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Answer Upon - Customers' First Impressions - Are Your Customers Invisible?
I had dinner the other evening with some friends from New England. The couple splits its time between a home in the southern part of New Hampshire during the winter and a scenic farm in northern Vermont during the summer. In the past, I've had opportunities to visit both places and travel with them between their homes.As dinner progressed, the conversation turned to the Old Man of the Mountain, a natural rock formation on the New Hampshire landscape that serves as a symbol adorning state highway signs and license plates. I'd stopped on several occasions at Franconia Notch State Park to view the Old Man from a distance.In May 2003, erosion, wind and weather finally took their t
Color affects our livesColors evoke emotions Color communicatesHaving been an artist long before I ever touched a computer I knew instinctively the power different colors had on my emotions. It wasn’t until (over a decade ago) when I decided to combined art with technology that I found out how powerful using the proper colors for you marketing collateral can be.Studies show that shapes and colors affect people in different ways. Use them properly in your company logos, ad copy, and website and you'll beat the competition.Before you pick a color to represent your company image consider what that color will communicate to your clients/cust
“Excuse me. I need some material.”
The paper doesn’t drop. No head peeks over the top. Only a voice replies, “We don’t open until 7:30.”
Too stunned to even respond, you turn around, walk back to your truck, vow to never cross their threshold again, and drive to the next supplier. True story. The contractor that it happened to shared it with me two years later. Living up to his vow, he never bought anything else from that wholesaler.
No one likes being ignored. Common sense tells us that. But don’t pretend you haven’t done it. You’re waiting on a customer, or you’re on the phone. Maybe both. Another customer walks in. You could say, “Come on in. We’ll be right with you.” Even on the phone, you could nod and acknowledge his presence. But you don’t. You avoid eye contact, fearing he may ask you a question and then you’d have one more thing to do. You don’t mean to be rude, it’s just that, well, you’re busy.
Or you’re an outside salesman and you hurriedly cut through the counter area. Customers are three-deep waiting in line. Both countermen are already in the warehouse filling orders. You haven’t got time. That job bids at 2:00. It’s worth half-a-mil. This counter stuff is nickel-and-dime. You pick up the pace and rush
Every business owner wants to reduce business costs and save more money. It is essential for small business's survival. Here are a few effective ways for your reference. 1. Barter. If you have a business you should be bartering goods and services with other businesses. You should try to trade for something before you buy it. Barter deals usually require little or no money. 2. Network. Try networking your business with other businesses. You could trade leads or mailing lists. This will cut down on your marketing and advertising costs. You may also try bartering goods and services with them. 3. Wholesale/Bulk. You'll save money buying your business supplies in bulk quan
“Excuse me. I need some material.”
The paper doesn’t drop. No head peeks over the top. Only a voice replies, “We don’t open until 7:30.”
Too stunned to even respond, you turn around, walk back to your truck, vow to never cross their threshold again, and drive to the next supplier. True story. The contractor that it happened to shared it with me two years later. Living up to his vow, he never bought anything else from that wholesaler.
No one likes being ignored. Common sense tells us that. But don’t pretend you haven’t done it. You’re waiting on a customer, or you’re on the phone. Maybe both. Another customer walks in. You could say, “Come on in. We’ll be right with you.” Even on the phone, you could nod and acknowledge his presence. But you don’t. You avoid eye contact, fearing he may ask you a question and then you’d have one more thing to do. You don’t mean to be rude, it’s just that, well, you’re busy.
Or you’re an outside salesman and you hurriedly cut through the counter area. Customers are three-deep waiting in line. Both countermen are already in the warehouse filling orders. You haven’t got time. That job bids at 2:00. It’s worth half-a-mil. This counter stuff is nickel-and-dime. You pick up the pace and rus
What makes for a rich career? It is more than just the salary and benefits. A rich career is one that suits your talents and provides an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution, as well as one that provides the right compensation.A rich career is one that has a rich return on investment. What is career ROI? It is more than a paycheck and healthcare benefits. Your career ROI is the entire package of what you receive in return for the investment of your energy, time, and talent in a career and an organization.Career ROI can include monetary compensation and the typical benefits package. It can also include less tangible, indirect benefits, such as the o
No one likes being ignored. Common sense tells us that. But don’t pretend you haven’t done it. You’re waiting on a customer, or you’re on the phone. Maybe both. Another customer walks in. You could say, “Come on in. We’ll be right with you.” Even on the phone, you could nod and acknowledge his presence. But you don’t. You avoid eye contact, fearing he may ask you a question and then you’d have one more thing to do. You don’t mean to be rude, it’s just that, well, you’re busy.
Or you’re an outside salesman and you hurriedly cut through the counter area. Customers are three-deep waiting in line. Both countermen are already in the warehouse filling orders. You haven’t got time. That job bids at 2:00. It’s worth half-a-mil. This counter stuff is nickel-and-dime. You pick up the pace and rus
I’m not a human resources expert, but I have been on several hiring committees and have been involved directly in the hiring decisions at several organizations.What I’ve learned is that usually the decision boils down to a few top contenders with qualifications of fairly equal caliber. When more than one applicant is suitably qualified for a position, how is the decision made?Many times, the candidates help us make the decision by unknowingly disqualifying themselves!Here are the three most common ways otherwise qualified candidates have eliminated themselves:1. Making inappropriate comments during the interview. This includes disparaging comments about a previ
Or you’re an outside salesman and you hurriedly cut through the counter area. Customers are three-deep waiting in line. Both countermen are already in the warehouse filling orders. You haven’t got time. That job bids at 2:00. It’s worth half-a-mil. This counter stuff is nickel-and-dime. You pick up the pace and rus
Often this area is referred to as “Reporting” in the company structure, but it is so much more than that! Management accounts are concerned with:• The process of identification, measurement and accumulation of product and service costs• Preparation of statements relating to materials, labor and overhead• Standard costs• Budgeting for decision-making• The communication of information used by management to plan, evaluate and control the entity as well as assure accountability over it’s resources and assure their proper use (the reporting function).In addition management accounting is often responsible for ancillary reporting to non-management groups.
It’s time to rethink the relationship between your sales counter and your customers. For many distributors, it’s an afterthought, just a place that serves up the “table scraps” – miscellaneous leftovers needed to complete a job, odds-and-ends for a service call, parts and pieces picked up by the DIY homeowner. But your counter’s “reach” can go far beyond that small percentage of sales currently shown on your financial ledger.
Your sales counter can become a good will ambassador for your entire operation. American psychologist, Abraham Maslow said one of the most important social needs of a human being is the need to belong. Through your counter, your branch can provide a sense of community for your customers. And it all begins with a few simple steps.
1. Make everyone a greeter. Obviously, most companies don’t budget for a professional greeter. So, make it everyone’s job. Explain that any employee in the entrance area is to greet customers and ask if someone is helping them. If the employee isn’t trained for sales, he simply tells the customer that someone will be with him soon. For example, a warehouseman filling an order would look up from
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