From a young girl who loved to work in my father’s office during school holidays, I have always been fascinated with business. The first day I went to work as an apprentice hairdresser, Dad said, “In your career, do not concentrate on making a lot of money. Rather, concentrate on becoming the type of person […]
Read More...How to Earn Business from Influential People (Without Selling to Them)
As I transitioned from cutting the hair of ambitious professionals and the movers and shakers in San Francisco’s Financial District, I always asked about their business. Their advice helped me, and many stories gave me great content for my earlier presentations on Getting, Keeping and Deserving Your Customers. Here is one example from long before […]
Read More...The Shocking Truth Unveiled! A Journey Through Time
As a budding entrepreneur embarking on my journey with my upscale men’s hairstyling salon, I vividly remember attending my first management seminar. This was, of course, many moons ago, yet one statement from that day has stayed with me: ‘Your business is as good as your worst employee.’ Quite the alarming thought, isn’t it? Fast […]
Read More...It Is Not Just Ten Minutes
My friend and collaborator in The Odd Couple seminars, Alan Weiss, PhD told this story in one of his thoughtful weekly messages: “There’s a small tailor shop run by one tailor on Main Street who has been there for forty years. The place is a mess. Everywhere you look there are threads, samples, and tools. […]
Read More...Want to Get Ahead? Here are 6 Characteristics that Will Help
Take advantage of every opportunity. I began my career as a hairstylist. Now that I am decades into my next career, I am often asked, “Patricia, how did you become a speaker, author, and executive speech coach?” The simple answer is by noticing and taking advantage of every chance that turned up, that seemed interesting […]
Read More...Are You Looking for the Best Ways to Get Ahead of Your Competition?
All I’ve ever wanted in business is an unfair advantage. Before you raise your eyebrows, let me define the term. An unfair advantage is not lying, cheating, or stealing. It’s exactly the opposite. You get an unfair advantage by doing everything just a little bit better than your competition. Even if you’ve been in business […]
Read More...How to Find Great Lessons in Everyday Life
How Do You Come Up with Stories for Your Presentations? Stories are key to effective presentations. How do you find them? Great lessons can be found in everyday life. How often have you heard a speaker who is funny or profound while seemingly talking about everyday situations? You might think “Nothing like that ever happens […]
Read More...Why and How to Deliver Good Customer Service at Every Level
Good customer service is more than good PR. It is the best way to increase sales from the same customers and also earn recommendations. At a time when every customer counts we must never forget how our customers see us. One single negative contact can ruin your reputation in the eyes of not only that […]
Read More...Do You Know, Like & Trust Your Customers?
Your best customers are the hottest prospects for your competitors. The most effective sales strategies are not just about getting customers, but also deserving and keeping them. Customer experience expert, Shep Hyken and I recently joined forces to discuss how to create a culture of service and make it part of an ongoing sales strategy. […]
Read More...The Best Customer Experience Is The Best Way to Ensure Sales
When you build credibility, trust and confidence with your customers, you build sales. Make great service central to your sales strategy. Friction Can Kill the Customer Experience by Shep Hyken Friction has several meanings according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary: the act of rubbing one thing against another; the force that causes a moving object to […]
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