Here’s a great idea for distinctive holiday gifts that will set you apart from your competitors. I’ve used this best practice myself and recommended it to my clients. Instead of sending the usual food or SWAG gifts, make a small donation to a local charity in each customer’s name. Better still, find a local charity that they already support if you can.
Bits & Pieces
Whatever your profession, you also need to be a professional communicator. ETC is pleased to share these essential Bits & Pieces to help you polish those skills.
Why I Hate ‘Phone Interruptions’
Here’s another signature comment:
Please stop saying ‘that phone interrupted me’. No, that call didn’t interrupt you. You deciding to answer that call interrupted you. Accept responsibility for your actions and stop blaming an inanimate object for your problems.
A Phil’s Fave about Elevator Pitches
Here’s another signature comment you’d hear in any of my networking presentations: I prefer ‘Elevator Speech’ in stead of ‘Elevator Pitch’: ‘Pitch’ sounds like you’re trying to sell something. Most people don’t like to sell. No one likes to be sold to. ‘Speech’ sounds like you want to share some information. Even though the difference … Read more
Carol Roth Likes My Style
Regular readers may recall that I often contribute content to Carol Roth’s popular e-publications. She’s a nationally known PR and Entrepreneurship expert, speaker and author … and, apparently, a fan of my writing. She ran my most recent item in her ‘Small Business Tips for Dealing with Customer Complaints’ blog. This is the seventh time I’ve appeared in her blogs in the last three years. Read on …
Networking Worst Mistakes
(Now that some live networking events are returning to our area, it’s time to re-run this bit of sage advice.)
I’ve seen a lot of Networking Worst Practices in my 25 plus years of writing and speaking about the topic, but the worst of the worst is making an absolutely terrible first impression on a stranger in less than one minute by delivering an Elevator Speech from Hell! That happens when pitifully amateur networkers:
An Email Fave
Add this one to your growing list of often-heard comments from my workshops or presentations. ‘The only thing worse than an ineffective email is an effective email that should have been a text, a brief face-to-face conversation or a phone call instead!’ Phil Stella, 21st Century workplace communication expert, executive coach and author.
Why I Hate ‘No Problem’
I’m really getting tired of ranting about this issue, but it looks like my work here is far from over!
Why do so many people respond to ‘Thank you.’ with ‘No Problem.’ today? I doubt that many of them felt that the act I just thanked them for was, in fact, a problem. Maybe it would usually be a problem, but not this time. Or maybe a problem with other people, but not me.
Dealing with Angry Customers
How do you deal with angry customers? First, have a well-defined policy in place that senior management participated in creating and signed off on. Second, make sure that everyone who touches customers understands, embraces and follows consistently. Third, periodic re-training or review can be helpful.
Phil’s Faves About Teams
Here’s one of my favorite concepts from my workshops and presentations on teamwork … ‘There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’, but there is a ‘me’. So make me feel welcome, valued and important if I’m on your team.’ So, are the people leading your teams taking good care of you? And are you taking good … Read more
Why I Love the Three Es
I really love the ‘Power of the Three Es’. Your workplace audiences expect and deserve presentations that are ‘Effective, Efficient and Engaging’, so don’t let them down. And remember the ‘Fourth E’, so necessary to achieve those results – Effort.