We Can Be Heroes...But Just For One Day?

Every company has at least one. That "hero" who regularly swoops in when all seems dire. And somehow, some way, the disaster gets fixed and everyone says 'hooray'.

But are these the heroics we really want to see? More importantly, as a customer focused organization, is this what we want our customers to experience?

No.

Of course, there are always exceptions and sometimes there is no option. But customers-buyers-shoppers want as little drama as possible. Everyone gets enough of that elsewhere, so no need to add to the stress. What customers, and salespeople, really strive for is a smooth experience where little is even noticed.

Sometimes, nothing is a whole lot of something.

Leadership in sales, marketing, service, product, finance, all the way back to R&D, need to have a common understanding and objective for the customer experience. And a culture that puts customers first and allows for that to be real.

Sounds easy? It's not.

A CEO that I worked for at one time in my career had great guidance he would share with all new employees (regardless of their role) that "at any given time, the person who is with, or closest to the customer, is the most important person in the company".

The real heroes in any organization, especially for salespeople, are those that listen, those that respond, and those that take action. Those in the organization who care enough to prepare and prevent disasters. Especially, in advance of predicted turbulence or bumping into a known problem.

In that sense, we can all be heroes, and not just for one day.

So put the cape away, and don't reward your Mighty Mouse(s).

#sharingwisdom