Happy New Year! I love trying new things and here I go again. I’m trying a new way to stay in touch with people: an email newsletter. Check out the upper right area of my website and you’ll see this little green form: I’m not going to send out emails every day or even every… Read more »
Customer Relationships
How to Thank Volunteers
It seems very simple to thank volunteers, but as I learned today, “every ‘thank you’ is your next ask.” I’m working on the annual report for a Pittsburgh-area non-profit and the design team is exploring the role of the annual report. Is it just to thank last year’s donors? Or can it somehow mobilize the… Read more »
Zagat Rates Pittsburgh Food?
Zagat will be rating Pittsburgh restaurants in 2013. According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, “Currently, the only reviews for the Pittsburgh-area on Zagat.com are for chain restaurants that were taken from their recent National Chain Restaurant Survey.” Why is Zagat so popular? I think it’s because people like to hear what others think is good, go… Read more »
Adults like stories, too
In 2012 I published my first children’s book, The Bumpy Grumpy Road. It’s a metaphor intended to help children understand that they are in charge of their emotions, actions and reactions. As parents bought the book for their kids, I heard more than one time “This book helps me, too.” And when you read the story… Read more »
Do You Need a Lemonade Stand Approach with Customers?
It’s never to early to learn how to talk to customers. My kids are learning to do this at ages 7, 5 and 2 thanks to their very first lemonade stand. We live near a park and have a relatively constant flow of potentially thirsty neighbors walking past our house. So my boys decided they… Read more »
Does Your Business Need a Social Media Coach?
I work out a lot – for fun, for stress relief, and because it’s in my nature to set and strive to achieve goals. To help me reach these fitness goals, I hired a coach. Having a coach gives me accountability and someone to help me overcome obstacles and celebrate my successes. For my clients,… Read more »
Should You Deliver Bad News in Person?
Should you deliver bad news in person? I would argue yes. Experts say that 70% of our message is carried in non-verbal communication, that is how we convey meaning without words. The height of our eyebrows, the position of our arms, the volume of our voice, even the rate we blink all carry important information… Read more »
How to Write Positively Without Sounding Fake
One of my favorite aspects of LinkedIn, besides Answers, is Recommendations. I’m not shy about asking for Recommendations, and all the pundits will tell that waiting patiently for someone to take the initiative to recommend you is fruitless. You must make the request. And if people are following that advice, chances are you’ll be asked to… Read more »
Are Grumpy Kids Driving You Crazy?
Mine was, and sometimes still does. But as a mom, I am always looking for the solution that fits the personality of each child (much the same way I work with clients). And as a writer, I know a well-told story can really convince a potential customer to become a satisfied client. So I combined… Read more »
How do you handle negative comments?
Many businesses worry about having Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Pinterest pages or a blog that allows people to post comments. They wonder, “If people complain about us on these platforms, it will make us look bad!” What really looks bad is not receiving negative comments, but handling them poorly. Take a look at this negative review… Read more »