 Tomorrow is the 1st October, maybe as you read this that was yesterday, or even the day before, it doesn’t matter - what matters is that you have 3 months stretching out before you ’til the end of the year; 90 days that could make all the difference between having a good year and a GREAT one.
So what are you going to do with them? As you know, I’m a big fan of planning, it’s one of the 4 Foundations of The McFreedom System™ for a start, but even if it wasn’t I get that even if you don’t create an action plan for each goal and work your plan, there is a huge amount of power in thinking about what you want/ where you want to get to, and getting the outcome you want down on paper. I read a great blog the other day on a site called Asian Efficiency (all about time management and productivity) where they were talking about the 90 day timeframe as ‘the range where ambition and planning actually fall reasonably close together’. And it’s true, we all have a really good feel for what we can get done in 90 days - how far we can move towards a big goal, and plan the steps that we need to take to get there. Our longer term plans, even though it’s valuable to have them, can’t be planned right down to concrete steps; the goals are too big, there’s too much to get done, and if we try to plan the detail we just get overwhelmed, which in turn leads to inaction. Working with 90 day goals keeps us moving forward, keeps us agile and on our toes; able to tackle challenges and grab opportunities as they come along; adjusting our plans for the next 90 days to accommodate them. So have a look at your coming 90 days - what do you have to get done? What are you going to get done? How are you going to turn this good year into a GREAT one? | For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
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 'Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.' Bill Gates
Have you ever wanted to complain online to a company only to find that complaints are not one of the fifteen options for selection. I tend to select customer query and then head the comments box with complaint. I don’t know about you but I worry without that word in there, they might not take me seriously. I get frustrated too that that there’s no obvious complaints process. Back in the day I ran a lot of workshops focused on improving quality and service The McDonald’s mantra was QS & C - Quality, Service and Cleanliness - so you can imagine that we’d spend a fair bit of time making sure that franchisees and managers understood the concept. Anyway, one of the ice breakers I would often use was to get everyone to come up with companies that they felt were synonymous with quality. Time and again, good old Marks and Spencer would be number one. But when we dug deeper into why they felt that M&S were top of the pile, the surprising thing was that it wasn’t about the quality of their products, but more about how they dealt with complaints or problems, and put things right. People loved the try, see and hassle free take-back; they loved the fact that there was a simple process to follow and that you always received an apology, when mistakes had been made. It was the M&S after-sales care that they rated as second to none. What M&S did to put things right back then, seemed to make people, not only forget the initial fault, but rate them even higher. I headed up McD’s Customer Services department for a couple of years, and if I learned one thing in my time there, it was that if you make it easy for people to get through to you, if you really listen with empathy to what they have to say, and if you then do something to put it right, your unhappy customer can become a loyal ‘customer for life’. If it’s true that the average unhappy customer will tell 10 people about the poor service they received, then how much better for them to be telling you first, so that you can do something about it. How many times have you been delighted by a way a business has sorted your problem - not many I bet - but when someone surprises you, and gets it right - don’t you feel great? Don’t you want to tell everyone about this complaint you’d made and how brilliantly it was dealt with? A customer who tells you that they have a problem with your product or service. is giving you a chance to put it right, to put a smile on their face and keep their future business. They’re giving you the opportunity to check your systems, to fix the fault or re-train an individual, to stop the problem from happening again. Ultimately, they’re helping you to safeguard your reputation by telling you about their problem rather than their family, friends and neighbours, who may also be potential Customers. As Bill Gates says, 'Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.' Your complaining customers are your very best friends - so why not treat them that way? Do one thing: Check out your complaints process, is it set out step by step on your website? How easy is it for your Customers to complain? Do you welcome complaints as an opportunity to improve your systems? For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk  It’s that time again, new beginnings. For some their first day at a new school or college. For others their first day in a new role or a new job; maybe their first ever job?
Can you remember back to one of your first days? We’ve all had at least one. So what was it like? Were you over-awed, bored or just completely bewildered? Did you take in every word that was said, or did you go home on a caffeine-high with a numb bum? I’d love to think you had a great day and came away buzzing with drive and energy dying to tell your other half, mum or dad what a great day you had and how excited you were about the future. That’s what you want for the individuals joining YOUR team, but is that what happens? A new recruit’s First Day is your opportunity to make a great first impression. It’s your chance to get a new team member excited about their future with you, to understand what’s expected of them, and get a feel for what’s possible. First impressions count, and that applies to your team members too. Usually the focus is on giving lots of information, when what’s really important is to give heaps of inspiration. Yes, there are some very basic things you have to get across to them - where the toilets are, the fire procedure, where everyone goes for lunch maybe, but keep these as brief and to the point as possible. The things that are going to inspire them are:
Think about splitting your day into 3 short sections:
Your aim should be for that first day to reflect what you and your business are all about. I’m not talking a song and dance routine, but you want it to be full of high energy, passion and creativity, and as interactive as you can make it. Do one thing: Download our Simple System ‘How to Make a First Day Memorable’ for free here. [ps If you’d like to know more about transforming your business and your team by establishing simple, repeatable ways of working, then why not join us for a practical, interactive and inspiring day. Click here for more information.] For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk |
AuthorMarianne is the author of three books, and is currently working on her fourth, whilst regularly writing her blog, we hope you enjoy it :-) Archives
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