Front Line Authority

In any sales environment, there will always be front line people who have direct contact with customers. Hopefully you have selected your most cordial and knowledgeable employees for this important part of your business. In many cases they will even get to know your customers better than you, the owner does. Good front line people can supply customer satisfaction, create repeat business, referrals and loyalty which will help grow your company.

It doesn't matter whether it's a retail or business to business situation, they will get to know your customers. And your customers will get to know them also, especially the "good ones" and the "bad ones." While your big corporate competitors insist that their front line people "follow the book" like robots, you can let your good people make minor decisions on their own. This will solve many problems quickly and put a smile on the customer's face.
More on Front Line Authority in chapter 47 of my book "The Jelly Bean Principle" available at amazon.com or 877-700-1322.