“We appreciate your business”

Really? I see that allot on the bottom of bills I need to pay and then I wonder why it’s rarely said in a face-to-face opportunity with customers!

While at my daughter’s toy store, http://www.westchasetoys.com, I was thinking about why we have less than a 1% retail theft rate there.  Unheard of in the retail industry.  I believe I know the answer.

1.  First we verbally make eye and voice contact with every customer who walks into our store.  We welcome them, or mention the great weathere, or acknowledge that they must be looking for something special.  We rarely stand BEHIND the cash registers.

2.  After the sale we all say “Thank for your business today.  We really appreciate you shopping here.  It helps us survive in this tough economy.”  We know our customers have a choice on where to spend their dollars and we appreciate that they have chosen to invest their time and money while in our store.

3.  We allow our employees allot of freedom – by that I mean we listen for their creative ideas in marketing and merchandizing.  They are our “spokespeople” out in the community finding schools who need fundraiser opporunties, businesses that want to partner with us, and more.  They feel they are an extension to the store and respected.  We’ve never had an employee take anything, money or a product out of the store.  They know they are valued and we tell them that they too are appreciated! 
What are YOU telling your customers or are you taking the easy way out and just stamping it on the bottom of an invoice?

Cards on Shelves, Table Tops and Wrapped in Rubber Bands

What are you doing with all those business cards? I know I watch my friends and when I ask them about their system I get all kinds of responses.

One will hand me a stack with a rubber band around them. Another will throw them in a pretty woven basket. Another just makes piles and piles and piles and piles on all the shelves in their office. What are YOU doing with all those business cards?

Here are some simple tips that have worked well for me and I share them with my coaching clients and from the platform with I speak on Networking Savvy.

1. Wear the right clothes – I wear a suit with one pocket full of my business cards and one empty for those I will collect. I keep a nice pen on me and every time I get a card from someone, I write down the month and year in the top right hand corner.

2. I also write the organization where I met them. Maybe it’s PHCC for the Palm Harbor Chamber of Commerce, or PSI for Professional Secretaries International. I’ve never been blacklisted by my auto responder because if I get an email asking if I bought that person’s name – I simply look up their card and remind them that they handed me their card at such and such event on May 2006.

3. I then write on the back of the card some part of the conversation that bound us with a commonality. Maybe they have a dog, or kids, or like carpentry. This way I have the opportunity to talk to them about their interest instead of my business the next time I call them to follow-up!

4. Now I’m back in the office. What do I do? I put them in my database – Highrise HQ or Act. I get asked isn’t that allot of work? Yes but it is the best value of my time. Doing it myself I remember the names better when seeing their card over and over. WHEN I am out of town and can’t do this or I’m on stage and the stack piles up – I give them to a teenager who is so happy to do data entry for me at night than flip hamburgers on their weekend!

5. Next I put them in my auto responder. That way they immediately get a strategic tip they can use. This is NOT advertisement for myself – it’s positioning myself as an Expert interested in helping THEM grow THEIR business. They have to “opt in” if they want more tips and usually they do.

6. And finally I put them in a three ring binder that I have divided as to “clients”, “prospects”, “personal” and “networking”. I keep those cards I believe I will be doing business with this next year in my personal daytimer that goes with me everywhere. Those are the names I refer business out to also.

You must treat your business cards like gold – they are your MOST precious asset for you business. You personally took time out of your life to meet these people, shake their hand, converse with them and start a relationship. Don’t toss that card and forget about it. I guarantee if you would maintain a relationship with your business card stack – you could easily double your income this year. Try it and then email me and let me know about your successes!

Afraid to Take the Money

As an Implementation Coach I am fascinated by the people that I meet that are so educated and work so hard and yet aren’t not financially successful. I think I know one of the reasons why. They are afraid to take the money.

When it comes down to asking for that person to part with a sum of money and do business with them, they hesitate and are downright afraid. There are several reasons why. See if you fall into one of these traps.

They are afraid of rejection. After all the person might say “no”. However if you know that your product or service will help them aren’t you doing a DIS-service by not taking their money? Absolutely.

It means more work. Allot of people just enjoy the “meetin’ and greetin.” If you actually TAKE the money – now you have to deliver. YIKES.

There’s a FEAR of success! What? Absolutely. Taking money means you may become successful and advance past family and friends. It may mean you meet new people, go new places, change your goals. Some people hate change and therefore are afraid to take the money.

When are you educated enough? When are you ready? When are you prepared? When can you ask for the money?
T O D A Y. Show your confidence and just do it.

Strategy #3

Stay on the positive side of life! Every day when you walk into the door to greet your loved one(s), think of one positive thing to say about them that you are grateful for.

When I was raising 2 teenage sons, I had to drive around the block 2 ro 3 times before I could drive into my driveway and open the door to say something postive! Has it been worth the effort! You bet! Today as adults, our family supports each other in everything we do. Referring business, babysitting, home repairs and weekly cookouts. Plus -staying on the positive side of life has kept me looking and feling younger than my years! TRY IT!

Living for the Line

Living for the Line

Isn’t it great when you’re out networking and you meet people you should have met years ago? I recently experienced my first acupuncture appointment and met a wonderful practitioner named Sharin. We talked about family history and she laughed when I proudly told her “I’m not sick, I just wanted to find out a little bit more about what you do and how you do it.”

An hour later, with lots of questions answered, we found some hidden issues that had been keeping me sleepless for so many months and she decided to target that for this first visit.

Like many of you, I’m a talker – not someone to just lay there and take it, so we started talking about the fast paced world we live in, our families, our childhood, and our Moms.

She said “I’m living for the line”. You see, her Mom had passed away recently and there was a line out the door and around the funeral home three hours before the viewing. The funeral home stayed open many hours past normal closing time so everyone in that line could honor her Mom and offer her family their condolences. “That’s what I want when I die” Sharin said. I’m living for that line!”

What made her mom so special I asked? She worked at a small credit union in a small town and of course knew everyone. In fact when she saw you drive up to do business, she would pull up all your information and have it waiting for you on her computer screen before you even sat down. If you brought in your children or your pet, there was a snack for them as well. She knew the birthdays of every customer, their spouse’s names and every one of their children’s names. It was her privilege to serve you and do it well and with a warm heart.

One of my daughter’s recently had talked about adopting a child from a third world country to add to her healthy family of 6 and I asked, “Honey don’t you think your plate is already full?” And her response, “I see that you have choices in the way you take on this life. Mom, you can make life work for you – scheduling your tennis and golf appointments, making your nail and hair appointments, going on exotic and expensive vacations….or you can work for your life – constantly growing, experiencing, and making a difference while you’re here. When I die I want to make sure my life is all used up!” It was her way of saying “I’m living for the line.”

Advisory Board Member

Sheryl has just been asked to participate as an Advisory Board Member of http://linktoexpert.com – a site for experts.

New Life Balance System

Sheryl has just written a Life Balance System entitled “How to Get a Life…Balanced (Using 52 Strategies)” that has been selling in her seminars and also includes an hour of coaching time.

New Book

Sheryl has just finished her newest book, “The Working Woman’s Bill of Rights”. It can be purchased at: http://amazon.com.

Tradeshow + Networking + FUN Cruise

Sheryl is one of the speakers you will meet on the Tradeshow + Networking + FUN Cruise! Check out: http://networkingonthewater.com.

Strategy #2

Get Help! Did you know that tonite, after working all day, 58% of women will come home and start dinner all by themselves and then 68% will clean up the dishes? Sometimes I think women believe they were secretly tatooed at birth with “it’s MY job”. I often have them in my audiences and request “let me see that tattoo!”

Of course there isn’t one! These are the same women who understand teaming and leadership at work but forget to bring those skills home. My children have always known there is no such thing as “kitchen faires”. Food doesn’t magically show up! If mom’s in the kitchen, then they knew that’s where they needed to also be. Scrub a potato, set the table, whatever. I believe that’s why my son Kris is a Chef today! So tell the family – you need a team effort and Get Help!