Posted on 24th May 2010 by Susan Venancio in Business Tips
Business Growth, Business Tips, ideas
Over the years I have collected tips that I have found inspirational and continue to practice on a daily basis. This short list can be an inspirational reminder for us all.
- Analyze the success of admirable people and organizations.
- Be an outstanding role model by helping others succeed, setting a positive example for others to follow.
- Surround yourself with responsible people with good attitudes.
- Maintain a positive attitude.
- Remember your attitude is contagious and your words, vocal tone, eye contact, body language, and actions have power, even WOW! Power.
- Work to improve your positive communication skills daily.
- Be the first to say “Hello”, you’ll be known as a friendly, approachable person.
- Have the confidence to laugh at your self.
- Be a problem solver not a complainer, listen carefully and ask questions to discover solutions.
- Create a plan for ongoing, self-development.
- Routinely set goals, stay focused and track your successes.
- Show your gratitude to your customers, peers, employees and family members.
- Behave with honesty, integrity, competence, credibility and inspiration.
- Go the extra mile, give until it hurts, do the unexpected, it all makes a difference.
- Make it a priority to schedule time for your own health, wellness, and balance.
There is always room for improvement in all the things we do, regardless of how big or little that thing may be. Our business and personal success depends on it. Try one tip at a time, if it works for you, make it a habit. Have fun with it. Good luck!
Cheers!
Posted on 17th May 2010 by Susan Venancio in Business Tips |Marketing
Business Growth, Business Tips, customer service, ideas, marketing strategy
I don’t know about you, but I have my kids write thank you notes for their birthday and Christmas gifts. The recipients always show appreciation for receiving the notes when we talk, commenting on the old-fashioned ways gone lost. Isn’t that sad? Well, lets turn that around. Lets give an old tradition of handwritten thank you notes a modern day business makeover. Lets add this to your marketing strategy giving you a competitive edge on an underutilized old-fashioned tradition. It is cost effective, powerful, and makes you stand out. Showing gratitude makes good business sense.
I’ve mentioned it before; keep blank thank you note cards in view at your workstation; provide a supply to your team to follow your lead. Set a small goal, write and send out one a day; making this a daily habit. (I like writing them at the end of the day; it’s a de-stressor, feels good to close my day on a positive note.) Increase your goal every two weeks until you reach an appropriate volume. Your note must be warm, sincere and personal without strings attached. This is not a sales pitch! Additionally, it must be sent in a timely manner; within 48 hours.
Opportunities to be thankful for:
- Sales calls, presentations, demos
- New customers
- Existing customers’ loyalty
- Job well done by an employee, vender, or peer, etc.
- Business referrals
- Did someone give you good advice?
- Did someone do you a favor?
- Did someone show you kindness?
- Send out compliments, testimonials
- Complaints. Complaints come from people who want to do business, so, fix the problem, and thank the person for bringing it to your attention. Make sure to tell them what you did to fix the problem.
Thank you! These are two magical words that you can easily add to your marketing strategy that will not let you down. You will find that it creates more business opportunities, opens more doors, and attracts more people to you. It makes others feel good and most people do not make the effort. So, go get some plain quality stationary to get started today. That’s a powerful marketing tool and a customer service WOW!
Remember, sincere goodwill creates opportunity.
Cheers!
Posted on 10th May 2010 by Susan Venancio in Business Tips
Business Tips, customer service, ideas
What kind of customer service makes you say “WOW!”? Well, it is simply the genuine sincere attitude a customer senses, plus the unexpected things you and your team do to exceed their expectations. Did you know that face-to-face your voice is 38% of your message, 62% is body language? Over the phone your voice is 100% of your message? Your genuine sincere attitude can be seen and heard, it’s contagious, and has an impact on your bottom line. Your customers want to feel welcome, they want you to be personally interested in them, and they want you to solve their problems. Let’s make it happen!
Whether you meet your customer face-to-face or over the phone, by implementing the following customer service principals into a routine, you and your team will start the “WOW!” factor in customer service.
- Always pleasantly greet your customer with a warm sincere smile, even on the phone. Face-to-face you want to immediately acknowledge your customer with your pleasant greeting; making eye contact and shaking hands when appropriate.
- Handle your customer’s request. Understand your customer; listen for the problem, have a true sincere goal of finding out their wants and needs, then do your best to find a solution. Ask who, what, when, where and how questions; maintaining eye contact. This helps build rapport. Customers like that!
- Use your customer’s name. Figure out a way to obtain your customer’s name and work it into your customer service routine. People love to hear it. It gives them a feeling of family and belonging. The more you use the name; the easier it is to remember, too.
- Once you think you have handled the request, ask, “Is there anything else?”. Taking the time to ask this question, even if you were handling a complaint, results in a happy customer.
- In the end always say “thank you” with the same warm sincere smile and wish your customer a good day, remembering to use their name. Your customer will love it.
Hire great people, train your team, go the extra mile and treat your employees well. In the end it is your company’s bottom line, which is your responsibility.
Have a fantastic day and thank you for reading.
Cheers!
Posted on 3rd May 2010 by Susan Venancio in Business Tips
Business Tips, entrepreneur, ideas, leadership, management, owner
In today’s market it is a daily routine of difficulty to keep business healthy at all angles, some of which you do not have much control over. However, you do have the control to have the right people, systems, technologies and resources in place. You need to cut through the BS, provide clear priorities, have high productivity, keep morale up and say “bye-bye” to the speed bumps (employees) that keep this from happening. Some questions to ask yourself:
- Are we determined? Your team needs to stand strong with no weak links. Everyone must share the same determination, regardless of where the person stands in line.
- Do we regularly focus on what needs to get done? Communicate, over and over, your goals and how you are going to achieve them.
- Is it really clear on what needs to get done? Make sure everyone is on the same page.
- Are we holding employees accountable? Take appropriate action when necessary. Start by hiring the right people; it will make this part easier. And remember to reward those who make you look good.
These are questions you should ask yourself regularly to keep your team and business in good health. It’s a continual, ongoing process of evaluation and adjustment, no matter the economics. Your efforts will ensure you are building and maintaining good business health. It’s a strategic choice.
Cheers!
