Winston's e-Newsletter - May 2008

A gift to take the pain out of Excel

Donna Hanson has been giving listeners to my Business Marketing program (more info here) some fabulous ideas on how to make Microsoft Excel even easier to use. I’ve gotta say she just makes it all sound so simple.

She made a great offer to my listeners and, in a flash of generosity, I’m passing it onto you. If you send a blank e-mail to enquiries@primesolutions.net.au you’ll receive a copy of her article “Excellent Excel.”

Another tip is to visit her website www.primesolutions.net.au and invest in a copy of Donna’s great book “Reclaim Your Inbox… 99 ways to save 5 hrs a week on email”. It's fantastic value at just $24.95.

 

Putting in the “Wow!” factor

In your business, what are the heaviest influencing factors on your customer’s perceptions of your business? What are the critical factors that make them say “Wow!”? What makes dealing with you so good that people want to tell their friends and colleagues about you?

Well, one certainly is the tangibles which are the physical facilities, equipment, and communications, how your people look and so on.

And the second is the way your people go around doing whatever they are supposed to do in their role of delivering your products or services to your customers, clients, patients, patrons or guests.

More thinking. Suppose, just suppose, that your business is the best of its type in your area, or your state, or even (let’s go for the doctor) in the whole country. Now, come on, think about it. What would your answers be to these questions (and any others your fertile brain may create) if you were the best?

What would be unique, special and different about..

1. The team who operate the business and what they do?
2. The impression created when a customer (a) first walks in, (b) telephones your business, visits your web site or e-mails you?
3. The way the product or service is explained to the customer?
4. The way the product or service is delivered or rendered to the customer?
5. What happens after the delivery of the product or service?
6. The way you deal with your suppliers, other business people and competitors?
7. How you maximize the value of each sale to the (a) customer, and (b) your business?
8. What the team does to ensure that the customer will (a) recommend you to their friends, and (b) make a return visit?
9. What your team members would say when they are asked where they work?
10. What a team member would say if they were asked why your business is the best in the area (or state or Australia)?

And finally, what do you and your team do to make dealing with your clients, customers or patients memorable?

 

This is what a crowd of geeks looks like!

 

Making your voice mail message really work

There may often be times when you and your team members can’t get to the phone to answer it or it’s after hours. So what happens? Your answering machine kicks in. The message that you leave on your answering machine is a reflection of you and your business.

A standard answering machine message like:

“Thank you for calling ACME Business, we are unable to take your call at the moment, please leave a message after the tone and we’ll get back to you…BEEEEP”

…does nothing for anybody.

Remember, you never get a second chance at a first impression. So, if you’ve got a telephone answering machine, or electronic voicemail, you’ve got to ensure that your message reflects very positively on you and ensures that the caller leaves a message. Otherwise, they might go to your competitor.

Real estate dynamo Judy Latham has illustrated how good an answering service message can be. The voicemail message on her mobile creates a great impression. It goes like this:

“Thank you for calling Judy Latham. At the moment I’m helping someone buy or sell a house and I’d love to do the same for you. So if you could just leave your name and phone number and if you could just leave your phone number twice so I don’t miss a digit, I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible. Thanks.”

That message is bright, breezy and different. It tells people about the business and establishes that this businessperson is switched on, anxious to do business and is a great person to deal with.

Following is another great example of a fantastic answering machine message. It’s from bubbly fitness guru Rowena McEvoy.

“Hello and thank you so much for calling the National College of Fitness. If you’re looking for an exciting new career in the fitness industry, or you just want some more information about feeling fantastic and looking great, then you’ve definitely called the right number. Please leave us your name, your address and your telephone number so that we can call you back and we can send you some information. Please also let us know the best time to call you so that we don’t miss you again, that would be very sad. Now the message for this month is - No person has ever gone blind from looking on the bright side of life. So go out there, look on the bright side, smile at everyone, have a sensational day and we’ll get in contact with you really, really soon. See ya…”

The important part about these answering service messages is that they have a bit of the person’s personality in them and they give customers a feeling of how it is to do business with them. What’s more, they encourage prospects to want to leave the message. That’s most important because if you miss a message, you may miss the business.

 

Another great commercial

Its seems that the brewing, confectionary and financial service companies produce great TV commercials and here’s another one that proves the point:

 

Next Teleseminar - Turn Yellow into Gold

Yellow Pages directories all over Australasia will be closing within the next few months and you'll want to make sure that you've got an advert that works. I want to help you kick goals with it this time. I'm happy to share the secrets you must employ to make your Yellow Pages advert (and any advertising) work so that you're able to use them and make your Yellow Pages advert really work its butt off.

And the easiest way to do that is by investing one hour on Wednesday, June 18 to listen in to the TeleSeminar plus take advantage of the follow up I'm happy to provide. It will ensure that you turn yellow into gold. To get further details and book for the TeleSeminar, simply press this link.

 

 

Business Growth Centre
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Postal: 110 Coleman Road, Boronia, Vic, 3155, Australia
Phone: +613 9887 5511   Fax: +613 9887 5581

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