For any business to make a profit and survive, it must have enough (loyal) customers. Therefore, Dr. Michael LeBoeuf’s decision to write this book titled “How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life” is commendable. LeBoeuf is an internationally published author, business consultant, and dynamic professional speaker. For more than twenty years, he was a professor of management at the University of New Orleans, retiring at age forty-seven.
Companies ranging from Fortune 500-sized corporations to small banks and medical practices turn to LeBoeuf when they need robust, practical ways to live and work smarter.
The author says that the book contains everything you need to know about successful sales and how to win customers for life. The book is about how to transform the people of any organization into a motivated and customer-driven team. According to LeBoeuf, the success of any business organization depends largely on knowing the answers to critical questions such as “Why do some people buy once…and never come back?”, “Why do some people become customers strong and stable? ?”, “How to turn an angry or complaining customer into a happy and satisfied one?”, “What are the five best ways to keep customers coming back?”, etc.
This author says that one of the most important keys to long-term business success can be summed up in the phrase “Quality Customer Service.” He adds that there is, however, a painful awareness that outstanding service is all too rare. LeBoeuf argues that the reason for this is the result of these three problems: (1) employees don’t know the basics; (2) moments of truth, those crucial customer touchpoints that can make or break a business, are not properly identified and managed; (3) Poor reward system: Most managers do not reward workers for providing excellent service.
He says a typical business hires a person to do a job, pays them a flat salary, and gives them little or no incentive to go the extra mile for customers. LeBoeuf adds that in these kinds of situations, the employee’s typical attitude degenerates into one of indifference or even contempt toward customers.
This book is segmented into three parts. The first part is thematically labeled “The Basics” and contains nine chapters. Chapter one borders on the biggest trade secret in the world. Here, LeBoeuf emphasizes the importance of customer care and satisfaction awareness as a secret to customer retention and business success.
“Stop for a moment and consider how valuable customers are. Only they make it possible for you to make a living the way you do. Treat them right and happy customers will be your best source of advertising and marketing,” he adds. .
LeBoeuf emphasizes that when most people think of success in business, they think of it in terms of dollars, cents, statistics, facts and figures. However, all of those measures of success are determined by the behavior of customers and the employees who serve them, educate.
In chapter two titled “Better Than Selling,” LeBoeuf says that the principle of “Better Than Selling” is about focusing on what customers want and need, helping them buy what’s best for them, and making them feel good about it.
He teaches that this principle is important for everyone who works and not just those in sales. In his words, “You can work in a warehouse, in a lab, or on a production line and you rarely, if ever, see one of your customers. But that customer is paying your salary… “.
In chapters three through six, the author examines concepts such as the biggest customer you’ll ever win; the only two things people buy; buying much more when they buy from you; and the importance of customer perception.
Chapter seven is all about asking the golden question to win new customers. Here, LeBoeuf asserts that if rewarding customers is the key to winning and keeping them, then it follows naturally that the surest way to win more customers is to provide rewards that no one else offers.
According to him, virtually every successful entrepreneur you ask will tell you that finding and satisfying unfulfilled wants is the name of the game when it comes to winning over customers. LeBoeuf adds that “finding workable and profitable answers to the golden question is more of an art than a science, and often involves a great deal of risk.” He offers advice on how to stack the odds in your favor in this regard.
In chapters eight and nine, LeBoeuf advises on the need to ask the platinum questions to keep customers for life, as well as offering five best ways to keep customers coming back.
The second part is generically called “Managing Moments of Truth: Ten Action-Ready Strategies,” and it contains ten chapters, that is, chapters ten through 19. In chapter ten, LeBoeuf discusses what to do when the customer shows up, call or ask. The most crucial contact of all is the first one the customer makes with your business, because if you lose him here, he’s likely to be lost forever, says the author. He offers advice on how to make a positive first impression.
In chapters 11 through 14, LeBoeuf discusses what to do when the client is angry or defensive; what to do when the client has special requests; what to do when the client cannot decide; as well as what to do when the customer raises objections to the purchase.
In chapter 15, based on what to do when the customer signals to buy, the author says that it is very common for salespeople to spend half an hour selling their services and two hours buying them. There’s a time to talk, a time to listen, and a time to close, he educates, adding that the best time to sell is when the customer is ready to buy. LeBoeuf discusses how to recognize and reinforce buying cues and verbal buying cues.
In Chapters 16 to 19, he analytically analyzes concepts such as what to do when the customer buys; what to do when the customer refuses to buy; what to do when the customer complains; and what to do when the customer is going to be disappointed.
The last part is summarily labeled “The Triple Win Reward System” and contains three chapters, i.e. chapters 20 to 22. In chapter 20 entitled “What Gets Rewarded Gets Done”, LeBoeuf states that people become behave in the same way as the reward system. teaches them to behave. “The biggest obstacle to effective performance in most organizations is the huge mismatch between required behavior and rewarded behavior. Organizations of all kinds fall into the trap of expecting A, rewarding B, and wondering why they get B” , reveals the author.
In Chapters 21 and 22, LeBoeuf casts his analytical spotlight on keeping the focus on the customer, as well as the quality customer service action plan. According to him, when it comes to providing excellent service, many of today’s business owners and managers realize that their service quality is sick and seriously in need of improvement. However, he adds that instead of making a serious commitment to improve it, they opt for band-aid solutions.
Stylistically, this book is excellent. Apart from the simplicity of the language, the depth of the content is commendable. The fact that the text is segmented into three well-articulated parts facilitates its study. At the beginning of each chapter, LeBoeuf uses a legendary quote or classic allusion for conceptual reinforcement. He also employs thoughtful illustrations to achieve analytical clarity.
However, the design of the book needs improvement. Also, “AND”, the coordinating conjunction for adding, should have been used instead of “&” in the book’s title to convey linguistic formality.
In general, this text is a classic. If you want your business to survive through knowing how to win and retain customers in the New Year, you must read this book. It is strategically revealing.