Archives For Relationships

trphy

Is Your Idea of Success Wrong?

March 7, 2013 — Leave a comment

How would you define success? Is it a nice job, big house, new cars, closets full of clothes? That seems to be how we, as Americans, tend to view success. We see the guy driving the big Mercedes and wearing a nice suit as successful, while the guy driving a 15 year old pick up and wearing dirty work clothes may not have the same appeal. It’s easy to assume one is successful and the other isn’t.

Photo by Gareth Williams on Flickr

Photo by Gareth Williams on Flickr

There’s a good chance the guy in the Mercedes leased as much car as he could afford, is upside down on his mortgage, and is nearly $150,000 in credit card debt. He and his wife fight constantly over money, how much he makes, how much she spends. They take exotic vacations and eat at the nice restaurants paid for with credit cards. They live in real fear that they could loose the house if he looses his job, which he hates. Continue Reading…

In Character, Improvement, Relationships
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Never Miss A Chance To Pet The Hershey

March 4, 2013 — Leave a comment

Any decent copywriter would probably fire me for that title. It’s a phrase I repeat just about every night (unless I’m travelling). It started off simple, but has developed a meaning, maybe even a personal philosophy.

Hershey is our Chocolate Lab (Yes, sometimes I call my dog The Hershey). We have one of each color. Each have their own personalities and idiosyncrasies. This one lives for attention. There is no such thing as too much attention for that dog. How about an example?

Hershey enjoying a run through the snow

Hershey enjoying a run through the snow

It wasn’t all that long after we adopted her from the local animal shelter that we took her to the dog park. It was “Lab Day” hosted by a rescue group and everyone was invited to bring their Labs (Lab owners tend to think it’s the only dog anyone should have. I understand that.) We knew she liked people but we didn’t realize how much. Continue Reading…

In Character, Improvement, Leadership, Learning, Relationships
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Why Valentine’s Day Isn’t As Important As You Think

February 14, 2013 — Leave a comment

Welcome to the Hallmark Holiday. That’s right, today is Valentine’s Day. It’s the day when we go out of our way to show our spouse or significant other how much we love them. Candy, cards, flowers, dinner out.

Some of you participate simply because it’s expected and all kinds of evil would rain down if you did nothing. If this is you then you are missing out. While you can’t go all out everyday, putting effort into your relationship like you hopefully are today, can take that relationship to a whole new level.

Image by tinkernoonoo on Flickr

Image by tinkernoonoo on Flickr

Make The Most of It

Valentine’s Day only comes around once per year, so take advantage of the opportunity. Hire a babysitter. Make reservations at a nice restaurant. Rent a movie and make dinner at home. Or go big and plan a weekend get away.

Continue Reading…

In Character, Holidays, Relationships
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Building Loyal Customers

April 14, 2012 — Leave a comment

Good service is expected these days. With the arrival of Web 2.0 and services likes Google reviews, Yelp, InsiderPages, etc, bad service can do a lot more damage than ever before.

In decades past, the mantra was if you give someone good service they will tell a friend, but give them bad service and they will tell at least ten others. With the proliferation of review sites, bad service means they will tell ten other people AND post their story of how you screwed up on the web for all potential customers to see.

Anytime I am looking for service (and sometimes restaurants) I check Yelp and Google Reviews. I don’t let bad feedback scare me off if its only one or two posts mixed among 50 glowing reviews. Some people are jerks and will never be happy with you no matter how much you go out of your way to help them. At the same time, I try to leave good feedback when I get outstanding (or at least above average) service.

Today is one of those times. I have already left my review for the muffler and brake company I went to this morning. But it got me thinking about customer service and how to increase your revenue long term.

Continue Reading…

In Career, Improvement, Personal Management, Relationships
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