3 Non-Negotiables for Stellar Customer Service

Want to build connections that bring benefits?

You can do this everywhere you go by using people’s names. Career Coach Joyce Russel shared a story about a friend recovering from an injury. This man was staying in a rehab hospital and was not particularly happy with his care from the therapists and staff.

Unsympathetic, his wife noted that he hadn’t treated the hospital staff with particular kindness, “Do you even know the names of the people who are helping you?” she asked him. “No, why should I learn their names?” he replied. She reminded him that just by learning and using people’s names, he might get better care.

Sure enough, it helped!

Keep Your Best Customers Coming Back

Personal attention brings powerful results.

If you want a no-fail tactic to increase your sales, one of your best strategies is to entice proven customers to buy again. Here are just a few ways to keep customers coming back:

Greet People by Name

When you want to build loyalty, learn and use the names of your customers.

There should be a distinct difference between how you interact with your consistent clients and those you meet for the first time. Even if you don’t remember someone’s name, let them know you recognize them and are happy to see them. Say something like, “Well, hello! It’s great to see you again.”

When you take a phone call, the person on the other end usually identifies themselves immediately. Use this to your advantage and try to speak their name in conversation as the call progresses. As Dale Carnegie often said, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

Keep Your Eye on the Customer (Not the Profit)

Clients want to be recognized as people, not as potential profits.

In what ways can you be helpful regardless of profit? If a VIP customer needs a minor repair or replacement part, could you offer it at no cost? If a valued partner is considering a service upgrade, could you provide a free month of benefits? Small gestures (like carrying someone’s bag to their car) cost very little, but they add up over time.

People will continue taking their business to places they feel valued, and they’ll tell their friends too.

Keep Your Commitments

Reliability is the foundation of good customer relationships.

If you make a promise, keep it. If you say, “your new grill will be delivered and assembled by Saturday,” make sure it does. Never make claims you can’t back up with certainty.

The same rule applies to client appointments, upcoming sales, deadlines, etc. Think before you speak because broken promises are a slight on your character and your business's reputation.

8 DOs and DON'Ts for Handling Difficult Employees

Have you ever managed a problematic employee?

You’re not the only one. Though we all have tricky team members, Reader’s Digest collected 15 of the most outrageous stories. Here are two examples:

The New York City Department of Health has a robust help-line for its IT department. This should be very beneficial to clients. However, one of the (twice-suspended!) help-line operators continually complicated things by answering calls while pretending to be a talking robot.

An Egyptian bus driver had an ingenious plan to beat a mandatory drug test: He used his wife’s urine. Sounds foolproof, right? Unfortunately, he failed the test, even though she was clean. He found out when his boss handed him the results and said, “Congratulations; you’re pregnant.”

How to Deal with Problematic Behavior

While it’s tempting to overlook lousy behavior, the costs of this passive approach go beyond the direct effects of one person’s actions; they spill over onto other employees. Bad behaviors affect an entire team, decreasing morale and tempting others to cheat or underperform.

Problem employees can be subtle but toxic. Here are some of the most frustrating behaviors managers experience in difficult team members:

• Evokes Customer Complaints


• Appears Unmotivated or Disengaged


• Exhibits a Bad Attitude or Passive Aggressive Behavior


• Catastrophizes Minor Problems


• Resents Authority Figures


• Wastes Time on the Clock


• Violates Company Policy


• Communicates or Behaves Dishonestly

Recognize any from this list? Maybe they’re keeping you awake at night.

If it’s time to act, here are several DO’s and DON’Ts for engaging challenging team members:

DON’T

Bad-mouth a team member. Don’t make personal character attacks or complain in a gossipy way. Instead, clearly and professionally identify the problem behavior, preserving this person’s privacy and dignity whenever possible.

Scold in public. Instead, use private conversations or involve only one other person.

Issue warnings without documentation. Regularly logging employee behavior allows you to track behavior over time and point out clear examples of a recurring problem. It also shows the employee you are serious (and not just “nagging”).

Be vague. When you want behavior change, don’t be afraid to spell out exactly what you are looking for. The most motivating conversations are built around the STAR technique: Identify the SITUATION or TASK that is problematic, the ACTION needed in response, and the RESULT or outcome you expect.

DO

Set a clear message of need and expectation. From the hiring process to regular review, clearly articulate what you expect – from dress codes to project quotas.

Avoid debatable problematic behavior. Some behaviors are unacceptable, while others are just annoying. Clearly distinguish between the two categories and only confront things that violate policy or cause consistent, noticeable dilemmas.

Follow up. Praise good work when you see change or speak promptly when you don’t see progress. Regular follow-up helps you deal proactively with challenging people and sends a clear message to other employees as well.

Involve human resources or top management. Consult your team to clarify rules and guidelines and ensure backup for your decisions.  

Confront the Mess, Reduce Stress

Dealing with a problematic person can be taxing.

But avoiding the problem can be worse. If you take a proactive, well-documented approach, you can have confidence that you’ve done your best in a trying situation.

And that may be the best stress reducer of all.

6 Tips to Improve Your Printed Newsletters

Online ads, digital promotions, and e-newsletters bombard recipients daily.

Much of this information is being deleted or filtered out without ever being read. Because of this, printed newsletters are making a comeback, and more businesses are using them to keep their customers current with what is happening. 

Regardless of whether the company is already sending out a newsletter or debating on starting one, it is good to learn new ways to improve it. Here are some tips to help improve printed newsletters. 

6 Tips to Improve Your Printed Newsletters

1. Exclusive Information

Offering exclusive information in a newsletter or a special incentive for signing up can help increase the mailing list and encourage recipients to read it.

Information can include unique advice from the CEO, advance notice for special announcements, or information someone can only receive if they read the entire newsletter. Special incentives can include discounts for products or services, gifts, or invitations to special events. 

2. Article Focus

When writing articles for the newsletter, it is essential to make them fun to read and provide valuable information.

By offering valuable information, readers become informed about products, services, or events, which lead to future sales. Encourage employees to contribute and write articles to provide more variety in writing styles and topics. 

3. Add Personalized Content

Create newsletter articles for the individual needs of specific groups.

Writing for targeted groups may require multiple newsletters to achieve; however, it may be worth the investment if a business targets multiple groups of people. For example, a major real estate company may want to create two newsletters, one for those who need real estate information to buy or sell homes and then a second newsletter for real estate agents. 

4. Use Color

Color attracts the eye and draws people in, encouraging them to continue reading.

Color animates everything, and one of the most popular newspapers — USA Today — implements lots of color in its papers. Use color to complement the article topics and other images within the newsletter. 

5. Placement of Images

In addition to using color to attract readers, the placement and use of images and photos will help draw readers.

Many will look at images and read their captions first before reading the article. Use photos and images that help better explain an article and be visually attractive for newsletter skimmers. One tip to keep in mind is to use the dollar bill test. It should be possible to place a dollar bill anywhere on the newsletter, and it should be touching an image.  

6. Offer an Online Option

Though having a printed newsletter to read in hand is preferred by many, some still want access to the same information online.

Create a section on the website to include links to PDF files or online versions of the newsletter. For example, The Disney Company has printed The Mickey Monitor for years to send out quarterly to annual pass holders to its theme parks. However, the newsletter is also accessible online. 

Nonprofits and groups are also offering printed newsletters online as a virtual reference. When signing up for the newsletter from Widowed Persons Service, recipients can select to receive a printed newsletter or one via their email. 

When done correctly, a printed newsletter can attract attention and be an excellent tool for a company. Regardless of the newsletter's purpose — boost sales, attract new clients, or educate employees — there is sure to be a return on the investment associated with the costs of printing the newsletter.

Add Zest to Summer Designs with 10 Hot Color Combos

It has been said that color is a power that directly influences our soul.

A common obstacle for designers is choosing colors. And you should not take this choice lightly! There is great energy in certain combinations – a good color palette will be unique, seductive, and harmonious.

Warmer seasonal temps offer a great chance to color outside the lines with playful, lavish options. Need inspiration? Here are a few feisty blends for your summer design toolbox:

10 Feisty Blends for Your Summer Design Toolbox

1. Cool Gray – Neon Orange – Plum Purple

These call-to-action colors bring a sense of health and vibrancy, with an air of sophistication and an invitation to adventure.

2. Magenta – Vibrant Turquoise – Black

Fire up confidence with bright shades that bring flavor and fun!

3. Sapphire Blue – Shadow Gray – Neon Yellow

Like a bright peacock feather, this gorgeous blue-green combination brings a royal, confident air to any page.

4. Bright Green – Dark Violet – Lava Gray

Like a sunset dip in the Caribbean, these rich colors satisfy the soul in a lush, confident array.

5. Flaming Fuchsia – Black – Sandy Tan

Want to steal the stage with your design? The bold contrasts in this palette exude vibrance, feminine strength, and a rugged road for the journey.

6. Solar Yellow – Electric Blue – Charcoal

When you want to add punch to your page, the rich extremes of this triad bring a fluorescent finish that is fierce yet fun!

7. Pearl Aqua – Cyber Grape – Daisy Yellow

These colors bring a burst of energy with bright hues and an interesting, sophisticated contrast.

8. Lime Punch – Cool Gray – Tangerine

Heat up appetites with this tropical, zesty arrangement that will compel people to give your business a try!

9. Terra Firma Green – Magenta – Sunlight Yellow

Like interwoven threads of a tribal mosaic, the sharp contrasts in this palette bring a sense of depth, mystery, and variety.

10. Carnation – Dark Lilac – Peachy Rose

Like a seashell deposited on a white-washed beach, this royal blend awakens a sense of purity and opulence, projecting an air of poise and splendor.

Find Your Favorites in Nature

Still looking for just the right blend? The natural world is a great place to look.

-- The sunset is not just orange; it is apricot, bronze, mauve, and amber.

-- A tropical beach is not just blue; it is turquoise, coral, tan, and chartreuse.

-- A poplar tree is not just green; it is a mix of jungle green, lime, silver-green, light brown, cool gray, and white.

When you find a natural image that inspires you, snap a photo and take it to the drawing board. Sample distinct colors from different parts of the photo and examine which hues move you the most. Most compelling swaths from nature include a system of colors ranging from dark to light and intense to soft. Find what is unique and powerful about these grand images and replicate them in your own seasonal designs.

The psychological association of a color can often be more potent than a visual impression. So be intentional (but brave!) with your summer palettes, and let these blends sell for you!

Why 2021 Direct Mail Marketing Still Matters for Retail Food Businesses

While people are finally able to obtain a vaccine for COVID-19 and the ability to travel, move around, shop, and dine out is increasing, restaurants have a long hill ahead of them before getting back to a business “normality.”

In fact, entire behavior patterns have changed in people after a year of completely living at home and avoiding regular work presence, school, commuting, and traffic. And that means businesses have to work extra hard in diversifying how they produce income and revenue channels to stay viable.

Many restaurants realized early the only way they were going to stay in business was to boost their ability to handle delivery, ordering out, pick up, and other forms of fresh-cooked food transfer to customers who could no longer dine in.

While people generally tried producing their food regularly at home, overall, Americans are used to picking up and eating out. So, the demand never actually left; it was stifled by COVID restrictions.

However, even now, many communities are still maintaining social restrictions to prevent new COVID infections until vaccinations are fully in place at every age level. That means restaurants and food preparation businesses have to continue leveraging direct mail to be heard, seen, connect and remain on the attention radar of customers.

4 Reasons Direct Mail Works

1. Direct mail is almost always local.

The most likely customers that can and will visit a restaurant from the surrounding area are the primary target for print mails.

2. Direct mail is significantly lower in cost than other marketing channels.

This is a key factor for food businesses that are already strapped and trying to stay in breakeven with the loss of income thanks to COVID.

3. Direct mail has a higher return on investment.

The return on investment of a simple print card mailer can be thousands upon thousands of dollars when a customer responds to an included call to action.

Add in the additional benefit of discounting, and that same customer is likely to buy even more, increasing a business's revenue and cash flow per sale.

4. Direct mailers should be designed to be re-used.

Customers love the ability to use a marketing tool or coupon repeatedly.

And that creates both business retention and a greater amount of income stream for a restaurant or food business, again the primary goal of the effort in the first place.

Now is the Time

Restaurants and food businesses that rely on retail traffic shouldn’t be waiting for social restrictions to lift further.

Marketing takes time to have a positive effect, which is why direct mail efforts need to be sent out on a cyclical basis, pushing and reminding folks of a restaurant’s presence and availability.

As people keep being reminded, especially as they start commuting to work again, the food business will become viable and convenient for a warm meal, even if it is still takeout or delivery. Card stock direct mailers can help tremendously. So don’t wait for the market to reappear. Get out there and chase it now!

Go Print When a Presentation Matters Most

Given the restrictions of 2020 thanks to COVID, the term "slidedeck" has probably entered everyone's vocabulary far more than they care to know.

With nearly everyone spending at least three hours a day online in digital meetings, digital slide presentations have become commonplace. However, that doesn't mean going digital is the best choice for those decision-making events.

The Tangibility of Print

The standard for a powerful presentation has been and continues to be the professionally printed presentation package.

Why? In a word - tangibility.

People are tactile creatures, especially when making big decisions that have significant ramifications. Print presentations finished in high-quality stock and graphics meet that innate drive to have something physical in hand before making a big commitment.

3 Reasons Digital Falls Short on Presentations

Going digital with your presentation with a digital slidedeck doesn't have the same effect on people as print. Here are three reasons digital falls short in this way.

1. Digital Overload

Most audiences are now suffering from digital overload.

You don't have to go far to hear the constant complaining about having to chew through 50 to 300 emails a day, thanks to an over-reliance on digital communication.

What kind of attention are your presentation attendees going to have left to click open and read through another digital presentation, no matter how well done? 

2. Easily Manipulated Digital Content

Digital files can be easily manipulated, especially if they are going through multiple hands to get to the presentation party.

Many assume that by converting a slidedeck to a PDF format, the file will be protected and its integrity kept the same. This is a false hope. Without a fully encrypted form protection, the file can be tampered with. And when a presentation matters, the sender should make sure the content isn't tampered with from the version sent to the version being presented.

3. The One-and-Done Digital Dilemma

What happens when a digital presentation is complete?

Does the recipient in a meeting save the digital slidedeck for future reference? It's unlikely.

Most people just hit the delete button, hoping someone else has a copy if they actually need it again down the line, or hope that it was saved in their email folder. The likelihood of someone reopening a digital slidedeck to read its content completely is highly unlikely given the digital blur most people are under today.

Capture Attention with Print Presentations

A print presentation on high-quality stock makes a huge difference in all of these situations.

People have something tangible to read and hold that isn't a computer screen. In fact, a professionally finished presentation in print is probably unique and an immediate stand-out in 2021.

And, the presentation can't be faked, fudged, or tampered with without ruining the package in total. The same can't be said for a digital file.

Finally, people do actually look at print material repeatedly after seeing it for the first time. If the document isn't discarded right away, most folks will reread the package before deciding whether to file it, scan it, or recycle it. And that means your message sink in even deeper. 

When a presentation matters, deliver it in print!

4 Straightforward Ways to Strengthen Workplace Communication

In March of 1977, conditions at Spain’s Los Rodeos Airport were chaotic.

Due to a nearby terrorist incident at Gran Canaria Aiport, many flights were diverted to Los Rodeos. The airport quickly grew congested with parked airplanes blocking the only taxiway. This forced departing aircraft to taxi on the runway instead. Patches of thick fog drifted across the airfield, greatly reducing visibility for pilots and the control tower.

Around 6:00 PM, a Boeing 747 KLM flight initiated its takeoff run while a PanAm 747 was still on the runway. When the planes collided, the KLM plane lifted off briefly, then stalled, rolled, and burst into a fireball upon striking the ground. The PanAm plane was also ripped apart and destroyed by the collision, resulting in a total loss of 583 fatalities. It was the deadliest accident in aviation history.

Unfortunately, the tragedy was entirely avoidable but it occurred in a moment of confusion. The pilot believed he had received clearance for takeoff. He did not.

Avoid Your Next Communication Breakdown

While your communication breakdowns probably aren’t quite this serious, they do account for lost time, efficiency, or depletion of team morale.

Good communication is essential for the success of personal and professional relationships. But often, this skill is assumed rather than carefully honed and evaluated. And failed communication has consequences.

According to statistics, 28% of employees mention poor communication as their primary reason for failing to perform tasks on time. One survey of 400 large companies reported an average loss (per company) of $62.4 million per year due to inadequate communication to and between employees.

Poor communication skills make it difficult to build trustworthy relationships with your clients, investors, and suppliers. Here are a few bad habits to eliminate and strategies to try instead:

Assuming Rather Than Clarifying

In work relationships, people tend to swap opinions and stories rather than asking questions.

Managers who take a coach approach to conversations will dig in with simple questions like, “tell me more.” Clarifying questions help to build trust and strengthen accountability.

Being Indirect Versus Intentional

If you desire prompt responses to outstanding questions, don’t just sit back and hope for the best.

Instead, use direct outreach strategies including a follow-up inquiry within 24 hours. To keep the communication cycle moving, reach out and “tap back” over the next day or so. Most of the time you can move the ball with just a simple inquiry like, “thoughts?”

Hoping Things Will Get Better Instead of Speaking Up Immediately

Many people avoid tricky conversations, but this rarely ends well.

When you delay after sensing a red flag, you may be enabling things to get worse. Don’t wait to speak up when something isn’t working. If a team can adapt or innovate early on, this benefits everyone.

Sending Rather Than Scheduling an Email

Everyone loves to scratch items off the to-do list.

But if you really want to optimize communication, perhaps you should delay on hitting the “Send” button. What if you prioritized your communication around the days and times that are most convenient for others?

When people read with full attention, your message will carry much greater weight. Try using the “schedule send” feature in your platform to send more effective, timely messages.

Foundational Skills Bring Long Term Value

With so much at stake in your business, communication is a foundational skill every person can improve. When you grow your communication skills, you instantly add value to your firm and your team.