Getting What You Paid For

Two new books, reviewed in today’s USA Today, give us tools to do better, both for our clients and for ourselves:

The first is Unscrewed: The Consumer’s Guide to Getting What You Paid For.  The astounding conclusion of the author flies in the face of everything I’ve been taught. Ron Burley says that the reason we get such lousy service today is because it’s cheaper to get new customers than it is to keep current customers! His statistic cited to back him up: The average call to the customer service department of cell phone companies is $20; the marketing cost to attract a new customer if $4! Then, Burley moves on to discuss techniques to make companies pay attention to you and to make good on the quality promises they make.

The next book reviewed is The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything. Here, Stephen M. R. Covey, son of Stephen  R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey says “Trust means confidence …” and confidence is the glue that makes everything else possible. Covey continues identifying behaviors that engender this trust:
1.    Talk straight
2.    Demonstrate respect
3.    Create transparency
4.    Right wrongs
5.    Show loyalty
6.    Deliver results
7.    Practice accountability
8.    Keep commitments

These are characteristics that make an interaction profitable as well as enjoyable.

Categorized in: Cash Flow - Finances