by Barak Obama’s election as the first black President of the United States is a story about getting in the zone. His campaign was predicted to fail, and the experts claimed that the United States would see its first female president in the form of Hilary Clinton. Then something happened to Obama’s campaign that changed everything. He met a woman by the name of Edith S. Childs who introduced him to “Fired up, ready to go!” Edith was famous in her little town of Greenwood for getting the town excited with her infectious chant, “Fired up, ready to go.” Obama adopted it in his campaign and it spread like wild fire. It changed the game completely. His is a story of getting his team in the zone and creating a loyal fan base of supporters who latched onto the “Fired up, ready to go!” slogan with gusto. You can do the same with your business. It starts by getting into the zone…
What does it mean to be in the zone?
Getting in the zone is simple but not easy to create. Most of the time when people walk into the office, factory, shop floor, they are anything but fired up. It might take an hour before coffee the energy really kicks in before their best comes out. Getting in the zone is about being present; leaving your problems at the door; being clear about your goals for the day; staying motivated for the entire time; going above and beyond for every single customer; driving performance; creating enthusiasm amongst the team and your customers. If it were easy then everyone would be doing it. By intentionally getting your team fired up, ready to go everyday, you will stand out from most businesses who just leave performance to chance. So how does getting in the zone improve business? Using Brad Sugar’s 4 Ways model, rest of this article will show you why it makes perfect business sense to get your team and business in the zone.
Getting in the zone means more leads
The first way to improve business is by creating more leads. Positive word of mouth is the reward you get for creating amazing customer experiences. The research proves that word of mouth increases as customer experience improves. This is true for most industries, and it’s the only way to ensure a steady flow of leads to your business without having to rely soley on advertising. Creating experiences that stand out means that you and your team must be in the zone.
Getting in the zone means better conversion rates
The second way to improve business is by converting more of your new leads into paying customers. Something as simple as answering the phone promptly with excellent phone manner; addressing waiting customers; asking better open questions; smiling and getting interested in the life and needs of every person; spending extra time to service requests is what is required to improve conversion rates. Our research and case studies demonstrate the power of training and on the job coaching has on sales conversion rates. To make this happen, management must set up their team with the tools and training to succeed in conversion. Getting in the zone starts before customers are served, everyday, without fail, no exceptions.
Getting in the zone means improved transaction rates
One of the most reliable ways to improve your sales is by having your existing customers return more often. Again, the research proves this time and time again that customer are more likely to return when they have an experience that stands out. The problem with most customers, particularly in Australia, is that most of their experiences are just OK. This does not produce a meaningful link or incentive to return in the future. If you look at any successful restaurant with plenty of return business, they all have this one thing in common: amazing customer experience. It’s what drives repeat business. Are your team in the zone to deliver these kind of experiences? Do you have systems in place to make this happen intentionally? This is the third way that you can improve business, which gives you the power to leverage the final piece of the puzzle.
Getting in the zone means increasing average dollar sales
The final way to predictably improve business is by increasing the average dollar sales of each customer. This is nothing new. McDonald’s made this famous with their well-worn phrase, “Would you like fries with that?” The same principle applies with customer experience and getting in the zone. The problem with most upsetting is that staff are unsure how to effectively talk about specials, or lack the enthusiasm to sell it. Experience tells us that sales can improve dramatically when staff are intentionally trained with both the right technique and enthusiasm around specials. We have seen sales more than double just by getting staff in the zone; where dessert sales soared from 15 to an amazing 50 in a single evening, all by setting up the team members in the right way.
So is your business in the zone? Is your team in the zone? Are you fired up and ready to go, everyday, without fail, no exceptions? If you know what we mean, tell us about how you have gotten your team into ‘the zone’.