By Shawn Kelly
My mom used to tell me that when she was a kid, every other day bright and early, a man in a spring white uniform would show up at their door. The smile he wore above his black bow tie was as bright as the morning sun and a small ribbon of jet-black hair shadowed his white cap. He was always whistling a happy tune and he would leave 4 bottles of cold refreshing milk on the doorstep. Back in the ‘50s, the milk cap bottles were used as spinning tops, so my mom and her 13 brothers and sisters used to collect and trade them. So, they were very happy when the milk man would come. Just as the post office delivered mail, the milkman would be at their doorstep every other day, rain, heat, sleet or snow, delivering happiness for a family of 16. My mother always said that she misses those days, not only because of the joy they had from the product, but from the great customer service. The milkman, we’ll call him Hank, new that his customers needed the milk and they needed it on a regular basis. And when the holidays came around, my mother and her siblings never forgot about Hank.
Where did that service go? You can bet that if Hank were around today, I would pay to have him deliver milk to my door. Why aren’t we giving our clients the same service as Hank gave my mom and her family? Is it because we don’t have time? Is it because we just want to take the money and fill the hole? Or is it because you have not been taught? My money is on the latter. Good customer service begins with management. If management is not teaching you, ask for help. It is our job to give the listeners the best product ever! When we do that, we give the client the best commercial he has ever seen. (Yes, I said seen because with great commercials you can actually see the results of the product in your mind. Always make the listener see your client’s product.)
When a client needs customers to visit his store, we must give him great customer service. We must be like Hank. When a client calls and needs his spot changed, we must be there to do it. When a client claims that he has not gotten any response from his four-week campaign after two weeks, we must be there to fix the problem. If the client needs a spot that day or the next day, we must be there to do the best we can to get it for him. (Mind you, the spot may not be that effective, but in the clients mind you have come to his aid, and he will always respect you for that. You can always redesign the spot in the next day or two to make it more effective.)
One way to make sure that you are just like Hank is to pay attention to what you are doing. Don’t rush through a spot just to get it on. This shows you don’t care. Your salesperson must relay to their client that great customer service takes time. (“Yes, we can get your spot done today, but if you give us two days we can really give you a great commercial.”) I could go on page after page about great customer service, but I think you know what it takes to give your clients and your listeners the service they deserve. If you act like Hank, you will always be remembered and your rewards will be many. Act like Hank and deliver your goods every single day. Act like Hank and go above and beyond the call of duty. Act like Hank and become successful. Always be Hank.
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