The Jholdas Group

http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/lifestyle/article/top-10-etiquette-blunders-steve-strauss?cid=rs-gambd-2011Booming-Outbrain

Check out this Honda produced video (shared with me by Carla Brown)…

How would you like to be on this list–TripAdvisor Dirtiest Hotels? What if @tripadvisor covered your industry?

http://www.tripadvisor.com/DirtyHotels-g4

If Delta could clone this guy they’d be the number ONE airline in America. We are delayed so he comes around the podium, tells us he LOVES us because we are HIS CUSTOMERS, promises to do all he can fix things and keep us informed, AND tells us to come and talk with him if we are concerned BECAUSE HE CARES. Tongue in cheek but very effective!

Tom Hopkins (by way of Brenda Brainard)…

Several years ago, I attended a banquet for top salespeople. Before I gave my talk, the speaker introduced someone in the audience and said, "This man earned twice the national average in sales last year …"

The speaker’s manner suggested that it was quite an achievement. But, it has been done by many, so everyone craned their necks and looked at the man in puzzlement.  "… and he’s totally blind." There was a burst of applause. When that finally quieted, the speaker said, "I’m sure that many of us are wondering how you got into the top third in sales achievement with your handicap."

"Wait a minute," the blind man replied, "I don’t have a handicap, I have an advantage over every other salesperson in my field. I have never seen a product I’ve sold, so I have to close through my prospect’s eyes. What I do is what all of you sighted people could do. You’d serve your clients better, and make more money if you did."

This is so true! You must see the benefits, the features and the limitations of your product or service from the buyer’s viewpoint. You must weigh them on their scale of values, not your own. Once you are able to do that, you will be able to concentrate on your job of serving them. You will be able to empathize with their situation, their specific needs and radiate the confidence that you can help them.

Pretty funny and pretty accurate:

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/infographic-laziness-in-the

I came across this quote from my hero/mentor: Winston Churchill (no, they don’t have to be alive to learn from them):

Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe.

Now that cuts to the heart of what leadership is about. Not position. Passion. Not logic. Inspiration. Not direction. Conviction.

It’s time to make sure our HEARTS are FULLY ENGAGED. Then and only then will others enlist in our army and march with us into battle!

Reading in Tom Peters’ “The Little Big Things” I came across the idea of “go ahead and make that 3 minute call you don’t want to make while the issue is still small.” Isn’t that the truth? Something happens and a quick walk across the office or a short phone call could set things right in a heartbeat (plus a little humility); but we put it off and the result is that it doesn’t just go away. It gets worse! Right?

So what if we made that quick call to the customer?

What if we reached out quickly to the corporate office or the branch and set things right?

What if we addressed that sticky employee situation right now?

That 3 minutes could be the best time investment of your entire day!

This blog from Seth Godin (I highly recommend subscribing) made me think…

Soles

All you’ve got, all your brand has got, all any of us have are the memories and expectations and changes we’ve left with others.

It’s so easy to get hung up on the itinerary, the features and the specs, but that’s not real, it’s actually pretty fuzzy stuff. The concrete impact of our lives and our work is the mark you make on other people. It might be a product you make or the way you look someone in the eye. It might be a powerful experience you have on a trip with your dad, or the way you keep a promise.

The experiences you create are the moments that define you. We’ll miss you when you’re gone, because we will always remember the mark you made on us.

There’s a sign on most squash courts encouraging players to wear only sneakers with non-marking soles. I’m not sure there’s such a thing. If you’ve going to do anything worthy, you’re going to leave a mark.

So, here’s my thought: what mark are we leaving no our clients and field employees? How are they different because we are there? What impact are we having on their businesses? How is their life better because they know us? It’s not what we say or market; it’s what we leave behind. That is the essence of our brands!

Checked into the hotel in Atlanta today—young lady at the front desk was very friendly, remembered me, welcomed me back BEFORE the computer told her to. I stay here every time I’m in Atlanta. Why? The little things—like being known and greeted.

I wonder if we are remembering the “little things.”