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Country Flag Match

Can you name the country matching each flag? Email Cheryl with your answers and winners (by Jan. 15, 2009) to get a free copy of Connecting with Key Decision Makers.

What is the top 2007 meeting destination?

According to Meetings and Conventions (www.mcmag.com, April 2008), Canada and Mexico is the top, popular international destinations for corporate and association meetings in 2007 held outside the U.S., with Europe a close second. The Caribbean-Bermuda is cited as most popular destination for incentive travel and is most likely to remain so until 2009.

Ten Golden Rules of Great Customer Service

Most habits are actions you have taken for so long that they now come naturally and you no longer need to think about them. For example, when you first learned to drive a car you probably felt as if you would never be able to turn the wheel, press the accelerator and signal all at the same time – now you can do it with your eyes closed (figuratively speaking). Here are ten basic habits that every businessperson can develop to maintain a consistently high level of customer service.

Be on Time
Being on time for appointments with your customers (and co-workers) is a statement of respect. Conversely, making others sit around and wait until you show up creates a negative impression and is disrespectful of your customers' time. Now and again, you will encounter situations that force you to be late – traffic jams, bad directions, a full moon in February – the cardinal rule then is to call as soon as you know you are going to be late.

The sooner you let your customers know you are delayed, the less Irritated they will be. Do not wait until the last minute and hope that it all works out.
Follow Up on Your Promises
I hear one major pet peeve from many customers: service providers who promise something and then do not follow through. For example, a customer is told that she will be notified as soon as her order comes in and then – as if the promise were all a dream – no one from the company ever calls to notify her! Customers are so unaccustomed to good follow-through that making it a habit scores you big points.

Always call a customer back by the time you promised – even if it's to say that you don't yet have the information they want and you'll get back to him or her later. Your credibility as a businessperson hinges on how well you keep your promises.
Under-Promise and Over-Deliver
Sometimes, in your enthusiasm to give the customers what they want, you may find yourself promising them something that is difficult to deliver. By making a promise, you create an expectation in the customer's mind that can be difficult to fulfill. When you find yourself in this situation, your best approach is to only promise the customer what you can be sure of – not what you hope will happen.

For example, your customer wants his new couch delivered by 3 p.m. You know that this delivery time is possible, but not guaranteed. By promising delivery by 4 p.m., you avoid disappointing your customer and delight him if the couch arrives earlier.
Go the Extra Mile
Make going out of your way for your customers a habit. By doing small, extra things for them, your service is remembered and your company differentiates itself from its competitors. On those occasions when you cannot go as far out of your way as your customers would like – when you can't say yes and you have to say no – be sure that you get into the following habit …
Offer Your Customers Options
Two customer service situations lend themselves to offering options: When you have to say no to a customer, or when you have an option to offer that will make the customer's life easier or smoother. When you cannot provide your customers with what they want, giving them an alternative helps to soften their natural disappointment. Caution: Too many options can overwhelm your customer, so keep them down to one or two.
Express Empathy
No matter how good your customer service skills, you will occasionally have an unhappy camper for a customer. At such times, developing the habit of expressing empathy is important. Empathy means understanding your customer's point of view, regardless of whether or not you agree. Some empathic phrases to practice and remember are:
- I understand why you feel that way.
- I see your point of view.
- I hear what you are saying.
- I'm sorry that happened.
Treat Your Customer as the Most Important Part of Your Job
When all the functions of your job – meetings, paperwork, telephone calls, and so on – start to get you down, develop the habit of changing your attitude. Viewing your customers as interruptions to the work that you have to get done is all too easy. By focusing on your customers as the reason why you do your job, you will make them feel important. After all, ultimately they are the ones who write your paycheck.
Treat Your Co-Workers as Customers
The quality of service you provide to your customers is only as good as the quality of relationships that you have with the co-workers around you. Treating your workmates as customers raises the overall quality of communication within your company. For example, if a customer calls asking for information that you do not have, you may need to contact another department. If the co-worker in that department is friendly and responsive to your needs, then you, in turn, can get back to the customer faster and provide him or her with better service.
Give the Customer Your Name and Telephone Number
Make finding you easy for your customers by giving them your name and telephone number. With telephone systems getting more sophisticated, customers can easily get lost in the system and waste a great deal of time trying to reach you, the person with whom they were dealing – the one who knows the ins and outs of the particular problem.
Smile and Use Inflection on the Telephone
Smiling on the phone changes the sound of your voice because it alters the shape of your mouth, making the sound waves more fluid (ask any singing teacher). Customers assess your service attitude (on the phone) almost entirely from your tone of voice. I know customers who will hang up and call back if a service provider says “Hello” in an unfriendly way.

Try these tips … it can only help make the day go faster and your income follow suit.

Be on Time
Follow Up on Your Promises
Under-Promise and Over-Deliver
Go the Extra Mile
Offer Your Customers Options
Express Empathy
Treat Your Customer as the Most Important Part of Your Job
Treat Your Co-Workers as Customers
Give the Customer Your Name and Telephone Number

Smile and Use Inflection on the Telephone

About the Author – Mike McCann

Make more money faster by easily connecting with hard-to-reach decision makers who can buy your products and services…NOW! Get started free by getting a Mike McCann's new Special Report excerpted from the newest edition of his popular business development book, Connecting with Key Decision Makers (How to Reach Hard-to-Reach Businesspeople Who Can Say "Yes")…just for asking at http://www.GlobalBusinessCafe.com. Go now!

Mike McCann is a 25-year veteran of developing unique and professional business development programs that create tangible results for individuals and companies. Let him help you instantly…free!

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