Over the years as I’ve traveled, I’ve been lucky enough to have a few meetings at one of the world famous RITZ CARLTON facilities.
Only those that have stayed in a Ritz can fully appreciate how much effort their staff takes in making you feel welcome and appreciated. Everything about The Ritz is making the experience be so special and so different that you will always remember it.
I also recently heard one of their sales executives speak at a conference, where their corporate motto was reviewed: “We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen.”
That says a lot to me. Talk about managing expectations! They not only state who they are and how they will treat you… they also set the bar of what is expected FROM their guests. I’ve never seen a guy wearing a wife beater tee shirt and cut off blue jeans in their lobby!!
In my experience, managing expectations is the best way to interact with clients & prospects. Having them be genuinely “wowed” by the experience of doing business with you is what keeps them coming back. Under-promise and over-deliver is always better than unwanted surprises and missed expectations.
My industry, the life insurance industry, is well known for making the simple way too complex! Offering “preferred plus” rates that only a small percentage of applicants will qualify for is but one way of miss-managed expectations. Having “quick” applications that are 18 pages long and require multiple signatures is another way to irritate a client.
While I understand that proper risk selection is essential and that lifetime contracts are being entered into, I really hope my industry does more to make the ownership of life insurance LESS complicated and MORE accessible.
Nothing else does so much with so little… a drop of ink; a piece of paper and few dollars of premium paid… which can literally turn into millions of dollars should a loved one need it. Those who buy life insurance are performing the “lady like or gentlemanly” thing they should – providing for those they love and care about.
I promise to do my part to help our brokers and advisors help their clients & prospects understand & appreciate the idea of being over-served and over-whelmed. Our industry really is about Ladies & Gentlemen serving Ladies & Gentlemen.
