Book Summary: Getting Naked - The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty by Patrick Lencioni
Customer loyalty is the Holy Grail for all businesses.
This needs to be the number one focus for the whole team.
Everything else does not matter.
According to Peter Drucker, the only goal of a business is to gain a customer.
I would like to add as a corollary, the business team needs to make sure that clients become loyal.
Why is this important to me? I understand that you are going to invest your time reviewing this book so it needs to be important and relevant.
I have been studying ways to build business revenue for years.
All the books about marketing, sales, management and leadership have something good to say.
The issue is what you can put into action today and garners results tomorrow.
The number one way to build any business is what I call WOM (Word of Mouth) referrals.
This trumps any sales technique, marketing campaign or pricing strategy.
As you may know, loyal clients buy more (have a higher Life Time Value), forgive mistakes and refer business.
Think about the power of having a full sales force on the street that you do not have to pay.
This is what creating real client loyalty will do for your business.
Acquiring customers is not always easy.
You have to be unique in your value proposition and approach.
People want to do business with people they like.
Wall Street arrogance may work in the back room but on the street will not win you deals.
Getting Naked is really a simple concept.
For the sake of time, I will talk about the most important areas of the book.
1.
No Ego - Tell the Kind Truth - This seems like total common sense but is hard for sales people and executives to do with clients.
It does not mean they are lying, it simply means that they are holding back their full opinion for fear of losing the business.
When you tell the kind truth and offer solutions upfront, the clients will love you for it.
The fear of losing the business is the barrier that has to be overcome.
2.
Fear of Feeling Inferior - Have you ever been in a sales presentation and the sales person uses a ton of buzz words? Typically what happens is that the sales person feels smart by using all of this jargon.
The problem is this language alienates the clients because people have a hard time admitting they don't know what you are talking about.
The same holds true if you offer consulting to clients.
Every business is different and there are different industry terms.
When the client fires off a smorgasbord of jargon, you need to have the will to ask for clarification and simplistic explanations.
Most technical people - engineers, accountants and researchers won't do this because of the fear of looking stupid.
An easy way to get around this is to simply make a statement to protect the client.
Sounds like this: "Who else besides me does not know what this means?" When you do this, you protect the others that are not sure and make it easy for them to admit it.
3.
Empathy - I realize many people will disagree with showing true empathy in business situations.
At the end of the day, true bonding and relationships are built on empathy.
Active listening and true empathy will cement your relationship with the client.
Again, ego gets in the way because some executives and sales people have a need to "look professional".
Let me put this in context.
Have you ever had a serious illness and the doctor had no bedside manner? The doctor shows no empathy.
I know most people will kick that doctor to the curb even if they are the best in the field.
Bed side manner and human relations are just as important as expertise.
Getting Naked is a good book.
The concepts in it are very simple.
The interesting part is that if you follow them you will grow your business but the question is - can you put your ego aside to do it? I hope you have found this short summary useful.
The key to any new idea is to work it into your daily routine until it becomes habit.
Habits form in as little as 21 days.
One thing you can take away from this book is humility.
When you are humble and empathetic to clients, you can give them real solutions and help them even if it means changing their perceptions.
This is not always easy because of the fear of losing the business but it works.
This needs to be the number one focus for the whole team.
Everything else does not matter.
According to Peter Drucker, the only goal of a business is to gain a customer.
I would like to add as a corollary, the business team needs to make sure that clients become loyal.
Why is this important to me? I understand that you are going to invest your time reviewing this book so it needs to be important and relevant.
I have been studying ways to build business revenue for years.
All the books about marketing, sales, management and leadership have something good to say.
The issue is what you can put into action today and garners results tomorrow.
The number one way to build any business is what I call WOM (Word of Mouth) referrals.
This trumps any sales technique, marketing campaign or pricing strategy.
As you may know, loyal clients buy more (have a higher Life Time Value), forgive mistakes and refer business.
Think about the power of having a full sales force on the street that you do not have to pay.
This is what creating real client loyalty will do for your business.
Acquiring customers is not always easy.
You have to be unique in your value proposition and approach.
People want to do business with people they like.
Wall Street arrogance may work in the back room but on the street will not win you deals.
Getting Naked is really a simple concept.
For the sake of time, I will talk about the most important areas of the book.
1.
No Ego - Tell the Kind Truth - This seems like total common sense but is hard for sales people and executives to do with clients.
It does not mean they are lying, it simply means that they are holding back their full opinion for fear of losing the business.
When you tell the kind truth and offer solutions upfront, the clients will love you for it.
The fear of losing the business is the barrier that has to be overcome.
2.
Fear of Feeling Inferior - Have you ever been in a sales presentation and the sales person uses a ton of buzz words? Typically what happens is that the sales person feels smart by using all of this jargon.
The problem is this language alienates the clients because people have a hard time admitting they don't know what you are talking about.
The same holds true if you offer consulting to clients.
Every business is different and there are different industry terms.
When the client fires off a smorgasbord of jargon, you need to have the will to ask for clarification and simplistic explanations.
Most technical people - engineers, accountants and researchers won't do this because of the fear of looking stupid.
An easy way to get around this is to simply make a statement to protect the client.
Sounds like this: "Who else besides me does not know what this means?" When you do this, you protect the others that are not sure and make it easy for them to admit it.
3.
Empathy - I realize many people will disagree with showing true empathy in business situations.
At the end of the day, true bonding and relationships are built on empathy.
Active listening and true empathy will cement your relationship with the client.
Again, ego gets in the way because some executives and sales people have a need to "look professional".
Let me put this in context.
Have you ever had a serious illness and the doctor had no bedside manner? The doctor shows no empathy.
I know most people will kick that doctor to the curb even if they are the best in the field.
Bed side manner and human relations are just as important as expertise.
Getting Naked is a good book.
The concepts in it are very simple.
The interesting part is that if you follow them you will grow your business but the question is - can you put your ego aside to do it? I hope you have found this short summary useful.
The key to any new idea is to work it into your daily routine until it becomes habit.
Habits form in as little as 21 days.
One thing you can take away from this book is humility.
When you are humble and empathetic to clients, you can give them real solutions and help them even if it means changing their perceptions.
This is not always easy because of the fear of losing the business but it works.
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