Course Title

Ernie Lansford—47 3/4 years in the MI Products/Pro Audio Industry 1965 HS senior working part-time selling VOX, Hofner, Gretsch, AMPEG, Magnatone Worked as district sales manager, regional sales manager, National Sales Manager, VP of Global Sales interfacing with dealers and distributors around the world. Customer Success is The Mission; Valued Vendor is the Goal was developed over many years.

Three important words to remember this week. 1. Connect 2. Abundance 3. Profit

"Everyone communicates, few connect.”—John C. Maxwell Everyone we meet is a current or probable customer. There are no difficult customers or impossible probable customers. We either connect or fail to connect. When we understand WHY people buy what they buy, we have the basis of 'connecting.'

"Help enough people get what they want and you will get what you want.”—Zig Ziglar Abundance is the opposite of need. When we work from a position of abundance filled with a desire to help our customers succeed with the profit opportunities available to them vs. 'need to make a sale', we move closer to 'connecting' with them and creating customers for life.

"We must look upon ourselves, not as misers' chests to be kept locked for our own benefit, but as centres of distribution; and the better we fulfill our function as such centres the greater will be the corresponding inflow.”—Thomas Troward Profit is the net gain the customer receives from the relationship, products and/or services offered. Profit transcends dollars and cents. Net gain is the feeling, pride of relationship and perceived value greater than the dollars or effort invested. Work to be a “valued vendor” VS. just a “vendor”.

“21 st Century Technology allows people to drown in information while starving for knowledge.” — Ernie Lansford

Studies by CEA and E-Commerce Platform providers show that less than 10% of shoppers visiting a website actually check out, BUT 63% of shoppers visiting a brick-and- mortar store make a purchase. WHY?

Studies indicate that brick-and- mortar stores enjoy a greater ‘conversion’ rate because of ‘HUMAN INTELLIGENCE AND INTERACTION’

“Brick-and-mortar retailers have a secret sauce that online retailers don’t: High- quality, experienced personnel who sit on the front lines and understand what their customers want. This is “Human Intelligence & Interaction,” a critical component exclusive online merchants won’t offer.

“There is no better place to discover, explore, and learn about our products than in our retail stores. Our team members, they there are the most amazing, awesome, incredible people on earth. It’s the best retail experience. It’s a retail experience where you walk in and you instantly realize the store is not here for the purpose of selling, it’s here for the purpose of serving….I’m not even sure ‘store’ is the right word anymore. They’ve taken on a role much broader than that. They are the face of Apple for almost all of our customers”—Tim Cook CEO-APPLE

"If you have to beg em', beat em' and drive em' crazy to join you, then you will have to beg em' beat em' and drive em' crazy to keep them."--Tim Davis.Tim Davis

10 Ideas I recommend if You Desire to use the secret sauce of Customer Success is The Mission; Valued Vendor is The Goal.™ 1. Do what you need to do now, so you will eventually get to do what you want to do later. Learn why your customers buy what they buy. 2. Discipline is the ability to get things done regardless of how you feel about doing them. Demo all new products to everyone who walks in the door, even if your self-limiting beliefs say customers aren’t interested. 3. Passion only pays off when channeled into productive effort. Your words are pennies; your actions are dollars. 4. Others may believe in you, help you and support you, but ultimately, nobody will do it for you. You are responsible for your own business. Network among the seven streams of influence in your community. 5. If you just facilitate business transactions like everyone else, you won’t get paid more than everyone else.

10 Ideas I recommend if You Desire to use the secret sauce of Customer Success is The Mission; Valued Vendor is The Goal.™ 6. Adopt the 10-foot rule. Every time a team member comes within 10 feet of a customer without an associate, greet the customer, and thank him or her for coming in your store. 7. If you think a little better and work a little harder, you will always accomplish more than the bigger guys. 8. You can't service and sell all 269 million people over 18 in the USA, so get over it. 20% of your customers provide 80% of your revenue. Understand it, and connect with your 20% to grow your business. 9. If you do not appreciate where you are, you will not appreciate where you are going. Work from a position of abundance vs. a position of need. 10. Be clear on what really matters to you and your business. Communicate your vision to your team, get buy-in from them and get busy pursuing it.

THANK YOU!! Ernie Lansford Signal Flow Leadership