.

Along the same lines, develop your empathy levels. If you can relate to your customers' situations authentically, it helps to build rapport.

Finally, control your ego levels. A good salesperson is patient and respectful, not an egomaniac."

In sales, you have to be confident yet humble, knowledgable, inquisitive and carry yourself well. I can't help but think that my economics professor was right!

Going The Extra Mile

As a teenager, I used to work in my father's card, gift and party supply store on Saturday's. The store would close at five 0'clock but I was always ready to leave at 4:45. At five o'clock, my father would lock the doors to the store and then check out the cash register, he'd place the money in a brown paper bag and bring it home to prepare the bank deposit. I was always excited when we were ready to leave.

Invariably, after the doors were locked and we were preparing to leave, a customer would knock on the door and want to come in to the store to buy something. My father would gladly unlock the door and welcome them in and help them. I, in-turn would get antsy and agitated. All I wanted to do was leave, go home and be with my friends.

I would ask my dad why he let them in after he had already closed the store? After all, the hours the store was open were clearly posted on the door. If it was after five, the store was closed, period.... end and we should go home! Right! Wrong!

My father taught me a valuable lesson about going the extra mile that I did not come to appreciate until many years later. He told me that you never new if that customer who came knocking on the door after the store closed would be the customer who would spend hundreds of dollars on wedding invitations, holiday cards a Cross pen or they needed party supplies for their church or school social. Either way, he was in business to serve his customers and he would do what ever he had to do to make them happy and earn their business.

And then it happened. A couple came knocking at the door after five. He let them in and we didn't leave until nine o'clock because he was writing up a big wedding invitation order (big sale, big margins). I remember how excited my father was driving home that night because that order probably made his week.

My father got it ( I didn't). He new that if he went the extra mile, he'd get the sale, get the referrals and have a customers for life.

Fast forward to this past Thursday evening. I walk down to the parking garage to find the front, driver side window on my new car smashed and sitting in the front seat. My new GPS and garage door opener were stolen. Needless to say, I was a little upset.

I go back up to my office and Google 24 hour auto glass repair businesses. It is now after six and I'm getting everyone's answering service. They all want to schedule an appointment for Friday sometime. I keep dialing because I'm sure that I can find someone to come out and fix the window that evening. I finally call Glass1One. Ray, the owner answers the phone. I tell him my tale of woe and he explains to me that I can call everyone in Phoenix and no one will be able to fix my window that evening, because no one stocks the glass. They all go to the same wholesale warehouses to get the windows and they all close at five.

Ray, then went on to say that he would be more than happy to be at the warehouse at six in the morning, pick up the window, be at my house before seven and have it replaced by 7:30. With that said, Ray and I get on a conference call with the people at State Farm Insurance to work out all the details for payment. We agree on everything and then Ray made a comment to me that reminded me of my father and the lesson I had learned from him many years ago.

Ray said....

"I was closed and just getting ready to leave and heard the phone ring and decided to answer it before I left."

Ahhh..... Ray gets it!! Ray went the extra mile! He didn't have to but he did! I appreciate it and I will let everyone know about it.

As promised, Ray showed up at the house at 6:45 in the morning, replaced the window and I was good to go.

Thanks Ray!

Going the extra mile is just smart business!

More Secrets to Selling.....

Harvey Mackay once again served up another list of powerful attributes that contribute to making us all extraordinary sellers. Here's another list to print up and display prominently. Look at it and practice them daily....they work!


The secrets of selling:
Believing something and convincing others
(reprinted with permission; harveymackay.com)

I've been a salesman my entire life, so I've learned a lot of sales secrets over the years. It's rare to be an entrepreneur or a CEO without being a salesperson. I'm often asked for my "sales secrets." I have plenty to share, but they're hardly secrets. Success follows lots of hard work.

Here is my list of secrets that every salesperson can benefit from.

• It's not how much it's worth; it's how much people think it's worth. Marketing is neither the art of selling nor the simple business of convincing someone to buy. It is the art of creating conditions by which the buyer convinces himself. And nothing is more convincing than hard evidence that others want the same thing.
• Knowing something about your customer is just as important as knowing everything about your product. If you're a regular reader of my books and columns, you know about the Mackay 66 Customer Profile. Knowing your customers means knowing what they really want. Maybe it's your product, but maybe it's something else too—recognition, respect, reliability, service or friendship.
• You are not important. Our challenge, whether we are salespeople or negotiators or managers or entrepreneurs, is to make others see the advantage to themselves in responding to our proposal. Understanding our subjects' personalities is vital. Let them shine. Our own personalities are subordinate.
• Your reputation is your greatest asset. While you, yourself, are not important, your reputation is. It's not product, price or service. Everything flows from your reputation—customer loyalty, referrals and more.
• Apply the law of large numbers. Position yourself as Number Two to every prospect on your list, and keep adding to that list. I can promise you that if your list is long enough, there are going to be Number Ones that fail to perform, retire or die or lose their territories for many reasons. What I can't tell you is which ones. If you're standing second in line, in enough lines, sooner or later you're going to move up to Number One.
• Short notes yield long results. I'm amazed by how many salespeople don't write thank you notes. It's all a matter of personal recognition and courtesy, just as important as remembering names and taking a personal interest in people. And it's not just for sales.
• Keep your eye on your time, not on your watch. A salesperson really has nothing to sell but her time. Her product exists independently of anything she adds to it. Her personality will win her or lose her accounts initially, but if she isn't around to provide service and be accessible to customers, she'll lose those accounts.
• Position yourself as a consultant. The mark of a good salesperson is that his customer doesn't regard him as a salesperson at all, but a trusted and indispensable adviser, an auxiliary employee who, fortunately, is on someone else's payroll.
• Believe in yourself, even when no one else does. Who says you're not tougher, smarter, better, harder working, more able than your competition? It doesn't matter if they say you can't do it. The only thing that matters is if you say it.
• If you don't have a destination, you'll never get there. Everybody and every business needs a set of basic goals and beliefs, but most of us are seat-of-the-pants, one-day-at-a-time operators. Our goals are fuzzy and our plans for achieving them non-existent. Goals don't have to be elaborate either, just realistic.
• Practice positive visualization. I have found this to be one of the most powerful means of achieving personal goals. It's what an athlete does when he comes on to the field to kick a winning field goal with three seconds on the clock and 60,000 screaming fans and millions more watching on TV. Great athletes and businesspeople have the ability to visualize themselves in successful situations.
• Ask for the order. It's amazing what you don't get when you don't ask. An insurance agent whom he had known for many years, once asked the famous automobile pioneer Henry Ford why he never got any of Ford's business. "You never asked me," Ford replied.

Mackay's Moral: Tell me, and I will forget; show me, and I may remember; but involve me, and I'll understand.

Go the Extra Mile

Dan Kelly of the Classicrockfm Blog featured a post and commented on an entry from Seth Godin's Blog.

When you least expect it

I sent in a t-shirt order to customink a few weeks ago.

Three days later, I got a note from someone named Lori that said,

"Hi Seth,

I noticed that you have designed shirts that appear to be for a charity event. If that’s the case, CustomInk would love to make a small donation to your team or to the charity itself on your behalf.

Please let me know if your order is for one of these events. If you would like us to pitch in and support your cause, please include information about your charity event, a link if you have one or the organization’s name if there is no link to a team web page."

That's it. No policy, no standard operating procedure, no promise in advance. Just plain generosity.

It turns out that customink does this as a matter of course, regardless of whether the customer has a blog or not. They don't do it as an inducement, they just do it.

Formula: The value of a perk is inversely related to the expectation of that perk.

Dan's comments......

How could this be applied at your radio station? I mentioned here months ago about having members of your airstaff calling a few different listeners in your database to thank them for listening.

Dave Martin took it further by suggesting the airstaff do the same with advertisers.

What if your station did this with community organizations too? "Hi, this is Bob Morning Jock at WXXX. I noticed that your organization is doing X. I'd love to know more so I can talk about it on the air."

Unexpected. And who do you think that organization might contact when they're planning something really big?

Just a thought.

My thoughts......Seth and Dan bring up good points. Make your clients and your listeners feel special. Genuinely let them know that you appreciate them and that you are on their team. Provide them with "real" added value with out a catch or a premium.

We make it a point at the station to support our clients philanthropic efforts. Not because it is good for business but as broadcasters, it is the right thing to do. It helps the community!!!

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

It has been an anxious couple of days at the radio station.

Our new KAJM transmitter site, high atop the Bradshaw Mountains, just north west of Phoenix in the Prescott National Forest is only a mile or two away from the Lane 2 forest fire. Our site is in a lush pine forest. It takes about three ours to get there from our studios in Scottsdale, this is due to the treacherous four wheel drive road that you have to traverse to get there.

The fire was started by a lost hiker who lit a signal fire. Unfortunately the fire got out of control. To date, seven buildings and 7,300 hundred acres have been destroyed. The entire town of Crown King (population 400) has been evacuated. Due to the many canyons and rugged mountains and monsoon weather conditions, this is a difficult fire to contain. After almost four days the fire is only 5% contained.


View Larger Map

The forest service has done a tremendous job keeping the fire out of Crown King and away from the two communications sites that are above the town. Those sites are home to FM radio stations, two-way, pager, long distance and cell phone companies along with local, federal and municipal government communication installations, the FAA and more.

The forest service has also done a terrific job of keeping us informed of their progress in fighting the fire. They have mobilized their team and communicated to us personally over the phone and directly via email as well.

Even though forest service has evacuated the area and closed all roads except for fire, forest and emergency use, they have granted us access so we can get to our site for maintenance and ensure that we stay on the air (APS shut down the power grid up there).

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they get a handle on the fire so it doesn't spread our way or towards Crown King and that there is no loss of life and property damage is kept to a minimum.

I know that there are a lot of anxious people out there like us. We are very grateful to the forest service and fire fighters that have come from all over to help fight this fire.

Thanks!!!

Here is a link to the Prescott National Forest Service where you can read their updates on the fire, http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott/

Click here to read what the the Arizona Republic is reporting. Fire raging near Crown King up to 7,300 acres

Watch a report from AP Here:



Watch a report from KPNX TV Here:

Lesson Learned Part 2

Turn around is only fair!

Less than a week after shooting off a letter to US Airways regarding my treatment on a recent flight, I was pleasantly surprised by a note I received from their customer relations department.

They were very apologetic about the incident and appreciated my feedback. Furthermore, they offered Fran, myself and the girls travel vouchers as a gesture of good faith and to "convey their apologies".

I expected a letter. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect a travel voucher.

You have to give it up to US Airways. They took a page right out of the customer service handbook and confronted the situation head on and did the right thing to try and make things right.

Thanks US Air. I appreciate it!

Lesson Learned

Being very big on customer service, we just got back from our summer vacation and I wanted to share this story with you. We were very fortunate this summer and went on a cruise in Europe for seven days. We took the girls and had a great time.

On the way over we flew US Air. Fran and I are both Elite flyers with them, Fran a Gold and me a Silver. We flew from Phoenix to Philadelphia and then on to Athens. More than eighteen hours on the plane.

Our flight to Athens was delayed three hours due to mechanical problems. I understand this, I sure don't want to be over the Atlantic and have there be problems. Although, We were a bit frustrated that we had to stay on the plane the entire time that they were fixing the problem.

Fran and I sat together and were separated by a few rows from the girls. This is were the story gets better.

Every hour or so, Fran or I would get up and check on the girls to make sure that they were doing OK. Towards the end of the flight, I was standing in the aisle leaning over talking to the girls when a flight attendant intentionally elbowed me in the back and told to go back to my seat. I looked at her and explained that I was checking on my girls and asked her why she was being so rude to me. She then lashed out at me in the middle of the cabin in front of my children and the group that we were traveling with. She yelled at me and called me a "Goof-ball and a Hideous human being". (I've been called worse) I'm not embellishing or exaggerating, she was yelling at me at the top of her lungs and everyone in the cabin was watching!

Needless to say, I was very surprised by her action. My initial response was to give her a piece of my mind but the thought of being escorted off the plane and thrown in a Greek jail when we landed was not the way I wanted to start my vacation. I calmly suggested to her that it was people like me that ultimately paid her salary and went I went back to my seat for the last hour of the flight. I should have kept my mouth shut, bit my tongue and walked away, but I was tired and frustrated at the way I was being treated. I did nothing wrong. I did what every parent would do. The seat belt sign was off and all I wanted to do was check on the girls. Don't lash out at me and call me names in front of my friends and most importantly my kids!

Further more, I don't know what was going on with the crew on this flight, by enlarge they were all pretty cranky. This is not what they promote in their new trans-Atlantic Envoy service.

Conversely, on the remaining flights back home the flight attendants were great and both of our flights arrived early.

So here is the lesson learned. We had four flight segments on US Air. Three of them the service was great. One of them the service was horrendous. When you look back at this post, how much time was devoted to the positive service versus the inferior service? When I talk about my summer vacation, do you think I'm going to be talking about the good service or the bad service on US Air?

Finally, If you want to learn about customer service that goes over the top, read about Crystal Cruise lines. US Air could learn a lesson from them.


My father always taught me that there are two rules in business.

Rule #1) The Customer is Always Right
Rule #2) See Rule #1

The lesson learned, Don't be rude to your customers, It's bad for business!!!

Just Hanging Out Today

A while back I wrote about the great customer service that Fry's Electronics has. I was back there today and it was even better. Going to Fry's for me is like going to Scottsdale Fashion Square for Fran and the girls. I spent more than two hours there today. I walked up and down almost every aisle and saw all kinds of cool gadgets and toys.

I just can't get over how customer focussed this store is. I don't know what kind of training program they put there team through, but I sure would like to get my hands on a copy of their training manual and be a fly on the wall during one of their staff meetings. Everyone is friendly, knowledgeable and always asks if they can do more for you. I have no idea how Fry's does. This would be a good question for my friend Howard Lindzon to answer. I would have to believe that they do quite well.

Since I was out in Tempe getting my fill of testosterone at Fry's, it was only fitting that I stop by Ted's Hot Dog's for lunch. Once again, a place I can't get the girls to go with me to.

You would have thought that they were giving something away there today. The line was to the door. As I walked in I almost turned around and left, when I over heard the women next to me tell someone on the phone that it smelled so good she couldn't turn around and leave. I looked at here and said I could not help but overhear her conversation and I agreed.

I waited in line for almost fifteen minutes and ordered a foot long hot dog and bratwurst with relish, mustard, onions and tomatoes and no bun (trying to lose a little weight).

For those of you who don't know, Ted's is an institution in Buffalo, NY. It is a Family business and Spiro Ted's son moved out here many years ago to open this location. Spiro's son now runs the company from Buffalo.

Like a successful radio station Ted's is focussed. Everything is home made and made to order. Their menu is not deep, but what they have is the best. They have the best hot dogs, brats and burgers. Home made fries, onion rings and shakes are part of the menu too.

In radio terms, the Power records are the Hot dogs and burgers, the re-currents are fries, rings and shakes. The DJ's are the servers cooking over an open flame and then garnishing your sandwich. They are always friendly and are skilled at making your sandwich right in front of you. Just as in any good radio station, it always tastes good and you want to come back for more!

Even though I'm a Chicago hot dog guy, Ted's is #1 in my book!

I did It !

I did it! I finally broke down and bought an Apple MacBook. I justified it by telling my youngest daughter that we could share it. Big mistake! We fight over who is going to use it all of the time. I see another MacBook in my future.

Once again, everything about the Apple experience has been superb. The staff at the Apple store was more than friendly and helpful. They helped me chose the software that I would need and also suggested what software I did not need to buy.

When I got home, it was easy to set up. Although, I did make a few mistakes connecting and transferring my music over from my iPod, No problem. A quick call to Apple Care and it was all figured out. Within five minutes of my call, I received an email from them with my case number and a note suggesting that if I had any other problems I should call back and reference the number.

Went to Chicago last week and used the MacBook to watch movies and listen to music on the plane. I also updated the blog from the hotel connecting through the built in Wifi. While in Chicago, stopped in at the apple store, bought a few accessories and asked a lot of questions. Once again, the staff was friendly and helpful. I'm like a sponge with the Apple. Always asking questions and taking it all in.

Finally, I figured out how to use my Blackberry as a tethered modem through the bluetooth connection. Now, if Wifi is not available, I can access the internet through my phone.

I'm beginning to see why people who use apple computers are fanatics! It is a great experience all the way around.

I was talking with our friend Holly who is getting her MBA. She was telling me that they reviewed a case study on Apple and that Apple stores have the highest sales per square foot of any retail store. No surprise. Great product, Great Service!

Wallstrip.com featured Apple this week and detailed why they are successful.

The ABC's of Selling

Through the years, I have been a big fan of author, business man and columnist Harvey Mackay and his straight forward approach to selling and customer service. In this weeks column he talks about his ABC's of selling. His list of 26 points is better than an all day sales seminar. It transcends sales and is something that everyone in an organization should embrace. This list is POWERFUL. You should print this up and display it prominently on your desk. Every day it will remind you about what it takes to become and remain extraordinary!

Availability for your customers is essential, so they can reach you with questions, concerns or reorders.

Believe in yourself and your company, or find something else to sell.

Customers aren't always right, but if you want to keep them as your customers, find a way to make them right.

Deliver more than you promise.

Education is for life—never stop learning.

Follow up and follow through. Never leave a customer hanging.

Goals give you a reason to go to work every day. When you reach your goals, set higher ones!

Humanize your selling strategy by learning everything you can about your customers.

I is the least important letter in selling.

Join trade organizations and community groups that will help you both professionally and personally, such as Toastmasters, chamber of commerce or Junior Achievement.

Know your competitors and their products as well as you know your own.

Listen to your customers or they'll start talking to someone else.

Maybe is the worst answer a customer can give. No is better than maybe. Find out what you can do to turn it into a yes.

Networking is among the most important skills a salesperson can develop. Someone you know knows someone you need to know.
Opportunities are everywhere. Keep your antennae up.

Price is not the only reason customers buy your product, but it is a good reason.

Quality can never be sacrificed if you want to keep your customers satisfied.

Relationships are precious: They take time to develop and are worth every minute you invest in them.

Service is spelled "serve us" in companies that want to stay in business for a long time.

Trust is central to doing business with anyone. Without it, you have another word that begins with T: Trouble.

Unlimited potential is possible whether you sell computers or candy. You are the only one who can limit your potential.

Volunteer: It's always good to give back. You'll probably find that you get more than you give, and there is no shortage of organizations that need your help.

Winning doesn't necessarily mean beating everyone else. A win-win situation is the best of both worlds.

X-ray and catscan your customers so that you know everything about them—so you can serve them better.

You is a word your customers need to hear often, as in "What can I do for you?"

Zeal is a critical element in your presentations, service and life in general. Let your enthusiasm shine through!

Some things never change—including the importance of knowing how to treat your customers and what really matters in your relationships. And as you can see, most of these items cover far more than just sales.

Mackay's Moral: Now you know my ABCs—sales skills from A to Z.

The Kind of Advertising You Don't Want....Don't Piss an Old Man Off

In an Earlier post I talked about getting free advertising by having people become evangelists for your product or service. This can work against you too, if your service is bad. I experienced this first hand during a conversation I had with my father yesterday.

Here’s the story and the background on the conversation. My parents live in Chicago, we live in Arizona. We were on vacation last weekend and I took a lot of pictures of the kids. I loaded them up to my Flickr account and wanted to share them with my parents. All they had to do was log on to the internet and view them. The problem is that they only have a dial-up account and it takes forever to load the pictures.

I suggested to my father that he get a high speed internet connection and he told me that he was waiting for AT&T to have service in their neighborhood. I suggested that he call Comcast, his cable provider and bundle all his services together. I told him he probably would pay the same or less as he does now and get the high speed internet allowing him to see the pictures, look at his stocks and read the news effortlessly on his computer. Not the slow way that he does now.

His exact words to me were..... “I don’t want to give Comcast another dime. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for your mother, I’d cancel their service.” I guess my mother likes watching the movies.

Being married to someone who is in the cable business and prides herself on the customer service that she and her company provides, this disturbed me. I asked him why he felt that the way. He went on to tell me that there have been many service outages, the picture does not come in clear (I can attest to this, I’ve seen it when I visit) and whenever he calls them and asks for assistance and a credit, they always give him a hard time.

It occurred to me that everyone loses in this deal. My parents lose because they can’t enjoy the benefits of a fast internet connection; Comcast loses because they are losing out on the long term value of a customer, a very vocal customer at that, who is an evangelist for how bad their service is. Not that the collateral damage from my father is going to make a big difference, but if this is happening to a lot of customers it could have a huge adverse impact on their business and make them vulnerable to new competition. Finally, I am losing out because I wanted to put a webcam and microphone on their computer in Chicago so the kids and I can teleconference with them. This is very difficult and not practical with a dial-up service.

The moral of the story is, bad customer service is bad for business. You just don’t know how and who it is going to hurt!

The Long Term Value of a Customer

Through the Social/business networking sight LinkedIn, I recently reconnected with Paul Anovick. Paul is a consultant/trainer that I worked with years ago when I was the Sales Manager for Bonneville's radio stations in Phoenix. I remember he presented our team with a powerful presentation on time management. Today, when coaching our team, I focus on many of the same concepts and principles that Paul spoke to us about ten-plus years ago.

Paul has a Blog on leadership and results. In a recent post. He did a great job of articulating the long term value of a customer.

Paul stated that….

“Research shows that 96% of customers who are not treated with respect just decide to never go back. Typically, customers will not complain because complaining just adds to the hassle of an already bad experience. Six out of ten customers will never return to an organization based on poor service…NOT poor products. They usually will not register a complaint with the organization, they just go elsewhere, and customers want a positive experience and want to deal with a service provider that has empathy”.

He went on to say….

“The best way to grow your business is to create loyal, satisfied customers who will spend more time and money with you and refer you to other people who are interested in doing business with you because of the trust you have built. The most important element in building a successful business is your ability to develop and sustain a loyal customer base”.

Click here to read the entire Blog entry ===>

Paul continues to advise clients today. Here is a link to Anovick and Associates.

Click here to read Paul's Weblog ===>

Apple Service Extraordinaire!

I have always been a geeky computer guy. I bought my first computer while I was in college in 1980. It was an old CPM based computer called a REX built in a wooden case. Through the years I’ve had Northstar, Timex, Osborn, Corona, IBM, HP, Compaq and Dell computers. I’ve even built a couple of my own, but I have never had an Apple!

Fast forward to the present......

In May, my oldest daughter Jordie got an Apple MacBook. She loves this computer and takes it everywhere. With the built in WiFi, she can surf, IM and download from anywhere in the house or the world (and she does).

When it comes to Apple, I’m out of my comfort zone and I don’t always know how to operate it. So I decided to go to the Apple Store at the "Biltmore" to see if they could answer some questions.


This is a great store if you love computers, gadgets and music (which I do). I was greeted at the door by a cheerful young woman. She asked if she could help me. I told her I had a few questions. She directed me to Doug and said he would answer all my questions.

Doug was incredible! Not only did he take the time to answer the questions I had when I walked in, but he patiently answered all of the questions I thought of while I was there too. We talked about hardware, software, compatibility issues, iPhones and the internet. He went as far as taking a MacBook apart in front of me to show me how to put additional memory sticks in the computer. He then said, if I wanted, I could just bring the notebook in and they would install it for me.

When I finally asked my last question, Doug reached out shook my hand, thanked me for coming in and gave me his business card. He said; call him direct if I have any more questions.

I have always heard how helpful the staff is at the Apple Store. They should win a J.D. Powers award for their service. Sure beats the old days when I had to go to a warehouse in an industrial park to have my computer questions answered. Or even worse today, when I'm on the phone with someone in a foreign country that I can't understand.

In the radio business, all of the software that we use is PC/Windows based. Doug showed my how I can seamlessly load that software on a MAC. I might just do that some day…

Please and Thank You are the Magical Words

My Friend Dan invited me to go see Matchbox Twenty last night. Had a great time with Dan, Richelle, Kristi, Chris and Nicole (they all wanted their name in the Blog). This was the second to last show before the end of their “Exile in America” tour and you would never know it. The show was electrifying and full of energy! This is a band that you can tell really enjoys playing with each other.

As I have written before, I’m big on customer service. Customer service comes in all ways, shapes and forms, across all businesses and industries. It is know different in the concert business. As a matter of fact, it is well known that the Greatful Dead, back in the day, was so big on customer service that they conducted exit surveys at their concerts to feel the pulse of their fans so they could always give them what they want. Thus, the “Dead Heads” would follow them from city to city and show to show.


Back to Matchbox Twenty….. Beside form the show being great and thoroughly enjoying myself, Rob Thomas, the front man for the band did something that I have never seen done before at a concert. As the show was ending, the music stopped. Rob was standing at center stage and he humbly addressed the audience. He thanked everyone for coming to the show and supporting the band. He said that if it wasn’t for the fans, they could not do what they enjoy doing. He went on to say that he knew that time was precious and he appreciated everyone making the time and coming out to see them. This was not your obligatory, “Thank you, thank you very much Phoenix……Elvis has left the building.” You could tell that this was sincere, from the heart and that he really meant it.

Finally, as the band was leaving the stage, and the lights were still down, the huge, jumbo video screen that served as a backdrop for the entire stage, lit up with what looked like a posted note. It said, “Thank You”. It was big enough for even the people in the back of the lawn section to see it.

I walked away and said to myself, WOW, these guys get it. They make great music, give you your moneys worth at the show and then let you know how much they appreciate your business and support. This is smart marketing and good business. There in lies a big reason why this band has sold 28 million records,has three multi-platinum albums and has had a successful tour when the economy stinks.

I remember what my parents tried to impart on me when I was growing up. Always say "Please and Thank You", it will go a long way. You know what? They were right!