You’re standing in front of a person at a local networking event. You have answered his question regarding what you do for a living creatively with your 30 second commercial. In turn you ask the same with a power question that is engaging and discover after his reply that he really has nothing to do with your profession, market, industry etc. What do you do now?

Unfortunately, this happens too often and what’s more unfortunate is the way most people handle this scenario. As I bring this situation to audiences I see by their reaction that these people have been victims of the “look through” move. The “look through” move is when someone has determined that you have nothing to offer them and therefore they are looking “through you” or looking beyond you to find someone else in the room to speak with that may have (in their minds) something to offer. How does that make you feel? Not good, yet many of you will turn around and do the same to others.

I recently was listening to a top trainer discussing networking proficiency. His advice included some very good ideas regarding tactically how to behave at a networking event like not to partake in alcoholic beverages, eat early, and plan ahead. One suggestion that didn’t sit well with me was the concept of more is better. He advised the networker to hit as many “prospects” as possible. Understanding everyone wants to maximize their time and gain as many opportunities as possible, think back to the “look through” move. If the concern is quantity not quality, then naturally you are going to “look through” people to increase the numbers.

Here’s what I would suggest. Instead of looking to move on from someone that might not be able to provide you with an opportunity, look to help that person. It’s a matter of six degrees of separation similar to the whole concept of LinkedIn. It’s likely that you can help the person in front of you giving you a reputation of being valuable. Connect the person with a lead (if not you) to someone you know. What do you think their response will be? They will want to return the favor if not immediately, then in the future. It’s called many things; “pay it forward”, the Golden Rule, or as I was exposed to: Netweaving a concept by author, Bob Littel.

My suggestion is that if you are qualifying your networking events. You can work harder and walk away with perhaps less leads, but higher quality and hotter. Networking is hard work if you are utilizing the opportunity and are actually going to do it effectively. Even the individuals that are very social and don’t mind mingling with strangers can find a networking event cumbersome and awkward. If you are not going into an event with a strategy you will become frustrated and less likely to go to networking events and therefore miss out on great opportunities.

Collecting cards is easy, creating connections and building relationship is much more challenging, but will be much more lucrative and successful in the long run. In either case the real challenge comes in the follow up. This is where you will separate yourself from the other networkers. I recently received a follow up letter from an individual who attended an event in which I was registered. I was not able to make it, but the letter indicated how nice it was to meet me and asked me to keep in mind the opportunity to work together in the future. How’s that for building a relationship!! Make your follow up meaningful. If you didn’t have a significant enough discussion to reference it, don’t bother following up at all. Make sure in the future you do make the conversation meaningful enough to reference and make notations on the card to help you remember.

In the end, how much more interesting it is to go into this situation with the attitude of helping others and creating connections and relationships? Isn’t that better than receiving the “look through”?

Volunteering comes in many forms and I suspect the first thought that comes to mind is volunteering your time to a charity or other worthy cause.  In this addition you will undoubtedly read many inspiring motivating articles regarding giving yourself and your time to help others. 

Not to distract from those very important experiences, but let me take a different spin on the topic of volunteering.  Think about what you are doing in the vein of volunteering to offer your clients and customers excellent customer service. What are you doing to deliver service beyond what is expected in your position, and to volunteer exemplary service that separates you from the competition and has your clients/customers standing up and taking notice?

Here’s an example of the point.  The expectation of service from a ride in a cab has been set at the hope of a driver in which you can communicate.

Think about the first impression you receive on a city when the first contact you have is stepping into a cab.  Now granted you will have to overcome the sticky stuff you just put your hand in as you sat down.  And more than likely the dangling pine air freshener won’t overcome the sweet scent of the stale air (at best) inside.  You are about to put trust in this individual that goes way beyond the hope that he won’t take you through a marathon tour of a city that more than likely you know little about.

I travel all over the country and have hailed a cab in most major cities.  Many times the ride is uneventful, hopefully.  Sometimes it’s down right scary.  One thing for sure is that it is rarely a lesson on excellent customer service.

On a recent trip to Las Vegas not only did I encounter a cab driver that provided excellent customer service, but it happened three times!

When I arrived I set out on my first trip to the casino which was my conference destination.  The cab driver volunteered the following question, “Would you like to take the express route or the service road?”  Not knowing the city well I had to ask the difference in which the reply was, “The express is much quicker, but it costs about $3.00 more” Apparently there are visitors in Vegas that cannot afford to wait an extra 10 minutes to gamble their money away.  They desire to get $3.00 in the hole right up front to get started sooner.  I was amazed that a cabbie would not take the opportunity to drive me the more expensive route and collect the additional fair without offering the option.

After the conference on the way back to the airport a cab driver informed me that the particular airline I was flying had an extremely long check in line and wanted to make sure I had enough time to make my flight.  Upon entering the airport loop we hit a long line of traffic.  He turned to me and indicated that he was voluntarily slowing down the meter so that I would not pay a higher rate for sitting in traffic (I didn’t know there was a difference in speed in the first place).  Once we hit the check-in line the driver thought he was at the end of the line of people that I needed to be in.  He parked the car in the middle of three lanes, and volunteered to walk to the curb to determine if the line was the one I needed to be in, it was not.  He then drove me down to the correct one.

Unfortunately, had left something at the casino where I had just left.  I found cab driver who had just dropped me off (I knew he would help me with my challenge). I was in a panic not only to find what I had left behind, but to make my original flight.  The driver assured me we would make it.  Upon arrival at the hotel he volunteered to turn off the meter (which he did) and wait for me to return.  I burst out of the hotel, back into the cab and we were off again to the jammed airport.  This time, however when we hit the wall of traffic, the driver proceeded down a different semi-illegal road that cut out most of the waiting cars.  He proceeded to creatively cut through the crowd to get me to the gate to make my flight while in the course of casual conversation provide me a lead for my business.

In a time where volunteering to go above and beyond to offer excellent customer service is far and few between…I hit the jackpot three times while in Vegas.

I was visiting Seattle this week. There was a forecast for an extremely high wind and rain storm. Not ever visiting this area of the country before I didn’t know if this was a normal weather pattern or an anomaly. Considering the winds were expected to get as high as 100 mph I deduced an anomaly.

I was staying at a chain hotel that was throwing an appreciation party for the local businesses that had recently contributed in the hotels renovation. This was the first indication that perhaps this place was a little different.

No one at the hotel seemed to be particularly concerned about the storm bearing down on us and my stay continued as normal…normal until 12:30AM the following morning.

I was awakened by debris hitting my window. The power started to flicker on and off and it was evident by the sway of the light pole outside that the power would eventually go off permanently. One is always a little uncomfortable when something out of the ordinary occurs when traveling in “strange land”. You’re just not in your comfort zone.

The next morning…darkness. The power was off. I was up early as I was still on east coast time. My first thought went to whether the airport was open and if I would make my flight that morning. I knew the “get ready” time would be longer so I jumped up to try and beat the other guests to the limited hot water.

I was packing by the light of my cell phone (not much light). I fumbled to find my shaving kit and proceeded to hold my phone to my face to see enough to shave.

A knock on the door came. “Security” was about all I could make out through the foreign accent. I opened the door apprehensively wondering if I was being evacuated. Not quite. The security guard was going door to door offering flashlights to anyone who desired!

As I checked out I asked the desk manager two questions, “How many rooms are in this hotel?” Answer: 150. “Did you have the flashlights on hand?” Answer: “No, I went out and purchased 100 yesterday in anticipation of the storm. I also have glow sticks just in case.”

Now you may think this was a no brainer maneuver, but as I arrived at the airport and started to hear the “war stories”
of everyone else’s experience without power that morning, mine was the only hotel to provide any assistance during the power outage.

The questions are: Do we have the correct mentality to achieve this level of customer service? What are we doing in our businesses to go above and beyond to think of super creative ways to deliver extraordinary customer service?

Needless to say my morning routine on that day was literally enlightened with excellent customer service.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to South America to visit Bogota, Colombia. Now I know what all you from the United States are thinking, “why would I be risking my life to travel to a country filled with drug cartels and coffee beans?” Let me be the first to tell anyone that has not had the pleasure to visit Colombia, there is a lesson here regarding not only positive attitude, but applying that attitude to deliver excellent customer service.

It was obvious that from the moment my lovely “tour guide” picked me up at the airport that I was in for a treat. I was greeted with the brightest smile I think I have ever witnessed and it never faded until I was put back on the plane to go home.

I was informed by the Colombian people that they are regarded as the “happiest” people in the world. I saw the evidence first hand. The people in general are very happy and there doesn’t seem to need to be a reason. They are very proud, hard working and productive as they hustle through their daily routine.

At my hotel there was one person that spoke English. This was crucial as I speak only a handful of Spanish and without the help of an English speaking person the mornings would have been very hungry. Imagine trying to describe an omelet with only hand motions? Not only did she help me get fed, but she did it with such an attitude of genuine caring that she made me feel I was the most important person in the hotel. At one point she enthusiastically invited me to her work station to show me pictures on the computer of the other guest that have traveled through the hotel. As she put it, the fact that I spoke English was a privilege which enabled her to practice her second language.

The service was not exclusive to the hotel. It seemed that everywhere we traveled the people were accommodating and understanding of the language barrier that I presented. Every restaurant had an English menu. The store proprietors were patient as I attempted to use my 5 Spanish words to make transactions. And I never once felt anyone was trying to take advantage of a “stranger in a strange land” (as Sting put it) all the while with this incredible positive attitude.

One afternoon during some free time I had the chance to visit a museum and arrived there just a little before closing time. Upon leaving, unknown to me, the 2 or 3 remaining employees had patiently waited almost a half hour beyond “quitting time” for me to finish up - never giving me an indication that they had better places to be on their time off. Try that at any public place in the States at closing time and you’ll be sleeping there overnight.

Over and over during my trip throughout Bogota I saw example after example of genuine excellent customer service with an attitude of pride, helpfulness, and accommodation.

Back to the original question, does a positive attitude translate? I hope so…I think the service industry in the United States can learn a lot from the people of Bogota, Colombia when it comes to, “service with a smile.”

I love coffee and I know I am not alone. Most people like coffee which is why I have decided to use this information to share a positive attitude. One of my philosophies in life and work is to, “be a kind resource without expectation.” I exercise this philosophy each day by buying coffee for someone. When I am out and about buying coffee for myself I look for an opportunity to buy coffee for someone else.

This has not been as easy as it might seem. In today’s world people have become skeptical and suspicious. The men I attempt to buy for don’t allow their egos to accept a gift from a strange man. The women feel I am trying to “hit” on them or have an ulterior motive. This gives cause even further to pass on a positive feeling without expectation in hopes that the chain will be broken and the feeling passed onto someone else.

The technique I have honed is to give the cashier a few extra dollars for the next person in line after I have made my purchase. This eliminates the opportunity for objection (which is a blog to expand upon at another time).

My attempts at positivity and sharing the enjoyment of caffeine got me thinking about something else – the element of surprise in sales and customer service. How can we make sure our customers get the same feeling whenever they interact with our businesses? How can we all “be a kind resource to our customers without expectation?”

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Question from BCN:

I am a regional manager and my company sells through a nationwide network of distributors. I need some “Rice Advice” regarding one of my biggest distributors. Over the years, my distributor has kept me at an “arms length”. I have had some success on some sizeable projects, but it is mostly when the application was driven by the end user. I believe that I could grow my business with this distributor if I were able to work closer with them. They won’t let me get close, do you have any on how I can improve my relationship? I’ve tried everything I can think of!

Dear BCN,

Initially I would say there are two key strategies in this scenario.  First, look at your effort and be honest with yourself that you have truly put your best foot forward both from a hard work stand point and a creative stand point to ‘work this account”.  Given that you can conclude that you have put forth this effort then communication is the second strategy.  Let the distributor know that despite your efforts you have not been able to increase the relationship and therefore increase your sales.  Professionally let them know that you will continue to service them proportionate to the business you are receiving.  It sounds like you are developing the demand from the end user and that you would be receiving the opportunities with or without the relationship at this account.

Another aspect to consider is the “cost of doing business.”  As a sales professional it is difficult to walk away from any potential opportunities especially when there is business coming from that company.  In this case I would advise that you look at the business you are receiving and see if it would continue to come in whether you are calling on the account or not.  Also look at any potential down side with other distributors continuing the relationship and if the business you are receiving is worth the risk.  The question I return to you is, “Can you get the business through an alternate distributor while increasing your business with that alternate distributor?”

In the end it’s a matter of time management.  You need to spend your time with the opportunities that offer the greatest reward (commission in your pocket).  If you feel increased and continued effort will eventually payoff then continue the hard work there.  Try new avenues to get their attention, show your value in the market, and most importantly secure your companies preference at the end user to create pull through demand.  If you feel your efforts will have little, no, or adverse impact on your business then spending your time developing other opportunities is where your time should be spent.

Question:

I haven’t had any communication with one of my most promising clients in awhile. How can I can I back on their radar?

It’s about resilience. Often times sales people take the fact that they are not hearing from a customer as rejection. You have to put yourself in the customers perspective and consider everything that he/she may going on. Now, how important do you think you and your product or service is to them in the scheme of things? Probably not very. Therefore, instead of feeling rejected think about ways you can creatively get back in front of the customer (without wasting their time which will definitely result in rejection). A couple suggestions might be…

• Be a source of information regarding your proposal that may require action (i.e. delivery schedules, material increases, forthcoming upgrade in software, etc.). this will put you in the light of offering customer service and also let the customer know you are thinking about their best interest. As crazy as it may seem, some sales people will let the transaction go through and once the order is in hand give the news of a change that will impact the pricing structure figuring the order won’t be cancelled once “in house”. Is this providing excellent customer service?
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