3 Rules to Better Relationships - in business (and life)

When considering relationships of any kind, these 3 guiding rules dictate success or failure. That's it is all there is to know. And the faster you learn these 3 rules, the better off you will be in maintaining and building a thriving business with happy customers who are telling their friends about you and your services.

Essentially it comes down to the question "Are You There For ME?" But ARE should really be A.R.E. and this makes up the foundation of the 3 rules. It is the question EVERY customer or lead is asking. If they are not asking you, they are asking their friends. And it is the same question every business owner needs to be answering loudly - "I am here for you!"

Why every business is should have a Social Worker

Several years ago, a book was sweeping through the management world that was turning people on their ear. "First Break All the Rules" was the report of years of research by the Gallup Organization. When I read it, my first reaction was "Well, YEAH. That's a no brainer. We learned that in undergrad school." These are not single to business. In fact, they are the core principles we teach couples and parents at An Open Mind Counseling and Gina Judd Marriage Mender. These fundamental principles are also the reason that over the past three years, MY mechanic (I say MY because it feels like I should own him) has received nearly $10,000 to keep my various vehicles alive. I refuse to buy new. Even with the mechanic fees, I am still cheaper than new. The core of the First Break All the Rules centered around the same premise that "A.R.E. you there for me?" does. The idea that customer (and workers) want to know that they are number one in the eyes of the business owner, manager, and direct service staff.

Core to working in a therapeutic session is the ability to see the client for who and where they are. Not infusing my opinion and my goals on them. Also critical is the ability to take what they are sharing, hear it, and then help them understand a different way. As a small business owner, I have found that the exact same this is true for all customers and employees. Writing this, I am reflecting on a situation I had just this past week. In a Cell Phone store I was inquiring about a specific product and a specific need. The (definitely not MY) salesperson pushed me to a lesser phone than the one I wanted 3 times before letting me handle her personal version of the one I wanted. She was not there for me.

As a Social Work Professor, I stressed repeatedly to the students that their goals, their altruism, their hopes for the client were irrelevant to the underlying success of the clients buying into the change process. I taught them to sell. To sell the client on the idea of buying the new lifestyle and belief structure. To sell the client on the idea that they did want the product and service that the new social workers agency was selling.

As a therapist, every time I sit with a client, I am the ultimate salesman. My job is to get the client to trust me enough to tell me everything I need to know so that I can identify weaknesses in their beliefs and then sell them on the idea that they can and should change. Not only that they should, but that they should be happy with me opening up closed spaces and assisting them in the change. I cannot assume I know all that I need to because they are like the last client, they have the same needs as the others, and that I know what they really want. if I am not able to hear them and understand their need they will find someone else who will. And not only do I have to do all those things, that, I am going to expected them to pay me. Hopefully happily. I am selling, plain and simple.

First Break All the Rules identified the underlying principle guiding the process as the Platinum Rule. It goes "Do unto others as THEY would have done unto THEM". Gallup found that when mangers and sales staff broke all the convention rules of business and focused solely on the desires, needs, and character of the customer, they thrived. Customers returned, and employees excelled in positions. This is exactly the same thing that a good Social Worker will do when they engage with their client, and it is the one thing that if you apply it to your business practice that can change the tide of your profits and keep you open another year. This guide is the transformation of 20 years selling people on the idea that they want what I am selling. Teaching business owners the same concepts as the "business therapist" empowers you to achieve greater profits and freedom than ever before. The more I do work as a business consultant, the more I am reminded that we all are therapist for our customers. They come to you in need and seek your knowledge, wisdom, and expertise. That makes it even more important to learn and apply these principles used every day in the counseling therapy world.

Our customers want us to Do Unto Them As THEY Want

They want it their way. Burger King nailed this years ago when the coined “Have It Your Way” as their slogan. And really we should be doing unto them as they want. Prior to the 3 Rules, we all tried doing business under the premise of the Golden Rule. While doing to others as We would want done to US is nice, it misses the point of the business relationship. I have often teased about this when trying to teach a husband how to be affectionate with his wife. If the golden rule is applied to the letter, then he would take her to ball games, watch action movies, etc. never understanding that what she wanted from him was something entirely different. It is imperative that we get to know our prospective customer, listen to them, and assure them that we are there for them and to fully understand what they want.

I once worked with a couple who continually missed this. She wanted him to be home and spend time with them. He thought that she wanted him to provide a big home and nice things. He had mistaken her gratitude for these things as a statement of desire. What she really wanted was his attention, connection, and closeness. How many times have we failed to listen to our prospects and missed a sale, only because we were not seeking to understand their needs and desires before selling what we thought they wanted?

Customers do not want it as you would want. A.R.E. you there for me underscore the foundation of What's In It For Me and any potential customer is asking themselves that very thing. "If I give you my money, what's in it for me?" and it must be more than the widget you sell. In order for customers to trust you with their money beyond necessity buying of things like food (and even then), they must know that you are in it for the relationship.

Below you will find very targeted exercises that will hone your understanding of, and effectiveness at being there for your ideal and profitable customer. I encourage you to seriously consider each of the exercises. Not only should management do this, but front line staff and direct customer contact employees need to be part of this conversation.

A.R.E. as the basis of any good business

In the worksheet activity below, I will take you through the fundamental properties of HOW business owners are there for customers, and you will identify where in your organization you are maximizing this and where you can improve. These 3 rules will change the culture and atmosphere of your business in ways that are impossible to quantify, but will be measurable in repeat business, word of mouth referral, and more leads converting to buyers.

Not only will the following workbook take you through the 3 Rules, but I will introduce you to SteadyTIDE.com in the solutions. I believe in the notion "when you identify a problem, bring an oil can or wrench to try and fix it." When our counseling and neuro-balancing business was floundering due to the lack of a systematic delivery system, SteadyTIDE.com was born. It has been the single most effective oil can we could have been given to oil the gears that were in serious need of lube. As you work through the questions, seriously consider the ease and effectiveness of your current system of assuring that you A.R.E. there.

RULE #1

A - Accessible/Attentive

Just as in a relationship with our spouse or children, our customers demand that they feel we are attentive and accessible. That is what I feel when I go to MY mechanic. I am greeted by name. Not just bythe front office, but by the guys in the back as well. They make time to be attentive to my needs and not just schedule my car. I have discussed hunting, politics, cars, counseling, and SteadyTIDE.com with them. They do this for everyone, not just me, but when I walk in it is as if I am the only one there.

Accessible does not mean that they are a 24/7/365 operation. It means that when I have a need, I can reach them. When I am worried about a strange noise that I hear after a repair, they will answer the phone and maybe just pat me on the proverbial head, and assure me all is well. That is attentive. Never have I felt blown off or dismissed when I go into their office. They are not only accessible when I need them, but they are attentive to my needs, my questions or concerns, and they are attentive to my sense of support.

As a result of this accessibility and attention, I know there will likely be a 2-3 week wait before my vehicle will get in. That says something about how others feel about them.

Activity.

In what ways does your business go beyond the "norm" to assure your customers feel you are accessible and attentive to them? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are 3 ways you can do a better job at meeting this need? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Accessibility and attentiveness can be provided in several ways. Prospects and customers are more and more accustomed to being able to access businesses through the internet and an effective online presence will basically mean that you are open 24/7/365.

OIL CAN - ways to provide Accessibility and Attentiveness to your customers when they need it.

Website. Customer and prospects can access your store front anytime. Specials, and new products can easily be featured.
An online store . Customers can access your inventory regardless of your hours. Sales are simple and completed anytime.
Ticketing systems that allow customers to submit support tickets so that they can have immediate access to support and information.
Private Wiki pages and forums allow customers to access knowledge base files and discussion groups to answer many of their questions without any need to contact you or your staff directly.
Auto responder "drip" email communication systems allow you to pre build communication and knowledge base emails that will automatically be sent to the customer or prospect. If MY mechanic were to employ this, he could automatically remind me 3 months after a service that it was time to bring the car in. No more stickers that fall off or get ignored, and an instant increase in easy and quick profit service calls. Best yet, using an automated system, he'd never know he sent the reminder. Current customers are more likely to buy again if you stay connected by providing continual useful information and specials on a regular basis.
Multiple groups or tags to sub-divide your customer base by product or service. Each with it's own website and eStore, your message can be defined to a specific buyer. No more flock shot marketing that misses a large part of your list trying to reach the few.

RULE #2

R - Responsive/Respectful

These really should not be a surprise. They are in fact the principles that stood out for me when I read "First Break All The Rules". Successful businesses and more specific, successful managers are those who are responsive to the needs and wishes of the customer (and employee). One thing I know from several years of working with emotionally distraught individuals is that when I am responsive to their core needs as well as their desire to be heard and respected, I am able to take them farther in therapy faster than if I fail to listen to them. Neglect to hear their message, OR, come at them with my own agenda.

In the Gallup book, one manager discusses the need to chasten two employees and try to get them to tune up. Each employee had done a similar infraction, but one was fired and the other was lectured. During my early days as a Social Worker I stumbled into this effective human character trait and used it to my advantage as I sold my "clients" on the idea of buying into the pro social way of living. One spring I ordered a probationer to come in every morning and meet with me before going to job search for a few hours. Another I had come in at the same time. Him I gave a small military folding shovel and had him move a very large pile of old snow blocking a parking space. Each had been out of work for some time, a violation of probation. Each was in need of correction in his own way. If I had made the first shovel the snow, it would have wasted valuable job search time and time for me to teach and nurture him. The second was cocky and arrogant. Having him move the snow on a day when many were coming to the office for classes and appointments placed in in a very difficult predicament. Each had a job the next week and remained employed for several years. The point is, I had to know each of them. Be responsive to their needs and style. AND be respectful of their underlying needs as I helped them decide to make the purchase of what I was selling them. If I was abusing or arrogant myself, I would have lost respect from them and we never would have made the sale.

MY mechanic is the same. If there is an unforeseen issue he calls me. Before the job is begun he calls me with the list and prices. Before I take the car and give him my money we discuss everything on the list and I am able to ask anything that I want. This respect of my money is what sets this shop apart and why I keep taking my vehicles to them. I have never had the classic hidden $50 oil filter on the bill so often painfully joked about.

I heard a news interview a few months ago in which the front desk clerk at a major hotel chain was asked about ways to get a better room or service. This young man talked about how online "discount" buyers were relegated to obscure rooms. That if the person was rude at all to the clerk they had a game he called "key-bombing" were they would make the key work only for one use, and of course, if a guest were to tip the clerk, they would get upgrades and freebies. This made me sick, and I am sure that if the manager knew about this these desk clerks would not last. Extreme as it is, this is an example of how we can easily dis-respect and be un-responsive to our customers. I know that I would never be looking at that hotel again, and neither would any friends I could speak to about it. If I had experienced anything other than the utmost respect from MY mechanic, I would be going elsewhere. I have referred several and they are referring several. The truth is there is a shop right across the street from our office, but I choose to drive across town because I am respected and they are responsive to me needs.

More subtle but very much similar to the Hotel Desk Clerk is a clerk I did not get to speak with because he would not be bothered with me. I was in a very nice department store in Salt Lake City recently. I stopped at the watches case. They had some very large face watches. My wife mentioned that those would look regular sized on my wrist. At that, the clerk looked up, looked me in the eye, and then looked down not saying a word. Now, I was on vacation. I was not wearing the finest outfit and did not look to be of any "worth" outwardly, but I was interested, I was stopped, and I was discussing his product. And to top it off, I had enough money in my pocket to have purchased one of his watches with cash. He and the store however lost the opportunity to trade me that money for a watch because he simply was not respectful of my looking and responsive to my interest.

ACTIVITY

In what areas is your business respectful and responsive to the needs and wishes of your customers? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where can your business increase its respect and responsively to the needs and desires of the customers you have AND the leads you wish to generate? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OIL CAN - ways to provide Responsivity and Respect to your customers when they need it.

Create an environment and attitude within your organization where the customer is first priority.
Acknowledge and address the customer. If the clerk at the watch counter would have at least addressed us and acknowledge we were in the store or at the counter, I would have had less of a rejected feeling and lower respect for the store.
Organize work time or automate tasks for clerks and direct sales staff so that when they are able to be present when ever a prospect or customer approaches. It appeared that this clerk was busy doing some type of reporting or paper work. Needed, yes, but unprofitable and not the best use of his time on the sales floor. His unresponsiveness to me sent the clear message that he (and therefore the store) did not respect me and my money.

RULE # 3

E - Engaged/Enjoy

The principles Engage and Enjoy create the basis to my interaction with clients. My clients MUST feel that I am engaged in them. That for that moment, they are all that exist and that I enjoy them. Additionally, I do everything I can to help them enjoy the experience, even when the experience is unpleasant, as therapy can be.

I recently spent a few days in Phoenix and had an amazing experience with the staff at the Phoenix Chandler Hilton. Every person I dealt with on the staff for that hotel was pleasant, engaged in what I was needing from them, and not only did they appear to enjoy the work, they made me feel as though they enjoyed being with me in that moment. I would stay there again. I have shared the experience outside of this referral, and it made paying the higher room price easy. Higher than I wanted to pay at least.

The very same is true in a restaurant. The wait staff will make or break the experience. There are locations in our town I will not go to unless I know a certain staff is on. There are wait staff who have made very nice tips from me and others who are likely still cussing me to friends. The experience created by the staff can often overpower a mediocre or a fantastic meal for the good or the bad.

MY mechanic is very engaged in me. He knows what vehicles I have and recognizes them as I approach. Even the ones he has not worked on. We chat at the counter or in the bay and he is engaged in me, and I feel that he enjoys the conversation. I have observed that he does this with every customer. It is the culture of the shop.

When your customers leave your business, whatever it is, they must have felt that you were engaged in them and that you truly enjoyed being with them. And to whatever degree possible, you MUST make sure that they enjoyed you. It really is no different than the couple who are sitting in front of the T.V. each oblivious to the other. Sometimes they even carry on a conversation, yet neither is really present with the other. No one is engaged in the other. Little enjoyment can be claimed from the interaction and time spent. Numerous ads and movie scenes have been made where one partner will do anything they can to get the other to engage them. We do not want our customers to ever feel that this is how we see our time with them. Unlike a marriage or parent child relationship, our customers can go elsewhere easily and cheaply.

Another way of looking at the engagement and enjoyment with our customers are the opportunities we give them to engage with our business and enjoy the content or interaction they find. As counseling was our primary business for years, it was often hard to find ways for the clients to engage with us outside of the session and definitely hard to figure out how they can enjoy the relationship over all. Some of what we have done to increase the engagement and enjoyment with our clientele is:

OIL CAN - ways to provide Engagement and Enjoyment to your customers when they need it.

Send regular and insightful emails that contain timely and useful information. These are all trackable allowing us to know who is reading, when they read, where they click through, and on what device and platform the read so that I can tailor the formatting, content, and send time to their read time.
Send regular newsletters, mailed and email, with playful and informative content including word finds or puzzles about services and staff, news articles aimed at extending the session content and growth, links to additional information aimed at increasing the value they have in us, and print/copy and share coupons.
Surveys have been an invaluable tool in getting feedback from customers.
Automation of reward for interaction. Anytime a customer engages in the email, Surveys, eStore, Websites, Blog posts, or anything in our Steady TIDE.com business platform they are rewarded points. Almost like a slot machine, we can set the system to reward them with bonus offers or anything when ever they reach a certain point level or click on a specific page. All of these advantages Steady TIDE provides us, allows the customer to engage in our message on their time, and in their way while allowing us to reward them quietly and effortlessly.

ACTIVITY

Identify the 3 areas in which you create and engaged and enjoyable experience for your customers.

1.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In what areas of your business are you 100% positive that your customers enjoy your business? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What 3 things can be implemented today that will increase the enjoyment and engagement of our customers.

1.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When you apply the simple 3 step rule of "A.R.E. you there for me?" you will see 2 things happen. First your clients will begin to enjoy the interaction with you more, and second, your staff will begin to enjoy work more. The law of attraction (Karma, Kismet,...) truly applies and the more freely you A.R.E. there for them they will return it. Your customers will return, and they will spread your message to friends. All of this returns as profit in the end.

If you are not currently using a system that provides everything that I have identified in this manual for success, I encourage you to look seriously at your business management and marketing platform. I literally guarantee you that I will pay you back. But if you apply these principles in the Steady TIDE.com platform, you I am confident will see an increase in your bottom line by at least double your subscription rate in 2 months. Seriously, I am confident that these principles in the Steady TIDE tools will increase your profits and save you money over the services you are using now.

Start using Steady TIDE.com TODAY and if you use this link SUCCESS you will get 50% off you 1st 3 months. WHY would I do this? Simple. Because, it takes time to get a system fully integrated and implemented. I believe that during that implementation stage, it is only fair that since you are not using every function fully that you should be given a ramp up period. You will still have access to the support staff and all the helps we offer everyone and be able to participate in the monthly Success Strategies "Group Therapy" session each month where we dive into direct practice principles that will enhance your bottom line and free up your time through the SteadyTIDE.com platform.

Learn more about everything Steady TIDE.com has at www.Steady TIDE.com/features

SteadyTIDe.com provides

Website hosting and a built in editor with over 100 customizable templates so that WebPages can quickly and easily be built on-site without the hassle and expense of a page designer. Customer and prospects can access your store front anytime. Specials and new products can easily be featured.
An online store for every account. Customers can access your inventory regardless of your hours. Sales are simple and completed anytime.
Ticketing systems allow customers to submit support tickets custom created by you so that they can have immediate access to support and information.
Private Wiki pages and forums embedded in the SteadyTIDE.com system allow customers to access knowledge base files and discussion groups to answer many of their questions without any need to contact you or your staff directly.
Auto responder "drip" email communication systems allow you to pre build communication and knowledge base emails that will automatically be sent to the customer or prospect. If MY mechanic were to employ this, he could automatically remind me 3 months after a service that it was time to bring the car in. No more stickers that fall off or get ignored, and an instant increase in easy and quick profit service calls. Best yet, using the automated SteadyTIDE.com system, he'd never know he sent the reminder. Current customers are more likely to buy again if you stay connected by providing continual useful information and specials on a regular basis.
Multiple groups or tags to divide your customer base into product or service specific subgroups. Each with its own website and eStore, your message can be defined to a specific buyer. No more flock shot marketing that misses a large part of your list trying to reach the few.

Additionally, SteadyTIDE.com gives you all of the following integrated into one easy to use system.

1. Send regular and insightful emails that contain timely and useful information. These are all trackable through Steady TIDE.com's emailer and allow us to know who is reading, when they read, where they click through, and on what device and platform the read so that I can tailor the formatting, content, and send time to their read time.

2. Send regular newsletters, mailed from the Steady TIDE print service, with playful and informative content including word finds or puzzles about services and staff, news articles aimed at extending the session content and growth, links to additional information aimed at increasing the value they have in us, and print/copy and share coupons (also generated in Steady TIDE and connected to items/services in the embedded online store).

3. Surveys have been an invaluable tool in getting feedback from customers and are integrated in Steady TIDE so that they automatically create CRM activity reports and analytical data.

4. Automation of reward for interaction. Anytime a customer engages in the email, Surveys, eStore, Websites, Blog posts, or anything in our Steady TIDE.com business platform they are rewarded points. Almost like a slot machine, we can set the system to reward them with bonus offers or anything whenever they reach a certain point level or click on a specific page. All of these advantages Steady TIDE provides us, allows the customer to engage in our message on their time, and in their way while allowing us to reward them quietly and effortlessly.

By using this secure and private communication software, we are able to see who is engaged in us and keep their information private and secure. A real rarity in today's world. One system, one list, multiple users, infinite niches to divide the lists into make work much more enjoyable for everyone.

So, here it is again.

50% off for 3 months during implementation

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed for 90 days. If you do not find it to be easier, totally comprehensive, and better than the multiple systems you have been using, I will refund your subscription.

Use this link SUCCESS now for your Implementation special.