Innovative Service:Chip Bell Making His Mark

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You know how you read a book and say to yourself, “I would really like to meet this author and have a conversation with him”? Fortunately I had that chance 3 years ago.

I first had encountered Chip Bell as the author of Manager as Mentors back in the 90’s.The advice was down-to-earth and practical and it was the perfect book to help me coach leaders how to coach. They loved it and I loved it. Since then Chip has co-written a powerful new edition of the book with Marshall Goldsmith.

Ten years later the opportunity to meet Chip in person presented itself at an author retreat in Northern California. He sat there relaxed in his Texas cowboy boots.  I immediately liked his down to earth nature, hearty laugh and total humility and I have been grateful to know him ever since.

When you meet Chip you would never guess that he is a world-renowned keynote speaker and the author of (count ’em) 20 books. He is always the first to ask how he can help and promote other people’s ideas before his own. He IS that great guy who jumped off the pages years ago.

Chip’s latest book (definitely share it with all members of your team) is called Sprinkles: Creating Awesome Experiences Through Innovative Service.  I am recommending this one highly because, introvert or extrovert, librarian or leader we all are serving customers all  the time. You will read Sprinkles and hear Chip talking to you. It is replete with his key lessons about making customers feel incredible. Per Chip’s style, there are powerful, relatable stories and memorable quotes.

Download a sample chapter today and then buy the book. I guarantee you will want to join the Chip Bell fan club with me:)

Chip was kind enough to write this great  guest blog post about making your mark with customers. It will give you a taste of Chip and what to expect in Sprinkles. Thank you Chip!

Service: Making Your Mark

My nephew came home after his first semester at college sporting a brand new tattoo on his ankle—the Greek letters of his new fraternity! He was very proud of it and eager to show it off. Despite the wintry conditions of the Christmas holidays, he refused to wear socks. His parents were less than amused. We teased him with the question—“How would you feel today if that tattoo said VBS?” “VBS?” he asked with a puzzled look. “Yes, you were crazy about Vacation Bible School ten years ago?!” “Oops!” he responded rather pensively, “Guess I better always really, really like Sigma Chi.” Tattoos come in many forms—some are works of art; some are body graffiti. Some are dark and scary; some are colorful and happy. However, unless you have the money of an Angelina Jolie, tattoos may fade a bit, but they are essentially permanent. Service is a lot like a tattoo. Once you make an emotional mark on your customers, they tend to remember it a long time. And, their experiences can be as varied as tattoos. As customers, we don’t remember the okay, pretty good, nothing-to-write-home-about service experiences. But, the ones you create that are unique, special and unexpected can engrave on your customers’ memories a picture they are eager to show off. If your service were a tattoo, would your customers forget their socks in their eagerness to share it with others?

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