By Tom Borg ©2010
I was doing a brain storming session with a client recently and an issue they were having with the
inaccuracy of their website, was identified. Several office managers complained that
no one was asking for their input, and as a result, the organization had a website that was improperly
informing their customers about new services that were being provided.
Good public relations begins at home. Happy staff equals happy customers. Meaningful and
regular staff meetings can be a very powerful tool in helping your company meet the needs and expectations of your customers. As situa¬tions come up, mini-meetings and brain-storming sessions that quickly solve problems can also be used very effectively.
Regular meetings held with a purpose can keep the lines of communication open.
Often employees feel stymied in their ability to communicate their feelings and viewpoints to management. The staff feel like second-rate people because they are never given an opportunity to be heard. What most organizations lack is a structure to insure that the meetings are held on a regular basis.
To insure that the meetings are effective, it is important that some preparation be made before each meeting. What are the challenges that need to be addressed? What is being done about the issues that were discussed at the last meeting? What is going right? Why? How can we make things even better? By asking these kinds of questions, you are building a framework to give communication within your company a place to grow and develop.
By holding meaningful and action-oriented meetings, you make it easy for your employees to communicate with each other as well as with management. Many times, it’s not a “generation gap” that prevents teamwork within a company, but a “communication gap.” By following through with a plan for communicat¬ing, you are insuring a clearer, more effective form of constant communication in your company. As a result, by keeping miscommunication to a minimum, you will have a happier and more productive group of employees.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Little Things Make a Big Difference or 1+1+2=112
By Tom Borg © 2010
As two business partners are being seated in a restaurant, they mention to the greeter that they are in a hurry. A few moments later, a waitress is ready to take their order. She acknowledges that they are on a tight schedule and will put a rush order on having their lunch prepared. A few minutes later, the waitress returns with the lunches and the bill. She suggests to the two men that if they would prefer to pay for their meal now, it would save them a few extra minutes when they are ready to leave. The two business partners agree and express their appreciation for her thoughtfulness.
So often, small business owners overlook the little things that mean so much to their customers. Running a business is like running a marathon; yet, some people run it like it was a 50 yard dash. They are in such a hurry to get to the finish line that the customer’s real needs and wants are overlooked. Successful business owners realize that they are running a race, and this race is 26 miles and 385 yards long. They know that in order to be a winner, they must take care of the “little things” throughout the entire race. Like the old saying goes, “Being successful should never be confused with remaining successful.” Success¬ful business owners realize that they are in business for the long haul, not just the short ride. Take note of all the little things that are important to your customers. Set up a system to make sure these expectations are met. Remember, by taking care of the little things for your customers, it will help you earn their loyalty for life.
List three things that may be minor but do make a difference to your customers. Decide to implement them on a regular basis.
As two business partners are being seated in a restaurant, they mention to the greeter that they are in a hurry. A few moments later, a waitress is ready to take their order. She acknowledges that they are on a tight schedule and will put a rush order on having their lunch prepared. A few minutes later, the waitress returns with the lunches and the bill. She suggests to the two men that if they would prefer to pay for their meal now, it would save them a few extra minutes when they are ready to leave. The two business partners agree and express their appreciation for her thoughtfulness.
So often, small business owners overlook the little things that mean so much to their customers. Running a business is like running a marathon; yet, some people run it like it was a 50 yard dash. They are in such a hurry to get to the finish line that the customer’s real needs and wants are overlooked. Successful business owners realize that they are running a race, and this race is 26 miles and 385 yards long. They know that in order to be a winner, they must take care of the “little things” throughout the entire race. Like the old saying goes, “Being successful should never be confused with remaining successful.” Success¬ful business owners realize that they are in business for the long haul, not just the short ride. Take note of all the little things that are important to your customers. Set up a system to make sure these expectations are met. Remember, by taking care of the little things for your customers, it will help you earn their loyalty for life.
List three things that may be minor but do make a difference to your customers. Decide to implement them on a regular basis.
Implement a System that Regularly Recognizes and Rewards Your Employees Outstanding Job Performance
By Tom Borg ©2010
I remember one manager telling me that he once had worked for a different company, and was to receive a special award at the annual banquet. He finished his shift earlier that evening and hurriedly drove over to the hotel where the banquet was being held. By the time he arrived, the awards ceremony was nearing completion. The president had already passed his name earlier, and thus ignored his presence because he did not want to slow the evening agenda. This employee felt invalidated and hurt. Don’t make a similar mistake with your awards system. Make the person receiving the award feel special. People like to receive the recognition due to them; they like to feel important.
One of the best ways to get the kind of behavior you want is to outline specific criteria for
identifying outstanding job performance. Then consistently reward it when you get it. By putting together an incentive program for your employees, you are making a positive statement that you value good work.
Find out the kinds of incentives and rewards that are important to your employees and managers by asking them. You can do this in one-on-one conversations or in staff meeting. Once the program is instituted, be sure to constantly work at improving it. If the program is started and there is no follow-through, it can result in creating cynicism and resentment.
The awards don’t have to be fancy cars or elaborate trips to Hawaii. Something quite simple and inexpensive will work. It could be a dinner for two at a popular restaurant. A gift certificate to a popular retail store or a picture of the employee or manager in the monthly newsletter or on the wall in the lobby is also effective. Other ideas include a special designated parking spot for a month or a framed certificate of achievement. All awards should include a personal word of thanks from the president or owner.
The key to an effective award system is that it should be ongoing and include something that will be remembered. Sometimes, although a cash reward is appropriate, many employees and managers will end up spending the money on bills. The result? They don’t remember anything special from earning the award.
Once you’ve decided on the approach you will take, call a general meeting with all of your employees and managers. At this time, explain to them why you are instituting the incentive program and explain how it will work. Make sure they understand the process. By encouraging questions and suggestions, you will help employ¬ees feel more comfortable with it. After one month, make any necessary adjustments. Re-evaluate it on a regular basis and constantly work on improving and refining it.
By using a system to consistently reward your employees and manager, you will create a built-in incentive system for them to constantly strive to do the best job possible.
1. What type of an incentive system could you implement in your company?
2. What kind of efforts would you reward?
3. How much could you budget for this system?
4. What kind of incentives or rewards would you be able to pro¬vide to your outstanding employees?
I remember one manager telling me that he once had worked for a different company, and was to receive a special award at the annual banquet. He finished his shift earlier that evening and hurriedly drove over to the hotel where the banquet was being held. By the time he arrived, the awards ceremony was nearing completion. The president had already passed his name earlier, and thus ignored his presence because he did not want to slow the evening agenda. This employee felt invalidated and hurt. Don’t make a similar mistake with your awards system. Make the person receiving the award feel special. People like to receive the recognition due to them; they like to feel important.
One of the best ways to get the kind of behavior you want is to outline specific criteria for
identifying outstanding job performance. Then consistently reward it when you get it. By putting together an incentive program for your employees, you are making a positive statement that you value good work.
Find out the kinds of incentives and rewards that are important to your employees and managers by asking them. You can do this in one-on-one conversations or in staff meeting. Once the program is instituted, be sure to constantly work at improving it. If the program is started and there is no follow-through, it can result in creating cynicism and resentment.
The awards don’t have to be fancy cars or elaborate trips to Hawaii. Something quite simple and inexpensive will work. It could be a dinner for two at a popular restaurant. A gift certificate to a popular retail store or a picture of the employee or manager in the monthly newsletter or on the wall in the lobby is also effective. Other ideas include a special designated parking spot for a month or a framed certificate of achievement. All awards should include a personal word of thanks from the president or owner.
The key to an effective award system is that it should be ongoing and include something that will be remembered. Sometimes, although a cash reward is appropriate, many employees and managers will end up spending the money on bills. The result? They don’t remember anything special from earning the award.
Once you’ve decided on the approach you will take, call a general meeting with all of your employees and managers. At this time, explain to them why you are instituting the incentive program and explain how it will work. Make sure they understand the process. By encouraging questions and suggestions, you will help employ¬ees feel more comfortable with it. After one month, make any necessary adjustments. Re-evaluate it on a regular basis and constantly work on improving and refining it.
By using a system to consistently reward your employees and manager, you will create a built-in incentive system for them to constantly strive to do the best job possible.
1. What type of an incentive system could you implement in your company?
2. What kind of efforts would you reward?
3. How much could you budget for this system?
4. What kind of incentives or rewards would you be able to pro¬vide to your outstanding employees?
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