Another very simple concept...

This morning I took my dog Jessi for a walk around the block. I was about to cross the street, when a taxi drove up about to turn into the same street. He indicated I could cross the street and gave me a big smile. (It wasn’t a pedestrian crossing). He didn’t have to do that, but it was very nice! I took a mental note of the name of the taxi company.

A few weeks ago I drove on a 100km road on the Devil's Staircase, a windy road along Lake Wakatipu (Queenstown). I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a removal truck speeding towards me. He then tailed me and suddenly passed me in a dangerous spot. (note that I'm not a slow driver, so there was no reason to tail nor pass me).
Anyway, looking ahead, I can see this truck passing a number of other vehicles. He was clearly in a rush, but it was a truck... on a windy road! I also noted the company name on his truck and thought to myself: I will never use this company to move my stuff!

I don’t think the driver realised the negative impact his driving had on his business.

So, next time you drive a sign-written company car, do keep your behaviour on the road in mind. And don’t forget to make your staff aware of this too!

The more courteous you are on the road, the more it will benefit your brand, and the other way around!

Till next week!
Marijke

I have been in the process of building a house over the past year – a project that has definitely gotten me out of my comfort zone!

I’m in the final stage now and am having to buy lots of new appliances, window treatments, internet services, etc etc. And I get very frustrated when I receive bad service (like most people!) Why do so many businesses get this so wrong?

Isn’t it all about offering a great product, but also great service? When you receive great service, don’t you recommend it to your friends and go back?

I am also a bit surprised at the lack of service that many businesses offer. For example: I needed custom made blinds for my new house. I got two suppliers to come out to my house for a quote. The first one (from a very nice shop in town) arrived half an hour late. Now, I have a huge thing about lateness, especially when they don’t even call. They didn’t bring any samples and it took them 5 days to get back with a quote.

The other person came on time, with samples and really listened to what I wanted. I received her quote that same day. Needless to say, I chose that company!

It’s the great service that did it!
So, have a look at this aspect of your business and set up systems or standards to improve your service, it is SO important!

• Do you get back to people promptly ?
• Do you go the extra mile?
• Are you sensitive to your customers’ needs?

Write down the standards that you expect from your staff, better still: get them involved in this process.

NOTE: if you need help with setting up service systems in your business, please contact me: marijke@smartraining.co.nz


Till next week, Marijke

I was just reading Destination Queenstown’s newsletter and see that several tourism businesses are having their annual locals’ day.
What a great community and marketing initiative! They offer their tourism activity at a heavily reduced rate, and often the money goes to a charity.

Why have a locals' day? Well, it's a great initiative that achieves the following:

• Locals experience the activities and are likely to recommend it to others (tourists to the town or visiting friends & relatives). Word of mouth & recommendation is still one of the biggest sources of information for people to book/buy your product.
• Locals will ‘brag’ about it in social media
• It is a good way to encourage Tripadvisor ratings
• Businesses that donate to charities or community projects create goodwill and are more likely to get chosen by customers over businesses that don’t
• It’s an opportunity to create some business over the quiet times
  
• It will increase awareness of your business
  
• Promoting your locals’ day will generate some free publicity!

So, what can you do to get locals to experience your product or service?

Till next week!

Marijke

What is Linkedin?
LinkedIn social networking website for people in professional jobs. Users can make connections with other people they have worked post their work experience and skills, look for jobs, and look for workers.
Did you know that there are over 380 million Linkedin users worldwide (over 1 million in NZ!)

Do you have a Linkedin Company Page?
If not, set one up! It's easy and it's a great way to keep people updated on your business, post jobs, increase your online presence and drive traffic to your website.

Below is a short video and instructions on how to do this.!

You can add a new Company Page only if you meet all of the following requirements:

1. You must have a personal LinkedIn profile set up with your true first and last name.
   
2. Your profile is at least 7 days old.
3. Your profile strength must be listed as Intermediate or All Star.
4. You must have several connections on your profile.
5. You're a current company employee and your position is listed in the Experience section on your  profile.
6. You have a company  email address (e.g. john@companyname.com) added and confirmed on your LinkedIn account.
7. Your company's email domain is unique to the company.

Once you meet the requirements above, you can set up your company page:

1. Login to your Linkedin account.
2. On the homepage, move your cursor over Interests at the top of your homepage and select Companies.
3. Click Create in the Create a Company Page box on the right.
4. Enter your company's official name and your work email address.
5. Click Continue and enter your company information.

And voila! You have your own company page!

Just as with updating your other social media pages such as Facebook, plan to update your Linkedin business page regularly!

Till next week, Marijke