Successful Blog

Diversity – Potentially hard, Definitely awesome

by

We have a hard time meshing sometimes, don’t we? Us people, I mean. It can be hard to get along with others, let alone connect with them.

This is because we see others through our own filters that have been made from our individual experiences, education and thoughts. So it’s really hard to connect with others because they have a totally different set of experiences, education and thoughts that create totally different individual filters for them.

Diversity can be really hard. We know it can be hard from seeing conflicts in our personal relationships, in business or even on the international level. The greatest conflicts occur when we are unwilling or unable to see that others have a different life filters. But when we acknowledge that others have different filters and ask them how they’ve arrived at their views, we get to know them better. And through that we learn a most valuable lesson: Diversity is straight-up awesome.

When we only keep to ourselves, we limit our learning and growth to our own life. But when we have relationships with others, we learn from them and expand our growth. And we all want to learn and grow along with each other, right?

But there’s more to diversity than that. We can’t just see each other as objects to use for our growth. Because we’re not objects, we’re people – rich, full-bodied humans. And so, here’s the greatest reward of diversity – we get to know more people. The more diverse our lives are, the more people we get to know and care for. How awesome is that?

But the question remains, how can we engage with other people well, even with all of our differences? The keys are love and humility. When we know that people have different filters than us, we are naturally more humble. When we humbly ask what has led them to a view, we naturally care and love them more. This is where healthy diversity in a business starts – in us, in our perspectives and our relationships. We set the tone.

Diversity can be hard, but if we sow love and humility in our relationships, then diversity is amazingly rewarding.

 

Cover image info: Original, royalty-free image from Pixabay.

About the author: Lindsey Tolino comes alongside artisans, craftsman and people monetizing their passions to help them create healthy businesses. She shares tips and thoughts at ToBusinessOwners.com. Follow her on Twitter @LindseyTolino.

Do Your Employees Have Enough Schooling?

by

Employee Motivation Concept And Business Man.Whether you have a handful of employees or hundreds of them, making sure they have as much education as necessary to handle their respective job duties is something that should never be taken for granted.

Think about when you started working and before you created your business or purchased it from someone else. How much schooling did you have at either time?

In today’s technologically-driven work world, having workers up to the tasks that you throw at them is more critical than ever.

As a result, there are a number of things you can do as an employer to beef up your employees’ educational portfolios, all the while enjoying the benefits down the road of having more educated workers on your team.

They include:

  • Needs – First and foremost, look to see what your current and likely pending needs are for your industry and your company in general. Have you looked at a projected growth for your business and market overall? What current economic factors are harbingers for things to come over the next 12 months? Are you forecasting any notable job increases or layoffs in the next year? These should all be areas of interest to you as a business man or woman, having the finger on the pulse of your industry;
  • Strengths and weaknesses – It should not come as a major surprise that just about all employees have their strengths and weaknesses. Your job as an employer is to bring out the best in your workers and improve their skills where possible. When it comes to the latter, there are educational opportunities that your employees can benefit from. If you have one or more employees working in H.R., sending them to school for additional education in areas of workplace rules and regulations, liabilities that employers can be exposed to, handling the complex world of health insurance etc. are all opportunities where a little more schooling can make a world of difference. As for employee strengths, it never hurts to have the occasional refresher course or two (something that some additional classwork can provide) so that your staff will be as up to speed on possible;
  • New opportunities – One of the many advantages of the Internet is having access to countless online opportunities, including additional education. If your employees who are yearning for more education can’t attend classes in person due to work schedules, family commitments, long traveling distances, they likely have the option of online studies. Whether it is in accounting and finances, human resources, electrical and computer engineering, marketing or myriad of other subjects, letting employees take online courses to improve their standing with your company is a great idea;
  • Long-term financial benefits – Yes, contributing towards or even paying the entire bill to have employees get more education now is a costly matter, but the benefits down the road are oftentimes all so worth it. Employees with more educational and job skills are more apt to stay with an employer, especially those companies who treat them well and offer advancement opportunities (see more below). Better educated employees also are better equipped to handle the questions, concerns and even occasional anger of customers. With additional educational and workplace skills, such workers can oftentimes diffuse a situation with a consumer before it gets out of hand;
  • Higher standing – Last but not least, your company offering additional educational opportunities to its employees will stand out in the crowd. When many people are fighting just to get their hands on low-paying or even minimum wage jobs in today’s challenged economy, the opportunity proves appealing to work at companies where moving up the ladder and the pay scale for that matter is very attractive. Tout the educational opportunities your business offers when marketing your company to prospective employees. This can be done in brochures, email ads, on social media, even in videos. The more the word gets around, the better opportunities your company has to attract the best.

As an employer, all you can do to attain and retain the best employees benefits you, your employees, and your customers, so everyone involved wins.

Use the educational bonus to bring in quality staff who one day have the ability to be even better employees with some additional schooling.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and educational topics on the web.

Heart Stories Sought For The Go For Heart Program

by

By Jayme Soulati

When world news becomes so negative it pushes away positive vibe, it’s time to put a little heart in our marketing stories. That’s why my pal and cohost John Gregory Olson and I have launched the Go for Heart program of The Heart of Marketing podcast.

After I watched the entire show of CNN Heroes, I became inspired. Each of those individuals had single-handedly launched a heartful crusade to make their community a better place. As a result, they touched others’ hearts and emoted positivity and heartful connections.

That’s what John and I want to do, too.

In honor of our biggest milestone, the first anniversary of our epic (indeed it is and I encourage you to listen, heh) podcast, we are launching the Go for Heart program to recognize YOU, our fellow marketer who is at the core of heart marketing.

What is Heart Marketing?

You might think that heart marketing is hogwash; however, I offer you this…as we become more seasoned in our profession, the heart core becomes more critical to business success.

When you live, breathe and work with a loving heart you develop an authenticity for customer care and build a model for employees to emulate. Over time, there’s more happiness, there is more laughter, and there is more genuine authenticity for what makes a business successful.

Personally, I don’t think people take time to stop and smell the roses any more. Who has it? Time, I mean. There is a point on our path that forces a new sensitivity to emotions in business. Heart marketing doesn’t need to be woo woo; it can be honest-to-goodness authenticity (a buzzword done to death for sure, but relevant nonetheless). We’re on the path to find it with your help.

What is Go For Heart?

The Go for Heart program puts you front and center, and it allows us to share and shout kudos to the heartful marketer who:

  • Puts problem solving for customers above all else to create goodwill and loyalty
  • Creates remarkable experiences at all levels of engagement
  • Communicates a value proposition that delivers positive emotional response
  • Makes genuine connections that further brand engagement and relationship
  • Earns trust through authenticity

When was the last time you were recognized for positivity in marketing that connected with customers, earned fabulous results to advance change in a community, or delivered on a value-driven promise that no one really understood but you?

It’s pretty rare that professionals behind the scenes earn any credence for their work. Our program is pretty simple in that regard. If you are part of a marketing team making a heart story come to life, then we’d like to know about it. Once we review your submission and agree it’ll make for good podder (that’s podcast fodder, you know), we’ll feature it on the show.

Share Your Heart Story

We invite you to review more details at The Heart of Marketing and complete the contact form on that page with your heart story submission. You’ll hear from me as soon as you click send. If you’d like an example of the type of heart story we’re seeking, listen to our first episode in the Go for Heart program special edition where we feature Big Hug.

About the Author

Jayme Soulati strives every day to be a heartful marketer and find a positive vibe that emotes smiles, happies, laughs, and connectivity. She’s a public relations digital marketer, loves to start and needs help finishing. You can find her @Soulati and on all channels except SnapChat because she’s still wondering why.

Is Your Data Resonating with Customers?

by

Data Analysis Indicates Fact Facts And AnalyseWhen you’re running a business in today’s fast-paced world, how you use and store company and customer data goes far in determining just how successful your brand will be.

Not only do you need data that is up to date and valuable to both your company and your customers, but it also needs to be protected from the ever-growing number of hackers. With more of these criminals seemingly on the attack these days, companies can never be too careful and shielding themselves and customers from potential breaches.

With that in mind, look at the data you currently store and determine several factors in order to stand out from the competition.

When you have a business data center that provides you with current customer information in an easy-to-access setting, you are equal to or even one step ahead of the competition.

Data Delivers Details

To begin with, make sure everyone associated with your business truly understands why your customer data is so critical to the company’s success.

Remind employees that customer data gives your business:

  • A better idea of who the customer is;
  • What their income level is;
  • A glimpse into the products or services they may be interested in purchasing from you;
  • What their shopping history is.

With that information in front of you and your team, your company can then proceed with the necessary marketing campaigns to increase sales.

Start by identifying who the customer truly is.

Are they male or female? Are they in their childhood or teen years, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s or even older? Are they still living at home or are they out on their own? Are they typically purchasing goods and services just for themselves or others?

Customer Incomes Prove Informative

The next area of interest is their projected income level.

Are your customers poor, middle class or doing very well for themselves? Do they have minimal money to spend or can they shop regularly without too many financial restrictions?

For the former group, use the data you have on them and provide them with savings opportunities. Such possibilities include things like rewards cards, coupons, special deals at different times of the years (holidays etc.). While you may think that selling to such consumers at lower prices is not cost-productive to you, these individuals are more likely to keep coming back to you for business, ultimately leading to more sales.

Whether you offer a single product or service or myriad of options, knowing what many of your customers are oftentimes looking for allows you to keep such items well stocked.

For example, if you run a seasonal business, you have to be sure you make up for the slower times of the year.

Trying to sell pool equipment in the wintertime in Buffalo can be quite the challenge. That said it certainly does not mean you have to shut your business down for months at a time until the weather improves.

Survey your customers on what pool or outdoor related items and services they are most interested in. Outdoor pools in colder regions of the country need to be covered in the wintertime, plus you may also have some customers who are fortunate to have indoor pools. Lastly, some or many of your same pool customers could have Jacuzzi’s, something that can be used year-round.

The best way to get such details is by regularly talking to your customers (in-person, over the phone, emails, surveys) etc. and using such data to increase your selling opportunities.

You can also offer them special wintertime deals for the coming pool season, deals that will get them in a buying mood during the slower months.

Know the History

Finally, knowing and understanding customer histories when it comes to browsing and ultimately purchasing is truly valuable.

Face it; many consumers do in fact change their buying habits over time. As a result, you need to be able to adapt to such changes.

While the data you have on customers from the last year or so is certainly valuable, it can’t with 100 percent accuracy pinpoint when and how much of an item or service customers will demand tomorrow, next month, or even next year.

Use the accumulated data as a window in a customer’s buying habits, but always plan on updating it accordingly.

Given the fact that there appears to be no end in sight to the mounds of data out there on consumer buying habits, the key is to make sure you compile it, use it to your advantage, and ultimately make it resonate with customers looking to your brand as the first choice.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and technology topics on the web.

 

 

Book Review: Hug Your Haters, By Jay Baer

by

My grandfather would have called Jay Baer “a gentleman, a scholar, and a judge of good whiskey.” In other words, the highest compliment he could give.

Jay is all of those things, and his latest scholarly work is his new book, “Hug Your Haters.”

I was not given a free review copy of this book (what’s up with that?); I purchased it with my own hard-earned dollars because I have been hugging haters for almost 18 years.

Haters come with the territory if you expose yourself by starting a business or promoting an idea. They will come in many different forms, both in-your-face, in person, and anonymously, online.

If you don’t have a strategy for dealing with them, you can find yourself distracted from your mission or worse, with a damaged reputation.

Hug Your Haters teaches you who complains, why they complain, and how to capitalize on those complaints. And the book is built on a solid foundation of data that Jay collected in collaboration with Edison Research.

Capitalize? On complaints?

Do tell…

The research showed that “answering complaints increases customer advocacy, across all customer service channels.”

The book is packed with real-world case studies (refreshingly moving beyond Zappos and Nordstrom). You will be able to recognize your own “hater” situations, as well as some you may need to be prepared for down the road. It’s meant to be a reference book, and I already have highlighted numerous passages for my own future reference.

Below are two quick peeks into the strategies for dealing with offstage haters (private communication behind the scenes) and onstage haters (social media or public comments). You’ll just have to go buy the book to get the complete action plan (and I highly recommend it).

Dealing with OffStage Haters – H-O-U-R-S

  • Be Human
  • Use One Channel
  • Unify Your Data
  • and Resolve the Issue
  • with Speed

Hugging Onstage Haters – F-E-A-R-S

  • Find all Mentions
  • Display Empathy
  • Answer Publicly
  • Reply Only Once
  • Switch Channels

If you have a business, or if you are thinking of having a business, or if your job requires you to communicate directly with customers, you need to read Hug Your Haters.

You’ll thank me later.

And your customers might, too.

 

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

 

Lead When it Comes to a Better Online Presence

by

Brand Marketing Branding Copyright Identity Trademark Patent ConIf you’re looking to generate more leads for your business, a strong online presence is absolutely the way to go.

Most of your customers are online these days, which means the internet is a key communication tool for your business.

But how do you stand out from all the other businesses in your niche? And how do you make sure the people who find you are strong leads and likely to lead to sales?

The answer is to build up your online presence.

Here are four ways you can do just that….

Embrace Social Media

Social media is a must for your business these days.

Your customers are on social media and using it to research brands like yours, so you need to be there too.

To boost your social media presence, you’ll need two things:

  • Social media listening tools to help you research the best leads for you;
  • Dynamic content that speaks directly to your customers’ needs.

A strong social media presence will keep your customers engaged with your brand.

By using social listening tools and paying attention to your social media stats, you can make sure that you’re connecting with the best leads for your business.

Publish Regular Fresh Content

As the article “6 Tools to Improve Your Online Presence and Generate Leads” says, publishing regular content to your website or social media profiles is a must.

Regular fresh content will keep your online presence strong and is good for:

  • Search engines, who like regular and relevant content and will rank you accordingly;
  • Customers, who will have a reason to keep coming back to your blog, site or social media profiles.

As well as keeping customers interested, regular fresh content can be used for lead generation.

By producing high quality and highly targeted content, you’ll attract customers who are interested in what you do and who are a great match for your business.

Always Capture Leads

If you want your online presence to help with finding and keeping good leads for your business, capturing your leads is a must.

One way to do this is by using lead capture forms, where customers give you their details in return for signing up for a mailing list, giveaway or useful information such as an EBook.

Capturing leads in this way helps you to assess who is interested in your business, and what specifically they are interested in. You can then schedule email messages and even social media posts designed to appeal just to them.

Generate Brand Positivity

Generating brand positivity is a good way to boost your online presence.

That means paying attention to what people are saying about you online and managing your online reputation, so that when people find you, they find a brand that comes with glowing recommendations.

One way to do this is by listening to what people are saying about your brand, and taking steps to manage any negative perceptions.

Has a customer posted on social media about a problem with you? Take steps to fix it and turn a negative into a positive.

Another way to manage your online reputation is by encouraging positive reviews.

Encourage your customers to share their thoughts on review sites such as Google and Yelp.

A dynamic and positive online presence will keep your brand fresh in your customers’ minds and encourage ongoing engagement.

Combine a strong presence with lead finding and capturing activities to make your online presence work hard for your business.

Photo credit: BigStockPhotos.com

About the Author: Tristan Anwyn writes on a variety of topics including social media, how to build customer relationships, content marketing and how to build a strong online reputation.