If Talk is Cheap, Why'd I Just Pay $49 For This CD?

I'm a big fan of who is considered to be the top sales guru of our time. I'm not mentioning names due to the nature of this blog..

From the surface, he (the only hint you'll get) appears to demand and command customer service above all else. The irony is that after all those cd's, dvd's, and books, I found customer service was lacking when I became a paying client. I jetisoned my prior product provider at the insistence of "the man," after a revival-type webinar, in blind faith that the grass was truly greener.

My grass died.

Here's what I've learned from my experience, in hopes you'll spare your clients, customers or patients a similar experience:

• Be reactive when there's a problem. It really didn't make me any happier to get a "We can't help you now that we've gotten your money, but please let us know if we can help you with anything else ... we're here for you!" response.

• If you're going to change the product, advise the customer ahead of time. After converting, the very features of the product that caused me to jump ship were removed ... with no warning.

• Find a way to fix it now. I was told that new and better features would be coming soon ... in about two or three months! Now my business is on hold for 60-90 days. A costly lesson. I have to wonder if "the man" would be surprised at the lack of urgency here.

• Follow up to completion. I got a call from a senior person, offering to help. The call came after hours (impressive). I called back three days ago and left a message. My call has not been returned.

I welcome feedback, comments, and/or your story.

Continued Success,

John Patrick, Profit Doctor