AtlantaEvent.com NewsFlash - The Next $4 Billion

Intro
Jeff Glaze

Jeff Glaze
Editor



"Buy my eye-opening ebook!" from Jeff Glaze, The editor of AtlantaEvent.com

Greetings!

As you go through the week, do you ever get the feeling that everyone else is successful but you?

If that is the case it could be time for a "kick in the pants" motivation style.

Too often we forget that the world of the entrepreneur is a difficult struggle filled with more challenges than rewards. When the rewards come it is a sweet victory, but sometimes the wait seems unbearable.

If you have ever attended a great motivational seminar, you probably remember how pumped up you were in the day following the event. You were stoked and ready to take it all on again. The problem is a few days after the event, it wears off and the reality of our situation washes over us again like a wave of raw sewage. So what do we do about it?

Lately I have been thinking about a few new web sites I am developing and how they can be the most useful sites on the web. My answer is that I need to provide useful, real information that is not only geared to building the business, but to building the business owner as well. In other words, a combination of motivation and solutions.

We all get into a slump sooner or later, and when we do it might be a good time to get on Amazon.com and order a few previously owned motivation books. Once the books arrive, don't try to read them all in one sitting. Take a few minutes in the morning every day and read a few pages. Just a few pages a day will get you through the book and give you the juice to walk out the door with a more powerful outlook on your world.

Just like vitamins are good for the body, good motivational reading can feed the fire within.

Now on to business, if you have not gotten your newsreader yet, you can still get it here:

CLICK HERE to get your reader and instructions.

Also our entry in the Fast Company magazine Fast 50 Companies of 2004 has been accepted and you can view it here and comment on it on their site if you wish. Please excuse me if I sound like I am bragging, but you have to do a bit of that to get in the contest. Favorable ratings will help us win.

Please note below that Five@Five on Tuesday night (tomorrow) is the last one of the year. I hope you can make it.

Jeff Glaze
www.AtlantaEvent.com Editor

Take our Controversial New Poll "Freedom Of Speech" at AtlantaEvent.com Click Here

Five@Five This Month:

It was said the other day that a combined total of approximately Four Billion dollars was spent on the 2004 political campaigns. That is quite a significant amount of money on an industry that provides no product. That is a real eye opener.

Wouldn't it be nice to get a bit of that kind of action? It sure would. So how can you do it?

First of all it is important to realize that a lot of the money spent goes into media. Yes the media that we hear so much about. It is allocated in campaign ads and commercials and mailings. It is spent on yard signs, on office space, posters and banners and buttons, oh my!

It is spent on people who organize and manage. Transportation and events are a part of the plan. Security and even maintenance are even involved and carpenters are required to build special platforms.


So how do we get involved in the income generating processes of elections? We can always volunteer our services to work on a campaign and be welcomed with open arms, but it is usually important if you have bills to pay to get paid for your efforts.


In the outline of the types of services that are used, was there a way that your company or service fits in? Are you a designer, a printer, a PR person and office manager, a project manager, how does what you do fit in?

The first step in getting the contract is to do the research. This can be done by selecting key words and doing a web search, or by contacting the headquarters of various political parties and submitting proposals based on their needs.

So what are their needs? Ask them. The worst that could happen is that they say they don't ned anything.

It is not too early to start thinking about the next election. It is in 2006 and takes a lot of preparation before it actually happens. There are congressional people to re-elect, and senators that will be coming to the end of their term. The party headquarters is the place to find out who is in the running, and often those people can be contacted directly. They might need your coaching services, your writing services, your programming services and who knows, they may not yet have a web site.

So get it going, make some calls and see what happens. Remember, the economy can be up or the economy can be down, but the campaigns will all happen regardless, and the services will always be needed to throw some money at.

Jeff Glaze is the editor of this newsletter and AtlantaEvent.com. You can write him an email and call him names at info@atlantaevent.com

At Your Service: The Ten Commandments of Great Customer Service!

By Susan Friedmann, CSP

Customer service is an integral part of our job and should not be seen as an extension of it. A company’s most vital asset is its customers. Without them, we would not and could not exist in business. When you satisfy our customers, they not only help us grow by continuing to do business with you, but recommend you to friends and associates.

The practice of customer service should be as present on the show floor as it is in any other sales environment.

The Ten Commandments of Customer Service

1. Know who is boss. You are in business to service customer needs, and you can only do that if you know what it is your customers want. When you truly listen to your customers, they let you know what they want and how you can provide good service. Never forget that the customer pays our salary and makes your job possible.

2. Be a good listener. Take the time to identify customer needs by asking questions and concentrating on what the customer is really saying. Listen to their words, tone of voice, body language, and most importantly, how they feel. Beware of making assumptions - thinking you intuitively know what the customer wants. Do you know what three things are most important to your customer?

Effective listening and undivided attention are particularly important on the show floor where there is a great danger of preoccupation - looking around to see to whom else we could be selling to.

3. Identify and anticipate needs. Customers don't buy products or services. They buy good feelings and solutions to problems. Most customer needs are emotional rather than logical. The more you know your customers, the better you become at anticipating their needs. Communicate regularly so that you are aware of problems or upcoming needs.

4. Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. Always use their name and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. People value sincerity. It creates good feeling and trust. Think about ways to generate good feelings about doing business with you. Customers are very sensitive and know whether or not you really care about them. Thank them every time you get a chance.

On the show floor be sure that your body language conveys sincerity. Your words and actions should be congruent.

5. Help customers understand your systems. Your organization may have the world's best systems for getting things done, but if customers don't understand them, they can get confused, impatient and angry. Take time to explain how your systems work and how they simplify transactions. Be careful that your systems don't reduce the human element of your organization.

6. Appreciate the power of "Yes". Always look for ways to help your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable) tell them that you can do it. Figure out how afterwards. Look for ways to make doing business with you easy. Always do what you say you are going to do.

7. Know how to apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize. It's easy and customers like it. The customer may not always be right, but the customer must always win. Deal with problems immediately and let customers know what you have done. Make it simple for customers to complain. Value their complaints. As much as we dislike it, it gives us an opportunity to improve. Even if customers are having a bad day, go out of your way to make them feel comfortable.

8. Give more than expected. Since the future of all companies lies in keeping customers happy, think of ways to elevate yourself above the competition. Consider the following:

- What can you give customers that they cannot get elsewhere?
- What can you do to follow-up and thank people even when they don't buy?
- What can you give customers that is totally unexpected?

9. Get regular feedback. Encourage and welcome suggestions about how you could improve. There are several ways in which you can find out what customers think and feel about your services.

- Listen carefully to what they say.
- Check back regularly to see how things are going.
- Provide a method that invites constructive criticism, comments and suggestions.

10. Treat employees well. Employees are your internal customers and need a regular dose of appreciation. Thank them and find ways to let them know how important they are. Treat your employees with respect and chances are they will have a higher regard for customers. Appreciation stems from the top. Treating customers and employees well is equally important.

Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.

Ask most people why they are in business and they will give you any number of reasons. Things such as wanting to improve the lives of others; make the world a better place; provide for their family; have more free time; the list goes on and on.

Fact is business is about making money, which means the bottom line is the bottom line. Many business owners, managers and sales people seem to forget this. If you don’t have a strong bottom line you cannot continue to do business for very long. And if you can’t continue to do business you cannot achieve the other primary reasons you do what you do. The way you get a sturdy bottom line is to understand some basic truths about business.

A few fundamentals to running a successful business are to know what your product or service is, who your customer is, who you are, what drives you in business, and what trends are impacting the economy and marketplace.

Many people run their business without these key ingredients. Sure, a company can survive, but is survival all you are seeking? Don’t you want more? As previously mentioned, most people are in business to design a certain lifestyle for themselves and their families. Many are in business to create an experience for their customers. Still others are in business to improve the quality of their community. Unfortunately, many miss the mark by a long shot.

Think about why you are in business. What is it that drives you? Wouldn’t it be great to thrive beyond your wildest dreams and be a contributor to many of the causes you believe in due to the success of your business and professional life?

Regardless of where you are in business, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been running your company for some time; whether you work for yourself or for someone else there are essential pieces of information that are key to your success. First, in order to thrive you absolutely must know who you are. Not only who you are in the business, but in life in general. You also have to know what you believe in, what your values are, and what drives and motivates you.

Another key aspect of succeeding in business is to understand the needs and wants of your customers. Until you determine exactly who your customers are, you will have a difficult time satisfying what they want and need. That is why it is so important to determine what drives you. If you understand what drives you, what your values are, your beliefs, your dreams and goals, and what your ultimate purpose is, it will be so much easier to figure out who you want to do business with.

As has often been the belief and practice of many business owners, sales professionals, and managers, when asked who their market is, they respond with, “Everyone!” Fact is, if everyone is your market, ultimately no one is your market.

It’s incredible how many people have never taken the time to determine who they would ideally like to do business with. The more clarity you have, the simpler your process of doing business becomes. Do not confuse easy with simple. Running a business is not necessarily easy and yet, the process can be simple when you gain massive amounts of clarity.

Additionally, your existing and potential customers will have a much easier time distinguishing you from your competitors. With a new competitor cropping up on what seems like every street corner, make the decision making process for your clients as simple as possible. By gaining clarity through self-evaluation and customer evaluation, you attract more of your ideal clients. As you attract more of who you want to do business with you can focus more on the business of providing a great experience to your customers.

Dr. Scott Kiser has been practicing general dentistry in Salt Lake City, Utah for over 20 years. Consumer Research Council of America selected him as Utah’s Top Cosmetic Dentist of 2003 - 04. Currently, Dr. Kiser is co-authoring the book “Why Be Different, Success Secrets to Sell the Unsellable” (Maxwell Publishing) scheduled for release in January, 2005. Visit www.greatsmilesutah.com to sign up for a FREE monthly online newsletter or for more information on Dr. Kiser and all of his services.