Words To Succeed By…

“It is not your customer's job to remember you.
It is your obligation and responsibility to make sure
they don't have the chance to forget you.”
-Patricia Fripp

Dear Sales Huddle Readers:

At long last, I am back from a few months of much needed time off.

The beauty of down time, is that it affords me to play 'catch up' on reading and uncovering so much important industry material that impacts our overall sales and business success.

My objective is to stay focused on sharing "best practices" research and methodologies, that will help you elevate skills; work productivity; bottom line performance and build superior customer relationships.

Speaking of superior customer relationships, if you were to ask the average consumer to name a popular brand of electronics, it would be no surprise to hear the name “Panasonic”.

Having said that…the inspiration for this month’s blog is taken from the words of Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic.

I firmly believe that Mr. Matsushita's business creed on customer value pertains to every aspect of sales and selling—regardless of whether we sell products or services. His words carry a profound and brilliant ray of wisdom.

10 Lessons from Konosuke Matsushita:
CREATING CUSTOMER VALUE*

1. The mission of the company is to enrich society
2. Company’s vision must be driven by the aspirations of the customers
3. In the long run, the public opinion is right
4. Don’t sell customers goods that they are attracted to, sell them goods that will benefit them.
5. Treat your products like your children
6. Any waste will increase the price of the product
7. Stick to fair prices
8. After-sales service is more important than assistance before sales;
it is through such service that one gets permanent customers
9. Use complaints to strengthen ties with your customer
10. To be out-of-stock is due to carelessness; if this happens, apologize to your customers, and deliver the goods as soon as you can

In conclusion...no matter how well we perform or approach our business, it all comes down to the customer.

May we heed Mr. Matsushita's sage advice and actively apply it throughout all of our customer interactions and practices!

*(Source: 1000ventures.com)