3 Attributes That Boost Customer Loyalty

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet When asked why they are loyal to a particular supplier, customers don’t award the highest grade to outperforming competitors on product or service, or to securing a better price-to-value ratio than the competition. The highest grade is consistently awarded to the sales process they experienced. The primary driver of customer loyalty is the sales experience itself. A salesperson or business that respects the customer’s time by demonstrating urgency and efficiency earns …

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What’s Your Return on Customer Service?

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Increasing activity with current customers is still the most productive, profitable means of boosting sales revenue. And the service level experienced by the customer is a core driver of this increased activity. In today’s market, access to information is so effortless that many products are seen as commodities and the life cycle of a technical competitive advantage is a long weekend. Providing exceptional service, that saves your customer time and money, …

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Inspiring Initiative

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Bob Schultek Author of  The Gauntlet Leaders are change agents – they are expected to drive productive change that improves results.  There are always processes to be improved and problems to be solved. And since their people are busy doing their jobs, leaders require an investment of additional time and energy from their team to pursue change. This is a commitment that cannot be compelled; it’s an investment of discretionary initiative that can only be inspired. Inspiration …

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Ideas Don’t Drive Change

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet We are bombarded with new ideas from all directions. Some are fascinating enough to capture our attention, but usually, they don’t motivate us to change. Our customers share this experience. What does drive customers to consider change is when clearly proposed benefits generated by ideas, products and services go beyond fulfilling a need, to helping achieve a goal. Making the effort to discover why meeting a need is important, how …

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A Time for Why & How

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Bob Schultek Author of  The Gauntlet It’s a new year, a fresh start. Amidst the resolutions and planning, it’s an ideal time to assess by asking a few basic ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions. Why were you able to accomplish what you did last year? What worked, and what didn’t? How can you be smarter? Smarter about process, about planning, about possible effects, about metrics, about leadership, about inspiring your people to invest in building the business? How will …

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Preparation and Success

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet It’s the season of preparation…for the holidays, for the new business year, for your personal progression the coming year. If you’re a big fan of spontaneity, then preparation can be dull and tedious; but to be successful in whatever you do, it is an essential skill that generates quantifiable benefits. Would you attend a meeting unprepared? Or visit a customer?  Or approve an investment? Not if you want to succeed. For …

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Going First

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Credibility is the number one reason people choose to follow their leaders. That credibility is based on the leader’s behaviors, transparency and accountability. How they walk the talk, keep promises, lead from the front. To build a vibrant organizational culture, leaders must go first. They are the first to make sacrifices, the first to take risks, and the first to feel consequences. They are the first to model the company’s values, first …

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Why Leaders Won’t Coach

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet    Leaders know that coaching their personnel produces a “markedly positive” impact on performance, culture and results. Yet coaching is one of the tools least used by leaders. Why? The common excuse is that there is no time for the slow, tedious work of teaching/mentoring employees when trying to succeed in our competitive, high pressure economy. Another explanation is that coaching can be complicated and involved, and there’s concern about failing at …

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Reward from Risk

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet There can be no reward, no change initiative, no return on investment, no relationship, no success until someone first takes a risk.Life is uncertain; risk and reward is the natural order. Whether we succeed or fail, we learn by continuing to go forward. Shrinking from risk only creates a false sense of security. Manage risk assessment by considering: 1. What benefits will be missed if the decision is made not to proceed? 2. …

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High Tech High Touch

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When I see three or four folks sitting around a table, each interacting more with a phone than with one another, I wonder why they have chosen to meet.  Why is being together not valued more highly?  Where’s the conversation, the laughter, the stories?  What’s the nature of their relationship? If there were no phones to distract them, how would they react? Experts have confirmed that our increasing dependence on technology creates a corresponding rise …

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