SSDC: A Company Looking Out for the Critically Ill
No Pre-existing Conditions and a 6-Month Grace Period with DAS
We recently had a client who purchased DAS along with a voluntary STD plan offered by the agent. Six months later, this employee was diagnosed with a critical illness and had to stop working. She put in a claim on her STD policy and dealt with her health as best she could, but let her DAS policy lapse. There was way too much on her mind and was struggling to make ends meet.
The STD policy was for 6 months and was nearing the end of the payout and her chances of returning to work were very slim. She didn’t know what to do. She contacted the agent who reminded her she had purchased a DAS policy with the STD plan and even though she had not paid on it in 5 months, she was still covered under the grace period!
She activated a claim with us and we are now assisting her in getting SSDI payments and Medicare healthcare from the government.
DAS has no preexisting condition requirements and offers a 6-month grace period to our clients. We were able to bring significant help to this client who was facing severe economic loss and covered her even though she let her DAS policy lapse.
You can provide this type of service to your clients and/or employees too. Need a refresher, marketing materials or want to discuss how to approach clients? Just give me a shout!
Stacey Sagues
Stacey@pegcoaches.com
Philip Lewis
Philip@pegcoaches.com
The Long Term Disability Alternative
Disability Advocacy Service “The Long Term Disability Alternative”
For some time, we have been extolling the benefits of our Disability Advocacy Service (DAS) and how it fits perfectly with a voluntary portfolio. I thought it would be helpful to remind you of what exactly DAS can do for your clients, or to your employees:
- Lawyers run commercials on TV all the time saying “Have YOU been denied your Social Security Disability Benefits?” You see them all the time!
- Lawyers get paid based on how long the case takes, meaning they don’t want to help the client at the application stage – they won’t make as much $$$ if they do.
- 70% of the people who apply for Social Security Disability are denied at the application stage.
- Do you see an ugly pattern here, which the lawyers are the only ones benefiting from this?
- DAS provides Disability representation from the VERY beginning with money back guarantees.
- DAS is a low weekly cost (handle through payroll deduction).
- We get ZERO $$ from the award of the case (lawyers charge THOUSANDS $$) .
- 65% of the American population does not have LTD – they can’t afford it.
- DAS (when combined with a voluntary product like STD or CI) provides a comprehensive income protection plan to the age of 65 for your clients if they can no longer work.
- Social Security Disability includes Medicare healthcare as well so the clients get an income and health coverage in the event of an accident or illness that prevents them from going back to work.
If you want more information, please contact: Stacey@pegcoaches.com or Philip@pegcoaches.com.
Untangle the Red Tape
In the last post, we talked about how to bring the big-company mindset into your business and your team. This will help you overcome the mental obstacles that will keep you from being successful. Now that you’ve learned how to overcome that, we’re going to talk about who your fish is. It’s important to know about the fish you are looking for before you put a plan together. We’re also going to take a moment to talk about the potential “red tape” you may encounter along the way.
The most important thing to know about your fish is their purchasing habits and procedures. There are four main things you need to work on in order to be successful:
- Responsibilities: You need to know who has influence over purchasing, who does the actual buying and who can kill a deal if they want.
- Get on Their List: You need to know how to get on their list of people to buy from. Your name needs to not only be on the list, but at the top of it and in as many categories as possible for the most interaction. Ask about a procurement program and what you need to do to go through the application process.
- Lingo: You need to learn the company’s unique language and communications methods. These could include report names, buzzwords and even the nicknames they have for their employees.
- Fiscal Budgets: It’s essential you know the fish’s fiscal budget, so you know exactly when they are planning their expenses for the year.
Now that we’ve talked a little about what you need to know about your fish, let’s a quick look at the “red tape.”
Bureaucracy might as well be a four-letter word with the emotions it stirs in all of us. “Red tape” is a necessary evil, but one you can use to learn from. There are two ways to learn from their system:
- Analyze their activity.
- Review their correspondence.
Being an outsider looking in can have its advantages too. If you hate dealing with the “red tape,” imagine how their employees feel dealing with it. If they need to crunch some numbers, offer to do it. If they need more info, make sure you are giving it to them in a user-friendly way.
The things we talked about in this lesson will help you prepare for the big approach. If you need help with any of this, try our FREE test drive to find the right tools to get the job done.
Stacey Sagues
stacey@pegcoaches.com
404-951-9023
Phil Lewis
Phil@pegcoaches.com
713-823-8253
Be One with the Fish – It’s worth the Work!
In the last post, we started our series on catching big clients, or “fish,” that will sustain your business over the long run. Today we’re going to take that a step further by talking about how to understand and think like a big fish company and how that can help you plan your approach and find success.
Before you can start the process of landing big clients, you have to make sure your entire team is on board with your approach and vision. There are six keys to finding big client success. They are:
- First Impression: You must remember you have one shot to land a big client. If you make a mistake, they aren’t going to consider you again. Never give them a reason to doubt your abilities.
- First Priority: Your fish must always feel like they are your first priority. Returns calls and emails immediately and find solutions to their problems or questions as quickly as possible.
- Flexible: You need to be flexible in your negotiations. If they need a special service or for you to customize a product, say yes for the benefit of the long-term. A little hassle now will be a big pay off later.
- Long-term: This goes along with the last one a bit. As you are approaching and negotiating with big fish you need to think about the long-term benefits for your business. If you go for a one-time big score, you will lose their interest.
- Have Fun: Work should be fun, even when trying to land big clients. In fact, this should be the most fun. You are sharing your vision with new people and including them in your future success and likewise. People simply work better in a fun, happy environment. Your passion will also be contagious and pull the fish into your vision even more.
- Help Them!: If you take just a little bit of time and offer your clients ways to save money or time by introducing them to potential business partners, this will show you really are invested and interested in their business. Strive to find balance between your business needs and your clients’ needs.
There are also a few tactics you can use to bring in a big-company vision to the people on your team. You can:
- Post these six keys for all to see.
- Put together a performance-based incentive program.
- Conduct frequent team meetings.
- Use a “right now” policy that dictates big fish calls be answered immediately.
- Offer awards/recognition for big-company ideas and executions.
- Put together a training and certification program based on the six keys above.
These 6 keys and tips will help you instill a big-company mindset through your company, which will help you be more prepared and more likely to land your big fish. Once your team is thinking this way, you’ll be unstoppable.
If you need help putting together an incentive program or other way to push your team toward the big-company mindset, try our FREE test drive to work with one of our coaches or check out our resources and tools.
Stacey Sagues
Stacey@pegcoaches.com
404-951-9023
Philip Lewis
Philip@pegcoaches.com
713-823-8253
Are You On The Right Path?
There are a number of factors to take into consideration when prepping yourself and your company to approach the largest clients you’ll ever work with.
Today, we’re going to start with a brief look at the three paths every business faces and show you which one is the path to success. Then we’ll talk about the mindset it takes to attract the big fish.
There are three major paths a business can take:
- Snail Speed
- Shooting Star
- Catch the Big Fish
Snail Speed
Most business owners ended up working themselves into the ground without much reward or success. This is what happens when you fool yourself into thinking you will find quick success. You may also find yourself following this path when you are afraid of change.
Shooting Star
This describes a business that shoots to the top so fast you are overwhelmed and don’t have the right resources in place to adapt. This can also happen from being overwhelmed by small clients and not taking the time to find large clients, which will sustain your business after the small client sales slow.
Catch the Big Fish
This is the path that allows you to build at a steady pace that you can manage by not allowing your customers to outpace you. You can do this by putting these tips to work:
- Attract, keep and lock in big clients.
- Integrate “big business” culture into your company and employees.
- Acquire the expertise you need to grow.
- Have the courage to make changes as you grow.
Now we are going to transition a bit and talk about the “big fish” mindset. It may sound easy to just find and catch that big fish, but if you are stuck in the small business mindset, you may find it harder than you think.
Think of all the benefits of aiming at bigger clients:
- Inexpensive
- Highly Profitable
- Longevity
- Security
In order to catch the big fish, you need to believe your company can make a difference with theirs. It’s easy to get into the thought that a large company doesn’t need anything from a small business like yours, but this is entirely wrong!
Once you take a look at how big companies operate, it’s important to know which ones are the best fit with your company. One of the best ways to get in the door is by knowing someone on the inside who can put in a good word for you.
If you’re not sure where to start and feel a little intimidated about catching big fish, try our FREE test drive to get help from our amazing business coaches.
Stacey Sagues
Stacey@Pegcoaches.com or 404-951-9023
Philip@pegcoaches.com or 713-823-8253
You Are In The 1%
The Rule of 1% is simply defined as adding to your customer service one percent at a time. Before you can do this, you must have your consistency perfected or it will never work. This one percent may seem small, but if you approach the vision for your company with baby steps, you will find a huge increase over a solid chunk of time. It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon.
Avoid doing too much at once or you’ll set yourself up for failure. Think of the confidence you and your employees will have when you improve one percent each week. By the end of a year, you’ll have improved more than 50%!
While, rules and standards are necessary for growth, always be flexible with your best customers. Most retailers only allow a set number of items into a dressing room to reduce the risk of shoplifting, but it generally restricts the large percentage of people who are not stealing from you. Flexibility is the key towhat you deliver to your customers and consistency is the key to how you deliver it.
The bottom line is that customers rely on you to deliver what you promise. If you spend too much on bulky advertising that promises more than you can deliver, even your best intentions will unravel quickly and you will fail.
Focus on your vision and baby steps to turn your satisfied customers into Raving Fans.
I hope you’ve learned a lot out good customer service and how it’s essential to your overall success. If you need help with any of the steps we’ve gone through over the last four lessons, try our FREE test drive and get access to some of the best resources, tools and coaches available.
In upcoming posts, we’re going to explore strategies of bagging the big clients and keeping them.
Deliver +1
In the last post, we talked about how to figure out what your customers want out of a positive shopping experience. Today we’ll talk about the concept of Deliver +1 and how this concept can take your customer service to the next level. I’ve decided to split up this post so the next one will cover the 1% Rule.
Consistency is the key to any great customer service experience. If you want to take your satisfied customers to Raving Fan status, you have to go above and beyond the average customer service experience.
There are three ways to develop consistency:
Avoid offering too many customer service options.
We sometimes get so caught up in giving customers what they want that we get away from our original vision. Instead, stay true to your vision and offer one or two solid customer service techniques that will set you apart from the competition.
You need to fine-tune the current systems you are using before you can add anything to the mix. There’s nothing worse than launching a new program when you haven’t even worked out the kinks of an old system.
Put solid systems into place.
Once you know what you’re going to offer, you need to have a system in place to execute it flawlessly every time. This system needs to consist of the right people in the right roles and responsibilities, and have technology that guarantees a positive experience every time. Emphasis needs to be placed on the results, which ultimately is the satisfaction of the customer.
Good training is the key.
Once you have your system in place, you need to train people to use it properly and efficiently. This helps your people deliver the results your customers are looking for. While training is essential for the system to work and for all your people to work together cohesively, appreciation will go a long way.
I hope this has given you a look into what you need to do in order to have a quality customer service system in place. If you need help, try our FREE test drive and gain access to a wealth of resources, tools and coaching.
Another Secret Revealed
In the last post, we talked about the first secret to building a solid customer service plan and how to decide what your vision is.
Today, we’ll talk about the second secret in turning your satisfied customers into raving fans. You must know what your customers want. Knowing who your customers are will help you know better how to serve them. Demographics are really important here. An upper-class woman in her 30’s is going to have completely different expectations than a working class man in his 50’s.
There are four main areas you need to consider and plan when figuring out what your customers want:
- Listen to Your Customers
- Ask Your Customers Sincerely
- Offer More than Just a Product/Service
- Know When to Ignore Them
These are all important when deciding what your customers want out of their shopping experience.
Listen to Your Customers
You need to listen to both what they say and what they don’t say. Customers may say they want one thing and really mean something else. For example, if your customers are begging for lower prices, you may find out their real priority is quick delivery.
Also, listen to your “silent” customers. These are the customers don’t bother to complain because the service is so bad they’ve just given up and don’t feel like their voice matters. They feel unwanted and when a competitor shows up, they’ll be gone.
Lastly, you need to listen to customers who only reply with “fine.” These customers are similar to the “silent” customers in that they are so used to bad customer service they only give a monotone response.
Ask Your Customers Sincerely
If you aren’t sincere when you ask their opinion, they are going to see right through you. You may be thinking, “What about the customers who aren’t saying anything?” You need to ask them sincere questions that get them thinking about their experiences. Make them feel like you really care, and you should!
Offer More than Just a Product/Service
Your customers are looking for much more than a simple product or service; they are looking for an experience that makes them feel good. They gauge every step of the process with a value. When you take this into consideration and treat them like people, they will feel like they belong.
Know When to Ignore Them
You may think this goes beyond providing good customer service, but in reality you can’t give them everything and some people you will never make happy. You have to set limits and stick to them. If your vision and company don’t meet the needs of the customer, they will be best suited somewhere else.
These are the steps and tricks to figuring out what your customers want and how you can use them to work on your customer service vision and plan.
If you get stuck, try our FREE test drive and let us help you through the process.
Shhh… I Have a Secret
Customer service is a pretty hot topic and can make or break your business. Consumers have little patience for lousy customer service and easily get tired of waiting in long lines, trying to get a live person on the line, going through an interrogation to return something or trying to communicate through a language barrier.
If you provide them with a simple, efficient, pleasant experience they will revisit your business over and over. More importantly, they will tell everyone they know!
There are three secrets to good customer service. The first one we’re going to conquer is knowing exactly what YOU want.
You are the captain of the ship and the visionary for the future of your business, so you need to have a clearly defined plan for your business and that includes customer service. There are three main goals you need to consider:
- It needs to be easy for your customers to do business with you. You can do this with advertised discounts, kiosks, your website and other technology-based programs to help them shop.
- Doing business with you needs to be a warm and pleasant experience. Your staff has to be knowledgeable, approachable, warm and patient. Your customers need to feel like they are getting a good value for their time and money. Perceived value goes beyond the price of the products and extends to their shopping experience.
- Change your mindset and ask yourself, “How can I NOT afford to do these things?” This shouldn’t be a question of expenses, but making and keeping happy customers.
With these thoughts in mind, you also need to take a few things into consideration when deciding on the actual programs and standards you’ll put into place.
- Share your customer service vision with the rest of your staff.
- Connect your incentive programs and bonuses directly to customer service.
- Monitor the level of customer service your staff is putting out.
- Know when you can ignore what your customers want.
- Continuously focus on your goals.
Now that you know what you want, you can start thinking about how to meet those wants and create a positive customer service experience.
If you’re having a hard time deciding on what you want, use our tools, resources and abilities to help you achieve your goals.
You Turn Me Right ‘Round Baby, Right ‘Round
The biggest area of turn-key businesses is franchises. There is a franchise for every industry in the world. They are fairly easy to acquire and come with practically a pop-out-of-the-box, pre-assembled system. McDonald’s is a prime example. In fact, a $40 billion, 28,707 franchise strong example.
There are a few things we are going to talk about:
- Business Format Franchise
- The Franchise Prototype
- Franchise Prototype Standards
Business Format Franchise
The business format franchise came from an earlier model called the “trade name” franchise. The big change was in the rights. During the “trade name” days, the franchise owner only had marketing rights, now franchise owners have owning rights to the entire business including systems. This has allowed for a shift in focus to go from the quality and name recognition of the products carrying the business to sales techniques that carry the business.
The Franchise Prototype
It was really the franchise prototypes that allowed for the changes to be made that help today’s franchises really shine with the techniques developed by the owners instead of the corporation. This can make a significant difference in the success of the franchise as the owner can custom tailor their marketing and promotions to the direct needs of their local target customers.
Franchise Prototype Standards
Now, the above being said, no one in their right mind would purchase a franchise if the parent company didn’t have a solid plan of action set up to ensure the prospective success of the business. So, there are a few standards that are put into place that help jump-start the process of opening a successful franchise.
They must build a model of prospective customers/clients, suppliers, creditors and employees who will consistently offer high quality work.
- Build a user-friendly model that can be used by individuals of any skill set.
- Build a defect-free model.
- Build a model with an Operations Manuals.
- Build a model that will provide guaranteed, consistent results.
- Build a model that encompasses the same branding in color, dress and facilities codes.
These are all ways the parent corporation makes sure their brand stays the same and in the front of the minds of customers. When you are purchasing a widely-known brand, you will attract customers just for being you.
If you are considering purchasing a franchise, talk with one of our experienced business coaches during our FREE test drive.