This weekend a friend told me a story about a customer service experience that just blew her mind.

She has a silver chain that she wears around her neck for good luck. She managed to get the chain tangled in all sorts of ways. After spending a good hour or two on a Sunday afternoon trying to fix the thing, she had remedied all but one remaining stubborn knot. She could not get it out, no matter what she did.

So she put it back on, put it around her neck and went to the mall in search of a jewelry store willing to help her out. Once at the mall, she told me, she walked up to one of those kiosks they have in the middle aisle – not a traditional store but a stand-alone kind of thing you might miss if you weren’t looking for it.

Right away she was greeted warmly and personally. She was embarrassed to present her silver chain to the man behind the counter because she wasn’t sure if this small job was something they would even look at – or if they would charge her for the service in the first place.

The man at the repair stand took one look at my friend’s chain and got to work right away, goggles on his eyes, tools in hand. The entire job that had taken all afternoon for my friend to improve just a little bit took about 60 seconds for him to fix entirely. He even showed her a trick to avoid these little-but-seemingly-insurmountable knots in the future.

When he was done, he looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back and asked, “What do I owe you?”

He looked at her, shook his head and, she told me, said, “It was my honor to help you. Now go and have a great day.”

And with that, he put her chain back on her neck and sent her on her merry way.

Consider the answers to these questions:

* How do you think he made her feel?

* Where do you think she will go next time she needs a jewelry repair? Think she would even consider going somewhere else? Think the repair man made a customer for life?

* Think she rushed to tell every friend (including me!) about her experience?

Now, think about your own business and the level of service you provide:

** Have you ever made a customer feel the way my friend must have felt?

** Have you ever provided a service that may have been fast and easy for you but nevertheless significantly changed the life of a customer for the better?

** Have you ever provided a service that “WOW-ed” someone so profoundly that they told everyone who would listen just how amazing your product/service was?

Take some time today to think about great service. Not just service. GREAT, above-and-beyond service. What would providing such service mean for you, for your customers, for your business?

*** Good service is expected. It is about delivering what people expect and doing so anywhere from adequately to well. Great service is delivering what your customer did not specifically ask for – in a good way. It is going beyond the immediate problem/solution scenario and defying expectations.

*** Know who you are selling to. Learn everything you can about your target market so you can customize your service to their needs and wants. Talk to them and listen to them. Then deliver. And deliver again and again.

***Be human. Remember the Golden Rule? Treat people the way you want to be treated – kindly, respectfully, personally. Acknowledge them in every way possible and never take them for granted.

***Remember, your word is your bond. If you promise or guarantee something, you must deliver on it. And, whenever possible, over-deliver. If you fail, make sure you have ways to make it up to your customer quickly and definitively, no questions asked.

***Focus on the relationship to make the sale (not the other way around). Your business may be entirely web-based and unlike the brick-and-mortar operations of yesterday, but it is still built entirely on connections and relationships. Don’t neglect this most basic part of sales – no matter how big you get or how virtual you are.

When it comes to pricing or putting a price on your product or service, there are different areas to consider…and all the more so during a recession or with customers who have a recession mindset.

What are some different considerations or pricing criteria? Here’s what you should not be basing your pricing on…statements like these:

• “My competitor charges X, so my price will be based (competition-based pricing)

• “I will make this price artificially high to create an illusion of higher value.” (and then lower it to look better in a prospect’s eyes – premium pricing)

• “I will be as aggressive and no-holds-barred as far as pricing my competitors out of the market.” (predatory pricing)

• “I will price my service or product at a number ending in a 99 or 97 instead of 00 – to give the perceiption of a ‘better’ price.) psychological pricing)

Here’s the thing with these and other not-so-great pricing rationalizations:
1. Being a competitor or beating your own competitor(s) based on pricing alone does not generally work in the long-run.

***If someone chooses you or hires you solely based on price, they will be unhappy when or if you change prices or alter any of the existing pricing structure. They will also be so focused on price that your services/product and accompanying service will become secondary. Not a basis for a long-term relationship.

2. Whether you are an online or offline business (or both), you will want to evaluate why your customers buy what they buy, how they make their decisions and what they really need and want. Then, price and connect with them accordingly.

***You are only as good as your information about your target market. Don’t ever assume something you don’t know for sure about the people you want to become your customers. Don’t price based on what you think – price based on what you know. And while you are at it, know very well what about pricing is important to them. Cater to them, speak their language and sell directly to them.

3. Connection is the way to go. Ultimately, your value to a customer is in your entire “package,” – service, longevity, flexibility, additional services, etc.

***Know that things like professionalism, accessibility and quality are those “priceless intangibles” that make all the difference. Connect with your customers and potential customers. Invest in your relationship with them. Price is but one factor in this multi-faceted equation.

So when it comes to the age-old question of how, when, if and how to re-price, you want to be sure to consider all factors involved – and, in most cases, you will want to consider them before you make even one pricing decision.

Naturally, your customers and potential customers consider price as a factor in their buying decisions. But you never want to be in a position in which price is the only deciding factor between you and a competitor.

Why?

Because what you offer and what you sell goes beyond a number or a price. It is about solutions. It is about value.

What is the value – not the price – of the service or product you are selling?

And, by the way, what are you selling? Your answer to this question should be more than the product or service you say you are selling. What you are selling represents the improvement in the business or even in the life of your customer. Is it more of something they desperately seek, like money or time? Is it freedom? Control?

Once you start thinking in these terms, you will find that the actual price tag you put on the solution is secondary - -though still important – to the bigger picture. Then the question becomes, how do you convey the importance, and the true value, to your potential customer?

* You speak their language. Know their problems, their issues and their concerns. Know them so well that you can hone in on what their pain is and on how your product/service will ease their pain. This is basic Marketing 101 stuff, and as important as ever.

* Don’t defend your price. Instead, show your potential customers how they cannot afford to be without your product/service. Think, instead, of what the cost for them of not taking advantage of what you are selling would be. Think, instead, of what their potential danger for “missing out” would be. Get good at conveying this, not just a bottom-line number, for them.

* Think in terms of saving, not spending. What would it cost someone who needs what you are selling to not have what they so need? (And you can even go beyond – how would they actually earn money by becoming your customer?)

* Don’t ever apologize. You are good at what you do. You offer a high-quality product or service. You are dedicated to customer success and satisfaction. Your pricing is not only reasonable and affordable – it is based on making your customer more money, and saving him time and other valuable resources along the way. He needs you and you exist to deliver to him!

The best businesses and business people plan for the bad times.

In fact, they use the “boom” times to plan for the next down times.

You have two choices: prepare and prosper OR lay down and die.

If you want a 7-figure business, chances are you’re not ready to lay down and die. (And if you are, you’re in the wrong place. Stop reading now.)

Here’s the thing: Because of and also in spite of a recession, some businesses will fail. They will fall flat and die. Meanwhile, others will thrive and boom like never before.

The difference?

Attitude.

Knowledge.

The ability to plan and take action on those plans.

Did I mention attitude?

Period. Plain and simple.

So let’s talk a little about attitude. As Napoleon Hill, the great positive thinker and inspiration to millions said, you must cultivate a “PMA,” or a Positive Mental Attitude.

As Hill said, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.” And it is true.

The best and the brightest and, most importantly, the most successful know they will succeed, let nothing deter them and are willing to do whatever they need to do to survive, move forward and thrive.

Folks, the most successful people don’t develop a “PMA” the day they make their first million or become successful. Their PMA is born and cultivated from the beginning Their PMA is what gets them there in the first place.

So don’t go around with this attitude that you’ll be happy when this or that happens. Get it now. Feel it now. Work it NOW. Because the recession and the economy will do their thing no matter what you do. Your choice lies in how you react and, ultimately, in how good you are at creating and acting on an attitude and a vision for success.

What have you been doing to not only stay positive, which is nice, but to use your attitude to move you forward toward a 7-figure business?

* Take a look at where you are now and what the goal is. Things have changed. It’s a different time, a different landscape. Opportunities are still around, more than ever, but they are different opportunities. Revisit your goals and know how you will reach them.

*Write it down. It may feel strange, but it works. You bring about what you think about. Thoughts become things and all that. Focus your mental (and physical) energy on what you want and where you want to me.

* If it doesn’t make money, DON’T DO IT. Commit to what works and stop doing what wastes time and energy. You know those things you do all the time but don’t know why? Those things are sucking the life out of you and your business. If what you’ve been doing lately is not yielding the results you seek, come up with a new plan of action.

*Take a look at what’s around you. Your work space. The information you digest. The people around you. Are they all positive? Do they lend themselves to your positive mental attitude and, ultimately, to your success? On the other hand, do the people, places or information around you drain you? Get rid of whatever does not work for you. Now. Your business success literally depends on it.

Guess what?

The business and life you have always wanted are within your reach.

And to get there from here, you must – I REPEAT MUST – get rid of this silly fear once and for all.

You know why?

Because there is no better time to start a business than during a recession.

Feeling your customers’ pain, providing them with solutions, setting yourself apart from the competition – all of this is sound business and marketing advice that goes during any period.

Here’s what else I need you to do RIGHT NOW:

1. Resist, at all costs, the very natural temptation to freak out, to panic, to stop spending money, to want to talk with everyone about the crappy economy. When the economy is in the toilet, people talk about it everywhere you look or listen. People tell you to stop spending money. Don’t go with the pack on this one! (If you’re really committed to this one, stop watching the news altogether. Read a book or listen to a CD instead.)
2. Do not, not, not, not decide that your cost-cutting measures will include your marketing. The businesses that make money – more money – during a recession are those that understand that no matter how scary it might feel, spending money on marketing is a necessity (not a choice) at all times.
3. Be consistent. Know what your business goals are and make sure everything you do, every little step, every day is done with your eye on that prize. Take action daily and plan for consistency –while always remaining flexible and open to new opportunities or choices that might arise.
4. Know that pricing is a big deal for lots of customers. While you shouldn’t necessarily lower prices on your big-ticket items (their value is as high as ever), you should offer products or services for all budgets. Listen to them and serve them well. Get new customers in at a variety of levels – WOW them and they are your customer for life.

Yea, you heard me. HOORAY!

I literally would not be where I am right now were it not for really crappy downtimes.

Yea, like now.

I know you know how bad it is. Turn on the news. Go online. Sit in front of the TV for a few minutes. You’ll get the picture very quickly.

It’s bad. And “they” want to you know how bad it is. And then some.

So what’s with my “Hooray!” then?

You see, while it may be difficult to see the forest for the trees, the truth — the absolute fact — is that during a recession or even a depression is the #1 very best time to prep yourself and your business for total and complete success and domination.

Because after the recession comes the boom. The recession is the spark that fuels the explosion that becomes your business on steroids.

Trust me, I know. My most successful periods of growth have come, without exception, during the times when most other people were so full of doom and gloom that they couldn’t get out of their own ways.

Not me. And not you, either.

What is a recession by the way? The word means different things to different people and your standards for using the word may differ whether you are a business owner, an economist or anything else.

There’s lots of recession criteria. When I use the word, here’s what I am referring to:

• Definitely a time when all the “experts” are dooming and glooming – and expecting you to do the same.
• People are hunkering down and attempting to cut down on what they view as “extras.”
• Prices on many goods and services, large and small, change usually lower, usually significantly. 
• Everywhere you go, people are talking (complaining) about the stock market, gas prices, job layoffs, the real estate market in their area and probably politics too.
• Fear motivates most decisions and actions (inactions).

Guess what? You won’t find any of that here in the Tactic 7 blog.

This blog is all about YOUR SUCCESS not just in spite of but BECAUSE OF this recession. And the crappier the economy, the BETTER your outlook. And the better your outlook, the more wildly successful you and your business will be.

So what can you do today, right now, to get moving in the right direction?
1. Turn off the  gloom and doom. It’s not helping you or your business. It’s not serving you in any way. Dump the negativity.

2. Turn off the bad news. And the bad news people. Surround yourself with good people, good news and good ideas. The bad “stuff” is bad. Bad. Did I say bad?

3. Turn on your “Success Mindset.” See things how you would like them to be. Focus on what works and build on it. Dedicate yourself to taking a step and learning something new every single day.

You’re not going to believe this.

Latreassa Goodman isn’t happy with Ronald McDonald.

In fact, she may go to jail because McDonald’s ran out of Chicken McNuggets.

Here’s the story.

Last Saturday, Latreassa ordered a Chicken McNuggets meal.

The restaurant was all out of Chicken McNuggets.  They offered her a huge deal on anything else on the menu.

Good enough for most people but not for Latreassa.

She flipped.

She was in crisis.

And what do you do when you are in crisis?

Call 911. Now.

So she did.

Three times.

To listen to Goodman’s 911 calls, click here, here, and here.

When cops responded to the restaurant, Goodman told them, “This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn’t have McNuggets, I wouldn’t have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don’t want one.”

The Fort Pierce police weren’t amused.

They gave her a misdemeanor citation for mis-using the 911 emergency number.

But they failed to account for her fondness for Chicken McNuggets.

Even after being issued a misdemeanor citation, Goodman contended, “this is an emergency, my McNuggets are an emergency.”

Wierd huh?

But I cite this story because of an interesting fact.

We’re in a recession.

The banks are failing.

The stock market just made a flushing sound and…

McDonalds is doing better than ever.

Because of their agressive pricing with their “Value meals”, McDonalds is setting sales records.

What can your business learn from McDonalds?

Aside from make sure you have Chicken McNuggets in stock.

Watch for a number of inciteful posts starting next week showing you how to turn the recession into the best year you ever had.

Right here on Tactic7.

Peace.