Seven secrets for business success: success in business, as in life, depends on avoiding the seven deadly sins and applying their opposites, the seven cardinal virtues. Marion McDonald, a consultant at the business and information technology consultancy Charteris explains how to turn your business into a great one.One of the curious facts of being in business is that we tend to pay more attention to winning new customers than to looking after them and keeping them loyal once we have won them. Some people might regard this as an inexplicable in·ex·pli·ca·ble adj. Difficult or impossible to explain or account for. in·ex  pli·ca·bil enigma--why do we
behave like that? But I do not really think it is much of a mystery. It
is human nature for us to find new opportunities and new people
inherently exciting. Similarly, having a great honeymoon is very
different from making a marriage really work after you come back home.
Yet, I personally tend to believe that the 'making the marriage work after you come back home' aspect of being in business is really the interesting one. Wooing customers, winning them, and enjoying the honeymoon period honeymoon period A timespan after diagnosing a disease before its impact is manifest, fancifully likened to the HP of early marriage, during which the husband and wife are most cordial and passionate with each other Diabetology A period of residual β cell just after they have become customers is all very well, but I do not regard it as a substitute for the much more intense satisfaction of building a long-term, mutually beneficial Adj. 1. mutually beneficial - mutually dependent interdependent, mutualist dependent - relying on or requiring a person or thing for support, supply, or what is needed; "dependent children"; "dependent on moisture" business relationship that may well last through the rest of the customer's life. It is all about having a grasp of what customers really want and giving them what they really want. And not just giving them what they really want now, but finding ways of continuing to give them this on an indefinite basis. Yes, of course it requires you to be endlessly resourceful re·source·ful adj. Able to act effectively or imaginatively, especially in difficult situations. re·source  ful·ly adv. ,
seriously creative and distinctly imaginative. It also requires you to
make the demanding mental effort of placing yourself in the
customer's shoes and then working out what exactly it is he or she
wants from you.
So what do customers want? I'd say the following are the most important types of thoughts likely to be in customers' heads after you've won their hearts: * Take the trouble to understand what I need--even before I know what I need myself. * You worked hard to win me as a customer in the first place--please continue to make me feel valued. * Don't put all your efforts into new customers and offer them products, services and prices that you don't offer me. * Solve my problems quickly, effectively and consistently. * Treat me as a person, not just as a number or a sales opportunity. * Be pleasant, efficient and helpful. * Never forget--and I am not threatening you, I am just stating a fact--that if you do not keep me happy, I might look around for someone else who will. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I do not think anyone in business would dispute that keeping customers loyal and keeping hold of their heads and hearts is more difficult now than ever before. Customers are more sophisticated and demanding than ever. All organisations must cope with this increased sophistication so·phis·ti·cate v. so·phis·ti·cat·ed, so·phis·ti·cat·ing, so·phis·ti·cates v.tr. 1. To cause to become less natural, especially to make less naive and more worldly. 2. and increased demands while also having to struggle with competition, cost and legislative pressures. These, combined with the challenge of running complex internal organisational hierarchies, can make it very difficult, or even close to impossible, to see the woods for the trees. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] My organisation, Charteris, is a business and IT consultancy. Many of the solutions we provide to our client organisations are highly complex from a technical perspective. But we never forget, and I mean not for one instant, that we are helping our clients to make themselves more successful. These Seven Deadly Skills derive from the seven deadly sins (R. C. Ch.) willful and deliberate transgressions, which take away divine grace; - in distinction from vental sins. The seven deadly sins are pride, covetousness, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy, and sloth. See also: Sin which (in case you have forgotten them, or have not had an opportunity to practise prac·tise v. & n. Chiefly British Variant of practice. prac tis·er n. them for a while) are pride, avarice av·a·rice n. Immoderate desire for wealth; cupidity. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin av , envy, wrath, lust, gluttony Gluttony See also Greed. Belch, Sir Toby gluttonous and lascivious fop. [Br. Lit.: Twelfth Night] Biggers, Jack one of the best known “feeders” of eighteenth-century England. [Br. Hist. and sloth sloth (slōth, slôth), arboreal mammal found in Central and South America distantly related to armadillos and anteaters. Sloths live in tropical forests, where they sleep, eat, and travel through the trees suspended upside down, clinging to . Conversely con·verse 1 intr.v. con·versed, con·vers·ing, con·vers·es 1. To engage in a spoken exchange of thoughts, ideas, or feelings; talk. See Synonyms at speak. 2. , and in direct opposition to these Seven Deadly Sins, we have the Seven Cardinal Virtues cardinal virtues Noun, pl the most important moral qualities, traditionally justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude . I am sure you practice these: but just in case you need reminding, they are: humility Humility See also Modesty. Humorousness (See WITTINESS.) Bernadette Soubirous, St. humble girl to whom Virgin Mary appeared. [Christian Hagiog.: Attwater, 65–66] Bonaventura, St. washes dishes even though a cardinal. , generosity, kindness, self-control, temperance Temperance Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) organization founded to help alcoholics (1934). [Am. Culture: EB, I: 448] amethyst provides protection against drunkenness; February birthstone. and zeal. Each one of the Seven Deadly Sins has its counterpart in the Seven Cardinal Virtues. The Seven Deadly Skills of Customer Service derive directly from showing how business virtue should triumph over business sin. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pride v. Humility The deadly sin deadly sin n. One of the seven sins  anger, covetousness, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, and sloth : Excessive and/or unwarranted self-importance,
arrogance and heightened self-interest.
The cardinal virtue cardinal virtue n. One of the four paramount virtues in classical philosophy: justice, prudence, fortitude, or temperance. Noun 1. : Seeing ourselves as we are and recognising the relevance and importance of others. Leads to: The first Deadly Skill of Customer Service: Take time to know your customer; so often executives get caught up in the hierarchies and power struggles which go on inside the organisation that they forget to collaborate with colleagues on winning and looking after customers. Avarice v. Generosity The deadly sin: An unquenchable desire for acquisition. The cardinal virtue: More than just money; it is about creating a 'win-win' relationship with customers--and with colleagues too! Leads to: The second Deadly Skill of Customer Service: Focus on the customer agenda, not just your own. Embody what you know about your customers' needs and wants into the heart of your processes, channels and culture. Envy v. Love The deadly sin: Envy is a form of resentment, and a lack of respect towards others--customers, colleagues and competitors. The cardinal virtue: Seeing through others' eyes, and looking to achieve good outcomes across each interaction. Leads to: The third Deadly Skill of Customer Service: Demonstrate respect for your customers' time, energy and engagement. Customers want to feel they are being treated as an individual--not just part of a process or a machine. They want to feel that you care! Wrath v. Kindness The deadly sin: Unfocused un·fo·cused also un·fo·cussed adj. 1. Not brought into focus: an unfocused lens. 2. and narrow thinking and impulses, resulting in destructive behaviours. The cardinal virtue: Showing patience and interest in the opinions and problems of others; seeking constructive solutions. Leads to: The fourth Deadly Skill of Customer Service: Customers often find it simpler and less confrontational to take their business elsewhere than to complain or to get a complaint resolved. Demonstrate that you really do value their business and want them to stay. Lust v. Self-control The deadly sin: An intensely focused aim to achieve a specific goal or outcome; a pre-occupation with gratification GRATIFICATION. A reward given voluntarily for some service or benefit rendered, without being requested so to do, either expressly or by implication. or one's desires. The cardinal virtue: Self-control and mastery allows for maximum achievement without damage. Leads to: The fifth Deadly Skill of Customer Service: Understand the difference between a quick sale and a customer relationship. This is the test of an organisation that is sincere about looking after its customers. They will spot you a mile off if all you want is to hit a sales target. Gluttony v. Temperance The deadly sin: The endless appetite for consumption--or deployment--regardless of need or appropriateness of fit. The cardinal virtue: Accept that there is balance and natural limits in where, when and how you interact with customers. Leads to: The sixth Deadly Skill of Customer Service: Deploy your multi-channel structure and technology to do the right things for the right reasons. It should embody the way you think about your customers--not force you to do things that do not suit you or them. Sloth v. Zeal The deadly sin: Idleness and complacency com·pla·cen·cy n. 1. A feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction, especially when coupled with an unawareness of danger, trouble, or controversy. 2. An instance of contented self-satisfaction. regardless of potential benefit or reward. The cardinal virtue: An energetic anticipation and response to changing customer, market and competitor demands. Leads to: The seventh Deadly Skill of Customer Service: Forget the maxim 'if it is not broke, do not fix it'. You must be prepared to continuously rethink your business operations Business operations are those activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders. Compare business processes. The outcome of business operations is the harvesting of value from assets , processes and channels. Keep your finger on the pulse, observe what is happening and take timely action. These Seven Deadly Skills of Customer Service are incredibly powerful. They work because ultimately they add up to your organisation caring about the customer and what the customer wants before anything else. I am not saying that is easy; it is not. But building a great business is never going to be easy, and make no mistake, if you put the Seven Deadly Skills of Customer Service into practice, a great business is what you are going to be creating. |
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