Missing opportunities? It’s not always about the price

I have just had all my outside paint work repainted and the gutters all cleaned out which is a job I just did not relish doing myself, so I thought I would give a local workman the task and pay him.

The job is now finished, but the mess left behind is not. You see when your gutters get water blasted, debris scatters all over the deck and pathway, sticks to the windows and generally gets everywhere. So this afternoon I set to cleaning the windows, putting my deck furniture back in position from their smoko, and replaced the bar b q back to its home. It has taken me some time when I would rather be doing something else.

My point is this:

Trades people, if you are dealing with a woman, she likes things put back from where they came and usually dislikes cleaning windows. Now, had you said to me that you would clean up, wash all the windows down and put it back looking like new and added $50 – $100 to the job, I would now be writing about a great experience, “they even washed my windows”, rather than, “they didn’t even bother to clean up and put their smoko chairs away”. A missed opportunity. It’s not always about the price.

Have you learned any lessons this week?

I come into contact with many businesses each day just like you probably do, and it got me thinking about the lessons to be learned from one another, some very basic and simple. Read on.

Why did I receive yet another reminder to take out a car loan from MARAC Finance when I took my new car loan out in September? Can they not segment their data base when they get that big?

Whenever I get my computer fixed at ZOOM Technologies in Drury, they always follow up the following day from the repair to make sure it is running well and I am happy. Great touch.

Why when I dropped a brand new pair of trousers into the repair shop to get then turned up a bit, did they not press them and hang them on a hanger instead of bundling them into a bag? Now I have another job to do and press them. Nil points.

The ladies in the coffee shop know my name and just how I like my scrambled eggs cooked. Just right.

All very simple little encounters, some great, some not so great, but all easy to fix and lessons learned.

What have you learned from others this week?

Lets make a date

There are 2 dates for the workshop: LinkedIn Training – Are You Making The Most Of LinkedIn?

They are Wednesday the 16th December and January 27th 2010. Feel free to click the link to book, but be quick,  there are only a few places on each.

 

Lost and full of hot air?

A little light-hearted story, not meant to offend any one in management.

A man in a hot air balloon, realizing he was lost, reduced altitude
and spotted a woman below. He descended further and shouted to the lady
“Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him
an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am”

The woman below replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon, hovering
approximately 30 feet above the ground. You’re between 40 and 41
degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.”

“You must be in I.T.,” said the balloonist.

“Actually I am,” replied the woman, “How did you know?”

“Well,” answered the balloonist, “Everything you have told me is
technically correct, but I’ve no idea what to make of your
information and the fact is I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help
at all. If anything, you’ve delayed my trip.”

The woman below responded, “You must be in Management.”

“I am,” replied the balloonist, “but how did you know?”

“Well,” said the woman, “you don’t know where you are or where
you’re going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of
hot air. You made a promise, which you’ve no idea how to keep, and you
expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you
are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now,
Somehow, it’s my fault…!”

If you want to change behaviour, make it fun!

If you’re not on, you’re not in

This week has been full of up, up and up’s, which is really tremendous. No downs.

I have had the priviledge of meeting some really great people whilst speaking at places such as Auckland University to the HRINZ, and in Albany this morning at The North Shore Business Hub.

I have been impressed by the uptake in attitude to my presentations on social media, in particular LinkedIn, which is where I feel all business people should have a presence. Those that have never heard of it can really see it’s value and are getting involved, and those that “sort of use it” are spurred on to make it do something for them. After all, LinkedIn is a very under utilised tool that many people are ignoring, but maybe these simple stats will enlighten you.

• There are now more than 50 million business users using it.
• People are joining at a rate of about 1 per second worldwide
• There are about 150,000 business people in New Zealand at your fingertips

The best thing about social online networking is that it never sleeps, so you can make new business contacts 24/7.

If you are not already on LinkedIn, get on with it. We’d love to meet you.

Jean Genie….

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.
They rub it and a Genie comes out. 
The Genie says, ‘I’ll give each of you just one wish.’ 

 
‘Me first! Me first!’ says the admin clerk. ‘I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.’ 
Puff! She’s gone. 

 
‘Me next! Me next!’ says the sales rep. ‘I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.’ Puff! He’s gone. 

‘OK, you’re up,’ the Genie says to the manager. 
The manager says, ‘I want those two back in the office after lunch.’ 

Moral of the story: 
Always let your boss have the first say. 

LinkedIn Training – Are You Making The Most Of LinkedIn?

I just wanted to let you know about the next course I am running.

LinkedIn Training – Are You Making The Most Of LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is just one of the available tools for building your online presence. With over 48 million business people to network with, it is fast becoming an extremely valuable tool for all businesses to be a part of.

Find out how you can make the most of LinkedIn on this workshop.

The workshop will enable you to:

• Build your online profile using LinkedIn
• Generate new business leads
• Fill that vacancy with LinkedIn
• Network in a business only community whenever you want
• Get recommendations
• Take advantage of some great ways to maximize your profile so customers come to you!

By using LinkedIn to get your brand noticed, you will be able to:

• Drive more traffic to your website
• Be seen as an expert in your field
• Network with other business owners
• Maximize your online presence
• Gain the edge in your field

This is a half day workshop that I will be presenting. You will need to bring your own wireless capable laptop which we will connect to our wireless network. This will enable you to make full use of LinkedIn and work on your profile live. . A laptop can be hired in advance if needed for a nominal sum.
Sessions are limited to a maximum of 10 people and will be strictly on a first come, first served basis, so please book at your earliest convenience

The investment is $250 +gst per person. Friday the 6th of November 2009, 9.30am – 1pm at
The Auckland Chamber of Commerce, 100 Mayoral Drive, Auckland.

Book online at the Blue Banana website

Sitting doing nothing? Beware…

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.

A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, ‘Can I also sit like you and do nothing?’
The eagle answered: ‘Sure, why not.’

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Online diary or self portrait?

Don’t be fooled by the baby face, Ben Young is a very switched on young man who knows his way around building a successful business.

A blogger himself, he finds blogging a great way to reflect on what he has been doing, both in business and pleasure, and that gives a good standing point from which to focus. It is more than an online diary,  more of a book or self portrait. It is also a really smart idea.

Have a go yourself, what was great about your day and what did you learn from it? Get it down in your blog and act on it.

Good luck.