Contrary to Billboard’s recent cover of Justin Beiber
plastered alongside Usher under the “Top of Their Game” proclamation, I remain
unmoved in my anti-fandom. Yet, with 20K+ followers hooked on his Twitter line
and through the roof record sales, the Bieb deserves an encore for masterfully
playing to his audience. So what’s a pop phenom who places a premium on
relationship-building got to do with communication? Everything.
Several days ago, I suffered two hellacious customer service
experiences consecutively. UGH! One involved a nail shop technician who handily
dismissed my mild complaints about her tardiness to the appointment party. The
other issue, provoked by a local plumbing company’s three-hour missed
commitment, continued the dissatisfaction frenzy. Their rallying cry happens to
be ‘service is more than a courtesy, it’s a commitment.’ Really? Pace/Lead is a communications strategy designed to implant positive reinforcement or overcome objections through customer alignment. The lead may be conveyed in the form of a question, opinion or statement while the pace portion cements alignment with the customer’s concerns or interests. Here’s how the Pace/Lead strategy could’ve been utilized in both situations as a disgruntlement diffuser:
PACE: Your disappointment is understandable since I, too,
expect timeliness when I set a service appointment.
LEAD: It’s very unfortunate
when mechanical failure occurs.
PACE: If I were you, I’d be upset too because your weekend
schedule has been unexpectedly disrupted by our late arrival.
The faulty faucet’s restoration to its drip-free condition
before 10pm and the plumbing company’s $75 discount scored minor victory
for me.
Although simplistic, the Pace/Lead technique deposits a
positive emotional effect which yields a relationship-building bonus. Not merely
limited to sealing the sale, this A-game communications strategy also works
wonders in curbing personal conflict. Try it and you may like it just as much
as boy-crazed adolescent girls do Justin Beiber. 
