The Easy Answer Newsletter
Volume 6, Issue 1 February 2005
Happy Valentine’s Day! Welcome to all our new members
who have signed up through the web site or seminars for this usually
bi-monthly eZine. All the legal stuff is at the end. This is Becky’s way
of staying in touch and letting you know what’s happening with
unimaginable customer service, telephone etiquette, award-winning
relationship networking, and just a little inspiration.
You’ll notice a new look this month. After several attempts to have my
list host provider step up to the plate and secure the list … you might
remember a couple of hi-jacked messages last year with viruses attached …
I have switched this newsletter to Constant Contact. I’m eager to hear
your comments about the format and provider.
In this edition of the Easy Answer II, you'll find...
* Just a Thought or Two
* You Love Your Customers...Right?
* Technology That Doesn't Hurt
Just a thought or two...
“People will drive five miles out of their way and pay $5 more for the same item based on how they are treated.” - Becky McCrary Professional Speaker and Recovering Wallflower
"Until the lion writes his story, the tale will always glorify the hunter." - African Proverb
You Love Your Customers...Right?
It’s that time of year when roses and chocolates and Hallmark cards
abound. We take this small respite while it’s still winter to show those
special to us that they are loved and appreciated. It is also possible
many of us will find an opportunity to pamper ourselves. After all, we
deserve a little attention, too.
What about our customers? our members? patients? clients? Is it
appropriate to show them that we love them?
Not many of us have anything to offer in the way of product or service
that people can’t get elsewhere. There is always another checking account,
another insurance provider, another training event. When you say you love
your customers, you are really saying you love the fact they do business
with you. They choose you. They honor you with their business. They allow
you to make a living. But do you love them?
This past holiday season, I had the privilege of ringing the Salvation
Army bell for two hours one Saturday afternoon. It was cold. It was busy.
And I had a brass quartet right behind me, blaring (oh, I meant sharing)
holiday tunes from O’ Little Town of Bethlehem to Frosty the Snowman.
You’ve got to love it when you are cold and thirsty and tired and they are
playing Jingle Bells for the fortieth time! But this wasn’t about me. It
wasn’t about what I could get out of it. This was about giving without
recognition or return. Scott (the Love of My Life) and his friends giving
of their talent, me giving of my time and others giving of their money.
Still I couldn’t help but notice that those shoppers were much like your
customers.
Some smiled and waved. Some stopped and participated. They clapped their
hands, nodded their heads, tapped their feet, and sang along. Aren’t there
times when we actually engage our customers? Our marketing material is
right on, the product is timely and they are eager for more information.
Don’t we love it when they get it?
One shopper walked by, spotted a penny on the ground, stooped to pick it
up, then pocketed the found coin. Without a glance in our direction, into
the store he walked. Some of our customers squeeze every penny they can
get out of our relationship. If you have a pen, they want it. If you place
cookies in the lobby, they take a napkin and wrap up three for later. And
yet we love them because…well. They make us aware of how far we’ll go to
connect.
Some of the shoppers rushed by, afraid to look in our direction. Like the
customers who don’t want to hear anything about our product or service,
who want to rush in and out without additional information, these folks
knew what they wanted. Why inconvenience them by trying to connect? Just
being there, ready to meet their needs whenever they are expressed, is an
expression of love.
Greeters said the shoppers were more pleasant while the quartet played. At
times, circumstances beyond our control influence our relationships. We
have to love it when it works to our good.
I heard several contributors remark as to the much publicized policy of
another national chain. After questionable counsel, they announced that
the Salvation Army would not be allowed to solicit contributions on their
property, as it didn’t fit their corporate image. If the number of
comments heard that afternoon were any indication, that other national
chain caught some major flack for their Bah-Humbug policy. Don’t we love
it when we have the ability to capitalize on someone else’s bad policy?
Let’s face it, some of our customers are easier to love than others. Some
of our clients are easier to work with than others. Some of our offerings
bring a greater return on investment than others. And yet we continue to
seek out ways to help them, put them in better situations, make things
easier or more secure for them, make a difference in their lives…because
we love them. It’s time we let them know.
“Becky is the best speaker at this seminar. She knows and believes what she ‘preaches.’ She presents the seminar with humor and quick wit! Becky made me believe that I can do anything.”
Judi Lindsey, Practice Manager
Spartanburg Regional Health System
Spartanburg, SC
“Wonderful speaker, great storyteller, easy to relate and apply to my own life and work.”
Nicole Henderson, Co-Team Leader
Greater Carolinas Women’s Care
Charlotte, NC
Technology That Doesn’t Hurt
When you have to take your files with you, when you
realize the necessity of having a backup off-site, when you tire of toting
the laptop, when the files are just too big for the disk, do you have a
portable hard drive? A while back, I found the Lexar JumpDrive 2.0 Pro.
About the size of my index finger, it’s 256MB of storage for less than
$50. Look for rebates at Circuit City and other stores to put this techie
tool comfortably in your hands. I have my contacts and contracts, Power
Points and conference handouts, wish lists and to-do lists all backed up
and in my pocket as I travel.
Recently, I arrived to present a customer service program. The company’s
training room was state of the art in 1983. My laptop would not connect to
their system. The JumpDrive would not fit in the USB port of their PC.
However, their IT person was able to take the JumpDrive to his computer
and load the file onto the main system. From the main PC in the training
room, I was able to open the Power Point file and dazzle the participants.
This is definitely one of those gadgets that I have to have and is easy
for a non-techie, like me, to use.
“Becky’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the topic made me feel like I could
do all of the things she mentioned with very little effort! She held my
attention and made me want to try.”
Melissa Voyles, Manager
The Office Center
Greenville, SC
“The program was energetic and inspiring – the ideas given were
practical, usable, and helpful!”
Vickie Brown
Caltech Employees FCU
La Canada, CA