Successful Consultant Discloses The Scheherazade Principle

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Satisfying customers is the name of the game in business, right?

And, as so many corporate posters proclaim, "If you don't satisfy your customers, someone else will!"

But sometimes, satisfying customers is the worst thing you can do if you want to build add-on sales and repeat business.

What did I just say?

I'm the President of Customersatisfaction.com and I said satisfying customers may not be a good idea. Am I out of my mind?

Possibly, but I'm still right, at least according to industrial psychologist Frederick Herzberg, who famously pointed out: "A satisfied need is NOT a motivator!"

Let me give you an example.

You've heard the expression that you should never do your shopping for groceries on an empty stomach because you'll end up buying nearly everything in the store, right? Your need, your hunger is motivating you to buy, right now.

But if your belly is full, you'll be less impulsive and more thoughtful about your purchases.

Here's an illustration that's closer to home.

I conduct seminars, and a major part of my business is doing them publicly, and then having participants feel motivated to invite me to their organizations to do them there.

If attendees in my public sessions actually leave believing that they heard everything, or that the outline I supplied is definitive and exhausting, why bring me to their sites?

They'll only be motivated if they believe that they didn't capture everything; that I have so much to offer that the only way it will be translated into action at their firms is through my direct efforts.

So, should I impart the idea that they've received all of my wisdom? No way, if I want add-on business, or to develop an after-market for my products and services.

This is known as the Scheherazade Principle. You remember her. She is the fictional character that saves her life by telling the sultan stories that never conclude, that always have to be continued.

Well, I could say a lot more about this principle, and oh so many others, and if you'd like to hear about these ideas, I'll be happy to share them with you on a consulting basis.

Just give me a holler!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com & The Goodman Organization is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to http://www.customersatisfaction.com