Successful Blog

What Your Silence is Saying

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The first time I had a boss check-in with me, just to see how I was doing, I was a little freaked-out and I worried that something was wrong. I was relieved and surprised when she spent time with me just to show me she cared. Since then, I’ve had several bosses who checked in with me regularly to see how I was doing and if I had the resources I needed. And I’ve always appreciated that they’ve cared enough to check in.

But this shouldn’t be an extraordinary occurrence. We know this is just good leadership.

But what about when we’re too busy to check-in with employees, colleagues and co-workers? If we’re not saying anything, at least we’re not hurting them, right?

Wrong. Our silence speaks volumes. It tells people that they aren’t worth our presence and time. It says that we are fine on our own and we don’t need them. It says that we don’t respect them enough to ask for their input on decisions.

But they are worth our time and presence, we do need them and we do want their input. So we need to communicate it. Silence is never going to tell them we care.

And keeping in touch can be easier than you think – a simple email, phone call, or 3-minute conversation may be all it takes for you to serve them well and let them know you care. So make it a habit to care for your employees before another business woos them by doing it better.

Let’s make sure we’re checking in on the regular. Let’s not let long stretches go by without caring for the people around us. Let’s not let our priorities get out of whack. Because if we don’t care for our people, we may find they don’t stay around long.

 

 

Cover image info: Original, royalty-free image by Alejandro Escamilla from Unsplash.com.

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

The Night Before Christmas (Marketing Style)

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Apologies to Clement Clarke Moore…

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the web,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a Blab;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that Seth Godin soon would be there;

The marketers were nestled all snug at their stand-up desks;

While visions of viral videos danced in their heads;

And the CMO in her ‘kerchief, and I in my hipster cap,

Had just settled our brains for a 10 minute power nap,

When out on the landing page there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.

Away to the Chrome window I flew like a flash,

Opened a new tab and refreshed the page.

The analytics on the breast of the returning visitors stat,

Gave a lustre of success to my blog post, like that,

When what to my wondering eyes did appear,

But a big traffic spike and 5000 emails,

With shares and retweets so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be a REDEF pick.

More rapid than eagles the readers they came,

And commented, and Tweeted, and called us by name:

“Now, Buzzfeed! now, HuffPo! now HBR and ReadWrite!

On, TechCrunch! on, Medium! on, TheNextWeb and Reddit!

To the top of the list! to the top of the feed!

Now approach away! approach away! approach away leads!”

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;

So up to the front page the readers they flew

With the sleigh full of clients, and Mark Schaefer too—

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the listening post

The prancing and pawing of each little web host.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney Liz Strauss came with a bound.

She was dressed all in fur, from her head to her toe,

Because the weather in Chicago is cold, there’s snow;

A bundle of clients she had flung on her back,

And she looked like a boss, just leading the pack.

Her eyes—how they twinkled! her dimples, how merry!

Her cheeks were like roses, her nose like a cherry!

Her droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the hair on her head was blonde, as you know;

The cap of a pen she held tight in her teeth,

And the ideas, they encircled her head like a wreath;

She was very tall and had mischievous eyes

That danced when she laughed, you might be surprised.

She was quick and intuitive, with a razor sharp wit,

And I hugged her when I saw her, in spite of myself;

A wink of her eye and a twist of her head

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

She spoke not a word, but went straight to her work,

Shared lots of wisdom; then turned with a jerk,

And laying her finger aside of her nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney she rose;

She sprang to her car, to her team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard her exclaim, ere she drove out of sight—

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Why Should Customers Come To You?

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Business Woman (Focus On Eye)When running a company, it doesn’t matter if you’re the big boy on the block or the mom and pop shop just trying to carve out a living. At the end of the day, customer service is what it all boils down to.

While some business owners have trouble relating to their customers, many more know that their customers matter more than anything else. Simply put; strong customer service goes a long way towards retaining current clients and bringing aboard new ones.

As the calendar soon turns to 2016, what are you doing to make sure your customers get nothing short of the best service in the New Year.

Review Customer Approach

In order to give your current customers (and hopefully many more new ones in 2016) the best service possible, review these following tidbits to see if you can properly check them off in your to-do list:

  • Customer is always right – Sure, we’ve all heard this adage time and time again whether we’ve run our own businesses or worked for those who have or currently do. Sure, some customers can be a pain in the old butt at times, but stop and wonder where you would be without them. Even though this does not mean you should let a customer yell at you and/or one of your employees, treat you like second-class citizens or spread malicious lies about your brand, you should give customers the benefit of the doubt in the beginning, especially if there is a contentious issue being discussed. Make sure you keep a level head and do not go out of your way to antagonize customers;
  • Keep the deals coming – Whether you sell and/or offer insurance, home furnishings, accounting and other financial services, Direct TV or countless other products and services, treat your customers right from day one until their last day with you. Sure, you can’t give items and services away all the time, but keep the deals coming whenever possible. When customers see that they’re getting specials from your business, they are more apt to stay with you. This is especially important if there is an issue. A customer who likes the deals you offer is more likely to stick with you even when a problem arises, knowing that more discounts are likely coming their way down the road;
  • Employees need to buy into plan – When you have employees under your guise, it is important that they are on the team too. It just takes one bad customer experience with an employee to create problems. Your workers should always give the customer the benefit of the doubt, be it a price issue, a matter involving service, etc. Again, that does not mean customers are allowed to rip one of your employees over the phone, in-person or via email, but make sure your employees are not short with customers, allowing them to speak their mind;
  • Don’t Be a Stranger – Finally, don’t be a stranger to your customers. Sure, you should not be bothering them with endless sales pitches, but you also do not want to seem like you do not care. The occasional follow-up on their thoughts on the service you provided them, whether or not they’re happy with the product/s you sold them etc. is important. It also doesn’t hurt around this time of year to send out a little holiday cheer via an email, text, letter etc. to let them know how important they are to you.

With the New Year only days away, take stock in how you treat customers now and moving forward.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

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

 

Beach Notes: There’s an artist in each of us

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By Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh

Wandering around this year’s Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi (Sydney) Australia we were delighted to see a work displaying the unmistakeable talent of our friend, glass artist Sallie Portnoy.  Its title is nascentia blades of grass.

Sally Portnoy sculpture
We reminisced about the time years ago when Sallie hosted a dinner at her place.

Before we ate we were all shepherded into Sallie’s studio where each of us was given a partly baked clay plate and told to decorate it prior to it being put in the kiln. Des held back – “I’m not an artist” –  and said he’d just watch, but we persuaded him to have a go. He did, with a result that impressed the gathering and surprised Des.

Sadly, we don’t have the plate, because it broke on the way to the kiln.

But Des has the memory of being artistically creative. He likes that – #notjustanobserver.

There’s an artist in each of us. How have you explored your creativity lately?

Authors’ Bios: Suzie Cheel is the Heart Whisperer at Suzie Cheel You can find Suzie on Facebook and on Twitter as @suziecheel

Des Walsh is a Digital Disruption Navigator at Des Walsh Dot Com You can find Des at LinkedIn and on Twitter as @deswalsh

Is Your Association Providing the Personal Touch?

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Shaking HandsPersonalization is the key to many marketing campaigns today, especially if you’re newer to the business scene and looking to make inroads.

For organizations that don’t offer a product, they may not see the benefits of personalization. However, associations in all industries can utilize personalization to create a more satisfying experience for their members.

Members join associations for all kinds of reasons.

Some use them to leverage connections or to enhance their own image. They may be looking to network or to gain more industry experience.

Your association can find unique ways of interacting with members based on those reasons and on the unique needs they have.

Go Beyond Basic Personalization

As the article, “Why Personalization is so Vital to Your Association” says, many organizations use a basic form of personalization without tapping into the more advanced options. The article discusses using the individual’s name in correspondence, but you can do so much more.

Associations often attract members from various levels.

For example, in an industry association, members may consist of experienced professionals as well as those just starting out. The information a beginner is looking for is going to be different than what an expert in the field needs.

With modern technology tools, it is possible to show custom content to each user. As a result, you can create content that caters to various types of members.

Filtering for Information

Another method of personalization begins with filtering your members based on specific criteria.

Put them in groups with certain groups receiving information or other tools that benefit them. Create opportunities for networking based on their interests.

You can offer courses or send out special invitations based on the various needs of your members.

Instead of waiting to accumulate data over time, most associations have immediate access to more information than the average business that is trying to sell a product or service.

Just by joining your association, you can ascertain certain facts about your members. You will also most likely have them fill out a form that provides you with even more details.

Benefits of Personalization

Personalization benefits you as much as it does your members.

Instead of offering random or generalized information or opportunities, you create custom options that are geared toward a specific group or person.

This degree of personalization creates a more positive interaction between you and the member. They will be more likely to stay with your association and will be more active.

In addition, you will spend less time and money sending out general content to everyone.

Because you have a target audience and are more specific in your approach, you will see better results.

Personalization is not just for businesses in the retail industry.

Every organization can benefit by personal interaction with their members.

Take your association to the next level and discover that your members are getting what they need when you make your interactions with them more personal and satisfying.

Begin today finding out how you can get personal with your members.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Joyce Morse is an author who writes on a variety of topics, including finance and the business world.