Unusual June Holidays You Can Use

These are real but little known June holidays that you can use in your business for fun and profit.

 *1-National Trails Day
 *4-Cheese Day
 *5-World Environment Day
 *7-Daniel Boone Day
 *8-National Jelly-Filled Donut Day
 *12-Magic Day
 *13-National Juggling Day
 *14-Family History Day
 *15-Join Hands Day
 *15-Smile Power Day
 *18-International Picnic Day
 *20-National Dick Tracy Day
 *21-Take a Dog to Work Day
 *24-Log Cabin Day
 *27-National Orange Blossom Day
 *28-National Tapioca Day

Enhance Your Customer Experience

Whether you call them a customer or client every one of them has a  certain feeling after doing business with you and your company. Hopefully it will will be a positive feeling that the entire transaction was smooth, fair, filled a need or want and yes, fun. Should business really be fun? Why not, especially for the person who is spending their money. It's just another way of making the total experience more pleasant and memorable. Who would you rather do business with, someone who makes you smile or a business that makes you wonder if you will be sorry later. The answer is obvious.

Every business can make the customer experience a little more pleasant for the buyer that supports it. Even a medical or dental office that many of us hate to visit can create a better felling for the time you are there. Find small way to make the customer/client more comfortable with their transaction and a feeling that the best value was received. Insist that your staff and YOU wear your best smile on your face all the time (even if it hurts). Remember that the customer/client will take away from your business more than just a product or service but the experience as well.

Don't Be a Snake Oil Salesman

When selling and presenting your products and services always talk about the value and advantages over competitors. Customers and clients need to know why they should choose your business over someone else. But don't oversell things that are not proven or true just to make a sale. This will usually backfire and you will get no repeat business or referrals. The buyer always finds out what is true, not true or exaggerated after the sale and won't forget in the future. It's best to be honest and offer the best benefits and value for the customer without using false claims.

The object of getting a customer is to establish a long term relationship that will bring you ongoing profits and sales. Once a customer or client finds that what you told them is not true it will be hard for them to believe you again. Think of how you would feel if it happened to you, would buy from that person or business again? So don't make wild claims that may not be true but sell your benefits and value to get the sale.

The Old Road Goes to the Same Place

We all have goals that we never seem to get closer to because we fail to make changes in our lives. If you leave your house and and turn on to the same same street every day and drive 3 miles North, you end up at the same destination. Isn't that what many of us do in our lives, go down the same road every day and wonder why we keep getting the same results? Well that is going to keep happening if something doesn't change and YOU have to change it. Make a change commitment and stick to it to see if it will give you better results. If not try a 3rd road and a 4th road etc.

Try this tomorrow morning, when you leave your home to go to work or anywhere go the opposite direction that you usually go and take a different path to your destination. It may take 5 or 10 minutes longer but you will see things that you don't usually see on the way. That is just step one, step two is to change a few other things in your daily routine, like when & where you have lunch or dinner. Start getting used to small changes and the begin to change your success path to reach some of your goals and dreams. Take small risks and watch the outcome to see if they take you closer to where you want to be. No one can do this for you but you can do it starting today. Have a successful day!

Barry has a speech/presentation called "Your Positive Attitude Wins" available as a keynote, break out or training session. www.idealetter.com

Five Star Hotel In Shanghai

What are the five best amenities at The Peninsula Shanghai? Follow Question Answer this question As you would expect from a luxury hotel, The Peninsula Shanghai offers some top-notch amenities. Here are the five best:

1. The in-room technology. At the push of a button, you can decrease the room’s humidity, check the temperature outside — in Fahrenheit or Celsius — draw the drapes, run a bath, turn on Internet radio or dry your nails. You’ll find control panels everywhere in the room. Every room also comes with its own combination fax, printer and photocopy machine. Not only is it helpful for business travelers, it’s a discreet way for staff to contact you when you turn on the “Do Not Disturb” light.

2. Free VOIP international calling. It makes it that much easier to contact friends, family or colleagues back home, at no cost. Though, if you prefer to Skype, there’s complimentary Wi-Fi, too.
 
3. The spa. While you can try to create your own spa experience by hitting the “spa” button near your oversized bathroom tub, it doesn’t compare to the Five-Star Peninsula Spa by ESPA. Whether you indulge in the Oriental Thermal Infusion to eliminate toxins or get your tired feet kneaded with some reflexology, you’ll leave feeling refreshed.

4. Helpful business extras. Things like office supplies — including mini Post-its, paperclips, erasers, a small stapler, stationery and rubber bands — and a bag of computer cables make working a breeze. They are a big help for harried business travelers.
 
5. Beautiful books. Each room in the Five-Star hotel includes a selection of colorful coffee table books, which feature photo essays on Shanghai or 20th-century Asian artwork. The magazines aren’t an afterthought here, either; a rack held the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar and local arts and entertainment publication That’s Shanghai.

Your Competitors Websites

Have you checked the website of those other companies that want the same business that you do? It should be done at least once a month to see what's new, what's being promoted and to find ways to be better. They are probably also watching your site and trying to offer more. Pick a day of every month and make a note on your calendar to check those websites that compete with you. If you are busy ask a staff member to do it but don't just ignore this important task, every month. You don't want to be surprised by a customer telling you about something they saw that you should have already known about.

Support Independent Business

We all need to support businesses that are not part of a large corporation to keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive in the world. Small business owners will offer a better value and better products because they really care about their customers & clients. They don't have the massive advertising dollars that large companies have but once you find them you will be a repeat customer because of a great value and caring customer service. Most of the independent businesses don't sell by boasting the lowest price but the best value and customer experience.

When you get what you feel is what you are paying for and maybe more the best value moves the lowest price out of first place. Find these businesses and buy from them and let their value determine if you will return. When out of town don't just look for the national chain restaurants, ask hotel personnel and taxi drivers where the best places to eat are and visit them. If you like what you're getting from a smaller business tell the owner and also make suggestions for an even better customer experience. Owners that really care will love to hear what you have to say.

Barry has a presentation called "Customer Satisfaction" which he can offer for your next meeting, convention or conference, www.idealetter.com

Social Network Marketing is Great But...

In today's competitive marketplace everyone wants to build their business using social networks and that is a good approach. But don't forget the traditional marketing methods of publicity, direct mail, advertising, testimonials and promotions. Marketing is not just one thing it's a mix of several ways of getting your message out to those who will buy from you. Everyone doesn't just buy things they see on social media or in advertising for that matter. You need to have a presence anywhere your prospect may be looking to achieve marketing success.

There are billions of people on this planet and you know who your target customer/client is and how to reach them. Not all will see or even trust your message on social media and need to be reached in other ways. Sure social media is cheap but if it doesn't produce the results you need, the cost doesn't really matter, does it? So you should use social media for marketing and combine other marketing techniques to also reach your prospect. When people see your message from several different marketing methods it makes you look more successful and trustworthy. So I'll see you on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and others but I'll also see you elsewhere in the marketing mix.

Barry has several presentations on marketing and is available for your next meeting or convention. www.idealetter.com

What Else Can You Sell Them?

If you have regular customers that buy the same items or services from you why not find out what else they buy. Who is going to trust you more than someone who is already satisfied with your business. The first step is to ask them what else they purchase that's related to what you now sell. If you start getting the same answer often why not look into trying to supply it? They may even tell you what they are currently paying or can afford to pay so that you can price it where it will sell easily.

There is no better prospect for a new product or service than your current customers. But be aware that if you don't supply a great value in your new product you may risk losing their regular business. If you have choices on what to offer ask your best customers to test a free sample before you commit to adding it to your line or services. Let customers tell you what they want to buy, after all they are the ones paying for it.

Barry has a presentation available for your group on Customer Satisfaction, check out www.idealetter.com

Pay Attention

When you or your staff are serving retail customers, give them your full attention until the transaction is finished. Don't talk to co-workers, friends, be on the phone or show indifference in any way to any customer. This should be part of every training program for new and existing employees. Post a sign in the break room and elsewhere reminding everyone(and yourself) to follow this rule.

Customers will get frustrated when they want to ask a question or discuss the transaction and they can't get the attention of the person who is supposed to serving them. I've even had a young person with headphones on bouncing up and down while loud music was blasting in their ears. She couldn't hear anything I was saying so she just ignored my question. This is a management and supervision problem which should be addressed quickly if you want a customer to come back.

If you don't have set policies in force, some employees (especially younger ones) may try to see how far they can test the limits and this weakens your customer experience. So set up rules and policies and review them frequently. Watch your staff to see that they are following the policies all the time and even ask customers how they feel about the service they are getting. Employees that don't or won't follow the rules need to be reassigned or escorted to the door. They can get another job (hopefully with your competitor) but this is your business for a long time.

Shopping Malls Are Not Dead

The local mall with all the stores we love can be saved and prosper if it adjusts to the times. When nothing changes and business is done the way it was done in the 80s & 90s people will and are looking elsewhere. When not anything of value over a brand product that's the same, people look at the lowest price, why not it's the same final result and product. But when more is added, a customer experience, people will go where they find it. Mall management is not just the landlord, they are a partner with their tenants. If the tenant does well so does the overall mall. The old adage that "when the sea rises all ships rise with it", is still true.

They are many ways to inject new life into shopping malls by giving shoppers more than they can get on the internet. The online shopping experience offers little other than 24 hour availablity and lower prices. The low res 78 dpi pictures can't take the place of holding, feeling and trying on an item before the sale. At a mall you can do all these things and more because you have a real person to help and advise you. Many activities can be planned to attract shoppers on busy and slow days. The mall is not dead it just needs new ideas to change with the times and create the Customer Experience you can't get on the internet.

Barry has a presentation for mall management and tenants to increase traffic and sales. www.idealetter.com

The Robot Treatment

Most larger businesses train front line employees to follow a planned way of handling all customers. I call this the robot treatment which is annoying because every customer is not the same. Some want fast service and some want to know all the facts before they buy. It doesn't take much to identify each one and give them what they want but some companies won't allow it done that way. You either make one or both types of these customers unhappy about their experience.

I remember at one fast food place I was asked if I wanted fries (we have all heard that line) and shook my head no. The person behind the counter told me that they couldn't proceed with my order unless I answered verbally so she could hear me. How foolish is that to treat a customer who is paying to keep your business open. I was tempted to walk out but then would to drive to another place to get lunch. I should have written a letter to the management but never took the time to do it.

How many people feel this way (I know not everyone but enough to make a difference) and never let the management know about it? And would the management even care or change anything? In a smaller or smarter business you can solve this problem by talking to your customers and letting them tell you how they want to be served. Or you could just let them be unhappy and never come back. The choice is yours.

Barry has a presentation on The Customer Experience available for your business at www.idealetter.com

It's Not About Price

Do you ever get tired of searching for the lowest price on something you want to buy. Don't you wish that someone would offer more than a low price and justify it by giving you more real value? Big companies can't seem to control their customer service so they lure you in with a low price and hope you buy from them. Then instead of easy repeat business they have to do it all over again. This takes tremendous advertising and marketing dollars that could be spent elsewhere.

Why not find a way to incease your customer/client value and offer a fair price not the lowest. If your price is not the lowest and people buy anyway you will know that they value your offer more. Your profit level will be a little higher and there will be more money to enhance your value more instead of spending it on massive advertising for a one-time purchase. It doesn't matter whether you sell from a store, office or the internet value can be created to move price from the first consideration. If YOU don't do it your competitors will.

Barry has a presentation on Customer Satisfaction and will speak anywhere in the world to your group. www.idealetter.com

Barry's Coming Free Events

Saturday April 14, 2012, I was selected as a featured author by the Pikes Peak Library district to participate in the Mountain of Authors event. Schedule of authors & speakers will start about 12:30 and go until 6PM. Stop in anytime Saturday afternoon and see all the authors for fiction and non-fiction. Most will have autographed copies of their books available in all subject areas. Located at the East Library 5550 N Union Blvd Colorado Springs 80918, 719-531-6333


Monday April 16, 2012 6PM I will be speaking again at the Colorado Holistic Chamber of Commerce on more cheap marketing ideas (last meeting I did the first 5). Ideas to promote your business or yourself in today's tough world without spending much money. The meeting only lasts a little over an hour and guests are free the first time they come. No reservations needed just show up. It's at the meeting room in the Center for Spiritual Living, 3685 Jeannine Drive, Colorado Springs 80917 (Jeannine is just South of Austin Bluffs Pkwy on Acadeny Blvd and has a Wendy's on the corner)

Hope To See You There!
Barry Thomsen

Useful Websites for Meeting Planners

New resources for meeting planners are always cropping up. Here are useful websites for planners that Jim Spellos, technology expert and founder of Meeting U., shared during Collaborate Marketplace.

meetingapps.com: This comprehensive website lists apps available to meeting planners on iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry. The site categorizes the apps by topic, such as meeting management, careers, conferences, food and wine, and cool tools.

uniquevenues.com: If a planner wants to go beyond the standard hotel or convention center, this website lists a number of sites and conference center off the beaten path, including camps and retreat centers, colleges and universities, and culture venues.

gethuman.com: Tired of going through 10 voicemail prompts before talking to a human being about a problem with your cell phone bill? This user-generated site has a searchable directory where users can put in the name of a business he or she is calling and get a direct-to-person phone number.

ipl.org: If Google isn’t returning the search results you want, go to Internet Public Library, where users can enter a topic, such as “Chicago,” and get results from official sites and other trustworthy resources like newspaper and professional associations.

prezi.com: Take presentations to a new level with Prezi, which allows users to create presentations in a mind-map format, where all the content is on one page, and users can zoom in and out to address specific aspects of a topic.

famtriptv.com: Instead of going to YouTube and searching general videos about cities, go to this site, which has HD webisodes featuring Jennifer Wood, CMP, in cities across the country and Canada. She explores cities with meetings in mind, highlighting hotels and meeting venues, local attractions and transportation.
ted.com: TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, is a nonprofit organization that hosts an annual conference where influential people give 20-minute presentations on important topics. Videos of the presentations are uploaded to TED’s website and are searchable by topic.

meetingjobs.com: Go to one site with industry-specific jobs instead of searching general job sites.

seatguru.com: Don’t get stuck in the airplane seat that doesn’t recline and has no legroom. On this site by TripAdvisor, put in your airline and flight number to see a detailed seat map of the plane you’ll be flying on, with information about seats with limited leg room, poor views from the windows and no reclining.

rockmelt.com: There’s Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome, but there’s also RockMelt, a new search engine that incorporates social media and online sharing into the Internet browser database.

By Libby Hoppe

Building Your Business Every Day

To reach your business goals and grow your company takes persistance, tenacity and renewed energy every day. What happened yesterday is over, whether good or bad, and today is a new chance to move closer to your goals. I have always heard that small steps over a longer period of time makes a business keep growing with a solid foundation. Some days are better than others and there are times when you even go backward before you can go forward but that's the way business works (and has for 100s of years).

Consider how the pyramids have stood firm over many centuries and the strongest weather doesn't seem to bother them. They have a huge foundation at the bottom that won't let them move from their position. As the saying goes, "they weren't built in a day" or even many months but many years. The small steps that were used has made them last a long time and surely longer than us! So, as you start each day just plan to lay that one stone that will get you closer to your goals and also make your company foundation solid and lasting.

Barry is available for your next meeting to speak on business growth, customer satisfaction, cheap marketing and trade show success. www.idealetter.com

During Your Sales Presentation

Asking the correct questions and then keeping your mouth shut and ears open will give you an extra advantage to finalize the sale. Stay focused on what the prospect wants & needs, not what you want to sell. You don't want to be pushing apples when your prospect wants to buy oranges. Here's some sample questions you can consider using.

*Are you the person who will make the final decision?
*How soon do you plan to make the purchase?
*What quantity do you order/buy?
*How quickly do you want delivery?
*Have you ever purchased this product/service before?
*How long have you bee buying from your current supplier?
*How often do you reorder?
*Have there been any past problems that you would like to eliminate?
*What is your most important consideration in selecting a supplier?
*What kind of budget do you have for this purchase?
*Will you or your staff need any training?
*Can we get started on the purchase order now?
*What other products or services do you need?

When you know what is most important to your prospect, guide your presentation in that direction. When they ask a question stop and answer it right away, it may be the key to closing the sale.

Offer Customer Seminars or Webinars

One way to turn casual customers/clients into longer term ones is to offer them something they can't get elsewhere. One method that really only costs your time is informative seminars, webinars or conference call presentations.
Here are a few ideas to consider:

*Make if free - no cost to attend
*Limit the number of participants
*Don't sell during the presentation
*Make it educational and interesting
*Send a formal invitation not an email blast
*Make follow-up calls to confirm attendance
*Hire/rent a van to pick up those who request it
*Offer light refreshments and water
*Keep it 90 minutes or less
*Don't put the speaker by the door, people will feel trapped
*Have a restroom sign with an arrow
*Give them something to take with them
*Have a Q & A period at the end
*Follow-up after the event
*Add stories & humor to relax people
*Smile a lot!