Veterans Day

A short note to all veterans of wars, Happy Veterans Day (Sunday, November 11) and thank you for your service. Veterans all over the world that have given their time, courage and service to keep nations free.

This is not a political blog, but to peoples living free throughout this world there are those that have fought for your nation to preserve that freedom. It is these men and women that we honor on this day. Being an American, I thank my own countrymen and women. I thank my son for his current service overseas. Be safe and true.

The picture came from a site called the "Danz Family - American Flag Project"

How To Spread Goodness

Wow - here it is November 9th already and I haven't written since the end of October. I am in a period of time where my work seems to consume all of my time. It leaves little time for my family, which I know is a bad thing and I have always had a difficult time balancing the two. So during these periods, the blog has to take a rest.

In all of what I do though, I never forget you folks - faithful readers and supporters. I also never forget all of those people that each of us can help. Spreading a smile here, a nice gesture there or just doing a small good deed will go a very long way in improving someone's life.

As the holiday season approaches, here are a few tips to help spread some goodness around:

1. Smile more often, life really isn't so bad and a smile changes an entire room.
2. Slow down and relax a bit more often, driving isn't a race against others, it is just getting from point A to point B.
3. Tip more and more often, those working in the restaurant business really don't get paid all that much...15-20% tip regardless will help them with the holiday season.
4. Send a note to a soldier overseas more often as they need our support and encouragement. I'll write more about this soon.
5. Lend a helping hand more often, service to others has it own reward that will make them feel better and you much better inside.

Enjoy your weekend everyone and be safe.

Making a Change

Today I'd like reintroduce you to my friend's website: Open Road Missions. Paul is doing some good work out there with "a way to hope and healing." Paul took a step out and changed his life. There will be many days of hope for people that look for even the smallest of goodness.

Customer Loyalty

I read an article recently in Executive Travel Magazine that spoke to the idea of why you should care about customer loyalty. It offered eight areas that you should look at when it comes to your customers.

Thinking about customer loyalty is not just a business owners concern but should be a concern of anyone that with people. It could be through your church, your civic organization and even you as an employee should care.

There is a discussion in the article Keeping The Customer, which gives you some points to ponder. It reveals the age-old business 80/20 rule is still valid, not only for business but for most any organization (volunteer or other). This rule says that 80% of your revenue (or volunteerism) is generated by 20% of your customers.

Keeping those 20% loyal and happy is important to the health of your organization. But think of the potential which exists within the other 80%. Don't neglect that other untapped area.

So how do we do this...build customer loyalty. The article provides the following 8 ways;

1. Develop employee loyalty first - customers can tell when your own employees are not happy.

2. Invite customer criticism - it may hurt, but you will learn quite a bit.

3. Increase responsiveness - don't let issues linger, the longer you wait, the more people will leave.

4. Work to win back lost customers - they may have left, but showing you want them and giving them reason to return will go a long way in winning customers back.

5. Equip your front line employees - give them the ability to make decisions, to get a answer up front for the customer.

6. Use multiple channels of service - offering various methods of contact; automated-phone, real-person phone, email, website all with the same level of service wins people over.

7. Protect your most loyal customers - that 80/20 rule, create enhanced service levels for those 20%, protecting your most loyal customers protects 80% of your revenue.

8. Observe your customer's buying behavior - how and why do customers come to you with there business or organization.

The author, Jill Griffin says the key rule of loyalty is, "serve your employees first, so they, in turn, can serve your customers." Loyalty doesn't happen in an instant, it builds over time. Very hard to earn but easy to lose.