One of the first things we do in our sessions is give each participant an assignment to answer just three simple questions.  Let’s see how you do.  Question one: What is your name?  Question 2:  How long have you worked with your company? Question 3: What do you do at the company?  Simple you say, not so fast.  In almost every instance people get 2 out of 3 correct.  Care to venture which one is missed?  If you said question 3, you are correct!  Obviously you know your name and how long you have worked with your present company BUT almost 100 percent of the time, people respond to question 3 with their title.

One gentleman answered that particular question with “I am the VP of R and D and I work closely with the IT department.  What?  Don’t get me wrong if you have a title, congratulations on your accomplishment.  You deserve it and should be proud but remember the question; what do you do, or in other words what do you want your CUSTOMERS to know about how you can help them? What do you want your specific duties to convey to those your serve?

My challenge to you is to think more specifically in terms of how you want your customers to view their business relationship with you.  Think of answering question 3 like this:  “I make the (your business or industry, for example banking) experience the best it can be one customer at a time.” You prove this through outstanding performance as it applies to your specific duties or role.

I really like the part of the one customer at a time philosophy.  It tells your customer they are the most important priority at the time and nothing else matters but making certain they are well taken care of.  This commitment to your customers will pay great dividends.

So the next time someone asks you what you do, tell them you make business experiences the best they can be one customer at a time and see what type of reaction you get.   And quite honestly, when you begin to think this way, your customer service level will go through the roof. I leave you with this, the greatest title you can hold in the eyes of your customers is no title at all.  It is a belief that you are the best solution for what you and your organization offers and you prove it every time a business transaction takes place.  Such belief no title could ever justly describe.

Train Up!