See how forging apt partnerships with other firms that serve the same kind of customers, companies of all sizes can create unexpected benefits and transform customer service from an afterthought into a highlight.
1. Offer a Tantalizing “Extra”
Who knows how many people chose to stay at the ... Views: 511
When told to tackle the widespread child malnutrition in Vietnam in 1990 as an employee of Save the Children, Jerry and Monique Sternin could easily have become overwhelmed. Plus the country’s foreign minister told them, “You have six months to make a difference.”
Instead of looking at the ... Views: 510
Unexpected and sometimes enlightening things can happen when sharing a new experience with those who don’t act right, like you. I got unexpected insights when, with two friends, I walked through the Steins Collection of paintings by Matissse, Picasso and other avant-garde painters in bohemian ... Views: 507
When things go wrong, we tend to blind ourselves to other’s feelings. We are more likely to fall into a destructive behavioral trap. Sadly, when we do, we cannot be empathic. We weaken that human bond that’s vital to re-grouping and resilience. These blinding mindsets make us feel dumb, ... Views: 506
Whoever most vividly characterizes a situation or person usually determines how others see it in their mind’s eye, discuss it, and act on it. Here are ten tips for becoming one of the most frequently quoted experts in your profession, organization, market or your cause.
1. Be Mercifully ... Views: 497
1. Specificity Boosts Clarity and Accountability
The more concrete the agreement, the more clear the obligation and the more difficult it is for someone to misunderstand. "Please get right on that" does not create as much clarity nor accountability as, "Please finalize your choice of vendors by ... Views: 496
14 Simple Ways to Jump-Start Your First Cross-Promotion
Look for the most frequent patterns in your customers to find the most beneficial partners. Then consider which business offers the best quality of product or service like the one your kind of client might use.
Propose a simple, low-risk ... Views: 488
When you most want to smash someone in the face or run out of the room, remember this irony. Cooling off someone else’s anger can be a way to actually bring that person closer. Warning: Don’t add fuel to the fire by suggesting that they calm down. Here are five ways to not only dampen their ... Views: 487
After the priest moved to a new parish he approached his superior to ask, "Would you mind if I smoked while praying?" and was turned down. It is wise for us to learn how to ask for something in a way that enables others to agree. For example, the priest might have said, "Would you mind if I pray ... Views: 480
David Phillips was rushing up and down the supermarket aisles within seconds after seeing Healthy Choices “Early Bird Special.” He bought up all their 90-cent soups in the store. Then he raced over to a discount outlet to get all the brand’s 25-cent chocolate pudding cups. No time to pause. ... Views: 480
What makes gatherings truly meaningful and memorable? It’s not necessarily how much money was spent, but rather how many positive, memorable moments an attendee recalls.
To get a handle on some of the positives and negatives of your meeting, start your planning with a “sensory exposure ... Views: 478
David Phillips was rushing up and down the supermarket aisles within seconds after seeing Healthy Choices “Early Bird Special.” He bought up all their 90-cent soups in the store. Then he raced over to a discount outlet to get all the brand’s 25-cent chocolate pudding cups. No time to pause. ... Views: 472
She’d been fidgeting for some while. Suddenly, she turned and started talking to me. For two hours we’d sat silently, side-by-side at the airport gate, waiting for our small commuter airplane. Leaning on the narrow metal armrest that divided our seats, she looked hesitant yet determined. “Now I ... Views: 470
Was it the butterscotch-colored walls, light coconut scent wafting through the door as I opened it or the cushy island of deep blue carpet under my feet as I stepped into the boutique hotel? I don’t know yet I instinctively sighed with relief. And that was before I saw the the smiling doorman ... Views: 464
“We are not only ‘bowling alone,“ suggests Stanford professor, Jeffrey Pfeffer, “We are increasingly working alone.” Yet we still long for meaningful work and a sense of belonging – and individuals and organizations that support those very human desires are more likely to spur high performance ... Views: 463
Instead of trying to change your feelings (as cognitive therapy attempts to do), change how you choose to view your thoughts. Practicing this way, we can notice what's without immediately reacting, thus become better to choose how we want to react.
Breandan and Emma, the couple up the hill ... Views: 445
When you most want to smash someone in the face or run out of the room, remember this irony. Cooling off someone else’s anger can be a way to actually bring that person closer. Warning: Don’t add fuel to the fire by suggesting that they calm down. Here are five ways to not only dampen their ... Views: 444
While happiness books are all the rage, none begin by showing us the inescapable first step to connecting with others. Yet having social ties is the single best predictor of a longer, healthier, more satisfying life.
When hired by Disney to observe what infants and toddlers paid the most ... Views: 434
When you most want to smash someone in the face or run out of the room, remember this irony. Cooling off someone else’s anger can be a way to actually bring that person closer. Warning: Don’t add fuel to the fire by suggesting that they calm down. Here are five ways to not only dampen their ... Views: 428
Hint: what’s not revealed is sometimes most revealing. You never really know somebody until you see the choices she makes. As a nurse, you’ve long known that it is usually not the “medical” but the “people” challenges that determine how well you can do your job.
We instinctively pigeon hole ... Views: 423
The Confirming-Evidence Trap
This trap is the bias that leads us to seek out information to support our existing point of view while avoiding information that contradicts it. This bias not only affects where we go to collect evidence to reinforce a current stance or perspective, but also how ... Views: 420
#1. Tap the Little-Known Secret to First Impressions for Building Interest
Vala Afshar intuitively practices a little-known secret for attracting talented people as friends and colleagues. It’s an obvious truth, once stated. I saw it vividly demonstrated at Pivotcon.Via Twitter, I noticed how ... Views: 412
Today’s customer service has the potential to be nothing short of thrilling. By forging smart partnerships companies of all sizes can create unexpected benefits and transform customer service from an afterthought into a differentiating highlight.
1. Offer a Tantalizing “Extra”
Who knows how ... Views: 412
When you most want to smash someone in the face or run out of the room, remember this irony. Cooling off someone else’s anger can be a way to actually bring that person closer. Warning: Don’t add fuel to the fire by suggesting that they calm down. Here are five ways to not only dampen their ... Views: 407
Even though it’s been over a decade ago, I vividly recall my shock when sitting in a committee meeting for a non-profit. The chair asked us each to report back on the task we agreed to do. The second told us that she hadn’t started on her assignment because it had been a very busy month at work. ... Views: 406
That’s how Applebee’s attracted more customers – many first-time visitors – to their family restaurants one summer, without advertising more. When Weight Watchers designed and branded several low-cal menu items for Applebee’s, followers of the Weight Watchers program (and those who were thinking ... Views: 406
Feeling like you’re working harder yet not smarter over time? Feeling thwarted, scattered or under appreciated? You are not alone. Perhaps the biggest gateway into a more successful and meaningful work and life is this step: Distill your smarts and most passionate interests into a distinctive, ... Views: 406
Five men are walking across the Golden Gate Bridge on an outing organized by their wives who are college friends. The women moved ahead in animated conversation. One man describes the engineering involved in the bridge's long suspension. Another man points to the changing tide lines below. A ... Views: 400
Try six research-based tips for turning the page to the next chapter of the adventure story we are truly meant to live.
1. Live Your Greatest Passion Despite Inevitable Risk
"Life is like a 10 speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use," Charles M. Schulz once wrote. Gretchen Rubin ... Views: 398
During a packed stadium game, several spectators yelled racist insults down at the renowned, Brazilian footballer, Barcelona’s flying fullback, Dani Alves.
Capping it off, an angry spectator who had been yelling epithets threw a banana down in front of Alves as he was walking back onto the ... Views: 394
Marshall wasn’t aware that we were closely watching him as he strode into the pool table showroom, but he was the ninth unwitting participant in our experiment. He glanced at the sign on the wall directly ahead of him as he entered the store: “Our Three Most Popular Models” the sign hung above a ... Views: 392
David Phillips was rushing up and down the supermarket aisles within seconds after seeing Healthy Choices “Early Bird Special.” He bought up all their 90-cent soups in the store. Then he raced over to a discount outlet to get all the brand’s 25-cent chocolate pudding cups. No time to pause. ... Views: 392
Even though it’s been over a decade ago, I vividly recall my shock when sitting, as a board member, in a committee meeting for a major non-profit. The chair asked us each to report back on the task we agreed to do. The second told us that she hadn’t started on her assignment because it had been ... Views: 385
David Phillips was rushing up and down the supermarket aisles within seconds after seeing Healthy Choices “Early Bird Special.” He bought up all their 90-cent soups in the store. Then he raced over to a discount outlet to get all the brand’s 25-cent chocolate pudding cups. No time to pause. ... Views: 384
When I was a Wall Street Journal journalist, I was sent to cover a football game in Barcelona. Later during the game in the stadium I was startled to see many spectators in the stadium yelling racist insults down at the renowned Brazilian footballer, the flying fullback Dani Alves. Capping it ... Views: 384
Here are some quick, sometimes surprising clues: All Jokes Come Down to One of Four Themes
Anywhere in the world, all jokes can be reduced to just one of these themes, according to professor Richard Wiseman, a British psychologist who, via his LaughLab, conducted mass-participation experiments ... Views: 384
David Phillips was rushing up and down the supermarket aisles within seconds after seeing Healthy Choices “Early Bird Special.” He bought up all their 90-cent soups in the store. Then he raced over to a discount outlet to get all the brand’s 25-cent chocolate pudding cups. No time to pause. ... Views: 383
What do these stories have in common?
“Train hard, laugh harder” could have been the motto of the U.S. national soccer team when two-time Olympic gold medal winner, Julie Foudy, was captain, “the team’s comic relief and its social conscience” according to a New York Times article that cited her ... Views: 377
With a warm smile on his face an elderly gentleman came up to speak to me after hearing my keynote on Ways to Live a More Meaningful Life and asked if he could tell me about an experience he’d had the previous week that made him decide not to retire for awhile after all. He told me he’d been a ... Views: 375
Marshall wasn’t aware that we were closely watching him as he strode into the pool table showroom, but he was the ninth unwitting participant in our experiment. He glanced at the sign on the wall directly ahead of him as he entered the store: “Our Three Most Popular Models” the sign hung above a ... Views: 369
Why do we instinctively like some people and find others irritating or worse?
What makes us agree, buy, help . . . or not? Do your gut instincts help or hinder your “LQ” – Likeability Quotient? From an expert on gut instincts, gain insights about how to say it better next time. Answer this ... Views: 369
We can all make wiser decisions by understanding these common mental traps we sometimes fall into:
1. The Confirming-Evidence Trap
This trap is the bias that leads us to seek out information to support our existing point of view while avoiding information that contradicts it. This bias not ... Views: 368
Q. Want to live faster or slower? A: Yes.
Want to savor food (or fashion) slowly but grow your career or business faster? Then, for your work, try a Speed Coaching event. From Hong Kong to Anaheim, this wildly popular format is being adopted to serve diverse crowds quickly. They range from ... Views: 368
A client once called us to order 5,000 copies of a slender book I wrote years ago. He said that he wished he'd called sooner, before the sides had hardened between the people in his corporation. Now several squabbling people were proving themselves right about why the others were wrong. ... Views: 365
Stay sought-after by enabling others to proudly use their best talents together on things that matter to them. As William Butler Yeats wrote, “Because I helped to wind the clock, I come to hear it strike.” Here’s exactly how others have evoked that feeling and behavior:
One: “Pair Up” to Cut ... Views: 364
After being honored in a tribute a tribute at the Kennedy Center Way back in 2013 the renowned musician, Carlos Santana, was interviewed by several eager reporters. He was often asked about the musicians he most admired, the turning points in his life and how it felt to be popular again. Yet, ... Views: 357
What’s it take to stay relevant in work today? That often cited and disputed study made famous by Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery, is based on a study that covered those whose skills required repeated practice - surgeons, violinists, and athletes — notes Rookie Smarts ... Views: 357
1. TRUST AND LIKEABILITY GO HAND-IN-HAND
Adopt a proven, counter-intuitive way to seem likable to others. One of the biggest misconceptions about connecting is seeking, first, to be liked. In fact, the counter-intuitive way to get someone to like you is in knowing this core truth: If they like ... Views: 351
Sunny Summer is past. The upcoming holidays are times of great loving and loneliness and we often don’t know who is experiencing which. For many it is a bit of both. For us all this can be a prime time for kindness, sometimes simply by sharing what we have.
And kindness is often unspoken. ... Views: 351
These three true stories share a vital trait that can you can adopt to boost your mood — and your value and visibility with others — as an individual and for your organization: Thief Apologizes And Returns Money To Nashville Market 11 Years Later, How Google Maps Led To the Rescue of A Los ... Views: 344