Internet Marketing
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Quote Today: “You tell me, and I forget. You teach me, and I remember. You involve me, and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin
Customer Service With Leadership
“Use empathy not sympathy”
The Purpose and Benefit of a this article will help you demonstrate your leadership in Customer Service. Receive the best customer service tips. Keep in contact with the consumer, participating with your co-workers and getting along. Tips, traits and advise by profession business owner Jane Sadowy.
Situation 1:
Incoming Phone Rescue Call - Angry consumer wants a refund over the telephone
1a) Taking the call
2a) Saving the sale
Situation 2:
Email Rescue Call- Irate consumer is requesting a refund by email
1a) Replying to the email
2a) Final Results.
Situation 3:
Connecting With The Consumer
1a) Ways to connect to the buyer
2a) Follow-up on feedbacks
Situation 4
Business Owner Requesting Non-Payments
1a) How to approach the bookkeeper of the company
2a) How to approach the owner of the business
3a) How to approach a customer
Situation 5
Getting Along With Other Employees and The Boss
1a) Handling a co-employee complaining day in and day out
2a) How do I make an impression on the leaders within my company?
Situation 6
Building Fundamental Skills For Leading Others
1a) Communicating with Results
2a) Rewarding with follow-ups
Situation 1:
Incoming Phone Rescue Call - Angry consumer wants a refund over the telephone
1a) Taking the call
Example: Hello this is Mr. Bob I bought your service and it stinks! I want my money back now!
2a) Saving the sale.
Allow time for Bob to cool off. Ask Bob for his return phone number and the service that he bought. Write it down! Tell Bob you have another call coming in and you will be back with him a moment. (Whether you have another call coming in or not – Bob does not know this)
Put Bob back on the phone and tell him you are interested in solving his customer service problem. Tell Bob your office is under staff today because of some of the office employees are out on vacation this week. (This allows you time to look up his invoice and service he bought if you need to call Bob back) Next let Bob describe to you why he is unhappy with the service. Write it down! Tell Bob you will work on your dinner hour to help him. (This will allow Bob to know you care and now Bob is concerned that you are not going to eat dinner) Listen to Bob and respond with concern for his displeasure.
Providing Bob with Positive Feedback
Discuss with Bob the great service he did purchase and why it is a great service. Give Bob examples. Such as:
The company last week just called our office to allow us to know the service was an access to their company.
Discuss with Bob your policy about returns. Don’t tell Bob something you cannot offer him. Don’t become defensive about your actions. Listen with full attention to his feedbacks. Focus on solving his problem within this phone call. If more detail and time is needed to help Bob with the customer service issue – Follow up on it!
Note: This customer service tactic has a high ratio to help you cool off the irate consumer.
Tip: Use empathy not sympathy. (Empathy is allowing other to know you care without committing yourself to anything)
Situation 2:
Email Rescue Call- Irate consumer is requesting a refund by email
1a) Replying to the email
The worst thing anyone can do is reply back to the sender without cooling off first. Once you hit the send button it all said and done. Wait at least 10 minute before replying back to allow time to calm down. Follow through with the same tactics as listed above to handle the complaint. Since there is no voice or eye contact handling a customer service email is little tricky. You might want to add a friendly clip-art to you signature or apply your signature as: Your Friendly Customer Service Agent
2a) Final Results
When replying back to the complaint – Add at the bottom of your email your return policy information. State in your email content ‘read the below return policy’. This will ensure the unhappy consumer reads the policy.
When all else fails offer the customer a receipt to purchase another item of the same money value or discount towards an item that your business has to offer.
Situation 3
Connecting With The Customer
1a) Ways to connect to the buyer
Consumers are more likely to buy from a business that is well know for honesty, reliability and good customer service. Below are important issues that will insure making the sale:
Secure online shopping cart (comfort level in using a credit card), complete contact information, consistently good merchandise or service, building a constant and interactive communication with the buyer’s, order fulfillments, and providing as easy-to-read privacy statement and explain how you collect and handle customer information.
By providing honest information you are allowing the buyer to know they can trust to purchase your goods or service.
Follow up with Newsletters, e-mails replies or mail out flyers to past customers. ‘Your best customer very well could be you past customers.’ Ask for feedbacks regarding your service.
2a) Follow Up on Customers Feedbacks Do’s & Don’ts
Feedback Do’s:
When receiving or asking for feedback, look for or ask for specific examples of what went wrong or well.
Listen with full attention to the feedback your customers provide. (What they said) Focus more attention on understanding their perspectives and suggestions than on defending your actions or business.
Provide a balance of feedback to irate customers: Make an effort to find positive reinforcement than suggestions for improvement. Provide feedback on both the results and why your company is successful.
Think of feedback as a learning opportunity that can lead your company to better performance.
Don’ts:
Don’t give vague feedback or feedback that cannot be supported with data or examples
Don’t become defensive about your actions
Don’t resist or ration
Don’t guess why something went wrong
Don’t bite off more than you can chew
Situation 4
Business Owner Requesting Non-Payments of Service Rendered
1a) How to approach the bookkeeper of the company/Account Payable Department
Late payments on service rendered: Try contacting the head bookkeeper of the company first. Approach them with a feedback such as: Has payment of invoice been sent out yet? If so – what date was it sent out? If not sent out – when will you send the payment? (Peg them down to a date) What is Check number of payment sent or sending out? Tell them you will note this information in your files. At all time be considerate and polite. Remind them that you will call them again with a follow-up call if the check did not arrive in due time. (Mention sometimes your postal service has delays. etc.) This will avoid embarrassment to the payee regarding you needing to check back with them. Mention your policy regarding late payments. Remind them to send payments in timely matter so late charges do not accrue with their balance.
2a) How to approach the owner of the business – when all else fails.
Contact the owner directly with the same approach as above when all else fails between you and the owner’s account payable department. Have in hand the dates and information you discussed with the bookkeeper. At all times be considerate and polite by requesting that the owner follow-up with balance of the bill and a date the payment will be made. (You could suggest a payment plan to them as well.)
Most of the time the above tactics do wonders to bring in late payments. Tip: Late payments are better than no payments.
When all else fails contact a reliable collection agency.
3a) How to approach a customer needing to pay a lay-a-way plan or balance
Offer the same tactic as above first by phoning or emailing the client. Resubmit your lay-a-way plan or balance invoice so they have to choose to submit the payment when receiving it.
Situation 5:
Getting Along With Other Employees and The Boss (Building Leadership)
1a) Handling a co-employee complaining day in and day out
Nothing is more up setting to others than a complainer! Everyone has different personalities. You’ve heard it before: I don’t make enough money; the boss is mean, this job sticks and so on.
When you hear people using phrases like these, it could be a sign that their self self-esteem is wavering. Take theses opportunities to maintain or enhance self-esteem. In some cases you might ‘ask for help’ and encourage involvement in generating ideas to improve the situation.
Listen and respond with empathy. Let them know you want to help them overcome barriers, but you expect them to resolve the situations.
Tips: Be willing to admit that you’re not an expert but - point out that you too have been frustrated by situations in which unusual circumstances made it hard to do your job (empathy, share). Express confidence that they’ll be able to overcome the difficulty or avoid it next time (esteem). Offer to help them develop an approach for improving the situation (support), but be clear that they are responsible for it.
2a) How do I make an impression on the leaders within my company?
First you need to get to know the boss. Every one is different as in different ways of handling difficult situations, employee issues. Take the time to listen and get to know what type of personalities you deal with day to day. Respect each person space and their way of handling situations.
Once you realize this is the way the boss is going to handle the situation, then you have to learn to respect the decision that is made. Making behind the scene comments are not necessary. Negative comments prolong the decision that was made and makes every one unconformable. Positive reinforcement will curtail any unwanted comments from others that tend to get in the way of getting back to responsibility at the work place.
Tips and Signs of Successful Leaders:
View change as an opportunity, not a nuisance
Gather and share information
Accept that people approach change differently
Anticipate barriers
Enlist the support of others
Prepare people
Lead by example
Situation 6
Building Fundamental Skills For Approaching Customers and Leading Others
1a) Communicating with Results
Maintain or enhance self-esteem – Help others, maintain & enhance feelings of self-confidence and self-worth!
Listen and respond with empathy –give people a chance to vent feelings by asking questions and listening closely.
Ask for help when needed by discussion-making authority.
Don’t deny your own feelings by realizing that support can vary. Don’t over commit yourself!
2a) Rewarding with follow-ups
When change or upsets occurs, people are likely to have strong feelings. Sometimes people will feel positive and welcome change; others might be negative and resistant. In all these situations it is important to use empathy, key principles and company policies.
What kind of player are you? Grade yourself below 1-5 for each category:
Honest __
Vision-oriented __
Inspired by being part of a team __
Competent __
Reliable __
Consistent __
Self-confident __
Fair-minded __
Open-minded __
Motivating __
Assertive (not aggressive) __
Acknowledge other’s performance __
Problem solver/decision maker __
Goal-oriented __
Effective time manager __
Personable __
Organized __
Student of the game __
Scoring: Add up your total
80-100 - Champion with well-developed customer service skills
60-79 – A developing contender-can make it to the highest level with continued experience and practice
40-79 –An also-ran who has not yet reached his or her player potential
Below 40 – A rookie who needs to select areas of improvement and focus on strengthening them
copyrighted 2005 Award Internet Marketing.com
Award Internet Marketing Home Click Here
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Value of my Domain
Search engine optimization is important in increasing your traffic. Plus, once your site has traffic, your website and your domain become a valuable asset. You can sell it just as you would sell a business. If you think of it that way, the investment in SEO services is small compared to what you get for that investment.
Women owned business
Help at the State Level Over half the states have special resources designed to assist female entrepreneurs. For example, New Jersey has an Office of Women Business Enterprise that helps women who want to open, expand or buy a business, while under Oklahoma's Women-Owned Business Assistance Program, women business owners can get free business planning and marketing assistance. You can get more information through your state's Office of Economic Development.
Take your business globlal - The International Virtual Women's Chamber of Commerce, is creating a big buzz.
It offers busy businesswomen an alternative to physical Chambers. Chamber members have access to virtual monthly networking functions, forums, and programs that tap into the global women in business market.
Join the International Virtual Women's Chamber I did and I am love it.
Founder,
Jane Sadowy
www.awardinternetmarketing.com
www.swaphandmedowns.com
25 Easy Ways to Double Subscribers to Your Email Newsletter
Copyright 2002, The Write Exposure
In Double Your Subscribers in 60 Days? We discussed some of the programs available to increase your subscribers and how well they worked. This month, we've collected 25 ways to increase your subscribers in no time flat. Though they'll take a little more time than last month's programs, in our experience, they're consistently more successful. Give 'em a try and report back to us with the results.
Be consistent. Last month, we published a little late, and boy did y'all notice! You spend so much energy creating a newsletter your subscribers will look forward to, don't risk diminishing their enthusiasm with an unreliable schedule.
Be yourself. Authentic newsletters are easier on the reader. They're typically more interesting (because they're unique to you), plus, you don't risk a tone that swings from formal to informal.
Be honest. What are you sending out (product info, special deals, a genuine newsletter)? How often do you send it? How easy is it to unsubscribe? Do you sell reader's names and email addresses? All of this should be addressed on the subscription page.
Be original. Write your own content. Collect your own resources. (Or hire someone to do it.)
Be relevant. Make sure you're writing about topics that apply to your reader's unique situations and experiences.
Be engaging. Invite your readers to participate by offering surveys and quizzes.
Be well dressed. Whether your newsletter is text or HTML, readers should be able to figure out at a glance who your newsletter's from and what it's about.
Be diverse. Offer both short and long articles to give both scanners and in-depth readers what they're looking for.
Set goals. This is even better if you give away prizes as you reach these goals. Perhaps you could give away a great e-book every 100 subscribers. Even if you're not offering a prize, though, make your readers aware of your goals and ask for their help.
Entice them. More and more companies are finding that offering a newsletter isn't enough to get people to part with their email addresses. By offering a free report or something else of value, potential readers may be more likely to sign up.
Offer a sneak peak. Take a look at those magazine offers you get in the mail and write something similar for your newsletter.
Post sample issues online. This way readers can see for themselves if they're interested in your newsletter.
Make your website useful. Visitors will assume that if your website is helpful, your newsletter will be, too.
Make a one-time popup that invites subscriptions. You can get a one-time popup code at: www.web-source.net/popups.htm.
Make subscribing easy. Your subscribe link should be visible on every page of your site. Also, make the process as easy as possible (don't make them fill out long forms, etc.). And, above all else, try the process yourself to make sure it works!
Archive issues on your website. This lets readers catch up and see what they've been missing. It also may improve your search engine rankings.
Set up a promotion station. Make a page at your website with ways other people can promote your newsletter-graphics, articles, testimonials, etc. (And let people know they can freely copy what they want to use.)
Promote it at ezine and company newsletter compilation websites.
Advertise it in your signature file on all email with a description and subscribe instructions.
Find other related ezines that you enjoy and ask about exchanging reviews of one another's ezines.
Ask other ezine publishers to recommend your newsletter on their "Thanks for subscribing" page (with a note like, "Here's another ezine you may be interested in" and do the same for them.
Ask readers to forward the newsletter to a specific person. For example, write, "Please forward this newsletter to someone you know who needs a new printer."
Gather testimonials. It's not enough for you to say your newsletter is great. Get other people to say it for you. (Make sure you have permission to print the testimonial!)
Always offer subscribing instructions. (Of course, you always include unsubscribing instructions, right?)
Send a copy to us. Each month, we review a company newsletter in our newsletter to offer our readers a glimpse into what other company newsletter publishers are doing.
So, there you have your 25 ways to promote your email newsletter. Do you have any great ideas we missed for promoting a newsletter? Send them to us! (info@designdoodles.com) If we print your idea, you'll receive a free, half-hour newsletter critique by email.
Resource: Jessica Albon is the Focusing Chief of The Write Exposure, a company that helps businesses attract and retain customers with powerful newsletters. For more information on The Write Exposure's services visit The Write Expousre
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