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Basic Respect
Service
starts with respect for the customer anywhere in the
world. Respect leads to questions about the customers'
needs and desires. Only in that way can a customer be
best served. "The customer is always right"
may not always be right, necessarily, but: "The
customer deserves your respect" is. It is the first
tenet of excellent customer service. Be sure that your
business is not so caught up in policies and operations,
that it has lost sight of the customers who keep your
business alive -- and demonstrate to them the respect
that they deserve.
The Intrinsic Premiums of your Business
We
are all looking for premiums in life. We search for
coupons to get a little more value for our money. We
look for the premium quality instead of the run on the
mill items. In your business you offer premiums too--often
without even realizing it!
Every
action you make as an owner carries a premium with it.
When you promote people, are you putting a premium on
loyalty or ability in your business? When you hire people,
do you put a premium on dress and appearance or is it
on a solid work ethic? Choices as these send out subtle
statements to your employees about your expectations.
Are you sending the messages that you really want to
send?
When
Management One® affiliates work with clients on
their hiring process, they define the tasks to be done
and the skills required to get the job done. They identify
the traits the prospective employee needs to be successful
at the position in your business. They define the levels
of experience and education that would be inherent in
a successful employee. They define the remuneration
package and requisites that would motivate and excite
the ideal candidate. In short, they define the ideal
candidate
against which all candidates will be judged.
It
is very rare to never that the ideal employee walks
through the door. Choices of one attribute over another
are where the premiums start being applied. In the give
and take of the hiring process, it is natural for the
person making the decision to exercise personal prejudices
and desires. While these messages are sent to existing
employees and the new hires, they are often the same
ones that are communicated with promotions, rewards,
bonuses and kind words of encouragement. Everyone is
looking for premiums. Just be aware of the results you'll
receive for the premiums you
reward.
You Just Don't Know
One
of the worst habits that can trap managers is thinking
that they must know everything. When under this misguided
influence, they will spout answers without proper information,
they will make decisions without needed experience and
they will give direction without the input that is available.
You can hear this happening everyday in many businesses.
The plain truth is: You can't know everything!
There
are many training tools that prove that a group that
collaborates will come closer to the answers that experts
develop than any one of the individuals. If you train
your managers to think of themselves as coordinators,
they will start to gather the available experience,
knowledge and input to then glean the best solution.
Often consensus will lead to the best available answer.
Implementing a common process that promotes the
collaboration and communication to find better solutions
is critical to success.
A
part of Management One®'s Winning@Business™
and the training that each M1 affiliate receives is
in problem solving. A business coach cannot be expected
to know as much about your business as you do. Using
the right problem solving methods they can, however,
ask the right questions. By doing this, they can then
add their knowledge, information and experience to what
is already available in your operation and lead the
organization to vastly improved results.
The
one unassailable truth is: You don't know what you don't
know. Your staff knows that. Even your spouse knows
that. The more questions you ask and input you get,
the more you will know prior to making that next critical
decision.
Quote of the Day
"He
that won't be counseled can't be helped." -- Benjamin
Franklin
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