Archive for the ‘Productivity’ Category

I am a big fan of 1ShoppingCart and recommend it often as an all-in-one e-marketing program.  However, I recently came across a plug for E-Junkie and decided to look into whether this might be a better solution for my clients.

I love it when one of my peers not only gives a review of a product, but a comparison as well.  The following information is taken from a post written by Kristen Beireis, a Trust Marketing Expert from the Coaches’ Internet Marketing Source.  Here’s what she had to say on the pros and cons of 1SC vs. EJ…

Follow-up with Buyers

• 1ShoppingCart allows a text and HTML delivery of messages and newsletters
• E-junkie only has text.  With an aweber connection on E-junkie, you can follow up using the HTML there.

Autoresponders

• 1ShoppingCart’s autoresponder system allows you to create an e-course or have an autoresponder series set up.  It also allows you to have a form on your website for free products.
• E-junkie does not have this capability.  Again, only with the AWeber connection can this be done.

Affiliate Program

• 1ShoppingCart provides a place to store banners, buttons and promotional materials, and a way to follow-up with affiliate members.
• E-Junkie offers no place to store banners, buttons, promotional materials etc., nor a way to follow-up with affiliate members.  They also do not collect address information, phone number, or a SSN from your affiliates, which is a problem come tax time.

I hope you found this information useful.  I will be adding more tips and info soon.

While winzip or winrar will work, i think I’ve got a simpler solution:

Step 1 – Save the file to your desktop
Step 2 – Right click the file -> Drag to ‘rename’
Step 3 – Amend ‘.zip’ to the end of the file and hit enter
Step 4 – Open zipped folder and view contents

That’s it! I hope this helps.

Customer Support is a large part of what I currently do as well as what I have done over the last 20 years.  Of all of the things we have to do to make a business run, attending to the customer is one of the most important.  Without the customer, there would be no business.

Over the years of dealing with clients – and being one myself – I have learned that customer satisfaction really is key.  This is so with any business, but especially true in the online world.  Jeff Bezos, the Founder and President of Amazon.com, said, “If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell 6 friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends.”

The University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index listed Internet retail in 2007 as having an 83% rate of customer satisfaction.  That means that 17% of our customers are walking away unhappy!  Often an unsatisfactory experience is due to simple misunderstanding.  These situations can easily be resolved by reassuring the client that their problem will be taken care of expediently and also, will not be repeated.  Customers want to be dealt with on a personal level.  Take on each case as though you’ve put your arm around that person and made their problem your problem.

So what key strategies do I follow?

#1    Respond promptly.  Nothing burns a customer more than having to wait for a reply.  The longer they stew, the harder it is to diffuse their anger.  A quick reply denies them the advantage of saying they “tried to contact you several times with no reply”.  This only justifies their stance and puts them even more strongly on the defensive.  Even if you need to tell them, “I received your request and am looking into the issue.  Thank for your patience”, you will have given them your respectful attention.  Now the ball is in your court.

#2    Listen.   Find out what the customer is really asking for.  Let them vent and then reiterate what it is they want.  It should be your aim to please.  You will not only be securing a customer, but gaining credibility. J.C. Penney said, “A happy customer is your walking advertisement.”

#3    Empathize.  As far as the customer is concerned, you are the company.  Be as real and personable as possible.

#4    Commit.  Benjamin Franklin said, “Well done is better than well said.”  Avoid making promises you can’t keep.  Tell the customer what you plan to do and then do it.  If you aren’t certain of something, assure them that you will find out.

#5    Offer incentives to stay.  Go above and beyond what the customer is asking.  People inherently feel that there should be some compensation for their inconvenience.  An apology doesn’t always wipe the slate clean, so add a peace offering.

Here are 10 tips for dealing with those unhappy customers:

http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/223/Tips-To-Deal-With-Unhappy-Clients-From-Your-Strategic-Thinking-Business-Coach.html

Finally, look at the unhappy client as a guide to where you need to improve.  Their feedback is an invaluable resource.  Their issue resolved is one step closer to 100% customer satisfaction.

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. – Bill Gates

You’ve all heard the story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Delegating. Seems like it should be freeing, right? Giving all of those tedious and mundane tasks to someone else to do – things that could surely done by anyone who’s not as busy as you are right now. You’ve got deadlines to meet, clients to please and for-goodness-sake, a life outside of work! But. It’s. So. Painful. Not only will you have to choose a perfect assistant, you’ll actually have to drop the reigns and let them take over! Is it time to unclench your grip?

Here’s a neat test I found to help you decide. Answer yes or no:

1. Do you allow your team members to make mistakes?

2. Do you frequently take work home or work late at the office?

3. Does your team function smoothly when you are absent?

4. Do you over-rule or reverse decisions made by team members?

5. If you were incapacitated for 6 months, could a team member take over smoothly?

6. Do you do some things your team members could be doing?

7. Do your team members take initiative without input from you?

8. When you return from a trip or training, is there a big pile in your in-box?

9. Do your team members delegate to their teams (if applicable)?

10. Do you spend time on details that you would rather spend on planning and supervision?

To determine whether delegation may be able to help you, give yourself one point for each answer of “Yes” on the even-numbered questions (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10), and one point for each answer of “No” on the odd-numbered questions (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9). The higher your score, the more likely you are to need to use delegation more than you are now. Any score higher than 5 indicates some need for additional delegation of tasks.[1]

I like the use of the term “team” above. Your team is just that. Imagine a game where you are playing all the positions yourself. Could you win? Possibly – but more likely, you would run out of time, get burned out or just flat out fail. We need to be able to pass the ball. We also need to be aware of who it’s best to pass it to – each team member has his own set of skills. At times, duties may even be best handled outside the office. One time-consuming task that has made its way to the top of every web owner’s to-do list these days is a weekly blog or newsletter. Did you know that you can hire someone to write your blogs for you? Here are some professional ghostwriters who can keep your blog up to date or create a newsletter:

http://www.mccordweb.com

http://www.thenewslettercompany.com/

http://www.getitinwriting.biz/e-newsletters.htm

Initially, outsourcing may seem like an unnecessary expense (after all, you could do it yourself!), but not if it can free you up to focus on more profitable projects.

The above test is a good self-examination for the workplace, but what about at home? New team, different game! No matter what arena of life we play in – as a boss, parent, homemaker – we think nobody can do it as good as we can. But, just as we delegate in business, we can also delegate in our homes. Sometimes we just overlook the fact that we can! Ask your spouse to share the yard or housework with you. Have the kids to take over getting the mail, walking the dog or emptying the dishwasher. Pay bills online. Get a nanny. Have the house professionally cleaned once a month. Order out.
Theodore Roosevelt himself said, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” Eighty years later, Ronald Reagan said the same thing: “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere.” Now, maybe Ron just adopted that notion from Teddy, but might I suggest that great minds think alike! And if the President of the United States can feel secure enough to let some of his team handle a few things, shouldn’t we?

For more seriously in-depth info on delegating, see this article: http://www.lawsoncg.com/lcgi-article_delegate.htm

[1] http://sa-health.wikidot.com/how-to-delegate

There are a variety of thoughts on To-Do lists.
I’m addicted – I love them – I love the satisfaction of checking them off and of looking at them at the end of the day and seeing how much I accomplished. The satisfaction of a day well spent. But that is just me.

Some people, my sister for example, hate them – it is to them a nagging reminder listing all their failures taunting them throughout the day.

To-Do lists serve as reminders for us feeble minded souls who can’t remember 10 things, never mind 50. They allow you to choose smaller things when time is short and to bully you into the larger things that seem overwhelming. They free up your brain to focus on one thing at a time without worrying about forgetting all the rest. However, they may not be all good. The simple act of putting something on the list can create a sense of urgency where this is none. A long list can become overwhelming and a sense of failure may accompany it if not enough items are checked off. It can even (contrary to one’s first thought) become a time waster if it becomes a focus (for example – for a period of my life I would rewrite my list each time I crossed something off so it looked neater!)

A friend once told me her therapist suggested she have no more than 5 things on her To-Do list so that she not become overwhelmed. This would not work for me. If I was only juggling 5 things, I would not need to write them down!

Nowadays you have a host of online To-Do lists available including Ta-Da, Bla-Bla, Tu-do, and Remember the Milk to bring the paper To-Do list into the new century. There is even a book about To-Do lists that shares the To-Do lists of famous people and the stories behind them. Ever wonder what your To-Do list says about you? You can find out at the authors website www.sashcagen.com.

Another idea I have come across is the Not To-Do list – this one comes in handy as a parent and when trying to break some bad habits. Just writing the goal of not doing something can help reinforce your commitment to stop the behavior.

A book I read once suggested a “what I accomplished today list” – this is good for the end of the day especially when you are feeling like nothing got done – at times I have resorted to putting “got out of bed” on this list.

To-Do lists are even touted by Universities of learning. Cornell suggests to their new students that the three things that are essential for a To-Do list are:

- making a new To-Do list everyday
- prioritizing the tasks
- breaking things down into small pieces

I wonder if it’s considered cheating if I leave yesterdays accomplishments on the paper just to feel good!

(article written – one more thing off my To-Do list!)

Resources:

sashacagen.com
tadalist.com
blablalist.com
rememberthemilk.com