#przealot

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Yes they are!

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Are your customers happy?

Did the headline of this story make you think? Providing customers with a positive experience doesn't happen by accident. It’s challenging. It takes a focus from everyone in your organization.

So many times, good customer service begins with the way you relate to your fellow employees and subordinates. If you care for them, it will certainly reflect with the type of service they provide. Caring and attentive leaders will always bring the best out of people.  If employees are aware of great organizational support, they will be fantastic ambassadors of customer service for your brand.

Are your customers happy? If you’re in charge, it all begins with you. Maybe the question should have been stated “Are your employees happy?”

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A few words of encouragement …

How often do we encourage others? If we think about how much someone’s encouragement means in our lives, we should make an special effort to encourage those around us. Here are a few tips that will make it easy.

Show genuine interest in others. Give them time to talk about their weekend, show joy in the pleasures they are describing.

Be specific when you offer someone a word of praise. “You did a great job with our new ad design” … “I really appreciate it when you help me with the incoming calls” … “Thanks for always smiling” … etc.

Sometimes the unexpected is the best. Doing something as simple as buying someone a soda or giving them a candy bar can be a great token of encouragement.

Write someone a note. It’s so easy to say you enjoy working with them or that they are doing a great job.

If you know what encourages you, a lot of times those same things will encourage others. Try some of these tips on a co-worker today. People thrive in situations when they feel valued and honored. Imagine what a few words of encouragement will do today to someone you work with! It could make the difference on whether or not they have a day worth remembering.

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I like it, but I don’t know why …

Guest post by Cody Miles - Founder and Creative Director at BrandCave

In our world, perception is reality and gut feelings often override critical thinking. Consumers do not make most of their purchasing decisions based on facts or data, but on feeling. It’s accurate to say that we often see with our heart, not our eyes.

We have evidence to prove this. Researchers at the University of Toronto once tested brand association by exposing participants to made-up brands paired with pictures. Some pictures were positive and others were negative. After seeing hundreds of examples, the subjects were unable to recall which brands were associated with positive pictures -- but they still expressed a preference for the positively-conditioned brands.

Crazy, right? It’s called the “I like it, but I don’t know why” effect. It’s a neurological condition. Scientists have discovered our brain’s emotional system actually works independently of our cortex, where our consciousness operates. It’s why our feelings often supersede facts (and why I spend too much money on Apple products).

Need an example? Consider the Marlboro Man. A lifetime ago, Marlboro cigarettes were considered a woman’s brand. I know that’s hard to imagine. Today we know that brand for the Marlboro Man, the rugged cowboy who played homage to the heroes and villains of Western films of the time. He was the very embodiment of adventure, rebellion and masculinity. Before him, Marlboro ads often displayed ladylike slogans with illustrations of fashionable women. It was positioned elegantly. They marketed the milder taste of the cigarette as a “safer” option to traditional cigarettes. They even manufactured the cigarette with a red filter to hide a woman’s lipstick stains.

How do you change customer perception from feminine and elegant to fearless and intimidating? You change the association. That rugged cowboy type character didn’t just change our perception of Marlboro, it jumped sales 3,241 percent in its first year. That was a stunning $5 billion increase and it’s why many consider it the most remarkable re-brand in ad history.

That’s a lesson for all of us too.

When our customer’s associations shift, so do markets. It’s a challenge that defies logic. Your customers might even be unaware of it, but they are making assumptions of your organization based on how they associate you. We must identify those associations as the root of our marketing, PR and customer service efforts. Then, if necessary, we need to create new associations. Changing perception of a brand is a first step in that marketing cycle. When perceptions change, attitudes and behaviors do too.

If we want the needle to move, we must get to the foundation of our customer’s perception. They must be able to say they like you, but they don’t know why. Steve Jobs didn’t believe in market research. When asked how much research was required in producing the iPad, he famously quipped, “None. It isn’t the consumers’ job to know what they want.”

Now go tell your customers what they want.

To find out more about Cody Miles and how BrandCave is partnering with great companies worldwide to create powerful web applications and commercial video, click here.

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Focusing on People Relationships …

In business, every decision we make should focus on people. Yes I know, some executives will say “No! We have to focus on profit!” I agree with that statement too. But I like to think that without great people relationships, it would be hard for any of us to keep our organization flourishing, growing, and making profits.

Employees and customers, in other words people, make or break any organizational structure. Whenever I have the pleasure to talk to my clients about their organization, I am remind them that their focus should always be about building and maintaining healthy relationships with internal and external customers.

“Remember that PR = People Relationships”

As a PR practitioner for many years, I learned that piece of advice too late in my career. Instead of focusing on numbers, statistics, and cold hard facts … a focus on soft data probably would have helped me a lot more instead of the spreadsheet I was looking at. Having People Relationship skills allows everyone to improve their reputation, their image, and their rapport with customers.

How can you improve your reputation, image, and rapport? Here are a few tips:

Treat all of your stakeholders with respect.

Be appreciative of differing opinions.

Listen to everyone of your stakeholders.

Portray a positive attitude at all times.

Admit when you make a mistake.

Remember that in order to be credible, we have to know and live our values. Customers will judge us on the values of our organization. Most importantly, they will judge us on our personal values too. How will you fair? How will your People Relationship skills be judged?