5 Ways To Manage Conflict

Humans are complex, with a range of emotions, beliefs and needs. Often there is conflict when these characteristics clash with another persons. When they clash with someone we live or work with, it presents a problem that has to be dealt with. Conflict is normal in relationships; differences of perception, interpretation of events and opinion will be inevitable. It is not conflict that damages relationships, it is the refusal or inability to deal with it that is the problem. According to the Thomas Killman Model there are five, and only five, strategies that can be used to manage conflict. It must be stressed that no strategy is of itself right or wrong, they may however be more, or less, applicable in the circumstances.

Domination/Competition

This strategy results from a high concern for your group's own interests with less concern for others. The outcome is "win/lose." This strategy includes most attempts at bargaining. It is generally used when basic rights are at stake or to set a precedent. However, it can cause the conflict to escalate and losers may try to retaliate.

When To Use

• When quick, decisive action is needed
• On important issues where unpopular actions need implementing
• On issues vital to the organisation’s welfare and when you believe you are right
• Against people who take advantage of non – competitive behaviour

Collaboration
This results from a high concern for your group's own interests, matched with a high concern for the interests of other partners. The outcome is "win/win." This strategy is generally used when concerns for others are important. It is also generally the best strategy when society's interest is at stake. This approach helps build commitment and reduce bad feelings. The drawbacks are that it takes time and energy. In addition, some partners may take advantage of the others' trust and openness. Generally regarded as the best approach for managing conflict, the objective of collaboration is to reach consensus.

When To Use
• To find an integrative solution when both sets of concerns are too important to be compromised
• When your objective is to learn
• To merge insights from people with different perspectives
• To work through feelings that have interfered with a relationship

Compromise
This strategy results from a high concern for your group's own interests along with a moderate concern for the interests of other partners. The outcome is "win some/lose some." This strategy is generally used to achieve temporary solutions, to avoid destructive power struggles or when time pressures exist. One drawback is that partners can lose sight of important values and long-term objectives. This approach can also distract the partners from the merits of an issue and create a cynical climate.

When To Use
• When goals are important, but not worth the effort or potential disruption of more assertive modes
• To achieve temporary settlements of complex issues
• To arrive at expedient solutions under time pressure

Avoidance
This results from a low concern for your group's own interests coupled with a low concern for the interests of others. The outcome is "lose/lose." This strategy is generally used when the issue is trivial or other issues are more pressing. It is also used when confrontation has a high potential for damage or more information is needed. It may be beneficial for both parties to “shelve” the problem till the climate changes. This allows the two parties to maintain cordial relationships in the short to medium term The drawbacks are that important decisions may be made by default.

When To Use
• When an issue is trivial, or more important issues are pressing
• When you perceive no chance of satisfying your concerns
• When potential disruption outweighs the benefits of resolution
• To let people cool down and regain perspective
• When gathering information supersedes immediate decisions

Accommodation
This results from a low concern for your group's own interests combined with a high concern for the interests of other partners. The outcome is "lose/win." This strategy is generally used when the issue is more important to others than to you. It is a "goodwill gesture." It is also appropriate when you recognize that you are wrong. The drawbacks are that your own ideas and concerns don't get attention. You may also lose credibility and future influence.

When To Use
• When you find you are wrong – to allow a better position to be heard, to learn and show your reasonableness
• To build social credits for later issues
• To minimize loss when you are outmatched and losing
• When harmony and stability are especially important

Article Contributed by Chris Fenney, Co-founder and Director of Training Edge International
Email : chris.fenney@trainingedgeasia.com
Website : www.trainingedgeasia.com

Discovering Your Networking Personality

• Do you go to networking functions and never connect with the right kind of people?
• Do you meet people and then don’t know what to say or do next?
• Or do you want to meet a particular person and can never find a way to break the ice?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to understand your networking personality better. As human beings we all have patterns of behaviour, which we follow on a day to day, week to week basis. Let me help you understand.

Some years ago I lived at the end of a train line and would catch the train to my office each day. Because it was the end of the line there was always an empty train waiting for me at the station when I arrived, usually mostly empty with plenty of seats to choose from. This particular day I walked into a carriage and sat down to read my morning paper. Some minutes later I noticed a man walked onto the train and was standing beside me hovering and twitching staring at me.

I stopped reading my paper and said, “Can I help you?” He said, “Yes, you are sitting in my seat, I sit there every day”. I glanced up and said “Not today!” and grinned. This was met with a very concerned look from the man and he looked lost as if he didn’t know what to do. Finally I stood up and said, “Here, have your seat”. He sat down and sighed a contented sigh. He had his prized seat and I learned an interesting lesson.

I sat elsewhere that day and began to notice that more and more people got on the train and sat in a particular spot. From that day forward I watched my “train friend” and others and noted that they all sat in the exact same seat every day.

This began a life long interest in people and their habits, you see we all have patterns or habits that we repeat every day. Gentlemen I bet that when you shave your face you follow a routine or pattern every time, ladies, when you put on your makeup, I bet you start somewhere and follow a pattern until you are finished.

As networkers we have patterns about how we like to behave at networking functions also. In fact research by the Referral Institute has shown that there are four different networking patterns that can be identified at any networking function. They are:

• Go Getter
• Promoter
• Nurturer
• Examiner

Let me tell you a little about each style and see if you can identify where you fit.

Go Getter
The Go Getter is someone who attends a networking function with a clear reason or intention. They know what they want and they go get it. They may have in mind to meet a well-know keynote speaker to discuss a possible engagement for their forthcoming global retreat for its top management team in Paris. They go to the function with this specific purpose and as soon as the formalities are over they leave because they have done what they came to do.

They are very goal oriented and stick to their plan. They are no nonsense people and are very focused and direct with their conversation and actions. You can identify Go Getters easily as they are always immaculately dressed.

Promoter
The Promoter is the person who knows everyone at the networking function and is fabulous at promoting themselves and others. They are often meeting new people and introducing them to others in the group. “Kevin, have you met Cheryl? She is Singapore’s best real estate guru, you must talk to her”. “Ah here comes Mervin Yeo, do you guys know Mervin?”

They are well connected people and sometimes are too busy promoting others and forget to promote their own product or service. Promoters often wear “out there” clothes, bright colours, with accessories to match, they care about their appearance and will often stand out in the crowd because of their dress.

Nurturer
The Nurturer is the person who arrives early to support the host or organizer of the function, they work silently in the background helping to set up the room, distribute the brochures and hand out the name badges. They nurture long term relationships and are very reliable people, they are more introverted though very loyal and reliable people.

Nurturers are more conservatively dressed and blend into the background because of their dress. These people however are staunch business allies and will stand by their colleagues through thick and thin. Finally they stay behind and help the organizer pack up and tidy the room after the function.

Examiner
Examiners dislike networking with a passion, though will attend functions because they know they “have to!” They would rather be at their office working on the month’s sales figures or reports for their boss or shareholders. At a networking function they are often very quiet and listen to the Go Getters and Promoters as they dominate the conversation. If they participate they will often ask in depth questions as they love detail and to get to the bottom of issues. They are easy to spot in conversation as they often ask a lot of questions. They are the most conservative of dressers and will wear dated or “comfortable” clothes. They own just one suit and will wear it over and over for years because it is good economics to do so. They stand out beside the Promoters who wear a different suit every function.

Article Contributed by Lindsay Adams, International Speaker with Training Edge International and President of Global Speakers Federation
Website : www.trainingedgeasia.com
Email : Lindsay.adams@trainingedgeasia.com

Getting The Best Deal

Whether it is Barack Obama trying to negotiate debt levels with the Republicans, the leaders in Gaza negotiating over settlement land or an engaged couple negotiating over who should be invited to the wedding – the principles are the same. The problem is, often these principles are based on myths: false assumptions which may have been true at one time – but certainly aren’t now.

Negotiating Myth Number 1: There is a level playing field.Level playing field sounds good; but the reality is no-one really wants it level – they want it tilted their way. Only natural, because no two parties are ever equal. Even if they wield roughly the same amount of power, it will be in different areas. Nowadays, it is better to assume that the other party has more power than you and prepare accordingly. Take this approach and what’s the worst that can happen? You might have over-prepared in some areas…so what? And it’s far better than the alternative!

Negotiating Myth Number 2: The goalposts won’t move.Planning for a negotiation is often based on establishing certainty – once we establish what cannot change, then we can know what’s negotiable. Makes sense. The trouble is the world can change so suddenly – totally altering that which previously seemed certain. Pity those who had a major deal ready to close on September 11th 2001 – or during October 2008. The answer is: speed. Negotiate with urgency – and encourage the other party to take the same attitude. Remind them that success in business today is not so much the triumph of the big over the small or the strong over the weak as it is the superiority of the fast over the slow. Assume that factors totally outside your control could change the circumstances overnight – and move quickly!

Negotiating Myth Number 3 – The other side will play by the rules.
In negotiations where there is a long-term relationship between the parties, only someone who is naïve or greedy would engage in unethical behaviour – unless, of course, the relationship (and their reputation) is not that important to them. In one-off negotiations – especially across international borders – anything goes. So ‘playing by the rules’ is a myth in itself. What are the ‘rules’ of negotiating, anyhow? Everyone has a different opinion of what’s ‘fair’; but often ‘unfair’ is the complaint we make when, really, we’re just annoyed that we didn’t think of it first. Just think about the negotiating between couples…and tell me what the ‘rules’ are! Hope that the other side plays by the rules – and plan for them not to.

Negotiating Myth Number 4 – Negotiating across cultures is difficult
In all the work I do in sales and negotiation skills training, cross-cultural differences are one of the most regularly nominated concerns. Sure, we need to be aware of the other’s cultural sensitivities – but no-one expects someone from another culture to be an expert in theirs. Often, just acknowledging your ignorance and asking is the best way. As Professor Hans Rosling says, “The problem is not ignorance, it’s pre-conceived ideas.”
A lot of the time, cultural differences are blamed when personality differences are the real problem. This should be reassuring because most successful people have learned to deal with different personalities in their own culture. People of compatible personality types and different cultures will often find it easier to negotiate than those of different personality types and the same culture.
Of course, any effective negotiating skills program will cover areas like proximity (personal space), negotiating and non-negotiating cultures, time perception differences, direct and indirect communication and the like, but to ensure that stereotyping doesn’t become a trap, cultural awareness and personality awareness need to operate side-by-side.

Negotiating Myth Number 5 – Signing the contract is the end of the negotiation
In certain times, in certain cultures, it used to work this way. Now, the negotiation never stops. Even in the tightest worded contract, there will be areas subject to interpretation. Some people are hagglers by nature while some see others get away with it and think, “why not me?” Expect this behaviour – and always hold something back to cater for it.

Negotiation Myth Number 6 – If you win, I loseWhile everyone talks ‘win-win’, a vast majority don’t believe it. Their primary experience of negotiating is, unfortunately, buying their house or car: classic zero—sum negotiation situations (where for one to win, the other must lose). This is because very few people have an ongoing relationship with the people they buy their car or house from. In most other negotiations, however, the ongoing relationship plays an important part – even if only for the length of the contract. One of the most toxic outcomes is a perceived imbalance in the original deal by one party who sets about trying to ‘claw back’ what they were ‘ripped off’ at every opportunity. Many people have negotiated a deal they thought was too good to be true and realised later that it was! Often, your most important task is convincing the other party that they got a fantastic deal.

The skills to be an effective negotiator are within the reach of all of us. Whether it is in business, community or family life – the opportunities to use the skills come along every day. Be aware of the negotiation myths, focus your energies on building strong relationships and always look for the mutually beneficial outcome and you’re on the road to negotiation success.

Article Contributed by Kevin Ryan, an international speaker , workshop leader and author with Training Edge International. He is a business communication expert specialising in the areas of employee and client engagement, sales, humour intelligence and presentation skills.
Email : kevin.ryan@trainingedgeasia.com
Website : www.trainingedgeasia.com

Show Them You Care

For many businesses, particularly those providing services, more than 85 percent of business comes from personal referrals and recommendations, and yet many businesses spend thousands of hours, and dollars, trying to acquire new customers, and relatively little time and effort nurturing and retaining their existing ones.

Valuing and retaining your current clients and customers is essential. Not only will you benefit from their continued custom directly, you are also more likely to benefit from any new clients or customers they recommend. And given that it’s it's 6-7 times more expensive to gain one new client or customer than it is to retain one, retaining your existing clients and customers, and being highly recommendable, can have a huge positive impact on your bottom-line.

Clients and customers who already trust and respect you:

• are more likely to acknowledge, and value, what you provide and the benefits they gain from dealing with you
• may be more willing to accept your prices, terms and conditions without question or negotiation
• are often more loyal
• require less 'selling to' and
• are more likely to continue doing business with you, and even increase the amount they spend, as their trust in you increases.

They are also significantly more likely to recommend you to people they know and trust giving you an opportunity to gain new clients whilst reducing your acquisition costs and improving your profitability.

Some people may be willing to provide a recommendation or testimonial without giving it much thought. But, and it's a big but ... most people will only recommend you when they are confident you will be able to deliver on your promises as it's not your reputation they're putting on the line when recommending you. It's theirs.

So how can you improve your chances of being recommended more often and acquire low-cost / high-value clients who are positively pre-disposed to dealing with you? Adding value to your existing clients and customers on an ongoing basis is essential.

1. Deliver on your promises.
Over-promising and under-delivering is one of the biggest reputation damagers there is. It may be tempting to over-state your experience, capabilities and past achievements, but make sure you take the time to clarify understanding and expectations before agreeing to something you may not be able to deliver on.

2 Be Respectful.
Avoid assuming people want to be treated in the same way. Many don't. If you're unsure about what may work for them - ask! The very act of asking demonstrates respect, so long as you act on any information they give you.

3. Genuinely Care. We can only add value and serve effectively when we fully understand what a client or customer truly needs and wants. Discover their motivations before trying to sell yourself or your products or services, and if you feel you're not the best person to serve them, recommend someone who is! Random acts of kindness can have long-lasting, positive, effects.

4. Make Regular Customers Feel Valued and Valuable
Adding genuine, spontaneous, 'no strings attached' value such as forwarding a relevant article, website, or passing on a hint or tip you've come across, for no other reason than you feel it may be helpful or useful for them, nurtures the connection you have and shows you genuinely care about them. Good manners carry a huge amount of weight.


5. Show Good Manner
Be friendly without being overly familiar and be mindful of the fact that people will remember how they ‘feel’ about you more than what they read about you.

6. Act with integrity and live your values.
Be clear about what's important to you in terms of what's negotiable and what's non-negotiable and act accordingly. When you and your team live your values, and demonstrate them in tangible ways on a day-to-day basis, you build trust, and trust engenders confidence which helps improve your chances of being recommended or referred to others.

One of the greatest compliments, and reputation-enhancers there is, is to be highly recommendable.

People who are willing to recommend you, without incentive or reward, are putting their reputation on the line for you. Protect not only your own reputation, but that of the person recommending you, by delivering what's expected with integrity and you’ll find yourself more in demand than ever.

Article Contributed by Hannah Samuel, International Speaker with of Training Edge International
Email : Hannah@trainingedgeasia.com
Website : : www.trainingedgeasia.com

Know Your Social Media Tools

When social media is part of an integrated communications and marketing strategy, it can help to build better online relationships, manage and strengthen your brand, and enhance your overall online position. Done properly, blogs, Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube can be used to create a band of loyal followers.

Let’s face it, when it comes to getting and keeping profitable customers there are only four basic components that we can manage:

• Product (your offering — the unique combination of product, service and experience)
• Price (the value that your customer perceives translated into money)
• Distribution (putting your offering within arms reach of the customer)
• Promotion (communicating your offering)
That’s all there is to the marketing mix.

Of course, it can’t be that easy, right? Some of us go wrong by becoming entrenched in traditional marketing strategies. And the rest of us go to the other extreme and become paralyzed by the overwhelming number of tools and Internet applications that seek to bring us together, yet separate us from real face-to-face contact.
Social media has been one of those magical and mysterious technical terms that seemingly everyone under 30 has been all a-twitter about. And those of us over 30 have been curious and more than a little suspicious about.
The challenge that traditional marketers have is in understanding how to use this new “ingredient” in their marketing mix. Is it like a “meat” or just a “spice?”

What Role Should Social Media Play?

If I had to put social media in just one category of the marketing mix, I would choose promotion, i.e., communication. That’s not to say it doesn’t play a role in the other components, just not as BIG a role.

Social media’s primary benefit to your communication strategy is its ability to build relationships and communities between individuals who share interests AND who would not be brought together otherwise except for those interests. If you play the role of bringing people together around a product, service or interest — you increase your credibility, build your brand and may, in time, increase your profitability by creating a loyal following.


5 Easy Ways to Spice Up Your Mix with Social Media

1. Develop a social media strategy that fits your business. Deciding to put together a social media strategy is like drafting the project plan that goes in line with your business model. Never copy a strategy from competitors – use it as a base for reference.

2. Choose the critical few social media applications. No one says you have to use every single social media application that’s out there. Choose a few and choose carefully. Always ask yourself: Who is my ideal customer? What is important to them when they are buying what I’m selling? And which tool will help them connect with my business in an easy and relevant way?

3. Build your brand from the inside out. Think of social media as a giant digital billboard. Treat every post, every tweet and every comment as an opportunity to build your strength and build value around what you offer. Use your smart, knowledgeable and active employees to build your brand.

To start, consider adding a blog to your traditional Web site. Don’t forget to use your logo, company colours, a picture of yourself or any other branding vehicle. You can customize many of the social media tools to match your image. For tools like Twitter, use a photo of yourself in the profile and use your logo and company colours as a wallpaper when you customize your page.

4. Find the right place for social media in your strategy. Right now social media is a shiny new toy. The real work is in finding the right balance between social media and more traditional marketing tools like your printed materials. The ideal outcome is to have them all working together.

As a business owner, create a LinkedIn profile and use it as a place to connect to customers and collect testimonials. Once you feel comfortable with that, move into Facebook and either create or start a group that is focused on your industry, product or service.

You might consider creating a Twitter profile and searching and creating a community or village of people in your industry. Put your Twitter ID on your business cards, have a space or page on your Web site with instructions on how to connect with your online communities.

5. Go mobile. Many blog platforms offer mobile applications that you can download to your phone. Twitter is designed to be mobile. This gives you the opportunity to report and communicate discretely in real time. If you are a salesperson, you can document a creative application of your product. If you are a business owner at a conference you can share links, experiences and feedback with your customers or communities. You can inform your customer community about product fixes and improvements or product launches and even new blog posts.

No matter how you slice it, if you want to be in business in the next 20 years, you’d better be using the tools that 20 year olds are using to decide who to buy from. People can and do have conversations about you, your company and your products and services.

Don’t put your head in the sand and wait for the market to define you.


Article by Amit Kumar, Senior Consultant of Training Edge International

8 Ways To Build a Better Business

I have a thriving business today because I have embraced what I see as the eight massive changes to business building strategies and actions that have occurred since I began my business almost 20 years ago. These eight have also been key to the success of my colleagues at Training Edge International.

1) Spin to Story
Authentic stories sell. Most people ignore advertising because they don’t see it as the truth about our product or service. People embrace real stories about real people which is why genuine testimonials about what we do and case studies about how we have helped people to meet their wants and needs are key ways to attract customers/clients.

What are people saying about your product/s and/or service/s? Are you using what people are saying about you as a key way to build your business?

2) What to Why
“Doing well by doing good” or enlightened self-interest is a key way to build our businesses which is why so many people have embraced the triple bottom line of environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and economic prosperity.

How good is your business for people, and our planet? If you are doing good for people and our planet it is likely that you are making higher profits.

Profit is not a reason for being in business however, rather a result of being good at business. What’s your reason? Douglas Atkin, author of The Culting of Brands, asks: What’s your cause? What do you want to have happen? If you’re not out to cause anything then you might as well go back to bed.


3) Interruption Marketing to Permission based marketing
In the early days of my business I had to cold call. The biggest hurdle I had to overcome was the fact that people saw my call as an interruption to their work. Advertising of cause is the biggest way we interrupt people which is why many of us mute the ads when we are watching television.

Today if we are seen as interrupting people it is unlikely that they will hear our message.

In what ways do you have permission to communicate your message to people. Do you have an electronic newsletter for example that people have opted-in to receive? Do you have numerous ways to collect people’s details and do they know what will happen on a frequent basis once you have their details?

4) Media to Mass Media

When I first started my business, phone books, newspapers, magazines, radio and television were the media available to me, and most were inaccessible as I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t have a lot of funds to spend. Today we can use a multitude of media channels to add value and attract customers/clients, for free!

Are you blogging? Are you on YouTube? Are you using Facebook, LinkedIn or others to build relationships. Today one of the big questions we must ask and answer thoroughly is - What is our strategy for using social media to build our business?

5) Expert to Thought Leader
I could easily validate my expertise when I first started my business. Today being a expert is a given. In order to thrive we must be seen as leaders in our fields of expertise otherwise we get ignored.

How are you perceived in your markets? Are you seen as a leader or just one of many?

In all your business building activities are you positioning yourself as a stand out? And do you prove your standing in all your transactions and interactions with people?

6) Generalist to Niche
Once I tried to be all things to all people. I learned the hard way that I can only truly serve people in certain niches. Are you open for business to everyone or are you the go to person for certain people?

7) Provider to Partner
I was once a provider of certain services and usually I was hired for a specific period of time to provide a specific solution or meet a particular need. Today I don’t provide my clients with solutions to their challenges or problems, rather I partner with them to discover their own solutions. A consequence is that I get paid for the value that I provide rather than the time it takes.

Do your customers/clients see you as a partner or a provider? If your answer is provider then it won’t be long before someone makes your customers/clients a perceived better offer and you will lose their loyalty. Being perceived as a partner is a key way to build loyalty and therefore retain customers/clients.

8) Service to Experience

Providing our customers/clients with great customer service is a given today. Provide less than high standards of service and people will simply go somewhere else.

What kind of experience do you provide for your customers/clients before they buy, when they buy, and after they buy? Unless your answer is memorable across the board then you are not building the business you could be and not only are you are missing out on significant income and profits, you are most likely go backwards.

Article Contributed by Ian Berry, International Business Speaker with Training Edge International

From Contact To Connection

I met a person at a business function recently, we got along well and engaged in some pleasant conversation. Not long after that meeting this person contacted me and asked if I would promote their business to my contact data base. Whilst we seemed to click at the previous meeting I did not consider this person to be someone I knew very well. Their request made me wonder just how many people assume if they have met you at a business function, they can ask you to do something that would normally be reserved for close business associates.

Referral marketers know that simply having a good conversation with someone at a meeting does not make them a good business connection. With referral marketing it’s not necessarily “who you know” or even “what you know”, it’s more about how well do you know the person before you can move to the next step and include them as a powerful ally in your referral network.

Simply put, this means you must not only have a wide network of referral contacts, you must also have a deep connection with the most important people within your referral network. Most networkers strive to make as many contacts as they can so that their network is wide spread. They keep making contacts in the hope that the next person will be the one who will bring just what they need this week, month or quarter.

If you are going to make the effort to develop a wide network, make sure you also spend just the same amount of effort in developing deep connections with each of your potential or actual referral partners. After all, when the time comes for you to ask them to promote you or your products or services, you want to make sure you have a strong connection before you make the request.

If you are going to make a request of someone within your network, consider first, are they a contact or a connection. Based on my experience a contact is someone you know, though you haven’t as yet had a chance to establish a strong relationship with. A connection is someone who you know and trusts you because you have taken the time to get to know them and establish your credibility with them.

Taking the time to get to know your referral partners will earn you loyalty and support, rather than the person who rushes in and asks for assistance prematurely. This person will likely receive little or no support as they are not yet in relationship with their potential referral partner. Like a tall tree, taking the time to put down roots is imperative if you are hoping to grow your business big and strong.

I live in Brisbane, Queensland, in November 2008, we were hit with one of the most vicious storms ever experienced in my lifetime, a one in one hundred event. A 40 metre spotted gum was uprooted and fell over in my backyard, destroying half of my pool fence in the process. After the storm had passed I marvelled at the root system of this magnificent tree, it was shallow and broad, sadly not enough to keep the tree standing in the storm. Be careful this doesn’t happen to you and your business.

To put down substantial referral marketing roots I recommend you take the following actions:

Build solid relationshipsTake the time to get to know people, find out as much as you can about their business and their personal likes and dislikes. Ask what are their goals and aspirations, what are their interests and hobbies, what sport do they follow. The more information you can gather and share the better a relationship you will build. The better relationship you have the better the chances are that you can assist each other in your referral marketing efforts.

Network in the right placesMake sure that you attend the right networking groups for you. What works for one person may not work for another. Whatever you do don’t just join any networking group because someone asks you to. When you do join the group turn up regularly to all the meetings, contribute, build relationships, before you are tempted to ask for an opportunity to do business.

Think about, how can I help you, rather than, how can you help meOne of the most powerful tools in any networking group is to think about how you can help other people first. Share relevant information with your potential referral partners, invite them to other functions that might be of benefit to them, position them favourably with others they need to get to know. Keep in mind that you want to be in a position where you are always able to give them something, remember the philosophy “givers gain”.

Article Contributed by Lindsay Adams, International Speaker with Training Edge International and President of Global Speakers Federation
Website : www.trainingedgeasia.com
Email : Lindsay.adams@trainingedgeasia.com

Don’t Leave Excellence To Chance

HOW would you rate the experiences that you have had as a customer from the various service providers whom you have engaged with in the recent past ?

You must have experienced excellent service somewhere, sometime. And you must have experienced average and poor service too.

What makes you rate a service as "excel¬lent" "average" or "poor" ?

Universal patterns

I have asked this question to thousands of people across the world, and here is what they say:

■ Excellent

Service staff go the extra mile, exceed expec¬tations, are very good at what they do, engage in proactive communication, focus on asking for and listening to and working on feedback, very prompt, keep their promises.

■ Average

Service is not differentiated from others. The provider delivers only the basics and routine transactions, quality is inconsistent and interaction is robot-like. Problems take a long time to resolve.

■ Poor

Service does not meet expectations, staff members are rude and unprofessional, knowledge levels are very low and the envi¬ronment is chaotic and disorganised. Serv¬ice people make promises that are never kept, problems are not resolved and the company is very difficult to access.

These definitions of service quality are probably similar to your own. There seems to be a universal pattern that customers everywhere in the world can relate to.

And whatever your job is, and whoever your customers are (internal or external), they will probably see your services in the same way.

A lot of organisations and employees tend to leave the delivery of service excel-lence to common sense.

In practical terms, this means people say tilings like:
"Of course I can and do deliver excellent service — if I have the time, if I'm in a good mood, if the customer is a 'good' person, if.. .if... .if...".

Of course, for all the "if s " to occur at the same time is rare!

Is average service really OK?
Theoretically, average service should be neutral — neither positive nor negative.

In reality, however, when customers de¬scribe a service as "average", their descrip¬tions tend to lean towards the negative, rather than being strictly neutral.

If you ask a customer to tell you how you are doing, and he says "OK, adequate", is that good news or bad news ?

In a sense, customers giving you an average rating are potentially of more concern that people who give you a poor rating — and one reason for this is that they are very easy to miss.

It is very easy to ignore customers who say the service is OK, and focus only on the complainers.

But this is a potentially dangerous thing to do because "OK" is really "not OK"


Poor service is not intentional
How often do you or your colleagues come to work with the thought, "Today, I want to give really poor service to my custom¬ers"?
That sounds like a silly question.
The honest answer is that people very rarely deliver poor service to their custom-ers deliberately.

This applies to organisations also, as most will have some aspect of the message "Customers are important" in their vision or mission statements.

An organisation may segment its cus¬tomers, identify "priority" customers and define higher standards of service for them or even identify "non-customers^ that is, people whom they do not target their services to.
But none of this is equivalent to deliver¬ing poor service intentionally.

The paradox of service

So if excellent service sounds like common sense and poor service is almost never de¬livered intentionally, it follows that excel¬lent service should be the norm, and poor service the exception.

In real life, however, the opposite seems to be true.

Why is excellent service so rare, when it should be a matter of common sense? And why is poor service so common, when it is rarely intentional?

This is the paradox of service.

To resolve this paradox, organizations and individuals must first acknowledge that the service they provide cannot be left to chance, accident, luck, natural good intentions of people or common sense. It must be consciously managed.

Delivering service excellence
There are three important lessons to take away from here:

1 Service excellence is not common sense
It may sound obvious and simple, but it requires conscious and continuous attention from management and individual employees.

Here are some things you can do:

• Put service excellence into your goals and individual key result areas (KRAs); build metrics around service excellence and then constantly review, monitor and track it (Hint: "Customer satisfaction" should be a regular item on,your Ops Re¬view agenda).
• Review processes and engineer them to deliver service excellence.
• Recognise and retain employees who demonstrate service excellence.


2 Focus on the neutrals
• Strive to convert customers who give you an average rating. Find out :-
• Who are they?
• Why do they rate you as "average" and not "excellent" ?
• What can you do to change that situation or rating?

3 Dig deeper into poor service issues
Find the root cause(s) — don't just stop with the obvious superficial reason(s).

Ask the frontline employees — they usually know the reasons behind poor
service.

Article by Dr Anand Kasturi, a facilitator, trainer and executive coach with Training Edge International He has been working in the area of service management since 1986 and received the Customer Service Guru award from Oracle Corporation in 2007. For details, e-mail anand. kasturi@trainingedgeasia.com or
visit www.trainingedgeasia.com