Successful Blog

Buzzworthy customer service begins with eye contact

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The other evening I caught myself with four (FOUR) active screens arrayed in front of me.

I was “watching” TV.

I had my iPad on the nightstand because I had started to play a game.

Thought of a work item I needed to finish, and popped open my laptop.

Of course my phone was next to me on the bed in case I got a text (alerting me to nuclear war or possibly a school delay).

And then…one of my children came in to tell me something.

First instinct was…”I’m busy!”

…waitforitwaitforit….

Seeing the look of befuddlement cross my child’s face, I snapped out of my mania and started shutting down screens.

In every moment, you tell the world what’s important based on what’s in your immediate field of vision.

Have you ever been buying something in a shop when the phone rings? And the clerk makes you wait while he answers the customer on the phone?

Why are we putting the living, breathing humans around us at arms length in order to stare into a screen?

Why do we feel comfortable sending a LinkedIn request to a stranger, but too shy to approach people at a business networking event?

It’s time to get back to eyeballing each other.

Some ideas for practicing eye contact:

  • Take one of your customers out to lunch or coffee. Ask them how they are. (Not how satisfied they are with your customer service.) Then truly listen to their answer.
  • Add a conference or two to your calendar. Get outside your office and meet people.
  • If a living, breathing person is talking to you, close your laptop and stash your phone. Listen actively.
  • Start scheduling video calls instead of emails or phone calls. Body language is a crucial signal.
  • Use your real name and photo in your customer support communications.
  • Turn off notifications when you’re interacting with people (e.g., at lunch, in a meeting, listening to a pitch, serving a customer).
  • Let people know that you noticed them, by offering a specific (and authentic) compliment, referring back to something they said earlier, or remembering details about them the next time you meet.

How many screens do you have open right now?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

 

Featured image via Flickr CC: Kevin Dooley

Book Review: E.Q. Librium – Unleash the Power of Your Emotional Intelligence

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cover of EQ Librium bookHave you ever had a colleague who was totally brilliant, but had no clue how to handle office politics?

Whenever humans are required to work together in an enclosed space, there is conflict. Those who can manage their emotions effectively become the leaders, and those who can’t, are always grumbling together in the break room.

E.Q. Librium, by Yvette Bethel, provides you with practical tools that can help you achieve balance through your emotions. The book offers a diverse array of case studies, stories, and examples that illustrate how emotional intelligence impacts every aspect of our lives.

The author draws on research as well as her own experiences over 20 years within a Fortune 500 company to offer guidance on how to improve one’s emotional intelligence. That’s the good news–while your IQ is pretty much determined at birth, your EQ can be lifted if you take the time to focus on it.

This book, along with the associated workbook, are no quick-read opinion pieces. You’ll want to take notes, read a chapter at a time, and put the ideas into action immediately. Be forewarned, though, you may catch yourself evaluating the emotional responses of others around you!

Value-Based Characteristics That Will Benefit You and Others

  • Integrity
  • Situational Ethics
  • Ownership
  • If you say you are going to do something, do it
  • Recognize biases
  • Demonstrate courage
  • Weigh as many sides as possible
  • Forgiveness
  • Communication
  • Responsiveness and resourcefulness

Ms. Bethel goes into detail for each of the above characteristics, providing a real-world case study and then research and explanation to go along with it. The chapter on resolving conflict is one I plan to refer back to in the future, as well.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in improving their relationships at work and at home. The principles outlined are applicable whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, a recent graduate, a small business owner, or CEO of a large company.

 

Featured image via Flickr CC: aboutmodafinil.com

Disclosure: I was provided a digital copy of the E.Q. Librium for review purposes. The opinions in this review are my own, unbiased reaction to the book.

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Should I start a podcast?

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“All my friends are doing it!”

That excuse doesn’t fly in our house, and it shouldn’t drive your marketing decisions either.

Podcasting is experiencing a well-deserved renaissance, because audio-based content is the perfect way to squeeze more productivity into our busy lives. Learn and laugh while you’re on the treadmill, while you’re driving, and while you’re brushing your teeth in the morning.

All of the great podcasts out there, and all of the discussion about podcasting, may have triggered an urge to start a podcast of your own. Before you go out and invest in that professional microphone and headphones, you need to test the idea against your marketing strategy.

A podcast can be a powerful component of your content marketing, but only if it fits into your overall business plan.

Key considerations – should you start a podcast

  • Do you have a voice for radio? If you’re going to be the primary host on air, you need to evaluate the quality of your voice when it’s recorded. Do some test recordings using your equipment, and have colleagues listen to it. Not everyone is cut out for broadcasting.
  • Are you committed to a schedule for the long term? You don’t want to burn out or ignore your primary business. Just the same as for starting a blog, you want to be sure you’re going to commit before launching your podcast. Don’t leave your listeners high and dry after three episodes!
  • Do you have a promotional plan? Producing a podcast is just the first step. Once it’s recorded, you need to know what you’ll do with that great show, and how you’ll find your audience. Check out this fantastic post from Jay Baer on producing and promoting a podcast for some inspiration.
  • Have you found a topic that you are an authority on, and is not saturated already? I don’t buy the whole “I can’t create content about X because everyone else is already covering it,” because no-one else has your specific point of view and life experiences. However, you do want to give yourself a fighting chance, so find a topic where you are the ultimate authority and can spend lots of time talking about it without running out of ideas. What are you endlessly curious about?
  • Do you have a content plan? Is the format of your show like a talk show? Will you be monologuing? If you’re going to be conducting interviews, start with a dream list of guests and do some outreach to get bookings. Bone up on the structure of a good interview, while you’re at it.
  • Do you have professional equipment and resources? The bar has been raised. You can’t just use your little white iPhone earbuds and hope for the best. The top podcasts have bumper music, logos, high quality sound, and other professional touches. You don’t have to build a studio in your backyard, but put some care into your sound equipment and it will pay off. Here’s a good summary from ReadWrite on podcasting on a budget.
  • Does your target customer listen to podcasts? Do some market research…ask your current customers if they’d listen to a podcast from you. Check out the professional research on podcast listeners and trends.

You went through the checklist above, and oops…you got derailed on a few of them. But you still want to take advantage of the power of podcasting. No worries, there are other ways you can incorporate audio into your marketing plan.

Alternatives to producing your own podcast

  • Sponsorship – Invest some of your advertising budget in sponsoring a popular podcast in your business niche.
  • Be a guest – All of those podcasts are constantly seeking interesting guests and good stories, so why not go pitch yourself to some of your favorites?
  • Invite a podcaster to your blog – Flip the tables and interview some popular (and relevant) podcasters on your blog. They’ll probably promote it to their audiences.
  • Create content that accompanies a podcast – Create a partnership with a podcaster and help develop written content (or video) that compliments the audio.

I’d love to hear from any readers who are doing their own podcasts. Post a link to your show in the comments so we can all listen!

 

Featured image via Flickr CC: Patrick Breitenbach

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

 

Are Printed Business Cards Obsolete?

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The conference was fantastic.

I attended lots of sessions where I learned new things, I got a good sense for where my industry is going, and I had lots of great one-on-one, eyeball-to-eyeball conversations.

In the past, my first activity when I returned home from a conference was to place a giant stack of business cards on my desk, and enter the information into my contacts.

This week, it hit me that I came home with only a small stack of business cards, and most of them were from vendors I spoke with in the exhibition area.

Hmmmm.

What has changed?

  • A shift toward authentic connections, rather than business transactions
  • Social networks now contain the vital contact information
  • The world moves too fast for print; we all have half-full boxes of cards with old titles, phone numbers, and emails
  • People change jobs and companies more often
  • More online networking than offline…no need for thousands of cards

But there is still a place for printed business cards.

 

The Case for Business Cards

They provide a tangible reminder of a moment in time. I know some who jot down a quick note on the back of business cards, either to remind themselves of where they met or some physical characteristic of the person to aid in remembering their name later.

Personality/branding and succinct messaging. Your business card can sometimes give a more precise and quick summary of your business than you can, off the cuff. For situations where an elevator pitch isn’t feasible (in an actual elevator, for example), a quick handing over of the card and “please call/email me when you have a moment to talk” might work.

Stand in for your physical presence. When I bought my last car, the salesperson handed me several of his business cards to give to my friends/family who might be in the market for a car. Handing out business cards can make it easy for your customers to refer people to you, and ensure that your messaging isn’t mangled in the translation.

 

The Case Against Business Cards

Startups can save money. Cards aren’t really that expensive, but if you add up the design time, printing, and reprinting, along with the waste, it might be an expense that a small startup can skip.

You may work harder to make an impression. My friend Lisa Jenkins told me once that, “if I can’t remember you without a business card, you didn’t make a very big impression!” I like the idea that the force of your personality or the strength of your connection will leave a memory stronger than a piece of paper.

Save trees, resources. I probably have a full forest worth of old business cards in my office. The move toward paperless communication is leaving printed business cards, brochures, and other detritus of the old system behind.

 

Where do you stand? Are you still handing out paper business cards? What do you do with the ones you bring home?

 

 

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

 

Featured image via Flickr CC: Geoffrey Franklin

How to Stand Out as a Brand When You’re a Young Company

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By Rachel Fowler

A Princeton survey reported at SmallBusiness showed that not less than 67% of Americans favor small business.

With this in mind, I decided to try my best in small business in America right after graduation. It has been a long journey with lots of painful mistakes. So to save you time, I decided to give you some of my personal tips on how to stand out as a brand.

Make it clear what your brand is. Merchandising, products and logo are very important but not as important as your brand. It is mostly about the experiences of your customers summed with visual elements and customers’ interactions. Take into account that your PR company, your internet publications, mentions and even your social media should be presented in the exact same tone to get your customers’ trust.

Stand out from the crowd of competitors. Unless you have designed a new source of power that can replace oil and gas, you have to be different in order to stand out from the crowd of competitors. Pinpoint your strong sides that make your brand unique. Don’t forget to include your differentiation in your marketing materials.

Make great products. No one will doubt that the key to being successful among small business companies is to have great products. If your product is lacking quality or service, no PR company will help you. Word of mouth is the best marketing tool and you should use it well. Getting your customers to recommend you to their friends is a big deal, which shouldn’t be underestimated. 

Ensure that your customers know the face behind the product. Most small businesses fail because of the repetitive absence of the owner. Take the “Kitchen Nightmares” television show as a simple example- no restaurant can stay open, if the business is being run by itself. You have to be everywhere and literally know everything that goes on in your company. Your employees will look up to you and if you are not engaged, neither will they be.

Make a recognizable name and logo. It is important to make an effective logo at the beginning. Changing logo and worse the name of the company can be quite costly down the road. It should be recognizable and reflect the nature of your product as much as possible. For example, if you have a dog company, your name should be closely associated and recognizable among your target audience. Take “Woofies” and “Doggone Natural” as examples. Both names reflect the nature of the product and are easily recognized by customers.

Make a value proposition. This shouldn’t be confused with a price. The value means to think what your customers need, instead of thinking what you want from them. Put yourself in their shoes, spend a day with your customer, and see what he/she likes, what are his/her hobbies, day routine, job, budget problems. Only after you understand the needs of your customer you will understand the value of your product.

What are your lessons learned starting out as a young brand/company?

This is a post by Rachel Fowler, a recent graduate from NYU. Right now she works as an independent contributor at http://pumpic.com/

Featured image via Flickr CC: kenda bustami

How to Create a Blog for Your Unsexy Business

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by Mickie E Kennedy

As the owner of an unsexy business, you might not think you need a blog or that anyone would read it if you did have one. But that really couldn’t be further from the truth. Unsexy businesses make the world go ‘round and sharing what do you will only grow your company.

Is that not enough to convince you?

Here are some other reasons for creating a blog for your company:

  • Building Your Audience—By writing about what you do, why you do it, and sharing other helpful content, you will attract readers that can then turn into customers and friends.
  • Establishing Authority—Writing routinely on a blog about topics in your industry builds your authority in that industry. You are strengthening your professional image and giving the reader a sense of trust in what you have to say.
  • Creating New Opportunities—After you have been writing on your blog, you might be surprised at the opportunities presented to you. Not only getting contacted by potential clients, but also for speaking engagement and guest blogging appearances.

So you want one for your company? That’s awesome news.

The best thing about creating a blog is that it’s easy.

You can either add a blog page to your current website or build one through a free host like WordPress or Blogger.

The hard part comes after you have it up and running and you actually have to write something.

Let’s go over a few tips to make the writing process a little easier.

  1. Set up a Writing Calendar—The biggest difference between a blog and a great blog is commitment. Make a writing calendar and stick to it. Posting regularly ensures return visitors and high search rankings. You can post weekly or daily depending on your schedule as long as you do it regularly.
  2. Promote Your Blog—Share your content through social media and promote your blog when you are talking with clients, colleagues and at speaking engagements. Also share other work that you enjoyed or found useful, but be sure to give credit to the author.
  3. Ask Your Audience—Poll them on Facebook or Twitter for topics that they find interesting. You can also write about a common issue that your company sees frequently and the best way to solve it. Use the blog to connect with your audience.
  4. Giveaways—Your giveaway doesn’t have to be anything huge or expensive. It can be as simple as a book that you enjoyed or tickets to a baseball game. You can set up an email subscription list and give the item to the 500th person to sign up or it can be for a random comment on your blog.
  5. Knowledge—As stated earlier, unsexy businesses make the world go ‘round and your knowledge is extremely valuable. Consider creating a webinar or e-guide for your business and have it available on your blog, social media pages and website. People want to know what you know.

By following these blogging tips, you will set your company apart online. Keep in mind that persistence pays off in the end, so don’t get discouraged if results aren’t immediate.

Do you have any other blogging tips? Talk to us in the comments.

Mickie Kennedy is founder of eReleases.  You can download his free ebooks and whitepapers here.

Featured image via Flickr CC: Les Chatfield