Make it Personal or Lose Out

Dear Reader, I am starting 2021 with a brand-new, more succinct style of newsletter format, one which better meets the needs of busy people like you. Each one will contain a brief success story to inspire and hopefully guide you, together with a couple of chosen pieces of wisdom and a question for you to ponder in relation to your professional and/or personal life. Please hit reply and let me know what you think. Success Story of the Week Make it Personal or Lose Out Where I live, three food delivery companies compete for market share. Yesterday, I was intrigued to discover that a high-end café in my neighbourhood had decided to partner exclusively with just one of them. The reason? One of the three simply e-mailed their price-list to the café owners, the second one called them on the phone and the third-one - and the winner - made the effort to pay them a personal visit. By showing up at their potential customer's door, the delivery people not only showed that they cared more than their competitors but set a precedent for the style of their future collaboration. "Making it personal is almost always guaranteed to win the customer’s heart. And in these days of restrictions and social distancing, you don’t need to physically visit the people you want to work with: a video call can have the same positive effect." Share on Twitter. Words of Wisdom Related to the above story, Shep Hyken believes that empathy remains the most important element of successful business: "The word for 2021 will be empathy. While people have embraced self-service solutions and digital selling experiences, the current pandemic saw customers reaching out to companies just to talk to someone who cares. More than ever, empathy is at the root of a successful human-to-human interaction." Jeffrey Gitomer on the need new sales strategies as a result of the changes in the economic environment: "To thrive in the ‘New Normal’, you must understand, implement, and master how to use virtual and video sales and communication tools to market, connect, and sell. These skills are no longer an option – they are ripe to master and monetize." A Question to Ponder, dear friend What actions are you taking to ensure that you maintain a personal touch, and listen to your customers with empathy? Hit reply and let me know. COMING SOON “How to take a sales leadership position as the new economy emerges". Don’t miss next month’s exclusive webinar with Jeffrey Gitomer. More information here. The Customer Experience Show™ Episode #8. We are welcoming the owner of one of the most exclusive resorts in the world, Mr. Sonu Shivdasani. The episode airs on February 1st at 2pm EET. Register to get reminded here. Best Regards, Michael R. Virardi Note: Huge shoutout and thank you to Ian Schneider on Unsplash for the above image.