Roman or Norman - A Customer Service Story By Steve
Waterhouse
Roman Or Norman? It's The Difference Between Being
Seen As A Partner Or An Invader.
With all of the discussion in recent years about the
importance of understanding our customer's needs, it's a
valuable exercise to try to see ourselves as we might be
perceived by our customers.
For example, if a customer glances out the office
window as we march from the visitor's lot towards their
fortress, briefcases and laptops in hand and a pocket
full of business cards, do they see friend or foe?
Invader or partner?
On a recent speaking engagement in England, I found
myself thinking seriously about two different groups of
our sales ancestors. We've learned a great deal from
both, but it became clear to me that each has a far
different message to tell in terms of how to deal with
customers.
Back in the year 1066, an aggressive organization
calling themselves "Normans" invaded England from what
is present-day France. They were led by a loud,
authoritarian sales manager who came to be known as
William the Conqueror. You'd probably recognize the
type. His goal is winning – on his terms.
Now, Bill, as he was known to his closest friends,
had done some fairly extensive market research and had
determined that the English were good fighters, but he
felt that he was better. So his approach was to be
tougher than the other guy. He moved in, built forts,
stole stuff and killed a lot of people. Needless to say
the English didn't care too much for him, so he had to
spend the rest of his life in combat to hold on to what
he had taken. Bill was convinced that this was the only
way to conquer a country and his loyal troops saw it
that way too. After all, what else could you do since
the English never stopped fighting back? To this day,
the remains of Norman forts are scattered throughout the
countryside and every English child is taught the date
of the battle of Hastings where Bill, the Conqueror,
struck his first blow. A thousand years have passed, and
the "customer" is still angry.
If Bill had done a little historical research,
however, he might have found a better way. A thousand
years earlier, another sales manager, this time a Roman
named Jontheous, attempted to take the English market by
storm. When the locals fought back vigorously, however,
he concluded that a lifetime of fighting wasn't going to
be good for team morale. Jontheous pulled out, returned
to corporate headquarters in Rome, and about ten years
later revisited England - without an army. This time he
brought with him architects, and priests, and teachers
who moved in to the local villages and cities and
befriended the citizens. They built water systems and
sewage systems, and even forts and walls. But unlike the
forts of the Normans, Jontheous's walls didn't separate
the Romans from the locals. They surrounded the towns
and offered protection to everyone. His people
intermarried and learned the local language. They even
added the local gods to Roman worship.
Jontheous and his followers lived in peace with the
English for more than a hundred years and many cities
they helped develop, such as London, still bear their
mark. By about 125 AD the Romans were having trouble in
other parts of the empire and were forced to downsize
and close some branch offices, so they departed, leaving
behind a rich legacy of contribution. Their successful
working relationship with the English people meant that
after the passage of some 2,000 years, the people of
England still speak well of the Romans.
Today, however, even with all the emphasis on
customer-focused selling, I still encounter far more
Normans than Romans. I still see too many companies who
perceive the client as something to be conquered rather
than embraced. Just the other day, while waiting in the
showroom of a local car dealer, I overheard a manager
coaching a sales rep by saying, "There's a customer out
there with bags of money. Go get it!"
Roman or Norman?
I've heard a vice president of a major software
company tell a client that they had to be committed to
their product 100% or they would be seen as enemies!
Roman or Norman?
On the other hand, I recently met with a sales
manager whose sales force of 25 people spent a week
analyzing the equipment needs of a paper mill and then
delivered a thorough cost-saving analysis before the
customer had ever committed to spending so much as a
dime.
Roman or Norman?
Which "invader" would you want on your doorstep? The
answer is self-evident, and it means that when you visit
that potential working partner you should be asking some
questions along the following lines.
"If you ran our newspaper, what would you change?"
"What products or services should we add to serve you
better?"
"If we were the perfect supplier to you, what would
we be doing differently?"
When I was with the Vortech Corporation, we had a
major opportunity with IBM, but we were by far the
smallest of the four companies competing for their
business. During one of our meetings I asked the buyer
what we would be able to do for them if we were the
perfect supplier. She answered that they would like
access to our computer tracking system so that they
could maximize their planning. After a few calls to our
plant, I found out that this would be easy to implement
with a trusted client. Two weeks later we established
the link and locked up the business for years.
Customer surveys represent another tool that far too
many companies easily dismiss. Most distribute comment
cards but few read them. J.W. Marriott, Sr. used to read
every one and even wrote the responses and followed up
with managers. His son still does it and the result is
that Marriott led the way in providing business
travelers needed power and phone outlets for their
laptops. They also were among the first chains to offer
lower cost alternatives through their Fairfield hotels,
ensuring travelers a quality room that won't bust the
budget.
Today, we all have the opportunity to learn a great
deal about our clients and potential clients from
newspapers, corporate reports and, of course, the
Internet. Just the other day I received a valuable
client lead, and before making the call to the contact,
I spent 5 minutes online getting information. When I
made my call, I knew the company's annual sales, details
about their product, their growth curve for the last
five years, their target market, and their perceived
advantage in the marketplace. I was ready, and the
client was pleased that I had taken the time to be
prepared.
The world is changing rapidly, and within months
we'll all be selling in the 21st century. We need to
know everything we can about our customer. We need to
combine that knowledge with effective plans for service,
and we need to move faster than anyone else.
When our clients think of us, we want to be
recognized as Romans not Normans. It's the difference
between being difficult to work with or giving more than
you take. Each of us can choose. We don't have to wait
for word from Rome. Let's start tomorrow to dedicate
ourselves and our organizations to 21st century selling.
It's the way to a brighter future for each of us and our
clients.
For a free copy of "5 Ways to Guarantee Great
Customer Service", please email
article10@waterhousegroup.com and ask for
article #10.
Steve Waterhouse is Principal and Founder of Waterhouse
Group (www.waterhousegroup.com), a sales consulting and
training company that helps companies dramatically
increase their sales. He can be reached at
1-800-57-LEARN or
info@waterhousegroup.com.
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