.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Remember when you were in school and you got your report card? You were so nervous that you didn’t open it, because you thought there were bad grades, and you just couldn’t look?

Finally, on the way home from school, you couldn’t stand it, so you looked. You got a C in math, you felt you didn’t deserve it, and you hated old Mrs. So-and-So?

You only got four report cards a year. One every nine weeks. They were progress reports and grades for that marking period. And you had to wait another nine weeks to improve or redeem yourself.

Fast-forward a few years to life, job, career, sales, service, co-workers and customers.

Report cards are now instantaneous, and they come in all forms. Verbal communications from co-workers, comments from your boss, both good and bad, customer compliments for a job well done, or e-mail, text, instant messages or voice mail from anyone. Even a handwritten note.

A failing grade is “What were you thinking?” The next lowest is “Let me speak to your supervisor.” The middle grade is “Thanks” or “Good job.” It’s passing, but not great. The second-highest grade is “Great job. I really appreciate that.” And the highest grade is “WOW!”

When people tell you “WOW!” it means you did something they were not expecting, or you performed or delivered beyond their expectations.

WOW! comes one of two ways. Reactively customers call about something wrong, and you react and respond all the way to a WOW! Or proactively you uncover a need and fill it before the customer knows it was going to happen. Back ordering, for example, where you call the customers in advance and give them choices.

But it could be something like a new way to install or use your product, or a new item that just came in that you thought would be perfect for the customer. Or you had an idea that you gave to your customer, and the response was WOW!

When someone tells you “WOW!” it means that you have gone the extra mile. When you go the extra mile, someone will say “WOW!” And when someone says, “WOW!” it means you are going the extra mile. It sounds simple, but it’s not easy.

You helped someone when he or she wasn’t expecting it. You created a service response that went beyond your customer’s expectations. Or you performed a random act of kindness … and got a “WOW!”

The way to WOW! compels you to go your own personal extra mile. It means you have to be WOW! friendly, have a WOW! attitude and have a WOW! heart of service.

To be WOW! you can’t look at service as just being part of your job; service has to be part of your soul.

The only problem with WOW! is that it’s in short supply. The good news is you create it. Yes, you can create a WOW! a day. If you do, WOW! becomes a habit.

The cool part is that a WOW! report card is instantaneous. If you have gone to WOW! here are the responses you will get:

• A smile followed by “WOW! That was … ”

• Praise from someone to you

• Praise from someone to someone else about you

• A referral

• A second order

• A testimonial

• A loyal customer

The reason I am challenging you to think about WOW! and take WOW! actions is that your customer needs them if you want a loyal relationship – and because your competition may be thinking WOW! too.

If you want to know how WOW! qualified you are, I have developed a WOW! self-test. Go to www.git-omer.com, register if you’re a first-time visitor, and enter the word WOW! in the GitBit box. Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2007 Jeffrey H. Gitomer