Life Lessons

Improve Customer Retention My entire organization works hard to produce and promote a wonderful service. I am a sales person. I work months overcoming objections, building a trust relationship, actively listening, showing sincere interest, being the face of my company, establishing expectations and creating a special bond. I remember a time when when our customer retention was declining.  There was a noticeable difference in customer attitudes, an increase in their complaints but never anything specific. I felt our trust relationship slipping. I was going through a divorce at the time and thought my distractions may have been the cause. While researching the leading causes of divorce, I had one those "WOW" moments.   According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America: The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41% The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60% The divorce rate in America for third ma...

Customer Loyalty Close your eyes, play some relaxing music and imagine your employees were like this. My name is Passion. I used to work for the sake of work – a paycheck, something to do. But these days, work has become an extension of who I am. It's my way of changing the world, to make it the kind of place we want to live in. Its my purpose, it's what I believe in, my passion. My teammates and I are 100% driven to delight our customers. I get a great deal of pleasure and a sense of accomplishment from moving my department and my company forward. My company knows I will do the right thing. I feel like a partner. I have a spirit to serve. I care about my team, company and customer. I take the initiative. I anticipate my customers needs. I enjoy people. Learning is important to me. I'm human and need to feel appreciated. It doesn't take allot. Ask me and I'll tell you. Say thank you, remember my birthday, make me laugh, feed me occasion...

Customer Service Apple recognized the power of Ritz Carlton's Mojo. If you want to gain a competitive advantage, improve service and create a winning team, follow this link. Ritz Mojo Rick D Watkins About Me

Assisted Living Advantage The 12th man or 12th player is a term for the fans within a stadium during football games. As most football leagues allow a maximum of eleven players per team on the playing field at a time, referring to a team's fans as the 12th man implies that they have a potentially helpful role in the game. The presence of fans can have a profound impact on how the team performs, an element in the home field advantage.  Sports teams have a greater chance of winning whenever they play at home. Gamblers use a home field factor to establish odds in many sports. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology quantifies the home field advantage by sport. I believe the home field advantage in many sales environments is more powerful than any sport in any arena. You have the opportunity to create the specific emotions driving the purchase decision through control of the physical and sensory elements. This is critical since baby boomers first impress...

Fall and Healthcare Costs The intended audience of this post is my family and yours. Like me they are aging. They find watching a favorite TV show a better use of time than exercise or planning for something that may not happen. It's too cold, or its raining or the news is about to come on seems more important than doing some very simple things to increase their odds of a better quality of life. I watch my Dad who was a highly recruited basketball player and member of the Army special forces struggle to keep his balance yet to darn stubborn to slow down. My aunt is becoming dependent on her personal shopping cart called a walker. Mom, Dad and Family the information below is nothing new. I used public information from the CDC and a University of Missouri.study. Were you aware that one out of every three adults age 65 and older fall each year. It's the leading cause of injury death for this age group. Twenty to thirty percent of people who fall suffer moderate to seve...

Assisted Living Security This week I shopped for an apartment, visited a hospital and assisted living community.  On my drive from Atlanta today I began to think of the three different experiences. Before the apartment complex allowed me access to the property I was required to surrender my driver's license and the leasing agent was always with me. The hospital required a photo ID, preferably a driver's license before generating a visitors pass that included my picture. The assisted living community required no contact information or picture identification and I was left alone a few times. I noticed a visitors sign in book (a wonderful tool) at the reception area of the assisted living but was never asked to use it. The leasing coordinator welcomed me and we began to walk the property.  We toured many common areas, model apartments and even viewed a residents apartment. The hospital verified my identity before allowing me access to their patients and staff areas and their ...