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Phonewords - 13, 1300 And 1800 Numbers As Marketing Tools
In the Concise Oxford Dictionary, image is described as "the character or reputation of a person or thing as generally perceived". A first impression based on non-verbal communication goes a long way in influencing this perception. Within seconds of meeting you, based on a single observed physical trait or behavior, people will assume to know everything about you (as is explained in the 2003 book Social Psychology by H. Andrew Michener, John D. Delamater, and Daniel J. Myers). Furthermore, according to research by Dr. Albert Mehrabian of UCLA, appearance and body language (visual image) acco

to get under our skin and left us in a not-so-service-friendly attitude. Does that mean we unload on the next person? No. Do we have to work hard to maintain our professionalism? You bet. I think we have to work harder now more than ever for two reasons.

1. Customers are more demanding, will spread bad service news faster than ever before with the advances of technology, and have more options of other providers if not completely satisfied.

2. The casual atmosphere invading so many workplaces in the United States has led to casualness about service and customer interaction. “So, dude, how can I help you?” may be acceptable at the fast food drive-through window, but I don’t want to hear my broker with that tone.

I later found out the

Advertising Made Easy, and Cost Effective
Advertising made easy, and your wallet will love it too!In today's market, anyone in business knows that advertising is the backbone to the success, and without it, you are "dead in the water". Even with the greatest product on the planet, a product that you know everyone needs and wants. Without advertising, it's just an idea, going nowhere.Whether you advertise online or offline, it can become a gruelling and expensive experience, with no guarantees.I'm sure that there is not a business out there that has ever done any kind of advertising, that hasn't lost a bunch of

You would think experience, frequency of service, and the importance of repeat customers would create an expectation of quality. But you would be surprised if you thought that.

Recently I met with a client for whom I have done a number of programs. We have a routine for our programs, and as always we maintained our routine. We meet at the same hotel. The starting time is not too early, but also not late enough to take away the participants’ entire day. Management provides donuts and bagels. The staff graciously shows up on a Saturday morning for sales and service training, without grumbling -- in fact, eager to be here. Says something about the quality of the staff! The CEO opens the meeting with favorable comments about the positive accomplishments the staff has performed since our last training session a few months back. And off we go to learn how to do it even better.

We check our plans before the meeting starts, and everything is set, except … we have a podium mike (which I never have used) and no Powerpoint projector (which I have always used.) The hotel has broken its routine of always having the needed AV equipment.

But we have plenty of time before we are to start the program, so I go see what can be done to get us back on track. The manager on duty says they don’t have a projector, and the company they rent them from is closed on Saturdays. Apparently the lady who took this room order is new (inadequately trained for the position the hotel expects her to perform) and didn’t make the right arrangements. But never fear, the banquet manager can take care of this issue, but he is on his way in and still an hour away. I tell the duty manager we can make do for an hour.

The hour passes. Then another 30 minutes passes. At a break the CEO goes to inquire about the projector he ordered and which has never arrived. The banquet manager informs him there is not one on property, but he can call in the audio visual contract company to bring one. It will take another hour and since this is an emergency request, it will cost the customer $500. For essentially a half hour rental? Because one of your own employees failed to properly record the request? For a repeat client who will also be needing space for the coming year for at least four more programs?

The irony of this service fiasco during a service training session was not lost on the group, and became a great example of how your brain can abandon common sense and just not think!

Why do we stop thinking?

We all have stories like this, and we are astounded that an experienced person in a position of authority can make such bonehead decisions and comments. But they happen thousands of times a day.

If you are in a service-providing position (if you have a job, this means you!), you must constantly remind yourself to be focused on service. We all have bad days or are preoccupied with personal distractions. We may have just finished dealing with a high-maintenance customer that did everything to get under our skin and left us in a not-so-service-friendly attitude. Does that mean we unload on the next person? No. Do we have to work hard to maintain our professionalism? You bet. I think we have to work harder now more than ever for two reasons.

1. Customers are more demanding, will spread bad service news faster than ever before with the advances of technology, and have more options of other providers if not completely satisfied.

I later found out ther

The Importance of Your Business Card
What are you trying to say with you business card?We have talked about collecting other people's business cards and also about how they are often tough to differentiate from one another. These are things you should avoid for your own business card. It is easier to get into a conversation when you have a business card that speaks for itself. My card, BizMechanix, is so different, almost everyone remarks on how good the card looks. I have even had comments about it being the most professional and great looking card they have ever come across. You should make sure that yours is the same.

hments the staff has performed since our last training session a few months back. And off we go to learn how to do it even better.

The irony of this service fiasco during a service training session was not lost on the group, and became a great example of how your brain can abandon common sense and just not think!

Why do we stop thinking?

We all have stories like this, and we are astounded that an experienced person in a position of authority can make such bonehead decisions and comments. But they happen thousands of times a day.

1. Customers are more demanding, will spread bad service news faster than ever before with the advances of technology, and have more options of other providers if not completely satisfied.

I later found out the

The Seven Second Race: How to Draw Attention Your Ad
You've decided to launch your advertising campaign but you have no idea what would inspire others to buy from you. Or maybe you've already run some ads to no avail. How do you make your ad the one that stands out? After all, consumers receive thousands of marketing messages everyday. What makes what you're offering so special? In today's highly competitive marketing environment, chances are your ad will get overlooked. Meanwhile, some other entrepreneur is making money and developing a highly effective ad campaign. The people that are successful in this area have spent considerable

didn’t make the right arrangements. But never fear, the banquet manager can take care of this issue, but he is on his way in and still an hour away. I tell the duty manager we can make do for an hour.

The irony of this service fiasco during a service training session was not lost on the group, and became a great example of how your brain can abandon common sense and just not think!

Why do we stop thinking?

We all have stories like this, and we are astounded that an experienced person in a position of authority can make such bonehead decisions and comments. But they happen thousands of times a day.

1. Customers are more demanding, will spread bad service news faster than ever before with the advances of technology, and have more options of other providers if not completely satisfied.

I later found out the

Customer Service: A Great Way To Win New Business
A very common mistake made by start-up companies, and indeed smaller businesses in general, is to not take customer service seriously. Too often, managers think all it entails is answering the phone promptly and being polite to customers – and how often do companies fail to do even that!In fact, customer service can soon become more important to a start-up than sales and marketing, helping it retain customers (selling to existing customers is much cheaper than finding fresh ones) and maximise its income from them. Good customer service can also help gain new customers, as word spreads

for at least four more programs?

The irony of this service fiasco during a service training session was not lost on the group, and became a great example of how your brain can abandon common sense and just not think!

Why do we stop thinking?

We all have stories like this, and we are astounded that an experienced person in a position of authority can make such bonehead decisions and comments. But they happen thousands of times a day.

1. Customers are more demanding, will spread bad service news faster than ever before with the advances of technology, and have more options of other providers if not completely satisfied.

I later found out the

Write Headlines That Get Read
The Headline is the most important part of the ad. 80% of people will only read the headline. Therefore the headline has to do a selling job, to get people to read the rest of the ad. 20% of the people will read the rest of the ad because of the headline. The headline needs to show a benefit to the reader. We need to appeal to the readers needs. The readers needs are pleasure, convenience, health, money... Write your headline as if you are talking to your friend. Unless you tell the reader immediately and upfront what you have for them, they will be gone. If your ad isn't read, you have zer

1. Customers are more demanding, will spread bad service news faster than ever before with the advances of technology, and have more options of other providers if not completely satisfied.

I later found out there was a wedding reception that afternoon at that hotel. From my work with florists, I know that the mother of the bride becomes Godzilla when wedding plans are concerned, so I’m sure the banquet manager was thinking more about the monster of the day than the concern at hand. Still, that’s no excuse. A little creativity, a call to a neighboring hotel to borrow one they weren’t using would’ve solved the problem, and kept this customer’s business for 2007.

We all make mistakes and have to make corrections to ensure the customer is served properly. Customers rarely get enraged from the error itself; it’s how the error is handled that will cause the customer to explode or not. When we found out the projector wasn’t ordered and at best would be late in arriving, the anger bomb began to tick. The manager could either defuse or ignite the bomb. Unfortunately, he chose the latter.

How well trained are your employees to handle incendiary situations? Who is on your bomb squad?

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The Information Age. That is what writers and analysts have labeled the concluding years of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Failure has a devastating effect on people who are easily discouraged. This is not something that you should be ashamed about. You are a failure only when you quit trying. Those with big successes usually had a few a failures along the way. Failing doesn't mean failure; it just indicates that you need to keep trying.

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