Colin Myles's Blog, page 30

Loyalty Cards ... What are they good for ?

Hi,
before you sing out  " Absolutely nothing ", have a little think. How many loyalty cards do you carry around with you ?. This is a question that has me puzzled and stumped.

The majority of retail or coffee shops I go to, almost without exception ask me when I go to pay " have you got a loyalty card ? ". If I was to get a loyalty card from each of these places, I would need to bring back to life, my Filofax. [ it was an 80's thing ]

I would love to know how beneficial they are to a business. Do you see increased levels of business from people who have a loyalty card ? Or do they make up a small percentage of your overall customers.

Having being involved with many programmes throughout my time in the hospitality industry, I tend to have a lukewarm feeling towards them. The key for me at least was .. 1. how easy was it for the customer to use them ..2. how easy were they to manage from the business point of view.

Recently I have come across three types and from a customers point of view, one of them stands head and shoulders above the other two. Let's start with my least favourite one.

Big coffee chain. To access the free wi-fi and enable the loyalty card. I have to log into their website, punch in a long number and jump through all sorts of hoops. I haven't done it yet. Why would I, when there is other places I can go to, without the need for excessive form filling.

The second is a small coffee shop/restaurant which I frequent maybe once or twice a week. It operates the buy ten get one coffee free type of card. I explained to the waitress that I keep losing those type of cards and she replied " oh just let me write your name on the card, I will keep it by the till and when you come in we will stamp it for you ". I was impressed by the level of service offered. However it depends of my getting served by this waitress , as it appears to be something she is doing on her own. So credit where credit is due.

My favourite one is a pet store. They asked me if I was interested in joining their loyalty programme and get 5% off purchases of pet food. I explained my usual losing story .... the shop assistant said ... " well all you need to do is fill out this form with your name and mobile number. I will activate it on system right now and everytime you come into the store and your phone is switched on the system will recognise you "

So filled out a form ... my name, my mobile number. That was it and everytime I have gone in there the shop assistants greet me by name when I go to the till to pay for my items. Simple and effective.

I like simple, I like effective. I dislike having to jump through hoops to activate something. As a customer I like to be greeted by my name. I like immediate reward for spending my money in a particular store.

I would love to hear about Your favourite loyalty card and the one that frustrates you the most, below in the comment box.

Have a successful week,
Colin Myles
Straight Talk. Better Business
Author of this book 

p.s.
" You are what you do, not what you say you'll do "  Unknown

Indecision Destroys

" He who seesaws with indecision soon loses the trust of everyone "  Ancient Saying
Hi,want to destroy your working and business relationships ? simple become known as someone who is indecisive. Nothing is as frustrating as a person who changes their mind as quickly as a grasshopper jumps from blade of grass to blade of grass.
What happens when you as a business owner contract the " indecision destroys " bug ... Your team will ignore your instructions,because they know you will change your mind X number of times before settling on something.
Your clients will begin to doubt whether you can deliver, because you keep changing the terms and conditions.
Worse of all as time goes by and your indecision seesawing antics become widely known, well people start taking away their trust in you as a person and in your business.
The first one will hurt you personally while the second hurts your business, your employees, your clients and their belief in you to deliver. When people see your indecision affecting your product or service, they start to look elsewhere. Search for someone who can deliver on what they say. Your customers don't want a lot of hot air, your staff want to know where they stand. 
And when your team gives up believing what you say, you begin to lose your team.
Stop seesawing, make a decision ,stick with it and give your team and customers a reason to trust you.
When you become trusted by your words and actions, amazing things happen.
Colin MylesStraight Talk Better BusinessAuthor of this book

" The road to success is not straight,  there is a curve called failure,  a loop called confusion,  speed bumps called friends,  red lights called enemies,  caution lights called family,  you will have flat tires called jobs,  but if you have a spare,  called determination, an engine called perseverance, a driver called willpower, you will make it to a place called  SUCCESS."     Unknown  

How to Speak so Others Listen

Hi,
every so often you come across something that is so good, you just have to share it. Here goes ...



You and I often get frustrated when people don't seem to grasp what we are saying. We get frustrated when our ideas fall flat. We wonder why people don't see what we see.

We confuse their ambiguity for no interest. But after watching this video, the problem and solution may be you.  I hope this video has helped you. Maybe you have gained some valuable insight as to how to improve your speech so others listen. I truly hope so.

Have an outstanding week,
Colin Myles
Straight Talk. Better Business

Author; 5 Keys to Doing Business with The Right People
Author; 67 Uplifting Quote

p.s
The secret of business is to know something  that nobody else knows" Aristotle Onassis

Psychographics

Everybody is not your customer.

Okay, now I am going to go out on  a limb here. Am certain you are a smart and savvy business operator. You have given yourself an edge in the marketplace by sitting down and profiling your ideal customer,

You have done this based on their
Age
Income
Occupation
Marital Status
Gender
Religion
Ethinicity
Education
Family Status.

How would you like to sharpen that edge and be able to cut through the forest of information that is overloading your brain and business? How would you like to focus in on real ideal customer?

Welcome to psychographics. This is the attitudes,values and beliefs of your ideal customer. You take your ideal customer and ask,
What motivates them ?
What type of lifestyle do they lead ?
What sort of activity do they enjoy and what interests them ?
What values are important to them ... Money ? Status ? Family ?

When you take the time to do this, making decisions become easier. You want to run an ad campaign,but don't want to see money wasted on a vanity project. Simply take your ideal customer and layer over the psychographic of them and ask, is this the type of paper my ideal customer would buy or read ?

Thinking of adding a new product line ? You know your ideal customer ... so ask, would this product fit in with their lifestyle, would it add value to them and improve their status and enhance their family ?

Think of psychographics as the Zen of marketing. The sharpest tool in your arsenal to cut through all the nonsense and lets you concentrate and focus on your ideal customer. The one who buys from you. The one who believes your product or service fits in with their values,attitudes and beliefs. Because this is where you go from just having customers to gaining raving fanatics of loyal believers in you and your business.

Do you want to try and please everybody and end up with nobody or do you want customer loyalty ? Psychographics is your path to gain cutting edge advantage over all your competitors. Use the force wisely !

Colin Myles
Straight Talk. Better Business.
Author ; 5 Keys to Doing Business with the Right People
Author ; 67 Uplifting Quotes 

p.s.
Everyone is not your ideal customer

Rolex Romeo a.k.a. Fake it till You Make It

Hi,a short while ago I was watching a segment on Bloomberg about a new business [ watch it here ] and the gentleman used the phrase " Rolex Romeo " to describe people who lease expensive items for a short time to impress others.
It got me thinking about that other phrase which you often hear " fake it till you make it ". I must admit to having a love/hate relationship with this phrase. Back in time when I was more heavily involved in direct sales,it was a standard cliche thrown out to those who were looking for fast acceleration in their business.
You can use some parts of the phrase to improve how you present yourself to others but in truth if what you are saying,doing and offering are false,you will be caught out and failure will follow as sure as day follows night.
There is nothing wrong with having absolute belief in your product or service. In fact,it is a must. However if you are presenting fake benefits and features of your product or service,that is just plain dumb. Because you may fool some of the people some of the time but you will never fool all of the people all of the time.
When you go out to fool people to increase your sales the only person you are fooling is yourself. Because the price you pay will be heavy. People will lose trust,respect and confidence in you. And without these three,you are only standing on a foundation of quicksand.
It is right that you project confidence,belief in yourself and your product. Even if you find this hard to do,you know you must act that way for people to listen to you. And if people don't listen to what you have to offer than it becomes a challenge to generate sales. Without sales your business will falter. So being a little bit like superman with your alter ego of confidence is a must, for you to get in front of people.
But when you do get an audience and start claiming false things about you,your product or service to induce clients to part with their money,this is where you have just crossed the line. You become like the guy who leases a Porche for the weekend to impress the ladies. Might work for a day or two but when they see you driving around in that car your grandma gave you for your birthday,the game is up and over.
Don't be like this with your potential customers,because sooner than you think,you will be rumbled. And when you are, all the goodwill you have generated will be lost. So by all means project confidence and please stay away from the fake benefits and features. They are not worth it,not if you want to be around a long time.
To your success,Colin MylesAuthor ; 5 Keys to Doing Business with The Right People
p.s." When you talk you are repeating what you already know,but if you listen you may learn something new"

Upselling is a Craft

On wedensday I was upsold by probably the most natural salesperson I have come across in retail sales in the last ten years.

Imagine going into a coffee shop/restaurant, being greeted with a natural warm smile. Your order being asked for in a caring manner. After placing my order, I then heard, in a simple carefree manner " two shots ?" I replied " sure... good idea ".

About two seconds later my rational brain kicked in and I realised I had just been Upsold. But not only that, I suddenly noticed my coffee was been made in a simple clean, zen like manner. The young lady was an expert at making coffee. There was no fuss,huffing or puffing,face pulling or suchlike to try and give you the impression that this was hard work and you were lucky they were taking the time to make your coffee to order.

I have never had my cofffee made in such a serene zen like fashion.

Now lets compare this to what happened to me about an hour and a half previously. I had driven across the city to go to my lawyer's to sign some papers. Arriving early and parking up, I remembered there was a coffee shop next door. ( hadn't had my second cup of Joe yet ).

I walked in to a clean bright shop. Nobody at the counter, when out from the back a body appears and I was greeted by what can be only described as " Polite,sloppy indifference ". They half flounced shuffled across the floor, heading to the door to show me how to close the door properly. While at the same time turning their head and asking for my order. Can't explain the feeling,yet all I wanted to do was to get out of there as quickly as possible. I quickly scanned the menu to order the cheapest and smallest cup of coffee permissible.

Let's go back to the lady who upsold me. By placing an order with two shots, my coffee had gone up in price by 50 cents. If this young lady was converting 7 out 10 customers to two shots she had just increased sales by $3.50 an hour ,say. Eight hours = $28 increase in sales for that day. If the shop is opened six days,that young lady is bringing in $168 extra a week just in coffee sales alone. That means $672 extra revenue per month, which equals $8064 per year in sales, by asking one simple question " two shots ".

As mentioned previously she was a natural. She was dressed smart,warm smile,personable and outstanding at her job. But as I watched her make the coffee, you could tell she had been trained well. She made coffee in a simple serene way. She asked the Upsell question in a polite natural manner. You did not feel as if the person serving you was going through a mental sales checklist.

This is a craft that takes time to learn and be comfortable with. It is not something you can round up your staff for and give them a 15 minute sales lesson and expect your sales to soar into the realm of your fantasy. it is a process. It is about coaching, feedback, questions and answers. It is gently moving people forward and giving recognition for a job well done and applauding when they practice what they learn.

Imagine employing four people and each of them where able to Upsell a minimum of $8064 by adding 50 cent onto 7 out of 10 orders. Now imagine your business and adding $3 onto 7 out of 10 orders. How much extra revenue would this bring into your business ? How secure would your business be in twelve months time ?

How much time and money are you investing into your staff becoming the most natural UPSELLERS ever. It is a craft. It does take time. But the rewards are Extra Ordinary.

Because which would you rather have ... an ordinary or an Extra Ordinary business ?  Only you can choose !

Colin Myles
Straight Talk.Better Business.

Author ; 5 Keys to Doing Business with the Right People

Author ; 7 Reasons Your Business is Dead

p.s.
" It is the gentle who have strength,sinew and courage - not the complaining and indignant. " Marcus Aurelius

Patience ... A Lost Art

A couple of weeks ago, I had to go to the bank to lodge a foreign currency cheque. As luck would have it there was only one teller open. But there was one lady with the teller and four people in line including myself. "Not too bad " I thought.

Well the lady with the teller was trying to do about ten things and had not filled out the correct paperwork,so things were going slow. The clock was inching forward but the waiting line was static. The lady in front of me,kept turning around, throwing he eyes up to heaven and sort of performing a mini stomp. The sort you see kids do, when they can't get their way.

Just as the lady was finishing up with the teller, a gentleman joined the line. Within three seconds, he looked at the people in front of him and loudly exclaimed " oh for Fxxx's sake ". If he was looking for sympathy and letting us mere mortals know he was too important to be standing in line. Well, guess he blew it.

The lady left the counter and the next lady went up and left within two seconds as she was in the wrong place for the information she required. Next up to the teller was an elderly gentleman, leaving she who likes to stomp,me and the exasperated gentleman.

Because this man was doing a complicated transaction,it was taking a bit of time. The lady in front of me had by this stage now added a snort to her mini-stomp and rolling eyes. He finished and stomping lady went to teller. Guess what another teller opened up and I was served next. The lady who loved to roll her eyes was now herself holding up the line, because she did not have the correct paperwork filled out. Karma or what ?

Why am I telling you this story ?  ... for you the business owner and entrepreneur to understand three things ;

1. There is no magic bullet ; when it comes to marketing and advertising, you must have patience to try and test. Explore what is working and what is not. Be prepared for the long haul. One advert is not going to bring home the bacon,solve your financial worries. It takes time, it takes patience and willingness to explore and measure what works,worked and what didn't.

2. Everybody belongs to somebody ;
The gentleman who loudly exclaimed " oh for Fxxx's sake " let himself down badly. How does he know that I was not the favourite newphew of his biggest client ? He doesn/t . Maybe the teller was thinking of using his company for a project she had in mind. Maybe a friend of mind was thinking of asking him to be his mentor in business ?

You don't know who is around you when you are out in public. So why take the chance and let potential clients see you have no patience and a big ego too. Why would you take that chance ?

3. Explore and curiosity
Being an entrepreneur and business owner can be lonely at times and the successful one's take this lone time and turn into a game of exploring and wonder. They become curious about a new business that is exploding in the next city. They explore what are they doing right. They become curious about the guru who sold them this magic bullet, which keeps missing the target. Patience is what you need, need to learn and patience is what you need, to look behind the smoke and mirrors. You need to be able to drill down and understand what is truly going on, not taking the word of yes men who are only trying to sell you something or hold on their jobs.

All three take patience. As the great Og Mandino said " I must practice the art of patience for nature acts never in haste "

Colin Myles
Straight talk. Better business
Author, 5 Keys to Doing Business with the Right People
Author, 7 Reasons Your Business is Dead


p.s.
As a thank you for reading this post today, you can claim a copy of my book " 67 Uplifting Quotes " for FREE on Amazon today the 5th of May and tomorrow the 6th of May 2014.

p.p.s
Remember " everybody belongs to somebody "

Multitasking Sucks

A couple of weeks ago, I pulled into a shopping centre carpark to grab a cup of coffee. Sitting in my car, sipping coffee and reading a book I noticed something strange out of the corner of my eye. I carried on reading and sipping, then it happened again.

I put the book down and watched what was distracting my brain. In a space in front of me a car had started to back out, then on came the brake lights and car rolled forward back into the space. Within three seconds,rolled out, brake lights and eased back into the space again. This went on for at least three minutes.

Then it happened, the car reversed half way out, stopped, inched forward again,brake light on. Now out it came again,slowly and hesitantly. It kind of made a half sweep, stopped and then I saw the man on the phone having an animated conversation. He continued to have a conversation and reversing at the same time. This time he was committed and reversed out all the way, missing a brand new car by millimetres. He was oblivious to the damage he almost caused. He drove off to join the heavy city traffic still having a wonderful conversation.

In business how many near misses or smash ups have you had because of multitasking. How many times have you missed a sale because you were juggling so many things,you forgot to return a call,reply to an e-mail. Are your finances in a mess because your focus in on fire fighting every emergency in your business,while neglecting to collect monies due.

Are you distracted away from growing your business because you have so many small niggling items on your to-do list. it's time to stop multitasking and time to focus.

This small five letter word can be the difference between success and failure. Time to sit down and focus on what is important and what can be delegated. Time to focus on one task at a time and give it all your attention. When you focus, things become clearer. Your decision making becomes sharper and you can start to see where your business will be in the future.

Time to stop having near misses and living from one crisis to the next.

Stop multitasking and FOCUS.

Colin Myles

p.s.
by three methods we may learn wisdom. First is by reflection which is the noblest; Second by imitation which is the easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. "  Confucius

p.p.s.
Straight talk. Better business

Above and Beyond

Recently I came across an example of excellent customer care, which went above and beyond what I had ever expected or seen in a long time.

I had decided to go into the city to use a gift voucher and purchase some books which were on my reading list. Steve Jobs biography,thoughts of Marcus Aurelius and Dante's Divine Comedy.

Feeling like doing my bit for the environment,I parked my car on the outskirts and took a bus into the centre of town. The first inkling that excellent customer care was in the air,was when paying for the books, I asked about a Stephen King book on writing. The assistant said " give me a minute" left the till and went upstairs to the section where the book should be and came back to inform me " sorry out of stock,but we normally carry three or four and it should be back in by Wedensday or Thursday".

Can you remember the last time that happened to you,rather than the usual shrug of the shoulders and the grumpy "don't know" ? [ let me know in the comment section ].

After a espresso pick me up it was time to head home. Heading to the bus stop, I noticed the bus already there, so I increased my pace to get there. Did so and it was then that I noticed an older gentleman with a stroller determined to get on the bus un-aided. It took him awhile but he did it. The bus driver waited until this gentleman was sitting down and comfortable before moving on.

Next it was time for this gentleman to get off at his stop. He pressed the bell and the bus came aside the designated stop. Because of inconsiderate others the bus was not able to pull up to the kerbside and lower the bus to enable the elderly man glide his stroller on the kerb. The driver offered to move down a little further to a spot so the man could easily access the kerb..Three times the man refused and said this was the stop and he would get off. It took this man five minutes as he was independent and politely refused offers of help.

Three things I admired here, the elderly man's insistence on being as independent as possible,the excellent customer care shown by the bus driver and the patience shown by others on the bus as no-one complained or moaned about how long this man was taking to disembark.

Maybe people aren't as selfish as the media would make out. Maintaining your independence is important no matter what age you are. Excellent customer care that goes above and beyond what you expect will always stay in your memory.

Have an outstanding day,
Colin Myles

p.s.
" Confidence is silent, insecurities are loud "  Unknown

p.p.s
Have just released my third book
7 Reasons Your Business is Dead  

Busy Fool or Busy Achiever

Let's start with a quote
"Don't mistake movement for achievement. It's easy to get faked out by being busy. The question is. Busy doing what ? " Jim Rohn

Ever met someone and every time you asked them how they were, first word they said was "busy "
But busy doing what. Busy for the sake of being busy or busy trying to achieve a goal. This is probably one the toughest self-analysis questions you as a business owner can ask yourself.

Some people have no clue where they are going or what they want to achieve,so they stay busy. Rushing around,tablet in hand,phone to ear,checking updates. But in reality achieving nothing. Anyone can run around making themselves look busy. You probably work with or have someone working for you, who styles themselves as " BUSY ".

Productive busy does not mean running around like a headless chicken. Productive busy is when you sit down and take pride in what you have achieved that day. If you cannot write down or tell someone what you have achieved on any given day, maybe, just maybe it was a day when the busy fool took over.

The busy fool lurks in all of us. It loves to skip doing anything worthwhile. It loves to float around aimlessly and appear busy. You must resist the temptation to be like this. You must hold yourself to the standard of being proud to tell one and all, including yourself. what you have achieved that day,this week,this month.

By holding yourself accountable and claiming yourself as an achiever as opposed to a busy fool,you are moving forward. Getting ahead,not standing still,not going backwards, is where you need to be.

Right now,ask yourself if what you are doing is going to advance you or your company. If not. Why are you doing it ?

To your continued success,
Colin Myles

p.s
" You must make the choice,to take the chance if you want anything in life to change "

p.p.s.
Imagine being able to see yourself as your customers see YOU