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3 Easy Steps To Become A Superhero

By alik levin

April 24th, 2008 | Influence Without Authority


Would not you like to be a superhero? I do.

by Xurble

Superhero by Wikipedia:

A superhero (also known as a super hero) is a fictional character “of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest.”

How do I become a Superhero?

  • I am not fictional - I am very real.
  • I do not posses unprecedented physical powers.
  • … dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest. A-ha!

Here is my take - I turn all my customers into Raving Fans by serving them and exceeding their expectations.

In their book “Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service” Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles share 3 secrets of turning customers into Raving Fans:

  • Decide what you want.
  • Discover what the customer wants and…
  • … deliver plus one.

Step 1 - Decide What You Want

Ask yourself this simple question “What do I want? What do I really want?”. Think of your boss as a customer, think of your wife or husband as a customer, think of your co-workers as a customers, think of your customers as a customers, think of your blog readers as a customer. Think of your kids as a customers. What do I really want it to be like? Close Your Eyes And See Bigger Picture, visualize it, create your vision. Put the customer in the center. Can you see it? No? Try again. It is hard to deliver something if you do not know what it is.

Step 2 - Discover What The Customer Wants

Ask your customers what they want. “Dear customer, what you really want it to be like?”. Ask questions, Get Criticized - The More The Better. Read between the lines. It might be much simpler than you may think. For example, your wife just want you to stop yawning at lunch time. Create your customers’ vision. Find out the gap between yours and customers’. If the gap is small then adjust your vision. If it is big then “tell the customer to take his vision elsewhere to be fulfilled”, it is not your customer.

Step 3 - Deliver Plus One

You have perfect match of your and your customer’s vision. Success is When the Response Meets the Challenge. Deliver. Not just deliver but deliver plus one, exceed expectations. Under-promise, over-deliver. Good surprises are better than bad ones.

You Are A Superhero!

You do what you really want, you deliver what your customers really want, you exceed expectations. The customers become Raving Fans of yours. You become a Superhero. Easy, no?

Somebody stop me! - The Mask

 



14 comments ↓

#1 Jason Rakowski on 04.24.08 at 1:45 pm

Good Layout and design. I like your blog. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. .

Jason Rakowski

#2 Vered - MomGrind on 04.24.08 at 1:49 pm

I love the idea that everyone is a customer.

These steps look fairly easy on paper (or on the screen), but will require some changes in attitude for me…

By the way, this post is written really well. Very clear and readable. Thank you. And thanks for the link. :)

#3 J.D. on 04.24.08 at 4:59 pm

Next time I see you will you be wearing a cape?

#4 Shilpan|successsoul.com on 04.24.08 at 5:40 pm

Alik -

I’ve heard this phrase that suits your article well -

“To become a success, invest in making others success”.

You’ve articulated that rather well by visualizing 1) What I want ? ( Success !) 2) What customer wants (Their success) and 3) How can I achieve both outcomes ?

Great stuff !

Shilpan

#5 blogrdoc on 04.25.08 at 4:42 am

I think there’s a hero in all of us. great post, Alik

#6 Mike King on 04.25.08 at 5:04 am

Awesome post Alik! Focusing on including what others want and always delivering more is just an excellent message. I also agree you’ve once again written a clear, useful post! Thanks.

#7 "Superhero" Post - Response (Plus FeedBurner Mistake We All Made) — Practice This on 04.25.08 at 9:27 pm

[...] ← 3 Easy Steps To Become A Superhero [...]

#8 You Have Built A Team, Now What? — Practice This on 06.07.08 at 4:41 am

[...] got your Tag team of Superheroes that shares common Values, you’ve set the Goal, you’ve got The Most Valuable Product to [...]

#9 Climb John Wooden’s Pyramid Of Success – Take An Assessment. — Practice This on 06.09.08 at 11:12 am

[...] 3 Easy Steps To Become A Superhero [...]

#10 tom on 02.11.09 at 4:28 am

Awesome stuff, i think identifying the need and going the extra mile is definitely what makes the extraordinary stand out from average.

Its not even that, when you actually show you care, you get just as much satisfaction and not financially, i mean that feeling inside.

Too bad so many do business for the sake of doing, and because others do it.

Well i ask you, if we all jumped of the bridge, you would too?

#11 alik levin on 02.11.09 at 5:04 am

tom,
Great to hear you liked it!
To answer your question - “hell, no!”
Show you care+exceeding is the recipe indeed. The first one helps to win heart, the other gets the customers results and shows you are the expert that can get more results with less and faster. And that is all customer care - human touch, time, expertise. Consider jumping here:
http://practicethis.com/2009/01/21/3-things-customers-really-want/

#12 tom on 02.11.09 at 5:22 am

Speaking of human touch and time. I work in a call centre and people call in complaining they can’t speak to a live person.

Sure call centres all what not are great but I think it has put customer service backwards. Now is a great time to become successful if you have your customer service system top notch.

#13 alik levin on 02.11.09 at 6:16 am

tom,
call centers…. the customers’ pain at its best ;)
My first and most significant lesson regarding customer services I learned at customer center…
Good catch, tom. No wonder i see smart companies invest tons of money in their customer service despite the recession

#14 My Favorite Flickr Images For Blogging — Practice This on 03.20.09 at 8:46 pm

[...] 3 Easy Steps To Become A Superhero [...]

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