Development for Takes Accountability
for the Sell Success Profile

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Tips

Never tell a customer that you can't help him/her. Know what resources are available to assist the person if you are unable to help and ensure that there is a smooth hand-off to that other area. Pave the way by calling that area yourself first and explaining the customer's situation to the appropriate person. Follow up to make sure the customer was satisfied.

Keeping your sights on your goal will prod you forward in the face of obstacles and setbacks. Whether your goal is to write a great business presentation, master a piece of software, or make a certain number of sales by the end of the week, keep your goal in mind and give yourself mental pats on the back for the progress you make.

Own the outcome of your decisions and interactions, regardless of whether the outcome was positive or negative. Take personal responsibility for rectifying mistakes you have made and see what you can learn from them.

Recognize the importance of being self-directed, particularly during times of change when it is common to feel especially uncertain and dependent. Because you are the one doing your job every day, you are in the best position to recognize and fix the problems that you encounter. Trust in your abilities and avoid depending on others for all the answers.

Prioritize your daily customer callbacks. Although every customer concern is important, first take care of those issues that are adversely affecting your customers the most significantly.

When you see that you are way ahead of a goal you set for yourself, revise the goal to make it more aggressive. That way, you will be more energized and challenged.

Be accountable for yourself only. Never commit another person to do something unless you speak with that person first. Don't make promises that hinge on the efforts of other people.

Give yourself extra practice meeting objectives by setting goals and deadlines on projects outside of the workplace. For example, you could set goals for doing home repairs, cleaning out the closets, reading a pile of books or magazines, catching up on your correspondence, etc.

There are no good excuses for not getting back to customers. If you are unable to reach someone after several attempts by phone, send the person a letter to call you at his/her convenience.

When you see a process, system, or service that is broken-FIX IT-even if it is not your job.

Pay attention to the tone of your customer interactions. If you sense that a customer is not very satisfied with the resolution you are proposing, explore with the person what you might do to make him/her more content and comfortable.

Set aside time with yourself each month and with your manager each quarter to review goals and progress towards them. Ask yourself the following questions: "Are the goals still in line with the vision and direction of the organization?"; "Have circumstances changed that warrant new goals?"; "Do we have information that tells us there is a different, better, or more effective way to achieve our goals?"; "How am I doing with meeting my goals?" Make adjustments to your goals and plan accordingly.

Although setting high standards of performance is desirable, watch out for overextending yourself or your team into the realm of the impossible. Only make commitments that are doable in the timeframe you have available. Other people would rather hear realistic deadlines that you can meet than unrealistic promises that go unfulfilled.

Know that providing thorough follow-up is one of the best things you can do in the eyes of your customers. Consider what you can do to improve your current follow-up: Do you check back on customer issues you refer to other departments and ensure they are being handled effectively? Do you contact customers when you say you will even if it's just to say that you are still working on a solution? Do you return calls promptly?

If you referred a customer to another area and the customer is not satisfied with the service he/she received, take matters into your own hands. Rather than sending the customer back to work out another solution, assure the customer that you will handle the problem and call the other area yourself.

Keep your referral channels open by making a practice of following up with each Wells Fargo team member who sends you a referral. After you speak with the customer, contact the team member who referred the customer and give him/her a brief synopsis of the outcome of the interaction.

Whenever you think, "Oh, I can do this later," take a moment to weigh the priority of what you are putting off with the priority of what you are planning to do instead.

Take the initiative to contact customers on a regular basis. Be on the lookout for people who are dissatisfied but who simply haven't called to complain. Many times this type of customer will take his/her business elsewhere unless you are proactive about handling the issue.

Take ownership of your own development. Make time to read books, take classes, attend professional association meetings, or volunteer for projects that will help to develop your skills and further your career.

Track and monitor how many times you miss deadlines and cancel or reschedule appointments because you over-commit yourself. Work with your manager to reduce these numbers.

Do not wait for customers to make suggestions on how you could improve your level of service. Instead, put yourself in the customers' shoes and give some thought as to what you think would add value and exceed expectations. Integrate these improvements into what you are currently doing and report back to your team members when you discover a particularly effective technique.

After each sales call or significant customer interaction, give yourself some feedback on your performance. Ask yourself these three questions and use the answers to improve your future interactions: 1) What do I like about what I just did? 2) What do I not like about what I just did? 3) If I could change just one thing that happened during that interaction, what would I change?

Think through how you convey a sense of urgency to the people around you. To your customers, enhance your response time. To your manager, initiate action on tasks and provide regular status updates. To your team members, avoid getting caught up in "water cooler" conversations and be responsive to their needs and requests.