“Customer loyalty is best earned by staying loyal to your customers over time even when they don’t seem loyal to you. Then they always feel connected with you.” ~ Jim Cathcart

Motivation expert, Jim Cathcart, author of Relationship Selling, tells how we should be seeking to give loyalty rather than just get it in this brief video.

 

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Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE is a Motivation Expert, founder and president of Cathcart Institute, Inc., Advisor to the Schools of Business at Pepperdine University and California Lutheran University and one of the most widely recognized professional speakers in the world.  Jim is the author of 15 books including two best sellers, Relationship SellingTM, and The Acorn PrincipleTM. 

Jim Cathcart shares a few ideas to help you grow your professional services business.

1. Notice More. Grow your awareness (of money, needs, expenses, what's coming, what's working, where gaps are...). Know where you stand.

2. Give More Than You Have To. Practice up-serving not just "up-selling," (exceed your client's expectations). Grow your impact on clients. The quickest way to get a raise is to give your clients and your firm a raise through your performance.

3. Grow Your Profit Per Sale/Account. Provide more value to the client at an even lower cost to your company. Clients are assets, invest in them constantly.

4. Grow Your Ability To Deliver Value. Increase your possibilities (available credit, experts, investors, colleagues, partners, advisors, connections and ways to connect). Grow your technology. The better your tools are, the better your results. Seek resources which can speed or refine your ability to deliver value.

5. Grow Your Freedom And Flexibility. Stay financially light on your feet. Grow your savings and investments.

6. Grow Your Existing Markets. Do more business with current clients and further penetrate each market.

7. Grow Your Image And Market Presence. Gain more share of mind. Improve and enhance your reputation as a true professional.

8. Grow Your Pipeline. Build a larger and better reservoir of future clients. Do next year's prospecting now. Identify more qualified buyers.

9. Grow Your Inner Circle. (your closest contacts). Take extra good care of the primary people in your career. Help them grow. Acknowledge them often. They'll become even better resources for you.

10. Grow Your Virtual Work Force. Find talent that can expand your capabilities without increasing your payroll expenses. Form strategic alliances and connect with expert vendors and colleagues.

11. Grow New Markets. Get outside your usual channels. Ask, "Who else could benefit from what we do?" Expand your thinking.

12. Let Others Sell For You. Grow your referrals. Seek new testimonials and endorsements. Capture examples of how others have benefited from what you do.

13. Serve Your Community. Be a responsible citizen. Make the places where you live and work better because you and your business are there.

14. Grow Your Industry. Advance the craft in what you do. Join your industry association. Write articles, teach others, and support your profession.

15. Grow Your Caring, Compassion And Sensitivity. Become known as someone who genuinely cares about making a difference. If you don't care about others, why should they care about or listen to you?

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Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE is a Motivation Expert, founder and president of Cathcart Institute, Inc., Advisor to the Schools of Business at Pepperdine University and California Lutheran University and one of the most widely recognized professional speakers in the world. As the author of 15 books and scores of recorded programs, his students number in the hundreds of thousands. See him on video at http://cathcart.com/.

Your life is a series of relationships and the more intentional and conscious you are about the formation and development of them, the more likely you will be to reach your goals.
Now let's explore the foundations of this concept together.
I'll pose your questions as best I can and provide the answers I've found that most people are seeking.

What is Relationship Intelligence®?
It is taking an intelligent approach to the selection, cultivation, and maintenance of your connections with others. It means weeding out the relationships that take value away from you and building on those that bring you value. Another way to look at it is; Treating Relationships as Assets. You look at your social circle, business circle, family circle and other key connections with an eye toward your Desired Outcomes (goals.) If a relationship contributes to your advancement or enhances your life you preserve it. If it doesn't then you change it or eliminate it. It is being conscious and intentional about your connections with others. (I'll be repeating this phrase often.)

Isn't that kind of mercenary and uncaring?
Not at all. You do it every day. When you see someone who looks angry, dangerous or scary then you avoid them. If you have to deal with them in order to get what you need then you simply manage the interaction carefully and then move on to people you like to be with. I'm simply suggesting that you take that conscious and intentional approach to a higher level and start applying it to all of your relationships.

What is a High-Value Relationship (HVR)?
A High-Value Relationship is one in which both participants receive substantial benefits. This could be mutual support, friendship, business referrals, revenue, sales, intellectual stimulation, spiritual inspiration or any number of other benefits. The key is that YOU consider the effects to be valuable and so does the other person. Each person is fully in charge of their own determination of value.

Does it have to be a business relationship?
Certainly not. A marriage is a High-Value Relationship and so is a teacher-student relationship. As long as both parties gain from it.

Why do I need HVRs?
Because relationships are the essence of your life and the more of them that are HVRs the more you will get what you want from life. If all you do is hang out with people who don't care about you and who have no joy then your life will stink. Count on it. So, be intentional in choosing whom you invest your energy and time with.

What are the qualities of a HVR?
There are three essential qualities in every high value relationship:
1. Both parties are committed to the success of the relationship (it can't be one sided),
2. There must be enough trust for the truth to flow freely, and
3. Both of you need to understand what you can expect from the other person. You need clear agreements.

Do relationships have a life expectancy?
Interesting question, yes, relationships have life cycles related to their purpose for existence but many relationships evolve into broader areas and become even more important than originally intended. Likewise, some relationships that started off as vitally important tend to fade over time.

How do I know which relationships to invest in?
You don't usually. So it is best to be optimistic about all your contacts with others. Who knows, the clerk who serves you today may be the son of the business executive who gives you the opportunity of a lifetime tomorrow. Emerson said, "Everyone in some way is my superior, in that I can learn from him." A good attitude to hold.

What gives a relationship its value?
Your Desired Outcome determines the value potential of your relationships. If you want to become the Mayor of your city, many relationships suddenly become important to you. If you want a sale, the potential buyer becomes more important to you. And the degree to which you also can be valuable to the buyer or voter will determine whether there is a true relationship or merely a transaction between you.

How can I reasonably treat all my relationships as HVRs?
You can't. So the starting point is your "Inner Circle." This is the 5 to 12 people through whom you get your major results at this time. Think about whom you work with most closely and rely upon most. These few people represent your "team." If they are championship-level people then you have a high capacity for performance. If they don't possess much talent or skill then your success is currently inhibited. Take a close look at who is in your present Inner Circle and assess what each brings to the party. If you are missing some vital abilities then Go Shopping! Find some people to bring actively into your life and begin to cultivate your relationships with them.

What is a relationship?
Another really good question! You hear a lot of admonitions to build relationships so it is important to define what one is. I believe that a relationship is a direct connection between people in which value is exchanged. The greater the value they exchange the stronger the relationship tends to be. Value could be encouragement, education, purchasing goods or services, support, love, or collaboration. The participants are the ones who determine the value.

Every Relationship is the Seed of Great Potential
One Acorn can produce an Oak that generates millions of Acorns. The same is true of Relationships.
One Relationship can become the genesis of abundant opportunities for you. One Relationship can truly change your life.
The creation of High-Value Relationships is a science and an art that you can learn to master. "Relationship Intelligence ®" is a way of looking at Relationships in the context of your Desired Outcomes. Every relationship that connects directly to an outcome you desire will build momentum for you to achieve it. Every relationship that does not connect to your goal will utilize energy that could have been invested more wisely.
This does not mean that all of your relationships must be goal oriented, but it does mean that the higher the percentage of intentionally formed relationships in your life the greater your chances are for success.

To become more Intelligent about Relationships come with me, and let's discover where the Acorns of your future are today.

All Relationships Are Assets
In the 1980s I lived in Oklahoma, Tulsa to be exact. My speaking and training business was relatively new and one of my anchor clients was the Oklahoma Bankers Association. They hired me for a total of 27 different presentations over a few years and I wrote a monthly article in their magazine. Ultimately I was hired by the American Bankers Association to be on the faculty of their Executive Development School for new bank presidents. The reason I had this client was Mary Nixon. She was in charge of an OBA Women's Division meeting at Shangri-La Resort and hired me to deliver the keynote speech.
The speech was very well received and Mary referred me to her colleagues who then hired me for many other speeches and seminars. This, of course, led to my being hired by many individual banks to address their company meetings and conduct training sessions with their executives. In other words, it grew wonderfully and I loved my times with them. The reason Mary knew about me was Joe Willard, the General Agent for Massachusetts Mutual's Tulsa Agency, my other anchor client (for six years.) Joe had hired me to speak to his agents and word had spread that I did a good job in motivational training.
The reason Joe hired me was Tulsa Junior College. I was conducting a night class for them on Time Management and Goal Setting and Joe wanted his agents trained to be better goal setters. The reason I was teaching at TJC was the US Junior Chamber of Commerce where I held the position of Senior Program Manager for Individual Development and Leadership Training. I was a speaker and trainer for them who flew around the country delivering leadership training programs. I got that job because Harold Gash, an Arkansas based distributor of Earl Nightingale's motivational training, had heard me deliver a speech to the Arkansas Jaycees and subsequently another to a political campaign team. Harold believed in me as a speaker. He said, "Jim, you have more potential than any young man I've ever known! You should be a speaker."
Wow! He believed in me far more than I believed in myself at that time. Without his encouragement I wouldn't have applied for the US Jaycees position.
I met Harold because I had joined a Jaycees chapter and the man who invited me to join was acquainted with Harold. It goes on...and on. So I won't bore you with the full chain but I hope by now you've discovered my point: Relationships Are Assets!!! All relationships are assets.

You know people who know or will meet others who may open doors that will change your life. There are good ones and scary-bad ones out there. But all of your relationships are assets of some sort. It is helpful to remember this as you communicate with others each day. Every little act you do or fail to do adds an impression into the file that constitutes your reputation. And your reputation should be planned in advance and managed intentionally. The more consciously and relentlessly you cultivate each relationship and bring value or joy to those you connect with, the more assets you will be amassing for future opportunities.

Now fast forward with me from the Tulsa days (1975 - 1982) to 1984 when I was living and working in La Jolla, California. One day my phone rang and it was Michael Redwine calling from Brussels, Belgium. His boss was coming to America to interview companies for possible sales and management training for his firm in Europe. I met with his boss, Peter Kutemann, in my La Jolla office and we hit it off very well. That led to me taking six trips to Scotland, England, Brussels, and Monte Carlo to conduct training for Peter's firm.
One day at Peter's Brussels office I asked him, how did you hear about me? He said that Michael Redwine's father in law, who worked for the Press Association in Oklahoma, had once hired me to do a last minute fill-in speech for another speaker and I had impressed him greatly. So they tracked me down in California somehow and called to meet me. I was stunned at the remote chain of events. And then I remembered that Michael's father in law had learned about me from Mary Nixon's recommendations through the Oklahoma Bankers Association.
So later as I rode through the streets of Monte Carlo on the back of Peter's motorcycle and joined his management team for a delicious dinner at an outdoor restaurant along the route of the Monaco Grand Prix with the Mediterranean Sea glistening in the background, I remembered that...All Relationships Are Assets. And you never know where they will lead you.

The Basis of Relationship Intelligence ®
Relationships are Assets
In any setting, relationships are assets, both business and personal. As such, they can and should be created, managed, nurtured, measured, and even discontinued, intentionally and consciously.

It's All About Who Cares
Business cannot exist in the absence of relationships. The stronger the relationships, the more potential for success in the business. It's not who you know that counts; rather it's who is glad that they know you. The more they care-whether the "they" are associates, prospects, customers, vendors-the greater the potential for success.

Relationships Comprise the Business
The business is not the stuff, it is the relationships between the people: It then follows that the business exists whenever and wherever two or more people communicate to achieve the desired outcome. This applies to virtual businesses as well. A "virtual" business may have no brick-and- mortar "home" yet be highly successful. But it must have a relationship network of individuals focusing on a desired outcome. So, focus on the relationships when you want to grow the business.

The Rules of Engagement Depend upon the Desired Outcome
When the purpose of a relationship changes, the expectations and "rules" that apply also change. In that sense, the purpose defines the nature of the relationship, which holds true until the purpose or desired outcome is met. Then that particular relationship ends, or transforms into a new one that is driven by a new purpose. Therefore, the purpose, or desired outcome, gives meaning to the relationships.

The Desired Outcome Defines the Business
All relationships can be evaluated with regard to the desired outcome, which may be as simple and seemingly rules-free as casual friendship or as complex and legally binding as the organization of a federal institution. A marriage contract is one that overlaps broadly between personal and legal aspects of a relationship. The success of a business relationship always refers back to the desired outcome, which might change over time, requiring ongoing re-evaluation.

The Key to Success is the Inner Circle
Any business, including "mom-and-pop" operations, is run by a select few, which we refer to as its "inner circle." Inner circles, those committed to reaching the desired outcome, are the key to the success of any business. The Relationship Intelligence within the inner circle is of utmost importance, for without an effective inner circle, the business will not succeed. The potential for success of any business can accurately be predicted on the basis of the Relationship Intelligence ® of its inner circle.

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Jim Cathcart is the founder and CEO of Cathcart Institute, Inc. a team of motivational consultants and business coaches based in Southern California. His television shows are seen each week on DailySuccessStream.com, he's a frequent radio guest around the world and his Relationship Intelligence Blog is read by thousands. He serves on the advisory boards of the Schools of Business at Pepperdine University and California Lutheran University. Jim is the author of fifteen books including two best sellers, Relationship SellingTM, and The Acorn PrincipleTM. In the year 2000 the e-book edition of The Acorn Principle was the #2 national best-seller out of 2,000 titles......Stephen King was number one. For more information and free videos and articles visit http://www.cathcart.com/.

If you sell more to each person, you will increase your income without increasing your work, right? Great idea. But there are two ways to approach this.

• -Up-sell each customer. Get them to buy more. Increase the transaction: "You want fries with that?"
• -Up-serve each customer. Make them even more satisfied with their purchase decision. Increase their satisfaction. "And here is another benefit we will provide for you!"

Many years ago, I was asked by Joe Willard to conduct a seminar on goal-setting for his insurance agents at their annual retreat. Being a relatively new speaker, I did everything I could to give the best seminar possible. I did my homework, showed up early, took an interest in each person, memorized their names, participated in their social events and made myself available for individual coaching on-site. This not only pleased the audience but also impressed Joe, and he asked me to come back in a couple of months to do another seminar for his staff.

When I arrived to discuss the next seminar, Joe said he had changed his mind. He wanted me to move into their offices and become a part of their team. I told him that I didn't want an insurance career; I wanted to be a speaker and trainer.

He countered, "Well, you have to office somewhere. Why not here with us? You can set up shop here in our penthouse suite, use our conference room, kitchen, full-time cook and even our office machines. In return for your help in training my agents, advising me and doing some personal coaching, I will provide for all of your overhead expenses and pay you a small salary."

I almost fainted. This was a dream come true. Not only would I have an elegant office and all the resources of a large consulting firm, but I'd also have my own team of protégés to train and develop. I jumped at the offer.

That contract lasted six years and led to my being hired for seminars by the home office, as well as 30 of their other agencies. That led to more training for hundreds of clients in the financial services industry. Why?

Because I had up-served Joe's agency from the first time I worked for them. I didn't let the newness of the contract, nor the small initial fee, influence me. I simply looked for the optimum ways to be of service to them.

The problem with most sales thinking is that it focuses only on the sale or purchase, not on the value of the customer. Change your thinking.

People who pursue money often produce money, but they don't create an ongoing flow of money. Customers sense your intentions. When the money is your main focus, they know it, and they don't see any reason to cultivate a connection with you. After all, you'd only be a vendor to them, not a business friend.

But when you up-serve them without requiring an added purchase, their sales resistance drops, and they will not only tend to buy more, but also seek your advice on other decisions. They will feel more deeply connected with you and grateful to you. That increases your edge over any potential competitors who might merely offer a lower price. Price is always relative to the value received. So, by increasing the value you deliver, you increase the satisfaction of your customer and their resistance to your competitors.

Ask yourself, "How can I do more for this customer without adding extra cost for them or me?" Up-serve them.

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Jim Cathcart is a leading speaker on customer relationships, and as the author of 14 books including the bestsellers The Acorn Principle and Relationship Selling, Jim has influenced a generation of sales and service professionals.

 

Motivate Yourself a Little Bit

When it comes to motivating yourself, here are eight words (each start with "T") that you can use for self-empowerment.

Anytime you want to empower and motivate yourself for more achievement, simply ask these eight questions to determine what aspect of empowerment would have the most value for you:

 

• T -- Target. Are you clear on the target, the goal that you're trying to achieve? If not, make sure you've focused your attention on the specific outcome you desire.
• T -- Tools. Do you have the tools or information needed to do your job well? Do you have what you need to be ready to perform at a high level?
• T -- Training. Have you received enough training or orientation to be able to use these tools and information very well?
• T -- Time. Have you had enough time for the training to take effect, for it to sink in, for you to try and succeed, try and fail, try and adjust and succeed again? Without the proper amount of time, success is not likely.
• T -- Truth. Do you know the truth about how all of this really fits together? What happens when you're finished with your part? What happens before you get involved in the project? What is the truth about how everything fits together and works?
• T -- Tracking. Are you getting the feedback that you need in order to stay on the beam, to be on-project, on-goal? Are you measuring and getting the feedback that tells you when you're on track and when you're off?
• T -- Touch. The human touch. Are you getting the support and encouragement you need? Are there other people you're in touch with who can help you achieve your goal?
• T -- Trust. Do you trust yourself appropriately for your skill and mastery level? Do the others around you trust you enough to give you the kind of resources you need?

From Jim Cathcart's best selling book, Relationship Selling

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Jim Cathcart is an author and leading business speaker on Sales, Intelligent Motivation and Customer Loyalty.  As the author of 14 books including the bestsellers The Acorn Principle and Relationship Selling, Jim Cathcart has influenced a generation of sales and service professionals.

Gone are the days when a company could hope to succeed by offering a good product and backing it up with respectable customer service.

The manager boldly announces, "Okay, folks, our top goal for this quarter is increasing customer loyalty. We are losing too many customers to our competitors. We need to make them more loyal to us." Most of us have heard that before. But there's a problem with this strategy. I suggest that we reverse the assignment. What would happen if your entire organization were to become intensely loyal to your customers? Do you think your customers would notice? Do you think they'd care? Do you think they might feel a stronger connection to your company and products?

 

Read Jim Cathcart's entire article featured in the Winter 2009 edition of C-Suite Quarterly

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Jim Cathcart is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, author of Relationship Selling and dozens of other books, audio, and video training systems. He speaks on Intelligent Motivation, Relationship Selling, and Self-Leadership.

Everyone I've spoken with recently is doing something to adapt to the fluctuating economy. Some are cutting hours, some eliminating promotional expenses, some laying off or not hiring workers, and some are actually increasing their sales. Yes, I said "increasing sales".

The problem with most people's response to a challenge is that it's the same as most salespeople's response to objections. It doesn't make sense and it doesn't work. Here is what research has proven that most salespeople do in the face of resistance:

• Talk More, Listen Less
• Speak Faster
• Focus on Features instead of Benefits the Customer will Get
• Become More Nervous and Less Confident

All of this just because someone is resisting your offer?

Well, as Dr. Phil McGraw is fond of asking, "How's that working for ya'?"

You see, when we direct our attention & energies into ourselves we increase the separation between us and our customers. We need to reverse this process and Listen More, Speak Slower & More Clearly, Discuss the Benefits of Buying from Us, and Keep Our Confidence.

Now apply this to the organization itself: instead of starting our response with a reduction of efforts, workforce, outreach and promotion, we actually need to INCREASE some of these.

The #1 best response to a challenge is to INCREASE SALES EFFORTS. Do everything you and every one of your people can to reach out to more customers, prospects and existing buyers. Listen to them, find out what they want and need, seek their input and show them that you care. Give them more reasons to stay connected with you. Show them the benefits they are already getting and look for ways to UPSERVE them.

MEASURE the number of minutes each day that each person is investing in direct contact with potential buyers. Things that are measured tend to improve. Track the sales time in everyone's day.

#2 is to REDUCE WASTED EFFORTS. Stop the use of prime selling time for anything other than contacting prospective customers or clients. Use the best times of the day to reach out, not to do paperwork, email management, research or any support activities. Save those for the end of the day or the offline hours. Stop doing what doesn't pay off and stop it completely for now.

#3 is to INCREASE COURAGE. What challenged people need is HOPE and DIRECTION. Show them what to focus on, explain how it works, give them the support they need, and celebrate their successes. Courage comes from faith. If you don't have faith in the product, your company or the support process after someone buys then you tend to show your doubts as you sell. That discourages both you and your prospective buyers. Give everyone on your team the information and support they need in order to believe in what you can do for your buyers. Focus on helping.

#4 is SERVE. Don't make calls in an attempt to "sell", make them in an attempt to HELP. Look for people who can benefit from doing business with you and go help them. Your helping spirit will be noticed and appreciated. You'll get less sales resistance and more openness from each person.

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Jim Cathcart is the author of and leading business speaker on Sales, Intelligent Motivation and Customer Loyalty.  As the author of 14 books including the bestsellers The Acorn Principle and Relationship Selling, Jim Cathcart has influenced a generation of sales and service professionals. You can find this article and others on Jim Cathcart's blog.

1. Define your future. Describe the life you'd like to live. The future you see defines the person you'll need to be. Identify the traits and qualities you'd like to acquire. Think bigger than yourself. An acorn that only thinks as an acorn will never become a mighty oak. Stretch yourself. You are undoubtedly capable of more than you ever dreamed is possible for you.

2. Become the person who would achieve your goals. As you develop the skills, knowledge, relationships and demeanor of the 'future you,' your goals will be the natural byproduct of your growth. Spend an extra hour each day in the study of your chosen field.

3. Give more than you must. Nothing advances until somebody does more than they are paid to do. Always deliver more value than others expect. Don't require others to acknowledge your generosity. Give with 'class.'

4. Make time for what you love. If you don't live fully, you deny the world your potential contributions. Your 'play' sometimes contributes as much as your 'work.' What you love reveals the value you bring to the world.

5. Refine your Inner Circle. We define ourselves through our key relationships. Explore the mix and depth of those with whom you spend most of your time. Release those who limit you and connect with those who can help you live more fully.

6. Resolve your unfinished business. Either deal with it or discard it. Say your apologies, face your fears, pay your debts, express your gratitude and get on with living. Don't let yesterday drain value from today and tomorrow. Break out of the limited world of your past and start to grow.

7. Rethink existing habits and routines. Describe your typical day and then reconsider every aspect of it. Change or expand the places you go, people you see, things you do, and the time you devote to each. Try new things. Learn a new language, go someplace different, do some things you'd typically pass by. Find out what your possibilities really are.

8. Lighten up. Stop stressing over things that only matter to you emotionally. When life isn't fair to you, get over it quickly. Take your misfortunes as 'course corrections' rather than 'catastrophes.' Let go so you can grow.

9. Tighten up. Sloppiness in life allows more variables to creep in and spoil your plans. Stay on target, increase your self-discipline, master the art of self-motivation. Sometimes details matter a lot.

10. Profile yourself. Keep a journal of your goals, concerns, fears, and dreams. Review it at least once a year. Look for patterns that reveal your core values, natural velocity, natural intelligences and recurring situations. Realize how life ebbs and flows for you. Notice the natural cycles of life. Know yourself.

11. Invest in yourself. Set aside a portion of each year's income to acquire new tools and teachers to increase your potential. Refine your systems, get expert coaching, attend special conferences, cultivate a study group, appoint a board of advisors. You are your only true asset. Send part of today ahead to the person you'll be in the future.

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For thirty-plus years Jim Cathcart has been helping people grow their businesses by growing High-Value Relationships.  As the author of 14 books including the bestsellers The Acorn Principle and Relationship Selling, Jim has influenced a generation of sales and service professionals.

Times are tough, but not here!

Iran has tough times. Iraq and Afghanistan have had tough times. People who have to walk through land mines to get to their destinations are having tough times. Many parts of Africa have tough times. People who live in fear of murder, rape, oppression, disease, catastrophe all have tough times. Millions of people even today have never used a telephone, a kitchen appliance, a modern bathroom, or even seen a television. For those people a drought isn't a reason to limit watering your lawn or washing your car. It is a death threat! Access to a doctor is unheard of and most illnesses are fatal. Times are tough for them.

Times are tough, but not now!

The events of September 11, 2001 were horrific and tragic. At that time, things were tough, really tough. During the great depression millions of people were forced from their homes, unable to afford to raise their own children, willing to do anything to survive. Times were tough during the depression. During the Revolutionary War and the Civil War people were forced to fight without proper clothing, adequate arms, sufficient food, decent transportation or lodging, and they had to fight friends and family members on occasion. Times were tough. In World War II food was rationed, hosiery was recycled, home gardens were the main source of produce; gasoline, cloth, virtually everything was limited so as to support the war efforts. For a few years into the war we didn't even know if we could win. Everyone was drafted for some form of war support. People were losing sons and daughters in every city in the country and news was slow and unreliable. Times were tough. In the prison camps of WWII hundreds of thousands of people were imprisoned, starved, forced to do slave labor and killed for amusement. Times were worse than tough.

Times are tough, but not for you and me!

Families are cramming into cargo holds of ships, hiding in the back of trucks, crawling under barbed wire fences, sleeping in ditches and running from killers just to get into the United States in hope of a better life. Times are tough for them, but they are willing to risk it. In many parts of the world, people are battling AIDS, Cancer, and countless other diseases without the help of medicine or physicians. They often lose limbs and eyesight, yet they somehow go on doing life's daily chores. Their children die in childbirth and hope is unknown to them, yet somehow they endure. Times are tough, for them. Drugs are controlling the emotions, thoughts and bodies of many people every day. They started using as an amusement or an escape and ended up enslaved and tormented. Times are tough for them.

Hatred and fear dominate much of the world at any given time. They always have. But there is abundant good taking place as well.

Millions of people are receiving the best healthcare in history and most of them don't pay for all of it themselves. Insurance companies have made excellent healthcare accessible to the average person, not just the privileged few. More "miracle" drugs and treatments for life's medical challenges exist than ever before. They are expensive by some measures but consider the alternative. We can fly anywhere on earth usually within one day. We fly in comfort with air conditioning, padded seats and even personal meal service. Though hundreds of thousands of planes are airborne at any given time, air travel remains the safest of all forms of mass transportation. We have automobiles to go where and when we wish. We all agree to the same rules of the road and it is safe to drive almost everywhere in America. We live in luxurious homes, take opulent vacations (a vacation or holiday is unheard of in many societies), wear fine clothes, use reliable appliances, and dine out often. We find time and money to sit in huge theaters and watch amazing movies while eating and drinking what we wish. Spoiled? Yes, I'd say we are.

What are your big complaints these days?

Slow email? Website was down all morning? Mail was late today?
Business is off? Orders are well below where they were last year?
Had to wait in line at the airport and take off your shoes for security?
Stuck in traffic and missed an appointment?
Economic news (that you learned of from your personal newspaper or TV or cell phone on the same day that it occurred) is not what you had hoped for?
Your investments aren't appreciating for now? ("Investments!???" What a luxury!).
The housekeeper forgot to vacuum the guest bedroom?
Your new running shoes are wearing a blister on your toe?
You had to wait four hours for the telephone company to install DSL service?
A power outage caused you to lose the computer files you were working on?
Your kids are being picked on at school?
Your neighbor's dogs just won't stop barking every time you go outside?
The credit card company made an error on your bill again?
You had to park two blocks away from the store where you get your choice of fresh vegetables?
The clerk gave you a latte instead of a mocha frappucino?
They ran out of bran muffins and you had to eat a blueberry muffin instead?
The restaurant lost your reservation and you had to eat in the bar area?
The contractor hasn't finished installing your new cabinets yet?
Your mate just won't stop leaving the house in a mess?
Your friend left you off the invitation list for their party?
You had to get up before sunrise to drive your partner to the airport?
The DVD you rented had a glitch and you missed the last half of the movie?

What are we whining about?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Let's keep things in perspective folks. Times are tough but not for us, not here and not now. Besides when times do get tough we find out that we are tougher. And think of all the energy and strength we have saved while living this life of luxury. We have reserves we have never tapped.

Thank you God for our abundant blessings. Please keep us grateful. Make us ever mindful of the needs of others and the huge opportunities we have for doing good in the world. Let us not only count our blessings, but also share them often.

Times are good! Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Now you'll have to excuse me there is much work to be done.



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Jim Cathcart is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, author of Relationship Selling and dozens of other books, audio, and video training systems. He speaks on Intelligent Motivation, Relationship Selling, and Self-Leadership.

Customer Loyalty is a coveted objective for most businesses. Books, metrics, methods, and entire industries have been dedicated to this Holy Grail on which, by some reports, U.S. companies collectively invest over $1.2 billion annually. Many organizations employ  elaborate Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and constant contact schemes to support their systematic efforts at generating customer loyalty.

An Inside Out Perspective

In our work with thousands of sales and customer service professionals across a broad range of industries, we have learned that a different mindset and approach - based on giving loyalty rather than getting loyalty - is much more effective in developing loyal, long-term, mutually profitable relationships with customers. This inside out approach focuses on a set of specific loyalty behaviors that we can identify and apply in our relationships with our customers:

• Act as the first/single point of contact for customers (all the solutions from one contact)
• Behave as the customer's advocate (look out for them, be on their side in seeking solutions, tell them when your product/service isn't "right" for them)
• Remember positive things about each customer
• Respond promptly to customer requests/contact (return calls and inquiries quickly)
• Give time to customers (don't appear rushed)
• Listen to customers until they feel understood
• Treat customers' referrals extremely well
• Contact customers when you don't "need something" (offer congratulations, thanks, compliments)
• Give value when you contact customers (instead of "just calling to check in")
• Trust your customers, give them the benefit of the doubt
• Be honest/open with customers (tell the truth)
• Keep your promises fully

If we change our mindset from one of seeking loyalty to one of giving loyalty, we create a dynamic that encourages "loyalty responses" from our customers:

A loyal customer...

• Trusts us
• Takes our calls and responds to our messages
• Keeps his or her promises to us
• Provides honest feedback
• Responds promptly to requests
• Gives us the benefit of the doubt
• Comes to our events
• Refers us to colleagues and friends
• Stops by to visit (for no specific reason)
• Gives us the inside track on their new business
• Is willing to pay full price for full value (they don't nickel-and-dime us)
• Is forgiving when things go wrong
• Acknowledges us outside of the workplace
• Appreciates and acknowledges our efforts

Giving Loyalty in Order to Get Loyalty

In order to receive loyalty, you have to be willing to give loyalty - first. Like any win/win relationship we must be willing to let the customer "win first" and as a result we have a shot at "winning" their loyalty.

Take the example of the street vendor in Manhattan selling coffee, donuts, and newspapers from his sidewalk stand. To shorten the time spent on line by his customers, he places a pile of coins at the end of the counter. For any transaction that isn't an even dollar amount, he directs customers to take the amount of change due them from the pile. This dramatically improves the "transaction speed" for this vendor, thereby dramatically increasing his customer throughput and total revenue. He does this by trusting his customers to take the correct amount of change. They reward him in turn by returning day after day. Abuses are few and easily outweighed by the increased profits of higher volume.

Other examples of organizations that have flourished with an inside out approach to loyalty include:

• A BMW dealership in the Carolinas offers a free car wash - to both customers and non-customers - every Saturday, building bonds between both current and potential customers.
• Amazon.com recreated their systems to conform to each customer, their interests, their buying patterns, and their marketing focus. They allow customers to offer their products and earn a commission without even thinking about it. They also recommend products that each individual user might enjoy.
• The Apple Store distinguishes itself from other computer stores by focusing on keeping the customers productive instead of just fixing their machines. They even have a "concierge" to greet and guide store visitors.

Effective organizations and their people understand that customer loyalty starts with ME rather than the customer. If we can change our mindset from GETting loyalty to GIVEing loyalty, our customers will notice the difference.

So spare yourself and your customers the platitudes. It's the loyalty attitudes that lead to loyal customers.

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Jim Cathcart is a leading speaker on customer relationships and the author of the best-selling book: Relationship Selling