How an Angel Turned us From Gripey to Giddy

Here’s the story of a customer support call from heaven  …

…loaded with lessons that will help you attract and retain clients…

…and an offer at the end that could make you giddy.

First the quick backstory: Melissa and I remodeled our kitchen two years ago and bought some stools, from a store called Amini’s, to surround the center island.

(I’m sitting on one right now as I write this email).

The stools’ black, leather(ish) upholstery is falling apart, peeling off the seat cushions and backrests in inch-wide sheets.

So Melissa called Amini’s and asked for help. The customer support rep said she’d contact the manufacturer and “see what they could do.”

Last night, the store manager, Bob, called while Melissa and I were cooking dinner.

“Were you able to solve our problem?” Melissa asked over speakerphone.

“Well…not quite…not yet,” Bob said sheepishly.

I braced for yet another “support” call from hell…

…filled with excuses, deflections, and half-promises.

Bob continued: “They said they don’t have replacement backrests.”

He paused. Melissa and I looked at each other, frowned, and shook our heads. 

But then Bob said this: “They can replace the seat cushions. No problem. I’ve been doing this for 25 years, though, and I’ve never heard of a stool manufacturer that can replace a seat cushion but not a backrest. I’m going to call them and fix this.”

Bob was fired up. He was in warrior mode. And he was going to battle for Melissa and me.

Melissa and I looked at each other and smiled. 

Bob was just getting started.

“I know that’s not exactly what you were hoping to hear. I know you want this resolved quickly. I wanted to call you with good news. And I hope that will happen on Tuesday. I hate to call you now without a solution. But I didn’t want to keep you waiting until Tuesday. It’s better to call you now with less-than-good-news so you’re not waiting and wondering and worrying.”

Holy empathy, Batman!

Who is this Bob guy? Is he real or some angel sent from heaven?

He knew how we feel. Waiting, wondering, and worrying IS a drag.

So he reached out to deliver less-than-good-news, knowing that’s WAY better than no news.

And then Angel-Sent-From-Heaven added this for good measure:

“If I can’t get this fixed with the manufacturer, I’ll ask my boss to call them. His name is the one on our building. When he calls a manufacturer, they usually jump. No matter what happens, I’ll call you on Tuesday so you know where things stand.”

Melissa was grinning ear-to-ear. I began to giggle. We were giddy. 

Giddy is good!

So what does this tale mean for you and your business?

(Oh! Where do I begin?)

That’s easy…

It’s begins with empathy!

Melissa and I love Bob — even though he has not resolved the issue — because he made this clear: He knows how we feel. He knows how we want to feel. We want to feel heard and understood. We don’t want to feel ignored and taken for granted.

When you put yourself in your prospect’s or client’s shoes, when you know how they feel, when you understand it’s ALL about how they feel…

…you’re well positioned to make your prospects and clients feel giddy and view you as an angel.

But acting on your empathy is not enough.

You have to show them — in actions AND words — that you know how they feel.

Bob acted on his empathy when he called. He knew we didn’t want to wait, worry, and wonder. So he let us know where things stand. That’s a great step.

But it was Bob’s extra step that transformed this support call from ordinary to heavenly.

Bob put his empathy into words when he said: “I know that’s not exactly what you were hoping to hear. I know you want this resolved quickly…I didn’t want to keep you waiting until Tuesday. It’s better to call you now with less-than-good-news so you’re not waiting and wondering and worrying.”

And Melissa and I knew: “This guy gets us. This guy is with us.” That’s what made us giddy.

It’s all about putting empathy into words.

That’s true in customer support. That’s true in marketing and sales.

You delight existing customers (even ones with a customer support issue) when you know how they feel and put it into words.

You attract prospects, engage them, and transform them into delighted clients when you understand how they feel and assemble marketing and sales content that puts it into words.

In my soon to launch do-it-with-you workshop — Content Marketing Masters — we’ll explore ways to quickly and accurately know exactly what your prospects feel…

…and then we’ll work together to assemble make-’em-giddy content that will inspire them to hire you.

If you feel frustrated and stuck when creating emails, social posts, and other content…

…if you’re tired of dishing out content only to see prospects tune out and move on…

…if you’d like to create client-attracting content with greater confidence and less frustration or writer’s block…

…Content Marketing Masters may be for you. We launch in less than three weeks.

So if you want to know more, reply to this email and write “Let’s get giddy.” I’ll circle back with all the details.