Customer Reviews

How to Talk to Customers: Create a Great Impression Every Time with MAGIC

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm familiar with the customer skills training program that this book is based on (MAGIC). Extraordinary! I've seen unbelieveable results when people apply the principles taught here in real life customer situations.

But if you dont have access to their MAGIC training, this book is a good back-up plan. All the info they hit in the training is here--you just have to be more self-motivated to study it and apply it without the benefit of any coaching or feedback. Nevertheless, the book is laid out in an easy to read. The topics flow naturally one into the next. You can imagine a customer interaction playing out as you make your way through the chapters. The book is chock full of examples as well as charts, graphs and checklists that make the points effectively.

One caution: dont expect to read this through some evening and then start applying it. I recommend you approach it more like a workboook...read a bit, put it down, try what you just learned (see the results!) and then pick it back up again.

Interestingly enough, I also use these principles when I'M the customer and others around me are amazed at the much-better-than-expected results i get when i complain or make requests! Thanks!

The notion that we only get once chance to make a first impression is true. But it is also true that you make an impression with every customer interaction. This very practical book teaches you how to think through every kind of customer interaction and how to make it a positive experience for the customer. The authors make the word MAGIC into an acronym. Well, two acronyms. I guess the think you get more for your money that way.

The first acronym is: Make A Great Impression on the Customer. And the second is one about process:

M - Make a connection: Build the Relationship
A - Act Professionally: Express Confidence
G - Get to the Heart of the Matter: Listen and Ask Questions
I - Inform and Clarify What You Will Do
C - Close with the Relationship in Mind

The book consists of twenty-three short chapters grouped into six parts: The Essence of MAGIC, MAGIC - It's Your Choice, Build MAGIC Relationships, Express MAGIC Accountability, The World of MAGIC, and MAGIC in Real Life. The authors lay out the benefits of their method, show you how much of it is your own mindset and how to get that right. They also show you the power of the words you choose to use and the benefits you will reap if you replace "Tragic" words with "Magic" words. That is a significant trope in the book. "Tragic Moments" versus "Magic Moments" and so on.

The authors also teach you how to use MAGIC with voicemail, in really listening to your customers, closing with the relationship in mind (that is, ending up with a sale and a repeat customer), and how to handle difficult situations. The method extends to making MAGIC a part of your business culture, how to coach it, and a series of personal stories demonstrating its power.

Each short chapter is organized for practical use. They usually lay out the principle material, offer you a practical exercise or two to "experiment with MAGIC", a quick story that demonstrates a MAGIC and/or a Tragic moment, and concludes with a few bulleted MAGIC Maxims that you can memorize to help you remember what you learned in the heat of customer engagement.

A useful and engaging book on a topic rarely given the importance it deserves.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Clearly written, well-paced and engaging, How to Talk to Customers provides excellent advice and compelling examples of how and how not to talk to customers. The principles embodied in MAGIC are valid and important. I can think of a few major institutions whose customer service representatives would benefit from reading this book!

This book is based on and supports the best customer service program out there! I would highly recommend MAGIC to any company striving to be the best by providing excpetional, world-class service.

The perfect tool for anyone looking to communicate better with customers...MAGIC truly works!

Building strong mutually beneficial relationships with important outside constituencies is one of the ideas I put forth in my book 4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations. Customers are a critically important constituency for any business.

Recently, I read a great book How to Talk to Customers: Create a Great Impression Every Time with MAGIC. The authors are Diane Berenbaum and Tom Larkin. Both are consultants with Communico Ltd.

Ms. Berebbaum and Mr. Larkin begin by explaining the term MAGIC. MAGIC, according to the authors is any contact with a customer that "Makes A Great Impression on the Customer".

How to Talk to Customers is organized nicely. Each chapter highlights three things:

* MAGIC and Tragic moments
* Experiment with MAGIC
* MAGIC Maxims

Magic and Tragic moments, as you might expect, are real life examples of excellent customer service and poor customer service. The Experiment with MAGIC section of each chapter provides the reader with a series of exercises to help with the application of the ideas in the chapter. Finally, the MAGIC Maxims are a concise summary of the major ideas in each chapter.

Here are some of my favorite MAGIC maxims:

* MAGIC emphasizes relationships - not an-us-versus them attitude.
* MAGIC empowers you with choice. You can choose to be MAGIC or tragic in any situation - it's up to you.
* Customers willingly pay more for great service.
* Every person you communicate with is your customer - every day and every where.
* Remember that you can always choose how you respond to any situation or circumstance.
* Don't underestimate the importance of a greeting. Like a handshake, it makes a lasting impression.
* You can establish or restore a relationship with empathy.
* Use a customer's name as soon as you hear it.
* MAGIC phrases are personal, specific and empathic. They emphasize the use of names and accountability. They tell the customer what you're going to do and when. The let the customer know that you understand what his or her experience is like.
* Tragic words and phrases show little or no empathy or specificity and are impersonal in nature.

I like this book so much because it helps the reader build strong relationships with customers - a critical outside constituency for any organization.

Beside that, I like it because it also brings to life two important aspects of my Star Power career and life success model: Personal Impact and Interpersonal Competence. Most of the MAGIC Maxims I've highlighted above go directly to how to make a personal impact or how to build strong relationships.

In the end, How to Talk to Customers is much more than a customer service book. It is a book for anyone interested in creating a successful career and life. It is now on my list of must reads for my clients and friends.

The book ends with a summary of the MAGIC steps:

* M Make a connection, build the relationship.
* A Act professionally, express confidence.
* G Get to the heart of the matter, listen and ask questions.
* I Inform and clarify what you will do.
* C Close conversations with the relationship in mind.

Follow these steps and you'll build magical customer relationships and a great career.

Great book. We are using this as a tool for our Staff goals this year. The first goal being above excellent Customer Service. We are getting a lot out of this book. Easy to read.

How to Talk to Customers is one of the BEST Customer Service books I have ever read! It gave me a very objective standard for grading service. My company is even looking into having the author do a training session with our customer service reps. Must read for everyone. The skills in this book are good for customer service reps, collection agents, sales people and anyone who deals with people.

I received the book very quickly and it was just as described by the seller. Everything was right with it. I would buy from this seller again.

How to Talk to Customers is a practical guide to building relationships with customers--external or internal. The book is filled with great tools, exercises and real-life examples of how MAGIC makes a difference on service levels, customer loyalty and employee engagement. I loved the MAGIC and Tragic examples and found that I could immediately apply the guidelines to my business. If you want to stand out from the competition in this tough economy, deliver superior service and keep the customers you have, this book is a must-have!!