Renewal at Home

By Catherine E. Brown

It amazes me how many times I hear “we should have done this years ago” after I’ve been hired to stage a home for sale, update décor, or suggest ways to make it innocuous enough to appeal to the buying public.

Yet, it shouldn’t surprise me. Often, busy people postpone picking up a paint brush (or calling a painter) when a room begins to look worn and tired and its original appeal fades. Instead of renovating or redecorating, many homeowners over-estimate the cost, time, and trouble.

There’s something especially poignant about my clients who have done all the work themselves, and only get to enjoy the results for the brief time the house is on the market. How much nicer it would have been to enjoy the home at its best, longer!

It’s like saving the good china for company, as if we’re not good enough to use it every day. Your home should look just as great for you and your loved ones as for other people, whether or not it’s on the market.

Re-upholster, replace or re-arrange furniture at the very least. A sofa doesn’t have to be against the longest wall in the living room – just because it’s been there for years, doesn’t mean it has to stay. Get some floor sliders and try different scenarios.

Thin out furniture to only your most attractive, most comfortable, favourite pieces. De-clutter and edit; it’s a liberating feeling to say good-bye to things that no longer have value or simply aren’t beautiful, whether you’re moving or not.

Sell or give away furniture and accessories that no longer suit your lifestyle or taste. Fix or replace things that don’t work: light fixtures, bulbs, appliances, taps, etc. Add good lighting and use the proper type for each area in the home. The right lighting can make all the difference in the ambience and usage of a space.

Use a room for what it’s intended: Keep children’s toys and make-shift home offices out of the dining room. Move craft supplies and projects out of the kitchen and into the basement. Every day can be a special occasion in the dining room.

If you’re not moving for a while, or if saleability isn’t an issue, indulge your favourite colour scheme in one room you can call your own, like your home office. Add fabrics and textures that inspire your creativity.

Renewal at home: don’t wait till it’s time to sell!

Catherine E. Brown is an Accredited Staging Professional and owner of Staged to Move. Catherine is committed to helping clients sell their home for the best price in the least amount of time. She can be contacted at (519) 868-7171 or by email at catherine@stagedtomove.ca. Visit her Web site at www.stagedtomove.ca.

Published in Networking Today, July 2006.

Get Involved …with your Competitors!

By Jennifer Murray

We all need a helping hand once in a while. Sometimes we don’t realize that we need it until help has been delivered. I believe in the abundance theory – we only need to tap into what others have to offer. So, how do we get there? How do we know? Keep it simple. JUST ASK.

Having recently attended a training program for small business, I decided that I was going to make the best of what was offered. The program had wonderful information and knowledge. The experts were there for an obvious reason as well. Their expertise is in their own personal journeys and experiences available in glorious abundance! They all want to help and see us succeed!

On the first day, I shared an observation and then asked a question with the woman sitting beside me. “Can you believe each person here has a business idea to better their lives and others? How exciting! What is your business idea?” You can imagine the chuckle we both had upon discovering our mutual business idea. So much for taking the world by storm, however, this is where the help part comes in.

Instead of recoiling into our corners of competition we talked about our skills and how we were presenting our business to the world. It was amazing work. We HELPED each other. The abundance theory at work – there’s enough for everyone.

Yes, there is some overlap but it turns out there are significant differences between our expertise and having someone we can refer our customers to is invaluable. How many entrepreneurs have the opportunity to work along side their competitors and watch their businesses develop? How many entrepreneurs see those in their industry through the many business decision-making processes and get a glimpse of what the person is about? Since then, we have collaborated on a new networking group for our industry and plan on referring clients in search of our complementary expertise.

I’m pleased with my new friend, business colleague, and competitor. We’re in this together and it’s good to know we’re not alone. A funny thing happens when you ask for help or advice; you can help others as well; usually in ways you never would have imagined.

Jennifer Murray, proprietor of The Nimble Assistant is a virtual assistant providing administrative services to small businesses in Middlesex County. With eight years of experience and being able to manage multiple tasks with various schedules, Jennifer provides proficiency in a range of office services. Visit www.TheNimbleAssistant.com for more details. Published in Networking Today, July, 2006

The Seven Lingering Effects of Bad Customer Service

By Nancy Friedman

As background for the Telephone Doctor’s book, Customer Service Nightmares: 100 Tales of the Worst Experiences Possible and How They Could Have Been Fixed, we invited consumers to submit their terrible tales of customer service.

In reviewing the many hundreds of responses, we found seven specific reactions to bad service by upset consumers. These applied to every type of incident and setting and in every field imaginable. Make no mistake about it, the effects are lingering and damaging. We refer to these as The Seven Lingering Effects of Bad Customer Service.

Result #1: They’re Grateful for the Chance to Vent

In the Customer Service Nightmares series, we read letters and emails and listened to voice mail messages from hundreds of customers.

Over and over again, those who responded thanked us for the opportunity to tell us how they were mistreated. They wanted to tell their stories to someone who would listen. They were pleased for the opportunity to get even. They seemed to regard this exercise as a form of non-violent revenge!

In summary, they regarded this as the means to report their offenses in what we call "the Telephone Doctor Customer Service Court of Appeals."

Result #2: The New Joke Syndrome

Not too long ago, people would tell each other jokes, such as "Did you hear the one about the traveling salesman and the farmer’s daughter?" or "Did you hear the one about the blonde who…?"

Now, many joke tellers are venting their frustrations with their last bad customer service experience telling "jokes" to anyone who’ll listen.

Woe to businesses, government agencies, and associations that offend their customers with poor service. These organizations become the butt of today’s new era of jokes! They laugh at you, not with you.

Result #3: The Memory of an Elephant – Customers Don’t Forget

Lots of people in the responses we received quote the extended time elapsed since the experience. For instance, we hear, "This happened three years ago." Or "Let me tell you what happened five years ago." One woman recounted a dealing with a local bank from 20 years ago – a bank that was absorbed by a bigger bank and no longer exists. But she’s still angry!

If businesses are counting on customers to forget rudeness or ineptitude, don’t “bank” on it!

Result #4: You’re Not Going to Believe This

Over and over, parties who responded to the invitation to share their customer service nightmares used the phrase, "You’re not going to believe this" or "I can’t believe how they treated me!"

Those abused by poor customer service just can never seem to accept the fact that it happened. They remain shocked and continue to agonize!

Result #5: No Return, No Deposit

In only a very few cases did a complaining customer indicate that he went back to shop at an offending store.

This customer (and his father before him) had been buying a certain brand of battery for years that had proven a true value. When the clerk wouldn’t honor his $5 coupon on a $50 purchase for the $49.99 battery, the customer said he couldn’t buy at that store again, to which the clerk said "good riddance."

On the way out of the store, the customer realized he wanted the battery, refused to be rebuffed by the rude, inept sales person, and went to see the manager who worked out a satisfactory compromise.

The other respondents, though, emphatically told us they’d never go back after their aggravation. No return means no deposit (of future sales).

Result #6: FREE Advertising – The Kind You Don’t Want

Most of those who recounted their customer service nightmares assured us they’d told their family, friends, coworkers, and anyone else who’d listen about the bad service incident. They seemed enthusiastic in denouncing the offending organization and urged everyone not to patronize them!

Result #7: Hell Hath No Fury Like a Customer Scorned

All effects of bad customer service can be summed up with this phrase!

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the website at www.telephonedoctor.com.

Published in Networking Today, July 2006.

Profile: Green Valley Recycling...reducing waste in landfills.

By Susan Regier

Making London greener is a priority for the city – and it has just gotten easier and more economical with Green Valley Recycling, the only construction and demolition material recycler in the city of London.

Construction material tops the list when it comes to unnecessary recyclables going to landfills. “If all construction and demolition material was recycled, landfill sites could reduce the amount of waste by up to 25% very easily,” said Paul Aarts of Green Valley Recycling.

Green Valley Recycling, operated by Aarts and his son, Richard, has been in the works since the Fall of 2003. They have endured the lengthy approval process and are now certified by the Ministry of Environment to operate this recycling facility.

After spending forty years as the owner of a local construction company, Aarts knows the contractors and is quickly growing Green Valley Recycling with their support. He is now targeting businesses and homeowners with his convenient location by offering minimal tipping fees and long operating hours.

Green Valley Recycling is located on fifteen acres at 1200 Green Valley Road, just off Hwy. 401 and Highbury Avenue or Wellington Road. They are open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Screened topsoil is available for sale and woodchips and aggregate materials will be available soon. They accept wood, concrete, block, asphalt, rubble, skids, brick, dirt, shingles, drywall, brush, stumps, and grass.

“Recycling is available and people should take advantage of it…recyclables should not go into landfill sites,” said Aarts. Homeowners are not allowed to place construction and renovation material, such as drywall, lumber, concrete, and shingles at the curbside, therefore Green Valley Recycling is a convenient alternative.

Space is precious at our landfills…it makes good sense to take full advantage of recycling programs to protect our environment. Green Valley Recycling is doing its part by recycling for the future.

For more information, visit www.greenvalleyrecycling.ca.

Susan Regier is the publisher/editor of Networking Today and owner of Vantage One Writing, a professional writing service for businesses. (519) 471-8726 E-mail: susan@vantageone.ca Web site: www.vantageone.ca Published in Networking Today, July 2006.

The Strangest Secret

By John Boe

In 1957, Earl Nightingale, speaker, author, and cofounder of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation, recorded his classic motivational record "The Strangest Secret." "The Strangest Secret" sold over one million copies and made history in the recording industry by being honored as the first Gold Record for the spoken word. Nightingale, known as the “dean of personal development,” concluded that life's “strangest secret” is that we become what we think about all day long.

Your belief system, like your computer, doesn't judge or even question what you input; it merely accepts your thoughts as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Think thoughts of defeat or failure and you're bound to feel discouraged. Continuous thoughts of worry, anxiety, and fear are unhealthy and often manifest in the body as stress, panic attacks, and depression.

At the core of Earl's message, he reveals the incredible power of positive self-talk, belief, and expectation. What you vividly imagine and hold in your subconscious mind begins to out picture as your reality. Your belief system not only defines your reality, but it also shapes your character and determines your potential.

The placebo effect

The ability of the mind to cure a disease even when the medicine is known to be worthless is known as the “placebo effect.” This occurs in medical trials where doctors give patients sugar pills, but tell them they will cure their illness. Often it does, even though the pills contain nothing of medical benefit. The only thing of value in these medical trials is the patient's own belief that the sugar pills will cure them. It's the power of the patient's belief and expectation alone that produces the improvement in his or her health.

I recently read a remarkable story about a group of cancer patients who thought they were being treated with chemotherapy, but were actually given a placebo. Before their treatment began, the patients were informed about the complications associated with undergoing chemotherapy treatment, such as fatigue and loss of hair. Amazingly, based on nothing more than their belief and expectation, nearly one third of the patients who were given the placebo reported feeling fatigued and actually experienced hair loss!

If you had access to a powerful tool that would enhance your self-esteem and allow you to reach your full potential would you use it? A good way to create positive self-talk is through affirmations. An affirmation is a positive statement that represents your desired condition or outcome. Interesting enough, your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between a real experience and a vividly imagined “mental” experience.

When he was a struggling young comedian, late at night Jim Carrey would drive into the hills overlooking Hollywood and yell at the top of his lungs "I will earn ten million dollars a year by 1995." When 1995 finally arrived, Jim was the star of the movie "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls," for which he was paid twenty million dollars.

To be effective your affirmation must be stated aloud…

1. In a positive manner with the focus on what you want. When you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative about yourself, counteract the negative self-talk with a positive affirmation. Start your affirmation with words like “I am…” or “I already have…” Example: “I close sales with little or no resistance.” “I take good care of my customers and they show their appreciation by referring their friends to me.”
   
   
2. In the present tense. Your subconscious mind works in the present tense, so avoid words such as can, will, should, or could. Example: “I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially.”
   
   
3. With emotion and conviction.
   
   
4. Repeatedly. I suggest you read your affirmations each morning upon awakening and again each night just before falling asleep. Close your eyes and picture the end result. Feel the emotions associated with the affirmation.
   

Here are some of my favorite affirmations:

• Every day in every way I'm getting better and better!
  
  
• Everything comes to me easily and effortlessly!
  
  
• I love and appreciate myself just as I am!
  
  
• I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially!
  
  
• I now have enough time, energy, wisdom, and money to accomplish all my desires!
  
  
• Infinite riches are now freely flowing into my life!
  
  
• I am relaxed and centered!
  
  
• I feel happy and blissful!
  

Do affirmations really work and can they be used to propel a person to achieve greatness?

As a young boy growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, 12-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay dreamed of someday becoming the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. When working out in the gym, Clay would continuously affirm to all within earshot that he was indeed the greatest boxer of all time! While many felt he was brash and boastful, few people actually took this 89-pound youngster seriously. Mohammad Ali used his affirmation to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world and arguably one of the most popular and recognized sports figures of all times!

You show me a salesperson with high self-esteem, a positive attitude, and a healthy work ethic and I'll be able to predict his or her success in advance…I guarantee it.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
- Anonymous

John Boe presents a variety of training and motivational programs for meetings and conventions. John brings over twenty years of experience as an award-winning sales trainer to the platform. His programs are unique, consistently well received, and get results. Visit www.johnboe.com for more information. Published in Networking Today, July 2006.

The Power of Podcasting…What Exhibitors Need To Know

By Susan A. Friedmann, CSP

What's the most precious commodity in the world? Nope. Not gold. Not platinum. Not uranium. Not diamonds.

The most precious commodity in the world is not something you can mine, or harvest, or hoard in safety deposit boxes. The most precious commodity is something you have an almost endless supply of. Major industries go out of their way to get it from you. Entire trades have sprung up for the sole purpose of enticing you to part with yours. What is this precious thing?

Why, it's your attention. I'm hoping by this point that I have yours. Capturing the attention of today's mass-media savvy consumer is quite a trick. Consider the competition: streaming video on desktop computers, television shows on cell phones, video game consoles that allow you to play with competitors halfway around the world. How in the world are you going to get a consumer, who has all of these entertaining options available, to pay attention to your products and services?

Enter the podcast. Podcasts are audio or video files distributed over the Internet. Listeners download the files, and either play them on the computer or a listening device, such as an I-Pod. Podcasts can be on any topic – there are regular podcasts devoted to life in Iceland – and any length. Some are a few minutes; others go for over an hour. Podcasts have two distinct traits that will appeal to exhibitors at a trade show:

1. They allow the listener to multi-task: Many of our clients are busy, busy people. They may not have the time to sit down and read a magazine article, much less the new book you've just authored. Yet, they can listen to your podcast while driving to work, going for a morning jog, or while working on less-vital aspects of the day's paperwork.
   
   
2. They feed the societal need for self improvement: Podcasting offers listeners the experience of attending a one-on-one lecture with some of today's most foremost experts. Listeners who want to advance their careers, improve their health, or do a better job raising their kids are natural audiences for podcasting.
   

Podcasting can play an integral role in your development as an expert. Regular podcasts that share industry information, insights, advice, and guidance will create the impression that you're someone the public can turn to. This is an ideal time to display your expertise and speak directly to the topics that are relevant to your market and target audience. Considering the low cost of podcasting – you can get up and running for a few hundred dollars – can you afford to forgo this opportunity?

To be an effective podcaster, remember the four C's. Your broadcasts must be Concise, Chatty, Clear, and Consistent.

Concise
Each podcast should have a clear focus. Pick one point you want to concentrate on and select your material to support and illustrate that point. It is better to offer several short, clearly focused podcasts than one, long, rambling, self-indulgent diatribe.

Chatty
Make your material engaging. That might be difficult, especially if you're talking about estate planning or tax avoidance strategies, but it's necessary. Use real life examples and simple language to communicate your points. Listeners will tune out jargon, dry statistics, and “academic-speak.”

Clear
Once upon a time, politicians and thespians used to train by speaking with a mouth full of pebbles. The thought was that if one could make oneself understood even under those circumstances, clear speech would present no problem if one were unimpeded. I'm not recommending you start putting rocks in your mouth, however, make an effort to speak clearly. Listeners won't value what they can't understand.

Consistent
You can podcast monthly. You can podcast weekly. You can even – if you're brave and have the time – podcast daily. It doesn't really matter, as long as you pick a schedule and stick to it. Blow off your listeners at your peril. If there's no material when they expect it, they won't come looking twice.

Once you have your podcast up and running, remember that you have to promote it. Link to it from your Web site, add info about your podcast to your signature files, and include a mention in your print advertising. People won't listen if they don't know the podcast exists!

Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, is The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. For a free copy of “10 Common Mistakes Exhibitors Make”, email: article4@thetradeshowcoach.com; Web site: www.thetradeshowcoach.com

Published in Networking Today, July 2006.

Successful People Have Difficulty Changing

By Barbara Bartlein

A hard working partner at a major law firm, John B., finds that he gets short with co-workers especially when under stress. He is not viewed as a “team player” by other members of the firm and the support staff avoid him. In spite of feedback and coaching from his colleagues, he has experienced little progress in modifying his behavior.

Judy S. struggles with balancing her personal and professional life, often finding herself overcommitted. As a VP of a large health care organization, she also serves on a number of community boards. She has difficulty saying “No” and feels guilty that she is not doing enough for her children. She has tried repeatedly to decrease her work time but seems to be busier each year.

Both of these successful people may find it difficult to change.

There is a “paradox of success,” according to the executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, reported in a Business Strategy Review article. This paradox makes it difficult for successful people to grow and improve. When things are going well, people have little motivation to change. Yet, successful people need to change before they have to change or they will plateau or even decline in effectiveness. Even the most successful leaders can increase their effectiveness by changing some elements of their behavior.

Goldsmith has worked with hundreds of executives in Fortune 100 companies and has found that successful people have four key beliefs that drive their success and, often, limit their growth. These beliefs are:

• I choose to succeed. Successful people believe that they are doing what they choose to do, because they choose to do it. They have a strong need for self-determination and do not like feeling controlled or manipulated. They believe that their behavior is a result of their choices and commitments. The “I choose to succeed” belief is highly correlated with achievement. The more we believe that our behavior is a result of our own choices and commitments, the less likely we are to want to change our behavior.
  

Successful people’s personal commitment can make it hard for them to change.

• I can succeed. Successful people believe that they have the internal capacity to make desirable things happen. They do not see themselves as victims of fate; rather they believe that their motivation and ability has driven their success.
  

Successful people often confuse correlation with causality. Because they get positive reinforcement for results, they may not have an accurate perception of what behaviors drove those results. This can result in “superstitious behavior” where the successful person repeats behavior that they believe was a factor in their success.

Successful people have difficulty realizing that they are successful “in spite” of certain behaviors, not “because of” them.

• I will succeed. A contagious sense of optimism is one of the most important characteristics of successful people. They not only believe that they can achieve, they believe that they will achieve. Because they are ambitious and goal oriented, they have difficulty saying “no” to desirable opportunities. They often equate “busyness” with success. Some successful people drown in a sea of opportunity and burn out their staff trying to complete what they have promised.
  

Successful people are very busy and face the danger of over commitment.

• I have succeeded. Successful people tend to have a positive interpretation of their past performance. They consistently over-rate their performance relative to their professional peers. When positive outcomes occur, they believe that their efforts were instrumental to the success. They see their history of what they have done as a validation of who they are and their personal attributes.
  

Successful people’s positive view of their performance can make it difficult to hear negative feedback from others.

Goldsmith has found that successful people have great difficulty in accepting input from others regarding their behavior. If the feedback does not agree with their perceptions of themselves they tend to deny the information for three reasons:

1. The input is from someone that they do see as their peer or equal in terms of success, therefore it “doesn’t count.”
   
   
2. They view input that is inconsistent with their self-image to be “incorrect” and the other person is “confused.”
   
   
3. They agree there is truth in the feedback but it could not be important since they are so successful. These are some of the reasons that feedback is not very effective with successful people. As Denis Diderot once said, “we swallow with one gulp the lie that flatters us, and drink drop by drop the truth which is bitter to us.”
   

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Barbara Bartlein, The People Pro, is a speaker and business consultant who helps businesses sell more goods and services by developing people. She can be reached at 888-747-9953, by email at barb@thepeoplepro.com or visit her Web site at www.thepeoplepro.com. Published in Networking Today, July 2006.