Growing Your Business in 2013 - Ping Pong

Guest blog post from Carol Ritter of CarolTalks.com

As a kid, I used to love the game of Ping Pong.  A fun, silly, sometimes very competitive game. It was inexpensive, too.  You didn't need equipment, shin guards, face mask or even a monogrammed t-shirt.  You just needed to know someone who had a table and was willing to host some fun.  I remember learning “the spin serve” a unique serve where you spun the ball before serving to throw off your competition.

I’ve witnessed Ping Pong of another nature just recently.  Yesterday,  I left an envelope in my car that was being repaired because of an accident.  I arrived at the dealership and noticed my car ripped apart and being repaired.  A sign warning that customers cannot enter the garage without a hard hat was prominently hung.  I asked a gentlemen if I could go in and get my envelope, he directed me to the receptionist to get permission.  I went to the receptionist she said I had to go to the person who runs the garage....so I went back to the garage.  Finding no one,  I went in.  I made sure the car was not on a lift and proceeded to get my envelope.  I called my friend and said I got the envelope after an intense game of CUSTOMER PING PONG.  I spent way too much time there with the employees trying to avoid helping me.  Has this ever happened in your BIZ?  I interrupted the guy’s computer work, then I interrupted the receptionist’s quest to find her mid morning snack and the person who runs the garage was missing in action.

This group of employees wore uniforms clearly identifying them, they are in a competitive business and they did everything to avoid helping me.  The moral of the story is; make sure your employees are trained on how to handle customers with questions.  Teach them to get up once in a while and greet the customer instead of sitting there.  And, set the company culture right from the start, customers first, snacks, computers and breaks second.  It’s a competitive world out there, especially if you have perfect the spin serve in your game of PING PONG!

Check out my new You Tube page at www.youtube.com/caroltalks

Carol serves as a featured writer for the Home News and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Blog.
Carol is an accomplished professional speaker, coach and educational consultant specializing in innovative leadership, outrageous fundraising, million dollar marketing, and building organizational alliances throughout the country.  Carol’s creative  leadership with bullet proof ideas for recruiting MORE MEMBERS, MORE MONEY AND TER LEADERS. www.caroltalks.com 610-442-4545 tellkids@aol.com  Like Carol on  Facebook at Caroltalks and CarolCoaches!  Carol S. Ritter,  Past President, National Speakers Association Philadelphia

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Growing Your Business in 2013 - Free Frenzy

Guest blog from Carol Ritter of CarolTalks.com.

Someone very special in my life makes me laugh a lot.  One of his favorite lines is ,“If it’s free, it’s for me!”  Let’s go surfing on the internet to see what we can get for free.  If you have a Facebook account, almost daily a ‘free’ page shows up.  Today it was Unlimited Free Stuff.  I just had to try it.  Bob Evans is giving away a free cup of “BOLD” coffee.  You just click and click again and a coupon shows up good till the end of the month.  We are definitely missing out on free stuff when we don’t investigate this awesome opportunity.  I clicked for free corn chips and guac at Chili’s, I clicked for free Ritz Crackers, and I’m going to click more later today.  We all love free stuff so why don’t we, as business owners, know that?   If it’s free, it’s for all your customers.  It’s time to leverage the “FREE FRENZY”

Carol’s FREE FRENZY Ideas

Facebook - the best opportunity in the world to promote your business or event.  Build a page - it takes about 15 minutes.  Begin with pictures, questions, and then promotions, FREE FRENZY

1.  Join the Lehigh Valley Chamber, the membership dues are low and the value is high, $5,000 high.  Yes, you can leverage $5,000 in value by joining the chamber.  Start today with a FREE Sunday ad in the Morning Call, tomorrow put your company in their monthly magazine - FREE, or go on the radio this Friday on WAEB. FREE FRENZY

2.  Send out press releases for your events, giveaways etc - FREE FRENZY

3.  Purchase a magnetic sign for your car or a car wrap with your website, phone number and email, it’s not free in the beginning but you will get back the cost in business and then it will turn into a FREE FRENZY for years to come

4.  Many times Vista Print offers free business cards (don’t store them, give them away) - FREE FRENZY

5.  Educate people, position yourself as a expert and give away free information - FREE FRENZY

6.  Utilize LinkedIn to promote your business and expertise, make sure it’s up to date and packed full of useful information to appeal to future customers

7.  Last, but certainly not least, build your word of mouth epidemic, share your mission with everyone, invite your customers to write testimonials, throw them up on your website - FREE FRENZY

I clicked again!  This time I’m getting free tea, free vitamins, free detergent and free dog food. Now that’s a FREE FRENZY, try it!

Carol serves as a featured writer for the Home News and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Blog.Carol is an accomplished professional speaker, coach and educational consultant specializing in innovative leadership, outrageous fundraising, million dollar marketing, and building organizational alliances throughout the country.  Carol’s creative  leadership with bullet proof ideas for recruiting MORE MEMBERS, MORE MONEY AND TER LEADERS. www.caroltalks.com 610-442-4545 tellkids@aol.com  Like Carol on  Facebook at Caroltalks and CarolCoaches!  Carol S. Ritter, Immediate Past President, National Speakers Association Philadelphia

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Growing Your Business in 2013 - Fix It!

Guest Blog from Carol Ritter of CarolTalks.com

I thought it was simple, you order something, they ring it into the machine and you get it.  STOP thinking that!  I recently went to a coffee shop, I ordered iced regular coffee with cream, I got hot decaf with no cream, I sent it back, I ordered oatmeal with no sugar, I got oatmeal with sugar that looked like wallpaper paste, I sent it back. I ordered an egg sandwich cut in half and I got one whole, I sent it back.  I’m not done yet, I ordered decaf coffee with cinnamon flavor and I got regular with chocolate, I sent it back.  Now, how can that happen to one person - one order- in about 5 minutes?  I was wondering, “how many orders must be wrong in a day?”   I understand most of us are in the people business but I don’t think I’ve ever had that many things go wrong with one simple order.  By the time I left I was frustrated, didn’t enjoy my food and was asking myself WHY didn't I eat at home.  FIX IT!

On the contrary, I worked in New Jersey last week and found a wonderful seafood restaurant.  I walked in and the hostess greeted me with a big hello and seated me within seconds.  The bubbly waitress was at my table within a minute with water in her hand, introduces herself as “in training” and looking forward to serving me.  Every waitress and waiter was dressed in sailor garb, pressed to the nines, a nice touch.  I watched as the servers almost ran from table to table making guests comfortable.  I was so pleased to see over the top service after my coffee experience.  I ordered a salad with dressing on the side, I kept it.  I ordered an unsweetened ice tea with lots of ice, I kept it.  I ordered an entree with no butter on the veggies, in came out right, I kept it and, to top it off, I ordered decaf and got it, kept it.  NO NEED TO FIX IT!

Fix it, owner, manager, leader, vice president or whoever is in charge of the restaurant.  How can that much go wrong in one order and why doesn’t the owner, manager, leader, vice president know they are providing horrible service?  Fix it!  The leadership is clearly responsible for the failure.  Conversely, the restaurant owner, manager, leader, vice president of the seafood house is also reaping the rewards of over the top service.

Everything begins and ends with the leader.  Here is how you fix it..

1. The coffee shop could have offered the meal complimentary
2. Better yet, an apology, didn't even get that
3. A coupon to visit again and get free coffee

The end of the story is, I’m never and I mean never going back, I've told many family and friends what happened and this all could have been avoided just by FIXING IT!  The end of the seafood house story is the waitress at the end brought out a survey, they actually cared enough to ask me what I thought.  I will be going back, the tip went up and I've told many friends and family to go there.  See what happens when you FIX IT!

Carol serves as a featured writer for the Home News and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Blog.
Carol is an accomplished professional speaker, coach and educational consultant specializing in innovative leadership, outrageous fundraising, million dollar marketing, and building organizational alliances throughout the country.  Carol’s creative  leadership with bullet proof ideas for recruiting MORE MEMBERS, MORE MONEY AND TER LEADERS. www.caroltalks.com 610-442-4545 tellkids@aol.com  Like Carol on  Facebook at Caroltalks and CarolCoaches!  Carol S. Ritter, Immediate Past President, National Speakers Association Philadelphia

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Growing UR Biz in 2013 - Leap Frog

Guest blog from Carol Ritter of CarolTalks.com

Excuses, excuses, excuses, do they make the world go ‘round?  When I talk to small business owners, excuses for not growing your business are plentiful.  I don’t have time to attend a seminar, that’s vacation season I can’t go to a networking event, I can’t join a Master Mind group it’s during my busy time, my business will fall apart if I’m not there.  But, the most frequent statement I hear is business is slow so I cannot leave.  Well, if business is slow the good news is you may recognize it, the bad news is you may not be taking the LEAP to change that today.

Remember the game Leap Frog, a children’s game in which players vault over each other's stooped backs?  Games of this sort have been called by this name since at least the late sixteenth century. They also played this in colonial America.

The first participant rests hands on knees and bends over, which is called giving a back. The next player places hands on the first's back and leaps over by straddling legs wide apart on each side. On landing he stoops down and a third leaps over the first and second, and the fourth over all others successively. When all the players are stooping, the last in the line begins leaping over all the others in turn. Anyone could play and we had a lot of fun taking the LEAP to further yourself in the game. I’m not sure what the purpose was of the game, but we were competitive trying to jump higher and further than any of our friends.

How are you doing in the game of “LEAP frog?” Are you ‘leaping’ into solid and extraordinary cash flow? Or, do you have excuses, excuses, excuses.  If you want to increase cash flow, grow your business and take your biz to a new level, you may want to consider LEAP Frog.

First, LEAP into the “NO WHINING” zone
Second, LEAP into the learn everything you can about how to grow ur biz
Third, LEAP into training, seminars, reading, and coaching

If you don’t take the initiative to LEAP forward in the 21st century, you may be left behind in the pond with all the other frogs.

Carol serves as a featured writer for the Home News and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Blog. Carol is an accomplished professional speaker, coach and educational consultant specializing in innovative leadership, outrageous fundraising, million dollar marketing, and building organizational alliances throughout the country.  Carol’s creative  leadership with bullet proof ideas for recruiting MORE MEMBERS, MORE MONEY AND TER LEADERS. www.caroltalks.com 610-442-4545 tellkids@aol.com. Like me on  Facebook at Caroltalks and CarolCoaches! Carol S. Ritter, Immediate Past President, National Speakers Association Philadelphia

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Growing Your Business in 2012 - Ding Dong

Today's guest blog is from Carol Ritter, of Caroltalks.com. 

Oh, BLACK FRIDAY, the crowds, the deals, the craziness, the free samples and even more. If you are a “super shopper” this is your big day of the year. The bags and bags of stuff followed by SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY and CYBER MONDAY. One might think this is marketing genius and it is.

I decided to venture out in the afternoon, not looking for anything special, just browsing. Parking was at a premium and after 20 minutes I found my spot for the day. I moseyed into a women’s clothing shop which advertised everything on sale. I was there about 10 minutes and heard a cow bell ring, perked up big time and began to wonder what was this about? I found the bargain of the day a beautiful camel jacket $200, marked down to $50 and then 50% off of that and it was in my size. I scooped it up and headed towards the cashier. I’m feeling like I won the bargain of the day. There were about 10 people in line and as I a patiently waited I heard a big ding and a big dong. The chatter began! What’s that noise? It’s so unusual for a dress shop. Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong! It’s almost bordering on annoying. As I make it to the front of the line, I overhear the cashier saying the magic words, “Thank you for shopping with us.” “Did you find everything you were looking for?” Ding dong, ding dong!! I’m right there and the cashier greets me with, “Thank you for shopping with us.” I felt so welcomed and so appreciated. Then she said, Our store is committed to children would you be so kind to donate to St. Jude's Children’s Hospital?’ I said, ‘Sure” (never say no to kids)...DING DONG, she proclaimed another generous person in our store. By the time I left I felt like this store really cared not only about the sale but about the greater community.
How do your customers feel when they leave your business? Do you teach them how to treat you? Friendliness breeds friendliness. Charitable hearts are irresistible and in this store they created an atmosphere that was much more than selling. 
It’s the holiday season, how are you ringing your bell?? 
Carol serves as a featured writer for the Home News and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Blog 
Carol is an accomplished professional speaker, coach and educational consultant specializing in innovative leadership, outrageous fundraising, million dollar marketing, and building organizational alliances throughout the country. Carol’s creative leadership with bullet proof ideas for recruiting MORE MEMBERS, MORE MONEY AND BETTER LEADERS. www.caroltalks.com 610-442-4545 tellkids@aol.com Visit Carol on Facebook at Caroltalks
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Growing Your Business in 2012 - Chocolate

Today's guest blog is from Carol Ritter, of Caroltalks.com

When all else fails, when all your ideas are washed up, when you think you can’t do it anymore - eat chocolate!  Even some nutritionists have found the hidden value in eating chocolate.  I spent this last week in “Chocolate World.”  Two nights at the Hershey Lodge and two nights at Hotel Hershey.  Both high quality resorts, both so much alike yet so different.  Each with it’s own uniqueness.  When I checked into the Hershey Lodge, the registration went smooth and, of course, they handed me a Hershey Bar.  I arrived at my room and two Hershey kisses were sitting on the bed. Finding my room was a bit difficult and then when I arrived my key didn’t work.  The gal failed to tell me that you had to go through this magic door to get to the other entrance of your room in order to get in.  I basically lost an hour of work running around, standing in line again etc.  Oops, but I was holding my chocolate.  So, apology was accepted.

When I checked into the Hotel Hershey, you received a choice of dark or light chocolate bar.  I chose dark.  When you are handed your key the clerk comes out from around the desk to greet you personally and invites you to use an escort to find your room.  That was extraordinary customer service.  When I left I realized I forgot my brief case which created quite a frenzy in my mind.  I can’t live without it, it has all my work in it.  I called the Hotel, talked with Chad and he told me he would go look for it immediately.  About 10 minutes later they called and said the words I was dying to hear, I FOUND IT!  Instant relief, I think I’ll eat some more smooth silky dark chocolate. 

Is your business Ordinary or Extraordinary?  And even more important, when something goes wrong for your customer are you willing and ready to jump off the phone and fix the problem, just like Hershey?

BTW, I drove back to the Hotel Hershey to get my briefcase, they sent me to security.  I needed to show ID, sign off, go through my briefcase to see if everything was still there and sign a form that said agreed that I was satisfied or not satisfied with the service. 

WOW, are all your customers willing to sign a form saying they are satisfied with your service even when something goes wrong?  Think about it, solving their problems is sometimes more important than the sale. Your reputation is the number one most important piece of your business. 

The moral of the story is that when things go wrong and they will, does your customer have something from you that calms the storm immediately.  It may be extraordinary customer service, it may be an occasional complimentary cup of coffee or it may even be a famous Hershey bar. 

It’s hard to get mad at your business when your customer knows you are extraordinary! 

Carol serves as a featured writer for the Home News and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Blog

Carol is an accomplished professional speaker, coach and educational consultant specializing in innovative leadership, outrageous fundraising, million dollar marketing, and building organizational alliances throughout the country.  Carol’s creative  leadership with bullet proof ideas for recruiting MORE MEMBERS, MORE MONEY AND BETTER LEADERS. www.caroltalks.com 610-442-4545 tellkids@aol.com  Visit Carol on Facebook at Caroltalks

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Growing Your Business in 2012 with Regulars

We have another terrific guest blog today from Carol Ritter of Carol Talks! Today's post focuses on a specific way you can grow your business in the modern era.

Outstanding customer service, so longed for by consumers, not always up to par and sometimes an outrageous failure.  I walked into a donut shop recently, stood in line for my coconut decaf until the very friendly cashier offered to help me.  As I was waiting for my order, an older gentleman arrived and ordered a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, two pumpkin donuts, a coffee, and to top it off, some crispy potato tots.  I was dreaming that some day I would order that, especially the pumpkin donuts.  When it was time for him to pay the cashier said, “You are a “REGULAR” and yesterday we charged you the wrong amount of money for your donuts.” (he eats them every day??).  He said, “Yes you did” and she told him that today his donuts were free!  The smile on his face reached from here to California, he graciously thanked her and looked over at his friend to share the good news.  The friend replied, “Whoa, she gave you free donuts?” “I’m going to have to become a “REGULAR”. 

How much do we love FREE?  It’s so simple yet so under used.  My definition of REGULARS is loyalty.  They show up at least every week, they love that you know their name, they enjoy your product and many times the price is not the first reason they shop with you. 

I truly believe businesses can’t survive without regulars.  Those folks that love you to death even when things go wrong.  I read somewhere that we all have 10 people in our lives that we love, trust and we tell our troubles to.  Well, every time a customer is offended, trust me it’s going out to those 10 others and then  their 10 others and on and on.  Three basic tips for keeping the regulars;

1.   Set a great example- your staff will act like you act

2.   Set your expectations high

3.   Build your reputation around outstanding customer service

I’m still jealous that that gentleman eats donuts everyday or maybe I have DONUT ENVY.  One thing for sure he will be back tomorrow, I’m sure to fill up on pumpkin donuts, after all it is pumpkin season!!

Carol serves as a featured writer for the Home News and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Blog

Carol is an accomplished professional speaker, coach and educational consultant specializing in innovative leadership, outrageous fundraising, million dollar marketing, and building organizational alliances throughout the country.  Carol’s creative  leadership with bullet proof ideas for recruiting MORE MEMBERS, MORE MONEY AND BETTER LEADERS. www.caroltalks.com610-442-4545 tellkids@aol.com

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