Visibility

How to Lose Customers #1

2009-01-02T21:39:34Z

From my mechanic, who just made 1200 bucks off me: Don’t call me when my car is ready, even though you said you would.

Posted in Customer Service, Small Biz Marketing

3 Little Words…

2008-12-15T13:21:20Z

So goes the apocryphal story, a manufacturer needed to improve sales of their product. Apparently, people were not buying it often enough. A marketing genius came up with a way for buyers to use up, and therefore buy more of, the product, at double the current rate.

This was accomplished by adding three words to the label on the package.

“Lather, Rinse, Repeat“

Posted in Small Biz Marketing

Are You Listening?

2008-11-10T20:45:57Z

Interesting post from allergicgirl: are you listening when your customers tell you what they do or do not like? Apparently some chefs feel folks are being less than honest, saying they are allergic to something when they are not.

I say, if that’s what it takes to get you to not put nuts in my food, well, that’s what has to be done.

Posted in Achievement

Innovation

2008-08-20T16:40:36Z

It sounds like a big word, but it’s a very simple concept.

I wish there was a/an (X) so I wouldn’t have to (Y).

Scott Ginsberg calls it The Ultimate Dream Statement™.

Six Words and a Name

2008-07-17T15:46:12Z

The director in the Billing Department passed through the office and noticed that the font office staff answered the phone with one word: “Billing.”

Well, this drove her nuts. She went to her Office Manager and asked if maybe they could make a small change to the greeting, like maybe, “Billing department, how can I help you?” And maybe say their name?

Can’t do it,” the manager said. “Takes too much time.”

Well, the director finally got her way, and now that office gets more compliments for customer services than the entire rest of the company.

For six words and a name.

How can you make your greeting more friendly?

Nothing Can Stop You

2008-05-31T19:39:08Z

There is absolutely nothing that can stop you if you don’t want it to. The only thing that can stop you is your decision to stop.

If they laugh at you…don’t stop
If they tell you it won’t work…don’t stop
If you’re afraid it won’t work…don’t stop
If they tell you you’re not smart enough…don’t stop
If you’re afraid you’re not smart enough…don’t stop

Go Get It…It’s Yours
———————–
RobWallis
robwallis@thewallisgroup.com

What Are You Afraid Of?

2008-05-29T15:35:13Z

It’s a question I have asked myself so many times until I’m tired of hearing it. We prevent ourselves from doing so many things because we are afraid. Afraid of what people will say, afraid that we will fail, afraid that we won’t like the result, whatever. The bottom line is that YOU DON’T KNOW UNTIL YOU DO IT.

Most people, me included, spend so much time worrying about “what if.” My wife came up with a saying recently that I think is very appropriate: “Don’t focus on ‘what if’, only on ‘what is’”. What that means is, if you don’t know the answer, you don’t have enough information to be afraid. So many people are certain that they will fail. No matter what it is that you want to do, you don’t know until you try. And most of the time, it will cost you nothing to try. And you just might succeed.

As a wise person once told me, you have absolutely no right to have an opinion on any subject until you have actually lived it yourself. Don’t ask people who haven’t done it. In fact, don’t ask anybody. Most people can only give you their opinion through their own filter of experience, which may be completely different than yours. How do you know? You have to live it yourself!

YES, you can learn from other’s experiences, as long as they don’t scare you out of having your own. Stop worrying about failure; worry about what you’re missing when you try too few times.

And what if you fail? Sure, your pride might get hurt a little, you may even be out some money. But in the long run, even of you do fail, you will have learned a valuable lesson which you will know not to repeat.

Think: It won’t kill you (if it would, you probably shouldn’t be doing it in the first place). Now go out there, stop worrying and START LIVING!

————————————————————————————————–
Rob Wallis is a speaker and trainer specializing in personal development, productivity and time management. He is founder and CEO of The Wallis Group, a productivity firm located in California. Contact him at rob@thewallisgroup.com.

Quitting is not an option now

2008-05-26T19:41:01Z

Found this interesting link on the “Motivate Me” blog site. How many times have you quit too soon?

Did you get my email?

2008-05-25T19:44:02Z

One thing to keep in mind: email is not instant communication; email is instant ONE WAY communication. Have you ever had a colleague who sent you an email, then called you to make sure you got the email? How likely are you to want to help this person?

I’m going to suggest something really radical: check your email once a day.

Seriously.

If you are like most people and check your email every few minutes, or have some sort of alert system to tell you when you have a new email, stop it. You are splitting your focus and becoming inefficient.

Now, of course, if you are waiting for an answer about some urgent issue that you need to know right now, that’s a totally different subject. But most of us do not have that problem. We have just created email as a sort of instant messenger, in that we expect people to immediately jump and answer
our questions, just as if they had called us on the phone. (You don’t answer the phone every time it rings, do you?)

–Rob

How to Make To-Do Lists Work for You

2008-05-25T19:26:03Z

By Will Newman

To-do lists are effective time-management tools - but only if they’re easy to use. Here are six strategies for making your to-do lists work hard for you.

1. Keep it simple.

Whether you use a computer-based to-do list or a paper tablet, it must be simple. If it’s too complex, you won’t use it… guaranteed. I keep my to-do lists on a 5″ x 7″ paper tablet. I list “major” tasks to be accomplished, with big sub-steps underneath each one. For example, “Edit The Golden Thread e-letter for AWAI” is a major task of mine. “Write main article,” “write Quick Tip,” and “write Introduction” are big sub-steps.

Note: A major task is not necessarily one that takes a long time.

2. Limit yourself.

Small paper tablets work well, because there’s a limit to how much you can write on a page. I stick to a maximum of 10 tasks, all of which can be accomplished within a week of when I list them.

3. Set a due date - and stick to it.

Due dates help prioritize what you do and when. Do not work on tasks in the order in which you write them down. Jot down the due date beside each one, and do them in the order of their deadlines.

4. Use a dark marker to reinforce your feeling of accomplishment.

Cross off sub-steps as you complete them with a regular pen. Use a dark marker to cross off the major tasks. Boy, does it feel good!

5. Redo the list every workday.

Do it every evening. This gives you a clear idea of what you have to do before the end of the next day.

6. Add “pop-ups” to your list.

When something pops up during the day that has to be attended to (such as an important phone call), add it to your to-do list - even if you’ve already done it. Then cross it off. To-do lists not only tell you what you have to do, they can tell you if you’re using your time well.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

Movin into HIGH Gear!!!

2007-08-21T02:52:00Z

Here we go folk. I got a new job and it's...guess what? In marketing!! That means this blog is Takin' Off!!

Stay tuned!

Danny Elfman's Commencement Speech

2007-07-10T17:30:00Z

"...for some of you, that road (to following your dreams) might be a smooth, paved highway. I envy you, and I wish you well, but what I’ve got to say will have no relevance for you."

There's some serious relevance here for me, and, I'll bet, for you.

Read the whole thing here.

What Can You Learn From the Best?

2007-06-28T18:17:00Z

John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing has a great post on things the best retailers do to market themselves. These are things that anyone can do, and should. Great stuff as usual!!

Are You A TRUE Entrepreneur?

2007-06-11T18:00:00Z

David Hooper has an interesting post about what it takes to be a true entrepreneur. Do you fit the bill? Or are you stil lworried about what your friends and family think? Good reading!

Does Your Management Policy Match Your Service Policy?

2007-06-05T17:56:00Z

What if your customer service policy says one thing and your management says another? Recently a friend in the retail business told me of a number of cases when a customer would ask for something that was specifically against the policy of the store, for example, their money back after the 90 day deadline, etc. In every case, after the Customer Service rep said no, the customer complained to the Store Manager, who immediately overrode the policy and gave the customer what they wanted.

What you need to do is COORDINATE YOUR POLICIES. Overriding the very rules you put in place only makes your front line staff look bad. Either change the rules or stop changing them every time someone whines loud enough.

Now, I have no problem making the customer happy, but why have a policy you don't enforce? Would it not be better to drop the rules (since you don't enforce them anyway), and adopt a "make every customer happy" policy?

"But Rob," you say, "then everyone would take advantage of us!"

Not necessarily.

Yes, they may tell their friends about your fabulous return policy. But think about this: What happened when that complaining customer got what she wanted? She was happy. What do happy customers do? Tell others about their experience.

What would she do if you sent her away fuming? Tell others about her experience.

Which story would you rather have her tell her friends?

Like everything else when you are providing a service CONSISTENCY IS EVERYTHING. Everyone likes special treatment, unless it's not happening to them.

Rob Wallis is an author and speaker on workplace communication and customer service, and founder of The Wallis Group. Find him on the web at TheWallisGroup.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Wallis

ORGANIZING YOUR EMAIL

2007-05-29T02:16:00Z

STEP 1. FOLDERIZE

You're staring at a sea of emails. Most of them you have already read, and you haven't deleted them yet because there's some action you have to take. Or you might need the infomation later. Or you don't know if you need the information, but you might someday.

Here's the thing: you simply cannot look at all of those messages, read or unread, and process the information that you need to on a daily basis. It's the equivalent of a cluttered desk: All of the distractions are keeping you from FOCUS, which is what it takes to be EFFECTIVE.

Lucky for you, there is a cure: FOLDERIZING

Here's how it works: put your email into folders. Categorize either by subject or author, or whatever makes sense to you. What is most important is that you create a folder for each category, and create a rule for your incoming email that will put the mail into those folders.

That way you can read what you want to read, when you want to read it.

Are You Excited About Your Complaints?

2007-05-25T16:46:00Z

"Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business."
-- Zig Ziglar

Where Does It All Start?

2007-05-24T02:20:00Z

People will say that service starts with training. Actually, service starts with HIRING. HIRING the right people is the first step in spectacular service. You need to hire people who:

1. Have a pleasant attitude. Attitude is key in customer care. No one can serve properly with a bad attitude.

2. Have a service mindset. You need to find people who want to serve. Who have experience serving. Who needs someone who stares out the window and waits for their shift to be over? That's not making you money!

3. Are willing to learn to serve. THIS is where the training comes in. And it's essential. You simply cannot drop people on the floor and expect them to know what to do. They need to know your philosophy. If you don't have a philosophy, you need to get one before you start hiring. If you don't know where you're going, how can your staff?

A Solution for Better Service?

2007-05-23T17:20:00Z

Maria Palma on Her Blog talks about a possible solution to better service. Would a reward system work in most businesses?

I commented that Macy's had an interesting reward policy, in that they had staff members write their names on the bottom of the receipt, so you could go to a website and rate their service. The trouble was most of the staffers scribbled their name so illegibly, I couldn't have raved about them if I wanted to.

What's your take?

The Acting Approach

2007-05-23T02:24:00Z

One of the things that Service Maven Bob Farrell talks about is that even if you don't FEEL like giving good service, it's still your JOB. Which made me think about the possibility of hiring actors for customer service positions. I know, it's cliche, actors as waiters and all that. But it kind of makes sense: here are people who can practice their avocation while making a living. Here is your role: you are a customer service professional. Your job is to give your guests SPECTACULAR Service, no matter what.

Could work.