I was totally jealous when I read Josh Gordon's blog post on "Rate Temptation and Al Franken". He scooped me on a great sales story that was happening in my own back yard - and he lives thousands of miles away.
Apparently Republican Senator Norm Coleman placed a full-page ad in the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper in which he criticized comedian Al Franken - who's hoping to win the Senate seat from him in the upcoming 2008 election.
Because the ad stirred up controversy, the amount paid for the ad ($23,000) was revealed. And the Franken campaign was not happy! They'd paid $37,000 for the same size ad just a few months before.
Ouch! The Star Tribune looked bad. Really bad.
Sellers, take this message to heart! If you don't treat people right, others will find out. Not just about pricing, but about lots things ... poor service, attitude problems, faulty products, whatever.
In today's world you must be ready to have everything become public. If you'd be embarrassed if any action you're considering doing was highlighted in newspapers, blogs or other media - don't do it.
Be willing to be totally transparent in all you do. It's the only way to maintain integrity in today's small, small world.
Jill,
As you indicated, in today's world customer service is more important than ever. With the internet, cell phone mania and other communication tools instantly at the finger tips of everyone, negative word-of-mouth can travel like wild fire picking at a company's reputation. I manage an industrial MRO supplies store and customer service is a major part of our training.
Posted by: Mike | 11/29/2007 at 10:10 AM
"Word of mouth" can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Jill, I appreciate your advice to be transparent in everything you do.
Posted by: Skip Anderson | 03/06/2008 at 09:07 PM