Read online clients for life karl. Essay based on Carl Sewell's book Customers for Life. The main idea of the book, or why business needs regular customers

28.10.2019

Customers For Life

Legal support for the publishing house is provided by Vegas Lex law firm.

This book is well complemented by:

Igor Mann

Gleb Arkhangelsky

Eliyahu Goldratt

Vern Harnish

From publishers

This book was first published in 1990 in the United States and has gone through several reprints. We take the liberty of asserting that at the moment there is nothing better among the books published in Russia on the topic of attracting and retaining customers.

Although the author, Carl Sewall, sells expensive cars, his advice is not limited to those who work with VIP clients: even when selling penny items, you can (and should!) fight to be bought from you, and not from competitors.

According to our observations, at least 80% of Russian business is designed for one-time sales rather than long-term customer retention. 80% of the remaining 20% want to keep the client for a long time, but for this they use "mechanical" loyalty maintenance systems (prizes, discount cards, etc.).

Sewell has a different approach: firstly, he considers customer retention to be a priority, and secondly, that this can only be done through the establishment of human, emotional connections.

The book is both a presentation of the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, and a description of a specific integral operating customer retention system - using the example of (of course) the business that Carl is engaged in. This system is so thoughtful and versatile that it is suitable for almost any field of activity.

We have long begun to apply his ideas and we can say with confidence that they work.

Igor Mann,

Mikhail Ivanov

and Mikhail Ferber

The first thing any businessman wants to do, whether he works in Russia, Italy or any other country, is to increase the marketing budget in order to attract new customers.

Of course, this makes good sense. But if you don't think about what happens after new client found, it can cost you dearly. Meanwhile, you can get much more benefit from existing customers, and the cost of such a business will be much less than with a constant search for new markets.

Moral of the story: Before you rush out to find new customers, try turning your one-time customers into customers for life.

This book is entirely devoted to how to achieve this.

Why should you take this approach? See, if you succeed in turning random customers into regular customers, the results will only be positive.

Selling services or products to an existing customer is much easier than selling to a new one. You have already established a relationship with him and know his needs. Net result: Your marketing costs are reduced.

You will not have to spend a lot of effort, time and money to ensure that your customers choose you again. They are more likely to listen to your suggestions, because they already had a positive experience with you. (This is a mirror image of the first point, with a similar result: higher profits.)

If customers buy from you, they don't buy from competitors. By turning casual customers into customers for life, you win, and your competitors who don't do it lose.

Regular customers are not so price sensitive. You've already established a good relationship, and it's easier for customers to pay a little more to you than to spend time looking for another company that can serve them at the same high level.

They will be more willing to try your other products and services. You are in a better position than other firms they have not dealt with. The trust you have earned from the start will carry over to your other offerings.

As you can see, focusing on selling to existing customers is much more effective and less costly. marketing strategy than looking for new buyers.

Why is this approach not followed by most marketers? There are a number of reasons for this, from the fact that many are simply focused only on new deals - that is, in principle, they can only think about expanding sales markets - and ending with boredom: “We have been working with this person (or company) for a long time, I want to something new."

But you need to understand that if you are not trying to claim a long-term relationship with your client, you are losing money on this. And possibly big money.

Let's look at a simple example from my business. I sell cars. In order not to complicate the calculations, we will assume that average price cars - $25,000. Typically, the average customer buys 10 cars from us in their lifetime. That is $250,000 (not adjusted for inflation, in 2005 dollars). In addition, customers spend about a third of the price of car maintenance (from changing the oil to repairing dented fenders). That adds up to about $82,500 more, for a total of $332,500. That's the amount you can earn by turning a one-car buyer into a lifetime customer.

Now imagine that a person bought a car from us for $25,000 and never showed up again because they didn't like it. The difference in profit is $307,500. How many ads and how many sales do you need to run to earn 307,500?

It's hard to imagine a marketing campaign that can generate the same revenue that you can get by convincing your existing customer to only buy from you. Keep this in mind when laying out your marketing budget. Instead of launching several new programs to attract new customers, why not make sure that you serve the needs of existing customers as much as possible?

What is the first step to take, you ask? Over the next week, call your 10 top earners, thank them, and start a discussion about how you can make their lives easier.

Carl Sewell

Foreword by Tom Peters

This unusual book has an entire section - four chapters - dedicated to finding out what the client wants. There is a chapter on toilets, or rather, their impact on the client's perception. And in one chapter it is only about signs and signs.

And all of this is being told by a man who has grown his business from $10 million in 1968 to $250 million today, with profits growing in the same proportion. Carl Sewell sells cars: Cadillacs, Lexuses, Hyundais and Chevys. His customer satisfaction rates are incredibly high. He not only leads various kinds of ratings - every time he brings new shades to the concept of "best".

Carl Sewell, Paul Brown

Clients for life

From publishers

Sewell has a different approach: firstly, he considers customer retention to be a priority, and secondly, that this can only be done through the establishment of human, emotional connections.

The book is both a presentation of the fundamental foundations of entrepreneurship, and a description of a specific integral operating customer retention system - using the example of (of course) the business that Carl is engaged in. This system is so thoughtful and versatile that it is suitable for almost any field of activity.

We have long begun to apply his ideas and we can say with confidence that they work.

Igor Mann, Mikhail Ivanov and Mikhail Ferber

From the partner of the Russian edition

This book, which we received in one copy in the form of A4 sheets printed on a printer, bound with a spring, passed from the hands of one director to the hands of another with a fight, almost against receipt. Needless to say, it was read avidly, without interruption. Then, already with a cool head, I tried to understand: what is its difference from others, what is this attraction hidden in? Maybe it's the authority of Carl Sewell, who has been in the auto business for so many years and managed to increase his company's turnover from $10 million to $250 million in 30 years, working with four car brands? But before I picked up this book, I had no idea who Carl Sewell was, and the company I run has increased its turnover from $10,000 to $356 million in 13 years. And we already have fourteen automobile brands.

Wait, maybe the author shares some unique secrets or discovers completely new, transatlantic tricky tricks to attract and retain customers? No, no secret information and know-how are particularly noted in the book, more than half of everything described is successfully used in our auto centers. So what's the focus?

The fact that the book will become a bestseller in the first place among those who work in automotive business, no doubt. The key to her success is in a good, lively style and attention to detail. Because when you read, you ask yourself: did you know about this technique or about this approach? Yes, I knew. Used? No. Because I didn't think it was very important. But it turns out - or rather, once again it turns out - that everything is important. Any word. Attention. Hatch. Any little thing. No, wrong: there are no trifles.

And for this you have great respect for the author. For the fact that he collects all the little things, analyzes, puts them on the shelves and, most importantly, uses them. And tells others how to use them. Thank you Carl Sewell for this.

Oleg Khusaenov, CEO International Automobile Holding "Atlant-M"

The first thing any businessman wants to do, whether he works in Russia, Italy or any other country, is to increase the marketing budget in order to attract new customers.

Of course, this makes good sense. But if you don't think about what happens after a new client is found, it can cost you dearly. Meanwhile, you can get much more benefits from existing customers, and the cost of such a business will be much less than with a constant search for new markets.

Moral of the story: Before you rush out to find new customers, try turning your one-time customers into customers for life.

This book is entirely devoted to how to achieve this.

Why should you take this approach? See, if you succeed in turning random customers into regular customers, the results will only be positive.

If customers buy from you, they don't buy from competitors. By turning casual customers into customers for life, you win, and your competitors who don't do it lose.

As you can see, targeting existing customers is a much more effective and less costly marketing strategy than finding new customers.

Why is this approach not followed by most marketers? There are a number of reasons for this, from the fact that many are simply focused only on new deals - that is, in principle, they are able to think only about expanding sales markets - and ending with boredom: “We have been working with this person (or company) for a long time, I want to something new."

But you need to understand that if you are not trying to claim a long-term relationship with your client, you are losing money on this. And possibly big money.

Let's look at a simple example from my business. I sell cars. In order not to complicate the calculations, we will assume that the average price of a car is $25,000. Typically, the average customer buys 10 cars from us in their lifetime. That is $250,000 (not adjusted for inflation, in 2005 dollars). In addition, customers spend about a third of the price of car maintenance (from changing the oil to repairing dented fenders). This adds up to about $82,500 more, for a total of $332,500. This amount can be earned by turning a customer of one car into a customer for life.

What is the first step to take, you ask? Over the next week, call your 10 top earners, thank them, and start a discussion about how you can make their lives easier.

Carl Sewell

Foreword by Tom Peters

This unusual book has an entire section - four chapters - devoted to finding out what the client wants. There is a chapter on toilets, or rather, their impact on the client's perception. And in one chapter it is only about signs and signs.

In places, this stunning book has a homely feel to it: don't charge a client for a service you would give to a friend for free. (This could mean, for example, sending a technician—they're on duty 24/7—to the airport at midnight to replace a customer's broken ignition key free of charge.) The ethical approach here is to run your business by asking yourself, "A if they write about it in tomorrow's newspaper?

Co-authored by Carl Sewell and Paul Brown, Customers for Life is a recognized best-selling business book, a trusted guide for those who start a business or want it to thrive. It was created by a man who himself has achieved considerable success in business and, based on many years of experience, has developed own strategy communication with clients. The Sewell Method has been tested by hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs around the world, and tested by cult marketers and business literature gurus Mann, Ivanov, and Ferber. All of them unanimously assert - "Sewell's ideas are feasible, and most importantly - they work."

Before moving on to the review of this book, it is worth recalling that books affect your future. So if you want to develop in business or in general, in life, read books.

Article menu:

Karl and Paul: a few words about the authors of the book

Carl Sewell is best known as successful businessman, who created one of the best car dealerships in the United States. For 30 years, he managed to do the almost impossible - to increase the value of his business from 10 million to 250 million dollars, and the company's profit increased in the same proportion. Carl says it's very simple - he just worked hard to attract and retain customers. His eternal motto is "Do what you promised and do it the first time."

For example, the service department of Sewell's company was the first to provide customers with a temporary car for the period while his car is being repaired. Moreover, the company's employees specially customize the car for the customer's house. Here is a prime example of customer focus.

Paul Brown acted as co-author of the book. As a professional writer, he has established himself as an expert on business topics. In addition to his work on Clients for Life, he is famous for his long collaboration with The New York Times and businessman Mark Stevens on Your Marketing Sucks!

Brown sincerely admires Carl Sewell, his ideas and many years of work, and the writer calls the book "unusual", "stunning" and even "home". The last epithet “Customers for Life” deserved thanks to the simple and incredibly colorful manner of Sewell the narrator. He does not seek to teach, pour in special terms and paint the pages with intricate graphics. He talks about the everyday, jokes a lot, but behind all this lies serious things and daily painstaking work.

“This book is as serious and thoughtful as it is engaging and fun. She has a simple language, but the main idea not easy at all."

The main idea of the book, or why does business need regular customers?

Carl Sewell firmly believes that retaining customers and then turning them into repeat customers is the key to successful business, while the eternal pursuit of new customers can drive your business to a standstill. Sewell's idea of customer retention is based primarily on establishing "human, emotional connections." The author highlights a number of very convincing advantages of working with regular customers:

It is much easier to sell services to an existing client, he already knows you and your product, and therefore your marketing costs are significantly reduced.
You do not spend a lot of effort and resources hourly persuading the client to choose you. The main thing is that the experience of cooperation with you is positive, keep the brand and then people will not have to look for someone else.
You get a huge advantage over competitors who don't turn customers into customers for life because your audience will never use their services.
Minor price fluctuations will not affect regular customers. Checked - a person would rather overpay a little than turn to an unfamiliar supplier of goods or services.
Existing customers react favorably to new items, they will willingly purchase additional goods from you (for example, tea or coffee when buying bottled water, souvenirs and cards when ordering flowers, etc.).

Even the thesis list of the main advantages of working with regular customers proves that from a marketing point of view, such cooperation will be more profitable, productive and ... simple. So, maybe you should abandon impulsive one-time sales and start building long-term relationships with your customers? No one claims that it will be easy, but the long journey that you will overcome is worth it. The book "Customers for Life" will be your guide along the way, because the experience of its author is useful for any business.

“Systems, not smiles. Saying “please” and “thank you” does not guarantee that you will get the job done right the first time. Only a systematic approach can guarantee this.”

The main provisions of the book

The book consists of prefaces written by the publishers and Sewell and Peters themselves, an introduction, eleven parts, and an afterword by noted businessman Stanley Marcus.

In the introduction, the authors meticulously explain what the concept of “good service” hides. Good service, according to Sewell-Peters, is primarily driven by demand. A modern person is tempted by good service, he travels a lot, he has something to compare with. And most importantly, people are willing to pay for quality services. Get ready for the challenges that await you on the path to creating your ideal service. Among them:

tendency to promise too much;
the need for global improvements (partial changes have a short-term effect or may go completely unnoticed);
the value of time (the ability to provide services with high quality and FAST);
the ability to guess the desires of your audience, while being ahead of competitors;
continuous improvement (your business cannot be static, success is continuous development and search).

In the course of their edifying narrative, the authors teach how to:

hear the client and provide him with exactly what he wants;
always give good services;
hire and train the best employees;
analyze the results of the work and do work on the bugs;
set the level of wages in order to receive full return and good service;
be a leader and role model;
take into account every little thing when communicating with a client;
choose products that are easy to sell;
use the positive experience of other companies;
create an individual image;
make customers come back.

“Make them come back. Ask customers what they want and give it to them again and again.”

Carla Sewell

Of particular interest are the so-called "ten commandments" for customer service, which Sewell and his co-author placed in the book's introduction. They can be printed and hung on the wall above your desk or put in a diary. Let these simple rules always motivate you and remind you of the book you read.

First the commandment just talks about how to get customers to return - you just need to do what they want and listen to their needs.
Second commandment calls for systematic approach in building a service strategy.
Third teaches to focus primarily on actions, not on promises.
Fourth says “When your client asks for something, your answer is always “Yes”.
Fifth“Fire your controllers and the entire customer relations department.”
sixth makes you think that the lack of complaints from customers is also a signal for change, perhaps you are already for a long time are static.
seventh“Measure everything.”
eighth urges not to forget about decent pay labor for their employees.
ninth“Your mom was right. Show respect for people.”
Tenth- take advantage of the experience successful companies, bring their ideas to life in an improved form.

Follow the commandments, read "Clients for Life" and may you prosper!

Who is this book for?: for owners of large and small businesses, management consultants, general directors, commercial directors, marketing directors, heads of training departments and those who want to become successful and start their own business.

If development in business is not the only thing that interests you, we recommend reading a selection of the 10 best books on psychology.

"Customers for Life" - a must-have book for businessmen

5 (100%) 1 vote

If you only have time to read one customer service book in your life, read Customers for Life by Carl Sewell and Paul Brown. This is the bible good service. The main idea is that rather than building a business on one-time sales, it is better to make friends out of customers and serve them all their lives.

If you have already read this book, then you already know how good it is. If not yet, here is a summary of the main thoughts. This, of course, is only a pale copy - the book contains a million living examples and useful little things that are not in this digest. But even that is better than nothing.

So, "Customers for Life":

1. Listen to customers and give what they need.

Do not assume that you yourself know the needs of customers. Find out for sure: ask at the checkout to fill out a short questionnaire. While the cashier counts the money or rolls the card, there is just a free minute.

In the questionnaire, ask at least about expectations (Are you satisfied or not?), About the compliance of the product and price (Do customers feel cheated?) And about the effectiveness of your work. Already these three questions will help to understand whether you work well or not.

Ask customers what they would like, but don't pressure them.

2. Do more than you promise.

There are two sides here. First, don't promise too much. If you don't live up to the client's expectations, it doesn't matter how well you did the job. The client will still be dissatisfied. In general, keeping promises is more important than any other part of the service.

Second - Do a little more than promised. A small bonus on top of what was promised is always delightful. Make a tour package - add a guide, a map and an international SIM card. If you are selling a computer, install free useful programs on it.

3. Smiles alone are not enough. Build a system.

Politeness and willingness to help is the icing on the cake. No one needs those smiles if you have queues, bad product, or let the customer down.

Build a working system. In such a system, work is done efficiently and on time. Eliminate as many bottlenecks as possible. Key processes are reinsured. Everyone knows what he is responsible for. The warehouse is in order. Calls are recorded, logs are kept automatically. In the toilet there is a list of items for the cleaner. The manager has all the control questions. Everyone knows what to do when something goes wrong.

A workable system is built from the question “What can break?”. Everything that can be automated.

4. If the client asks - say "Yes".

Provide Additional services when the client asks. If you sell cars, you can rent them, and find a car service, and drive the car to another city, and call a taxi, and find a permanent driver, and change the wheel, and make a second key, and take the car for tinting or sewing a new one. salon.

Change the understanding of your mission: from “sell cars” (“sell tours”, “sell computers”) to “help the client”.

Economic effect: let's say you ordered a taxi for a client, gave 500 rubles to the driver. They acted in a friendly way. Result: a client is received for life, 500 rubles and 15 minutes of time are spent.

5. Fire controllers

Controllers are evil. If an employee knows that someone will finish after him, he works carelessly. Controllers reduce responsibility.

If an employee makes a mistake, he corrects his mistake on his own and free of charge. Everyone should understand this.

Each return and claim is a reason to figure out what went wrong. Be sure to get to the bottom of the cause and eliminate it. Maybe a person does not know how to do something - he needs to be taught and this information added to the corporate knowledge base. Each complaint should improve the system.

6. Pay employees like partners.

Link the salary of employees with the performance of their specific work, and better - with the performance of the entire company. Each employee should feel personally responsible for their standard of living.

Pay more than the average in the market so that you line up with good specialists. Take care of people as partners. Grow them.

It's better to pay 20% more and get a 50% better job than pay like everyone else and lose customers.

7. Admit mistakes

Everyone is wrong. The question is not to never make mistakes (although this should be striven for), but to admit your mistakes and be able to correct them.

If you screwed up, admit your fault. Tell me what you're wrong about. Decide what you will do to correct the mistake. Do it. And do a little more than that.

Did you screw the wheel badly, did it break? Admit the mistake. Repair the wheel and everything broken because of it for free. Wash and vacuum the car, inflate the tires. Put a bouquet of flowers in the salon.

Shielding yourself and proving to the client that you are not to blame is a dead end. Suppose you justify yourself - what's next? The client is still upset and feels like you let them down. He will not return. And what's the point that you were right?

The book "Customers for Life" is for those entrepreneurs who do not just want to make money as quickly as possible, but who want to create a large and growing project on long years. If you understand the importance of creating regular customer base then this book will be the best guide for you.

Sewell's goal was to build strong emotional bonds with existing clients. As the numbers on his bank account show, this approach works 100%!

“Instead of launching several new programs to attract customers, why not make sure that you serve the needs of existing customers as much as possible?”.

This book will help you significantly increase customer lifetime, as well as develop their own methods for improving customer service.

We chose 5 most effective tips that you can implement in your business right now:

1. What is "good service"?

Establishing a dress code in your company, teaching employees to smile and speak memorized formulaic phrases is not enough for a good service. A person can determine the real concern from actions by the slightest notes in his voice. biorobot programmed to say compliments.

Don't assume that anyone in your company knows what the customer wants. Unless you train your staff to read the minds of your customers. Jokes are jokes, but no one except the client will say what he in fact expects from interacting with you.

So how do you create a service in a company? the highest level? "Everything is ingenious and simple." Ask your customers what they want, then give it to them! No need to spend money on expensive expert advice. All "secrets" before your eyes.

There are a huge number of ways to find out what customers want: questionnaires, organizing and holding meetings, focus groups, master classes, etc. The choice depends on the specifics of your business.

One of the simplest methods by Carl Sewell is questionnaire with three questions about compliance for the client with his expectations and the reality of the transaction. But don't overdo the polls. Remember it must be unobtrusively and voluntarily.

2. “When the money is small, the customer is always right”

act always in favor of the client when it comes to small amounts. For example, if the question is whether or not to pay compensation for a damaged item, pay it. Even if you have doubts that this is your fault, return the money anyway.

Why is it sometimes necessary to act to the detriment of oneself? This is how you show your trust in the client, and this is a big plus for you. The next time he is more likely to contact you, because he will know that this company keeps its word.

Undoubtedly, there will be those who will use your principles in selfish purposes, but such cases, in the experience of Carl Sewell, are quite rare.

“The clients are good. If a client says they have a problem, 99 percent out of 100 do. Don't let the 1% change your attitude towards the 99%"

However, if you see that the client regularly tests your trust, then tactfully advise him to go elsewhere.

3. How to get forgiveness for mistakes

No matter how hard you try, the bottom line is that mistakes are inevitable. Never pretend like nothing happened. Just admit your mistake and do everything possible to correct the situation as quickly as possible. It is desirable to do this with the client! And don't forget to apologize.

Of course, you shouldn't overuse it. According to Carl Sewell:

“Every time you do a good job, you replenish your “trust deposit”. Every time you make a mistake, money is debited from your account, and one mistake corresponds to ten completed cases. As long as your account balance is positive, customers will forgive you.”

The client must always have opportunity to complain. Thus you will receive feedback, which will help to reduce the percentage of errors and facilitate their correction.

4. Every little thing counts

Your image in the eyes of the client formed from the smallest, at first glance, insignificant details. Therefore, pay attention to the smallest components of your business: from beautiful presentations, booklets, signage, to room design, comfortable furniture, clean toilets and so on.

All of this affects your brand and ultimately on the level and number of customers.

But the most important thing that you should never forget is that the courtesy of employees comes first.

5. Who is more important - the client or your employee? Correct answer: both

Don't expect staff to be nice to customers if the business owner doesn't pay attention to it. great attention. Do not destroy your company from the inside. Good specialists choose to work in companies where they treated like a human being, and not as to the next cog.

Create a corporate culture, reward systems and rewards for success at work. Let your staff feel involved in the development of the company. The talent of a leader is to make them feel your company is their brainchild.

give thanks them every time for a job well done. Celebrate their accomplishments. Encourage initiative and creative approach. Make it possible for employees to share their ideas and methods to increase the efficiency of the company.