Customer Retention and Elul

I recently was in a customer retention workshop at work when my ADD brain once again committed the peculiar habit of making strange connections.

We were learning מודל השפעה – The Influence Model of sales developed in the 70s about the four Mems. מקרב, מברר, מכוון, מסכם. 

Mekarev – מקרב: To bring close – to make small talk with the customer. So too we can make small talk with God. We can set aside a few minutes to have a friendly chat with God about our difficulties and desires.

Mevarer – מברר: To clarify – to understand who the customer is and what his needs are and also to decipher our sphere of influence. I’ll refer now to the serenity prayer, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” We can ask God to help us understand what our true needs are to help us live a fulfilling life. Comparably, when we hear the customer share his troubles we need to clarify what the best solution would be.

Mekaven – מכוון: To have intention – to direct the customer by asking the relevant questions. Correspondingly, we need to be honest with ourselves and ask ourselves focused questions. “Am I happy?” “Does my self worth allow me to effortlessly brush off any offensive behavior towards me?” “Do I speak up when I see incidents of exclusion and do I always try to model inclusivity?” “Do I speak up about injustice?” “Do I see myself just as worthy as the most powerful men in the world?” “Do I stand up for myself when I’m mistreated?”

Mesakem – מסכם: To summarize and to close the deal – we give our closing statements to the customer. We review with the customer which solution we implemented and we read the disclaimer. We conclude with a literal or figurative handshake and we delight in the satisfaction of having sincerely assisted another human being. Correspondingly, we bask in contentment as we walk away from the final climax of Elul, Yom Kippur, and we silently applaud ourselves.