Disappearing Customer Service

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In this age of technology, where we have all of these devices that are supposed to improve our ability to communicate, one this seems to be certain.

ITS NOT WORKING!!

The ability for people to return phone calls is on the decline!

At the end of the day, regardless of what you do for a living, it is a customer service business.  If good customer service is not given, customers will go elsewhere! TWEET THIS

How many times have you called someone, left a message and not gotten a return call.  Then when you do get that return call, you get an apology that sounds like this. “I’m sorry, I have been so busy lately”.

BUSY IS NOT A GOOD REASON TO IGNORE YOUR CUSTOMERS.

In a previous post  “The email Awakening” I shared a story about a time when I slipped into this habit.  The email I got from a customer that quickly brought me back to the reality that we are all in the customer service business.

Customer Service

Three Rules to Remember:

  1. Make sure your customers know you care.
  2. Return phone calls in a timely manner.
  3. Free enterprise means customer are free to go where they want.

Whether Doctors office, Lawyer, Pod-caster, blogger, Sales rep, Principal, retail specialist, receptionist, garbage man etc.  ask yourself this…

What can I do to make each customers experience better.

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Only a Dad

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Only a dad, with a tired face, Coming home from the daily race, Bringing little of gold or fame, To show how well he has played the game, But glad in his heart that his own rejoice To see him come, and to hear his voice. Only a dad, with a brood of four, One of ten million men or more. Plodding along in the daily strife, Bearing the whips and the scorns of life, With never a whimper of pain or hate, For the sake of those who at home await. Only a dad, neither rich nor proud, Merely one of the surging crowd.  Toiling, striving from day to day, Facing whatever may come his way, Silent, whenever the harsh condemn, And bearing it all for the love of them. Only a dad, but he gives his all To smooth the way for his children small, Doing, with courage stern and grim, The deeds that his father did for him. This is the line that for him I pen, Only a dad, but the best of men. 

—EDGAR A. GUEST

My Simple Morning Routine

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BUT I’M NOT A MORNING PERSON!

WHY THE MORNING?

  1. Your brain has been resting all night and you have the most room for clarity in the morning.
  2. Willpower is highest in the morning so start strong!
  3. Your first thoughts and first activity should be something meaningful.

From the Book: Psychodynamic Neurology: Dreams, Consciousness, and Virtual Reality:

After sleep “there is more receptive capacity and more storage space.  That is why most people find that the morning is the best time for them to do “head work”.”

There is a ton of research on the positive benefits of exercise in the morning and how endorphin’s ramp up your brain and body for the day.  The website healthyliving.com has this to say about exercise in the morning:

“People who exercise in the morning before breakfast may enjoy benefits, such as increased energy throughout the day and greater weight loss. Making morning exercise a habit can improve your performance during the day and help you sleep better at night. People who exercise before breakfast in the morning may also enjoy burning more calories than those who exercise later in the day.”

We all have problems that we face everyday.  Some external and some internal.  We have to work hard to clear our mind first thing in the morning.

Developing a routine or a habit is key to making each day start positive.  There is enough that happens out of our control each day, so taking 12 minutes to set our mood and mind for the day helps us start the day positive.

To slightly change a quote by Henry Ford a bit…Results don’t come from what you are going to do  “tweet this“

Reputation

 

The 3 C’s:

1-Clear

2-Crank

3- Clarity

Over the next 3 weeks, I will cover each of these in more detail.  These 3 each take 4 minutes.  12 minutes to start your day with a new routine that will give you more clarity, confidence, and energy.

There have been countless interviews and blog post about successful people and their morning routines.  The fact that they have one is what is most important.  Can you get some great ideas from them, yes.  But does your routine need to mirror theirs? No.  Having one and starting the day strong and positive is key.  Routines have to be different because everyone’s morning starts at a different time and in a different way.

We all need to be striving for Constant Improvement– if your not embarrassed by who you were last year, your not making progress.

If you don,t think you can create 12 minutes to get your day started off the right way, you could always take some advice from Mark Twain….

Live Fron

 

My Simple Morning

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On your mark, get set, SNOOZE BUTTON!

Snooze

That is how I typically would start my day.  I’ve had times where I have been disciplined enough to get up and workout.  Here lately that has not been the case.  Being a dad of 3 daughters with full time job, rec soccer coach, taxi driver, husband, volunteer, husband, ect…  Making time for exercise has moved to the back burner.  As I look back at the times when I have be consistent with exercise, I have to ask myself, what was different.  The answer….  A ROUTINE.  Nothing over complex or complicated, but a simple, planned routine.

Trying to figure out where and how to start is the hardest part!

Over the next few weeks, I will introduce the “My Simple Morning” plan that, for busy parents (or anyone who needs a simple plan), will help you create a routine.  You will learn about the 3 C’s of a simple morning!

A morning without a plan is like a day without a purpose! tweet this

The best part is it takes 12 minutes.  Just 12 minutes!! 12 minutes to become more focused, energized and thankful. Can just 12 minutes change your day?

Stay tuned to find out!!

Lumber Jack

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I love cutting down trees and chopping wood. It’s cheap therapy. I always try and get my daughters involved in outdoor activities even if its something like chopping wood. This project was part service project and part firewood gathering. The “service” side comes into play because this Red Oak that we are cutting up and hauling off came from a friend of mines yard. This friend fell from a tree stand (maybe another blog post for a later date) late last year and was unable to walk for a while, let alone clean up a fallen tree. So my daughter and I spent the day cutting, splitting and hauling off this massive red oak. 

Awesome morning in the woods!!

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I’ve written several times about how being in the woods can provide a much needed reset. It’s nice when your day begins with 39 degree weather, not a cloud in the sky and with this kind of a view.  You can’t help but to feel calm and relaxed. 

  
If your a hunter, like me, it gets even better when you top it off with….

  
I’m not a prepper or super survivalist but I do love the fact that I can harvest a deer and use the meat to provide food for our table. 

Wether hunting, fishing, hiking, camping or bird watching, find a reason to spend time with nature. 

A Good Man!!

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Good at being a man vs. being A good man. What’s the difference?

  
It’s a question of Masculinity vs. Morality. You can be good at being a man (masculine) but not be a good person. That has been seen lately in the NFL. As Bob Costas said about Hardy, the Cowboys player who had some issues with domestic violence, “we realize he’s not a very nice person, but a good football player.” 

He is good at being a man, masculinity, but not good at being A Good Man. 

  
Can you be both?  Yes….  Abosolutly. That is the goal!  Be masculine with good morality. 

So look at yourself and decide which you want to be…. Just  A good man, or  A Good Man and Good at Being a Man. 

Worth trying yourself!

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I have to say I’m fortunate to have had a grandfather who was a guy who could fix/build anything. I spent a lot of time with him and as a little guy was always wide-eyed when he would work on cars,  building things from wood or making home improvements. 

    I guess my brain works in such a way that I can look at most thing and understand how they work. So when my starter decided to go out, 

  I decided to change it myself. Fortunately if you’ve never done it before, there will most likely be a video online with details on how to do it.  Most repairs are not difficult, they just take patience and confidence. 

  
The starter on the trailblazer is not easy to get to.  You have to remove the front wheel and end up working through a small space in the wheel well.  

 Patience was the key. A starter has two bolts (in most cases) that hold it in place and two more that connect the wires that make if function.  

 So do your research, make sure you have the right tools, and tackle that next project yourself.  In the process you will save some money and learn something. 

Never Stop Starting!!!

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Heard a great statement today at church. We had a guest preacher who was probably near 80 years old and he issued a challenge to “Never Stop Starting”. 

   The nature of the challenge was to not let the success of our past be the thing that defines us but we have to keep starting everyday.  

  I love that. As someone who has been in sales and management for years, these positions start over every month with being measured. (Example…You exceed your goal for September, great, Now do the same in October.) 

So  what can you apply this to?

-faith

-family

-work

-exercise

NEVER STOP STARING!!