BOOK SUMMARY 112 Magnetic: The Art of Attracting Business
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Summary written by: Dianne Coppola
"Your business will live or die, thrive or struggle,
based on your ability to harness the power of your customers to drive new
customers to grow your business."
- Magnetic, page 13
Magnetic
is defined by the good folks at Miriam-Webster Dictionary as “possessing an
extraordinary power or ability to attract”. And there isn’t a business anywhere
in the world that doesn’t dream of attracting customers as easily as steel pins
to a magnet. In Magnetic: The Art of Attracting Business, Joe
Calloway shares dozens of ideas – attitudes, strategies and tactics – to help
businesses of all types improve their magnetism. The ideas and concepts are
simple enough. The real work begins when you take steps to apply those ideas to
your unique business context. Calloway is honest enough to warn readers that
there is no one-size-fits-all template that this or any other book can
slap on top of your business to make it successful. It’s up to you to
figure out how to convert Calloway’s wisdom into the magnetic pull that will
draw new customers to your business.
The
first order of business, so to speak, is to focus squarely on the needs of your
customers instead of your products and services or the administrative needs of
your company. Make no mistake, in order to prosper companies need to get very
good at what they do, however they must do so with the single-minded intent to
better serve the customer, not to make things simple for their employees or to
appease management. A satisfied customer is more than mere cash-flow for your
business; they are the most powerful marketing tool in your promotional
toolkit. Unless you fall short, that is.
The Golden Egg
You Reap What You Sow
"The
single most important factor in the future success of your business is this:
what your customers tell people about their experience with you. What this
means to you is that creating positive experiences for your customers is the
single most important thing you can do to grow your business."- Magnetic,
page 13
It
astounds me that there are business people today that simply don’t understand
the importance of placing the customer at the centre of their decision-making
to ensure they have a positive experience. I recently received lackluster
service from a travel agent with a national organization when booking a group
excursion. I was informed by a fellow traveler ‘not to expect prompt service
because the agent had a large client base and was very busy’. Even
though the trip was relatively last minute, my phone messages and emails were
left unanswered for several days, until payment was due that is. Then I
received multiple phone calls from the agent with the expectation that I drop
everything I was doing to attend to her request for my credit card information.
She not only lost my future business and those of my travel companions, she
also lost any referrals we might have provided to our friends and colleagues. I
have a hunch that she won’t have a large client base for very long if that is
how she treats all her customers.
Farmers
and gardeners understand that they will reap what they sow. Quality seeds and
plants, regular watering and fertilizing, pruning and reasonable protection
from harsh elements will ensure a stunning garden and a bountiful harvest.
Smart business owners recognize that growing a business is similar to tending a
garden or a farm. Investing time, energy and resources into satisfying each
customer that expresses an interest in your product or service will produce a
happy customer willing to do business with you again and a bumper crop of
goodwill that will be shared with everyone in their network. Failure to
cultivate the customer relationship may produce a single sale, but won’t yield
a more bountiful harvest over time. You reap what you sow.
Gem #1
Identify Your Big Three
"What
are the three rock solid statements about you that, if heard over and over
again from lots of people by potential customers, would be likely to drive them
to you like steel balls to a powerful magnet?"- Magnetic, page 32
Of
course, no business can be all things to all people. Calloway suggests owners
think hard about what they want their business to be known for and identify
what they want people to be saying to others about their experience with you.
Do you want people to rave about your product(s)? Your service? Your staff?
Your prices? What specifically about those areas do you want people to be
highlighting? The more specific you can be, the easier it will be to find ways
to deliver just that to your customers. Still not sure? Try identifying the
things you don’t want to be known for and then flipping that around to a more
positive experience.
I’ve
written about the power of three before – most people can easily recall and
convey three ideas or concepts or messages. The same is true for customers.
Calloway advises that once you’ve picked three core ‘what we want them
to say’statements, you need to focus your energy and attention on creating
the customer experiences that would generate those types of comments. This
requires you to identify another set of threes – the three things you must get
right with each and every customer, each and every time, in order to inspire
those rock solid testimonials. When you know those ‘big threes’, you simplify
your decision-making. You (and your staff) know exactly what needs to be done
to wow your customers and make it easier for them to pass along powerful
word-of-mouth messages to others.
Gem #2
DNA – Do Not Apologize!
"It’s
a powerful thing to have a ‘no stupid mistakes – no defects – no surprises’
policy that becomes part of the DNA of your team."- Magnetic, page 94
What?
Do not apologize? How does that create exceptional customer service? Calloway
asserts that businesses with a magnetic mindset need to aspire to this
counter-intuitive way of thinking. It’s not that you actually won’t apologize
to a customer if something goes amiss. It’s rooted in the premise that you
won’t be apologizing to customers because you haven’t done anything that you
need to apologize for!
When
businesses are focused on delivering exceptional products, services and
experiences to their customers, they work hard to ensure that nothing goes
wrong. And if it does, they focus on making it right, over-the-top right with
lightning speed! Making it right should include a brief, sincere apology but
the apology is really secondary to the top priority of doing what it takes (and
then some) to retain a satisfied customer and create a vocal ambassador for the
business. Magnetic companies ensure every staff person that is hired has
exceptional customer service DNA and does what it takes to ensure apologies
become like dinosaurs – extinct!
Magnetic is a practical and down-to-earth exploration of how
businesses and organizations of all kinds can attract new customers. It boils
down to creating extraordinary experiences that existing customers can’t stop
talking about. In an era where stories (good, bad and ugly) can go viral online
virtually overnight, it makes good sense to refocus on the basics – delivering
exceptional customer service day in and day out – so you never have to
apologize and every customer you serve becomes your ‘not-so-secret’ marketing
weapon.
"Your business will live or die, thrive or struggle,
based on your ability to harness the power of your customers to drive new
customers to grow your business."
- Magnetic, page 13
Magnetic
is defined by the good folks at Miriam-Webster Dictionary as “possessing an
extraordinary power or ability to attract”. And there isn’t a business anywhere
in the world that doesn’t dream of attracting customers as easily as steel pins
to a magnet. In Magnetic: The Art of Attracting Business, Joe
Calloway shares dozens of ideas – attitudes, strategies and tactics – to help
businesses of all types improve their magnetism. The ideas and concepts are
simple enough. The real work begins when you take steps to apply those ideas to
your unique business context. Calloway is honest enough to warn readers that
there is no one-size-fits-all template that this or any other book can
slap on top of your business to make it successful. It’s up to you to
figure out how to convert Calloway’s wisdom into the magnetic pull that will
draw new customers to your business.
The
first order of business, so to speak, is to focus squarely on the needs of your
customers instead of your products and services or the administrative needs of
your company. Make no mistake, in order to prosper companies need to get very
good at what they do, however they must do so with the single-minded intent to
better serve the customer, not to make things simple for their employees or to
appease management. A satisfied customer is more than mere cash-flow for your
business; they are the most powerful marketing tool in your promotional
toolkit. Unless you fall short, that is.
The Golden Egg
You Reap What You Sow
"The
single most important factor in the future success of your business is this:
what your customers tell people about their experience with you. What this
means to you is that creating positive experiences for your customers is the
single most important thing you can do to grow your business."- Magnetic,
page 13
It
astounds me that there are business people today that simply don’t understand
the importance of placing the customer at the centre of their decision-making
to ensure they have a positive experience. I recently received lackluster
service from a travel agent with a national organization when booking a group
excursion. I was informed by a fellow traveler ‘not to expect prompt service because
the agent had a large client base and was very busy’. Even though
the trip was relatively last minute, my phone messages and emails were left
unanswered for several days, until payment was due that is. Then I received
multiple phone calls from the agent with the expectation that I drop everything
I was doing to attend to her request for my credit card information. She not
only lost my future business and those of my travel companions, she also lost
any referrals we might have provided to our friends and colleagues. I have a
hunch that she won’t have a large client base for very long if that is how she
treats all her customers.
Farmers
and gardeners understand that they will reap what they sow. Quality seeds and
plants, regular watering and fertilizing, pruning and reasonable protection
from harsh elements will ensure a stunning garden and a bountiful harvest.
Smart business owners recognize that growing a business is similar to tending a
garden or a farm. Investing time, energy and resources into satisfying each
customer that expresses an interest in your product or service will produce a
happy customer willing to do business with you again and a bumper crop of
goodwill that will be shared with everyone in their network. Failure to
cultivate the customer relationship may produce a single sale, but won’t yield
a more bountiful harvest over time. You reap what you sow.
Gem #1
Identify Your Big Three
"What
are the three rock solid statements about you that, if heard over and over
again from lots of people by potential customers, would be likely to drive them
to you like steel balls to a powerful magnet?"- Magnetic, page 32
Of
course, no business can be all things to all people. Calloway suggests owners
think hard about what they want their business to be known for and identify
what they want people to be saying to others about their experience with you.
Do you want people to rave about your product(s)? Your service? Your staff?
Your prices? What specifically about those areas do you want people to be
highlighting? The more specific you can be, the easier it will be to find ways
to deliver just that to your customers. Still not sure? Try identifying the
things you don’t want to be known for and then flipping that around to a more
positive experience.
I’ve
written about the power of three before – most people can easily recall and
convey three ideas or concepts or messages. The same is true for customers.
Calloway advises that once you’ve picked three core ‘what we want them
to say’statements, you need to focus your energy and attention on creating
the customer experiences that would generate those types of comments. This
requires you to identify another set of threes – the three things you must get
right with each and every customer, each and every time, in order to inspire
those rock solid testimonials. When you know those ‘big threes’, you simplify
your decision-making. You (and your staff) know exactly what needs to be done
to wow your customers and make it easier for them to pass along powerful
word-of-mouth messages to others.
Gem #2
DNA – Do Not Apologize!
"It’s
a powerful thing to have a ‘no stupid mistakes – no defects – no surprises’
policy that becomes part of the DNA of your team."- Magnetic, page 94
What?
Do not apologize? How does that create exceptional customer service? Calloway
asserts that businesses with a magnetic mindset need to aspire to this
counter-intuitive way of thinking. It’s not that you actually won’t apologize
to a customer if something goes amiss. It’s rooted in the premise that you won’t
be apologizing to customers because you haven’t done anything that you need to
apologize for!
When
businesses are focused on delivering exceptional products, services and
experiences to their customers, they work hard to ensure that nothing goes
wrong. And if it does, they focus on making it right, over-the-top right with
lightning speed! Making it right should include a brief, sincere apology but
the apology is really secondary to the top priority of doing what it takes (and
then some) to retain a satisfied customer and create a vocal ambassador for the
business. Magnetic companies ensure every staff person that is hired has
exceptional customer service DNA and does what it takes to ensure apologies
become like dinosaurs – extinct!
Magnetic is a practical and down-to-earth exploration of how
businesses and organizations of all kinds can attract new customers. It boils
down to creating extraordinary experiences that existing customers can’t stop
talking about. In an era where stories (good, bad and ugly) can go viral online
virtually overnight, it makes good sense to refocus on the basics – delivering
exceptional customer service day in and day out – so you never have to
apologize and every customer you serve becomes your ‘not-so-secret’ marketing
weapon.
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