BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS: Are you reinforcing your biases?

Being There When It Counts with Rick Itzkowich

If you practice any kind of awareness training, you already know the power of questions. However, what you’re probably missing is that you may be asking the wrong questions - without you knowing it! The following excerpt from Dr. Neil Postman, the celebrated Chair of the Department of Culture and Communications at New York University, superbly illustrates this:

"A question, even of the simplest kind, is not, and never can be unbiased. The structure of any question is as devoid of neutrality as its content. The form of a question may ease our way or pose obstacles. Or, when even slightly altered, it may generate totally different answers, as in the case of the two priests who, being unsure if it was permissible to smoke and pray at the same time, wrote to the Pope for a definitive answer. One priest phrased the question 'Is it permissible to smoke while praying?' and was told it is not, since prayer should be the focus of one's whole attention; the other priest asked if it is permissible to pray while smoking and was told that it is, since it is always permissible to pray."

So what biases are you suffering from when you ask questions about networking? With your questions, what beliefs are you reinforcing?

I’ve been a member of Business Networking International (BNI), the world's largest business networking organization, for 11 years. I have also been involved in Social Networking (SN) for the past four years. I see a remarkable synergy between both the offline and the online networking worlds. And yet I’m constantly amazed by the reluctance people from each world have about embracing the other world.

Here are a few of the questions I get asked during my presentations on combining online and offline networking to maximize results. Can you recognize the biases in them? What’s my return on investment (ROI) with networking? How much time do you waste driving to and from events? You have a big network online, but how many of those people do you REALLY know? You claim that I can triple the number of referrals I receive, but what about the quality of these referrals? With these questions do you start to see common "judgmental" threads?

Compare the questions above with these. How can I increase the odds that my social networking will yield a solid ROI? How can I maximize the time I will be investing at this event? How can I capitalize on the value I’ve built with my network? How can I educate my referral partners to receive better quality referrals?

Which set of questions is more likely to yield higher dividends?

Asking better questions is an essential skill in becoming a better communicator. It is also the key to discovery. A great place to start honing this skill is by being aware of our own biases. With awareness, we can purposely examine the biases and see if they are helping us achieve our goals. If they’re not, we can toss them and replace them with new questions that will.

This month’s QuoteAction is by French Philosopher & Writer, Voltaire

"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."

Your action is to pay attention to the questions you ask and identify the biases contained in them."

Enjoy an Extraordinary Month!

Click *here* to find out more about QuoteActions and some of the other innovative products and services offered by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.

As the creator of the QuoteActions, a unique relationship building system, Rick Itzkowich finds his articles, podcasts and blog messages regarding keeping your brand "top of mind" in high demand. His latest eBook, Social Networking for Business Profits, uses cost-effective follow up strategies. Rick is also the Co-founder and Vice President of Productive Learning & Leisure, a personal development training company for corporations and individuals. Rick can be reached at rick@productivelearning.com.

For more about Rick Itzkowich, please click here.







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BEING THERE WHEN IT COUNTS: Are you reinforcing your biases?

THE ENTREPRENURIAL GUIDE TO ENTERTAINMENT: Six Habits of Highly Successful School Kids That Can Lead Your Company to Greater Profits

The Entrepreneurial Guide to Entertainment
with Sandy McKee

I spend a lot of time in the Hawaii public school system as a volunteer, a
parent, and as a substitute teacher. I love it! The kids are fun and I end up
learning as much as they do. I often bounce my story ideas off of them, or ask their opinions on everything from plot points to the names of characters. We came up with a brilliant name recently, but you’ll have to buy the book to read it (when or if it is ever published).

I’m convinced that every entrepreneur should present their business plans to elementary school children before approaching bankers or venture capitalists. Get a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. The kids won’t steer you wrong. Plus, if you can explain your ideas clearly to an eight-year-old, then you probably know your stuff well enough to gain the confidence of any backer.

In Hawaii’s public schools, every child is taught six concepts called General Learner Outcomes (or GLOs for short). These are overall values that can be demonstrated by observable behaviors such as work habits, attitude, student efforts. These GLOs become part of the daily culture of the school and students are actually graded on how well they master these habits.

The six GLOs are:

1. Self-Directed Learner - the ability to be responsible for one’s own learning.
2. Community Contributor - understanding that it is essential for human beings to work together.
3. Complex Thinker - the ability to demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving.
4. Quality Producer - the ability to recognize and produce quality performance and quality products.
5. Effective Communicator - the ability to communicate effectively.
6. Effective and Ethical User of Technology - the ability to use a variety of technologies effectively and ethically.

Read that list over again and imagine if YOU and EVERY ONE of your employees, partners, vendors, customers, etc. received the highest grade for mastery of each GLO and applied that mastery in your business or workplace. What do you think that would do to your sales, your growth, your PROFITS?

GLO #1 Self-Directed Learner embodies the values of accountability and responsibility. “That’s not my table” and “It wasn’t my fault” excuses would not fly in a company that expected all stakeholders to be self-directed learners. This expectation must start at the top with the owner or board of directors and CEO if it is ever to become a part of the company culture. Take a hard look at how mistakes were handled in the preceding year and GRADE yourself and your company on GLO #1.

GLO #2 Community Contributor sounds obvious, because we usually can achieve more if we work together as a team. However, if you or your company have set up competitions between divisions or between employees and then expect your people to work together, you’re getting a failing grade for GLO #2.

GLO # 3 Complex Thinker should not be relegated to the R&D or IT departments. Your entry level employees and support staff should be encouraged and empowered to offer solutions to problems, too. There should be NO mindless jobs in your organization!

GLO #4 Quality Producer implores us to not settle for less than a job well done, no matter how big or small. Believe me, if you consistently produce quality work, it will not go unnoticed—by management or by the marketplace. Persevere and you’ll soon leave the slackers behind.

GLO #5 Effective Communicator is a critical skill; but, fortunately, it is also a skill that can be taught. If people constantly remark that they “can’t read your mind” or say “why didn’t you say that in the first place?” then you may need to improve your communication skills. Look into ways to learn communication techniques: books, tapes, classes, etc. If you’re the boss and your team needs to improve in this area, make these tools available.

GLO #6 Effective and ETHICAL User of Technology is as much about character as it is about proficiency with technology. You can be an effective computer user, but if you spend half of your work day chatting online with friends or playing videos games (if that is not your job), then from the company’s point of view you are a time thief and that is as bad as stealing inventory out the back door. However, if your use of technology is focused on producing results for the company, then give yourself high marks for GLO #6.

The classrooms in Hawaii have the GLOs clearly posted on the walls and they are referred to often throughout the day. My resolution for 2010 is to obtain the GLO placards and post them in my office. I’m going to read them every day, just as I read a book of Proverbs each day (see my blog http://www.proverbsforbusiness.blogspot.com). I’m going to give myself a grade at the end of each week and strive for mastery of these goals by the end of the school year. I might send a report card to my parents, though even at my age that strikes fear in my heart. Can’t get anything past Mom.

I encourage you to also incorporate the GLOs into your enterprise. If you are successful at it, please drop me a line. Yours will be the type of company I’d love to do business with.


For more information, please visit Sandy's TNNW Bio.







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THE ENTREPRENURIAL GUIDE TO ENTERTAINMENT: Six Habits of Highly Successful School Kids That Can Lead Your Company to Greater Profits

THE RETENTION FACTOR: The (Sad) State of Customer Service Today

The Retention Factor with Rosanne D'Ausilio

The state of customer service today is not good--to put it mildly--be it over the phone or using self service. Because 92% of people (BenchmarkPortal study) feel their call experience is important in shaping the image of a company, it reinforces the importance of branding the image of your company.

A recent survey* reports that the cost of customer service in 15 major industrialized economies causes businesses to lose a total of $338.5 billion per year when customers defect and/or abandon purchases.

Hardest hit industries include financial services, cable and satellite TV providers, and a variety of telecommunications companies. The average value of each lost relationship across all countries surveyed is $243 per year.

Why did customers leave according to this survey?

1. Being trapped in automated service
2. Being forced to wait too long for service
3. Repeating themselves (a pet peeve of mine)
4. Representatives that lack the skills to answer their inquiry

In other words, poor customer service.

When asked to identify what makes the biggest difference in improving satisfaction, these four were the responses:

1. Competency
2. Convenience
3. Proactive engagement
4. Personalization

Is any of the above new? I don’t think so. However, this survey seems to be the first large scale attempt to put an economic value on lost revenues from customer service across channels.

And it’s actually quite simple and basic to attain great customer service, but as years of surveys and customer service statistics reflect, it’s not easy to accomplish.

We believe strategies for success for world class customer service should include:

• Respond promptly
• Handle requests through the customers’ choice of medium
• Be brief and clear
• Reduce back and forth communications (especially in writing, i.e., email, kick it up to a phone call if it goes beyond two emails)
• Personalized service
• Delight the customer

What do we mean by delighting the customer?

• Inform and educate them
• Establish your expertise and professionalism
• Offer options
• Diffuse upset, anger, when and if necessary
• Escalate, if required
• Take Ownership of the call

Hire for attitude, teach aptitude.

ROSANNE D'AUSILIO, Ph.D., an industrial psychologist, consultant, master trainer, best selling author, executive coach, customer service expert, and President of Human Technologies Global, Inc., specializes in human performance management. Over the last 25 years, she has provided needs analyses, instructional design, and customized, live customer service skills trainings as well as executive/leadership coaching. Also offered is agent and facilitator university certification through Purdue University’s Center for Customer Driven Quality.

Known as 'the practical champion of the human,' she authors best sellers “Wake Up Your Call Center: Humanize Your Interaction Hub,” 4^th ed, “Customer Service and the Human Experience,” “Lay Your Cards on the Table: 52 Ways to Stack Your Personal Deck (includes a 32-card deck of cards)—motivational and inspirational readings, How to Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch: 101 Insider Tips , How to Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch: ANOTHER 101 Insider Tips (http://www.customer-service-expert.com), and The Expert’s Guide to Customer Service (http://www.customer-service-expert.com/report.htm) as well as her popular complimentary ‘tips’ newsletter on How To Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch! at http://www.HumanTechTips.com

Rosanne is also a Certified Call Center Benchmarking Auditor through Purdue University's Center for Customer Driven Quality. This certification training focuses on the access and use of key performance data to help better understand benchmarking results so as to advise on practical solutions for improvement.

For 10 years prior to starting her own organization, Rosanne had responsibility for marketing, budgeting, promoting and ultimately producing domestic and international computerized trade shows in the US, London, Belgium, and Frankfurt. She inaugurated, created, trained and directed a telemarketing on-site staff and was one of the first 150 people to attain CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) certification.

She is a columnist for TMCnet.com and Ask the Expert at supportindustry.com. She represents the human element on the Advisory Board of an Italian software company, authors numerous articles for industry newsletters, and is a much sought after dynamic, vibrant, internationally prominent keynote speaker.

*The Cost of Poor Customer Service: The Economic Impact of the Customer Experience and Engagement - sponsored by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories an Datamonitor/Ovum.

For more information, please visit Rosanne's TNNW Bio.

Published by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter. All rights reserved. Subscribe Free For Your TNNW Newsletter and THE BLUE MONDAY REPORT! - Click HERE.
The National Networker Companies
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THE RETENTION FACTOR: The (Sad) State of Customer Service Today