Communication
[email protected] Is Not A Business Email
You only get one chance to make a first impression. Very often that impression is made through email. Making the right impression can be very simple and yet many small business owners fail to do it. Get a business email. You wouldn’t put y…
A Tale Of Two Customer Service Calls
Bad customer service is ubiquitous. Recently, I dealt with two companies. One who was a perfect example of what not to do and one who blew me away. The first company is Adobe. I have used Adobe software for over twenty five years. Periodically they ins…
What Goes Into Your Pencil?
When was the last time you really thought about your pencil? It sits on your desk until you need it. Let’s face it, you probably take it for granted. Take a moment and think about what had to happen for that pencil to get to you. Graphite had to …
Tell Your Customer’s Story
One of the most important elements to attracting potential clients is that they understand what you are offering. If they don’t have a clear idea of what you can do for them they won’t know why they should use your service or product. For complicated s…
When You Give Feedback, Do You Listen, Too?
Very often it falls on us to offer feedback to a co-worker, partner, or subordinate. If you want people to really hear what you’re saying, you need to listen, too. Research suggests a manager’s attentive, nonjudgmental listening makes an employee more …
Keep a Difficult Conversation on Track
Sometimes, despite your best intentions, a difficult conversation veers off course. Maybe your counterpart’s emotions are making progress hard, or the conversation keeps drifting away from the topic at hand. Assess the situation by taking a deep breath…
The Most Valuable Real Estate In The World
We all know the old adage: the three most important things in real estate are location, location, and location. For many businesses the location of a store or office has been the difference between success and failure. Business has changed in recent ye…
Write a Speech, Not an Essay
There’s a huge difference between crafting a speech and writing an essay, yet too many people approach them in the same way. The average adult can read 300 words per minute, but can only follow a speech at half that rate. So speeches require you to sim…
Don’t Base Your Image On Clip Art And Templates
Your logo and your business card provide an image for you and your business. So what kind of impression do you think you give when you meet people at a business conference and hand them a business card with a design that multiple other people have used…
When You Can’t Hit Unsend
Most people have made the mistake of hitting “reply all” on a private email or sending an insensitive message to the wrong person. After the panic sets in, you need to own the mistake. Approach the offended colleague quickly and apologize: “I’m sorry I…