Create Raving Fans By Screwing Up?

My Operations Managaer Michelle called me the other day with a customer service issue.


It seems our fulfillment company had sent the wrong product to a customer.


And while I will take full responsiblity for what happens in my business, well, I didn't put the product in the box.


But it doesn't matter. If there is a screw up we have to make up for it. And we did in a big way.


The customer wrote back to us how thrilled they are with our customer service and our over-delivering.


Do I write this to tell you how great we are?


Not exactly.


Why would I write about one of our screw ups?


A) To subtly let you know we are human and we do make mistakes. But we do make up for them as best we can.


B) I believe we have been able to take a bad situation and turn it into an incredible positive. I hope it has created a raving fan for us because the customer knows we are listening and genuinely care about then.


C) This is what I really want to get across to you:


There are so many companies out there in all types of industries that are so friggin' terrible at what they do it really shouldn't be that hard to succeed.


Seriously. Business is really pretty cut and dry. There are steps to take. Systems to put into place. You do a lot of focused marketing. You take great care of your customers.


Is it really that hard?


No.


It's just work.


It's passion.


It's desire.


It's persistence.


It's making mistakes and learning from them.


Most of the time your competition is so inept you can't help but succeed!


Who loves ya? ;-)


Happy Holidays!


Jim Labadie
http://trainandgrowrich.com/products.htm


PS- I've got LOTS of products that will help you. But don't take it from me. Take it from my customers:


"Just a little history here...6 months ago my husband was a personal trainer at a health club. We had talked on and off about having our own business. Someday. We came across Jim Labadie's website, and the first product we ordered was Velvet Rope Marketing. That was enough to inspire us to get more active about starting our own business.


Next we ordered the Ultimate Sales Kit. There was a bit of a mess up with the order, and we had the pleasure of meeting Michelle, Jim Labadie's assistant. He made a good choice when he added her to his team. The customer service she gave was exceptional, she always was quick to respond to emails, and she corrected all the problems we had.


Then Jim Labadie called us at home. He didn't have to. Michelle had already fixed the problems we had, and taken care of the situation. But I guess he was putting into practice what he preaches in his products. Overdelivery. A quick phone call on his part made a huge impression on this end.


We have run into so many places that give such crappy customer service. It is always such a nice surprise to run into a someone who really takes care of his customers. That is how Jim Labadie is.


It was in May (so about 6 months ago) when we first found Jim Labadie's website. In July, we moved to a new city to start our own fitness boot camp business. In September, my husband began with 2 boot camps. In October, we added 2 more bootcamps. In late November, we are adding a fifth camp. Next week, we are bringing on an intern, with the hopes of adding a new location in February.


And if it weren't for Jim Labadie and his very inspiring and effective products, I know that we would not be where we are today.


I just wanted to publicly let everyone know that Jim Labadie really does over-deliver. We have experienced that first hand. And as for his products, well, everybody already knows that they are the best there is out there. Thanks, Jim."



Christi Faagau
Mead, WA