The 8020Info Water Cooler

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The 8020Info Water Cooler
Issue #99 - Vol. 7 No. 02
12 February, 2007

1. The Pause That Refreshes

We all remember the Coca-Cola slogan "The Pause That Refreshes." In Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Caffeine newsletter, Kevin Eikenberry offers five ways that a pause can improve your results:

Refresh your problem-solving efforts: If you are facing a tough problem, take a break of a few minutes or a few days depending on how extensive and urgent the problem is. Your subconscious will continue grappling with the issue, and help find the best solution.

Refresh your plan: Instead of plunging into the work routine the moment you hit your desk, take a few minutes to review your major goals for that day. "Taking a short break from 'doing the work' to 'review the plan' will pay off throughout the day. Then, as the day progresses, take a look at your progress. These short breaks will help you to refocus," he says.

Refresh a presentation: In making presentations to clients or staff, fiddle with the pace and insert pauses that allow listeners to soak in important points.

Refresh a meeting or training session: Similarly, provide breaks in meetings where people can stretch their legs and get some fresh air. They will return re-energized and their ideas will improve.

Refresh your life: Make time for longer pauses in your life as well, from time at a spa or reading, to afternoons with a friend, to weekend get-aways and full-blown vacations.

Pause now, he suggests, and consider how to add these pauses to your life.

2. Tough Questions To Ask Your Clients Top

Often we try to keep our clients happy by not ruffling their feathers with tough, uncomfortable questions. But consultant Paul Cherry, on RainToday.com, says your clients can't solve their problems if they haven't acknowledged them. So he suggests asking some probing questions that will help build rapport, illuminate their hidden needs and wants, and galvanize client emotions so they take action with your help:

What do you think you will do more of, less of, or just plain differently this year?

What is it that you value most about doing business with us?

In what ways are we helping you to achieve your goals?

What do you feel we are doing right to sustain our business relationship?

In what ways can we improve?

What changes do we need to make to ensure your greater success?

What goals would you like me to accomplish this year?

How can I make your job easier?

Would you be willing to serve as a reference for our company? If so, could you elaborate on what you would say? If not, why?

What will it take on my part to win that portion of the business you are currently giving to our competition?

The questions, he says, help you to be sensitive to your client's concerns and issues, and alert to potential speed bumps ahead.

3. Entrepreneurial Whines and Roses    Top

Mark Cuban, the dynamic entrepreneur who owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, noted recently that he has a tendency to whine. But while most people feel whining is a negative trait, Cuban contends it helps him to identify problems and turn them into opportunities. "Whining is the first step towards change. It's the moment when you realize something is very wrong, and that you have to take the initiative to do something about it," he says.

That's a lesson about how to be more successful. But Rick Spence, in his Selling To Small Business blog, says it's also a reminder of how to deal with entrepreneurs who happen to be clients. They will have high expectations, and you have to meet those with exceptional features that make you superior to the competition. "Business owners will be your biggest fans, but they will turn on you in a minute if they think they're no longer getting the value they're paying for," he says.

4. Leading Your Team     Top

Consultant Robin Sharma was watching a road crew at work when the team leader was having a bad day. When a bus driver hit the horn because a traffic barricade was in her way, the team leader exploded. He yelled, threw a fist, kicked over the barricade, and then continued by yelling at and mocking his crew. That evening, Sharma bets, he blamed his crew for a low-performance day.

"The big idea: Your team will never be greater than you are (even if you are not the team leader)," he writes on his blog. "You set the level of how high you all can fly." Forget blaming others. Instead, examine your inner world since external leadership begins with internal mastery.

5. Zingers    Top

To improve your delegation, carry a notebook with you for three days and make notes of the steps you take to complete all business tasks. Any time you complete a task someone else could be doing, highlight that fact and the associated actions, which can serve as protocols for delegating the work.
(Source: Entrepreneur)

The cost of couriers and messengers has increased 18 per cent from 2003.
(Source: Statistics Canada's The Daily)

Think of the Five E's of Meetings when planning one: efficient, effective, educational, entertaining, and enriching.
(Source: Random Thoughts From A CTO blog)

Research has found that managing and meeting customers' expectations is more important to customer satisfaction than the actual quantity and quality of your product or service. That means you shouldn't say to a customer, "I'll get this done right away," because you and your customer may have different interpretations of the term "right away." Be specific, such as, "I'll have it done by the end of the day." And do it.
(Source: Winning At Work newsletter)

To make your current version of Microsoft Office able to read files from the new Office 2007, visit http://office.microsoft.com for free conversion software. Click on the Downloads tab and select Microsoft Office File Formats Compatibility Pack.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)

6. Q & A with 8020Info Top

Question: How can I find ways to improve our customer service?

8020Info's Alison Sortberg responds:

Outstanding customer service is no longer just a client expectation -- it's now viewed as a right. Inc.com, a resource for entrepreneurs, offers a list of best customer service practices that any organization can put into practice:

Make a plan: As Revco Drug Stores did, ask yourself, "what do we want to happen to every customer every time in order to promote good customer service?" Whether it's greeting customers promptly or leaving no question unanswered, ensure consistency in your customer interactions. Start small, expand the list when appropriate, and scrap ineffective ideas.

Observe how employees interact with the public: Watching and coaching frontline staff can vastly improve daily customer interactions.

Talk to your customers: Take a lesson from JetBlues' CEO, David Neeleman, who works as a flight attendant as often as he gets the chance. Neeleman listens to passengers' concerns while serving them snacks.

Find a guarantee that will set you apart from the pack: David Frey, president of Marketing Best Practices, recommends "risk-reversal marketing". Anticipate what a potential customer fears most about doing business with you, and assume some of that risk yourself by offering a specific guarantee or warranty.

Encourage your employees' pride and creativity: No matter how good your service is, it could be better. Your employees know best how to improve it. Rather than using performance objectives and bonuses, awaken your employees' personal pride in doing a great job. Entrepreneur Norm Brodsky says that will get them improving your operations in countless ways.

7. News From Our Water Cooler:
Roundtable on "First-Timers" Top

About half the seats for our next 8020Info Roundtable Luncheon, on Wednesday, February 21st, have already been reserved. The discussion will focus on marketing to "first-timers" -- those customers who are making a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, clients who have never dealt with your type of operation before, or first-generation pioneers (such as college or university students coming from families where no one has experienced a post secondary education nor is able explain how the system works). If you cater to "first-timers" who are usually unfamiliar with your type of service, your marketing plan probably needs important adjustments.

The session at The Rivermill Restaurant in Kingston starts at noon, and will be hosted by 8020Info CEO Rob Wood. The cost is just $20.

As usual, our 8020Info Roundtable offers you a break from your busy routine and a chance to come together with other leaders, managers and entrepreneurs, sharing ideas and learning from each other. If you're interested in attending, please reserve your place at the table by e-mail at: contactus@8020info.com .

8. Closing Thought Top

"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."
-- William James