October 27, 2025 • 31 mins
The sale isn’t the end, it’s the reset point. In this episode, we unpack what happens after the contract is signed and why the strongest brands win in the follow-through. You’ll hear how trust compounds when you stay engaged, why consistency beats intensity, and what separates a one-time customer from a lifelong advocate.
From restoration to banking to creative services, we explore practical ways to lead with education, protect results, and make every follow-up feel valuable. We also dive into how great post-sale service drives reviews, referrals, and real retention.
If you want customers to choose you again, not because you’re cheapest, but because you care most, this conversation is for you.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:14):
Well, Veggie Brady, welcome in.
We are here for episode 36, andI don't know why I sounded like
a game show host there.
SPEAKER_02 (00:21):
Like I mean a little Ryan Seacrest, Wheel of Fortune.
SPEAKER_00 (00:25):
It was a little, a little much.
But um, but yeah, we're herewith a uh a fun episode.
We've spent the past coupleepisodes talking about branding.
Um, of course, you guys knowthat's uh something.
Adam's favorite subject.
My favorite subject.
It was the first time I feltlike I talked a ton on the
podcast, but I enjoyed it.
It was it was a fun podcast.
Hopefully, you guys listeninggot a lot out of it.
(00:46):
And hopefully you're applyingsome of those things, you know,
to your brand or your businessat the time.
Um, but today's a great subject.
It's one that um Benji kind ofput together for us and brought
it up.
Actually, I think it came induring a podcast we're talking,
but we're talking about like,does the clock end at a sale?
Now, listeners, we understandeverybody has different
(01:06):
industries.
We're doing different things.
I mean, for us in SurPro, thatcould mean, hey, does that mean
when the job's done, completed,they've signed the certificate
of satisfaction, they're happyis it over?
It could be the same thing asbuying a phone from Apple, you
know, buying something, I mean aclothing store.
Like when the exporting goods,does that mean just because the
sale ends, your time with thecustomer ends?
(01:28):
And I was like, I thought that'sa great point, uh, Benji.
So uh let's just jump into it,man.
Talk a little bit about wherethis thought process came from,
you know, what what it is andwhat we're really gonna dive
into today.
SPEAKER_02 (01:38):
Yeah, I think like you said, somebody had had
actually texts this in that doesthey just text in the exactly
what you said.
Does a sale stop when the job isfinished?
And the answer to that is no.
I think that everybody wouldagree that over the years, as
you've you know, you've gottenolder, we get we used to get the
paper mail back in the day,which I still think people get a
(02:01):
lot of times with the coupons inthem and what have you.
You know, your wife or whatevermight cut them out and keep them
on the counter until they decideto go to the store or whatever
and use this discount.
SPEAKER_00 (02:10):
It's my gets my wife every time.
You get those Kohl's cash onesin, and she's like, hey, we need
to go buy Coles after church.
SPEAKER_02 (02:16):
Yeah, and and in today, today's world, obviously,
there's the email bucket, right?
Your email probably gets, I'mgonna use the word very loosely
flooded with different kinds ofadvertising and what have you.
Um, I think there's a bettersolution to it than than all of
that.
Um, I think that's still needed.
Um, but we'll get we'll get intoit as we talk about it here.
(02:37):
And and as you guys know, manypeople think the clock does
stop, especially in ourindustry, because someone has
called us for a water damagecleanup or a fire damage
cleanup, or we have theircontents, or they're in the
reconstruction phase of theirhome, which is their most
valuable asset.
They get back into their home,they're like, thank God, I don't
have to deal with that again.
(02:58):
Uh but if they've if they've hadthe service done right and well
with someone like us, they hopethey never see us again.
But if they have to use usagain, they could, right?
And and so what we're gonna whatwe're just gonna talk about is
how we can unpack as leaders andbusinesses to maintain
meaningful contact, key wordthere, with customers to provide
(03:21):
value long after the sale andavoid the trap of either neglect
or information overload.
So just just think about this.
Have you do you have a storymaybe of something that you've
uh you've experienced, maybe itwas a shopping, maybe it was
online, maybe it was whatever,that you felt forgotten after
(03:43):
you made a purchase?
Either one of you?
SPEAKER_00 (03:45):
Oh, oh, forgotten.
I was gonna I thought you weregoing the other direction for a
minute.
I was like, I got a greatcustomer's deserve.
Let me think on that one.
On the good side.
Is that what you're saying,Adam?
SPEAKER_02 (03:54):
No, he yeah, I have one on the good side.
Think about this.
I mean, you've you've boughtsomething and you're you look up
a year later and you're like,man.
SPEAKER_00 (04:01):
So so I have it's more I didn't buy a product, but
I was buying a service.
Um, it was actually uh severalyears ago.
Um, I won't name the company oranything, but when I first
started this entrepreneurialjourney of, you know, being able
to send invoices and things likethat, um, I had a buddy that
recommended a company that heuses that allows them, allows
(04:24):
him to send invoices.
Okay.
And so I went through, I set up,I did everything that I was
supposed to do, that I was toldto do, and I sent my very first
invoice to a client.
It was only like 300 bucks.
I went and filmed, I think Itook photographs for an opening
house they had for um this biguh apartment that they had
renovated and they had a bunchof people come in to tour it.
(04:47):
And so I sent them an invoice touh just because I came, took
pictures, and edit them, andsent the invoice and they paid
it.
And I can't remember off the topof my head what the issue was,
but there was an issue where themoney got hung up.
So I called their customerservice that said, Hey guys,
I've got all my information inthere.
(05:07):
You know, I don't know if I issomething with my bank account
information was incorrect, ormaybe I was missing
documentation because I juststarted doing this and it wasn't
like a legal LLC yet.
I mean, I was just doing work onthe side.
And basically they said, Hey,sorry, you don't have your
documentation.
And they told me it'll takeanywhere from 30 to 120 days to
(05:29):
get the money back.
Wow.
120 days.
And they said the only thing Icould do is reach out to the
client and have them cancel theorder.
So I'm like, so you're tellingme I've got to call a client,
tell them I have an issue withmy invoicing that's embarrassing
as it is, and have them spendtime getting the money refunded
and then pay me again.
Yeah, yeah.
(05:49):
That doesn't matter.
And they were like, and theywere like, Yep.
And that's all it was.
Like, that's where it ended at.
And after doing some research, Ifound out this is something they
did a lot that they didn't givea lot.
And I should have done moreresearch, but it was just tough
because I called them and Isaid, Hey guys, like I this
money is sitting here.
Like, I've done the work, I'mdone, I've delivered the
product.
I I it's in like you, I want youto help me.
(06:10):
Like, don't make me call aclient and say that you, as my
provider of software, are makingme call a client and say, Hey,
you need to call and spend time.
And not only that, guys, theyhad to call the bank and call
them.
It was it was just this crazylist of things that they had to
do to get I got to the pointwhere I was like 300 bucks, I'm
done.
SPEAKER_02 (06:30):
Yeah, and in your mind, you're you're you're
thinking if I have to call theclient or whatever, get them
involved, they're gonna befrustrated and they're probably
never gonna use me again.
Yeah, I give it.
SPEAKER_00 (06:38):
So I I didn't use them again, moved on to a
different service, had had noissues with them, but it was
just tough.
Like I explained my situation,and you would hope, you know,
they would help, but man, I justgot nothing.
SPEAKER_02 (06:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:49):
Brady, you have one?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, the the biggest thing Ican think of is um, I guess
about two years ago, uh, youknow, Benji and I leave worship
at our churches, and and sooccasionally I like to, you
know, enhance my equipment andget a new guitar.
And so um I remember the twostores in town here in
(07:10):
Birmingham, one called BaileyBrothers, and I went there and
found a really nice Martin, andum I bought it and had some
issues with it, you know, aafter the fact, and got a got a
new pickup put in there, and itI mean it the pickup sounded
great, but you know, there wasjust something about it that
they were so eager to make thesale.
We finished the sale, I paid forthe product, but then after the
(07:34):
fact when I tried to get some ofthe service done, the service
just they didn't do as well onthe service part as they had
done on the on the sales part,and so flipped that to most
recently I I traded that one inand I went I went back to I'd
gone to arts music many, many,many, many moons ago and loved
(07:56):
Bree Love Guitars.
Shout out to Bree Love Guitars,but um and so I I kind of did an
upgrade again.
The service was night and day,the sales night and day.
And I've even been in there andjust you know got some things
done to it, this and that, andit was just the the service was
incredible, and they had alreadytook my money.
(08:18):
I mean, they already made thesale, but you know, the the the
craftsmanship and the passionthat they had one was let's just
get your money and move on downthe road, and the other one was
we really care about themusician and and all the other
things.
So that's what I can think of.
SPEAKER_02 (08:35):
Yeah, and I can guarantee you you will remember
that company next time you needsomething done, you're going
back there.
SPEAKER_01 (08:39):
Oh, yeah, for sure.
I'll never go back anywhereelse.
SPEAKER_02 (08:42):
Yeah, it's it's that's the thing is a lot of
people think that I've got thesale accomplished, I've I've
done the deal, and man, I got mymoney, you know, I'm done.
But those that have taken theirservice to the next level
obviously get the best bang fortheir buck because they didn't
just make a close, they made along-term relationship
(09:04):
transaction.
So as as you said earlier, Adam,the sale is a starting line,
it's not the finish.
SPEAKER_00 (09:10):
But it what's also important to talk about is not
just that, but just the servicewith it.
So um I had the same thing.
So I as a photographer,videographer, I use a company
called Nomadic a lot.
Oh yeah.
Um they you they make very andnot just camera bags, they make
a lot of like luggage andthings.
But anyway, I bought a lot of mygear outside of any of my hard
(09:31):
cases that I have, but anythinglike a bag or something that I
carry, I only purchase nomadic.
And I've had a great experiencewith them.
They have typically two or threetimes a year, they call it a uh
like a they call it like arefurbished sale, like stuff
that people have sent in.
They're day they you know, theyhave some damage to them, and
they're typically heavilydiscounted, which I mean their
(09:51):
best camera bag is like$500.
Well worth it.
Well worth it.
I always tell people why wouldyou spend$100 on a bag from
Amazon and stick your sixthousand dollar camera in it,
you know?
Yeah, and then you're gonnareplace the bag five or six
times.
You might as well have boughtone.
But um, but you're just talkingabout not selling with the end.
I had so I ordered one, got itfrom them.
Um, it was missing pieces thatwere never stated for me
(10:14):
missing.
It said it in the picture, itshowed it had everything.
Reached out to him.
I was very polite, said, Heyguys, I bought this.
I understand it's refurbished.
The damage doesn't bother me.
That's the reason why I pay lessfor it.
I'm gonna end up scuffing it up,it's fine.
But I noticed none of thedividers are in it.
Well, the dividers themselvesare like a hundred dollars to
get this kit uh for the divider.
So at that point, I should havejust bought a brand new one.
(10:35):
Yeah, so I messaged them andtold them about it.
And they were like, hey, we'reso sorry something happened.
Um, you should have had those inthere.
And they said, We'll get it out.
And guys, they it's likeovernighted and got it to me,
got those pieces, great service.
Well, and then on top of that, Ithink Benji, I think after that
happened, I was telling youabout it.
Oh, I got word.
You were looking for a bag, andI was like, Hey, but you gotta
(10:56):
try these guys.
Like, you're gonna love thesebags, they're a little more
expensive, but I think again, itprotects all your stuff.
But where I'm saying is is whenthat sale ends, because of that
customer service, not only that,but I went out word of mouth
again.
I went out and told you, and Isaid, Hey, you should get one of
these.
I know you need a new bag.
Like, they're not gonna steeryou wrong and they're gonna fit,
(11:16):
and it has a lifetime warranty.
Yeah, if something happens, youcan call them.
So, anyways, just know how youtreat your customer at it when
it doesn't, even after the sale,it can lead to other things.
And other people say, Hey, youneed to try them and call them.
I mean, we at SurPro the sameway.
We want people to tell themabout our team and the things
that we do.
SPEAKER_02 (11:34):
Great service gets great word of mouth, and that's
that's a that's a great point,actually.
No pun intended.
But a leadership credibility iswhat built on what built on what
happens after the money exchangehands.
Um, great quote that came out,but trust compounds fastest
after the ink is dry.
Now, I know some of you arethinking, do I physically have
(11:55):
to sign for the ink to dry?
Well, look, at the end of theday, you're you're making a
transaction with funds, withsome kind of you know, digital
funds, your wallet app, or maybeit's cash or what have you.
So that ink is dry at that time.
So that's when the trustcompounds fastest after the ink
is dry.
I think there's a danger that uhwe have to be careful of because
(12:16):
it's very easy in the servicebusiness that the danger of
radio silence and customers whodon't hear from you may assume
you don't care.
Now, some people would say,Well, I don't want to bother
them.
I don't want to put so muchstuff out there.
I mean, Brady, we have beenguilty of this same thing.
Like, I don't want to do theyreally want to see SurfPro
(12:39):
again, you know.
Do we we we understand youprobably don't, but we've also
heard the the complete flip sideof this where customers say, you
know what?
I don't want to see you again,but I am so happy that when I
have a problem, you are there toshow up, and then I get to see
you in action.
So just just keep that in mind.
Radio silence and competitorswill happily feel, let them feel
(13:03):
the silence because it's theirfavorite sales tool.
SPEAKER_01 (13:07):
Yeah, and you and you know the thing about it is
when you we don't have to gooverboard with it, yeah.
Right?
We don't have to, I mean, just atouch point.
Hey, just checking on you, juststopping by, see if you need
anything, you know, that type ofthing.
And sometimes it can go into a alarger conversation, and
sometimes it's just hey, I'm I'mreal busy right now.
(13:27):
We got this meeting coming up, Igot some other things, but hey,
thanks for stopping by, Adam.
Great to see you.
I'll you know, just call me ifyou need something, you know,
that type of thing.
But yeah, your your two minutesdoes not go unnoticed, and it's
and it's a it's a trigger, youknow, or it could be an email or
a text or something, just atouch point that reminds them,
(13:49):
hey, we're here, we've not goneanywhere.
If you need something, then letus know.
SPEAKER_00 (13:54):
Well, and I I think it can go really, it doesn't
have to just be a sell.
If you're an industry or you'reyou're in something where you're
just providing some type ofservice or something to someone.
We talk about this at church allthe time, and uh, you know, and
this will sound bad, and I don'tmean for it to, but I see a lot
of churches always always post,well, we had 15 people saved
(14:14):
this weekend, all this.
And I'm like, I think it'sgreat, that's amazing, that's
life change.
One of the things I've alwaystried to have us think,
especially for our team, thinkoutside the box differently.
Okay, great, they got saved.
What's next?
Like that, because honestly,that is to me, and to get a
little more to get spiritual,that to me is more that is more
(14:35):
what salvation is.
Like, okay, you made a change,now you need to actively pursue
it and live it.
So that radio silence, like,think about that from that
aspect, whether you're a churchor something else, you provided
someone.
If we're not feeding into itafter, that's the whole point of
serving, right?
Like, yes, of course, havingpeople help lead the church, run
the church, do these thingsbecause staff can only do so
(14:56):
much, yeah, that's a huge part.
But what you're doing is you'renot being silent after that
decision's made and you'regetting them involved and you're
keeping that touch point.
So for me and our listeners,think about think take this
principle and think about okay,is it a sale?
Is it a service you're providingto someone?
Is it a lifestyle you'reproviding to someone, whatever
(15:17):
that is, and how when you get toyour plan of you know, your
course of action, your your callof action, you've done that,
you've made that.
What is your next steps?
What are you doing with themafter that?
SPEAKER_02 (15:28):
Yeah.
So moving out of the dangers,okay, the danger of radio
silence.
Let's talk about a few healthyways we could stay in front of
customers.
Okay, there's all kinds ofdifferent ways.
These are just a few options foryou out there.
Number one on the list,educational touches.
Maybe it's some resourcesinstead of promotions.
(15:48):
That's we that's what Imentioned earlier in the show
that you there you need to dogive give people tips, not so
much promotions, right?
Hey, you come in today, you get15% off.
You know, what if you said, hey,this is what could happen if you
don't do one, two, three, right?
Your car could mess up.
Uh, just that's the most commonthing, obviously, people think
(16:10):
of car wash, or it's not carwash, but uh, you can't just get
the emails all the time.
Yeah.
So just educational touches, allright?
What's the number one thing thatpeople get excited about each
year as a person?
SPEAKER_01 (16:23):
Birthday.
SPEAKER_02 (16:24):
Birthday.
So hey, look, if someone justsaid, sends you a message, happy
birthday.
It is so simple.
SPEAKER_03 (16:29):
I feel special.
SPEAKER_02 (16:30):
If nothing else, it's got your brand at the top
of it.
Think about this.
Most of the time, and we allagree, you have seven seconds to
make a good first impression.
Seven seconds.
That's what statistics say, andthat is not made up on stat
today, Brady, just so you know,not 82% made up on the spot.
SPEAKER_01 (16:46):
I think 92% all stats are made up on the spot.
SPEAKER_02 (16:48):
Yeah, exactly.
Somebody call the fact checker.
Seven seconds is what you have.
So if you have seven secondswhen someone is cleaning out
their inbox of email, I think Iwould rather have the brand at
the top as a reminder of theservice that was provided,
hoping it was a great serviceprovided.
And whatever happens after thathappens after that.
(17:10):
But if if they end up readingbehind that brand, as we talked
about in the last coupleepisodes, brand versus
marketing, this is the marketingpiece.
Make your marketing tip likeconcise.
Make it easy, make it simple.
Don't make it this long thingfor people to have to read.
Or if you do a mailer orwhatever the case may be, maybe
it's a win.
(17:31):
Maybe your team was able to helpsomeone that like we we use
Express Oil Change.
Maybe they came in and their oilpan was dry.
I mean, it was dry, and you wereable to go in and do some clean
out or whatever the case may be,got them back up and running.
You saved a family thousands,literally thousands of dollars.
That's a win.
(17:51):
So maybe it's a maybe it's justa celebratory touch, right?
A milestone, so to speak.
What about a service check-in?
People don't do this stuffanymore.
Just how's it going?
I just wanted to check in withyou, see how things are going.
Is everything okay with youknow, making stuff up?
Johnny, you know, how's Johnny'ssports program going in his
(18:11):
school, whatever?
Just how how's it going?
Be genuine about it.
People really want to talk aboutthemselves and them their family
and things like that, whatthey're doing.
Just do a just do a quickservice check-in.
SPEAKER_01 (18:23):
Yeah.
Um, maybe this is one of thoseuh how's your mom and them?
SPEAKER_00 (18:27):
Yeah, yeah.
For sure.
I get I get a call because we webank with Chase, and then uh
both our personal finances andour business finances are
through Chase.
And um the guy at down on 280where we signed up at least once
a quarter, always calls andsaid, Hey, I'm just checking on
your financial needs.
And one of the things I broughtup last time, I said, Hey, I'm
(18:47):
getting to the point where Imight need to get a business
credit card.
So I can one, I want to earnback some points.
We're making a lot of purchasesfor things, you know.
But I brought that up and it waseven what's the greater, and I'm
sure he has, you know, a CRMsystem on that to do it, which
is again, that's what you mean.
But each time he's called, he'slike, Hey, I just checking in
with you.
And he knows me by name, hecalls me and I know who he is,
and you know, he says that, hey,do you just checking in?
(19:09):
How's your business?
Um, have you guys grown?
Do we want to look at anything?
You know, have you thought aboutdo you do we need to look at
getting you that business cardyet?
And he'll give me real talks.
Like I've told him, like, hey,we're only spending this much
money in expenses each month.
He's like, Adam, don't do it.
Like, hey, hold on.
And that's what I appreciateeven more is like, hey, don't
get one yet.
You need to be spending thismuch because you also want to
(19:31):
take advantage of the thesign-ups that they give you the
money back.
Like, hey, if you're not gonnaspend this much in this many
months, don't do it yet.
Wait until you have a bigpurchase, something you need to
purchase, like a new camera,whatever that is, and then you
can also get that money back.
So you're talking about check-inthat's quarter, and he does it
quarterly.
Literally, it's like on theclock, and we kind of actually
(19:51):
end up most of the time talkingthrough things.
And but that again is one of thereasons why we're with Chase and
not where we were before,because we never got that with
the bank we were at before.
Yeah, and you wouldn't, and it'sjust a simple thing that he
does, Adam.
You do not need a new camera, bythe way.
I do, actually.
Oh my gosh.
I'm working hard.
I need I need one more bigcinema camera so I can just one
(20:14):
next level.
SPEAKER_01 (20:14):
Just one more.
SPEAKER_02 (20:15):
I'm sure both of you have experienced something like
this.
One that came to mind with me, ahow's it going call.
You've you've both purchasedvehicles over the years.
How many when's the last timethat someone from the from the
dealership that you had a greatexperience with called and said,
Hey, I just wanted to check inwith you.
SPEAKER_00 (20:32):
Recently.
Really?
Recently.
Well, you you guys know we wentthrough some issues.
We were having, um, we were, andI think I kind of shared this
with the just the two of you offthe podcast, but we were getting
ready to update our.
We felt like we, you know, webought a truck a year ago when
we changed positions, yep.
Uh, and I lost my Cerberusvehicle.
Uh, we had to buy, we had to buya vehicle, and we bought one and
(20:54):
we outgrew it quickly.
Well, I mean, like, business hasbeen good, we've had a lot of
big projects, I need space.
And found out the one we had wasactually a lemon, and to the
point like where we were gonnahave to roll negative equity in
a vehicle, and we wouldn't wantto do and we're talking 10 to
15,000 of negative equity, yeah.
Um, anyways, they checked in andI had kind of written a review
(21:18):
about it, like, hey, and nothingnegative on them.
Like, hey, you guys did great.
I just, you know, I kind of wishwe had knew some of this.
Called me right away, got us inliterally within 24 hours, found
a vehicle that fit our need,paid off our truck, so we didn't
roll anything into it to get usout of that one, and moved into
it.
And I can tell you just fromthat, we probably won't go
(21:38):
anywhere else.
I mean, yeah, and that wasagain, you're talking that was
from a phone call.
They literally called us, said,Hey, this is actually what we're
dealing with.
And I at the time I didn't thinkto call them because I didn't
think we agreed to buy thevehicle, right?
Like we signed everything, theydidn't have to do that, but they
did.
And yeah, we bought a biggervehicle uh that fits our needs
(21:58):
and carries our camera gear andthe things when we go do these
larger projects.
But that you're talking again,not just checking in, but that
led to another sell for them.
SPEAKER_02 (22:07):
Exactly.
Yeah, that's that's where theywin, is they've they've done
their check-ins.
Their goal is to eventually,when you have a need, to sell
you another vehicle.
Um, think about this you know,just a couple of curated
resources, better updates, uh,fewer updates.
So they're not bombarding youwith information.
We're not bombarding clientswith information, make it less,
(22:29):
but make them more impactful.
That's that's the key is acouple of tips and tricks.
Um, maybe it's a coupleunexpected small gestures.
This is a this was one that hithome with me that you know what
what is there out there that wecould possibly do?
And I don't have the answer forthis yet.
We'd have to think through this,but what could we do for a
(22:49):
customer when we go up on site?
Think about this.
They've had a fire at theirhome, and is there something we
could do to bring a little bitof value to get them through a
situation that they might haveto stay at a hotel or whatever,
you know?
Um, just something like that.
Think about this.
Every touch point should feellike a gift, not an invoice.
(23:12):
When when I when I found this, Iit hit home with me.
I was like, man, you know, toomany times we go through a
transaction, we took care of theclient, yay, you know, and at
the same time, how many times dowe bypass those touch points to
feel like a gift and not just atransaction, not just an
invoice?
And I'll tell you, I'm veryproud of our team because our
(23:35):
team goes above and beyond tomake sure that the customers are
taken care of, they'recommunicated with, um, and and
it just it's so refreshing thatthat what we what we have at our
team.
SPEAKER_00 (23:47):
Yeah, so and that's I mean, it's evident, and you
see that too when you do that,Benji, because um we've been
able to be in the top five oflike of most reviews, like our
SurPro Birmingham location.
You're talking about customerslike saying, hey, they do this,
you can see these, and so we'reone of the top five out of all
(24:08):
the surprise, not just like ourregion, of all the surpros, um
for that, and really in theservice industry.
And you have to think somebodyin our industry typically like
seeing positive reviews andthings, that's tough.
And but we've made itintentional.
I mean, my buddy runs a uhappliance repair, and I can tell
you I help him manage his stuff,and there's nothing he can do.
(24:30):
Yeah, you know, they haveissues, they have to go through
the manufacturer to get parts,waiting on parts is probably a
big challenge.
And that's a big part, andsometimes customers don't get
that, and they again they workon that to try and get
customers, but they getbombarded with negative,
negative reviews.
And in a service industry, Ithink that's a big part too, is
doing those things and checkingup on customers because we see
(24:52):
that in the reviews that arewritten.
And in an industry thattypically people only share the
negative, us being in that, youknow, the upper echelon sharing
the positive, that's huge.
And that's but that's alsointentionality, right?
Yeah, like that's intentionalitythrough taking care of the
customer during and after thejob, and then also um just
(25:13):
staying in communication withthem.
SPEAKER_02 (25:14):
Yeah.
So as we just a coupleleadership takeaways for you
listeners out there, these theseare if you want to write these
down, as we've said before,don't do this while you're
driving down the road, make amental note, drop a voice memo
on your your iPhone or Androidor whatever.
But just a couple of keytakeaways, okay?
Consistency always beatsintensity.
(25:36):
What we mean by that is if youhave a steady touch, it's gonna
be greater than just randomnoise because the consumer is
sick and tired of random noise,but just keep a steady touch,
clear and concise, be consistentwith the process, everything
else will take care of itself.
They always say this in thesports world the teams that are
(25:58):
the most consistent and do themost basic principles of
blocking, tackling, dribbling,shooting, uh uh uh uh hockey,
you know, taking the puck andusing basic, basic, basic
drills.
It's basic, it's better to be,excuse me, consistent than it is
(26:18):
to be intensity.
We we can think we're gonna havethe best shot of the game, but
no one's gonna hit the closingshot of the game that hasn't
practiced that shot thousandsand thousands and thousands of
times.
So consistency wins, okay?
Next, think about stewardship,not selling.
Guide the customer, don'tsqueeze the customer.
(26:39):
Think about stewardship.
You've been given theopportunity to take care of this
client, regardless of what whatindustry you're in, steward that
relationship, do a good service.
As we said earlier, they'regonna tell more and more and
more people about your business,and then you get more
opportunity.
So we we've been given theopportunity, steward that
(27:00):
relationship.
Don't feel like you're justsell, sell, sell, sell, sell.
Get them through a situation.
They've come to you with aproblem.
Think about this.
And and and I say problem.
If you go to a restaurant, youhave a problem, you're hungry.
That's the problem.
You want to eat.
So steward the relationship,want them to come back.
Focus on the relationship, notthe inbox.
(27:22):
Value makes outreach welcome.
So if you value and focus on therelationship and not so much
just got to push the button forthe next email campaign to go
out, or the next mailer to goout, or the next discount to go
out.
Focus on the relationship, makeit personal.
And then last but not least,balance is leadership.
(27:44):
Protect the clarity and try toavoid chaos because again,
consistency always wins.
Quick quote for you uhleadership after the sale is
about stewardship, notsalesmanship.
SPEAKER_00 (27:58):
Yeah, yeah.
I've always said uh and I'veshared it with y'all before, I
think the age of the customeralways is right, has kind of
evolved.
I don't think the customer isalways right, but I do think the
customer should always besatisfied.
We've got to find a way to dothat.
They're gonna make mistakes, wemake mistakes, but I think in
(28:20):
the end, how do we take care ofthe customer?
And that that means after it'sover.
Like you you have like you wantto think about this as a
relationship, right?
Like just because you theybought your product, the I
bought your service, whatever,whatever it is you're offering,
this needs to be a long-standingthing.
Like they may call you in a yearfrom now.
Yeah, they may do that, but sothat when that happens, all
(28:41):
right, how do we take care ofthem because something may else
happen?
Like, you know, you never know.
If you're our house, you've hadlike seven water denting nine
months, so we would typicallycall you guys every time.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:53):
Yeah, this kind of reminds me of you know, going
back to like sales, people dobusiness with people they like
and people they trust.
And I think it's a good reminderthat you know, when uh just like
my situation with a guitar, wegotta remember that that we are
human beings and not humandoings.
(29:14):
You know, they're we are dealingwith human beings, and so uh
take care of them.
And I think it was Zig Zigglerthat said if you help enough
people get what they want,you'll get what you want.
And so a lot life is is a goodreciprocal, and that's I think
this is what this is kind ofreminding me of.
SPEAKER_00 (29:30):
Yeah.
I mean, if you had a choicebased on customer service, when
you go get groceries, are youchoosing publics or Walmart?
SPEAKER_02 (29:37):
Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (29:38):
And here's the thing you're probably gonna choose
publics because one, they'rebetter in customer service, like
they do all these things, andthe other thing is though, they
are more expensive.
But people look past thatbecause they're like, hey, look,
it's better, they're taking careof me.
I'd rather I'd rather pay alittle bit more and have good
customer service.
So think about that for yourindustry as well.
(29:59):
If you're an industry.
Industry that maybe you are alittle bit more expensive of a
service.
And it's not because you youhave like it's because you have
to be.
But if you take care of yourcustomer, they're going to
choose you over the cheaperoption.
SPEAKER_02 (30:09):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Well, just in closing, quicklittle recap.
The clock doesn't stop after thesale.
It resets it to a new phase ofleadership and trust.
So here's a challenge for eachof us.
This week, listener, this week,pick one customer you haven't
spoken to in a while.
Reach out, not to sell them, butto serve them.
(30:30):
And in our closing quote today,customers don't remember that
they the day they signed.
They remember the days youshowed up afterwards.
Well, we want to take just a fewmoments and say thank you again
for tuning in, listeners.
We really appreciate it.
If you have, maybe you have anidea you like on the podcast,
feel free to click that send atext button in the episode.
I'd love the opportunity to beable to share that on one of one
(30:52):
of our shows.
You can find us on any socialplatform at Higher Up Podcast.
You can always subscribe at theHigherUp Podcast.com slash
subscribe.
And as always, go out and chooseto live a higher up life.
We'll see you next time.
Well, Veggie Brady, welcome in.
We are here for episode 36, andI don't know why I sounded like
a game show host there.
SPEAKER_02 (00:21):
Like I mean a little Ryan Seacrest, Wheel of Fortune.
SPEAKER_00 (00:25):
It was a little, a little much.
But um, but yeah, we're herewith a uh a fun episode.
We've spent the past coupleepisodes talking about branding.
Um, of course, you guys knowthat's uh something.
Adam's favorite subject.
My favorite subject.
It was the first time I feltlike I talked a ton on the
podcast, but I enjoyed it.
It was it was a fun podcast.
Hopefully, you guys listeninggot a lot out of it.
(00:46):
And hopefully you're applyingsome of those things, you know,
to your brand or your businessat the time.
Um, but today's a great subject.
It's one that um Benji kind ofput together for us and brought
it up.
Actually, I think it came induring a podcast we're talking,
but we're talking about like,does the clock end at a sale?
Now, listeners, we understandeverybody has different
(01:06):
industries.
We're doing different things.
I mean, for us in SurPro, thatcould mean, hey, does that mean
when the job's done, completed,they've signed the certificate
of satisfaction, they're happyis it over?
It could be the same thing asbuying a phone from Apple, you
know, buying something, I mean aclothing store.
Like when the exporting goods,does that mean just because the
sale ends, your time with thecustomer ends?
(01:28):
And I was like, I thought that'sa great point, uh, Benji.
So uh let's just jump into it,man.
Talk a little bit about wherethis thought process came from,
you know, what what it is andwhat we're really gonna dive
into today.
SPEAKER_02 (01:38):
Yeah, I think like you said, somebody had had
actually texts this in that doesthey just text in the exactly
what you said.
Does a sale stop when the job isfinished?
And the answer to that is no.
I think that everybody wouldagree that over the years, as
you've you know, you've gottenolder, we get we used to get the
paper mail back in the day,which I still think people get a
(02:01):
lot of times with the coupons inthem and what have you.
You know, your wife or whatevermight cut them out and keep them
on the counter until they decideto go to the store or whatever
and use this discount.
SPEAKER_00 (02:10):
It's my gets my wife every time.
You get those Kohl's cash onesin, and she's like, hey, we need
to go buy Coles after church.
SPEAKER_02 (02:16):
Yeah, and and in today, today's world, obviously,
there's the email bucket, right?
Your email probably gets, I'mgonna use the word very loosely
flooded with different kinds ofadvertising and what have you.
Um, I think there's a bettersolution to it than than all of
that.
Um, I think that's still needed.
Um, but we'll get we'll get intoit as we talk about it here.
(02:37):
And and as you guys know, manypeople think the clock does
stop, especially in ourindustry, because someone has
called us for a water damagecleanup or a fire damage
cleanup, or we have theircontents, or they're in the
reconstruction phase of theirhome, which is their most
valuable asset.
They get back into their home,they're like, thank God, I don't
have to deal with that again.
(02:58):
Uh but if they've if they've hadthe service done right and well
with someone like us, they hopethey never see us again.
But if they have to use usagain, they could, right?
And and so what we're gonna whatwe're just gonna talk about is
how we can unpack as leaders andbusinesses to maintain
meaningful contact, key wordthere, with customers to provide
(03:21):
value long after the sale andavoid the trap of either neglect
or information overload.
So just just think about this.
Have you do you have a storymaybe of something that you've
uh you've experienced, maybe itwas a shopping, maybe it was
online, maybe it was whatever,that you felt forgotten after
(03:43):
you made a purchase?
Either one of you?
SPEAKER_00 (03:45):
Oh, oh, forgotten.
I was gonna I thought you weregoing the other direction for a
minute.
I was like, I got a greatcustomer's deserve.
Let me think on that one.
On the good side.
Is that what you're saying,Adam?
SPEAKER_02 (03:54):
No, he yeah, I have one on the good side.
Think about this.
I mean, you've you've boughtsomething and you're you look up
a year later and you're like,man.
SPEAKER_00 (04:01):
So so I have it's more I didn't buy a product, but
I was buying a service.
Um, it was actually uh severalyears ago.
Um, I won't name the company oranything, but when I first
started this entrepreneurialjourney of, you know, being able
to send invoices and things likethat, um, I had a buddy that
recommended a company that heuses that allows them, allows
(04:24):
him to send invoices.
Okay.
And so I went through, I set up,I did everything that I was
supposed to do, that I was toldto do, and I sent my very first
invoice to a client.
It was only like 300 bucks.
I went and filmed, I think Itook photographs for an opening
house they had for um this biguh apartment that they had
renovated and they had a bunchof people come in to tour it.
(04:47):
And so I sent them an invoice touh just because I came, took
pictures, and edit them, andsent the invoice and they paid
it.
And I can't remember off the topof my head what the issue was,
but there was an issue where themoney got hung up.
So I called their customerservice that said, Hey guys,
I've got all my information inthere.
(05:07):
You know, I don't know if I issomething with my bank account
information was incorrect, ormaybe I was missing
documentation because I juststarted doing this and it wasn't
like a legal LLC yet.
I mean, I was just doing work onthe side.
And basically they said, Hey,sorry, you don't have your
documentation.
And they told me it'll takeanywhere from 30 to 120 days to
(05:29):
get the money back.
Wow.
120 days.
And they said the only thing Icould do is reach out to the
client and have them cancel theorder.
So I'm like, so you're tellingme I've got to call a client,
tell them I have an issue withmy invoicing that's embarrassing
as it is, and have them spendtime getting the money refunded
and then pay me again.
Yeah, yeah.
(05:49):
That doesn't matter.
And they were like, and theywere like, Yep.
And that's all it was.
Like, that's where it ended at.
And after doing some research, Ifound out this is something they
did a lot that they didn't givea lot.
And I should have done moreresearch, but it was just tough
because I called them and Isaid, Hey guys, like I this
money is sitting here.
Like, I've done the work, I'mdone, I've delivered the
product.
I I it's in like you, I want youto help me.
(06:10):
Like, don't make me call aclient and say that you, as my
provider of software, are makingme call a client and say, Hey,
you need to call and spend time.
And not only that, guys, theyhad to call the bank and call
them.
It was it was just this crazylist of things that they had to
do to get I got to the pointwhere I was like 300 bucks, I'm
done.
SPEAKER_02 (06:30):
Yeah, and in your mind, you're you're you're
thinking if I have to call theclient or whatever, get them
involved, they're gonna befrustrated and they're probably
never gonna use me again.
Yeah, I give it.
SPEAKER_00 (06:38):
So I I didn't use them again, moved on to a
different service, had had noissues with them, but it was
just tough.
Like I explained my situation,and you would hope, you know,
they would help, but man, I justgot nothing.
SPEAKER_02 (06:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:49):
Brady, you have one?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, the the biggest thing Ican think of is um, I guess
about two years ago, uh, youknow, Benji and I leave worship
at our churches, and and sooccasionally I like to, you
know, enhance my equipment andget a new guitar.
And so um I remember the twostores in town here in
(07:10):
Birmingham, one called BaileyBrothers, and I went there and
found a really nice Martin, andum I bought it and had some
issues with it, you know, aafter the fact, and got a got a
new pickup put in there, and itI mean it the pickup sounded
great, but you know, there wasjust something about it that
they were so eager to make thesale.
We finished the sale, I paid forthe product, but then after the
(07:34):
fact when I tried to get some ofthe service done, the service
just they didn't do as well onthe service part as they had
done on the on the sales part,and so flipped that to most
recently I I traded that one inand I went I went back to I'd
gone to arts music many, many,many, many moons ago and loved
(07:56):
Bree Love Guitars.
Shout out to Bree Love Guitars,but um and so I I kind of did an
upgrade again.
The service was night and day,the sales night and day.
And I've even been in there andjust you know got some things
done to it, this and that, andit was just the the service was
incredible, and they had alreadytook my money.
(08:18):
I mean, they already made thesale, but you know, the the the
craftsmanship and the passionthat they had one was let's just
get your money and move on downthe road, and the other one was
we really care about themusician and and all the other
things.
So that's what I can think of.
SPEAKER_02 (08:35):
Yeah, and I can guarantee you you will remember
that company next time you needsomething done, you're going
back there.
SPEAKER_01 (08:39):
Oh, yeah, for sure.
I'll never go back anywhereelse.
SPEAKER_02 (08:42):
Yeah, it's it's that's the thing is a lot of
people think that I've got thesale accomplished, I've I've
done the deal, and man, I got mymoney, you know, I'm done.
But those that have taken theirservice to the next level
obviously get the best bang fortheir buck because they didn't
just make a close, they made along-term relationship
(09:04):
transaction.
So as as you said earlier, Adam,the sale is a starting line,
it's not the finish.
SPEAKER_00 (09:10):
But it what's also important to talk about is not
just that, but just the servicewith it.
So um I had the same thing.
So I as a photographer,videographer, I use a company
called Nomadic a lot.
Oh yeah.
Um they you they make very andnot just camera bags, they make
a lot of like luggage andthings.
But anyway, I bought a lot of mygear outside of any of my hard
(09:31):
cases that I have, but anythinglike a bag or something that I
carry, I only purchase nomadic.
And I've had a great experiencewith them.
They have typically two or threetimes a year, they call it a uh
like a they call it like arefurbished sale, like stuff
that people have sent in.
They're day they you know, theyhave some damage to them, and
they're typically heavilydiscounted, which I mean their
(09:51):
best camera bag is like$500.
Well worth it.
Well worth it.
I always tell people why wouldyou spend$100 on a bag from
Amazon and stick your sixthousand dollar camera in it,
you know?
Yeah, and then you're gonnareplace the bag five or six
times.
You might as well have boughtone.
But um, but you're just talkingabout not selling with the end.
I had so I ordered one, got itfrom them.
Um, it was missing pieces thatwere never stated for me
(10:14):
missing.
It said it in the picture, itshowed it had everything.
Reached out to him.
I was very polite, said, Heyguys, I bought this.
I understand it's refurbished.
The damage doesn't bother me.
That's the reason why I pay lessfor it.
I'm gonna end up scuffing it up,it's fine.
But I noticed none of thedividers are in it.
Well, the dividers themselvesare like a hundred dollars to
get this kit uh for the divider.
So at that point, I should havejust bought a brand new one.
(10:35):
Yeah, so I messaged them andtold them about it.
And they were like, hey, we'reso sorry something happened.
Um, you should have had those inthere.
And they said, We'll get it out.
And guys, they it's likeovernighted and got it to me,
got those pieces, great service.
Well, and then on top of that, Ithink Benji, I think after that
happened, I was telling youabout it.
Oh, I got word.
You were looking for a bag, andI was like, Hey, but you gotta
(10:56):
try these guys.
Like, you're gonna love thesebags, they're a little more
expensive, but I think again, itprotects all your stuff.
But where I'm saying is is whenthat sale ends, because of that
customer service, not only that,but I went out word of mouth
again.
I went out and told you, and Isaid, Hey, you should get one of
these.
I know you need a new bag.
Like, they're not gonna steeryou wrong and they're gonna fit,
(11:16):
and it has a lifetime warranty.
Yeah, if something happens, youcan call them.
So, anyways, just know how youtreat your customer at it when
it doesn't, even after the sale,it can lead to other things.
And other people say, Hey, youneed to try them and call them.
I mean, we at SurPro the sameway.
We want people to tell themabout our team and the things
that we do.
SPEAKER_02 (11:34):
Great service gets great word of mouth, and that's
that's a that's a great point,actually.
No pun intended.
But a leadership credibility iswhat built on what built on what
happens after the money exchangehands.
Um, great quote that came out,but trust compounds fastest
after the ink is dry.
Now, I know some of you arethinking, do I physically have
(11:55):
to sign for the ink to dry?
Well, look, at the end of theday, you're you're making a
transaction with funds, withsome kind of you know, digital
funds, your wallet app, or maybeit's cash or what have you.
So that ink is dry at that time.
So that's when the trustcompounds fastest after the ink
is dry.
I think there's a danger that uhwe have to be careful of because
(12:16):
it's very easy in the servicebusiness that the danger of
radio silence and customers whodon't hear from you may assume
you don't care.
Now, some people would say,Well, I don't want to bother
them.
I don't want to put so muchstuff out there.
I mean, Brady, we have beenguilty of this same thing.
Like, I don't want to do theyreally want to see SurfPro
(12:39):
again, you know.
Do we we we understand youprobably don't, but we've also
heard the the complete flip sideof this where customers say, you
know what?
I don't want to see you again,but I am so happy that when I
have a problem, you are there toshow up, and then I get to see
you in action.
So just just keep that in mind.
Radio silence and competitorswill happily feel, let them feel
(13:03):
the silence because it's theirfavorite sales tool.
SPEAKER_01 (13:07):
Yeah, and you and you know the thing about it is
when you we don't have to gooverboard with it, yeah.
Right?
We don't have to, I mean, just atouch point.
Hey, just checking on you, juststopping by, see if you need
anything, you know, that type ofthing.
And sometimes it can go into a alarger conversation, and
sometimes it's just hey, I'm I'mreal busy right now.
(13:27):
We got this meeting coming up, Igot some other things, but hey,
thanks for stopping by, Adam.
Great to see you.
I'll you know, just call me ifyou need something, you know,
that type of thing.
But yeah, your your two minutesdoes not go unnoticed, and it's
and it's a it's a trigger, youknow, or it could be an email or
a text or something, just atouch point that reminds them,
(13:49):
hey, we're here, we've not goneanywhere.
If you need something, then letus know.
SPEAKER_00 (13:54):
Well, and I I think it can go really, it doesn't
have to just be a sell.
If you're an industry or you'reyou're in something where you're
just providing some type ofservice or something to someone.
We talk about this at church allthe time, and uh, you know, and
this will sound bad, and I don'tmean for it to, but I see a lot
of churches always always post,well, we had 15 people saved
(14:14):
this weekend, all this.
And I'm like, I think it'sgreat, that's amazing, that's
life change.
One of the things I've alwaystried to have us think,
especially for our team, thinkoutside the box differently.
Okay, great, they got saved.
What's next?
Like that, because honestly,that is to me, and to get a
little more to get spiritual,that to me is more that is more
(14:35):
what salvation is.
Like, okay, you made a change,now you need to actively pursue
it and live it.
So that radio silence, like,think about that from that
aspect, whether you're a churchor something else, you provided
someone.
If we're not feeding into itafter, that's the whole point of
serving, right?
Like, yes, of course, havingpeople help lead the church, run
the church, do these thingsbecause staff can only do so
(14:56):
much, yeah, that's a huge part.
But what you're doing is you'renot being silent after that
decision's made and you'regetting them involved and you're
keeping that touch point.
So for me and our listeners,think about think take this
principle and think about okay,is it a sale?
Is it a service you're providingto someone?
Is it a lifestyle you'reproviding to someone, whatever
(15:17):
that is, and how when you get toyour plan of you know, your
course of action, your your callof action, you've done that,
you've made that.
What is your next steps?
What are you doing with themafter that?
SPEAKER_02 (15:28):
Yeah.
So moving out of the dangers,okay, the danger of radio
silence.
Let's talk about a few healthyways we could stay in front of
customers.
Okay, there's all kinds ofdifferent ways.
These are just a few options foryou out there.
Number one on the list,educational touches.
Maybe it's some resourcesinstead of promotions.
(15:48):
That's we that's what Imentioned earlier in the show
that you there you need to dogive give people tips, not so
much promotions, right?
Hey, you come in today, you get15% off.
You know, what if you said, hey,this is what could happen if you
don't do one, two, three, right?
Your car could mess up.
Uh, just that's the most commonthing, obviously, people think
(16:10):
of car wash, or it's not carwash, but uh, you can't just get
the emails all the time.
Yeah.
So just educational touches, allright?
What's the number one thing thatpeople get excited about each
year as a person?
SPEAKER_01 (16:23):
Birthday.
SPEAKER_02 (16:24):
Birthday.
So hey, look, if someone justsaid, sends you a message, happy
birthday.
It is so simple.
SPEAKER_03 (16:29):
I feel special.
SPEAKER_02 (16:30):
If nothing else, it's got your brand at the top
of it.
Think about this.
Most of the time, and we allagree, you have seven seconds to
make a good first impression.
Seven seconds.
That's what statistics say, andthat is not made up on stat
today, Brady, just so you know,not 82% made up on the spot.
SPEAKER_01 (16:46):
I think 92% all stats are made up on the spot.
SPEAKER_02 (16:48):
Yeah, exactly.
Somebody call the fact checker.
Seven seconds is what you have.
So if you have seven secondswhen someone is cleaning out
their inbox of email, I think Iwould rather have the brand at
the top as a reminder of theservice that was provided,
hoping it was a great serviceprovided.
And whatever happens after thathappens after that.
(17:10):
But if if they end up readingbehind that brand, as we talked
about in the last coupleepisodes, brand versus
marketing, this is the marketingpiece.
Make your marketing tip likeconcise.
Make it easy, make it simple.
Don't make it this long thingfor people to have to read.
Or if you do a mailer orwhatever the case may be, maybe
it's a win.
(17:31):
Maybe your team was able to helpsomeone that like we we use
Express Oil Change.
Maybe they came in and their oilpan was dry.
I mean, it was dry, and you wereable to go in and do some clean
out or whatever the case may be,got them back up and running.
You saved a family thousands,literally thousands of dollars.
That's a win.
(17:51):
So maybe it's a maybe it's justa celebratory touch, right?
A milestone, so to speak.
What about a service check-in?
People don't do this stuffanymore.
Just how's it going?
I just wanted to check in withyou, see how things are going.
Is everything okay with youknow, making stuff up?
Johnny, you know, how's Johnny'ssports program going in his
(18:11):
school, whatever?
Just how how's it going?
Be genuine about it.
People really want to talk aboutthemselves and them their family
and things like that, whatthey're doing.
Just do a just do a quickservice check-in.
SPEAKER_01 (18:23):
Yeah.
Um, maybe this is one of thoseuh how's your mom and them?
SPEAKER_00 (18:27):
Yeah, yeah.
For sure.
I get I get a call because we webank with Chase, and then uh
both our personal finances andour business finances are
through Chase.
And um the guy at down on 280where we signed up at least once
a quarter, always calls andsaid, Hey, I'm just checking on
your financial needs.
And one of the things I broughtup last time, I said, Hey, I'm
(18:47):
getting to the point where Imight need to get a business
credit card.
So I can one, I want to earnback some points.
We're making a lot of purchasesfor things, you know.
But I brought that up and it waseven what's the greater, and I'm
sure he has, you know, a CRMsystem on that to do it, which
is again, that's what you mean.
But each time he's called, he'slike, Hey, I just checking in
with you.
And he knows me by name, hecalls me and I know who he is,
and you know, he says that, hey,do you just checking in?
(19:09):
How's your business?
Um, have you guys grown?
Do we want to look at anything?
You know, have you thought aboutdo you do we need to look at
getting you that business cardyet?
And he'll give me real talks.
Like I've told him, like, hey,we're only spending this much
money in expenses each month.
He's like, Adam, don't do it.
Like, hey, hold on.
And that's what I appreciateeven more is like, hey, don't
get one yet.
You need to be spending thismuch because you also want to
(19:31):
take advantage of the thesign-ups that they give you the
money back.
Like, hey, if you're not gonnaspend this much in this many
months, don't do it yet.
Wait until you have a bigpurchase, something you need to
purchase, like a new camera,whatever that is, and then you
can also get that money back.
So you're talking about check-inthat's quarter, and he does it
quarterly.
Literally, it's like on theclock, and we kind of actually
(19:51):
end up most of the time talkingthrough things.
And but that again is one of thereasons why we're with Chase and
not where we were before,because we never got that with
the bank we were at before.
Yeah, and you wouldn't, and it'sjust a simple thing that he
does, Adam.
You do not need a new camera, bythe way.
I do, actually.
Oh my gosh.
I'm working hard.
I need I need one more bigcinema camera so I can just one
(20:14):
next level.
SPEAKER_01 (20:14):
Just one more.
SPEAKER_02 (20:15):
I'm sure both of you have experienced something like
this.
One that came to mind with me, ahow's it going call.
You've you've both purchasedvehicles over the years.
How many when's the last timethat someone from the from the
dealership that you had a greatexperience with called and said,
Hey, I just wanted to check inwith you.
SPEAKER_00 (20:32):
Recently.
Really?
Recently.
Well, you you guys know we wentthrough some issues.
We were having, um, we were, andI think I kind of shared this
with the just the two of you offthe podcast, but we were getting
ready to update our.
We felt like we, you know, webought a truck a year ago when
we changed positions, yep.
Uh, and I lost my Cerberusvehicle.
Uh, we had to buy, we had to buya vehicle, and we bought one and
(20:54):
we outgrew it quickly.
Well, I mean, like, business hasbeen good, we've had a lot of
big projects, I need space.
And found out the one we had wasactually a lemon, and to the
point like where we were gonnahave to roll negative equity in
a vehicle, and we wouldn't wantto do and we're talking 10 to
15,000 of negative equity, yeah.
Um, anyways, they checked in andI had kind of written a review
(21:18):
about it, like, hey, and nothingnegative on them.
Like, hey, you guys did great.
I just, you know, I kind of wishwe had knew some of this.
Called me right away, got us inliterally within 24 hours, found
a vehicle that fit our need,paid off our truck, so we didn't
roll anything into it to get usout of that one, and moved into
it.
And I can tell you just fromthat, we probably won't go
(21:38):
anywhere else.
I mean, yeah, and that wasagain, you're talking that was
from a phone call.
They literally called us, said,Hey, this is actually what we're
dealing with.
And I at the time I didn't thinkto call them because I didn't
think we agreed to buy thevehicle, right?
Like we signed everything, theydidn't have to do that, but they
did.
And yeah, we bought a biggervehicle uh that fits our needs
(21:58):
and carries our camera gear andthe things when we go do these
larger projects.
But that you're talking again,not just checking in, but that
led to another sell for them.
SPEAKER_02 (22:07):
Exactly.
Yeah, that's that's where theywin, is they've they've done
their check-ins.
Their goal is to eventually,when you have a need, to sell
you another vehicle.
Um, think about this you know,just a couple of curated
resources, better updates, uh,fewer updates.
So they're not bombarding youwith information.
We're not bombarding clientswith information, make it less,
(22:29):
but make them more impactful.
That's that's the key is acouple of tips and tricks.
Um, maybe it's a coupleunexpected small gestures.
This is a this was one that hithome with me that you know what
what is there out there that wecould possibly do?
And I don't have the answer forthis yet.
We'd have to think through this,but what could we do for a
(22:49):
customer when we go up on site?
Think about this.
They've had a fire at theirhome, and is there something we
could do to bring a little bitof value to get them through a
situation that they might haveto stay at a hotel or whatever,
you know?
Um, just something like that.
Think about this.
Every touch point should feellike a gift, not an invoice.
(23:12):
When when I when I found this, Iit hit home with me.
I was like, man, you know, toomany times we go through a
transaction, we took care of theclient, yay, you know, and at
the same time, how many times dowe bypass those touch points to
feel like a gift and not just atransaction, not just an
invoice?
And I'll tell you, I'm veryproud of our team because our
(23:35):
team goes above and beyond tomake sure that the customers are
taken care of, they'recommunicated with, um, and and
it just it's so refreshing thatthat what we what we have at our
team.
SPEAKER_00 (23:47):
Yeah, so and that's I mean, it's evident, and you
see that too when you do that,Benji, because um we've been
able to be in the top five oflike of most reviews, like our
SurPro Birmingham location.
You're talking about customerslike saying, hey, they do this,
you can see these, and so we'reone of the top five out of all
(24:08):
the surprise, not just like ourregion, of all the surpros, um
for that, and really in theservice industry.
And you have to think somebodyin our industry typically like
seeing positive reviews andthings, that's tough.
And but we've made itintentional.
I mean, my buddy runs a uhappliance repair, and I can tell
you I help him manage his stuff,and there's nothing he can do.
(24:30):
Yeah, you know, they haveissues, they have to go through
the manufacturer to get parts,waiting on parts is probably a
big challenge.
And that's a big part, andsometimes customers don't get
that, and they again they workon that to try and get
customers, but they getbombarded with negative,
negative reviews.
And in a service industry, Ithink that's a big part too, is
doing those things and checkingup on customers because we see
(24:52):
that in the reviews that arewritten.
And in an industry thattypically people only share the
negative, us being in that, youknow, the upper echelon sharing
the positive, that's huge.
And that's but that's alsointentionality, right?
Yeah, like that's intentionalitythrough taking care of the
customer during and after thejob, and then also um just
(25:13):
staying in communication withthem.
SPEAKER_02 (25:14):
Yeah.
So as we just a coupleleadership takeaways for you
listeners out there, these theseare if you want to write these
down, as we've said before,don't do this while you're
driving down the road, make amental note, drop a voice memo
on your your iPhone or Androidor whatever.
But just a couple of keytakeaways, okay?
Consistency always beatsintensity.
(25:36):
What we mean by that is if youhave a steady touch, it's gonna
be greater than just randomnoise because the consumer is
sick and tired of random noise,but just keep a steady touch,
clear and concise, be consistentwith the process, everything
else will take care of itself.
They always say this in thesports world the teams that are
(25:58):
the most consistent and do themost basic principles of
blocking, tackling, dribbling,shooting, uh uh uh uh hockey,
you know, taking the puck andusing basic, basic, basic
drills.
It's basic, it's better to be,excuse me, consistent than it is
(26:18):
to be intensity.
We we can think we're gonna havethe best shot of the game, but
no one's gonna hit the closingshot of the game that hasn't
practiced that shot thousandsand thousands and thousands of
times.
So consistency wins, okay?
Next, think about stewardship,not selling.
Guide the customer, don'tsqueeze the customer.
(26:39):
Think about stewardship.
You've been given theopportunity to take care of this
client, regardless of what whatindustry you're in, steward that
relationship, do a good service.
As we said earlier, they'regonna tell more and more and
more people about your business,and then you get more
opportunity.
So we we've been given theopportunity, steward that
(27:00):
relationship.
Don't feel like you're justsell, sell, sell, sell, sell.
Get them through a situation.
They've come to you with aproblem.
Think about this.
And and and I say problem.
If you go to a restaurant, youhave a problem, you're hungry.
That's the problem.
You want to eat.
So steward the relationship,want them to come back.
Focus on the relationship, notthe inbox.
(27:22):
Value makes outreach welcome.
So if you value and focus on therelationship and not so much
just got to push the button forthe next email campaign to go
out, or the next mailer to goout, or the next discount to go
out.
Focus on the relationship, makeit personal.
And then last but not least,balance is leadership.
(27:44):
Protect the clarity and try toavoid chaos because again,
consistency always wins.
Quick quote for you uhleadership after the sale is
about stewardship, notsalesmanship.
SPEAKER_00 (27:58):
Yeah, yeah.
I've always said uh and I'veshared it with y'all before, I
think the age of the customeralways is right, has kind of
evolved.
I don't think the customer isalways right, but I do think the
customer should always besatisfied.
We've got to find a way to dothat.
They're gonna make mistakes, wemake mistakes, but I think in
(28:20):
the end, how do we take care ofthe customer?
And that that means after it'sover.
Like you you have like you wantto think about this as a
relationship, right?
Like just because you theybought your product, the I
bought your service, whatever,whatever it is you're offering,
this needs to be a long-standingthing.
Like they may call you in a yearfrom now.
Yeah, they may do that, but sothat when that happens, all
(28:41):
right, how do we take care ofthem because something may else
happen?
Like, you know, you never know.
If you're our house, you've hadlike seven water denting nine
months, so we would typicallycall you guys every time.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:53):
Yeah, this kind of reminds me of you know, going
back to like sales, people dobusiness with people they like
and people they trust.
And I think it's a good reminderthat you know, when uh just like
my situation with a guitar, wegotta remember that that we are
human beings and not humandoings.
(29:14):
You know, they're we are dealingwith human beings, and so uh
take care of them.
And I think it was Zig Zigglerthat said if you help enough
people get what they want,you'll get what you want.
And so a lot life is is a goodreciprocal, and that's I think
this is what this is kind ofreminding me of.
SPEAKER_00 (29:30):
Yeah.
I mean, if you had a choicebased on customer service, when
you go get groceries, are youchoosing publics or Walmart?
SPEAKER_02 (29:37):
Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (29:38):
And here's the thing you're probably gonna choose
publics because one, they'rebetter in customer service, like
they do all these things, andthe other thing is though, they
are more expensive.
But people look past thatbecause they're like, hey, look,
it's better, they're taking careof me.
I'd rather I'd rather pay alittle bit more and have good
customer service.
So think about that for yourindustry as well.
(29:59):
If you're an industry.
Industry that maybe you are alittle bit more expensive of a
service.
And it's not because you youhave like it's because you have
to be.
But if you take care of yourcustomer, they're going to
choose you over the cheaperoption.
SPEAKER_02 (30:09):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Well, just in closing, quicklittle recap.
The clock doesn't stop after thesale.
It resets it to a new phase ofleadership and trust.
So here's a challenge for eachof us.
This week, listener, this week,pick one customer you haven't
spoken to in a while.
Reach out, not to sell them, butto serve them.
(30:30):
And in our closing quote today,customers don't remember that
they the day they signed.
They remember the days youshowed up afterwards.
Well, we want to take just a fewmoments and say thank you again
for tuning in, listeners.
We really appreciate it.
If you have, maybe you have anidea you like on the podcast,
feel free to click that send atext button in the episode.
I'd love the opportunity to beable to share that on one of one
(30:52):
of our shows.
You can find us on any socialplatform at Higher Up Podcast.
You can always subscribe at theHigherUp Podcast.com slash
subscribe.
And as always, go out and chooseto live a higher up life.
We'll see you next time.
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