Tag Archives: Lydia Ramsey

The Secret to Attracting More Customers

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As I travel around the country and the world, I am constantly struck by the lack of manners today. Few business people seem to place any value on common courtesy, which translates into customer service, which then translates into profits. The lack of business etiquette skills runs the gamut from polite dining, professional dressing to such simple acts as saying “Thank you” to a customer or an employee.  Very few people bother with expressing any sort of appreciation.  Every customer needs to hear those words whether they come from the top executive of the car dealership that sold you a new BMW or the cashier at the check out counter who rang up your toothpaste.

Customers should to be thanked for coming in, waiting to be helped, holding for you on the phone, making a purchase or simply showing interest in a product or service.  It is not rocket science and requires no advanced degrees. It is easy to implement when it comes from the top down.  When the CEO thanks his employees, those people are more inclined to thank the customers.  It is “viral” as we say. When the organization offers formal training in business etiquette, it makes an even greater impact.

The hospitality industry is the best at expressing appreciation to their clients. They actually spend the time and the money to train their employees in good manners. I recently presented a program at an association convention that was held at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island. The effort that the Ritz puts into training its employees is obvious.  It struck me that the courteousness of the staff carried over to the guests who interacted with total strangers in the same gracious way.

Something else that I have noticed in the hospitality industry is the emphasis that is placed on greeting guests properly and promptly. When you are on the road as much as I am, it makes a huge difference to be called by name each time you enter a lobby, pass by the reception desk or eat in the hotel restaurant.

Then they go a step further. They teach employees the correct answer to a “Thank you.”  In 99% of the hotels where I have stayed while taking my “Manners That Sell” presentations on the road, when I thank an employee, their answer is either “You are welcome” or “It is my pleasure.”  The rest of the world seems to think that the response to a “Thank you” is “No problem.”  Who suggested that there was a problem?

You can be like every other company and disregard the simple “thank you” or you and your employees can make it a requirement.  You’ll be surprised at how those few words “thank you” and “you are welcome” will set you apart from your competitors and how adding a bit of polish will build profits. Be different from everyone else–be polite.

professional speaker

Photo from Savannah magazine

Hire Lydia to work with your staff to improve customer service and employee relations through the use of those priceless and often over-looked soft skills called manners. Lydia is the “unstuffy” business etiquette expert who helps individuals and organizations add the polish that builds profits. We’re talking about your bottom line here.

Since 1996, countless people have benefited from her wisdom through keynotes, seminars and conference breakout sessions.  Her Southern charm and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Lydia is available for national, regional and local speaking and training engagements. She has suitcase; will travel.

Contact her via email at lydia@lydiaramsey.com or call 912-604-0080. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter and visit her website, lydiaramsey.com.

Smiling is Good Manners and Good for Business

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Did you know that May is National Smile Month? Depending on where you live in the world, you may not. It actually began in the United Kingdom and is now one of the biggest not-for-profit events in Europe. It is managed by the British Dental Health Foundation in an effort to promote good oral health. I applaud the cause, but I see National Smile Month as having implications for the business world beyond dentistry.

Think about what a smile can mean for your business. What if every customer who walked through your door was greeted with a smile?  What if every customer who called your business could hear you smiling over the phone?  When the transaction was over, how would your customers feel if you smiled and thanked them for their business?

Do you think it would impact your bottom line?  The answer is obvious. A smile is one of the easiest ways to build your business. Not only do your customers feel good, you and your employees get the same positive benefit.

Some days you may not feel like smiling.  Perhaps it is late in the afternoon and you haven’t had a chance to eat your lunch. Just as you head to an out-of-the-way spot to grab your sandwich, someone walks in the door. You really have to work to smile.  Perhaps the last person you spoke to on the phone just chewed you out. When the phone rings again, if you haven’t recovered from that unpleasant experience, a grin is hard to come by.  Every customer deserves a pleasant greeting no matter how you feel.

In addition to exceptional services and products, people want three things from those with whom they do business. None of the three will cost you a cent.  People want and need:

  • Eye contact
  • A smile
  • To hear their name

If you and your employees didn’t practice smiling during the month of May, it is not too late.  Do it every day from now on, make it a priority and reap the benefits.

professional speaker

Photo from Savannah magazine

Hire Lydia to work with your staff to improve customer service and employee relations through the use of those priceless and often over-looked soft skills called manners. Lydia is the “unstuffy” business etiquette expert who helps individuals and organizations add the polish that builds profits. We’re talking about your bottom line here.

Since 1996, countless people have benefited from her wisdom through keynotes, seminars and conference breakout sessions.  Her Southern charm and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Lydia is available for national, regional and local speaking and training engagements. She has suitcase; will travel.

Contact her via email at lydia@lydiaramsey.com or call 912-604-0080. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter and visit her website, lydiaramsey.com.

Eight Etiquette Tips for an Effective Business Apology

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In the past few weeks we have been inundated with stories about the outrageous behavior of Serena Williams at the U.S. Open, Kanye West at the VMA’s and Joe Wilson during a joint session of Congress. Just when we thought things were dying down, attention turned to their apologies, the manner, the style and the number of them. If anything, all three public figures were shining examples of how not to apologize.

There is an art to the apology. As my friend, Jerry Gitchel says, “I’ve found that a good apology can often strengthen a business relationship.” When done correctly, an apology can enhance your business and create customer loyalty; still it’s amazing how many people don’t know how or when to apologize

There are eight steps to a good apology. Serena, Kanye and Joe take note.

#1. Say, “I’m sorry.” In spite of what your lawyer may have told you, those should be the first words out of your mouth.

#2. Be sincere. Your body language and tone of voice need to match your words. People believe what they see over what they hear. Look, sound and feel genuinely sorry.

#3. React quickly. An apology that is several days old loses its credibility and effectiveness.

#4. Drop the excuses. Take responsibility for whatever you said or did. You weaken your apology when you start piling on excuses like Serena, who in apology number two said that “In the heat of battle, I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly.”  That was a lame attempt at an excuse and not a hint of “I’m sorry” or “I was wrong.”

#5. Make amends. Do whatever you can do to set things right. I recently sent one of my products to a customer. The item did not arrive on the day I promised and I had an unhappy individual on my hands. To set things right, I apologized and offered to send a replacement by overnight delivery. There was a significant cost to me, but I won over a customer who will hopefully come back to me for additional products or services.

#6. Don’t get defensive. Once you get your dander up, you are headed for trouble and will only make the situation worse. One of my favorite sayings is “Never argue with an idiot. Those watching may not be able to tell the difference.”

#7. Listen without interrupting. When customers get upset, they need to vent. Often they require something to chew on and that may be you. Let them vent. You may learn something important from what they say.

#8. Finally, don’t go overboard and over-apologize. Make your first apology your last. Say what you need to say and do what you need to do to make things right, then move on. You will only make things seem worse by apologizing over and over again.

People can come up with any number of reasons not to apologize, but there are just as many for saying “I’m sorry.” Number one on that list is because it is the right thing to do. Not only that, it is good for business.

professional speaker

Photo from Savannah magazine

Hire Lydia to work with your staff to improve customer service and employee relations through the use of those priceless and often over-looked soft skills called manners. Lydia is the “unstuffy” business etiquette expert who helps individuals and organizations add the polish that builds profits. We’re talking about your bottom line here.

Since 1996, countless people have benefited from her wisdom through keynotes, seminars and conference breakout sessions.  Her Southern charm and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Lydia is available for national, regional and local speaking and training engagements. She has suitcase; will travel.

Contact her via email at lydia@lydiaramsey.com or call 912-604-0080. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter and visit her website, lydiaramsey.com.

A Different Perspective on Networking

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All business people are networkers whether they realize it or not. Some are more effective than others. Some work at it with purpose; others wander aimlessly through the process.

Every time you meet someone, greet someone, pick up the phone, send an e-mail message, engage someone in conversation, write a note (yes, some people still write notes), you are networking.

You don’t have to attend a community function, an after hours reception, a fundraising event or an educational conference to network. Anytime you interact with someone else you are engaged in networking. It can happen at the mall, the grocery store, the post office, walking the dog, riding in an elevator or waiting for your next flight to take off.

The purpose of business networking is to build relationships and grow your business, but you can’t be successful at networking if you don’t understand what it is. Some people think that it’s who you know and others believe that it’s who knows you. Networking is a
combination of those two, but it is more than that.

Business networking is also about what you know, and more importantly, it’s about who knows that you know what you know. (Try saying that fast three times in a row.)

It’s not enough to be famous if no one understands what makes you famous. As part of your networking strategy, be clear on who you are, what you do and what you have to offer. Your area of expertise and the unique skills you possess are what others need to know.

How can you be sure that people know that you know what you know? By being visible and by using, not abusing, every opportunity to showcase your expertise. Once people know that you know what you know, you become the expert and the “to-go-to” person. It’s a lot easier to have people come to you than having to chase them down.

professional speaker

Photo from Savannah magazine

Hire Lydia to work with your staff to improve customer service and employee relations through the use of those priceless and often over-looked soft skills called manners. Lydia is the “unstuffy” business etiquette expert who helps individuals and organizations add the polish that builds profits. We’re talking about your bottom line here.

Since 1996, countless people have benefited from her wisdom through keynotes, seminars and conference breakout sessions.  Her Southern charm and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Lydia is available for national, regional and local speaking and training engagements. She has suitcase; will travel.

Contact her via email at lydia@lydiaramsey.com or call 912-604-0080. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter and visit her website, lydiaramsey.com.

Inbox Overload

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Are you buried in your inbox? Are you inundated with messages every time you check your e-mail? If you can answer “no” to those questions, you are in a class by yourself. Most of us receive more e-mail in a day than we can reasonably handle. Instead of using precious time building our business and developing our client relationships, we are busy culling through e-mail to find the meaningful messages and deleting the rest.

There is little you can do to control the number of messages you receive, but you can manage the e-mail that you send out. If enough of us take the time to consider “to send or not to send,” we could see e-mail numbers drop.

Here are a few ways to cut back on unnecessary e-mail.

1. Consider who needs to receive your message and limit the recipients. If you are working on a project with a colleague, does the entire office need to be informed of your every move? Some people copy everyone in the workplace just to be on the safe side. (There is another expression used to explain this practice, but since it is not polite, I’ll leave it to your imagination.) Just copy those who need to know.

2. Think before you hit “reply to all.” When you receive notice of a meeting and are asked to reply, your response only needs to go to the person who sent the message. I recently received an invitation to an event and the sender was savvy enough to say, “Please send your response to me. Do not reply to all.”   More of us should remind our recipients not to reply to all.

3. When your e-mail message begins to look like the great American novel, stop. The time has come to pick up the phone or call a meeting. The key to email is to be brief and to the point. It is not meant for discussion.

4. No matter how funny that joke or how bizarre that video that someone sent you, spare your business friends and colleagues unless they have given you permission to pass along such trivia.

Limiting the number of messages you send and being thoughtful regarding to whom you send them is just another way of showing courtesy and respect for others.

If you have any suggestions for ways to reduce the massive amount of e-mail that goes out every day, please share them with me. With your permission, I will add them to my list and pass them on.

Here’s to more manageable inboxes!

professional speaker

Photo from Savannah magazine

Hire Lydia to work with your staff to improve customer service and employee relations through the use of those priceless and often over-looked soft skills called manners. Lydia is the “unstuffy” business etiquette expert who helps individuals and organizations add the polish that builds profits. We’re talking about your bottom line here.

Since 1996, countless people have benefited from her wisdom through keynotes, seminars and conference breakout sessions.  Her Southern charm and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Lydia is available for national, regional and local speaking and training engagements. She has suitcase; will travel.

Contact her via email at lydia@lydiaramsey.com or call 912-604-0080. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter and visit her website, lydiaramsey.com.

E-mail – Be Brief, But Not Abrupt

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How many e-mail messages do you receive that are not personalized in any way? The sender goes straight to the message without ever acknowledging you by name? The communication ends just as abruptly without a signature. The assumption, of course, is that your inbox will reveal the sender’s name

While e-mail is meant to brief and to the point, it is not intended to be impersonal. E-mail has become the cold call of today’s business world. Would you make a cold call without a greeting or an introduction? Would you make a cold call without attempting to establish a relationship? The answer of
course is “no.” So why would anyone send e-mail without a personal touch?

I often receive messages through my website. I never cease to be amazed at how many people fail to address me by name. They ask a question or request information and proceed to close without leaving their name, contact information or a kind word.

Business is built on relationships and first impressions. If you want to grow your business using the Internet, keep in mind that your e-mail messages still require courtesy and cordiality.

Begin by using the person’s name, add warmth to your message and close with your name and contact information.

A businessman recently cited an e-mail incident that turned him off and cost the other person a significant piece of business. The sender was requesting information and suggesting future business opportunities with the recipient. The reply that came back to him had a subject line that read,
“Attached.” That was it! There was no greeting, no message, no words of appreciation, no explanation of the attachment and no closing.

I leave it to you to decide if the individual who requested the information opened the attachment or if he engaged in any follow-up.

Here is one example of how the reply should have been composed:

***************************************************************

Dear Mr. Chase,

Thank you for your interest in my programs. I have attached the information you requested. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by phone at 843-224-4233 or by e-mail at ssmith@bigbusiness.com.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Warmest regards,

Sam Smith
Big Business Inc.

***************************************************************

Many of us have reached a point where we will do anything to save time; but if we lose business in the process, are those few extra minutes we gain worth the price we pay?

 

 

Romance in the Office

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As usual in the month of February office romance becomes a hot topic. This is not to say that relationships between co-workers do not exist during the other eleven months of the year.  Consider how many hours people spend in the workplace and how closely they interact with those who share the same space and duties.

Years ago workplace romance was strictly forbidden.  No one would consider dating a co-worker or if they did, they knew that their job would be at risk.  There was the saying that “You don’t go fishing in the company pond.”

Times have changed and most companies do not have rules or policies that speak to this issue.

Here are a few tips for managing office romance in a professional manner and for allowing you to preserve your career.

1. Check to see what the company policy is about dating in the office.

2. Keep the relationship private.  Co-workers do not need to be aware or involved.

3. Avoid any physical contact in the office. Even your body language can give you away.

4. If you choose to send flowers or other gifts to your heart throb, send them to the home. Otherwise you might as well put up a neon sign.

5. Talk about how you will handle things if the romance ends.

6.  Keep your relationship off line.  Do not send messages via e-mail since e-mail is never private or confidential and can live on long after the romantic fire dies out.

7.  Don’t even consider sharing messages or photos on sites such as Face Book.

8.  Stay out of any relationship with your supervisor or boss.

9.  Use common sense, discretion and good manners when you venture into an office romance.

professional speaker

Photo from Savannah magazine

Hire Lydia to work with your staff to improve customer service and employee relations through the use of those priceless and often over-looked soft skills called manners. Lydia is the “unstuffy” business etiquette expert who helps individuals and organizations add the polish that builds profits. We’re talking about your bottom line here.

Since 1996, countless people have benefited from her wisdom through keynotes, seminars and conference breakout sessions.  Her Southern charm and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Lydia is available for national, regional and local speaking and training engagements. She has suitcase; will travel.

Contact her via email at lydia@lydiaramsey.com or call 912-604-0080. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter and visit her website, lydiaramsey.com.