Once you start looking, level-up-examples are everywhere. You can get the job done on a basic level, and you can level-up to create opportunities. Some examples:

Let’s look at NCAB’s values first:

With Quality first you can just meet the specs – and at times that’s all the customer wants – but sometimes you can also add value by levelling up and noticing an opportunity that the customer didn’t see.

Strong relationships: customers will appreciate that you are friendly, but if they can also see that you are interested in what they need, that really builds loyalty.

One way of taking Full responsibility is to deliver as promised, but we can take even more responsibility if we also prepare for future business, maybe by preventing misunderstandings or lining up logistics. More examples!

In the last lesson, we talked about strategy and how we can do the same thing as everyone else or paddle into a Blue Ocean (while still keeping an eye on the sharks).

In NCAB Academy, all courses are about leveling-up and I hope you will see them all!

For example in Negotiation, you can argue in the price corridor or learn how to create a dance floor, where win-win agreements are possible.

In Complaint handling, you can avoid an angry customer or learn how to lean in, control your dinosaur impulse and build a strong relationship.

And in the Heed the need – course, you learn how to – not just say goodbye – but end a phone call in a way that prepares for new business, by levelling up to agreeing on a next step.

Leveling-up is a principle that can be used on anything – from business strategy to how to end a phone call. Notice three things in the examples:

Levelling up starts with an initiative

…you have to make your mind up to do it.

When you level up you expand your perspective

…from just getting-the-job-done. Usually this involves understanding another person, maybe even a customer.

You level up to create opportunities for the future

… you increase your odds of success without knowing exactly how it will turn out.

So, when levelling up, there is no precise plan. It’s a bit unpredictable; it’s exploring. And that’s what the next lesson is all about.