Posts Tagged ‘Listening’
“Active Listening” is Not a Technique
Catching up on my reading, I ran across an article on Active Listening. It was focused on sales people and the author made the statement, “Active listening makes them feel like they are being heard…” I’m sure that’s not what the author intended to communicate, but it got me thinking about many other things I hear and…
Read More3 Interview Questions Small Businesses Need to Start Asking Candidates
What was one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses in 2017? According to a report from the 2017 American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor, it isn’t keeping current business nor is it cash flow concerns. The number one challenge to growth — at 26% — is finding and investing in the right staff. The good…
Read MoreWhy You Should Care About Social Listening
What the heck is “social listening?” Another marketing buzzword? Well yes, it is! Ya gotta love marketing for all its new fangled terms and phrases that creep into our vocabulary. I was a Tweetchat guest last week, so the subject is top of mind for me. Here’s my definition: “Social listening is monitoring and/or responding…
Read More5 Qualities of a Great Leader & How to Become More Successful in Your Position
A great leader is one who leads, not one who coerces or persuades. To be an effective leader you must motivate your team without micromanaging. For that to happen, it is essential for you to create an environment, within your team, to ensure everyone knows and are accountable for their tasks. To help you improve…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Ask/Tell Ratio?
Whether you are a manager or a sales person, your Ask/Tell ratio is critical to your effectiveness. The Ask/Tell ratio is a simple concept; few people think about it. It’s simply the ratio of questions you ask, compared to the statements you make. Ideally, your Ask/Tell ratio is significantly over 1. That means you spend…
Read MoreListening: Now That’s a Thought
Received a telephone call from a company doing a survey: Me: Hi, this is Bob. Caller: Is Bob there? Me: Th…this is Bob. Good morning. Caller: I’m doing a survey regarding children and television. Do you have any children or grandchildren under the age of 13? Me: No, I have no children. Caller: I see. Do you have any children or…
Read More2 Reasons Your PR is Stuck in the Mud
You don’t listen to your customers Someone high up in your business decides you really need a video/ blog/ enewsletter. Or someone in a meeting room tells you their idea which they think is the best thing since sliced bacon. They’ve seen it somewhere else for someone else and just *knows* that it will work.…
Read More2 Simple Ways to Boost Sales in Your Small Business
It is often said that nothing happens until a sale is made. A corollary to that is if you make a lot of sales, a lot of things—and good things to boot—will happen. I’m not here today to sell you some secret sauce to improve sales, but give you two simple, and very concrete, easy-to-understand,…
Read MoreHave You Set Your Social Media Listening Posts?
There is so much information being shot at us daily via social media streams that we should monitor and control that which pertains to our business—and do so with some level of expertise. There are tools to inform you when your company name or personal name is mentioned. Google Alerts can be set for any…
Read More6 Valuable Tips to Improve Customer Service
There are many different aspects of your role as a customer service representative, regardless of whether it’s face-to-face or on the telephone. Understanding some of the key tips that improve customer service will enable your team to do their job better. Here are 6 valuable tips to improve customer service in your organization: 1. Make people feel welcome…
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