Kritik und Lob » These three practices can d

Call it a blind spot. Call it regimented thinking. Call it the-way-we-have-always-done-it. But by any name Women's Nike Air Max 270 Triple White UK , there are actions and practices that far too many businesses engage in that can unknowingly drive customers away.


When I observe such practices, I move from being angry to just plain sad. Really sad. Because the truth of the matter is that no one CONSCIOUSLY set out to ruin my day. No one sat in a board room and dreamt up procedures that would have us leaving in droves. No one woke up and said, "I can hardly wait to make you miserable." It happened "because". Because the truth of the matter is that it takes courage to stop and ask the critical question: Does this serve our customer? Our member? Our community?


We all "know" the rules of service. But sadly, sometimes we don't take the time to think through just what our actions might be do or say to the customer. Here are some actions guaranteed to drive folks from the doors of an enterprise. It's time for all of us to sit up and notice!


Over promise and under deliver.


Bring people to the conference with the promise of cutting edge material. Lure attendees into thinking that the hotel is a four-star marvel. Tell customers that they'll have all the material they need in three days. Promise the meeting planner that the press kit will go out overnight. Then sit back and watch. Really watch. If it isn't true 100% of the time Nike Air VaporMax 97 Silver Bullet Red UK , it's a bait and switch promise.


Take the idea of "cutting edge material". I've attended conferences in which the only cutting edge was the serving knife on a buffet table. Same ideas. Same methodology. Same format. Get a clue! Shake it up. Be provocative. If we say it, we better deliver.


How about that four-star hotel? Brochure looks great. The conference walk through is stunning. But then, could that ghastly-looking luncheon plate REALLY be the same chicken marsala you were served in the tasting? And, how about the fact that the hotel "forgot" to tell you that the major dining room would be undergoing renovation. Yikes!


The three-day guarantee. If you can't deliver it all the time Men's Nike Air Max 180 Bright Ceramic White UK , it's not true! Now, perhaps Three Day Blinds has reversed its practices, but years ago, I ordered window coverings for our new house. My mother was coming to visit us over Christmas and I needed shades. Alas Men's Nike Air Max 95 Premium Neutral Olive UK , the third day came and went. I discovered that only "some" shades are three-day, not all. Beware of the implied promise.


Never walk the talk.


The brochure for the conference said, "a celebration of members", a "community that listens." Too bad it didn't play out in reality.


The setting is New Orleans. A couple thousand folks have gathered for the "celebration" and the "community". Alas Men's Nike Air Max 270 White Hot Punch UK , the reality is another fact. I discover that people are invited to parties based upon their status in the organization. The luncheon session I am addressing has some 50 "important people" file into the banquet hall and take their places on a stage that is three tiers deep. Talk about a "we" "they" set up. I am told, "This is the way we have always done it." The intent to "honor" these 50 people was to have hundreds watch them eat and to also set up the boundary between the "us" and the "them".


Come on. There are a few more creative ways to showcase the "us" that is far more inclusive, educational, and community building than a camera shot of folks eating. I end up addressing an audience while have my back to 50 plus people. It's rude Men's Nike Air Max 1 Mars Stone UK , off-putting, and the exact opposite of what the organization, in all good intentions, wishes to create.


Our lives had better mirror the words we use and the beliefs we profess to all. Otherwise Nike Air VaporMax 2.0 Crimson Pulse UK , we're merely impersonators. I watched a very well known speaker who specializes in relationship building turn into a snarling, demanding customer who treated the flight attendants like personal servants. How many disbelievers were created on that day?


Make technology your primary form of communication.


Make sure there's a voice mail doom loop from which someone will never emerge to actually speak with a live human. Conduct all business via e-mail, assuming that a message sent is a message received. And while you're at it, hit send as soon as a message is written.


These three practices can doom any business relationship. Amazing isn't it: having a person answer the phone can actually be a competitive advantage! How easy do we make it for people to do business with us via the telephone or even our web site? I tried to book a reservation in a lovely hotel Men's Nike Air Max 97 Obsidian Red Blue UK , only to be treated to a lovely online tour of the property without ever finding a contact number!