Holidays are here

Wow what a year. It's almost over can you believe it?

I'm thankful to be in the Greeting Card business at this time of your. Our cards are flying out the door. If you've not sent yours yet, try a couple on me. http://SendMoreCards.com

Click play and take a test drive. I'll be happy to call you and show you how you can send hundreds of cards very simply in 30 minutes or less.

Merry Christmas to all.

Watch my new Card Video

What are you doing today?

Always Remember Today is the First day of the rest of your life.

Are things going the way you want them to? If not, what are YOU doing to make things change. Do you want to make a difference? EVERYTHING in your life starts and ends with you.

NO one can stop you but YOURSELF.

Live today like it is the last day of your life.

What would you be doing if time & money were NO object?

Make a difference, Become all that you can be. Start NOW. Your future is waiting.

Getting & Keeping More Customers

Any business today needs "CUSTOMERS". Once you get a customer you want to Keep that customer. What better way to keep a customer than keep in touch.

What if you could touch each of your customers 5 times a year for around $5 a customer? KEep your name out there and so you they will remember you when they need something, as well as send you more referrals.

If you'd like more information simply fill out my form below:

Who likes Puzzles

Just got a suprise yesterday. It was a puzzle from Professor Word Search. I had not seen these before. The professor made a neat puzzle for me. It's quite a challenge.

If you like puzzles try to solve the mystery and see how long it takes you to Solve the mystery. Click here:
Enjoy

What is your dream?

How would you like to take a cruise around the world? I found one the other day, where you could leave out of Florida, go thru the Panama Canal, on up thru Alaska, Russia, and down thru China and end in Australia? It was a 107 day trip, for about $30K per person.

Would you like to go? I thought maybe after arriving in Australia it might be fun to stick around for a month or 2 and then cruise back. The other option for going back that I thought about was flying back as far as Hawaii, and staying there awhile and then back to the states.

Does a 6 month trip around the world sound fun? What's stopping you from doing it?

Anything is possible, if you dream big and then take action to make those dreams happen. Too many people never get what they want because they stop dreaming. They give up on life, they settle for the world of living pay check to paycheck.

Don't let that happen to you. Dream big and then go out and make all your dreams come true. Live a life of freedom and teach others how to do that too.

Start now. No time like the present. If you want things to change you must change too. Hope to see you on the beaches of the world.

Alan's Song Listen Up

Alan wrote a song. He sings the song and the backup, plays all the instruments (done through his small multi-tract in-home recording studio), then put the video together so the pictures 'sinc' with the lyrics --- the song is about and the pictures are of actual family members.

What I'm asking is that you please 'click' on the link below and forward this e-mail to all your e-mail friends.

IF THE VIDEO RECEIVES ENOUGH CLICKS then several things are possible: 1) he can receive compensation (Alan lost his job in December so income is a good thing) and 2) the video could be 'picked up' by a 'label' if it receives enough clicks, which could lead Alan into a whole new career --- one he's desired for many years.

If you have a website where you can 'link' his video it would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.


Anyway . . . thanks for your help --- PLEASE FORWARD AND CLICK AWAY ---

Life Goes On

Life changes over time but sometimes we don't even realize it until much later because it's changed so subtly.

A few weeks ago, I had to get up early to take the dog to the vet for an early AM dental work.

It was quite an experience.

The trip made me realize how much my life has changed over the past 7 or 8 years. I set my alarm for 6:45 AM. I didn’t realize it was still DARK at that time of day. The only time I ever get up that early is if I am flying someplace for a visit and happen to have a morning flight. I had changed vets, because I met a great new Vet thru a wonderful girl on my team. The only problem is he is at the exact opposite end of town and I live in a large town.

Since dental appointments for pets require they check in EARLY (between 8 and 8:30AM) , here I was up experiencing the early morning for the first time in a long time. Not being used to having to be anyplace exactly on a schedule, I always tend to forget the “drive time”. We left the house a about 7:40AM.

Of all the times,it was the first chilly day of the year and we set a record for a cold snap this early in the year. It was in the 40’s. Getting in my car, I found I was not even sure where the back defroster button was since I never had to use it before. It took me a few minutes to find the buttons to that, and the set the heater and off we went.

My first impression and thought as we started off, was WHERE are all these cars going at this hour. I had not driving in rush hour for a good 5 years.

Since it was close to 8 AM I thought they would already have reached their destination and be at work. I guess I was wrong cause there were plenty on the road. I don’t remember having seen this much traffic in many years and realized how spoiled I was.

Working from home, I’ve learned that when I want to go out I can chose to go out at times the traffic is the lightest. I never go out at rush hour like today. I was also thinking how silly it was to call this “RUSH HOUR”, when the traffic was moving at a snails pace. I have not seen this much traffic since my last trip to Minneapolis where it looks like this anytime day or night.

Waiting in traffic like this was very boring so I made a call to my friend Linda. She is an early riser, and was amazed to hear from me so early. I also realized about this time, that I had forgotten to bring a drink so pulled thru a drive thru for a coke to get me across town. Linda was laughing at me as she thought that was funny.

Now armed with a coke and more awake, I got back on the road. I decided to take the cross town expressway as it’s a toll road. I figured maybe those going to work every day would not want to pay $$$$ plus gas so it my be less crowded. It was a great decision.

Once I got to the entrance, I was counting my blessings. Because we visit the Orlando area, where my friend Jack lives, I had picked up a SUN PASS for when were were in that area. A SUN PASS is a little machine you stick on your window and don’t have to stop for tolls. I whipped that out, stuck it to the window and was on my way.

My instincts were entirely correct. Traffic on that road was very light, and I arrived at the other end of town in only about 10 minutes. The normal interstate with traffic would have taken me about 45 minutes or more. To me that was worth the extra $$$, but I could see where folks that had to do this daily, may find it out of their price range.

Gosh, traveling like this brought back memories of my life years ago. Early in my career, I worked a JOB downtown and fought traffic daily. Later after my children came, I stayed home with them for a few years. When I went back to the work force I decided no more wasting time in traffic. I looked for and found a JOB within 2 miles of my home where I reported for duty for a good 11 -12 years before finally getting fed up with the cubicle life style.

Thinking back I remember in those days, I used to be at work many times before dark, and came home many times after dark. What a difference the years make.

Making a decision to enter the world of Network Marketing didn’t come lightly. It came because I was pretty burned out on never having time and living paycheck to paycheck. Back then, I rarely had a vacation and when I did, it was usually a few days here or there. We might go to the beach for 2 or 3 days, but even then it was never long enough.

Today my life is much different. I am very thankful that I can CHOOSE to get up when I want, and can chose to come and go as I please. Today really made me thankful for the sacrifices I made to get here.

It was NOT easy working a JOB and trying to build a business at the same time, however, it was well worth it. I had to sacrifice for a few years, but what is a few years when you can be free.

Today made me realize I don’t miss those days of going to bed early even when I didn’t want to because I had to get up again when I didn’t want to. I do not miss scheduling my life around someone else’s schedule.

I love the freedom of our industry. I love helping others succeed. I know that if I can do it anyone can. I had no special talents. I was just determined to make it and retrain myself. I am very stubborn and when I set my mind on something I do not give up.

It is not always easy but it is well worth it. If you are in the JOB world today, and are looking for a way out, keep on going. Do not give up. You can do it, and you can succeed.

As long as you take action, and stay focused and work at it, little by little, you can build your own business, just as I did. Remember, it does take work, and action, but do not let ANYONE steal your dreams. Don’t give up, just DO IT.

Today is the FIRST day of the rest of your life. Make it count. Start your plan to get to where you want to go and make I happen. Tomorrow when you get into your car, for that commute to the JOB, think of me. I’ll be sleeping in, most likely till 9 AM or later. I do not get up to an alarm clock often. I get up when I wake up. You can too.

If it’s to be, it is totally up to YOU. What did you do today, that started you on the path to freedom? Ask yourself where you want to be tomorrow? Next week? Next Year?

Time to start your journey is TODAY. Today is all you have. Do it NOW. Hope to see you at the top in the future.

Diane


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The Customer is Always First

As business owners, we always strive to keep customers as our number one priority. However, anyone can tell you of their own bad experiences as customers, where the customer service did not live up to their expectations. Obviously, there is a disconnect between what the business is providing and what the customer wants.

Yet why does this happen? How is it possible that businesses who are putting their customers first are missing the mark on a consistent basis? Perhaps the problem lies in the little things that the businesses are doing, that make the customer feel unwelcome and unappreciated.

Here are some of the potential areas where customers begin to lose the feeling of appreciation when dealing with businesses.

• Greeting the customer. Some businesses skip this step altogether, to their downfall. Others do have a standard greeting, which falls flat and makes customers feel no different than the next patron. Make your welcomes special and personalized to make customers feel special.
• Lack of enthusiasm. Although everyone has a bad day from time to time, this feeling should never translate into treating your customers as less than special. A warm smile and joy in your voice should be the way you interact with your customers. If you ever appear at less than your best, your customers will pick up on these negative vibrations and not enjoy their experience with your company.
• Proper etiquette. Chivalry may be a dying art, but don't let the simple social graces translate into a poor experience for your customers. Open doors for your customers, and always let them have the right of way. Offer to help them with heavy packages, or if they have any special needs that make mobility difficult. Do whatever it takes to make their experience as simple as possible.

Putting your customer first can be very simple, if you keep the above tips in mind. Skipping over these ideas can put off your customers, and send them to your competitors. Let your customers know that you care, by doing the little things that can brighten up their day.

The Customer Service Trenches

When running a business, you may find yourself removed from the day-to-day operations of your company. You have a lot of administrative tasks that only you can handle. While all business owners find themselves in this situation from time to time, it would be wise to step out of that role and deal with your customers one on one.

You will often see this arrangement at busy restaurants and retail stores. Managers will greet guests, make sure their needs are being met, and even walk them through their business transactions. They will go through the steps that their employees would do to ensure a sale, and interact with customers on a personal level.

Why is this important for a business owner? There are a number of reasons why you should take time to work in the customer service trenches.

• Your customers get to know you. People enjoy meeting the owners of the shops that they frequent. If they see you and your business as a human operation, and not a corporate conglomerate, they will identify with you personally. This builds customer loyalty, as they will return often to enjoy the camraderie you bring to your business.
• You will inspire your employees. When they see their boss working just as hard as they are, unafraid to do any menial task, they will increase the level of customer service. They realize that you genuinely care about the success of your business, and that the customers are precious to you. Workplace morale will increase, and everyone will benefit.
• You will have hands-on experience about what works and what doesn't within your business. Practices that sound good in the planning stage don't always implement well. When you have tried them out for yourself, you can see what needs changing, and will have a good idea of what will work best for your business and your customers.

You may not always have time to get your hands dirty and personally work with your customers one on one. Yet every time that you do, you will learn a lot of valuable business lessons. Take time to meet with your customers and bring them the satisfaction they are looking for, and you will see your business flourish.

Set Your Goals Around Your Customers' Needs

Many businesses focus on the bottom line when they set their goals for the year. The amount of profits they want to earn, or the amount of new customers they want to draw to their business. While these are all clear, measurable goals, they miss a key component of customer service.

Your goals may not be the customers' goals. Your customers may never know how much money that their purchases really earn you. They will not know that they are included in the statistics of your PowerPoint graphs at the third quarter sales meeting.

The customers will only be aware of the experiences they have when purchasing and using your products. Very rarely will any additional concerns come to their minds.

How should you include your customer service needs into your yearly goals? Here are some ways to make the customers' goals your goals.

• Include increased customer satisfaction as one of your goals. Set a percentage you would like to strive for. Arrive at a base number, by sending out surveys to your customers, and let them rate your services on a scale of 1 to 10. Then send out the same questions at the end of the year.
  
• Allocate a higher percentage of your budget to increasing the quality of the services your customers did not rate very highly. The more time and energy you devote to what your customers ask for, the better your customer service quality will be.
• Spend time retaining your existing clients. While a business will surely grow by attracting new customers, it will flourish when it provides existing, loyal customers with the ultimate care. The increase in word-of-mouth advertising that your customers will provide will make these efforts worthwhile as well.

Have you set your business goals to include your customers' needs? What has worked for you, and what has not? Share your experiences here.

Go To Where Your Customers Are

There are many times when your customers will not come to you when they have a problem with your business. They may have the impression that you are too busy to address their concerns, or they were not as interested in your product as they originally thought. However, they will most likely tell their friends about their experiences with your business, whether in person or online.

As a business owner, you need to be aware of what is being said about your company. There could be easily fixed problems that you would never know about, because none of your customers thought to tell you directly. In person, there is not too much you can do, besides reading the letters to the editor section of your newspaper, or listening to the conversations your customers are having within your store walls.

However, online communications can give you a bit of an edge. You can set up searches for your business name, so whenever someone talks about your business, you will be notified. Google search notifications are a good place to start. These will appear in your inbox daily, letting you know what word of mouth press your company is receiving.

You can also use the search function on Twitter, to see if anyone is addressing your company. Surprisingly, many people tweet about a company, just to see if they will get a response. Use this to your advantage, and respond as soon as possible to any customer concerns.

There is another great service available for business owners who want to keep track of their public image. Social Mention is a search engine that tracks your business name on blogs, microblogs, comments, and even video. This tool could prove to be very valuable for your business.

Using the online tools available to you to address customer concerns is an excellent way to build customer loyalty. Once they know that you are listening, and are ready to address their needs, they will come to you with any additional concerns they may have. This technique will build your business, and soon you will only be hearing good word of mouth advertising from here on out.

Keep It Simple For Your Customers

To draw customers to your business, you need to keep their options as simple as possible. The moment a customer is frustrated with your business is the moment they disconnect from you in their minds. They may not leave right away, but they will have one eye open to your potential competitors' offers.

Keep the customers' purchasing options simple and well-defined. For example, many cell phone service providers offer unlimited calling plans where customers are charged a set fee per month, no matter how many phone calls they make. While many customers may never test the limits of such a plan, they enjoy knowing the exact cost up front. This is a much simpler arrangement than calculating what time of day is cheapest to make a phone call.

Include petty costs in your overall price. Restaurants are a prime example of when this can make or break a sale. If you find that you are losing money because many of your customers request extra tomatoes on their sandwich, you have two options. You could require a 5 cent charge whenever they ask for extra tomatoes, or you can add additional tomatoes to your sandwiches and increase the price by 5 cents. Customers naturally question any additional charges to their meals, and may feel taken advantage of over such a small amount. When you include your operating costs in the product prices, your customers understand the tiny increases.

Limit the number of options you present to your customers. The more choices given to a customer increases the feeling of making the wrong choice. This unintentional indecision leaves customers grasping at straws, or not making a purchase at all. Show customers exactly what you have to offer, and how it stacks up to the competition. With the necessary information, they will be able to make an informed choice. They will also feel confident when purchasing from you, since you make the choices as clear as possible.

Making the buying experience for customers as simple as possible is not difficult. Think through the options you are presenting your customers, and make sure they are the best ones for you and your customers. When you make life easy for your customers, they will be happy to return to your business, assured of exactly what they are getting.

View Your Business Through the Customer's Eyes

You may have all of your systems in place to give your customers the best possible service. Yet it is important to give these systems a trial run before your customers use them. You may come across unexpected hang ups, that could turn business away.

Go through the steps your customers would take to find your business. If you are online, make sure your ads are pointing to the correct page on your website. If you own a brick and mortar business, follow the directions you give out to arrive at your storefront. How easy is it to find and access your business? Is there any way you can simplify the process for potential customers?

Attempt to find out more about your business. Your website needs to clearly explain what you do, and how it benefits the customer. Your about me page should explain who you are, what your company does, and why you are passionate about your product. In your community, you should be involved in local business organizations, and your chamber of commerce. Be sure any public listing about your company has accurate information.

Purchase your product. Check all the links that your customer needs to click on to process their order. Make sure they are easy to read, easy to find, and work correctly. Make errors throughout the shopping process, to see what pages your customers might see. These pages should make it easy to fix the problem and continue shopping. Go to your store and purchase a product from one of your employees. Ensure that all quality systems that you have put in place are being followed.

Allow a friend who doesn't know much about your business repeat this process. Allow them to research your business naturally, using the systems they would for any business. Ask them what was easy and what was difficult.

Make any necessary changes, and then let your customers try out your system, and accept their feedback. No matter how intuitive your business is to you, it is brand new to your customers. If the process is not as simple as possible, your customers will be unlikely to purchase or to return. The more times you look through their eyes, the more chances you will see to improve your business.

Admit Your Business Mistakes

We all make mistakes. It is part of what makes us human. However, as business owners, we develop a strong sense of perfectionism that makes it difficult for us to even recognize our mistakes, let alone admit to them.

Yet you can turn wary customers into loyal ones, by being transparent and direct when it comes to admitting and fixing your mistakes. Customers will stick with a business that is open and honest with them, and will flee from one found to be covering their tracks. Here are some tips on how to deal with your business mistakes.

• Have quality checks. Whether these are weekly reviews or point by point inspections, you need to have systems in place to be on the lookout for potential mistakes. This reassures the customer that you are looking out for their best interest, and are committed to offering a quality product.
• Admit to yourself when there is a problem. Many business owners put up the blinders when evaluating if mistakes have been made. If you cannot admit it to yourself, you cannot fix the problem for your customers. Do not let your pride or fear of failure hinder you when building your business.
• Decide on the best way to fix the mistake. Do whatever it takes to make things right for your customers. Then, choose the best way to communicate the error and the steps you took to fix it to your customers. If you can tell your story before irate customers tell all of their friends, you will appear to be in control of the situation. This will establish you as a strong business who isn't afraid to get your hands dirty to deliver ultimate customer service.
• Ask for feedback. After you have done everything you can think of to rectify the situation, ask your customers if there is anything else you can do. Their answers may surprise you, and give you new insights about your business practices.

Have you seen any examples of a business freely admitting its mistakes? Or have you dealt with a business that handled their mistakes poorly? Share your stories here!

Listening to Your Customers

How do you know what your customers want? Have you ever thought about asking them? Listening to your customers is one way to guarantee that you are providing the best possible products and services that will meet their needs.

In order to listen to your customers, you need to create methods of listening. Here are a few possibilities.

• Create a poll on your website. Ask them something simple, as in "What would you like to see more of on this website?" Be sure to leave an "Other" option, and include a contact box where they can leave additional comments. It may turn out that what you thought they wanted couldn't be farther from the truth.
• Ask them about the quality of your service. When your transaction is complete, ask your customers if there is any area in which your business could improve. You can do this face to face, via email, or through a survey. The answers may surprise you.
• Offer customer support. Have a telephone number or email address they can contact at any time to get immediate answers to their questions. What may be an easy process for you may be difficult for the average consumer. Give them the chance to explain their problem, and offer solutions as soon as possible. Without this in place, customers may turn elsewhere rather than continue to puzzle through your business.
• Value their opinions. Nothing is worse than the feeling that you are not being heard. Once you have gathered information about your customers' needs, follow through. Implement necessary changes that will make their experience better. Be sure to let them know that you were listening, and are striving to improve the quality of your business.

What methods of listening does your business have in place? Have you seen a business that truly values what its customers have to say? Join in the conversation