On this page you'll find links to literally dozens of Jeff Mowatt's 30-second tips for improving internal and external customer service.
To receive free updates with Jeff's latest tips, or to order these tips in book or CDrom format to share with your team, click on the "Latest Tip" link to the left.
- Tips on How to Make a Positive First Impression
- Tips on How to Improve Customer Service
- Tips on How to Handle Customers on the Telephone
- Tips on How to Manage Waiting Lines, Line-Ups, and Multiple Customers
- Tips on How to Break Bad News Gently
- Tips on How to Deal with Dissatisfied Customers and Handle Complaints
- Tips on Customer Service Systems and Trends
- Tips on How to Sell
- Tips on How to Identify Customer Needs
- Tips on How to Up-sell and Cross-sell
- Tips on How to Handle Buying Objections
- Tips on How to Qualify Prospects
- Tips on How to Cold Call
- Tips on How to Negotiate
- Tips on How to Become a Better Leader
- Tips on How to Influence Others
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Tips on How to Make a Positive First Impression
- Get in-sync with customers
- "Hi, Have you been here before"
- Avoid telling the world your troubles
- Avoiding Wardrobe Malfunctions
- Learn the Local Language
- What Neatness Really Means
- Is Your Public Behavior Remarkable?
- Casual Elegance or Casual Sloppy
- When Does a Sale Begin?
- What's in a Name?
- Business Etiquette - Are you On Time?
- It's OK to Fake it Now and Then
- Great Service despite Bad Days
- Looking for love in the Wrong Places
- I'm not your Buddy
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Tips on How to Improve Customer Service
- Two words to boost your Business
- I'll be "Happy To"
- "No Problem"
- "Sir and Madam" (Politeness that's Considered Rude)
- Answer the Question, then Elaborate
- Ask if it Would be Useful
- "My Pleasure"
- "Anything Else I Can Do For You?"
- Power of Touch
- What do you think We can do to Improve?
- "I'll Take Care of It"
- The Reciprocity Response
- Make Your "Thank You" Memorable
- It's In The Bag
- Ensure That Customers get Your Message
- Take Ten Before & Ten After
- How do you Rate Your Status
- Do you "Have to" or "Get to"?
- Stop Checking your Blackberry
- What Are You Like to Work With?
- Overall Context Over Immediate Concern
- "That's A Great Question..."
- Problems Solved within 24 Hours
- Creating Clarity for Distracted Customers
- It's OK - I Trust You
- Pass The Candy Dish
- Tell them Why they're a Good Customer
- Are You a Friend or a Professional?
- Just Say No to the Nightly News
- Are you an Informer or Interpreter
- When You Forget Their Name
- The 'Secret' of Customer Service Motivation
- I am Not an Action!
- Happiness and the Roto-Rooter Guy
- Those darned customers!
- When Customers are Clumsy
- Does your expertise insult customers?
- It's on the house
- That's not my job!
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Tips on How to Handle Customers on the Telephone
- "Thank You for Calling..."
- How May I Rush You?
- Nix "...speaking" from your Telephone Greeting
- How to Lose a Customer in Under Five Seconds
- "Returning your call"
- Transferring a call, "Certainly"
- Receiving a Transferred Call
- Interrupt Caller - Call Their Name
- Common Blunders with 'Please-hold' Messages
- Avoiding the Run-around
- When You're being Pushed
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Tips on How to Manage Waiting Lines, Line-Ups, and Multiple Customers
- Are you Breaking Assumed Promises
- Do you 'Accidentally' Offend Customers?
- Instant Acknowledgment
- Are you Visible and Available?
- Eye on the Prize
- Service isn't Servitude
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Tips on How to Break Bad News Gently
- Tone Down Bad News
- Catastophize and Take Responsibility
- Give the Positive Side of Info "Walk Please"
- "Do you Want the Good News...?"
- "We can't Overlook...
- Reveal Similar Circumstances
- Three Words that Annoy Customers
- Softening a Blunt Message
- When Cheerfulness Backfires
- How to lose friends and disinterest people
- Whatever happened to bravery?
- The worst way to break bad news
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Tips on How to Deal with Dissatisfied Customers and Handle Complaints
- Give something for inconvenience
- Upset customers - don't ask "Why?"
- Discuss customer concerns, not complaints
- What will work best for you?
- The Power of Empathy
- Take Ownership of Complaints
- Lighten the Load for Upset Customers
- Take Recovery Skills to a Higher Level
- How to Disarm a Bank Robber
- What Can You Do?
- Dissatisfied Customers - What's Really At Stake
- What NOT to say to upset Customers
- How Bad News Creates Loyal Customers
- One word that makes bad things worse
- What's mood got to do with it?
- What others are saying about you
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Tips on Customer Service Systems and Trends
- Experience Skills
- Are you Predictable?
- Service is a popularity contest
- Are your repeat customers Loyal?
- To whom do you give preference?
- Closing the Customer Feedback Loop
- Students for Customer Surveys
- Fair isn't Equal
- What's your First Priority?
- The most Profitable Customers
- Creating a Customer Focused Culture
- How to Compete when Value is Assumed
- The Misnomer of Customer 'Loyalty' Programs
- The Soft Sounds of Spending
- Don't be Better, be Different
- A Lesson from King Arthur
- The joy of 'Hassle Free'
- What are You Like to Work With?
- Hiring Motivated Employees
- What your customers are Really Saying
- When Nature Calls
- Good News about the Recession
- Serve the Whales
- The Next Big Thing in Customer Service
- Good News Fridays
- Insider Information
- Motivating your Millennials
- Why Customer Service Rumours are Spreading
- The Downside of Good Service
- No big deal losing a few customers?
- $180 Million Customer Service Foul-up
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Tips on How to Sell
- "Really, believe me"
- Ask permission to present
- The Rule of Three
- Share your Grand Intention
- Ask a Question as a Statement
- Ask question, then stop
- "What that means to you is...
- Quoting package Savings
- Replace 'if' with 'when'
- Honesty - Point out Your Product's Weaknesses
- Could you Give me Some Advice?
- Point out that you're not on Commission
- Offer a "Unique Selling Proposition"
- The Power of Demonstration
- Personal Stories Sell
- Use "Linking Phrases"
- Your Thoughts?
- Selling Smarter
- Creating the Right Selling Mindset
- Sell More by Taking it Away
- Conveying Professional Pride without Bragging
- Offer Less and Sell More
- The Value of the Slight Edge
- Ask What if...?
- The Myth of Requesting Referrals
- I'm Probably Overselling This
- Selling to Skeptical Customers
- The Myth of Low Prices
- The "Number One" way to Lose a Sale
- What's Your Customer's Budget?
- No referrals for good service
- What makes you different?
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Tips on How to Identify Customer Needs
- Give Positive Intentions before asking Questions
- Summarize your Understanding
- "...see if there's a fit"
- "It sounds like..."
- Echo Technique
- Getting Faster results by Slowing Down
- Ask About the Budget
- Crucial Questions to Superior Sales
- Six words to become a Trusted Advisor
- When to ignore customer wants and likes
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Tips on How to Up-sell and Cross-sell
- Upselling - timing is crucial
- The Professional Upselling Difference
- Convert "Up-selling" into "Value-adding"
- Make-the-Day of your Best Customers
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Tips on How to Handle Buying Objections
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Tips on How to Qualify Prospects
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Tips on How to Cold Call
- Cold calling, "How are you?"
- Getting Face-to-Face
- You're not in a Meeting are You?
- Warming up Cold-Calls
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Tips on How to Negotiate
- "I had in mind"
- Replace 'but' with 'and'
- Focus on interests vs position
- "I see your point"
- The Gasp Reaction
- Negotiate Trade-offs
- Setting the Stage for Win/Win
- Stop Wasting Time and Profits on Bottom Feeders
- Negotiating with Nay-Sayers
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Tips on How to Become a Better Leader
- My Dad's Annoying Advice
- Leadership Lessons From Peter Rabbit
- Leaders Speak Last in Meetings
- Wishy-Washy or In-Command?
- Are You For or Against This?
- Group Presentations - Eye Contact
- Do You Confront or Attack?
- The Hundred Dollar Handshake
- One sentence to inspire an employee
- Zen in the Art of Customer Service
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Tips on How to Influence Others
- Challenge the Conventional Wisdom
- Complain to the Top
- Weekly Update
- "I Wonder if You Might Help Me"
- No one Likes a Know-it-all
- Express Anger but Don't Demonstrate
- If I Asked you Politely
- Speak Lower Than Previous Person
- Ensuring That You've Been Listened-to
- Itemize Your Points and Questions
- "Good Time to Talk?"
- Make the Most of Compliments
- "You'll like this..."
- The Myth of Self-Promotion
- Two Words that Gain Commitment
- A Lesson from Grandma
- Release the Hot Air from Puffery Statements
- Enough with the, "Happy Holidays"
- You Bring... I Bring
- Show-up Like a Grown-up
- Agree to Disagree
- The Myth of Self Expression
- Voicing Opinions or Spouting Platitudes?
- Take Some Calendar Comfort
- What I DO Know is...
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