Personal Branding Archives - Page 17 of 41

Hold the Sky, Feet on the Floor . . .

September 25, 2006 by Liz

Often before I write I need time to reflect, to find the words. I put on my headphones and let music to get me there. Music takes me from the worries on my desk and lets me access my center.

Today, I wanted to hold onto a beautiful day in Chicago.

I let Howard Jones help me.

Ordinary things in life are where
this heaven likes to be

Hold the sky, feet on the floor
Hold the sky, feet on the floor

We make our sun to shine
We make our space and time
We make the weather
We make it change

Howard Jones, We Make the Weather, People

I’ve listened to this song for years. Yet, every time I hear it, I learn a little more about what it could mean to me.

What a great way to approach to business, life, relationships. Hold the sky, feet on the floor. That client who didn’t show for a meeting last week, he can’t stop my sun from shining, neither can the numbers in my blog stats or the phone that won’t stop ringing.

Everyday is a new day and we get to decide what the weather will be. It’s not such a hard concept, if I take time to breathe.

Isn’t that part of our branding? We problem solve to change bad weather? Don’t we innovate by changing time and space? Aren’t the best big dreams well-grounded in what we can actually do?

And the people . . . the relationships that add the greatest value to my life are the ones that just by being change the weather. They are the friends and colleagues who teach me to dream BIGGER and still keep myself standing in reality.

Relationships like that have changed my life. They have the power to change the world.

Today is the only today I have. You can bet I’m going to hold that sky with both arms standing right here in my living room.

We make the weather. We make it change.

Liz's Signature

Carnival of Extreme Customer Service Is On!

September 25, 2006 by Liz

Looking for More Service in Your Live?

Did my FedEX guy story get you thinking about great service . . . wishing we had more of it? Then head over to carnivale and check out how to get the customer service competitive edge.

Meikah at Customer Relations: The New Competitive Edge has brought together a list of exceptional bloggers writing on Impossible or Exceptional Service. At this carnivale you’ll find.

Doug of Service Untitled
Glen of Customer Service Experience
Mike of ConverStations
Paul of The Unlawyer
Maria of CustomersAreAlways
Reden of Renewable Energy

and me.

Now there’s a list! Stop on over for fine writing and insights you won’t find everywhere by clicking the title below.

Thanks, Meikah, for putting these wonderful works together in one place for us.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Extreme Customer Service? I’m Still Telling the Story

September 24, 2006 by Liz

Extreme Times Call for Extreme Customer Service

I have never worked for FedEX, nor do I know anyone who has. . . . I wrote this because Meikah asked whether I knew any stories about extreme customer service and this is the one that I know. I know it because I lived it

The Flood

We stood on the deck of our second floor condo, watching the flood waters rise. The rains had caused the river to rise by 12 feet. It overflowed its banks, wiped out the highway, covered the streets, and was overtaking our parking lot. Word in the building was that we would be evacuated some time that day.

“We” was me, my husband, our 2 year-old son, and a 7-year-old cockatoo named Chicken.

Rescuers were coming, in rowboats on streets of suburban Illinois, to take us away from our home. The rain had stopped — not the flooding. We stood most of the morning on the deck watching the water rise and get closer. It was already up to the seats of our cars.

Deadlines Don’t Care About Floods

My husband and I were working freelance on a deadline project. One part was due that day at a publisher about 12 miles east of us. It couldn’t be late. It was part of a program costing $millions being submitted at state level. The state had no give to the cut off submission date.

My husband and I had the work done. We didn’t know how to get it there. Our cars were useless. We didn’t know where we’d be that night. We got the package ready in hopes of finding an answer before we were evacuated.

The FedEx Guy

About then the phone rang, it was a young man. “Excuse me, this is FedEX,” he said. “I have a package. Do you need it?”

The package was the next part of the same project. Who knew how it would find us, if we didn’t take it now? I said, “I’m sorry, but yeah, we really do need it.”

“No problem, Ma’am.” he said. “I’ll walk it over to you.”

I put the phone down and took my husband out on the deck. Coming through the water — at one point it was chest deep — was a guy in a FedEx uniform, holding a package above his head.

Our neighbors started cheering and applauding. The young man was smiling and waving. He made it look fun.

When the FedEx guy got to our door, we traded packages. My gratitude was all over him, explaining. He was all smiles still, saying it was his job. (I took his name. I wrote the company about him.)

Meanwhile, our neighbors had gathered everyone they could. The crowd was much larger when the FedEX guy left. As he opened the building door to go through the water, the applause started again.

FedEX man raised the new package high above his head and said very loudly, “Fed EX we deliver. We pick up too!”

What a gift that guy was. Every one of us was worried about what was happening, what damage would be done, when the water would stop. FedEX man did more than deliver a package. He walked right through the scary water to us, smiling.

He got us to laugh.

THAT is extreme customer service on every level.

That happened almost 20 years ago, and I’m still telling the story . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

The Secret to Why Dennis Miller Can Rant in Public and the Rest of Us Really Can’t

September 19, 2006 by Liz

Rant Is a Four-Letter Word

Something has happened. It wasn’t nice. It happened once too often. It happened to someone you care about. It needs to be addressed. You’re about to write something someone is going to read.

Before you write, check your emotions. They’re running high, aren’t they? Here’s what you need to do before you write.

Go to the local store. Buy 100 ballooons. Blow them up and pop them each one individually — one at a time — slowly savoring the noise. Or do something else that will open a steam valve: go running,

Whatever you do, please don’t write and rant. Rant is a four-letter word. You’ve read ’em. They’re deadly.

So, how come Dennis Miller can rant in public?

[Read more…]

7 Great Ways to Connect with Other Bloggers While You’re Out Reading Blogs

September 18, 2006 by Liz

Blogging Is Lonely Without Someone to Talk to . . .

It started in 1993, long before there were blogs. It was named “The Endless September.” That was when AOL unleashed masses of untrained users onto the Internet. Until then, it has only been a yearly advance of college freshmen.

Before that time, such clue-lacking lusers were a small trickle every September when the college freshman hit the computers to which they got free access when they paid their college tuition. At that time, it was manageable with suggestions to lurk a while and observe how others behaved before jumping in with cluelessness, with polite, behind-the scenes education when nettiquette was breached, and with an occasional BOFH wielding a large mallet when the polite education didn’t stick.
The Endless September

I bring this up for a reason. . . . hinky un-blogger-like things have been happening around here. I see the pattern now and it seems that the Endless September is back on.

Ew, how embarrassing to wake up one day and realize that comments and trackbacks are like diamonds . . . they last.

Burned bridges and drive-by comments aren’t pretty.

Relationships, on the other hand, are what blogging’s about.

[Read more…]

SOB Business Cafe 09-15-06

September 15, 2006 by Liz

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the title shots to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Converstations speaks of blogs and search engines.

Extreme Leadership speaks of things usually reserved for springtime.

Sometimes a metaphor show the way for us to Manage To Change. Don’t be afraid to follow that last link.

Eat4Today knows what it means to have a dream.

The Virtual Wire discusses how and whether standards, honesty, and integrity relate to legalities in business.

Related ala carte selections include

Creativity never falters at the Carnival of Creators.

Nektros calls it madness, but I see a well-deserved day of recharging brain cells with playtime before going back to work again.

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like.
No tips required. Comments appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss