Oftentimes it seems there’s more risk in saying “yes” than “no” to a client’s concern or inquiry. But what if you changed your mindset? What if the risk were actually in saying no?
Oftentimes it seems there’s more risk in saying “yes” than “no” to a client’s concern or inquiry. For that matter, anyone who comes to you asking for a fix or solution is easier met with a negative than an affirmative response. That’s because with “yes” comes additional time and effort on your part. But what if you changed your mindset? What if the risk were actually in saying no?
Ultimately, there’s a lot less work for the employee who says no (think compliance departments). If you say yes, you may have to do more work and then take a risk for doing that work. And frankly, it seems that some service people don’t see the benefit of saying yes. It’s too much work. But eventually, much less work may lead to no work (especially if you’re in an industry providing services to clients).
What if service people were given incentives for saying yes to clients and docked for saying no? I guarantee they’d find ways to say yes more often and, as a result, provide better, more personalized service.
Maribeth Kuzmeski is the President of Red Zone Marketing, a consulting firm specializing in strategies for achieving measurable new business growth for financial services firms. Maribeth is the author of 7 books including The Connectors and …And The Clients Went Wild, and has appeared in numerous media outlets including USA Today, The New York Times, Fox News, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and others discussing innovative marketing strategies. www.RedZoneMarketing.com
Ultimately, there’s a lot less work for the employee who says no (think compliance departments). If you say yes, you may have to do more work and then take a risk for doing that work. And frankly, it seems that some service people don’t see the benefit of saying yes. It’s too much work. But eventually, much less work may lead to no work (especially if you’re in an industry providing services to clients).
What if service people were given incentives for saying yes to clients and docked for saying no? I guarantee they’d find ways to say yes more often and, as a result, provide better, more personalized service.
- “Yes, I can change that for you.”
- “Yes, I can do that for you over the phone right now.”
- “Yes, I can add that to your order.”
- “Yes, I will talk to my manager about doing that for you.”
Maribeth Kuzmeski is the President of Red Zone Marketing, a consulting firm specializing in strategies for achieving measurable new business growth for financial services firms. Maribeth is the author of 7 books including The Connectors and …And The Clients Went Wild, and has appeared in numerous media outlets including USA Today, The New York Times, Fox News, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and others discussing innovative marketing strategies. www.RedZoneMarketing.com
