Universal Funnel Law #4 Every business needs customers or clients. A customer relationship plan further develops loyal customers and serves as a source for ongoing referrals.

W. Edwards Deming who is considered to be the father of continuous or quality improvement said Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service and that bring friends with them. Deming truly understood the #3 Universal Funnel Law (http://ezinearticles.com/?id=92768) and recognized the importance of loyal customers and referrals within Universal Funnel Law #4.

Customer satisfaction is now a click away. Developing loyal customers who can provide repeat business and referrals is a critical success factor in todays fast paced, technology driven, global marketplace. A customer relationship plan that is in alignment with the strategic business plan, the marketing plan and the sales plan and is consistently implemented and monitored would seem to be a No Brainer for any business. Yet, my 20 plus years of experience reveals just the opposite.

A recent survey released by MOHR Access of Ridgewood, NJ, confirms my experience that todays customers are still experiencing poor customer service which suggests that the customer relationship plan is not working. The number one answer cited by shoppers at U.S. malls was Not my department closely followed by If its not on the rack, we dont have it. I am sure that these retail stores have some customer relationship plan, but it appears that the implementation of the plan is lacking.

With many companies purchasing expensive software to monitor customer relationships and training them on how to use these tools, the challenge appears not to be the acquisition of knowledge and skills, but rather attitudes and habits. Michael Patrick, MOHR Access president stated: "What's really needed is to get employees committed ... to do their best, even when nobody's looking or listening.

To bridge the gap between your customer relationship plan and the desired results that you as a business owner or manager are seeking requires you to develop your people to be truly committed to your customers and recognize that their role extends beyond customer service. Unless, of course, you still want to do the same thing over and over again hoping for different results and you are not interested in doubling your results.

Copyright 2005(c) Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S.

This article may be freely published. Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).

Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Good Day. Thanks for visiting. I hope that you have enjoyed my articles. In 1999, I founded ADVANCED SYSTEMS because I saw that performance could and should be doubled in warp time. Individuals, small and large businesses could not afford expensive solutions that may or may not deliver improved results in 12 months.

From my corporate, small business and education experiences, I recognized the individuals must have opportunities for connecting their passion to their purpose to secure the desired performance results, but many lacked the necessary skills, strategies and tools.

With over 20 years in sales management and 10 years in education, I understand how to unite productivity with profitability by developing a proactive working culture. My previous experiences resulted in cost savings through one of the first implementations of a computer software in a wholesaler distributor to the creation of a vendor performance assessment.

Since facilitating over 500 sessions, developing and editing over 25 training programs and writing numerous articles focusing on performance improvement, I bring a results focused approach to my clients. Also, I am proud to be one of the first five nationally certified facilitators of America?s Rising Stars (a Student Leadership developmental curriculum).

My passion is to help others connect their passion to their purpose to double performance. As The small business coach in Chicago, my clients have easily doubled their performance. Since our greatest resource is our young people, I am now working with large urban schools to generate the same results.

Education Background

• Graduated with honors from Purdue University with a B.A. in Education
• Earned M.S. from Purdue University in Instructional Design and Curriculum
• Published in the national trade journal, The Supply House Times, and numerous national newsletters
• Developed seminars and training on diversity, communication, leadership, sales, effective trade show behavior, networking, knowledge management, goal setting and improved educational outcomes
• Co-authored M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential: 7 Capicities for Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement, to be available in 2006
• Working a another book focusing on performance in public education
• Speaker in a national bureau - Resource Associates Corporation