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Is your mission statement a promise, a commitment or a bunch of hot air?

Ever read someone’s mission statement and said to yourself, “What a bunch of B.S.!”? You said that because their interactions with you were not congruent with their “mission.” They said how much they want to exceed your expectations, and they could not even MEET them.

About a year ago, I began a list of customer promises. They transcend B.S. mission statements. They simply state what we are committed to in our customer interactions and relationships.

They are NOT goals. They are NOT missions. They are NOT hype or marketing drivel (like your mission statement). They ARE promises TO customers, AND commitments that WE have made to ourselves, and deliver to everyone we connect with.

You might want to compare this list of commitments with what you are doing in your company with and to your customers. And you may want to TRASH your self-serving mission statement that NO ONE could recite even if someone was pointing a gun at them.

Customer Promises and Commitments:

We will be friendly.

We will be professional.

We will be helpful.

We will be proactive.

We will be knowledgeable.

We will have what customers want, when they want it.

We will make providing customers the best service our top priority.

We will view service as an opportunity and a priority, not a job function.

We will answer the phone on the second ring with a live person 24-7-365.

We will be available when you need us.

We will be human-to-human at all times.

We will be easy to do business with.

We will provide the highest-quality products.

We will provide the highest-quality training.

We will do what we promise.

We will keep you informed as we progress.

We will think long term in all our endeavors.

We will maintain great attitudes toward service.

We will earn your loyalty with quality and value.

We will take as much pride in your business as you do.

We will maintain our dedication to lifelong learning.

We will recover memorably when an error occurs.

We will provide prompt service.

We will respond in a heartbeat or faster.

We will serve memorably.

We will go the “extra mile.”

We will be on the leading edge of technology.

We will customize and personalize all enterprise training.

We will help increase YOUR sales.

We will be an expert resource for you.

We will use CREATIVITY and VALUE to differentiate and dominate.

We will cultivate relationships by paying attention to each customer’s individual needs and interests.

We will become your trusted adviser.

We will collaborate with you every step of the way.

We will lead by example – always walking our talk.

We will be committed to earn your loyalty.

We will treat all customers the same – LIKE GOLD.

Long list? In my opinion, not long enough. I recommend that you make your list of commitments and put them into action. Before your competition does.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2009 Jeffrey H. Gitomer