Joellyn Sargent
Is Poor B2B Customer Experience Undermining Your Sales Success?
B2B customer experience is nothing like a consumer experience.Or is it? While the sales process may be vastly different for B2B, buyers are still people. They expect to be treated well, and they want open, honest, and timely communications. B2B buyers value trust just as...
The Secret to Winning Top Talent in a Tight Market
From efficiency and innovation to customer experience and brand equity,employees have the power to help a company sink or soar. Is your business having trouble attracting great employees? Do you get close to making an offer (or even make one) only to be turned down?…
Creating Brand Affinity when the Customer Experience is Over
There’s no doubt that delivering a compelling customer experience is critical to building an enduring brand, but what happens when the experience ends? Does your brand fade from memory or live on?The way people think and feel...
Passenger Experience: The World’s Busiest Airport
The mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed, took some heat recently for the unexpected firing of the general manager of the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Why would Miguel Southwell, who arrived just two years ago, be out so soon? The answer surprised me.…
Shine on: Keep Customers Engaged After the Sale
Back in January, when I (and half of America) decided it was time to get serious about my health, I thought it would be nice to have a fitness tracker. I bought one for my daughter as...
Dollars to Donuts: It Takes More than Sweets to Win Loyalty
I was heating up a sweet Krispy Kreme Original Glazed for dinner tonight (I know, bad idea, I usually each much better) and the phrase “dollars to donuts” popped to mind. It’s an interesting phrase, generally meaning a safe bet, and loyalty never is.Ironically,...
What You Can Learn from the Millennial Mattress
When I was growing up, Casper was a friendly ghost. Today, Casper is a mattress that comes in a box.In less than two years (Casper launched in April, 2014), the company has successfully transformed the traditional mattress industry by addressing unmet customer needs.It would...
What do Marshmallow Treats Have to do with Customer Experience?
Cooking up a Great Customer ExperienceI just spent a few minutes of quality time with my daughter making a family favorite: sticky, gooey, marshmallow treats.No secret recipe here. Just three simple ingredients: marshmallows, butter (the real thing) and crispy rice cereal. Two minutes in...
CEO Newsflash: Customers Don’t Want to Be Delighted
It’s true, and I’m here to set the record straight on customer delight. Yet another newsletter touting the benefits of customer delight landed in my inbox this morning. When I saw it, my brain silently shouted, “Stop!” Delight is a popular idea, but embracing it...
Are You Bullish on Growth?
In a recent article on Forbes.com, Niall McCarthy shared an infographic on CEO’s top concerns for 2016. Chart-topping issues included over-regulation, geopolitical uncertainly and exchange rate volatility. These macro issues may be weighing on the minds of many CEOs. Only 27% expect increased growth...
Does Your Board Put Enough Value on Customer Experience?
Whether your company is public or private, members of your board are probably eager to take a more strategic view of the business. In fact, a recent McKinsey report cited by ChiefExecutive.net showed that 52% of board members want to spend more time on...
Failure: What to Do When Your Best Effort Falls Short
Failure is a part of business. In spite of our best efforts to plan, manage, oversee, adjust and avoid the worst, sometimes things just don’t work out. As a leader, your response when even Plan Z isn’t an option defines your brand and impacts customer...
Find Your Profit Zone
Have you found that special place that I like to call your profit zone? If you have a financial background, you might assume I’m talking about the space between revenue and expense. That’s not hard to hard to locate, on paper at least. It’s a...
CEO, Meet Your Customers
When was the last time you spoke to a customer? Sounds like a silly question, but really, what’s your answer? Has it been too long? Are you one of the rare executives who does a great job of staying connected with their buyers? If you…
Can Blind Hiring Improve Your Customer Experience?
There’s a bit of buzz in tech circles about the concept of blind hiring, which has been recently covered in the Wall Street Journal and other national media. The idea of recruiting employees without regard for education and experience, focusing instead on skills and...
The CEO’s Number One Rule for Customer Experience
When it comes to delivering an unbeatable customer experience, there is one rule that trumps all others. It has little to do with the operations and the front line, and everything to do with strategy and C-Suite. What could it be? “Target the Right Customers”…