Category: Public Relations News

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These tips come from Anita Zinsmeister at Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey. These are outstanding and I am happy to promote Dale Carnegie and share them with you.

Word count for this issue: 599 Approximate time to read: About 2.4 minutes @ 250 words per minute  Great customer service is an integral component of every business. No matter what kind of product or service you provide, you need to excel at it.   CLICK THIS LINK to read Inc. com’s article entitled: How To Improve Your Company’s Customer Service   Why Should You Care About Keeping Your Customers Happy?   Acquiring a new customer can cost 6 to 8 times more than keeping an existing customer. Existing customers have a 12% higher profit margin. Businesses that retain existing customers see a 9% higher growth rate.  Simply put, you need to keep your customers satisfied.  To that end, we have prepared a number of tips that are guaranteed to improve any customer service experience.   Tips To Improve Your Customer Service Department:   Treat Customers With Respect – All too often, if a customer has a bad experience it is because of a disgruntled employee.  Perhaps an altercation put the employee in a sour mood, or a manager reprimanded them.  They could feel burnt out by their job.  Whatever the case, going the distance to treat employees well increases the likelihood that they will treat customers well.  Encourage Your Team To Become A Client Advocate – Perception can be a powerful force.  When an employee feels more independent, not tethered to their supervisor, it empowers them.  Encourage employees to think of themselves as a client advocate.  This will help give them a greater sense of independence and compel them to engage with customers more pleasantly.  Take The Right Action – Your customer service experience should never be “all talk”.  If you claim to have excellent customer service, prospects are going to expect it.  If their experience does not sync up with what you promised they become dissatisfied, meaning you will lose a customer.  Worse yet, if they express their dissatisfaction online or to colleagues it will not only hurt your sales, but also damage your reputation.  Be Proactive On Getting Everyone’s Feedback – Go beyond conducting customer surveys.  Designate one or more customer service employees as morale monitors who comb the Internet looking for feedback on your company — good and bad.  Never wait to receive bad news. The longer you let an issue persist the more difficult it may be to remedy.  Make Sure Your Customer Knows They Are Important – The more one-of-a-kind a customer feels the longer they will stay engaged with your business.  To accomplish this, offer them price cuts or coupons, and make every interaction feel less like a transaction and more like a conversation, a brief social moment that is uniquely theirs.  Resolve Your Customers’ Complaints Quickly – Answer all e-mail and phone calls within the shortest time possible.  Whether it’s less than 15 minutes or the next day, it is important for a customer to know when your company will be calling them back by setting the right expectations. The Owner Needs To Get Involved – There are times when a customer is so upset that a call from the president or owner is necessary.  If your executive team takes a more proactive approach, it can lead to more high-value clients staying on board too!   Executive Summary:  The first step to improving customer service is making sure you aren’t just talk.  That said, we recommend mystery shopping your own business to verify how well your customer service aligns with your philosophies.  Second, you can improve your customer service by improving the morale of the people on the front line.  Third, empower your customer service staff so they are able to engage in meaningful, problem-solving dialogues with your customers.

Why Are So Many Employees Disengaged? (Forbes)   The answer most often lies in managerial relationships. A recent national study by Dale Carnegie Training placed the number of “fully engaged” employees at 29%, and “disengaged” employees at 26% — meaning nearly three-quarters of employees are not fully engaged (aka productive). The number one factor the study cited influencing engagement and disengagement was “relationship with immediate supervisor.” Read More    Abraham Lincoln’s Brilliant Method for Handling Setbacks (Inc.com)    What was the secret of Abraham Lincoln’s success in dealing with people?  Incredibly, this is not just a question that a business journalist would ask.  Dale Carnegie himself–the legendary author of How to Win Friends and Influence People — asked the exact same question on page 8 of that famous book. Read More    How to Be a Better Communicator in the Workplace (U.S. News Report) Whether you are an aspiring leader or in a support role, developing your communication skills can impact your success.  First, let’s take a look at the complexities of communication.  It’s more than the words you use.  It’s how and when you choose to share information.  It’s your body language and the tone and quality of your voice.  Read More

Today’s Inspirational Quote: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.  If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.” Steve Jobs

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

This and nearly 300 other Tips and Techniques are in the new More ABCs of Strategic Communication – AuthorHouse, July 2015 – just published. Email Larry for details.

1. Decide event’s purpose (goal and/or objectives).
2. Organize your volunteers.
3. Be ready for anything.
4. Create a timeline (Gantt chart – See Page 222).
5. Create an incentive to attract event participation.
6. Communicate (early on) with participants.
7. Make it a learning experience – determine what participants are going to “take away.”
8. The event, if properly planned, will run itself. (Planning is everything).
9. Evaluate event and total plan at conclusion of event (exit survey).
10.Have fun!

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

This and nearly 300 other Tips and Techniques are in the new More ABCs of Strategic Communication – AuthorHouse, July 2015 – just published. Email Larry for details.

Many salespeople are wondering about the best way to go after new business. The prevailing wisdom is that you have to develop a cold list, start from scratch and build your business that way. This is so far from the truth that it’s laughable. An unqualified list will yield two to three appointments out of a hundred approaches. A referred list, when called by a professional salesperson, can yield initial appointments at the rate of 25 per 100 approaches–sometimes even more.That raises the question: Why don’t we leverage referral prospecting as much as we should?

Warren Wechsler’s Total Selling Times – Fairfield, Iowa

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

This and nearly 300 other Tips and Techniques are in the new More ABCs of Strategic Communication – AuthorHouse, July 2015 – just published. Email Larry for details.

1.  Make sure the information is newsworthy.

2. Tell the audience that the information is intended for them and why they should continue to read it.

3. Start with a brief description of the news, then distinguish who announced it, and not the other way around.

4. Ask yourself,”How are people going to relate to this and will they be able to connect?”

5. Make sure the first 10 words of your release are effective, as they are the most important.

6. Avoid excessive use of adjectives and fancy language.

7. Deal with the facts.

8. Provide as much contact information as possible: Individual to contact, address, phone (fax), email,website (address).

9. Make sure you wait until you have something with enough substance to issue a release.

10.Make it as easy as possible for media representatives to do their jobs.
[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

Dale Carneigie’s Anita Zinsmesiter has come through again. First this from Dale’s people:

• Word count for this issue: 571
• Approximate time to read: About 2.2 minutes @ 250 words per minute 

The better trained your employees are the stronger of an asset they will become.  And the more productive they are, the more engaged they will become in your business.  

Continued Training Has Direct Impact On An Employee’s Productivity.

Great leaders know they can’t expect a new employee to walk in the door and possess the exact skills and knowledge needed to perform their job.

While jobs might share the same title from business to business (e.g. “project manager”) they always differ slightly based on the unique culture every business develops.  That is why continued employee education is crucial.

Click Here To Read Dale Carnegie Training’s Study On Employee Engagement

1.  View Training As An Investment, Not An Expense – Many businesses dismiss the idea of training because it seems like an expense rather than an investment.  This is simply not true.  Ultimately, the long-term benefits of employee training far outweigh its immediate costs.  And when you factor in the importance of employee retention, the value of training becomes self-evident.

2.  Get Everyone’s Feedback – As you roll out your training program, survey your staff to get their feedback about the training program’s content, venue, testing methods, etc.  Using survey tools in combination is best, i.e., anonymous e-mail or face-to-face conversations.

 3.  Be Aware Of Generational Differences – As the workforce becomes increasingly multigenerational, employers need to adjust to each age groups working habits.  Catering to those generational differences will ensure that your employees are learning in a way that best suits them.

 4.  Get Management To Support Training – Obviously, an employee training initiative cannot get off the ground without the support of management.  Furthermore, when management gets involved with an initiative, employees tend to show more interest.  Otherwise, they might be hesitant and view continued training as a criticism of their skill sets.

 5.  Start Training Projects Off Small Or As A Pilot – Getting in over your head right from the start is a surefire way to see your training program canned immediately.  It is best to work the kinks out of the new initiative by starting out small.  Benchmarking a developing training program with a handful of employees exposes weaknesses and shortcomings in its design.

 6.  Choose The Right Instructors To Lead Training – There are really only two options when it comes to employee training instructors: Either you outsource the job and hire a professional trainer or you select a knowledgeable staff member who is charismatic and engaging enough to be an effective teacher.  Either way, the person leading the employee training needs be a capable educator.

 7.  Measure The Success Of The Employee Training – Measuring the efficacy of your employee training might seem difficult, but it should actually become apparent in a number of ways.  If after employee training you notice an increase in profits or employee productivity, take it as a sign that the employee training is pulling the weight of its cost.

Executive Summary:  Any businessperson not learning in today’s fast-paced and competitive economy is sure to fall behind the curve.  Additionally, if you are not willing to help hone your employees’ skills, who will?  Remember, strengthening your employees’ skills is never an expense; it is an investment — and your employees are your greatest asset. 

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

From PR News and Richard Brownell on June 10, 2015, comes this important strategic communication advice:

As a professional communicator, your job is to craft your brand’s message and share it with the world, or at least that part of the world that is relevant to you. Depending on the size of your organization and the resources at your command, this can be a daunting task. Sometimes you have to rely on the kindness of others to help you out. This means building a community.

At the Social Shake-Up 2015 in Atlanta, communicators from around the country shared insights about engagement on social networks and how to marshal their energy to help promote your brand.

“You want to have that one-to-one engagement with users,” said Jeanette Gibson, VP, community & customer experience at HootSuite. “Follow the customers, introduce them to one another. Show them what’s in it for them, not just what’s in it for you.”

Gibson, along with Lauren Harper, senior manager of social marketing with Oracle, and Kristina Libby, consumer media relations lead for Microsoft, discussed the nature of online communities and how they come together.

People tend to gather on social media around brands because of a shared interest or perception about that brand’s message or its activities. They can be a valued resource for your brand in that they are vocal, they can be a force multiplier in helping you share your message, and you don’t have to pay them. But you do have to respect them and make them feel a part of the team.

You need to engage directly with the people who are gathered on your social media networks. Have a conversation with them. Get to know what their likes and dislikes are, what attracts their attention and what motivates them.

Communities can be a great benefit for your brand by freely engaging in activities that are essential to your organization’s success. They can provide customer reviews of your products or services, they can be a source of information and FAQs for your brand and they can be advocates. Never underestimate the power of an unpaid, unaffiliated spokesperson.

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

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From PR News and Brian Green on June 4, 2015

B2B PR is a specialized field that perhaps lacks the level of advice and attention that B2C PR gets. The distinctive characteristic of B2B media is that it’s niche. B2B publications aren’t mass-market broadsheets or daily papers but instead include monthly peer-reviewed journals, trade publications and quarterly digests.

One question often asked is: “If these publications aren’t very well-known, do we want to submit content to them?” The reality is that just because these publications are unknown to people external to the industry doesn’t mean they aren’t read and respected within the industry.

Whether you’re in an agency or in-house B2B PR role, these steps from Keerti Baker of SRCL Group should help you gain valuable coverage in the specialized world of trade press:

1. Source publications: Speak to the client to understand what trade publications people within the business read. Get copies of those magazines and think laterally. Don’t limit your search to their industry’s publication—also look at the sectors where they supply products or services.

2. Read, research and speak to the experts: Read the publications, research and read more. It’s absolutely vital to understand terminology, acronyms, industry issues and the political landscape shaping the future of the industry.

3. Research competitors: Research companies within the competition to find out which publications run their editorial submissions.

4. Make your editorial pitch: Making inroads within sectors that you haven’t worked in is tough, but not impossible. Researching, reading and having a good understanding of the subject matter will help start those initial conversations with the media. Conversations can then materialize into strong story pitches to features writers, editors and reporters.

Working in B2B PR doesn’t require you to become a subject-matter expert in a matter of weeks. If you do, that’s great. If not, you need to know enough to hold conversations with editorial teams but be confident enough to say, if it comes to it, “I don’t have an in-depth view/I’m not an expert in that area, but I know the best person who can answer this for you.” There is nothing wrong with admitting you aren’t the expert, especially if you have good links with experts within the company or at your client’s company.

5. Remember, editors and journalists are busy people: Editorial teams working in the B2B sector are particularly busy, as they tend to manage more than one publication and have fewer editorial assets when compared to B2C publications.

To save time, contributions need to follow some basic, often-forgotten principles. Keep it relevant to the readership, make it interesting, meet stringent print deadlines and don’t hard sell the company. Let the quality of the editorial submission speak for itself.

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