Category Archives: Leadership Skills

Service and You

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Place Setting

Have you ever thought about all of the components in going out for dinner? There are many factors that affect the dining experience. The same could be said of going on a vacation or buying a piece of furniture or buying a car. You may be wondering what common thread could be intertwined with all these different scenarios. The answer is service.

Now before you tell yourself “I have heard this before”, let me share with you some of my perspective on the service experience. First off, you have “heard this before!” Most of you started hearing about service and experiencing it at a very early age, and if so, you are one of the lucky and highly blessed humans to be walking the face of the earth. There is a difference between “hearing” and experiencing. In the next few articles I am going to share with you the elements in experiencing and delivering a positive service experience.

There needs to be more service in world. We have become a society of rushing to this and hurrying to that; the sense of connecting to the individual is in my opinion a dying art. Many individuals, myself included, never “stop and smell the roses,” in fact many times we don’t even see the “roses.” The overall message of these upcoming articles is that everyone can contribute positively or negatively to each service experience, whether you are on the giving or receiving end.

The principals that we will cover are universal. They can be applied in all professional settings and industries and their effect can be felt in your individual lives. Service is not just about your companies Customer Service Department. Service can affect employee morale, it can impact that multi-million business deal and bend the scales to your favor in getting hired to the company of your dreams.

Our society is very self-centered and celebrates rudeness. But if we stop and notice our behavior and how we treat others and their responses to our actions we can turn a negative experience in to a positive one. The “Golden Rule” is truly a timeless principal and if exercised religiously can be the cause and effect of true fulfillment and potential financial freedom.

We will cover, through case studies and stories, the impact positive service experience can create and the lasting affects. We will walk through the process of teaching service to others you may have leadership responsibilities for. We will analyze the power of internal and external moral factors and its effect on the service experience. We will provide tips on how to turn a service experience around; when it’s going south and you need to turn it to the North. These are just a few of the topics we will explore.

I look forward to taking this journey with you.

No Man (or Woman) Is An Island

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Island

For years I had heard this phrase and didn’t think much about it. Then one day a very close relative made a choice with his life that had a ripple effect. I then understood this very profound phrase and have reflected upon it often.

What we do or do not do affects those around us and involved in our lives and business. There are hard working and smart individuals who with sheer will alone can do amazing things. However, the power of two or more is when the ROE occurs. What is ROE? It is Return On Energy.

The trick is to find those partners or team members who we feel that energy electrified. We don’t have to go it alone. Partnering with an individual or an organization can help us move to the next level.

Here are some tools to identify a good fit:

1. Share the same principles. It will serve you in the long run. Research and securing references will guide you in the decision of whom to joint venture with or not.

2. Determine if they are a competitor, or can a synergistic relationship occur? Often times combining forces with a competitor will help you both succeed in the long run.

3. Add complimentary services or products to your business. Selecting those joint ventures where it makes business, marketing and even branding sense will pave the wave of opportunity for you.

4. Implement effective communication strategies. Communication will be the secret to a positive relationship. Constant follow up and discussed strategic planning will move your combined goals and efforts along the path to success.

5. Set goals and milestones. If you plan your goals and set milestones you will be able to measure whether the joint venture was successful.

It is hard to trust others when you have experienced a bad situation. Doing your due diligence ahead of time will help prevent potential pitfalls or disappointments. Sometimes saying no to proposed opportunities are the best course of action. It pays to be picky.

As you are selecting partners look for individuals or groups who have strengths that you are missing and that you have identified would help your business grow. By doing this you will be creating a win-win solution and your ROE will be intensified.

The same holds true for personal relationships. Creating a complimentary team where all stakeholders feel invested, supported and affirmed will produce a positive and successful outcome.

Your decisions and path will affect many lives. By being strategic you can chart an excellent future no matter what had occurred in the past. That is the beauty of a new day!

Million-Dollar Contact

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Dollar sign

You never know who will be your next million-dollar contact – so the trick to being prepared is to treat everyone whom you associate with as if they already were your million-dollar client, buyer and/or associate. Your ability to be respected and liked by a multitude of personalities is pivotal to your success in any aspect of professional or even your personal life.

I heard this quote from C.S. Lewis a few years ago and it has resonated with me. He stated, “Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light.”

What I have learned from this is that my true character is always the foundation of who I am and affects how I treat everyone I come in contact with. Some people believe that humans cannot change; that who you are and how you act is and will always be set in stone. I also know from personal experience that is NOT true. For I have seen my own and others character transform authentically when consciously worked upon – where eventually it become subconscious. Life is a gift that if we seize the opportunity to learn and grow and change its beauty will flourish and the wealth we experience will grow in all aspects of our lives.

You can become a magnet to others through, consciously deciding to do so.

How do you treat those whom you meet as if they were a million-dollar contact? Let’s begin with a few steps:

1. Smile at everyone you meet. Now in some parts of the country or even the world this may go against your culture, your personality or even your nature. But let me put it to you this way, how do you feel when a newborn smiles at you? Does that simple gesture infuse you with warmth? Does it bring a smile to your face? Smiling is the key to your ability to succeed.

2. Make eye contact. The window to everyone’s soul is through his or her eyes. When you make eye contact you are acknowledging their existence and you are exuding confidence and imparting the feeling of trust.

3. Logging the individual’s first name to memory. This personally has been a hard thing for me to do, but as I traveled and spoke in countries around the world, I made it a game to tie the individual’s first name to a hobby or interest of theirs.

4. Ask questions. Asking questions is a great way to connect and show interest in everyone you deal with. It is through questions that synergistic opportunities are created.

5. Being responsive. After you have met the new contact and established an opportunity to follow-up be sure to make it a priority. Especially if you have made promises. It surprises me when people are surprised that I am responsive. This habit has served me well throughout my life.

You never know when you are meeting and networking with others what opportunities lie in the future, either through the first degree contact or even the seventh. By making small changes to how you interact with others, you can bring million dollar returns today and tomorrow.
As I look back over my life, I can tie every positive thing that has happened to me because of the individuals whose path I had the opportunity to cross. I know when I consciously make an effort to treat everyone I meet with as if they were a million-dollar contact I have experienced happiness and peace within myself. At the end of the day we all are incredible to degrees we can’t physically or emotionally comprehend. May you realize your potential through these simple steps.

Happily Ever After

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When I was a hormonal teenager I must admit to a certain interest in the current-day popular romance novels. Yes, I’m a true romantic at heart! As I would become engrossed in the story and couldn’t put the book down there would be a common theme. That theme was lack of communication. Often I would want to scream at the characters in the story, “just tell them what you’re feeling”! Once they finally communicated with one another they could move on and live happily ever after. I guess the secret to romance novels is they keep you strung along to see when that open communication finally comes.

Happily Ever After

Communication is the cornerstone to any relationship. There are many different types of communication. The two most referred types are verbal and non-verbal. The art of communication comes through practice.

Recently, I have become a texting pro. Years ago I thought I would never go down this path. But recently I caved in and got the family and friends package. It has been fun to connect with my Gen Y and Gen Z children as well as my Baby Boomer husband. In order to keep relationships intact being able to communicate to the person whom we are trying to communicate with in their reference will help us be more successful. I don’t know about you but I find I usually get a response faster from my children if I text rather than call.

As with anything in life we need to ask for what we want. Some individuals are held hostage by that thought. Communicating those needs is typically the only way they are met. Sometimes that is hard especially if you are dealing with a personality that is caustic. For instance, some folks can get away with sarcasm or attempting to be humorous in their interactions and everyone around them attributes the sarcasm as their personality. Whereas if another individual whose persona is serious and professional tries to attempt sarcasm it would come off as a put down.

Understanding your communication strengths and how to capitalize on them will benefit you greatly. Just as understanding how to communicate in the medium or style of the person you are trying to communicate with will further your relationships.

Marketing and advertising organizations understand this clearly. The goal with marketing is to frame your message in such a way that will draw the audience that you desire into your sphere of influence. There are many aspects to creating the message you want. Sometimes we put out the opposite message of what our intent is and the relationship never starts or gets off track. When that happens it is important to address the misunderstanding and try to rectify the situation immediately.

Often confrontation is the last thing I ever want to engage in; however, I learned about the use of the Indian Talking Stick. That tool is a great way to resolve conflict while letting everyone communicate their thoughts and concerns and saving a relationship. The rule is that whoever holds the stick is the only one who talks. They get to talk until they feel like they have been understood. The stick is passed around to each person until resolutions occur. It works. Yes, you can try this at home!

As the chapters unfold in our lives and business, remember that communication will speed that happily ever after along.

Get Over Yourself

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Some individuals have a hard time promoting themselves. Perhaps it goes back to being taught that humility is a virtue and bragging is bad. What is that fine line? Marketing gurus love to get their hands on a business that doesn’t understand or know how to promote themselves. In the next few paragraphs let’s review some of the steps to promote yourself and your business:

1. Determine your values, mission and what your personal brand represents

As you think about promotion and how you want to promote, you need to clearly define what your brand represents and what you want the first impression of you and your company to be as you come in contact with new prospects and existing customers.

2. Prepare a Marketing Plan

As with selling a new product if you don’t talk about it or let it be known that it exists how do you expect to have any sales? I have seen this first hand with the products that I have designed. Those products that I had a clear plan for were the products that were successful in reaching their individual sales goal.

3. Gather a list

After spending a long time with marketing organizations one of the highest priorities for a company is to build strategic lists for their company’s offerings. Continually reviewing, updating and gathering leads will determine your bottom line and overall success. One of the questions to ponder is, “am I tapping into the right groups to get the customers I need? “List building is a skill and can be learned.

4. Humanize your marketing

You may be asking what do I mean by this? After spending a lot of years in the financial industry it was painfully apparent that a lot of individuals don’t like their picture being taken and don’t see the value of putting their individual face to their company. Now with the growth of social media people can find so much about you before they even talk to you. The positive side of this is that as a lead they are even more qualified.

People buy from people. Instead of relying on phone, e-mail, texting and a website, the most profitable business is still done by connecting face to face. So as you plan your marketing and promotion create tactics that include being in person, and providing content that is somewhat personal so people can connect with you.

Promotion can provide rich and rewarding experiences. Ask and you shall receive is a fundamental principal. Putting it out there in the universe is the pathway for prosperity. To quote a colleague who recently ran a campaign to promote me and my recent activities, “get over yourself,” and watch the lead generation tool work its magic.

Five A’s to Marketing Yourself

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1099 Form

As 1099s and W-2s come in the mail for the previous year’s earnings, I often ask myself how can I earn more this year than I did last? There are many factors that affect that question. The productivity cost of doing business, sales pipeline and the economy are just a few.

One of the key ingredients to having a more profitable year is marketing. Whether you are the business owner or an employee, everyone engages in some type of marketing. Recently, one of my trusted advisors and I were speaking of this topic of marketing oneself.

There are so many factors involved. In fact I believe that often we don’t realize the impact of the little things we do that affects how others respond to us. Let’s take a look at some of those areas.

1. Appearance. This is an important aspect of how people perceive us. Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair that how we dress or look makes a difference. The reality is that those who we do business with react to us based on how we dress, our grooming and our body language.

2. Actions. It is true that actions speak louder than words. If what we say contradicts how we act then integrity becomes questioned and trust impaired.

3. Attitude. Now you may be wondering what in the world does our attitude have to do with how we market ourselves. The secret here is being positive. Humans draw on light and positivity. If you exude a positive outlook and demeanor then others will want to associate with you. We all like winners or at least the perception of associating with winners.

4. Associates. Who you associate yourself with will determine your income level. As mentioned in the attitude section, if you associate with winners you will win. If you want to lose weight or improve your health you need to spend time with people that are reaching their health and fitness goals. We all need positive reinforcement. To increase your income associate with those individuals who have proven positive work habits. This will help you improve your daily habits.

5. Accountability. Being accountable for your actions or lack of actions will put you on the fast track to economic growth. People have a habit of blaming others for their circumstances while not looking at themselves in the mirror. Be sure to ask yourself: ”What could I have done different and what was my part in the outcomes of my actions or inactions?”

There is so much to explore with each of these five topics in marketing yourself. One of the biggest questions you need to ask yourself is, “Would I buy from me?” If not, why and what do you need to change within yourself so that the answer is yes?

It is not enough just to believe you can be successful. You must come to know it. You need to know this fact with every fiber of your being. If you know something you can’t help but exude positive energy, others will want to associate with you.

By following these five steps, your business and income will flourish and next year’s tax forms will be the proof in the pudding!

Getting back on the Horse

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If you ever attempted to give exceptional service and it blew up in your face, what did you do to pick yourself back up again and make the next attempt bear a positive outcome? Do you practice self-talk?

Do you have the ability to say, “better luck next time?” As with anything in life, when you fail it provides an opportunity to succeed the next time.

If you would bear with me, I would like to share a personal experience and life lesson that my mother taught when I was about 9 years old. It made such an impact on me and has been a guiding principle for me to follow throughout my life.

In fact, the other day I was telling my brother about this article and this story I was going to share. He remembered the experience as well. So let’s begin – I was raised on a horse ranch, farm and dairy.

My mother was the driving force with regard to the horses. From as young as I can remember, horses were a very integral part of my life. One early spring on a Saturday afternoon, a couple of us younger children, there are seven children in my family, went out riding our horses in the pasture with my mother overseeing the process.
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Discipline, a refining teacher

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The word credit has many uses and refers to a variety actions. Let’s examine.

It may be used as a type of bookkeeping entry. Someone may be given credit for some piece of work such as writing or acting. In my world of providing education, credit is a system of measuring coursework. Lastly, credit may refer to finance and for purposes of this article we will focus on that medium.

If cash is king then credit must be the queen and the rest of the court. In today’s environment securing a high credit standing should be a high priority. There are ways to increase your credit score. The first step is to be educated and knowledgeable about what is on your credit report and taking action to clear any incorrect items.

Protecting your credit is paramount to financial freedom. In a time where more and more individuals consider strategic default, you must have your eyes wide open to those decisions and potential consequences. A short sale can affect your credit anywhere from 80-100 points where a foreclosure has a potential hit of 250-280 points. So making choices in your financial life has a long lasting ripple effect.

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Change the Service Paradigm

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When was the last time you experienced great service, first hand? How did you feel after the exchange? Did that experience effect the rest of your day?

Keep those feelings and thoughts in one of the corners of your mind. Now, let’s take you back to a negative service experience. When did that occur? Was it this morning or last night? Perhaps, you have been lucky and you cannot remember the last bad service experience you had. Hopefully that is the case and that you haven’t had so many negative experiences that you have forgotten what a positive service experience looks, feels or walks like!

Let me share with you an experience that a friend of mine named Joe had a while ago. Joe was born and raised in Brazil. He moved to the United States about fourteen years ago. His first job was to rent cars and buses for individuals and groups that would come in from out of town. His English was fair at best and one day he had a woman call in to check rates for renting a bus. Now this woman was an elderly woman from Pascagoula, Mississippi who was a transplant as well. These two individuals spoke for several minutes trying to understand what the other was saying and were becoming very frustrated with one another. Joe kept his cool and suggested that she come down to the rental company so that they could speak in person and she could see if their product would be the right fit for her needs. After a little prodding, she agreed and came down and they were better able to communicate in person. This business transaction turned out to be very profitable for Joe as the woman ended up renting five twenty-passenger vans for an upcoming family reunion. The woman and Joe ended up having a great experience because of a couple of principles that they consciously or subconsciously covered. Let’s dissect this story.

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Being Proactive Energizes

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As January comes upon us every year, you probably hear a lot about goal setting and resolutions. A new beginning is always a great way to jump-start your motivation in every aspect of your life. If you write down your goals the propensity of them getting conquered actually goes up over 50%. If you take 30 minutes out of your life to think and meditate about what it is you want to achieve and accomplish in every aspect of your life, then write it down, you will be amazed at what goals you will be able to complete.

Being proactive energizes and being reactive sucks energy away!

I would like to encourage you to set service goals. Why should you set these types of goals? By setting goals in this area your business will be more profitable and your life will be enriched. You can start in small ways.  There is a wonderful story about Johnny the bagger.  This is a story about a bagger in a grocery store who took to heart the encouragement that management gave to help increase profitability for the store. Johnny struggled with Down Syndrome all of his life, and as he contemplated about what he could do to help, the idea came that he could share a small, type-written, “Thought of the Day” and leave it in the grocery bags he would pack. Shortly after he started doing this, management noticed a line forming at the register where Johnny was the bagger.  The store would open up additional lines to get customers through but the customers stated that they were fine waiting and then it finally came out that they wanted Johnny’s “Thought of the Day.”

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