Strengthen Weak Areas to Experience More Victories Self-pity is a huge waste of time. Learn from every experience.

By Elinor Stutz

This story originally appeared on Personal Branding Blog

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Observation along with good and bad personal experiences shed light on what not to do as well as what to implement in our own style. Self-pity is a huge waste of time. Learn from every experience. They each have something to teach whether or not to repeat the same or to continue doing all of it the same.

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Your best teacher is your clientele. They will let you know where expectations were not met as well as met. Deliberately ask what you can do better in the future to improve. When they see the earnestness in your desire to deliver outstanding customer care, they will take you under their wing. Over time, you will be the one to deliver the outstanding service and become the trusted adviser. It's doesn't happen over night but instead it's a long learning process. The level of customer care from the initial moment of contact all the way through the entire sales cycle and after is what will determine your success.

"Pick yourself up after a mishap to learn from the lesson and you will be half-way to success."

Customer care

If you are an employee or entrepreneur, it is essential that you continually strive to learn the better techniques for client service. It is what will keep your career or company alive and thriving. Larger companies should seriously consider semi annual or, at the very least, annual training for their employees. The company that suffers the most is the one that does not groom representatives to be well versed in sales and customer care. The reality is turnover costs much more than investment in proper development of employees.

Related: Use Being Different to Your Competitive Advantage

Your story

As an employer, ask employees for feedback on the type of training they believe they need. Examine everything you have implemented to date in the form of training. Without the right training much business is being lost without you ever knowing about it.

As an employee or an entrepreneur, it is your business to seek out the training you most need. Most companies avoid the expense. If you are the one who desires to be successful, budget for training and research the best there is. Determine which will strengthen your weak areas the most. The point is to become excellent in every regard. In so doing, you will build a highly reputable personal brand.

  • Investigate the latest training on the market
  • Read tweets and posts regarding the latest success strategies
  • As an employee be fearless in meetings to make suggestions for needed training

Sales tips:

  1. Upon first meeting a prospective client ask for their budget
  2. Explain what you may and may not provide within that budget
  3. Ask if what you are able to provide will suffice; if not is other money available
  4. Provide a variety of examples of what may be provided
  5. Ask for preferences after all are presented
  6. Confirm the monetary investment and delivery timeline
  7. Ask for agreement that everything meets expectations
  8. Should an issue arise, confirm a date to deliver the answer and be certain to deliver it
  9. Again, ask for agreement and if everything is on track for service delivery
  10. Check in after everything is complete for level of satisfaction
Elinor Stutz

CEO of Smooth Sale, Author & Inspirational Speaker

ELINOR STUTZ, CEO of Smooth Sale, delivers inspirational keynotes at conferences. She authored three books: the international bestseller Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, HIRED! and The Wish: A 360 Business Development Process to Fuel Sales.

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