Learning your customer’s name is important. Saying hello when they walk in the door is too generic and causes them to feel ordinary, like a statistic. Making the extra effort to know their name makes them feel that they are valuable and important to you. As much as you want to be personal, keep in professional.  Hugs or fancy handshakes are inappropriate and can later cause conflict.  A firm handshake and a smile are always welcome.

It is helpful to keep track of client’s birthdays, anniversaries, child’s birthdays and events that they may mention during conversation.  This way, when you talk to them later, whether it be a week from now or even a month, you can ask how their son’s soccer game went “that” weekend or if his wife is feeling better. Anything you can document about a customer will only help you in the long run create a strong relationship and show them that you really pay attention when they talk.  Never use information however that you overhear them say in a personal conversation whether on the phone or in person.  Your nosiness can create quite a bit of conflict.

Customer service is very important and you want to provide them with outstanding service to create a strong business relationship.  Thank you cards or a quick email add a personal touch. Remain professional in your business relationship at all times.  Hanging out or drinking with a client is usually not a good idea unless the situation or business calls for it.  Never under any circumstance start a romantic relationship with a customer.  It will only result in some form of conflict usually resulting in lost business or you losing your job.

It is important to think about how you would want to be treated and take care of that customer with the same respect and customer service.  Always remember your customers are the most important factor in the success of your business and should be treated that way.

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. ~Sun Tzu~

To put these two concepts in simple terms, strategy is the overall plan to reach a goal or a plateau and tactics are the day-to-day actions to get you there.

More accurately, most businesses are reactive and just trying to stay afloat. They are tactical, at best. Usually they are random and incongruous.

They may have a high-sounding strategy written down somewhere, but they readily abandon it when the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune arrive at their business doorstep.

They and their staff often become rats in a maze just fighting to survive rather thrive. They take their eye off the ball and haven’t a sliver of a chance for long-term success.

Nobody on this planet teaches the difference better than the god of finding the gold in each business, Jay Abraham

Please watch him in action...

Click Here to go to their website:

See you there.
Richard

IMPORTANT: when you get to that page, it will look
like a sales letter for a fancy high-priced
seminar… but it’s not. Registration is free and
you don’t have to travel to it… you can watch
from the comfort of your home or office.

Everyone has an inkling that their must be a key to the abundant-time-and-money kingdom, yet we don’t seem to sense it can’t be found in NeverNeverLand.

There are so many smooth talkers, aka gurus, who will have you gawking and orgasming at their newest widget or training program, yet if you have been struggling for years to rub two nickels together then you should know instinctively that that bait is fool’ gold.

What’s missing is you. You put the money first, and the interest or passion on the back burner. Not too smart, Bunky.

In the video that follows, noted motivational speaker, businessman, philanthropist and life coach, Bob Proctor, says that when the bill collector called when he was poor and asked where the money was, his humorous response came down to this: “If I knew where the money was, you wouldn’t be calling me.”

The gut-feeling truth is that most people either have time or have money, but few have ample of both. Is this a sign of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? I think not. A samurai warrior does not go to battle with a dull sword or inadequate training. You don’t fight battles you can’t win. Most people are fighting their challenges on an empty tank and that can only lead to disaster.

It all comes down to learning how to be fully present. It’s a process which may require retooling, rethinking and a break from chasing money just because it seems to be there. It’s always been there and people like Mr. Proctor put in his spiritual mileage to discover it.

Where that is for each one of us is only available when we are patient enough to prepare for battle. Preparing means knowing yourself rather than running away from yourself in an effort to make a killing or to please others.

This life game is all about you – and that ain’t all bad nor selfish.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Les’ work.

Once again, I found a video recording of Les – who rose from ghetto poverty to optimum success – about sticking around when surrender would be easy. He also addressed the unequivocal advice to get rid of toxic people in your life.

Les – Like Tony Robbins -was also an avid fan of the late Jim Rohn (see previous entry). Les Brown has a photographic memory, capable of remembering thousands’ of quotes and stories in an instant. Moreover, his laugh and his humor are infectious. Enjoy…