Take to the Oars!

For those waiting for the economy to start roaring again, my advice to your company is for all your hands to grab an oar and help row. While the local economy appears to have bottomed out and started to gradually improve, the growth in consumer buying power feels tepid. Rather than sit still in the water and wait for the “Big Recovery,” you can help your team row your ship to the front of the competitive line by pulling each oar on your company’s boat in a focused and coordinated manner.

When I shout, “Take to the oars,” I mean that it’s your entire team’s responsibility to promote your company as top-rated and guaranteed. Everyone should be involved. Most of your employees have Facebook pages, some interact on Twitter, and all have friends and family. Take advantage of their vast networks to spread the word about how your company focuses on customer satisfaction. If your company has earned Diamond Certified for high customer satisfaction, then you have a big advantage over your local competitors. Encourage each of your team members to mention this in their social media.

OAR #1: Precise Phone Reminder Scripts

When it comes to phone conversations, short, precise scripts work. I recently read a Wall Street Journal article profiling the hugely successful Apple stores. It described how their staff members are trained with precise scripts to ensure customer experience and brand perception are maintained at the highest levels. If your company is Diamond Certified, you’ll use it to stand out from your competitors within the first minute of each phone call.

Phone example: “Did you know that (Diamond Certified Company Name) has earned Diamond Certified?”

If prospective customer answers, “No, what’s that?”

“I like to bring it up because it means we’ve been independently rated Highest in Quality. Our whole team really takes customer satisfaction seriously.” [Continue helping customer]

If prospective customer answers, “Yes.”

“We’re just very proud that we’ve been independently rated Highest in Quality. Our whole team really takes customer satisfaction seriously.” [Continue helping customer]

OAR #2: Your Company’s Brochures

Most humans are very visually oriented. That’s why we put a large, embossed, gold Diamond Certified symbol right below every Diamond Certified company’s name on their custom brochures. In addition to actively handing out brochures at their workplaces, Diamond Certified companies are encouraged to make sure every member of their staff carries extra brochures in their car and has some at home. Why? The brochures lift Diamond Certified companies above the competition by promoting their top quality, customer satisfaction and dependability. They also help referral rates, which add oars to their efforts and get them all pulling in the same direction..

OAR #3: Best Web Page

It’s a web, web, web world we live in. When you’re competing against others within your industry, you’ll notice that, for customers with certain personality types, the best web presentation of a company will win the day. There’s no better web presentation of local companies than sites that include all the information necessary to buy on a single page. Check out how Amazon’s product pages have everything a user needs to buy immediately, without leaving the pages to research the products further. The same technique is used for top-rated companies presented at www.diamondcertified.org. Everything a potential client needs to choose a Diamond Certified company and feel confident about her decision is powerfully presented on the Diamond Certified Company Report page.

OAR #4: Social Media

Most of your best potential customers are active on Facebook, using Twitter or participating on blogs (or all three). Your company should be using these social media to pull in those extra quality-seeking customers that lift your profits each year. Get every employee to “Like” your company’s Facebook page. Set up a Twitter account and Tweet about your company every day. Get a blog going and update it on a regular basis. The more active you are online, the more chances you’ll have to connect with potential clients. If you qualify for Diamond Certified, it will help greatly in the social media environment because your company will instantly be seen at the top of its field when friends of friends find it.

By: Jim Stein, Founder/CEO of American Ratings Corporation, creators of the Diamond Certified Program.

You should follow me on twitter here: http://twitter.com/jimsteindc