Bicolano magic in a can - Planters Development Bank

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TOOLKIT 16 SME.COMmunity.PHilippines 1 TRAVEL 2 PATRONIZE 3 SEE 4 SWITCH 5 UNPLUG EASY THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR A HEALTHY PLANET: LIGHT. Walk or bike instead of driving a car if you need to go someplace nearby. Cars and trucks run on fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. For every kilometer you walk, bike or commute on public transport credit yourself with 2 kilograms of carbon emission reduction. Two kilos of carbon saved is also equal to saving one liter of gasoline. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. Taking the bus or the light rail saves at least 863 liters of gasoline and cuts back over 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year. THE LIGHT. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. These energy-efficient bulbs help fight climate change because they reduce the amount of fossil fuels that utilities burn. You will eliminate 230 kilos of carbon for each incandescent bulb that you replace with a compact fluorescent, over the life of the bulb. This is equal to saving 98 liters of gasoline. The new cutting edge LED lamps will even create a bigger impact when they enter the market. OFF YOUR COMPUTER MONITOR WHEN NOT IN USE. Doing this saves power and removes about 45 kilos of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere yearly. ALL UNUSED APPLIANCES. Any appliance that is in standby mode is still consuming energy. One of the things many sales people dread is doing cold calls. Try these tips to overcome your fears. DO THE RESEARCH. Show prospects you’re interested in their business by reading up on their background. Mention an article that you just read that might be related to his or her business. Doing this is a sure way to get your appointment rate up. WARM UP TO YOUR PROSPECT. Before doing a cold call, send your prospect an inexpensive but unique item. It can be a magazine clipping about the prospect’s business or industry. How about a bright, well-made piece of origami with 6Products made from recycled paper, glass, metal and plastic reduce carbon emissions because they use less energy to manufacture than products made from completely new materials. For instance, you’ll save 4 kilos of carbon for every 20 glass bottles that you recycle. Recycling paper also saves trees and lets them continue to reduce climate change naturally as they remain in the forest, where they remove carbon from the atmosphere. One kilo of paper recycled cuts back 4 kilos of carbon dioxide emissions, equal to saving 2 liters of gasoline or to planting 44 trees. RECYCLE AND USE RECYCLED PRODUCTS. 7INFLATE YOUR TIRES. If you own a car, it will get better gas mileage when the tires are fully inflated, so it will burn less gas and emit less carbon. Check your automobile monthly to ensure that the tires are fully inflated. Follow this tip and save over 600 kilos of carbon dioxide for every 16,000 kilometers you drive. 8PLANT NATIVE TREES. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and use it as their energy source, producing oxygen for us to breathe. A tree that shades a house can reduce the energy required to run the air conditioner and save an additional 400 to 4,000 kilos of carbon over its lifetime. Trees also improve both aesthetic and property value. Just remember to position the tree a manageable distance from structures, utility lines and drains. 9DEMAND RENEWABLE ENERGY. If your utility offers renewable energy, buy it. If not, send them a message asking for clean energy. LIGHTER-WEIGHT AND UNCOLORED PAPER WHENEVER POSSIBLE. Lighter-weight paper uses less fiber, saves on mail costs, and often 10USE costs less. Avoid neon (ultrabrite) paper, which is laden with toxic heavy metals and makes this paper difficult to recycle. Use pastel colored paper instead. Photo from dreamstime.com GETTING AN APPOINTM ENT your business card? When you make your call, your prospect most likely will say “Oh yeah, you’re the one who sent me that…” It gets you remembered and makes you immediately stand out from the crowd. BE SPECIFIC WHEN ASKING FOR AN APPOINT- MENT. Instead of saying, “would there be a chance to meet with you sometime next week?”, be more specific. Say, “Is Tuesday next week at 10:30 a.m. a good time to meet?” RESPECT YOUR PROSPECT’S TIME. Get straight to the point and say “All I’m asking for is 10 minutes of your time.” This show’s you value that person’s time.
SALES TRAINING A Primer on Providing Professional Customer Service In an increasingly competitive market, the difference between you and your competitors often boils down to one crucial factor—customer service. The reality is that it has been proven time and time again that a company’s success often hinges on how customers view the service provided. While it’s certainly helpful to utilize technology to increase customer loyalty, oftentimes it’s the basic customer service 101 that makes all the difference in the world when it comes to turning a one-time customer into a long-term client. YOU ARE HOW YOU SOUND It’s a given that using a negative voice and tone with a customer is an absolute no-no. However, there is frequently an overall acceptance for an unenthused, neutral voice. Call it what you like—blah, bored, tired, or detached. Customers will perceive a monotone voice as negative and unhelpful. Paying attention to voice, tone, sounding positive, energetic, and consistently upbeat should be right at the top of the list of ways to improve your customer service. THE DELIGHT IS IN THE DETAILS Your customer service team needs to be able to manage the basics of their jobs, and customers expect that. But, what makes the difference between soso service and helpfulness that keeps customers returning is paying close attention to details. Following through, keeping promises, and going that extra mile for a customer is the key to loyalty. Customers will always appreciate that personal touch that makes them feel appreciated and special. YOU SAID WHAT? With more and more communication taking place online, often delivered in bullets or short quips, it seems that many have forgotten the benefits of courteous dialogue. “Please,” “thank you,” and “How may I help you?” are far too frequently forgotten. By focusing on using those tried and true words of good customer service, you can go a long way towards differentiating yourself from a pack of poor communicators. FRANKLY MY DEAR, I DON’T GIVE A DAMN! We’ve all had the experience of being circulated around a complex phone system, trying to reach a customer service representative—punching buttons, being redirected, then placed on hold, and finally hung up on. What’s the message that a company projects with this lack of respect for their customers’ time? A message of indifference; and it’s a surefire way to make your customers run straight towards a competitor who can manage to pick up their phones. While this is one example of a lack of concern for customers, there are countless other ways that companies show they just don’t care. The bottom line here - it behooves every company to review their entire customer service process to seek out those deficiencies that create challenges for their customers. COMFORTABLY NUMB Your market is continuously changing, and so are the needs of your customers. This requires a customer service team to be adaptable and flexible. For this reason, watching out for signs of complacency and an inability to make improvements is crucial and must be corrected before your competitors surpass you with more innovative ways to better provide service to your customers. It’s easy to go after the quick fix, particularly when it comes to customer service. You can certainly improve the efficiency of a team with a new phone system or software program, but it won’t necessarily improve quality. At the end of the day, successful customer service still boils down to people working with people. Treat your customers the way you want to be treated, and you will be rewarded with the loyalty of your customers. Based in New York, Adrian Miller is the president of Adrian Miller Direct Marketing, a sales training and consulting company that provides customized, resultsdriven training programs to companies worldwide. AMDM’s programs focus on the techniques and skills needed for building new business and retaining existing business, resulting in increased ‘ROA’ (Return on attention). She can be reached at amiller@adrianmiller.com. 17 VOL. NO. 03 / ISSUE NO. 05
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Bicolano magic in a can - Planters Development Bank

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