By Rob Basso on
6/21/2011 12:34 PM
Communication is one of the hallmarks of great business, but often times it gets taken for granted and its value gets overlooked. It can be very easy to perceive your communication as effective, then find yourself surrounded by mounting problems with your employees and your clients. This blog post by Jamillah Warner points out that as small businesses, we are on both sides of the service coin- we provide services as well as pay for them. Warner recognizes that it can be too easy to fall into the role of frustrated or angry manager when a service you are paying for doesn’t turn out the way you wanted. On the other side of the coin, you can easily become a resentful consultant or service provider when a client keeps insisting that you aren’t fulfilling their needs, while you’re at your wits end...
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By Rob Basso on
1/17/2011 12:27 PM
Who is the Director of First Impressions in your company? You do have one, right? They may not have that exact title, however, that's what they really are, whether you call them that or not! In some businesses, it could be the person who answers the phone. In other businesses, it could be the person behind the counter or a greeter in a store. That person, whoever they may be, holds in their hands the ability to delight or disappoint the customer, your customer. And how that first interaction is handled will determine if that customer does business with your company or decides to go with your competitor....
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By Rob Basso on
12/2/2010 11:40 AM
I recently returned from my honeymoon in Belize. After experiencing the truly happiest day of my life, I was excited to relax and unwind from the pre-wedding stress. Leaving my sales team wasn’t easy, but I knew I had provided them with the tools to handle everything while I was away.
While dining out one evening, my new wife spied a beautiful handmade table runner that was being offered by a local vendor on the beach. She went off to see it up close and get an idea of the cost. While she was examining the piece, another local street vendor approached me holding a backpack. He recognized immediately that we were Americans and encouraged me to have my wife negotiate for the price of table runner. He informed me that the woman selling them would know that we were tourists and to be careful before jumping at the first price. I thanked him and asked what was in his backpack. I was caught off guard that by the fact that he didn’t immediately sell me his product, but he was looking out for me. He informed me that he was selling hand carved wooden collectibles and asked if I was interested. I shrugged slightly and said ‘thanks but no thanks...’
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By Rob Basso on
9/22/2010 9:44 AM
My brother lives in Westmont, NJ just one town over from where I spent my junior and senior high school years. I attended Haddonfield Memorial High School and on my last visit to see my brother I decided to stop by and show my nearly 10 year old son, Nick, the school. We pulled up and the kids were just being let out for the day. A few faculty members were out front I presume to keep some order to the dismissal process....
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