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Tips for Closing Out 2011 and Preparing for a Rockin’ 2012
Thanks to Amber Ludwig for today’s insightful guest post:
We are all winding down the 2011 year (hard to believe it went by so quickly!) and resting up to take charge in early 2012. It is important to really take that time to REST because January is an often hectic month where business owners, like you and me, are eager to expand, build and conquer. We are FULL of inspiration and creative ideas. Many also feel financial pressure from spending a little too much over the holidays, and expansion in business usually requires a budget to play with. Today I hope to provide some tips for consideration to help you through this transition.
Efficient or Fun? Pick One
Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be efficient. Take this morning…. I approached the Safeway checkout lines with my 2 items. Two express lines were open.
Line #1: Tami is my favorite checker. She’s friendly to everyone, and we’ve both taken PSI Seminar, so it’s fun to have that in common, to check in on a deeper level.
A couple people waited for Tami’s register, so being efficient, I picked the register with no customers:
Line #2: Maile the checker always seems to be bored out of her gourd, and I’ve never seen her smile. When she mumbled, “Thanks for shopping at Safeway,” I didn’t believe she meant it.
I left the store trailing a dark cloud. What was I thinking? For a few more minutes of my time, I coulda had a V-8. I mean, I could have enjoyed checking out with Tami. I could have left Safeway with a laugh instead of a lesson.
When Is a Thank-You Call Unwelcome?
One of my favorite charities called this morning to say Thanks. Normally, I’d appreciate a call like that, especially since they weren’t hitting me up for money.
But not at 5:15 AM.
Who calls at that hour? It’s never good news. The ringing woke me up. Wrong number? No. When I heard a woman’s voice leaving a message, I ran for the phone. That meant dashing down the stairs and rushing to the kitchen, just in time to hear the voice wishing me “happy holidays”….click.
Who called? The Heifer Project. I love these folks. I love giving chicks, rabbits, goats and bees to people around the world. I love knowing that I help people help themselves. I make it possible for poor folks to send kids to school or plug a leaky roof. And I appreciate a thank-you.
But not at 5:15 AM.
Strictly Business: How to Lose Customers, FAST!
How to squeeze more bucks from customers and put your business’s trust at risk. A guest post from Philip E. Humbert:
I had an astonishingly bad experience with a major clothing store this week, and I want to tell you about it. Perhaps it will remind all of us that perceptions count and integrity matters.
As a favor to my wife, I agreed to call a major catalog retailer and order some fall and winter outfits for her. I figured it would take 10 minutes to call the store, order the items, bill the credit card, and be done with it. And it might have, except for one little thing.
At the end of the call, the order taker asked permission to “include information about our travel club” in the shipment. I wasn’t interested and vaguely replied that would be fine. She then repeated the offer and said she needed a specific yes or no. That got my attention and I started asking questions.
Resume Bloopers: I Enjoy Cooking Chinese and Italians
Why bother to proofread your résumé when you can write a timeless blooper instead? Read carefully. Some bloops are suttle, I mean, subtle.
- “I am about to enrol on a Business and Finance Degree with the Open University. I feel that this qualification will prove detrimental to me for future success.”
- “I’m intrested to here more about that. I’m working today in a furniture factory as a drawer.”
- “Hobbies: enjoy cooking Chinese and Italians.”
- “2001 summer Voluntary work for taking care of the elderly and vegetable people.”
- “Skills: Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team Player, Self Motivated, Attention to Detail.
- “Objective: Career on the Information Supper Highway.”
- “Experience: Stalking, shipping & receiving”
- “I am great with the pubic.”
- “My duties included cleaning the restrooms and seating the customers.”
- “Revolved customer problems and inquiries.”
- “Consistently tanked as top sales producer for new accounts.”
Good Customer Service: How to Make Your Customers Feel Special
Two Important Questions About Customer Service:
1. How can you make a difference in your customers’ lives?
2. How can you build the loyalty that makes them come back?
Johnny, a supermarket bagger, heard trainer Barbara Blanchard ask these questions. He wondered what he could do to create memories and make each customer feel special.
And he came up with a terrific solution. Watch this movie, and find out how a guy with Down Syndrome inspired the whole store.
=====
Has someone made you feel like a special customer? I welcome your comments.
I’ll Call You
“I’ll call you in a few days.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Lies, lies, lies. And I’m grumpy because I wanted the information they were going to tell me later.
I’m good about keeping my word because I feel good about myself when I do. So when you hear me say, “I’ll call you,” know that I have a back-up plan:
- I write myself a reminder.
- As I write, I think, “Remember to read this later.” [Note the wording here: I'm more likely to remember an instruction that says remember than one that says don't forget.]
- I add, “If you don’t hear from me, please send me an email reminder.”
Conversation Tip of the Day
Return calls when you said you would, even if you say only, “I don’t have the information yet. I’ll call again as soon as I have it.” Keep your word so people will trust you, and so you can trust yourself. It’s a must in business. It’s a courtesy in life.
Giving Feedback: Do You Know Your Toupee Sucks?
I noticed his hair right away. It looks like a rug on a canteloupe: an odd color, styled for the Seventies. I know the guy cares about his looks because he’s in the gym all the time. And I want to give him some feedback on that furry spider on top of his head. It would be a gift to say, “Did you know your toupee sucks?”
A gift? To whom?
To me, of course, because he’d hustle himself to a stylist and bring himself into the new millennium, and he wouldn’t frighten ducks and small children any more.
In my dreams.
Did he ask for my opinion? Ahhh, noo-o-o-o. That’s the thing about feedback of the “constructive” kind. He has to want it or at least tolerate it for the sake of an improved relationship with somebody who matters, say, his boss or significant other. I’m a nobody. Over six months, our total gym conversation went: “Are you using this?”
10 Tips to Write a Great Thank-You Note
Do you know how to write a great thank-you note or letter? You will when you follow these ten tips. It’s easy. Here’s your incentive: The better your note, the more great gifts you’ll get. It’s the Law of Attraction in action.
1. Be speedy.
If the gift of flowers has turned to mulch, you’re writing too late. My friend Beverly was at the other extreme: On Christmas afternoon her mother sat her down at the kitchen table to write thank you notes. In my opinion, that’s too soon because she hadn’t played with the gifts yet and couldn’t write from her experience. But do write within a week. Do it before the giver wonders if the gift arrived or if you’ve been mulched.
2. Use a small piece of stationery.
A small space is doable; it’s not daunting. Your short message will look better than it would on a big page. You won’t be tempted to say too much, like how Uncle Mike got loaded and stumbled face first into the dog’s dish. A postcard is okay, but it’s more challenging to write a great thank you note in such a small space. Remember the guy who wrote: ” Please excuse the long letter. I didn’t have time to write a short one.”
3. Write it by hand. Legibly.
In other words, no computer printouts, no text messages, no emails. An exception would be sending an email or text followed by a handwritten note. For example, “Your package arrived today, and I can hardly wait to open it” or “I love the Cuisinart, Mom. I have to dash now, so I’ll write you again tomorrow. Thank you for this time saver!” If you’re writing a business note, use blue or black ink.
4. Start with a saluation.
- Dear Aunt Noody,
Effective Communication in the Best Companies
Do you know how to write a great thank-you note or letter? You will when you follow these ten tips. It’s easy. Here’s your incentive: The better your note, the more great gifts you’ll get. It’s the Law of Attraction in action.- Dear Aunt Noody,
Here are some snippets from Brian Tracy’s blog that I loved reading:
A characteristic of the best companies
“…The very best companies to work in are considered to be “high trust” companies. A company was rated as a high-trust company when people felt that they were free to make honest mistakes without being dumped on, criticized or fired.”
Characteristics of the best managers
“The very best managers were found to be very high on two scales. First, they were very clear about what they wanted and expected. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do, and when they were supposed to do it and to what standard.
“The second characteristic of the very best managers is a high consideration factor. The employees felt that the boss cared about them as people rather than just as employees. They felt that the boss looked upon them as friends and was kind and considerate to them as individuals, as well as employees.”
