Slow it down. “Pull it to the side of the road bud.”

You want more. We all do. It you could just get higher sales, or more customers then it would be great. You think that you want to go faster. Prospect more, push for higher sales, or even improve the size of each sale. Though each may be valid, you might be missing the point.

Might you be guilty of trying to do “it” to them. Do what. Evil versus Good profits.

Instead of trying to manipulate and control THEM (the client, the customer) why don’t you slow down and look inside you and your organization? What are your motives and what is keeping your business from awesome growth?

Consider the difference between “good” and “evil” profits. To most businesses they see profits as. . . . profits. For the most part there are not differences (I do not excuse the tobacco companies, the pornography organizations, etc). But if you look closer there is a difference.

Evil Profits: When ever your customer feels mistreated, misunderstood or taken advantage of, you have Evil Profits. When customer service is lacking, the product doesn’t quite perform, or the client is asked to sacrifice what they really want for something less in quality or preference, then you have evil profits. When your services anger the customer and yet you still collect your slice of the their money, you have evil profits. They pay you, but in some large or small degree they resent your supposed value. Perhaps the customer is not even aware that you got the better part of the deal, but there is an eventual discovery.

An example is my cell phone company who forces you to pay a monthly data plan on a smart phone, even though you only use the phone as a . . . phone. “Because, that is our policy” says the customer service rep.

This is the old business model that states you buy all the songs on the CD, even the ones you don’t like (no wonder Apple’s iTunes is so successful. Why shouldn’t we only pay for what we like and use? Is it any wonder that the music industry is going through so much turmoil?).

It is only a matter of time before a reckoning occurs. How long could General Motors foist crappy cars before the customer jumps to the better Japanize quality?

Is it really a surprise when someone points out that the Emperor has no clothes and the sad exhibition will have to be enjoyed by his own court because the masses have moved on. Sometimes the large corporation keeps evil profits coming on a massive scale even when their customers are starting to move away. It becomes entertainment as we watch the fall (unless you are one of the poor saps who got skinned by evil profits). Are we really surprised by GM, Chrysler, Kodak, Sears, or Merrill Lynch?

Good Profits: When your customer ranks you “12” on a 1 to 10 scale. When you delight them beyond their expectations. Good profits are not mandated by some executive in a corner office. They are created by the personal interactions between one employee and one customer. There are many Starbucks coffee houses, and not all of them provide awesome customer experiences, but on the whole they try to create a customer experience that evokes a warm emotional and trust laden relationship. The coffee has to be good, but the interaction needs to be better.

Slow down. Pay attention to THIS, your current customer. Quit trying to justify your prices and start to provide value above their expectations. Delight your current customer. Provide an experience that makes them say, “Wow . . . I want to do that again.”

This is Disney, Trader Joes, and Five Guys. When your customers answer the supreme business question in your favor then everything changes.

What is the supreme question? It is a simple six words. Would you recommend this to others?

Unless you slow down and pay attention to your current customers TODAY, and make a conscious effort to ask this question AND RESPOND – chances are you are focused on evil profits. And you know where that most likely will take you. Now is the time to focus on the customer . . . to slow down and really pay attention to their deepest needs and wants.

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Although you may know Kordell Norton, CSP, as the Sales Trainer, the Strategic Planning Consultant, or even the business growth and marketing and branding wizard . . . pay attention to his Customer Engagement efforts. “These Diamond Customers engagements create raising sales with encore lower costs, improved morale, increased market awareness and are a lot more fun,” says Kordell. He can reached at (330) 405-1950 or www.KordellNorton.com