Your emails say a lot about you. And while we all can overlook a sporadic typo, ignoring email etiquette can not only damage your perception, it can land your email in the “deleted items” folder.

Here are two posts to get you on the right track. The first, How To Improve Your Email Etiquette, is from Marci Alboher, Working the New Economy’s Blog.

The second, Sending Emails That Get Read, is a post I wrote about a year and a half ago.

Happy Emailing!

Here’s a post I wrote when I first started cafe30. I had it on a separate page because it didn’t quite fit with the other posts, but part of me blogging more often is giving myself permission to write about all things, not just marketing with some parental stories mixed in for variety.

So, when I say this blog is a marketer’s take on business and life, I really mean it!

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Every relationship takes at least two – very few will argue this point when it comes to family, friends and work.  But, applying that principle to our relationship with God is not always top of mind. 

The great thing is that God holds up his part of the relationship perfectly. If we allow him, he will guide us, speak to us, and listen to us because he loves us. And his way of communicating with us is tailored to our personality-our tolerance. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. After all, he is the God of everything and everyone.

But the other part of the relationship is our responsibility. And our responsibility must include being receptive to his voice. Whether it be the gentle voice in our head that tells us when we are doing right or wrong, to the large billboards of life that scream to us, we should always be listening for his guidance. When we are truly receptive to his guidance and follow through with being obedient we can experience all of the greatness a relationship with our Heavenly Father brings.

Of course I am always joyful when God speaks to me of a promise and then it comes to fruition. But I am also joyful when I am about to make what I think is a good decision, and that voice says, “No.” I am learning that being truly receptive and obedient - honestly open and constantly listening – can save me many mistakes. And not only does it save me many mistakes, it keeps me in God’s will – which is by far more important.

God speaks everyday - sometimes its a whisper, sometimes it’s a roar, but he always speaks. My constant prayer is that whenever God speaks, I’m receptive and obedient. 

It’s more than the annoyance of prompts for an account number, zip code, phone number, pin number, birth date, last five digits of a social security number and your bra size (okay maybe not that one but you get the idea).

It’s the false sense of hope once a customer service rep answers. For a minute, customers believe that the rep has power to resolve an issue. They believe that the person will be able to listen to an issue and come up with a human-based answer, not an automated, scripted one.

However, customers soon realize the rep is just a live version of the automated help maze. They see that the person on the line has little to no power, because they are not trained to use their judgment to make a decision. They must rely on scripts and cookie-cutter answers for questions that are not cookie-cutter.

If your company is going to hire people for customer service, empower them to make decisions (Zappos is my favorite example of this). If you don’t feel your reps can handle making decisions, then hire new people with competent judgment skills. Stop giving your customers a false sense of hope when they hear a person. It’s not fair to them and it’s not fair to your reps that have to deal with irate customers.

Here are other things you can do to improve the customer service experience:

• Don’t ask customers to repeat the information they just entered into your automated system.
• Use a CRM (customer relationship management) system to record your customer’s history. That way your customers won’t have to rehash previous problems or conversations with other reps.
• Insist that all reps are nice to clients (And no, this is not a given. I’ve had reps hang up on me and I was not irate).
• If you are going to use a survey to evaluate your efficiency, use questions that will offer productive feedback. Instead of “Were you happy with your service today?” try “What part of your experience could have been better?”
• Hire happy people.
• Monitor what people are saying about you online (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).
• Don’t use generic answers (e.g. Our policy states…).
• Find reasons to say yes to customers’ requests.

Here are some basic ways to reach a target audience that’s not online because let’s face it, there are still a lot of people that don’t use Facebook, Twitter and hold your breath… Google.

• Support causes special to your audience.
• Organize an event for your audience.
• Gain credibility of thought leaders.
• Create a subscription-based newsletter with valuable information.
• Utilize Print, Radio and Television Ads.
• Run a contest.
• Give samples.
• Produce a cable access TV show.
• Distribute coupons.
• Use a referral campaign.
• Create a campaign based around a holiday.
• Create your own holiday.
• Team with a company that offers a vertical service.
• Attend social gatherings.
• Find interest groups that can benefit from your product/service and:
  • Offer or sponsor a class/seminar of interest
  • Offer to speak at a meeting
  • Give samples

If members of your team consistently agree they either don’t want to voice their true opinion or everyone drank the same water and you need to shake up the group.

The purpose of a group is to bring together different people with varying perspectives in order to offer feedback and suggestions. Groupthink defeats that.

Here are some signs that your team suffers from groupthink:

There is no debate. No matter the issue, there are many possible outcomes. A group should weigh these outcomes. And how can they be weighed if there is no conflict? True analyzing, testing and evaluating require conflict.

Stereotypes are used as facts. Many times like-minded people treat stereotypes as facts, either because they don’t know better or it’s easier. If it is impossible to diversify your group (which I find hard to believe), at least have someone in your group do research on your target audience beforehand.

There is no Plan B. There should always be a contingency plan. If you have not discussed a contingency plan, chances are you have not discussed the many possible outcomes of your decision.

Here are some things that you can do to combat groupthink:

Have at least one person play devil’s advocate at each meeting. This will train people to look for the loopholes and not just take the information at face value. This will also provide a safe environment for dissension and erase concerns of being blackballed later.

Have the leader voice his/her opinion last. This gives people an opportunity to voice their opinion without fear of upsetting the leader. It also gives the leader an opportunity to hear many perspectives, which may sway his/her final perspective.

Distribute a copy of the agenda before the meeting and have members contribute their feedback anonymously. Have an unbiased party compile the feedback and use that as discussion points for the meeting.

The following is not an excuse; it just shows that life happens…

When we moved in September I gave myself until November to get settled. I figured two months would be enough time to unpack and establish a routine. Things didn’t work out that way. I spent the first two months training for my new gig, being the primary caregiver to the girls and trying to adjust to southern life as an adult. My husband was contractually obligated and couldn’t join us full-time until November.

So I moved that date from November to January (this was a more realistic goal anyway…) and said I would make no excuses. Well, I didn’t make an excuse, but I DID find out that I was expecting. And trust me, expecting another child is definitely a reason to alter plans. So I moved my timeline to May.

Well, I didn’t quite make that deadline either. For starters we were supposed to move into a house April 4^th, but due to contractual issues, that date had to be pushed back to May 1rst. Then I had some unexpected family issues that were draining, both mentally and physically.

But now, it’s May 12^th, and I’m back. Tweeting has filled the void a little, but it’s not the same as being able to write in more than 140 characters. I’ve missed blogging; I’ve missed the conversations.

I have a lot of topics on schedule, so now that I have a decent routine you should see new posts here at least once a week.

And since I’ve said that out loud that means I’ll have to follow through…

Towanda Long

Here are a few reasons your Press Release was ignored:

• It was not well-written.
• It did not tell the media outlet why their audience would be interested in your news.
• The story was not news worthy.
• It got lost among the hundreds of press releases the outlet receives everyday.
• It was sent to the wrong person in the organization.
• There was no follow-up.
• The timing was wrong.
• It got caught in the spam filter. 

I could go on but the point is this. Getting your story covered takes much more than writing and distributing a release. It takes research, follow-up, relationship-building and sometimes a little luck. Think about it; there’s a reason media relations is considered a skillset. 

Towanda Long aka mscafe

Want a list of free ways to start, run and grow your business? Entrepreneur.com has a great article here.

And, in the spirit of free, cafe30.com has launched its small business challenge, My Marketing Needs Help. Three businesses will be chosen to win a Marketing makeover.

If you haven’t already, nominate yourself or another business for the challenge. All the information can be found at the link above.

Enjoy!

Towanda Long aka mscafe

With today’s businesses, there is little room for fluff and even less time for “this is how it’s always been done.” There is a bottom line that must be met.

Considering this, have you evaluated the value you provide to your clients? Do your clients know your value? Are there things you can do to increase your value?

Many businesses are courting new clients right now, and you can believe that your current clients are on someone’s list. While you can’t stop that, you can make sure that your clients know exactly how much value you provide.

Trust me, when a prospective vendor sends in their list of services with a cheaper price tag, that might just capture some attention.

However, the things you provide that can’t be listed on a generic list of services will be your ammunition in defending your turf. And it’s better to think about that before you get called into a meeting.

Towanda Long aka mscafe

I’m amazed each time I see a car commercial and it is the same kind of “look at my great new car” ad. Their businesses are suffering substantial losses. If there has ever been a time to do something different, now would be it.

Here’s an ad suggestion. Show three average people going into a dealership to purchase a car. Let one have fair credit, another have good, and one with excellent. Show examples of the interest rates they were given. Talk about why they are buying a new car (family addition, downsizing, fuel economy, etc.). Then show them leaving the lot in their new car. Let them have a webcam and show the customer talking about their experience (I know the treatment could use a little work, but I’m trying to keep this short…).

This ad will answer some of the concerns car buyers have right now:

a)     Do I qualify for a loan? Showing customers with fair, good and excellent credit help here.

b)     Can I afford a new vehicle? The estimated interest rates help here.

c)     What about job security? The economy? The use of average people can offer a sense of comfort. It goes to the human trait that we connect to people like us.

Auto ads are still focusing on performance and features, while throwing in a line or two about credit options. Yes, the ad can say 0% financing or no money down, but that is no different than the messages from four years ago when people were freely buying cars and SUVs. This does not answer any of the concerns that people have right now. I am almost certain the lack of features is not why people have avoided car showrooms.

That being said, one car company is looking at things from the buyer perspective-Hyundai. Their new promotion allowing you to return your car if you lose your job within a year definitely answers a concern of potential buyers. Kudos, now let’s see what the others have to offer.

I used the auto industry for this illustration, but think about your marketing and advertising. Does it look the same? Is it working? Do you stand out? If not, now may be the time to try a different kind of ad.

Towanda Long aka mscafe