Is Your Front Line Engaged in the Battle for Customers? by Rick Barrera

Do your employees know what makes your company radically different from all of your competitors? Do they understand the specific critical role they play in creating customer experiences that are so unique customers can’t stop talking about them? Do they know how to talk about your company’s products and services in the most powerful way? Is your front line ENGAGED?  

If you want your customers to understand how great your company, your brand, your products and services are, your front line must be engaged with customers. What do I mean by customer engagement? I mean that every employee must understand what makes you different from your competitors, and they must know how to talk about that difference in a powerful way. They must know what words to use, what stories to tell and how to tell them. They must know how to engage customers both mentally and physically to get your customers involved in understanding how you are radically different from your competitors, why they should buy your products and services and most importantly, why they should stay loyal for life.       

Read the entire article: “Is Your Front Line Engaged in the Battle for Customers?”

Nido Qubein’s transformation of High Point University featured on Good Morning America

 

Nido Qubein, President of High Point University in North Carolina, has implemented a new philosophy of serving students by treating them as customers, which has resulted in an amazing transformation for the university, including the astounding growth in academics, as well as student life on campus. 

 

Good Morning America’s weekend anchor, Marysol Castro, interviewed Nido and other people on campus for a story about the university’s rapid growth.  “We are excited about the attention that High Point University has received from the national media,” Qubein said. “Shows such as ‘Good Morning America’ give the nation first-hand proof that we really are making extraordinary progress in our academic programs, student life and more.”

 

Watch the feature on ABCnews.com: “Living the High-Class College Life”

 

Soothing the Savaged Consumer Soul – by Jeanne Bliss

Customer Love when Times are Tough: 11 Ideas for Companies and Customers

 

In these economic times, when our nerves are raw and we are stretched like a rubber-band ready to snap, we all need a kinder hand, a kinder voice…just plain more kindness in our life.  Nearly every interaction tests us now.  Opening the cell phone bill and gasping…then endeavoring to get a bit of help.  First the queue, then the call. Not much kindness there.  Putting gas in our car.  Forget about the boat.  Buying groceries which are creeping up in price daily.  Trying to sell our home or buy one. Calling the support line to have the appliances fixed which chose NOW to conk-out.    

 

If you are in the business of serving customers, right NOW is the time to seek out the intangible opportunities to soothe the savaged consumer soul.  Here are ideas that will bring you dividends in rising above the fray and in soothing the frayed nerves during this time of spending woe.   

 

Read the entire article: “Soothing the Savaged Consumer Soul: Customer Love when Times Are Tough”

What is “Relationship Intelligence”? by Jim Cathcart

We’ve all heard that it’s not what you know but rather who you know that determines your success. But when it comes to building sales relationships, what really counts is “who is GLAD they know you?”  Ask yourself, when you come through the door or place a call to your customers and prospects, do you look like good news to them? Do they look forward to their contact with you? The more you can bring value to everyone you meet, the more they will open their doors and wallets to you.  Here is the formula for relationship intelligence: Understanding plus Performance over Desired Outcome:

 

Understanding + Performance / Desired Outcome

 

Understanding is what you know, performance is what you do and desired outcome is what you want.

 

The purpose of each relationship is determined by the desired outcomes. In selling, this is about providing a service or product at a profit. Without the value to the customer there is no payoff for them to stay connected with you, and without the profit there is no justification in your staying connected with them. You can increase your success by increasing either your understanding or your performance in three areas: self, others and situations (SOS). The better you understand and express yourself, the greater your success. The more fully you understand and adapt to others, the greater your success, and the greater you adapt to changing situations and needs, the greater your rewards will be. This is not just about people skills; it’s about intentionally and consciously creating many high-value relationships with positive potential. This is the intelligent orchestration of your life’s relationships to get you closer to your desired outcomes.

 

Go to Success Magazine to read all of Jim Cathcart’s article: “Relationship Intelligence” 

 

 

Retaining Younger Workers in the Workplace – By Cam Marston

 

You’ve hired them.

Now how can you keep them around?

 

 

We know the myths of how employees in the youngest generations

are in the workplace. 

Myth: They don’t want to put in the hours to get ahead.  Myth: They have no respect for authority.

 

But do you know the reality?   Where is this generation really coming from?   And, even more important, do you know how to manage them effectively?

 

Cam Marston shares some insights on the myths and realities of “Retaining Younger Workers in the Workplace” in EM Info magazine, the Employment Marketplace magazine for HR and staffing professionals (see page 4).

 

What does it mean to be a Chief Customer Officer?

A chief customer officer needs to be like Tom Sawyer, says Jeanne Bliss, author of “Chief Customer Officer, Getting past Lip Service to Passionate Action.”  The role of chief customer officer, customer experience officer, or simply a group of people responsible for the voice of the customer with in an organization, has been around for many years and is gaining traction. However, creating the position and finding the right person to fill it comes with some challenges.  In this podcast with Voices of CRM, Jeanne covers whether or not your organization needs a Chief Customer Officer role and how you can to successfully change your organization to focus on customers:  Jeanne Bliss on chief customer officers

Greetings from Peter Vidmar in Beijing!

 

As I write this, I’m sitting at my media position of the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, having just witnessed history in the making. Never have two American gymnasts shared the victory podium for the Olympic All-Around Competition. Nastia Liukin, after having finished in 2^nd place twice at the World Championships, finally earned the title of World’s Greatest Gymnast as she narrowly defeated her friend, teammate, and defending World Champion, Shawn Johnson, to win the All-Around Gold Medal.  I interviewed Nastia for NBC and Westwood One Radio.  She said it was very difficult to believe the words “Olympic Champion” would now forever be associated with her name.  Her father and coach, Valeri Liukin, while competing for the Soviet Union took the silver in the All-Around, barely missing the gold, in the 1988 Olympics. (He won two gold and two silver medals in those Olympics).  Now his daughter is golden.  So far, I’ve spent over a week, speaking at, and hosting corporate events, broadcasting gymnastics, and watching various competitions, and this moment was the highlight for me thus far.  My friends at USA Gymnastics and I could not hold back the tears, when we saw the two American flags raised to honor these amazing athletes.

Read the rest of Greetings from Peter Vidmar in Beijing!

You Had a Great Keynote Speaker, Now What? – by Jim Cathcart

 

It’s natural after seeing a speaker for someone to ask, “Hey, I really liked your message. We can use that. So, now what do we do?”

One of the oldest debates in the meetings industry is one side that says, “What’s the good of meetings anyway?  People just go right back to business as usual.”  The other side says, “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes US author & physician (1809 – 1894) 

They maintain that meetings – properly designed and conducted – are what cause society to advance.  I agree it is through communication, at its highest form when we are face-to-face in a high-trust environment, that we advance.  But as a speaker at thousands of meetings, I have often observed that the greatest value can come from a number of different ways to implement a message that follows. 

 

Read the rest of Jim’s message: Jim Cathcart – You Had a Great Keynote Speaker…Now What?

 

Why the Business Meeting Will Survive – By Ross Shafer

 Are meetings a luxury destined to become extinct with the natural evolution of ever-escalating travel costs? Will corporations cancel their annual off-site meetings in lieu of an economical Net Meeting? Seriously, how can an association ask their attendees to spend their own money to trek to Orlando, Nashville, or San Diego when those funds were earmarked for the family vacation or worse….food?!        

Why Will Meetings Survive?    

 

Even though the cost of holding meetings and attracting attendees is rising, everyone agrees it is money wisely invested. If you eavesdropped on my pre-meeting client conference calls, you would hear rationale like this:      

 

“We need to meet to get everyone on the same page.”

Mergers and acquisitions are a constant of every industry’s landscape – and the parent company is anxious to rally the troops to explain what’s going on. The same is true for organizations that have recently added a global operation. They want Asia to meet The Americas. They want India to meet Europe. They want to show global unity. Unity doesn’t happen as well through email or text messages. Unity is better demonstrated by conversation and dramatic, enthusiastically endorsed presentations.   

   

“We need to meet and remind people we are stronger when we work together.” 

This comes from organizations whose theme is a variation of “As Many We Are One”.  Large organizations find large meetings to be the best way to introduce disparate business units to each other – and to encourage them to hand-off to one another – keeping the money in the family. This kind of introduction can’t be done in a Net Meeting.  Relationships are best nurtured face to face.  

Read the rest of Ross’ message: “Why the Business Meeting Will Survive”

Tell us what you think about our speakers!

This blog is a forum for clients and audiences to give open and honest feedback about their favorite speakers.  

Have you seen one of our speakers at a recent event?   Tell us about it!   Did you get some insight from one of their books?   Share your message here.   We would love to know what you think and give you the opportunity to spread the word to others.  

Our Speakers:

• Tony Alessandra
• Rick Barrera
• Jeanne Bliss
• Jim Cathcart
• Keith Harrell
• Art Holst
• Scott Klososky
• Cam Marston
• Howard Putnam
• Nido Qubein
• Ross Shafer
• Peter Vidmar
• Desi Williamson

Go to the speaker’s tab above to give a testimonial.   Tell us what event you attended and what your experience was like.  Or, feel free to make a comment about one of their books, DVD’s or other products.