Growing Your Business in 2013 - Cheers!

Guest blog from Carol Ritter of CarolTalks.com

It’s Little League time! For loyal parents and grandparents it’s time to stand out in the freezing cold, get burned on a sunny day or sit there in the pouring rain just to get a glimpse of a hit, home run or a great catch.  I was driving by a little league field last week and all I heard were Cheers, Cheers, Cheers.  My guess is that someone’s child hit the big one over the fence.

Then the next day I went to a local restaurant and was served the most delicious coffee, I told the waitress how wonderful it was and she told me that I can buy it there, free trade, organic, ground for me or I can grind it at home.  CHEERS, not only did I pay for breakfast, two cups of coffee, muffins to go, but I purchased some Joe for the road.  Hello, she gets it!  What does that mean?  It means that someone in the restaurant family has trained their staff to up-sell their customers, CHEERS.  So, the question is, how do you get your staff to drink the customer service kool-aid.  Here’s some ideas...

1. Reward them for their efforts
2. Raise the expectations, one for all and all for one
3. Make sure the rest of the staff knows who’s selling
4. Appreciate them; not only as employees but as people
5. Come up with new ideas to push product through the door

Baseball says it all, it’s a team effort, they may have a team star at a game but, overall, the whole team benefits by the efforts of one.  CHEERS, and the game is never short of CHEERS.  On occasion, a fan gets irritable but so do your customers.  Does that stop the game?  No, it’s just a little spill while you are running into home plate.

Cheering for your staff is not only good for the moral of the team, it’s a major league idea.

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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WAITING, WAITING, waiting... zzzz...

Guest blog post from Carol Ritter of CarolTalks.com

I’m hungry, want a place where I can get a salad, a little protein and, I’m thinking, maybe a delicious sweet potato.  So, I found the place and sat down at a table in the bar area.  A friend was going to join me in 20 minutes.  I got settled in, looked around and waited.  I waited and waited and waited for someone to ask me if I wanted a drink or a menu or maybe just a hello.  I watched the bartenders completely ignore my presence, they were busy washing glasses. I politely walked to the  reception desk, to the young girl (who was texting) and said, “Excuse me, do I have a waitress?”  She said, “The bartenders are supposed to tell me when someone sits down.”  So she took me back to my table and said to one bartender, “Who is supposed to wait on her?” The answer,  “Not me, I’m going home.” The hostess left and I was still WAITING.  My friend called and asked me to please order him something as he was running late.  I told him I still don’t have a waitress.”  He said, “WHAT, it’s been 15 minutes!”  “I know, I’m starting to think I’m invisible.” Suddenly, a friendly, perky woman raced to my table and said, “How can I help you?”  I wanted to say, “I feel bad cuz it seems like I’m interrupting washing glasses.”  But, I took the high road and and said, “Yes, I know what I want to order.”  She was at our table every 5 minutes asking us what she could do to make our visit more pleasant.  She obviously got the message that we were ignored.

In your business, is washing the dishes more important than selling product or service?  Although most of us prefer clean glasses, when we are hungry we want food.

Some ideas:

- Read the book,  Everyone’s in Sales, by Todd Cohen- the basis of his book is that every single person on your staff sells your product, your service, and most importantly, your reputation.  www.toddcohen.com

- Train your staff, bring in an expert to train your employees on extravagant customer service.

- The animal planet has “Shark Week,” your biz can have Extravagant Customer Service Week where customers vote on the best service provided by your team.

- Raise the Bar - increase expectations for your team.

Do you think I will return to the restaurant?  Do you think I will tell my friends and family what happened?  Will I recommend them to someone else?  Well, I’ve decided if asked those questions I’ll be waiting, and waiting and waiting to reply!!!

To see Carol speak with Sales and Technology experts at DeSales University on May 9th visit www.SalesCultureandTech.com. Learn how to grow you sales, increase your marketing and improve your technology.

NO WAITING!

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 2013 - Sticky Buns Rock

Guest blog post from Carol Ritter of CarolTalks.com

What a week! I had the opportunity to be a guest host on the new TV show The PEAKairing Sunday’s at 6:30 on WFMZ. The segment was about “Businesses Fitness,” so we were off to find a business who has a “Fit” and Flourishing Business. We went to Peddler's Village to explore the secret to success for Kerry and Roseann, the owners of the Town Crier Bakery. As I walked in the door and smelled the sweet aroma of the bakery, Roseann came running over to me and said, “Welcome to the Town Crier Bakery.” The windows and shelves were filled with beautifully decorated cakes, pastries, cupcake, cookies and more. It was a beautiful sight. 

I sat down to interview Roseann and asked, “What is your secret weapon, what do you do that no one else does, what makes you a fit business?” “We have three secret weapons. First, Kerry has spent his life baking and dreamed for years of owning a bakery, his creations are unique and ever changing.” (CHANGE)  “Second, our customers are so important to us, we want them to feel welcome and we will do our best to custom bake anything they want, whether it’s vegan, gluten free, egg free, or sugar free”. Roseann told me that they have a customer who is allergic to eggs, so Kerry went out and bought duck eggs and made her a cake. (OVER THE TOP OUTRAGEOUS CUSTOMER SERVICE)  “And third, we offer specials all the time, today is free sticky bun Thursday.” (NEW & EXCITING) 

CHANGE, OVER THE TOP OUTRAGEOUS CUSTOMER SERVICE AND NEW & EXCITING  - that’s not only their secret to success; it can be yours too!

After that I was off to their kitchen to make Sticky Buns! I have some experience with those delicious hunks of goo but I decided to let Kerry teach me. We rolled the dough, splashed it with tons of melted butter, sprinkled his secret recipe for cinnamon and began to roll again. I rolled and rolled. Then the tray of nuts and raisins arrived and underneath was a big, fat layer of goo. We then cut them to just the right width and started lining them up for the oven. 

If you are a facebook fan, check out the Town Crier Bakery and you can see the delectable desserts they provide for their customers. Do you want your business to be “fit?”  I mean lots of customers and lots of revenue? If so, follow Kerry and Roseann’s secret to success; change it up, provide outrageous customer service, bring on the new and exciting and don’t forget to go over the top for the customer that has special needs.  Their STICKY BUNS ROCK, especially when they are free. If it’s free it’s for me!

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  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 2013 - Smile You’re on Candid Camera

Today's guest blog from Carol Ritter of CarolTalks.com focuses on the importance of first impressions and smiling when you're behind the counter.

How many of you remember Candid Camera?  That was such a hit show and families couldn’t wait to gather to watch it together as host Alan Funt played innocent tricks on people.  It was FUNNY!  Oh, the good old days!

I was shopping over the weekend and noticed that more than 5 times I ran into customer service folks who didn’t smile when I asked a question or interacted with them.  We all know that smiling boosts your immune system and psychologists say can even improve your mood.  But what if you just can’t smile?  We all come to work with issues, but can your employer insist that you smile?  On the same day I see these non-smilers (who work in customer service) SMILE when a baby arrived.

I’m wondering, why you can’t smile when serving your customers but you can smile when a baby arrives.  Experts might say that smiling comes easier for some than others. I understand that, but what if you are in customer service?

Here are some things we know: courtesy of (nursingschools.net)

1. Smilers have a better chance of getting promoted
2. Women smile more than men
3. Smiling is natural for newborns
4. People are more attracted to smilers
5. Smiling is the universal sign for happiness and smiles relieve stress
 
Even if you don’t feel like smiling, as you can see, it can personally benefit you in your career.  In the meantime, check out some old Candid Camera clips on You Tube. Look for the Rookie Dental Assistant with Betsy Palmer or the Lady with Monkey on Her Head with Fannie Flagg.  I can’t stop laughing; they are so funny I can hardly finish this article!

If you want to smile more at work, watch Candid Camera before you leave in the morning!

Smile, You’re on Candid Camera
or maybe you’re on the Security Camera

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  
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 - Lamb Stew

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

Have you ever walked into an establishment, event or organization and been IGNORED? Why do people like this go into business, or why do they hire folks who have no intention or ability to see that a welcoming environment is not only necessary but a vital part of building reputation?  Why do we always remember when someone treated  me badly? I worked in Bristol, Rhode Island last week, a beautiful town where you can barely turn the corner without a hello or a smile. I would definitely call it a friendly town. In my free time I decided to visit a working farm, mirroring the 1700’s. When you entered the farm, in the near distance was a butchering class, you could smell the wood burning stove and a women dressed in 18th century garb greeted us. She said it’s basically a self guided walking tour feel free to visit the activities, she was very welcoming. So, I decided to visit the house first, two women were preparing lamb stew and the third gal was just watching. As I entered one girl said before she said hello, “You cant’ go to the butchering area those people paid to see it” (first negative response). The three women were talking to each other and completely ignoring us, on top of that the conversation was not about the farm but about some mutual friend. The sweet smell of lamb stew wasn't’ enough to keep me in a house where I was not welcome. So, I left!

I decided to visit the garden, it was magnificent, beautifully trimmed with all sorts of lettuce, beets and onions surrounding the fence. A woman was shoveling compost, I asked about the garden and she gently began to explain. After the garden lesson, I went over to see Clark, the wood chopper, he was amazing. He launched into an explanation of what he does and why he does it.  He just went on and on about the value of keeping this historical farm alive.  He stated that the great reward of the day would be the lamb stew cooked on an open fire with vegetables from the garden. Throughout his talk he mentioned many times “if we could only raise enough money, we will....”

The moral of the story is that if the ultimate goal of this non-profit is to raise money they need to train their employees, train their volunteers and teach the community how to fall in love with them, most importantly, hire a leader who inspires this kind of behavior.  People don’t give money from their wallets they give it from their hearts and when your heart is in the game, trust and generosity follows. 

How will this non-profit ever grow? What can they do the CHANGE the way they do business? Is there a secret to growing your non-profit?  And, are you dealing with these same issues?  Watch for my next article entitled 16 ways to GROW UR Non-Profit. 

Or, you could continue business as usual and receive the “GREAT REWARD” lamb stew or you might consider “Changing Your Mind”.

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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