Yes! The magic word for better business

This scenario has happened to all of us:

You walk into a company's customer service center with an issue you feel needs to be resolved. Something has happened to make you less than satisfied with their product or service, but there is still a chance for them to make things right.

But, you know from the moment you lay eyes on the person across the counter that the answer to your question is probably "no." Right away his demeanor is confrontational, daring you to get past his defenses. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, he is too timid to make even the smallest decision on his own.

It reminds me of the saying a friend of mine shared with me from his days in the army. He was a clerk in a military supply depot. His boss put a sign over the front desk that read: "Your request is disapproved. Resubmit in 90 days for further disapproval."

That about sums up the attitude of many people in business. How does this happen?

It's true that many employees bring a natural pessimism and grumpiness to work with them every day. They seem to actually take pleasure in saying "no," when "yes" would cost them nothing at all. As managers, the best you can do is try and keep such people away from the general population of your clients and customers.

But I think the culture of "no" in business goes deeper than a few gloomy employees. In fact, it is often created by thoughtless - and usually inadvertent - management practices. Employees learn when to say "yes" from their managers.

I run a couple of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream stores. Everyone loves ice cream, and our product towers above the competition (take it from me!). It's hard to create dissatisfaction with so much going for us. So why did a customer named Barbara call me recently to complain about her experience at my store? The answer is, I had unknowingly taught one of my employees to say "no" instead of "yes."

Here's what happened: Barbara had a coupon for a discount on her next purchase. She had saved it until she had time to bring her kids down to our store for a treat. So far, so good. The problem started when she presented the coupon to Dan, the cashier - who noticed it had expired the previous week. Following the letter of the law, Dan would not accept the coupon.

How was this my fault? I had not done a proper job of empowering Dan to think for himself, to see the bigger picture. Sure, I would not have wanted him to honor the expired coupon if someone walked in the door with two hundred of them. That customer is simply running a scam. Rules like expiration dates are not there to keep us from making our ordinary customers happy. It was my job, as manager, to make sure everyone knew that.

Here's a success story that illustrates my point:

A friend of mine has a relatively new car that broke down recently. He wasn't worried, because it was still under warranty - or so he thought. It turned out the odometer stood 204 miles over the 36,000 mark specified in his warranty. Technically, the woman checking him in could have said "no."

But she didn't. She fudged the numbers and, in doing so, created a satisfied customer who has told the story to dozens of people. Did her action cost the company a little money? Yes - in the short term. Did she strengthen the company in the process? Absolutely.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as managers, if you'd like to replace the culture of "no" with a climate of "yes:"

1. Every job is a customer service job. What are you and your employees at work to make? Customer satisfaction. Profit will follow that commitment.

2. Safety first. If your employees feel that a "mistake" will earn them a reprimand, or even cost them their job, they will always choose "no" over "yes." Make them feel safe, and that you will back them up.

3. Practice what you preach. When your employees come to you with ideas for how to improve your operation, be careful you don't automatically shut them down with "no," when "yes" would go a long way toward making them feel like a valuable part of the team.

Your business will be better off if everyone treats "no" as a word of last resort.