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Member You - The Keys to Delivering World-Class Service
Thanks to Wojciech Jestrzebowski, a Polish scholar, who introduced the term Ergonomics back in 1857 we know more about how we can incorporate the use of equipment to help with some of the daunting work duties that may take its toll on our bodies in the long term. It has only been in the recent years that companies have taken notice and have implemented ergonomic equipment in the work place. Thanks to these employers we can now lead a healthier, happier life with less body pains and strains than before.Computer work stations have advanced significantly throughout the years as people sit at them more and more. The incorporation of a good ergonomic chair and ergonomic computer work station can be a heaven sent for those who are lucky enough to have one. Repetitive motion is one of the larger concerns when it comes to computer users.The repetitive motion disorders develop because of microscopic tears in the tissue. When the body is unable to repair the tears in the tissue as fast as they are being made, inflammation occurs, leading to the sensation of pain. Repetitive motion injuries are among the most common inju
The Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics
-We will always be clear and truthful in our marketing communications.
-We will never intentionally deceive or mislead our customers. If we do, we’ll apologize—immediately.
-We will fully disclose, in the large print, all pricing information.
-We will always respect the privacy of our customers.
-We will always give buyers the ability to opt-out; quickly honoring their desire to do so.
-We will stand behind our products if they fail to deliver on their promises.
-We will listen to our customers’ needs and concerns, and make every effort to incorporate their input.
-We will not use strong-arm tactics to get people to buy.
-We will always document claims, testimonials and comparative statements.
-We will always accept
Business relationships need to provide you with the business you need. Whether you use an alliance, a leads group or a Power Team, you need to make sure that you are dealing with someone that is reliable, honest, and ethical. There have been many horror stories with relationships that have gone sour because one person did not live up to their side of the bargain. I worked with a person a few years back that wanted to develop a publishing house. He had the money and I had the expertise. This was great, but I was blind as to the pitfalls. The first thing we did was form a fifty-fifty partnership. He decided that I could be President of the company and he would take up the vice-presidents position. It worked well for a few months until he decided that he did not like the way I was managing the business. Since we were fifty-fifty partners, we were at a stalemate. I could no longer do what I thought was best for the company and he could veto everything we tried to do. As a result, the company failed and we were both out of pocket. If we were experienced in this type of scenario, it would have been better to appoint a CEO
The Pillars of Service Cool
Without great service, your company is doomed from the start. But what exactly constitutes great service? There are three basic elements; my Pillars of Service Cool. They are: Timeliness Follow through and Integrity.
1. Timeliness In today’s “I want it now” society, timeliness can be your company’s trump card. Yet, too many companies don’t seem to respect their customers’ time. Witness:
In a recent study by Jupiter Research, 33 percent of all Internet companies surveyed took three days or longer to get back to customers that had e-mailed for help.
A study by Portland Research Group found that the average consumer must call a company 2.3 times before having their issue resolved.
2. Follow-through What is a golf swing without follow-through? Accumulated energy without an outlet. A beginning without an end. Effort without results. The same is true of a company’s marketing. “You can have a terrible logo and pathetic signage, but if you are known for your incredible commitment and follow-through, you will be successful” says Jim Logan, marketing consultant and popular blogger at www.jslogan.com. “Reverse the formula and you’ll fail every time.” With diligent follow through, your company will demonstrate its commitment, beyond a shadow of a doubt. From this, you can expect to reap repeat purchases, positive word-of-mouth, and referrals; the trifecta of successful marketing.
3. Integrity Today’s buyers are a distrustful bunch. Is it any wonder? Just look at the ethical lapses seen in today’s market:
In 2005, Sony Pictures Entertainment quoted the praise of a nonexistent film critic to promote several of its films. For A Knight’s Tale, The Patriot, and several other films, plaudits were attributed to David Manning, a supposed film critic at The Ridgeview Press. But at the time of the reviews, The Ridgeview Press, a weekly in Connecticut, did not even have a film critic on staff. Sony was ordered to pay $1.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit.
In August 2001, McDonald’s and the FBI revealed that an employee of Simon Marketing, one of McDonalds’ marketing agencies, had distributed winning game pieces for the “Monopoly” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” promotions to a network of accomplices. The accomplices then claimed prizes ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.
In 2005, Abercrombie & Fitch, a favorite clothing brand among teenagers, launched a T-shirt line featuring such alcohol-related slogans as “Don’t Bother, I’m Not Drunk Yet,” “Bad Girls Chug, Good Girls Drink Quickly,” and “Candy Is Dandy, But Liquor Is Quicker.” The T-shirt line was quickly withdrawn from the market when complaints from the media and advocacy groups surfaced.
Marketers for these companies all showed an alarming lapse in ethics. To avoid blunders like these, I recommend holding your marketers to a higher ethical standard; that’s why I’ve created the Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics:
The Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics
-We will always be clear and truthful in our marketing communications.
-We will never intentionally deceive or mislead our customers. If we do, we’ll apologize—immediately.
-We will fully disclose, in the large print, all pricing information.
-We will always respect the privacy of our customers.
-We will always give buyers the ability to opt-out; quickly honoring their desire to do so.
-We will stand behind our products if they fail to deliver on their promises.
-We will listen to our customers’ needs and concerns, and make every effort to incorporate their input.
-We will not use strong-arm tactics to get people to buy.
-We will always document claims, testimonials and comparative statements.
-We will always accept r
Everyone loves to be appreciated, and when that thanks is expressed with a gift, you’ll make extra points with the gift recipient. Corporate gifts are often thought of as expensive, one-of-a-kind executive style gifts that your company sends out at holidays, but there’s another level of corporate gift-giving that can mark you and your firm as a thoughtful, appreciative company with whom to do business.The wonderful thing about thank you gifts is that they needn’t be expensive, but they can pay off big in exposure for your company and product. There are literally dozens of opportunities for little thank yous in the course of doing business, and you can do it as cheaply as a few pence per item. It just takes a little planning and the foresight to develop a “thanks for your business” marketing policy. Here’s how.Choose a small variety of promotional items imprinted with your company’s name. You’ll find an enormous range of promotional gifts and items available on the internet. Choose a handful of various types of items that will your customers will find useful. If you’re not sure, ask your own staff about the produ
In a recent study by Jupiter Research, 33 percent of all Internet companies surveyed took three days or longer to get back to customers that had e-mailed for help.
A study by Portland Research Group found that the average consumer must call a company 2.3 times before having their issue resolved.
2. Follow-through What is a golf swing without follow-through? Accumulated energy without an outlet. A beginning without an end. Effort without results. The same is true of a company’s marketing. “You can have a terrible logo and pathetic signage, but if you are known for your incredible commitment and follow-through, you will be successful” says Jim Logan, marketing consultant and popular blogger at www.jslogan.com. “Reverse the formula and you’ll fail every time.” With diligent follow through, your company will demonstrate its commitment, beyond a shadow of a doubt. From this, you can expect to reap repeat purchases, positive word-of-mouth, and referrals; the trifecta of successful marketing.
3. Integrity Today’s buyers are a distrustful bunch. Is it any wonder? Just look at the ethical lapses seen in today’s market:
In 2005, Sony Pictures Entertainment quoted the praise of a nonexistent film critic to promote several of its films. For A Knight’s Tale, The Patriot, and several other films, plaudits were attributed to David Manning, a supposed film critic at The Ridgeview Press. But at the time of the reviews, The Ridgeview Press, a weekly in Connecticut, did not even have a film critic on staff. Sony was ordered to pay $1.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit.
In August 2001, McDonald’s and the FBI revealed that an employee of Simon Marketing, one of McDonalds’ marketing agencies, had distributed winning game pieces for the “Monopoly” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” promotions to a network of accomplices. The accomplices then claimed prizes ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.
In 2005, Abercrombie & Fitch, a favorite clothing brand among teenagers, launched a T-shirt line featuring such alcohol-related slogans as “Don’t Bother, I’m Not Drunk Yet,” “Bad Girls Chug, Good Girls Drink Quickly,” and “Candy Is Dandy, But Liquor Is Quicker.” The T-shirt line was quickly withdrawn from the market when complaints from the media and advocacy groups surfaced.
Marketers for these companies all showed an alarming lapse in ethics. To avoid blunders like these, I recommend holding your marketers to a higher ethical standard; that’s why I’ve created the Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics:
The Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics
-We will always be clear and truthful in our marketing communications.
-We will never intentionally deceive or mislead our customers. If we do, we’ll apologize—immediately.
-We will fully disclose, in the large print, all pricing information.
-We will always respect the privacy of our customers.
-We will always give buyers the ability to opt-out; quickly honoring their desire to do so.
-We will stand behind our products if they fail to deliver on their promises.
-We will listen to our customers’ needs and concerns, and make every effort to incorporate their input.
-We will not use strong-arm tactics to get people to buy.
-We will always document claims, testimonials and comparative statements.
-We will always accept
Have you ever asked for a report based on data in a database? Or have you ever been asked to create such a report? Starting a report can sometimes feel like a mind reading trip into uncharted territory. I have spent over 5 years creating reports and I found it was often necessary to go back and redo reports because communication was not clear. Sometimes the party requesting the report didn't know what they really wanted. Sometimes the party creating the report does not ask enough questions before starting. Over the years, I have come up with starter questions that provide a plan. Using these I have more often created the needed report on the first draft.What question are you trying to answer? I have often had management ask for something specific without first telling me what they wanted to know. When the objective is not set forth at the onset, often what management requested does not give them the answers they were seeking. This is usually due to the fact that people were jumping ahead to the result instead of actually asking the question. Management does not always know the data source and may be u
3. Integrity Today’s buyers are a distrustful bunch. Is it any wonder? Just look at the ethical lapses seen in today’s market:
In 2005, Sony Pictures Entertainment quoted the praise of a nonexistent film critic to promote several of its films. For A Knight’s Tale, The Patriot, and several other films, plaudits were attributed to David Manning, a supposed film critic at The Ridgeview Press. But at the time of the reviews, The Ridgeview Press, a weekly in Connecticut, did not even have a film critic on staff. Sony was ordered to pay $1.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit.
In August 2001, McDonald’s and the FBI revealed that an employee of Simon Marketing, one of McDonalds’ marketing agencies, had distributed winning game pieces for the “Monopoly” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” promotions to a network of accomplices. The accomplices then claimed prizes ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.
In 2005, Abercrombie & Fitch, a favorite clothing brand among teenagers, launched a T-shirt line featuring such alcohol-related slogans as “Don’t Bother, I’m Not Drunk Yet,” “Bad Girls Chug, Good Girls Drink Quickly,” and “Candy Is Dandy, But Liquor Is Quicker.” The T-shirt line was quickly withdrawn from the market when complaints from the media and advocacy groups surfaced.
Marketers for these companies all showed an alarming lapse in ethics. To avoid blunders like these, I recommend holding your marketers to a higher ethical standard; that’s why I’ve created the Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics:
The Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics
-We will always be clear and truthful in our marketing communications.
-We will never intentionally deceive or mislead our customers. If we do, we’ll apologize—immediately.
-We will fully disclose, in the large print, all pricing information.
-We will always respect the privacy of our customers.
-We will always give buyers the ability to opt-out; quickly honoring their desire to do so.
-We will stand behind our products if they fail to deliver on their promises.
-We will listen to our customers’ needs and concerns, and make every effort to incorporate their input.
-We will not use strong-arm tactics to get people to buy.
-We will always document claims, testimonials and comparative statements.
-We will always accept
One of the first things you do when starting a business is to have business cards made up. The next thing you need to do is give them out. If you keep them in the card holders or the box in your office, they are not doing what you got them for. You should send a card out with any correspondence you send. You should tell all your friends and family what you are doing. Give them a bunch of cards to give to others. Do you go to a dry cleaner? A special car repair place? What about the grocery store, do you like to go to a particular checker? All of these people should have your business card, and know what you do. One of the first things we tell our PFYS students to do is to get their name out there. We tell them to get cards made up and give them out to everyone. With lease purchasing we emphasize that we offer referral fees. For example, we gave cards (a bunch of them) to our video store. We told the owner that if we do a deal with someone who got the card from his store he would get 10% of whatever the assignment fee was. Well, guess what, he received a $500 check he wasn't expecting. Well you can imag
In 2005, Abercrombie & Fitch, a favorite clothing brand among teenagers, launched a T-shirt line featuring such alcohol-related slogans as “Don’t Bother, I’m Not Drunk Yet,” “Bad Girls Chug, Good Girls Drink Quickly,” and “Candy Is Dandy, But Liquor Is Quicker.” The T-shirt line was quickly withdrawn from the market when complaints from the media and advocacy groups surfaced.
Marketers for these companies all showed an alarming lapse in ethics. To avoid blunders like these, I recommend holding your marketers to a higher ethical standard; that’s why I’ve created the Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics:
The Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics
-We will always be clear and truthful in our marketing communications.
-We will never intentionally deceive or mislead our customers. If we do, we’ll apologize—immediately.
-We will fully disclose, in the large print, all pricing information.
-We will always respect the privacy of our customers.
-We will always give buyers the ability to opt-out; quickly honoring their desire to do so.
-We will stand behind our products if they fail to deliver on their promises.
-We will listen to our customers’ needs and concerns, and make every effort to incorporate their input.
-We will not use strong-arm tactics to get people to buy.
-We will always document claims, testimonials and comparative statements.
-We will always accept
Accounting is one of the most vital processes in any business. To say the least, it is even more important than manufacturing goods and selling them. Flow of revenues and expenditures ultimately decides the fate of a business as does its proper management. The requirements of every business may vary, but the general requirements of a business like collection, classification and analysis of financial data is what constitutes the crux of accounting.Nowadays, it is becoming a norm to purchase accounting software before starting a business. You can find accounting software for both small business as well as large businesses. In fact, a whole basket of accounting software programs is there to choose from. Depending on the type of business you have and how you run it, you have to choose the accounting software that compliments your business, instead of being a limiting force to it.Before reviewing any accounting software, it is important to classify the market of accounting software in the following manner:a) Small business/personal accounting software is targeted at home users. Such software are simple, easy to
The Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics
-We will always be clear and truthful in our marketing communications.
-We will never intentionally deceive or mislead our customers. If we do, we’ll apologize—immediately.
-We will fully disclose, in the large print, all pricing information.
-We will always respect the privacy of our customers.
-We will always give buyers the ability to opt-out; quickly honoring their desire to do so.
-We will stand behind our products if they fail to deliver on their promises.
-We will listen to our customers’ needs and concerns, and make every effort to incorporate their input.
-We will not use strong-arm tactics to get people to buy.
-We will always document claims, testimonials and comparative statements.
-We will always accept responsibility for the consequences of our actions.
Don’t let years of creating your company identity be wiped out in an instant by an ethical lapse. Circulate this Code of Marketing Ethics to all your marketers, and then hold them accountable for sticking to it.
The Top 7 Customer Service Mistakes
Before learning how a company can offer world class service, it might be helpful to point out the most common service problems in business today. Fix these and your company’s reputation may well be the only marketing program you need:
7. Not adequately training your staff – Financial services call centers in the US that enjoy the highest customer satisfaction levels, routinely invest 180 hours of initial training and seven hours of ongoing training every year into each agent. Does your company take its service training this serious?
6. Trying to win an argument with a customer – Arguing with a customer is bad business. You may win the argument, but you’ll probably lose the customer. Instead, show empathy. Tell the buyer you understand how they feel and that together you’re going to find a solution to their problem.
5. Over relying on voicemail – Customers who take the time to contact your company want to know there’s a face behind your company. Work hard to get customers talking to your company’s humans, not its technology.
4. Spending too much time with chronic complainers – Some people will never be happy with your service. If you’ve received at least three complaints from the same customer, it’s time to get rid of them, and focus on those you can help.
3. Taking criticism personally – Most callers don’t want to attack you personally. Although they may be lashing out at you, they’re really most frustrated by the problem they face. Take their attention off you and place it squarely back on the problem.
2. Not acting like you care –68 percent of buyer defections take place because customers feel they’ve been treated poorly. Most customers don’t expect an immediate resolution to their problem, but they do expect your concern. Routinely use terms like “sorry to keep you waiting” and “thanks for contacting us today.”
1. Not delivering what you promise – Because some buyers are continually misled by companies, they’re understandably distrustful. For world class service, deliver exactly what you promise. If it’s “I’ll call you by tomorrow with the answer” or “I’ll put that in the mail today,” do it.
Concierge marketing: How to turn information into a marketing tool At the root of it, a concierge marketer—much like the hotel concierge who dispenses invaluable information about restaurants and local happenings—tries to simplify a buyer’s life by providing helpful information. The first step in being a successful concierge marketer is to provide passive marketing tools which are printed or online informational products. Using any of these, buyers can quickly get answers to their nagging questions:
-Tip sheets
-Booklets/pamphlets
-White papers
-Checklists
-Buying guides
As an example, I offer on my website, www.emergemarketing.com, a “Marketing Lingo” section with over 200 common marketing terms and their definitions. Another set of concierge marketing tools are called buyer involvement tools. These are designed to create dialogues with your market and include:
-Post-installation follow-up calls
-Online customer for
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