REVIEW: "Hug Your Customers" by Jack Mitchell

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

“It doesn't matter what is written in your job description - it is important that your client needs help. And there are only three rules - common sense, love for what you do, and love for the people you work for - that turn the problem into a holiday."

Evgeny Demin, CEO of SPLAT about this book

Guys, this is a book for everyone who wants to make life better, in whatever area you are busy and whatever position you hold. Of course, the greatest efficiency is for management. But who said that initiatives can only come down "from the top"? Read and take action instead of complaining about your work.

This is a very simple, very light book, told almost in the format of a story about creating a family business, and seemingly speaking about common truths. But, for some reason, in real life, it turns out that most companies do not know anything about these truths and do not apply them at all. This is especially true of the realities of Russia.

Sometimes, when you come to a paid clinic, you do not receive normal service, and no one even thinks about the service exceeding your expectations! And so in almost any service of services: from a restaurant, to dry cleaning, from a bookstore, to any company that has work with clients.

By the way, this book is not only about how to work with clients. There are also very useful chapters on how to competently organize work in a team without using such a familiar and beloved whip system.

I would like to donate my copy of the book to a company where business with clients is so-so. In the meantime, I advise everyone to honestly answer the test questions from the book. This will help you understand whether everything is fine in your company and whether you (your friends, acquaintances) need this book.

Useful excerpt from the book ↓

Hug Achievement Test:

1. Name at least ten examples of how you think you hug your customers and exceed their expectations. If you can list more than twenty ways, you will earn an extra point.
2. What do you do every week, month, and year for your colleagues or employees to make them feel special? (Do you know what their names are, what are the names of their wives, husbands and children?)
3. Can you name the top 100 clients without looking anywhere? List them. How often do you meet with them, talk, hug? If you can name two hundred and fifty clients, you're on your way to the Hugging Hall of Fame.
4. Who in your company is familiar with these customers? Only sellers? How about finance staff? How about the head of production, design, marketing? What about the delivery staff?
5. What is your trading floor, your playing field? Write down your answer. Do you have a rule that everyone should visit the "sales floor" where they can see, touch and feel real live customers? Who do you think should be on the trading floor and who shouldn't?
6. What are the main qualities a person should have in order for you to hire him? Are you consistent? Does everyone who recruits use the same criteria? Are you only evaluating the performance of your people in a performance context? Or do you also discuss and evaluate their ability to learn new things and enjoy their work?
7. Is there someone in your company that you consider to be a hugger? Who on your team is the best at selling on the basis of relationships? Who is in the top three and five? Be sure to look for such people throughout the company. Are you helping sellers grow? How? List five programs that you are currently using. Name three programs that you would like to launch this year. Name one program that you would definitely like to launch in the next five years.
8. Are you empowering employees to design their own hugs? Are you empowering them or are you just dictating what to do? If you are endowing, give three examples that demonstrate this.
9. What technologies are you using? Is your software focused on the product or the customer? What can you learn about your customers and their purchases from your system? Does the CEO know how to use the system? Does it accept technological innovations?
10. Are you running personalized marketing campaigns or generating faceless bulk emails using your computer? When was the last time you sent a letter signed in ink to a client or important business partner?
11. Do you set aside special days or seasons of big sales, and do you prepare and train especially for them? Do you have a Game Strategy Book to help your employees choose the best strategy? What does it contain? When was the last time you asked your employees how you can personally help them increase their sales?
12. How often do you actually know the score of the game, whether you are ahead of the rest or behind? Who in your company has access to data? How often does your management review them? Are you only focused on productivity? Do you have goals for work enjoyment and learning that improve the quality of the work environment and help raise the bar?
13. Are you giving your customers what they really want or what you think they want? Are you lecturing or listening? Give an example.
14. Do you have a formula that demonstrates to everyone the link between focus on customers and business economics? What is this formula? How do you determine what to spend money on and when to say no?
15. List the last three mistakes you made with your customers and explain how you fixed them. Were you happy with your decision? Was your client satisfied? How do you know this? What did you do with employees who made these mistakes?
16. How do you get customer feedback? What are five main ways. Are you satisfied with the results? What will you do with this information?
17. Name three innovations that you have introduced in the past 12 months, be it products, services, a new approach, or new hires. Do you feel that you are constantly in the mood to look for something new?
18. Are you a member of an association in your industry where you can exchange ideas? Can you create such an association?
19. Do you have a system for raising the bar for your team? Give three examples of how someone in your company raised the bar in the past year.
20. Building on your previous answers, make a list of five hugging tips that you would like to use immediately, and explain how you are going to do it.

The reading time (for those who know the speed reading technique) is only 3 hours.

High efficiency, provided that you are honest with yourself and you have a desire to become better.

Happy and useful reading!

“Hug your clients. Practicing Outstanding Service , Jack Mitchell