Ep. 59 The Stern Truth: How to Really Build and Grow Your Business

I’ve seen business owners throwing a lot of money at their marketing. But when prospects come to their door, their systems aren’t there. The experience doesn’t measure up to what was advertised.

So how can we wow our customers SO much that they come back over and over again?

The people and systems that create the experience hold so much weight. If you’re pushing out marketing without the processes or customer service, you’re throwing your money away. Not only that, your revenue just won’t increase, your business won’t grow, and you’ll stay stuck.

My daughter and I recently had a “wow” experience at a Hilton Garden Inn in Edmonton. She had jaw surgery, and her healing involved applying ice to her face 8 times a day. No freezer in the room, so I was constantly switching out ice packs (you’re never done being a dad.) I ended up apologizing to the front-end staff each time, thinking I was putting them out.

But at one point, something switched. The front-end staff really showed concern. They asked how she was doing. The restaurant team adapted their menu for her. They showed that they truly cared.

I want to give them a shoutout because the way we were treated, with such incredible care and concern, was such a “wow.” It was a memorable experience because of that care.

I want to ask, are we doing that with our own clients? Do we really care about them? Are we showing them empathy when we need to? After this episode, I encourage you to go back and listen to these episodes. They go more into what I’ve talked about today, including what not to do:

Ep. 2 The Stern Truth: Why Marketing Can Fail You: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2453923/episodes/16770813

Ep. 14 The Stern Truth: Business & Life Lessons from a Lifeguard: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2453923/episodes/17197255  

Ep. 34 The Stern Truth: Are You Making It Easy for Your Clients to Do Business With You?: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2453923/episodes/17784578

My question to you is, are you and your team showing up once you have your client? Are you wowing them or caring for them? The most powerful marketing that you can have is your exceptional customer service.

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I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges.

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Transcript

[00:00:00] All right, so in today's episode. We're going to talk about one of the other hidden revenue opportunities building on our episode that we had last week. I want you to grab a paper and pen and be ready because this episode can not only save you money, but it can also make you money. 

[00:00:22] Also, quick reminder, if you are a business owner, the leader, CEO, and you are feeling alone in your business, not sure which way to go, would like to be surrounded by other business owners supporting each other, collaborating with each other, pushing each other, and holding each other accountable. Come check out the ONtrepreneur Inner Circle. Details are in the show notes, and you can also just simply reach out to me.

[00:00:47] And ask me, Marshall, what is this ONtrepreneur Inner Circle all about? And we can have a chat about it. Okay? So you can email me, marshall@marshallstern.net as well. Anyways, on with the show and enjoy.

[00:01:04] Hi, I'm Marshall Stern and I've spent over 35 years leading and growing multiple small businesses. I know firsthand the struggles of entrepreneurship, feeling isolated, lonely, overwhelmed, and feeling like you have to do it all by yourself. I've been through multiple recessions, and I have felt the highs and the lows.

[00:01:24] I've been there, and I get it. This podcast is here to change that. Every week I will bring you straight talking advice, real world strategies, and honest conversations about what it takes to succeed in business without the fluff, the gimmicks, or the sugar-coated. If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress, then you are in the right place.

[00:01:47] This is the Stern Truth. 

[00:01:52] Welcome back, my friends, the Stern Truth Business Unfiltered, and I have a special episode today. As you can see, I am wearing my Seahawks jacket because, as I record this, obviously when it comes out, we'll have known the outcome. I might not be wearing the jacket anymore. But here's the thing.

[00:02:12] Big game today between the Seahawks and the Rams, the winner goes to the Super Bowl. I'm a huge Seahawks fan, so I'm wearing this not just because of the game and, because I, I'm recording this on game day kickoff. This is just three and a half hours from now. But because I want to talk to you today about how we can not just wow our customers.

[00:02:35] But to keep coming back time and time again. I've seen this way too much. Business owners throwing money at advertising, at Facebook ads, Instagram ads, LinkedIn, Google sending their clients or customers or prospects to the front door, and when they get to the front door. The staff, the employees, the systems, something's broken and experience is not there, and they don't come back.

[00:03:07] So with being game day, being a Seahawk fan, if you've ever been to an NFL game other than a Seahawks game, you have not experienced the 12th man. You have not experienced Lumen Field in Seattle. It is an experience unlike anything else. I've been to a Coldplay concert. It's like that on steroids. It is absolutely nuts.

[00:03:30] It is an experience that makes you want to come back for more and more and more because it is just a vibe. You don't get anywhere else. They take care of you. Yes, the concessions are fine. The venue's amazing. It's the experience that they put on whether the Seahawks are playing great or not. However, the fact that they're playing great, it is even a better experience.

[00:03:57] Okay? What I want you to do, and I'm going to give you a personal story that happened with me and my daughter just a few months ago, but I want you to take note of this. If you are sitting, not driving, then pull over. Because I always suggest you grab a pad of paper and pen. I want you, after this session, after this episode, to go back to episode number two.

[00:04:20] These are short episodes and have a listen to “Why Marketing Can Fail You,” episode number 14, “Business and Life Lessons from a Lifeguard,” and episode 34, “Are You Making it Easy for Your Client to Do Business with You?” 

[00:04:36] Stop throwing money at advertising and not having the people and the systems on the other side there to create that experience for your clients, for your customers, so they want to come back. We've all had those negative experiences with businesses that we have gone to or purchased from. Amazon is great at delivering exceptional customer service, whether you agree with Amazon and buying from them and what they do for small business owners and businesses around the world or not.

[00:05:10] What they do is they make it easy. For the most part. 90% of the time you buy something from them, you don't like it, it doesn't work. For whatever reason, you return it no cost. A couple months ago, actually, a month ago, I took my daughter. We had to go out of town because she had to have this surgery. Okay?

[00:05:32] So we flew out of province, flew to Edmonton. Being Edmonton at the end of December is not by choice. She had to have the surgery that was the date available. For all of you people in Edmonton, love you, love Edmonton, but winter cold weather, not by choice. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. Huge shout out to the Hilton Garden Inn.

[00:05:55] I've stayed at Hilton Garden Inn before across the country. I've stayed in many other hotels, and the Hilton Garden has always been good. That's why I have gone back. I've chosen them over some other brands because it's simple. It's straightforward, it's good. This time, however, it was wow. 

[00:06:16] And it was wow to - so much that I want to talk about it and share it. And why was it, wow? Was it because the beds were, like, so soft and the pillows were, like, dreamy and we had the best sleep? We were there for four nights and the rooms were, lik,e ultra luxurious? No, not the beds were okay. The pills were fine. 

[00:06:39] Because the last thing I like is, is bad pillows and obviously a bad bed. So they were fine. They were what I expected. But what took us over the top with this stay was the care. The care, the concern that the staff had for us. So here's the thing. My daughter had to apply ice to her face. She had TMJ surgery. She had to apply ice to her face pretty much eight times per eight times a day. Heat then ice. Heat, then ice.

[00:07:10] They didn't have a freezer in the room, however, which I was at the beginning, disappointed in the staff, said, no worries. We have a freezer in our kitchen. Bring the ice packs down, we'll take care of you. So. I did multiple times. 8, 7, 8 times a day.

[00:07:26] I would go down, switch it out, give them the, the, the ice packs that were we used for heating they would put in the freezer. And I felt like I was putting them out even though I was a customer and I was paying, at the beginning, I felt like I was putting them out and I apologized. From that moment forward, they switched it around every single person through even the middle of the night.

[00:07:48] Okay. And I'd never met the night shift. A person at the front desk would ask, how is your daughter doing? Is there anything we can do for you and your daughter? They showed real concern. The restaurant showed concern and adapted because she was on, she's on, she still is on soft foods for eight weeks, so they adapted their menu to help her.

[00:08:13] Here's the thing, my friends, are we doing that with our clients, with our customers? Are we so focused on getting them advertising to them, direct outreach to them, and then when we get them, we serve them, deliver whatever service we have for them. But do we really care about them? Are we showing empathy when needed?

[00:08:35] If you go back to these episodes, episode 2, 14, and 34. You'll know exactly what I'm referring to in more detail, different experiences that I have had, the ones that have actually followed this caring and empathy and concern for our clients and our customers. And specifically in episode 2, what not to do.

[00:08:59] I get in, episode 34, there's a quick example of what not to do, all from my experiences. So my question to you today, moving forward, what can you do? Or are you, actually – my question is, are you showing up once you have your client, your customer, are you and your team showing up to the degree that you can show up and wow them?

[00:09:26] And by wowing them, I mean wow them. Deliver exceptionable, exceptional service to them, care about them. Treat them like you would like to be treated by other businesses. Don't - it's not a one-off. We're not selling widgets. And even if you are, if you are selling widgets online for $1. 99, do you want them to come back and refer their friends?

[00:09:53] That is the most powerful marketing that you can do. Not spending money on advertising, spending money and energy on your team on delivering exceptional, exceptionable – why do I keep saying that? Exceptional. Keep that in. Don't edit that, exceptional, because this is Business Unfiltered – exceptional customer service.

[00:10:15] That's what we all want. And so few companies out there deliver it. And why is it that when we have those amazing experiences, we want to talk about it. In these, the two of these episodes I talk about exceptional – I'm having a problem with that word today – customer service. I've had the good and the bad, but we all complain about the bad.

[00:10:36] But if you go to Google reviews, you'll see both usually exceptional reviews, and for some people, some companies, the opposite. How do you want your Google review to show up? What would you like your clients and customers to say about you and your team? Think about that for a moment. If you were to craft or have the most amazing Google Review crafted for you, what would you want it to say about you and your business?

[00:11:11] Think about that. I would love to hear your thoughts. Put it in the comments section. Email it to me, marshall@marshallstern.net. Think about what your ideal Google review would say about you and your team, and what do you need to do to put the systems and the processes and the people in place so that you can deliver it time and time again.

[00:11:36] Because my friends, that is how we grow our business. That is how we build a sustainable business. I will see you next week on another episode of The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered.

[00:11:50] Thank you so much for tuning in to the Stern Truth. If you found today's episode helpful, we would love to hear from you. Please like, share and leave us a review. Also, if you'd like to be a guest in an upcoming episode or join us in one of our Moment Accountability Group sessions, simply email me to marshall@marshallstern.net.

[00:12:10] That's marshall@marshallstern.net. And don't forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode. Until next time, keep pushing forward and leading with confidence.