Simon T. Bailey

Business change moves at the speed of light. To keep pace, individuals within an organization must raise the bar on their performance and reset their mindset. The leadership skills of yesterday will not carry the day in today’s continually evolving economy. As the business climate changes in the midst of gender parity, #MeToo, pay equity, diversity, and inclusion ¬ we, too, must change and embrace what Simon T. Bailey calls the “Vuja de Moment.” This is the opposite of déjà vu and is an invitation to disrupt what is comfortable and convenient to embrace what needs to emerge to remain relevant, innovative, and competitive. Collaborative problem-solving triumphs over traditional top-down directives. Solution-oriented individuals are forward-looking in their thinking. Forward-looking thinking must permeate throughout the corporate culture. You must shift and embrace new methodologies to survive, compete, and thrive.

Customer Service is a department. Customer Love is a mindset. Do customers love your brand? Do your employees love your brand? If so, then you have the secret sauce to becoming unforgettable to those you serve. In a world of information and interaction overload, SPARK ignites an emotional experience that causes customers to Velcro themselves to you and recommend your brand to their sphere of influence. Where there is no SPARK, there is no joy. Where there is no joy, there is no hope; and where there is no hope, there is no passion. Without passion, a job is just a job. A business is simply something to do instead of something that makes a difference in the world. However, when a business finds its spark, it transfers psychological ownership to all employees to emotionally connect instead of being mechanical in creating a memorable moment. This learning experience will equip you with simple ways to operationalize SPARK within your organization.

The Gallup Organization states that 70% of human decision-making is emotional and 30% is rational. When buyers emotionally connect with a brand, they buy more, pay a higher margin, and tell others about their experience. It is imperative for sales professionals to stop selling and start connecting. When they sell, that’s a transaction. However, when they connect, a relationship is created for the life of the brand. Sales professionals who intend to grow market share by acquiring new customers and increasing margins from existing customers must examine their sales edge. Upon completion of this session, your sales team will be inspired to: • Shift from selling to live to living to sell by creating a personal brand that attracts new opportunities and establishes credibility in the marketplace; • Shift from telling customers about features and benefits to asking high-grade questions that unearth other potential opportunities; • Shift from just selling a service to providing a solution