Do you know who your best colleagues and supporters are? Can you list them? Do they know that they landed on your Cheerleader List?
If “Sally” serves as a Cheerleader for you and your business, how does she do that? Does she open doors for you? Does she sign your praises to the right people? Does she give you great advice? Read more
We celebrate Customer Service week during the first full week of October. Signed into law by President George Bush in 1992, the focus is employees!
“Attention is devoted to recognizing the importance of customer service and to honoring the people who serve and support customers with the highest degree of care and professionalism.”
What was your first work experience?
Not your first job. When I ask this question, the answers range from delivering newspapers, picking vegetables on a neighbor’s farm, babysitting, cleaning out the horse barn for a neighbor, caddying at the local golf course to picking berries in the garden.
My first work experience was when I was 10 years old. My Mom had gone back to work as a nurse and had said (or what I heard her say) that her return to work was because we needed the money. I thought that if I could contribute to the family budget, my mom would not have to work. I knew that my getting a job was out of the question because of my age. Read more
Yes, it’s confirmed. We are still in a recession although recovering. There’s no avoiding that reality. And, if you read recent news features, you will see gloom and doom articles warning us of a bigger recession on its way by the end of 2013! Those who encourage business owners to get “back to basics” are loudly shouting that attention to the delivery of excellent customer service will help to keep you in business. There’s been a recent flood of articles relating to customer service in the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Inc., and too many books to list. The torrent of words to raise service awareness promises increased sales, customer loyalty, increased productivity and greater job satisfaction. This information is not new! When has customer service not mattered? Don’t we all know that without loyal customers, businesses will find themselves with no business? Read more
Too many small business owners are stuck in the “once and done” style of doing business. You know, make a sale and then find someone else to sell to.
One way to get customers to become steady clients is to create and offer them a buying schedule. Marketing professionals call this “till forbid”. This is an on-going buying arrangement in which the seller keeps sending product or providing service till told to stop. Read more
Would you consider yourself to be a Networking Ninja?
The Ninja Networker
Developing some of the qualities of a Ninja would greatly enhance your Networking toolkit. Read more
Why do some businesses thrive and others never make it?
This is a question that has haunted me for over 15 years as I’ve coached many business owners from Florida to California.
My theory is that thriving businesses are constantly and consistently engaged with their customers and clients and are on the look-out for new customers. They never stop prospecting. So, if there is this simple answer, why do business owners stop engaging with their current customers and stop looking for new customers? Read more
Just this morning I learned (again) that most people are not comfortable introducing themselves and their business. It is so important to have this mastered. It is so basic! How can a business owner expect the other small business owners in the networking group to ‘sell’ him when he can’t tell the group what he does? This doesn’t make sense, does it? I’ve helped hundreds of small business owners hone their introduction or “elevator speech”. Read more
In Ancient Rome, after he built an arch, the engineer in charge was expected to stand beneath it as the scaffolding was removed. If the arch did not hold, he was the first to know! A great example of keeping ownership where it belongs!
In today’s business environment, when business owners keep lifting the weight off the shoulders of their staff, the staff never learns to build their own muscle. Here’s what I’m talking about. When your customers need attention, make sure your employees know how to take care of them. If your employees do not do this well, you are losing market share because customer care and customer service are your only sustainable competitive advantage. If your customers feel the love, they will stay with you. If they don’t, usually they will leave without telling you why. Read more
Savvy Business Networkers “Get It”
According to Barbra Streisand, “People who need people…are the luckiest people in the world.” This is not a new story – or song. Since the dawn of time, people have needed people to survive.
The creation of community for support, sharing of resources and information, socialization and camaraderie that coming together can bring, has been recognized as a human need since our ancestors began to inhabit our planet. Read more