Only Positive Clients Allowed
We can’t always control how our clients are feeling, i.e., their mood & mindset, every time we interact with them. Their mood can have a significant impact on their perspective of the experience with your company. This may seem out of our control as service providers.
However Shirley Crossan, a 2016 graduate of the CXE Academy and the Director of Guest Relations at Supercuts, is a firm believer in the FORD methodology. Crossan was searching for a solution to encourage her employees to gather more FORD (family, occupation, recreation, & dreams) on their clients when she was inspired by Steve Nudelberg’s keynote presentation at the 2017 Secret Service Summit.
Tell Me Something Good
Steve encouraged (and challenged) the audience to start every conversation with the phrase “Tell me something good,”instead of the standard “How are you.” Why? This forces the conversation to start on a positive note! We are programmed to greet one another with the standard phrase “How are you.” Unfortunately, the response to this question is often very negative, as we tend to share our problems, forcing the conversation to start off on the wrong foot.
*Related – You Say You Have a Relationship with Your Customers? Prove It!
Icebreaker FORD Gathering Questions
Shirley took Steve’s advice and created a worksheet for her team members to help them collect valuable FORD information
from their clients and start every conversation on a positive note. The worksheet includes “Icebreaker FORD Gathering Questions” so her team can more comfortably navigate this conversation to learn about each guest. Some of the positive
questions her team came up with were:
- Tell me something good
- Tell me all the good things that have taken place since I saw you last
- What’s the best thing that happened to you today?
- Tell me the best news you’ve heard recently
- Give me some good news
- What was the best part of yesterday?
- What exciting things are happening in your life?
Questions like these allow our employees to learn more about the Customer in a positive, friendly way. “We must teach and train our brains how to become mindful of gathering FORD to develop the emotional connections that set us apart from all other service brands out there,” says Crossan.
Recommended Video Clip To Share With Your Team
Watch this 90-second video on the Power of FORD.
