Why Good Customer Service Is Important To Any Business

Posted on June 30th, 2010 in Ethics In Business by iptools  Tagged , ,

You may think your business is doing really well, you may have your PLR all set up, your research and development team might be coming up with amazing ideas but what about your front line? Your customer service teams and those related to them need to be top notch if you want to have an amazing business as opposed to one that’s doing ‘well’.

So what you need to do is look at how you can change this. Most big companies now have call centres, it doesn’t matter where they are located if it’s in your country of residence or if you have decided to outsource to India or Manila for example to cut your costs and outgoings. You may have an excellent plug and play profit system doing well for you but you also need a good reputation to go with it.

When a customer contacts you, as they do more and more often these days they want to know that the person dealing with them and their enquiry is able to handle what is thrown at them, you also want them to think highly of your company based on that point of contact.

Firstly put yourself out there, don’t just have a general contact telephone number visible and leave it at that. Put all your points of contact on correspondence or advertising, your fax, email, website, everything. Some people dislike contact over the phone so boost your income online and have an accessible website!

You need to make sure that even on a website that your contact information is easily seen so that the customer can contact you to ensure that a potential sale isn’t going to be lost. More and more companies now have a live support point of contact where they can actually approach the customer as they browse, much like a ship assistant in real life.

Another important aspect to excellent customer relations is to make sure that all your workers and agents are working seamlessly and as a team. They all need to be trained in the same manner and be working by the same book following the same rules, protocols and procedures.

Keep on top of this and you’re off to a winning start and you’ll be one step ahead of your competitors even if your product isn’t as good as theirs you’ll have a reputation for being friendly and accessible and that counts for a lot!

How To Keep Your Motivation Up While Working From Home

Posted on June 30th, 2010 in Uncategorized by iptools  Tagged ,

People immediately think that working from home is a hundred times better than having a 9-to-5 office job. You don’t have to get out of the house. There’s no boss peeking over your shoulder. No talkative co-workers distracting you. However, it takes the same amount of hard work when you make money online. In fact, it’s even easier to lose your motivation to work while at home.

Before you get to your workstation desk at home, start the day as though you still got a job in a real office. Get up, take a shower and have a hearty breakfast. Just because no one can see you doesn’t mean you can give up grooming habits. Get out of your pajamas, don something more proper and get to work. You got clients or customers expecting you to be around during office hours.

Since you’re just a few steps away from temptations, it’s more likely for you to give in to them. The snack-filled ref and the cable TV are just in the adjacent rooms. The bed is just upstairs. It seems like all the other parts of the house has become a distraction! What’s important is you try your best to focus on work. Set a schedule for working, and stick with it no matter what.

A great way to keep distractions at bay is by having your own office at home. It can be any unused space. It can be the garage, guest bedroom, or even the attic. Just make sure you can turn it into something that looks like an office. Install blinds or computer workstation furniture. Anything that will make the room look professional, for a professional who works from home.

Make a list of all the tasks you need to accomplish during the day. Also, give each one a deadline that you intend to meet. Check off each entry as soon as it’s done. Somewhere between tasks, reward yourself for meeting deadlines. But don’t extend your rewards or breaks; otherwise you’ll completely lose your motivation to work.

Find during which time of the day you’re at your most productive. Is it early in the morning? Is it mid-afternoon? Whichever time it is, do all your difficult tasks when you’re at you most productive self. Leave easy tasks when you seem to be less lively. It’s during such times where you may also multitask, such as simply sending e-mails while watching soaps.

There’s no denying that working from home both got its sets of advantages and disadvantages. But if you lose your motivation, it may mean disaster. And you might crawl back to your previous office and beg your ex-boss to take you in once more. Make sure you take pleasure in the perks of working from home, but don’t abuse them.

How Can You Sell Stuff Online?

Posted on June 30th, 2010 in Uncategorized by iptools  Tagged , ,

In no time at all, the internet has swept the world and is now our greatest means of communication. There is nothing we don’t do online anymore. It runs the gamut from sharing information to online shopping. One aspect of the online world we often overlook, though, is selling things online.

Many people get a Google adsense account on their blog, hoping to make a little money on the side. After awhile, they barely notice it, other than to occasionally wonder how Google manages to place ads that are related to their blog posts. They don’t sell anything, though and even if they did, the commission amounts to pocket change at best.

The general attitude is that unless you’ve got a lot of money and an established name, you can’t make money online. A company that makes men’s watches will make money online because the only reason people go to their site is to buy their watches. The website is just an incidental marketing tool for them.

The ‘rest of us’ don’t try because they don’t think it’s worth the effort. They may briefly try selling online, but when nothing comes of it, they stick with their day job and forget about selling online.

Still others are social media purists who believe that trying to sell things on their blog would somehow sully it. They are focused on socializing and don’t want to ‘hustle.’ That’s just fine, but there is another way to look at what they’re doing.

Let’s take the example of a young woman who shares celebrity gossip and fashion news on her blog. She is always promoting products on her blog, even though she may not be trying to. She buys a new crystal necklace that she loves so much she takes a picture of it and uploads it to her blog. She’ll write a post about it and mention the brand and where you can buy it. It’s a good bet that some of her readers will want to buy one, too.

She has just done the most effective kind of advertising there is - word of mouth. Yet, because she doesn’t have an affiliate link with the seller, she does not get a cut of the profits. That company may not even have an affiliate link, but if they did or if she did some research and found a way to profit from her free advertising, she could make a well earned commission from her blog.

All it takes is a little research and she could be making extra money doing what she is so good at. When she writes a blog post about the latest shirts for girls, she could find a way to make her backlinks pay, rather than just offer her services to the manufacturer for free. If you’ve got a blog, don’t make that mistake. Make it pay.

The Road To Becoming A Successful Entrepreneur

Posted on June 30th, 2010 in Uncategorized by iptools  Tagged , ,

Do you want to pursue a career path outside of your corner computer workstation? Are you considering launching your own business? If so, there are often common characteristics that are associated with successful entrepreneurs. Read on to see if you have the inner energy to become a thriving entrepreneur.

Become success. Yes, in order to become successful you have to have this positive mindset. Most successful business or life endeavors begin with dreaming big. This may sound like an inspirational sound bite, but it is true. Envision what you want out of your life. Believing in your ability to succeed is the only benchmark you need to win.

Visualizing is a major concept that management and life gurus encourage. When you can see clearly in your mind what it is you want to achieve, it becomes your reality. Constantly envision what you want to achieve. Do you want to create passive income online, or start your own online business? Whatever your goal may be, keep it clear in your mind.

When you see your goal, think about all the changes that will come along with it. Earning a comfortable living means that you no longer have to worry about whether you can survive until your next paycheck. Financial freedom can give you more time with your family, and give your children a better future.

Most successful entrepreneurs are passionate about what they do. If you love what you do, and know what you are doing, success is only a matter of time. For instance, do you want to make money online? If this is your goal, have you found your niche, or marketable skill? Once you know what you want, make sure you love it. Passion makes working ridiculously long hours that comes with starting any kind of business possible.

Make sure you know yourself. Know what you are able to do well, and what you will need help doing. This will help you recognize the kind of support system you need to build. If you want to work on your weak points yourself, you can invest in some sort of formal training. Otherwise, hiring the right people will be important. As a new business, you will probably not have much to pay. However, you may be surprised how many people would be willing to invest in you, even if this just means their time.

Believing in yourself and your ability to achieve is only the first step. Once you realize that failure is never an option for you, it is time for you to begin. Make sure you have a concrete business plan. Network fiercely and work hard. This is the beginning of a new journey, you have the confidence and now it is time to do the homework

You Can’t Believe Everything You Are Told

Posted on June 30th, 2010 in Business by iptools  Tagged , ,

After pancakes and hash browns they were going furniture shopping. Well, bed shopping actually. She had been wanting a new bed for a long time. Now was the time to buy. The store was having a huge sale. Everyone who spent a certain amount of money on furniture was getting a new TV.

She and her husband finished breakfast at the local pancake house and headed for the furniture store. The bed of her dreams was standing right there in front of her. It was a beautiful gleaming cherry wood sleigh bed, just as she had always dreamed of owning.

This bed was carved on the headboard, the foot-board and both sides. There was a curve that started at the end of the headboard and foot-board, meeting in the middle in an elaborate carving. It was more perfect than she had even hoped to find.

She felt like shouting with joy as she went through the motions of looking at a few other beds. The salesman asked if they wanted designer bedding. She tried lying on several mattresses. They felt hard and that was what she and her husband preferred. They declined the designer name but did buy a brand name mattress and box spring set.

Oh look at that twin sleigh bed over there she exclaimed. There was another furniture salesperson who claimed there were no none manufactured in that size. She likely didn’t want to make the effort to show them around. Well, she probably didn’t think they could afford the expensive bed that they would now buy. She lost a nice commission they agreed.

She would have to remember to tell the neighbor next door about the good looking loft bed on sale here. They saw it on their way to the front desk. The neighbor wanted one for her young son. He needed more room to set up a racing set in his bedroom.

At this time she was so excited about finding that lovely bed that she forgot all about the free television. But her husband hadn’t. He was as excited about the big screen TV as she was about the bed. They spent about twenty minutes hearing all the details about the different television sets. The high definition was the one they took home.

The TV was in a large cardboard box. The mattress and box spring were protected from dust by plastic. The salesman made out the sales slip and they paid. The cherry bed was in a cardboard box, ready to be assembled at home. After picking up a mounting device that would mount the TV up on a wall at their home. This was one fantastic and successful shopping trip.

Let Me Explain How Communication Technology Has Advanced

Posted on June 29th, 2010 in Uncategorized by iptools  Tagged , , ,

Cell phones of today are a far cry from what they used to be. Who could forget how these phone looked like only 10 years ago.

The bulky satellite phones were so heavy you could use them as blunt weapons. A single minute would cost 3$ and sometimes more. Mere mortals were fresh out of luck since cell phones were considered luxury items.

But as we all know, the only thing that’s constant is change. The average cell phone of today is super light and extremely cheap. They’ve become so accessible that it’s not unusual to see children who own them.

The transformation from expensive to cheap was initiated by competition. Every company wants to remain competitive, so they slash prices and lower their margins. In addition to that the wireless networks are cost very competitive. The price of a mobile infrastructure is a lot less than that of a wired one. This is why cell phone usage is said to explode in third world countries that don’t have existing land lines. This is the reason why many people predict a boom of cell phone use in developing countries.

As with many fun things in life there are certain dangers involved. Things like SMS unsolicited messages and ridiculously priced ring tones need to be closely regulated before they get out of hand. An added danger comes in the form of sophisticated individual-search.com/cerchia/5.htm.

Depending on the cell phone you can now trace a person’s location. Previous look ups only provided the address, but with today’s GPS technology it’s a different story.

Some people also say that cell phones will soon take over and replace personal computers. Steve Jobs, the founder of apple believes that soon the cell phones will be used for some pretty serious tasks. For example it’s already possible for you to check your email and browse the web on your cell phone.

The number of available software bundles for apples cell phones keeps getting bigger and bigger. As more and more developers get involved we will see even more amazing features. May be 10 years from now people will look at today’s phone the same way we looked at the phones of the 90s. That’s pretty scary huh?

The Hazards Of A Vague Leadership Vision

Posted on June 29th, 2010 in Uncategorized by iptools  Tagged , , ,

Leadership Workshop (3 of 12) - Sharpen the Focus

Leading at Light Speed is a groundbreaking leadership book by Eric Douglas describing the 10 Quantum Leaps which build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization. Quantum Leap #2 details ways to sharpen the Focus.

There is a preference for some leaders to shy away from fully focusing because they think that it hinders them from grasping opportunities. But when vision is fuzzy, trust goes in the tank. Major conflicts go unaddressed. Potentially, politics have the ability to replace output and results. Bureaucracy can trump innovation. Absence of true leadership will turn people away. Here’s one example:

For nearly 100 years, Sears Roebuck was the greatest catalog retailer in the world. The primary goals were the invention of new ideas and superb consumer service. As a result, its financial house was in order. Then in the early 1980s, Sears started to diversify into higher-margin, unrelated financial services in order to boost its stock price. Its vision became muddied. Was it to be the innovator in low price retailing? It has the potential to become a pioneer in catalog marketing - which will place it in a comfortable situation in e-commerce? No, its vision was to make more money.

Because its vision was primarily financial, Sears lost sight of its catalog and retail business. In rural areas, Wal-Mart and others aggressively marketed a different retail option. Through new strategic alterations, they discovered methods to enhance margins and generate significantly better profits. As soon as it happened, Sears’ boasted a mixture of service, quality, and pricing sharply declined. It fell to a place of mediocrity among retailers - and concurrently lost a significant amount of share value.

When the strategic focus is understood:

People embrace change and adapt their jobs accordingly.
People look at their successes in light of how well the whole team executes.
People spring into action.
People were not afraid to come forward with pressing issues and present them in a public forum.
High morale is connected to low turnover rates.

When the strategic focus is not understood:

People lack energy or motivation to change.
People measure themselves by achieving tasks – or not at all.
People are reactive.
People are reluctant to raise conflicts or sensitive issues.
The tendency for low morale and high turnover is prevalent.

Another example of fuzzy vision is America Online (AOL).In the initial stages, Steve Case, the founder of AOL, desired to alter the way people acquired and learned new information. In the early 1990s, the fight for dominance of the online information business were between AOL and its two main competitors Prodigy and CompuServe. The impending merge with Time-Warner was a distant seven years away. During the next six years, AOL shot up progressively in growth. Case built partnerships with information providers, grew subscribers, and extolled the importance of “content communities.” At the pinnacle of the first dot com boom in 2000, AOL bought Time-Warner. Steve Case became a billionaire.

But suddenly they fell from grace. Coincident with the merger with Time Warner, AOL lost its vision of being the best online information provider. It instead tried to build shareholder value through marketing partnerships. Its strategy to be a prominent online advertiser backfired because the advertising packages irritated subscribers and showed negligible value to customers and potential ad buyers.

When the hoped-for synergies with time Warner ’s traditional content failed to materialize, AOL’s focus became very fuzzy indeed. talented people came and went. the internet bubble burst. AOL came under a cloud for phony revenue reporting. the stock price declined dramatically. Case was forced out. The year 2009 marked the remaining chapter in one of history’s worst company mergers when Time-Warner detached from AOL - it served as a symbol of an ambiguous plan.

Is your organization implementing the practices of high performing organizations? Find out with this free work survey.

Sparking Innovation In Your Organization

Posted on June 29th, 2010 in Uncategorized by iptools  Tagged , , ,

Leadership Workshop (7 of 12) - Stimulate the Creative Flow

Leading at Light Speed is a new leadership book by Eric Douglas detailing the 10 Quantum Leaps to build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization.

Let’s begin with the idea of spark. By spark, I mean the spark that inspires people to innovate and create. As with trust, spark feeds an essential need. ~{We respond positively to those who inspire our creativity, and conversely, we respond negatively to those who do not inspire us}. Spark is crucial if you’re going to succeed in a world where change is constantly accelerating. But spark without trust can be damaging to the organization, leading to useless or even destructive innovations. Leaders must know how to inspire trust while at the same time sparking new products, new processes, and new practices. Southwest Airlines, FedEx, and Google are three examples of highly successful companies that have built high-performing organizations based on trust and spark.

Spark occurs when you tap into people’s creative impulses. It requires providing the freedom for people to explore new ideas without fear. Innovation happens when there’s a big vision, clearly communicated, and the entire team is focused on achieving that vision. It exists when there are clear performance measures to recognize what matters, and when performances are evaluated fairly and consistently.

In light speed organizations, trust and spark feed off one another. One catalyzes the other. By creating trust, you enable people to be open to change. By energizing spark, you unleash the innovation that makes an organization vibrate with new ideas and purpose.

When you build trust and spark together, amazing things happen. You attract and retain the most talented employees. You constantly innovate. You offer your customers a surprising and delightful experience. You perform at a higher level than your peers. When trust and spark work together, it doesn’t ensure calm quiet. When people feel free, they can begin to ask questions and air conflicting opinions. The culture shifts to one in which people focus on the performance of the organization as a whole. When you’re operating at light speed, everyone “runs it like they own it.”

Take this free work survey to see if your organization practices the 10 Quantum Leaps of high-performing organizations.

Relationship Selling: How To Stand Out From The Crowd

Posted on June 29th, 2010 in Uncategorized by iptools  Tagged , , ,

Relationship Selling is really all about building solid, good relationships so that trust, credibility and integrity can be garnered and maintained enabling customer retention and repeat business. Relationship building can only start when a customer/prospect has made the decision to work with you. What can you offer as a small business owner that will separate you from the other hungry businesses clamoring for your customer/prospect’s attention?

Develop a Unique Selling Proposition.

Now, in order to develop a Unique Selling Proposition one must first understand the definition of a Unique Selling Proposition, or, USP (the acronym).

A Unique Selling Proposition is really just what the title says: it is unique in that it is an offer/service that makes you stand out from competition and helps others perceive this offer/service as “different” from the rest. Relationship Selling principles help build a good solid relationship but your USP takes it one step further and gives them a reason to buy from you. Some things to consider when developing your USP:

1. What service or product can you offer as a small business startup or business professional that your competition is not offering?
2. What is it that you can do for your customer/prospect that your competitor won’t?
3. How do you plan on differentiating yourself from your competition?

Start out by first making a list of all of the differences or USP’s your company will offer and then make a list of the product/service your offer as the solution (solid proof). Your ability to stand out from the crowd will be the basis of decision making for your customer/prospect.

When it comes down to decision making time, a customer/prospect will be looking for the unique strengths you offer them when comparing the two. After all a pizza is a pizza but what makes you go to one pizza shop over another. Relate it back to your own life. For myself, I buy my gas at a local gas station all the time. There are dozens, probably more in a one mile stretch on my main road. But why do I go to “Get-Go”? Because they offer a discount on my groceries based on the number of gallons I put into my car. This is a perfect example of a USP.

When developing your USP it is important to note that your solution or USP may not be suitable for all customers/prospects. That is o.k. What stands out for one client may not stand out for another. But this is the targeted audience you are attracting and the ones who will see your offer/service as the scale tipping factor.

With the amount of competition out there, it is crucial that you develop your USP BEFORE starting into your sales process..

Your customer/prospect is trying to make a decision about purchasing from you as opposed to someone else and more than likely, they have been shopping around looking at the competition so it is very important that you can present your uniqueness in a way that allows your customer/prospect to overcome their obstacles; whether they be price, location; it really doesn’t matter if you’ve done your homework properly up front none of these should be an obstacle in the final decision making process.

The competition is fierce out there. Relationship Selling is about building relationships and developing a Unique Selling Proposition is just one more step in separating you from your competition.

Customer Service - What Are Information / Self Service Kiosks?

Posted on June 29th, 2010 in Ethics In Business by iptools  Tagged , ,

The reason for the increased usage of kiosks comes down to two main factors - ease of use and convenience. Even people who are not very good with computers can use a self-service or information kiosk because it is simply a case of following the on-screen instructions. Most of them have touchscreens too - what could be easier? As for convenience, they fill in the gaps that employees cannot cover because they are overstretched with other duties. They mean that customers can receive service however busy employees are and whatever the time of day or night it is.

There are many productive uses for self-service and information kiosks in both public and private settings, with these being just some examples of how they can be used…

ATM : Outside of town centers it can often be difficult to find an ATM when you want one. By having one inside your store then customers will be more likely to buy extra items and you will also attract extra customers who will originally visit just to use the ATM but will then probably end up buying something too. By having one inside your office then productivity can be improved as employees will not have to waste their lunch break (which may well turn into an extended one) looking for one, when they would be better off relaxing.

Directions : If your employees are regularly asked for directions, whether it be to find a particular room, where a particular store in a mall is, or something else, then their attention is being taken away from what you really want them to be doing. A kiosk is ideal for having a map on and actually makes it easier for people to find what / who they want, as following directions that you have seen is easier than following ones that you have heard.

Hospitality : People, understandably, have many questions that need answering when they arrive at someplace that they have not been to before. The vast majority of those questions are the same as everyone else has, such as where things are, what times certain events are happening and who they need to speak to. At hotels, tradeshows and recreational events this is particularly so, and being busy places, there is often not an employee ready and waiting to help. So, why not use a kiosk to answer their questions for them?

Read On : Information Kiosks

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