Up Market |
- Don’t Forget About Customer Service
- Career Change: Steps to Change Your Career
- Defining Moments
- Loved Ones Skeptical Of Your Dream? Hot Tips From Pro Blogger And Trailblazer Jonathan Mead
| Don’t Forget About Customer Service Posted: 31 Jan 2012 08:30 AM PST
But there’s another aspect of client service that is less frequently talked about: good, old fashioned “customer service”. It hearkens back to all those truisms that you probably learned at your first summer job in high school: “the customer is always right”, treat people as you want to be treated, be friendly, smile. These terms would be cliche, if they weren’t so rare in the marketplace. Think of the businesses that you love interacting with. The ones that you’re a true fan of. Take the Apple Store for instance: people talk about the beautiful products and architecture of the store. But an equally important reason that I love going to the Apple Store is the people that work there. Every salesperson I’ve interacted with in the Apple Store has been exceedingly competent, helpful and friendly. There aren’t many other retail stores that have that level of service. And if remarkable customer service is so rare and so important, why aren’t more companies doing it? For a large, global company it may be a significant challenge to align the entire salesforce behind customer service. But for your small business, or your team, it’s more likely just a matter of will. Seth’s right, it’s about effort, not money. So what are we waiting for? Photo Credit: nffcnnr |
| Career Change: Steps to Change Your Career Posted: 31 Jan 2012 05:30 AM PST Few make a successful career change in a single bound. It's better to dabble in your desired field first. |
| Posted: 30 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST
One of my defining moments came after working for about a year at an advertising agency straight out of college. Having yet to arrive at the realization of what I wanted to do with my life, I took the job because it had elements of what I studied in college: English, business and communication – and because it sounded fun and interesting. I started as an administrative assistant with the promise that it wouldn't be long before I would be promoted. Turns out advertising just wasn't my thing. The work itself didn't hold much interest for me, but I was intrigued with the organization and the people in it. Turnover was high, morale was low, and the customer was an afterthought. I knew that all that could be changed – that something could be done to allow people to feel more alive in their jobs, to ensure that the customer was happy, that the company was growing and profitable. So I put my curiosity to work and began talking to people. I interviewed smart, ambitious entry level personnel, who felt discouraged and overlooked when the jobs they were working toward were filled by people from outside of the company. I talked to new creative staff and account executives who came in and hit the ground running, knowing little about the agency or its customer. I spoke with seasoned executives who lamented that no one seemed to care about what was most important anymore. I integrated all their insights, ideas and suggestions with my own observations and created a proposal to implement a program that would allow seasoned people to train and mentor newer folks, better integrate with the customer and grow the business from within. Knowing little about corporate politics, I went straight to the VP of Operations with my proposal to create the program and allow me to run it. He listened intently, asked several questions, and arranged successive meetings with others in the company. It wasn't long before a position was created. My boss at the time, who wasn't impressed with my lack of passion for being an administrative assistant or the fact that I went over her head with my proposal (which I never even told her I was working on) was outraged. She called upon her networks to put a stop to things. A few days later I was told that while the company was going to create the position and launch the program I proposed, because of all the controversy, they would not allow me to oversee it. I was crushed. I remember walking across the agency's glossy floors and out the tall glass double doors of the building to sit on a park bench. I was burning with animosity, rage, and frustration at the seeming injustice of it all. Sitting on that bench writing my letter of resignation with a shaky hand, the wave of anxiety eventually released me from its grip and I was overcome with a sense of calm clarity. I was onto something here. Maybe there was a way that I could work with corporations, organizations and people themselves to bring out their latent talent and harness it in a way that could contribute to a common goal. That defining moment led me on a search that would allow me to find ways to do more of the work that beckoned to me. It launched a chain of events that has led me to learn more about myself and make the most of experiences that would further prepare me for the work that I do now. And I am grateful – so completely and utterly grateful – that it happened, though at the time I thought it was the worst possible thing. What were some of your defining moments? As you look back what have you learned about yourself? What have they prepared you for? Perhaps you are experiencing a defining moment right now… If as you read these words you are feeling unsettled, fearful, or even plain confused about a course of events that doesn't seem to have any purpose other than to make life miserable, chances are you may be in the middle of one. If you have not yet found the gift in the experience, rest assured that you soon will – if that is what you desire. Chances are it will lead you to new frontiers that will allow you to breathe more life and love into everything you do. Photo Credit: db Photography | Demi-Brooke |
| Loved Ones Skeptical Of Your Dream? Hot Tips From Pro Blogger And Trailblazer Jonathan Mead Posted: 30 Jan 2012 12:30 PM PST
Jonathan fully embodies the kind of transformation that Project Sweet Spot is all about, having successfully transitioned from going “from one job to the next” in order to pay the bills, to becoming a highly-respected professional blogger with a community of over 22,500 subscribers that he calls The Unstream (the opposite of ‘the mainstream’ – cool!). On top of being a living example of someone who carved a path into his own Sweet Spot, Jonathan also teaches others how to carve the shortest path into their own. I hear the same basic objections over and over as to why people are afraid to make the shift from whatever they are doing now into doing work they love that is more fulfilling for them and makes more of a difference in the world. I asked Jonathan how he handled some of those common fears and challenges on his own journey, and found some truly grounded and practical wisdom gained only by someone who’s walked the path and can speak from depth of experience. One particular challenge I want to highlight here is the pressure a lot of people feel from those around them to stay in the so-called ‘safe and secure’ job or business they are already in – even if it is stressful, draining and/or demoralizing. The pressure may may be subtle or strong, and may come from spouses, parents, friends, colleagues or other significant people in their lives. For the most part, these naysayers are well-meaning, yet their influence can drive a dream six feet under in less than a nanosecond. So what’s a guy or gal to do?? When Jonathan decided he was going to become a pro blogger, he faced the most resistance to the idea from his wife. She was skeptical that he could do it since she had no experience with entrepreneurship, and especially since she happened to be an amateur writer herself with some preconceived notions about what it takes to be paid as a writer. Fortunately, Mead decided to set her opinion aside and go for it anyway. However, he had to deliberately find a way to feel supported through the period before he could demonstrate the results that would get his wife on-side (she now supports him wholeheartedly and works on the business with him):
Jonathan nailed it. His experience and advice has proven to be true on my own journey as well: Surround yourself as much as you can with people who are on the same path as you, and who’ve already created the result that you want for yourself. It’s ultimately your job to make your own way into your Sweet Spot, but support from like-minded people along the way is a critical antidote to resistance you are likely to experience at some point along the way. You can listen to the entire interview here, in which Jonathan shares other golden nuggets from his own story, including how he financially supported himself through his transition, whether he felt any guilt making the choice to do what he loves, and what the first and last hour of his day is like these days. Powerful guidance. Check out the buzz around Jonathan’s current Trailblazer Journey project that provides not only the fastest path to quitting your job, but also the support from a community of like-minded people along the way. He’s created a super cool movie trailer for Trailblazer as well that involves Jonathan almost getting hit by a car, and a sinister, robot-like bald guy (trust me, check it out!). Original and valuable creations from a true trailblazer. Photo credit: Jason Digges |
There’s a lot of talk in the business world about managing client expectations. Making sure that what the client is anticipating is line with what you are planning to deliver, so the client is not disappointed when the product comes out. There’s a good reason why this term is so popular, managing client expectations is a critical component of strong client service.
In workshops I’ve conducted over the years, I’ve asked participants to write about their defining moments. We all have them. Sometimes while they are occurring, we feel as though everything is coming apart. They can be uncomfortable experiences that we end up learning a lot from but would rather never repeat. Pleasant or unpleasant, they are critical to our growth as they mark the passages that lead us to close one door and open another. They may be dramatic changes that end up altering our jobs, environments or careers or they could simply be significant shifts in the way we see ourselves and the world around us.
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