Empower Your Employees February 27, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, marketing, management , add a commentEver have “one of those days”? Jose Castillo did. As he describes it:
Someone behind the coffee bar asks you how your day is going. You answer honestly and say things are a little rough. Monday morning going into work, you had a fender bender, fight with a spouse, just lots a blah going on. With a smile they take your order and then as you reach for your money they say, “Dont worry about it. This one is on the house.”
Although we can all relate to the kind of day Jose was having, what’s important is how the employee of the coffee shop was empowered to:
- make Jose’s day a little brighter
- make Jose a better customer
I’m not sure if the employee was trying to be a better marketer by doing the whole CRM (customer relationship management) thing or not. Perhaps she was simply being human–trying to help out someone who needed a little pick-me-up. But that could have happpened without the free coffee.
As Jose puts it, “It probably cost them a few pennies to give away a cup of coffee but the relationship building that occured in that moment was priceless.”
Are your employees empowered to go the extra mile? If not, how many opportunities are you missing to really “wow” your customers?
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On Planning…
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, quotes, management , add a commentTrying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window.
- Peter F. Drucker
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On Management… February 23, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, quotes, management , add a commentMost of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done.
- Peter F. Drucker
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Tune Your Management Skills By Tuning In February 22, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, marketing, management , add a commentWe’ve talked before about the difference between listening and hearing. This article from SlackerManager, however, says it even better:
Most of us, including me, have spent so much time learning how to multitask, and weve put such great value on being good at it, that were pretty uncomfortable with just sitting and listening. Sittting and listening doesnt mean formulating a response in your head while you wait for the other person to take a breath. It means simply listening and giving their words some devoted and considered thought before responding.
What’s really great about this change to your communication style (aside from helping you to actually communicate) is that it works in every communication format you can think of: from business meetings to conversations with your spouse; from spoken conversations to written e-mails.
Take a moment to actually listen–and nothing else–to the person speaking, and your relationships–personal and business–are guaranteed improve.
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On Decision Making…
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, quotes, management , add a commentEven if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.
- Will Rogers
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Housing Starts at 33-Year High February 16, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, construction, real estate , add a commentIn spite of many of the pundits who’ve predicted a slowdown in the housing market, “the Commerce Department reported Thursday
that building activity was up 14.5 percent last month when compared to December, pushing construction to a seasonally
adjusted annual rate of 2.276 million units,” according to this article.
The unexpected strength was believed to be fueled in part by mild winter weather in January. It was the largest monthly percentage gain since March 1994, when starts rose 17 percent. In addition, permits for future construction, which are often an indicator of builder confidence, posted an increase as well: up 6.8 percent to a 2.217 million unit rate.
Good news for the construction industry and for the economy as a whole, as the construction, design and building management arena is often a good barometer of the future of the economy.
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