November's Chamber Luncheon featured Stephanie Owens of Pleaseaholics.
Stephanie's topic was "How to Use Your 'But' to Get Ahead in Business and Other Communication Secrets You Need to Improve Your Relationships & Your Bottom Line"
Stephanie shared how one word can make all the difference when talking with clients, co-workers and employees. Here are some of the "secrets" she shared.
- Small changes in the words you choose will transform your interactions so others walk away feeling heard, valued and appreciated. This creates a positive workplace and loyal, repeat customers.
- Rather than use "BUT" to join two halves of a sentence, choose "and" instead. Just simply changing this ONE WORD prevents you from accidentily erasing the positive message you're intending to send.
- People may not remember what you said or what you did but they will remember how you made them feel.
- How you respond to a compliments makes a difference. Tips on responding to a thank you:
- Don't discount it by responding with "no problem" because this downplays what they said
- Avoid "over accepting" comments that magnify what you did or appear aggressive
- Give a "Ritz Carlton" response like, "My pleasure"
- Give an "under score" response like, "That's why we do what we do, we care about your business." This reinforces what you do for them and why.
She also gave some helpful information about how to respond when a potential customer questions your prices.
- Respond by asking them a question if you are feeling backed into a corner or defensive. Be prepared with a good relationship building question that can defuse your emotions and the situation by giving you time to think. An example might be, "What is the most important thing you take into account in making a decision?"
- If there response to your question is only focused on money and not quality of performance or relationship then you might want to have a referral ready to another company.
Stephanie had a lot of other great things to say and if you are interested in learning more about her, Pleaseaholics or to have her come and speak to your group than check out her website at
www.pleaseaholics.com
Added on 11/15/2011
by Blog
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