Service Star: Ian at Verizon Wireless
My cell phone recently died so I popped into a local Verizon Wireless store. (It’s not been a good month for me and technology.) I walked out about 20 minutes later, with a new phone and two-year contract. And, I was happy about both - didn’t care (still don’t) if another company would have cost me less. Why? The young salesperson, Ian. Here’s what he did:
1. He looked me in the eye.
2. He spoke in complete sentences (and wasn’t snapping gum.)
3. He acted like he cared about me.
4. He sympathized with me about the general cluelessness of Verizon customer service.
5. When I asked, “Is this one the cheapest?” He countered, “No, but it’s the best deal for you today and here’s why.”
And, along the way, we talked about his plans for life (he’s a UNM student); his Mom (I’m a year older than her); and his generation’s “cell psychosis” We talked and had a few laughs, all while he was working on my contract, transferring my contact list to the new phone and generally operating both effectively and efficiently.
Bottom Line: He didn’t “sell” me - he connected with me. Of course, as a sales & marketing consultant, I was well aware of his technique, but I appreciated it. This guy is good! So, I signed right up - without doing any additional research, grilling him on features, and so on. I felt he’d given me the best advice and deal. And, that’s worth a lot - particularly when one is short on time (as I was that day.)
(Hmmm…mebbe Comcast should recruit him!)
Related Posts:
Service Star: Joan Cok, UNM CE
The Rant Factor or Who Sucks Less?
Shaming Companies Into Good Service. (Can’t be done.)
Comcast Missed the Point!
Home Depot’s Real Problem
People Who Need People
Customers - Service Vs. Processing
Got a service star or snafu story of your own? Tell me about it!
Tags: customer service, Comcast, marketing, marketing troubleshooting sales techniques
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August 17th, 2006 at 10:24 am
Yes, good service is not always found but where it is, a post like this does wonders. You may have heard the line about if something goes wrong, you tend to tell 15-20 people about it; but if something goes right, you only tell 4-5. This post serves as a reminder to all of us to highlight the good service we get. It will take an effort to counter the bad but if we do not try, we will never make it.
August 17th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
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August 24th, 2006 at 8:37 am
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