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General

Five Ways to Wow Your Clients Every Time

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When it comes to dealing with customers, keep these things in mind for repeat business: stay in touch, ask questions, choose "can do" terminology, deliver the goods, and follow up. We share the details of the how and why below.

Freelancers, whether they're working as virtual assistants, writers, or transcribers for local law offices, are under constant pressure to please clients each and every time.

You know all too well how hungry the competition is. It’s one of the reasons you always try to go above and beyond with each client. The good news is that there are five ways you can wow your clients every time so they’ll never need to consider anyone but you.

Stay in Touch

You’d be surprised by just how much this means to clients. Not to mention how few competitors take this advice to heart. It’s easy to lose touch over the duration of long projects. A simple email note about the status of the project goes a long way towards helping your clients feel appreciated and preventing them from worrying about whether you’ll be able to deliver on time.

Ask Questions

More importantly, listen to the answers and use them in your work. Clients love it when you give them exactly what they want. Sometimes, that requires asking questions, refining, and narrowing.

Choose “Can Do” Terminology

When working with clients, there are many times when it’s not what you say that makes the difference, but how you say it. Learning to communicate effectively is a must when dealing with clients. However, learning to effectively communicate positively adds that extra little wow factor that keeps clients coming back for more. For instance, instead of telling your client that you can’t have a project finished until after 3 p.m. on Friday, try telling your clients that "I can have that project finished by 3 p.m. on Friday. Does that work for you?” That subtle change has a significant impact on the way clients view you. When you use words like can’t, they view you as someone who can’t get things done. When you change them to can, they see you as someone with a can-do attitude who will make things happen.

Deliver the Goods

In many cases, this is all it takes. However, you don’t want to merely deliver what the client asked for. You want to exceed your client’s expectations and you want to make sure that the client leaves the transaction believing he got more than his money’s worth.

Follow Up

The fortune is in the follow-up. You’ll hear this in almost any business you enter into. It’s not the one-time sell that becomes your bread and butter. It’s the people who keep coming back, month after month, to make use of the services you provide or the goods you sell. Follow up.

Make sure they’re happy with the product, service, etc. and double-check to ensure nothing is wrong, missing, or lost in translation. Then, ask if they need other products or services you offer and invite them to call on you again. This gives them the perfect opportunity to hire you again.

You don’t have to move mountains, make hard sells, or walk on burning coals to make customers happy. These five steps are relatively simple and yet they deliver happy customers time and time again. Try them out and see what a difference they make for your business.

If you believe that my message is worth spreading, please use the share buttons if they show at the top of the page.

Stephen Hodgkiss
Chief Engineer at MarketHive
markethive.com

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

General

Check On Your Direction Before Going Into Business!

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markethiveBefore Going Into Business!

Listed below are some reasons why your business is important.

Anyway about the business you are in – the very first question that you must ask yourself before anything else. You got to demand yourself to an answer to this.

Why the heck on earth would anybody pay for what you're selling?

1. Why should there be anyone would do business with you? This could be the very first question that you must ask yourself before anything else. You got to demand yourself to an answer to this. Why the heck on earth would anybody pay for this "Junk" you're selling? Yup, "Junk", as I phrased it.

It doesn't matter how good your product is to be, to the eye of others, it's just another piece of product in a sea pool of other similar products. So, still be very proud of your product or service? Truly you're 100% proud of it? You truthfully and deeply believe people would be dumb by NOT buying from you?

 

Well…you passed the first barrier! You're ready to start go to next stage.

2. The basic business needs 3 things: Lawyer, a Professional CPA, and Creative or crazy fellow, which could very well be you.

Almost every business gets themselves for the first two. It's understandably so. Good creative people are really hard to find, hard to manage, and you'll never sure of what you're paying for. Every established and sizeable business knows the creative side plays a heavier weight than the lawyer and CPA. CPA's and lawyers can help you when you are up there.

But at the early stage when your business is still an infant, your business live or die depending on the business branding activities in areas like business identities, logos, marketing campaign, advertising copy and business slogans. Now, are you NUTS enough? Have people been calling you NUTS?

 

If so, you are ready for the next stage! Do give yourself a "Cheers"!

3. Singing for Your Own Business? You Got To Promote Yourself In Every Possible Way. Do all of them.

Yes, do whatever possible to get your business name to be up there! Get your Business Brand being noticed by others. There more the merrier! Businesses can just come and go so fast before anybody could hear of them. People are busy, what do they care? They don't care about you and your business.

Why should they care? Get serious. Do everything you can possibly and reasonably afford to do. But beware; you must not mislead others because it'll backfire quickly enough to wipe your business off. Do you "Sing for your own self"?

 

Then you've passed! Move on to next stage…

4. Big Decision: Could You Win The Competition. It's very likely that you're entering a crowded business market when you first started. Take a hard and closer look at what other fellows are doing; what your competitors are doing right now could affect your business greatly. At this stage, you got to decide: Are you going for "Head to Head" fight?

Competing on better quality? Crazier pricing strategy? Extra Mile Service Level? Better Marketing Campaign? or what else? Or you would avoid all that, and create your own niche, where you are the leader?

If you decided to be offering the same or very much similar product at the same price, but your marketing materials doesn't look half as good as your competitors hey, you're in deep trouble! If you're charging half compare to others, then it's still alright to "Look" cheap, simply because you are the "Cheaper" alternative where people are looking for. Do Love Your Business, just like you love yourself. 

Article by:

Brian Walters SEO

 

SKYPE: tuneup_bj

Markethive Education Specialist

http://brian-walters-online.com/

The Power of Markethive Blogging System

http://briansmarketing.net/

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

General

Internet traffic brings leads

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MarkethiveInternet traffic brings leads

Hello and welcome everyone to another informative post.

Internet traffic brings Leads to your website. Without visitors to your website acquiring Leads is nearly impossible. Here I am talking about Internet Leads and not the people you answer your cold calls on the phone. Increasing traffic brings extra visitors to your website which in turn creates leads.

So without website traffic the business you do on the Internet will be zero. Sure you may get people buying from your website because you handed out a few hundred business cards at a Home Show or a Convention but huge volumes of traffic; well you need to make other arrangements.

Anyone can sell just about anything with enough traffic. Although one thousand hits maybe sound like a good number but in advertising as in life you have to maintain the interest of the visitor.

Some campaigns require many thousands of ongoing hits to achieve reasonable results. Remember once the leads have arrived, the information must be captured. This can only happen if a valid response is received and unless there is a benefit in this activity (a tangible gift of some description) why would a person type in personal information on the form to you.

It is essential when creating your Online presence that both the online and offline advertising activities you design are supported when the visitor arrives at your website. The numbers game here also plays a critical part in retaining visitors and getting new ones.

The more your different forms of advertising are seen the greater potential for results. And if you are building an Internet business, ongoing daily traffic is essential.

My basic strategy is —

1. Identify the keywords which can generate maximum traffic but have minimal competition.

2. Write an article based around those keywords.

3. Place links on the blog website

4. Get lots and lots of inbound links to that web site.

And you know something else? The Markethive System does all the above. After all a potential customer is the person who originally responded to your web site lead generation page, flyer, mailing, newspaper advertisement or some other means you employed to capture this original information. The important thing here is, has enough interest has been sparked in the lead to respond back to you.

In other words, did the information you supplied in your ads bring the appropriate response from the client, was it relevant to your business or are you getting leads from people who misunderstood your message.

The average Internet user that enters your keyword may see your advertisement multiple times in different places before landing on your Website. This branding and consistency in advertising is important as the information being supplied is a consistent message both in the ad and is again supported when they arrive at your Website. Only at this time are they ready to get more info, signup, and/or make a purchase.

 

Article by:

Brian Walters SEO

 

SKYPE: tuneup_bj

Markethive Education Specialist

http://brian-walters-online.com/

The Power of Markethive Blogging System

http://briansmarketing.net/

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

General

Coming up With a Niche for a Blog

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In a sea of endless posts, how will you differentiate yourself? Keep these factors in mind when starting a blog. 

With over 150 million blogs on the internet, starting one that stands out enough to gain followers and earn an income certainly isn't an easy task. Before the big blogging boom, it was much simpler to gain a readership, but with so many blogs out there, the first step to starting a blog is to find a unique niche – a topic that you can comfortably write about, that a lot of people want to read about.

One reader took to the forums to gauge interest and get some insight on choosing a niche for her blog, potentially on the topic of frugal living in a high cost area. But the feedback that came back could help out anyone looking to start their own blog – so counting the feedback and adding a few more tips, here's what to consider when coming up with a niche for your own blog.

Is there a big enough interest for the topic?

Blogs that earn an income have a very high number of daily visitors. Are there enough people interested in that topic to generate that kind of traffic? The trick is to make your topic broad enough to interest a wide range of people, but narrow enough that you're "not just another blog."

Do you have enough experience to write on the topic?

What information can you offer readers? If you are researching the information yourself and simply regurgitating what you read elsewhere, it's probably not a good topic for you. On the other hand, if you have quite a bit of experience in the area or are living through it as in a frugal living blog, then you may have found the right topic for you.

Can you write a lot of different articles on that topic?

If your goal is to turn your blog into an income, it will take many, many hours of work. Don't pick a topic you are not passionate about – you"ll end up burnt out months down the road. If, on the other hand you can't stop talking about your topic and love anything related, that passion will come in handy managing a blog.

What kind of competition is out there?

Small blogs don't have much chance ranking in the search results behind large companies that have entire teams devoted to search engine optimization. What other blogs cover the same topic? Are there many, or just a few? Do they cover it in a similar manner, or is there something to set your blog apart? Once you've scoped out the other competing sites, take a look at the Google AdWords Keyword Tool and type in a few potential topics you might write about, click the keyword ideas tab, then click the competition tab twice to arrange the ideas from low to high. Are there related keywords that rank low? If all the keywords you come up with are ranking high, it will be extremely tough for your blog to show up in the first few pages of the search results.

Can you pinpoint an audience?

Writing a blog involves reaching out to an audience – do you know who that audience is? Sure, your blog can have one main audience and a few smaller audiences, but you should be able to pinpoint who you are writing to. Are you reaching out to moms? Dads? Businessmen? Teenagers? A frugal living in a high cost area blog would have a very defined audience, yet that group of people is probably big enough to work with.

Is it easy to monetize?

There's more than one way to make money from a blog. How would your blog make money? Selling ads with a program like AdWords is a popular option – you"ll just need to ensure your topic reaches to an audience businesses also want to advertise to. Blogs can also make money by selling ebooks or products, or through affiliate links. It's a good idea to build an audience before monetizing, but you should still consider just how your topic can be monetized before you get started.

Blogs can be an excellent home-based businesses, if you have the passion, knowledge, writing skills and time. But every successful blog also needs a niche – consider elements like competition, interest and audience before venturing out into the world of blogging.

If you believe that my message is worth spreading, please use the share buttons if they show at the top of the page.

Stephen Hodgkiss
Chief Engineer at MarketHive
markethive.com

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

General

5 Reasons Why You are Not Being Hired

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Make your resume stand out by being specific with your qualifications and following all directions in the job posting.

find a job

Finding legitimate home-based jobs is not difficult. The challenge is getting hired, and it’s not uncommon to apply for a job, but never even get a response back. There are many reasons why you may not get a response from an employer, but most of them stem from the quality of resume you submit. Most job seekers view the resume as a laundry list of skills and experience, when in fact it’s a marketing brochure. Here are five reasons your resume might be ignored by potential employers.

Your resume is boring and generic. For every job opening, there are at least 75 applicants, according to George Washington University Office of Career Services. To compete with all those applicants, your resume needs to wow the employer. You can do that by tailoring each resume to the needs of the employer, stressing your value, and using active verbs to highlight your skills. Don’t just list typing as a skill. Instead say, “I type 80 words per minute.”

Your resume focuses on duties instead of results. Employers want to know you have the skills to do the job, but you can impress them by listing how your talents will help them. Translate your skills into results oriented benefits. For example, being able to type 80 words per minute means greater productivity.

Your resume sounds desperate. While employers might care that you’re in dire financial straits, they’re not going to hire you because of it. They don’t need to know your marital or parental status, or hobbies and skills that don’t relate to the job you’re applying for. You don’t need to explain any gaps in your work history. If the employer wants to know any of those things, they will ask during the interview. Remember, the goal of a resume is to focus on the skills and experiences you have to do the job the employer needs. Any other information is irrelevant and only wastes the employer's time.

You didn’t follow directions. More and more employers are vetting applicants by having them follow specific instructions for applying, such as using an exact subject line when emailing the resume. Some even state in the job listing that they don't want a standard, generic resume. Others don’t want a resume at all, but instead a statement about why you’re the best candidate for the job. All these instructions are important because if you don’t follow them, you’re showing the employer that you can't follow directions. Read every job announcement carefully, and make sure you send what it asks for, how it asks for it.

You sent your resume as an email attachment or it is illegible. In most cases, employers will ask that you email your resume in the body of an email. If it doesn’t specify how to send the resume, send it in the body of the email to avoid getting lost in the spam or antivirus filter. To ensure your resume is readable when it reaches the employer, don’t paste it from your word processing program into the email. Not all email programs are able to retain rich text or formatting such as indents and apostrophes. Instead, paste the resume into Notepad or another text editor, justify everything left, and then paste into your email. Use these instructions when pasting your resume into an online form as well.

The resume is the first chance you have to make an employer take notice. If it fails to impress, you don’t get an interview. Don’t let your resume end up in the deleted file. Make your resume stand out and follow the employers directions to improve your chances of getting a work-at-home job. Originally written by By LeslieTruex

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Stephen Hodgkiss
Chief Engineer at MarketHive
markethive.com

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

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I Would Have Written a Shorter Blog Post, but I Didn’t Have the Time

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Does this sound familiar to you? Originally the phrase has been attributed to Blaise Pascal in the form, "I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time".

Do you think that the world would have known about Malala if she had not blogged about her ideas and communicated them online? It is a fact that if you want to be successful online, you will have to learn to write.

Writing is not only about blogging. Most digital products have text. Even videos have some sort of script. Presentations, slideshares, webinars, emails, autoresponders, press releases and most forms of squeeze or sales pages, are essentially text. Each of these forms of communication has a different, somewhat specialized form of writing, but learning to blog on a consistent basis can help all of the other forms.

You will often see that some of the best writers in a particular niche are also quite prolific. That is not just coincidence.  It takes time, effort, and consistent practice to become a good writer, and extraordinary effort to become a great one.

You don't have to have a fancy vocabulary, or perfect spelling, (always use a spell checker), but you do have to learn to communicate your ideas in a clear, if not persuasive manner. It is necessary to empathize with your reader, prospect, or customer to hold their attention, and help them to learn something they did not know before.

Blogging in particular, requires good communication skill, but it is more than that. You have to have something to say that is interesting to the reader, and if possible, informative, educational, and even entertaining. This is a tall order, without a doubt, but the good news is that blogging is an acquired skill.

Especially in terms of efficiency, an online entrepreneur has many hats on this head, so no one can afford to spend excessive amounts of time dedicated to blogging. I have to say that a new social network called MarketHive has taught me a great deal about blogging and blog promotion.

For most entrepreneurs, it is not easy to generate traffic to a blog, especially a new one without resorting to paid traffic methods. At MarketHive there is a rapidly growing base of friendly entrepreneurs that view content, comment, and quickly engage with your blog posts.

I find the number of views is quite remarkable considering the size of the network. Sometimes is not only size of the network that matters it is the level of engagement. One final note: It really is true that practice makes perfect. With the right attitude, practice and using the right tools, anyone can learn to publish a blog post in about 30 minutes like this one.

For additional information on this topic visit Neil Patel's Quick Sprout Blog and the following links:

Related articles

 

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

General

We are like this child when it comes to building a Social Network. Appreciation of others is the Key

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We are like this child when it comes to building a Social Network. Appreciation of others is the Key

 
A young man went to seek an important position at a large printing company. He passed the initial interview and was going to meet the director for the final interview. The director saw his resume, it was excellent. And asked, '

Have you received a scholarship for school?' The boy replied, " No '.
' It was your father who paid for your studies? '
' Yes.'- He replied.
' Where does your father work? '
' My father is a Blacksmith'

The Director asked the young to show him his hands.

The young man showed a pair of hands soft and perfect.

' Have you ever helped your parents at their job? '
' Never, my parents always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, he can do the job better than me.'

The director said:

' I have got a request: When you go home today, go and wash the hands of your father and then come see me tomorrow morning.'

The young man felt his chance to get the job was high.

When he returned to his house he asked his father if he would allow him to wash his hands.

His father felt strange, happy, but with mixed feelings and showed his hands to his son. The young man washed his hands, little by little. It was the first time that he noticed his father's hands were wrinkled and they had so many scars. Some bruises were so painful that his skin shuddered when he touched them.

This was the first time that the young man recognized what it meant for this pair of hands to work every day to be able to pay for his study. The bruises on the hands were the price that he paid for his education, his school activities and his future.

After cleaning his father's hands the young man stood in silence and began to tidy and clean up the workshop. That night, father and son talked for a long time.

The next morning, the young man went to the office of the director.

The Director noticed the tears in the eyes of the young when He asked him: -' Can you tell me what you did and what you learned yesterday at your house?'

The boy replied: -' I washed my father's hands and when I finished I stayed and cleaned his workshop '

' Now I know what it is to appreciate and recognize that without my parents , I would not be who I am today . By helping my father I now realize how difficult and hard it is to do something on my own. I have come to appreciate the importance and the value in helping the family.

The director said, "This is what I look for in my people. I want to hire someone who can appreciate the help of others , a person who knows the hardship of others to do things, and a person who does not put money as his only goal in life". ' You are hired '.

A child that has been coddled, Protected and usually given him what he wants, develops a mentality of " I have the right ' and will always put himself first, ignoring the efforts of their parents. If we are this type of protective parent are we really showing love or are we destroying our children?

You can give your child a big house , good food , computer classes , watch on a big screen TV . But when you're washing the floor or painting a wall , please let him experience that too.

After eating have them wash the dishes with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you have no money to hire someone to do this it's because you want to love them the right way . No matter how rich you are, you want them to understand. One day your hair will have gray hair, like the father of this young man.

The most important thing is that your child learns to appreciate the effort and to experience the difficulties and learn the ability to work with others to get things done. "
 

If you believe that my message is worth spreading, please use the share buttons if they show at the top of the page.

Stephen Hodgkiss
Chief Engineer at MarketHive
markethive.com

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

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11 Ways To Stay Organized When You Work At Home

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11 Ways To Stay Organized When You Work At Home

 
Staying productive while working at home requires creating a workspace, staying semi-formal, and creating a schedule that includes breaks.
 
 
staying organised at home
 
 
When you decided to become a work from home mom, you imagined how productive you would be. Not only would you be able to throw a load of dishes into the dishwasher, but you'd be able to fold clothes while on a telephone conference call, too.
 
Now that you're actually working from home, not only are the dishes piling up in the sink, but you haven't done laundry in two weeks, either. And the clean clothes? Forget it. They're in an ever-shrinking pile in the corner of your bedroom.
 
So what happened to being organized? Ironically, it's harder to be organized when you work at home than when you're in a traditional office job. But there are ways to stay organized and be productive when you work from home. Read on to see how-and to see when you should really be washing your delicates.
 
Create your workspace. If you don't already have an office space or an extra bedroom that you can convert into an office, you should take a walk around your house. Pick a spot that is not smack dab in the center of the action-like the kitchen counter-and where you won't be fighting with mops, brooms or other household items. Choose a location that can be yours indefinitely, and make that your dedicated space.
 
Set your hours. If you don't already have a schedule set by your boss, it's a good idea to come up with one. Having regular hours ensures that you can get your work done in a timely manner without working over your allotted hours. It also keeps you on track-and focused-by giving you a deadline by which to complete your work each day. If you work a little here, and a little there, you might end of stretching an 8 hour day into a 10 or 12-hour workday-and your mind will be scattered.
 
Make a list. In order to stay organized, a list (or four) is essential. When you make the list is up to you-you can carve 15 minutes at the end of your day to assess what needs to be done for the next workday, or you can write it all down the next morning while your computer is loading. A list is extremely helpful because it is a tangible reminder of what you need to get done during your day, before daily distractions interfere.
 
Be semi-formal. When you worked in a traditional office, you had to wear a suit every day…even during summer Fridays. By far, one of the major perks of a work at home job is that you can show up to work (i.e. your desk) wearing whatever you want. But that doesn't mean you should work in your jammies all day, either. Showering, changing out of your PJs and putting on something professional (yet comfortable) is a key step in helping you to mentally transition into work mode. After all, if you look and feel sloppy, it can cause you to be disorganized in your thoughts-and your work as well.
 
Find your peak hours. Everyone has a time of day when they feel their best. Perhaps you're a morning person, capable of getting most of your to-dos done by noon. But you might be a night owl, coming up with your best ideas-and increased productivity-while the rest of the world slumbers. Figure out when you have the most energy, and then adjust your schedule accordingly, giving yourself tougher tasks to perform when you're at your peak and feel the freshest.
 
Avoid doing housework. You innocently slip downstairs to put your bedspread into the washer when you notice that the kids have left their breakfast dishes in the family room. As you put the dirty dishes in the sink, you replace the paper towel roll and wipe down the counter. Without realizing it, 20 minutes have passed-and so has your deadline. While it makes sense to do some housework when you work at home, it can be one of the biggest distractions. It may not be the most exciting way to spend your lunch hour, but organize your household activities for your break times instead.
 
Clear your desk…daily. At the end of each workday, clear the clutter from your desk. File important papers in folders and shred the rest. Wipe down your desk (including your keyboard, mouse and screen) and remove any lingering coffee cups. The idea is to leave your desk as you would like to see it the next morning, clean, neat and organized. That way, you will feel energized-and not deflated-when you sit down at your desk tomorrow.
 
Screen your calls. Your family and friends all know that you work from home. So why does your Aunt Linda constantly call you at 10:30 AM, right when you're in a mid-morning work groove? People who don't work from home have a hard time understanding that while you are home, you are actually working. So it's a good idea to clarify to your callers that you can't be interrupted during certain hours. But if your bestie keeps ringing your number, it's best not to pick up the phone. That way, your clamoring callers will get the hint, and you won't have to worry about hurting anyone's feelings.
 
Take breaks. It may seem counterintuitive to take breaks when you're trying to stay organized and maximize productivity, but you'll be far more successful if you take mini breaks throughout the day. To help add order to your day, try to take your break at the same times throughout the day.
 
Focus on one task at a time. Sure, everyone wants to consider themselves master multitaskers, but the reality is that humans can really only do one thing at a time effectively. So shine some of that laser-like focus only on one project, and do it really well. After all, if you have 10 windows open on your two computer screens, are on a conference call while you write that press release that was due an hour ago, you're going to do a bad job at all of it. Like everything else, it's about quality, not quantity.
 
Be flexible. You may have done everything possible to ensure a distraction-free day. But then your child became ill and had to come home early from day camp. The thing is, when you are a work at home mom, things happen. And since you're most likely the manager of your home, it's up to you to handle it all. So don't beat yourself up if your day isn't as productive as you might have liked it to be. One of the beauties of having a flexible schedule is that you can-and must-be adaptable. When your sick camper hits the hay, you can always jump back on the computer to complete your work-and get it all done.
 
While working from home has so many benefits, it can be an ocean of distractions if you don't know how to navigate it properly. Stay focused to keep a clear, organized workflow, and watch your productivity soar.
 

If you believe that my message is worth spreading, please use the share buttons if they show at the top of the page.

Stephen Hodgkiss
Chief Engineer at MarketHive
markethive.com

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

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What does Customer Centric actually mean?

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Creating a positive consumer experience at the point of sale and post-sale. A customer-centric approach can add value to a company by enabling it to differentiate itself from competitors who do not offer the same experience. Does the business you are involved in fall into the category? Well, these are the indicators: –
 
  • Puts customers above everything else.
  • Enhances the buyers experience, promotes sales and works to ensure customer loyalty, above all.
 

Here’s my list of seven steps for creating a customer-centric culture at your company.

 
These figure in my work as a company culture consultant; I've found them to be central to creating a corporate customer service culture that’s devoted from top to bottom to the customer experience. I am recapping the list here at the request of a MarketHive reader; I hope you find it useful.
 
 
1. Articulate your central philosophy in just a few words, a few meaningful words. That’s right: a company’s culture can begin with words, but those words need to represent a decision – something you actually stand for, a decision then expressed in the clearest, and ideally fewest, words. Find a central operating principle. Think of the Ritz-Carlton’s“We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen,” or Mayo Clinic’s “The needs of the patient come first.”
 
2. Elaborate on your central philosophy with a brief list of core values – a list short enough that every employee can understand, memorize, and internalize it, yet long enough to be meaningful. Your core values should cover how customers, employees, and vendors should be treated at all times.
 
3. Reinforce your commitment to these values continually. You may want to go as far as to devote five minutes every morning you stress one value, or an aspect of one value, at your departmental meeting. If that’s too often for your business reality or sensibilities, do it weekly. But don’t save it for the annual company picnic. Annual anything is the enemy of ‘‘core.’’
 
4. Make it visual. The above-mentioned Ritz-Carlton has ‘‘credo cards’’ – laminated accordion-fold cards that each employee carries during work hours. The brand’s entire core beliefs, plus shared basics of guest and employee interactions, fit on that card. Zappos highlights one of its core values on each box it ships out. And sometimes ‘‘visual’’ doesn't mean words at all. One way that FedEx shows that safety is a core value is via the orange shoulder belts in its vans: Everyone can see – from twenty-five yards away – that the driver’s wearing a belt.
 
5. Make your philosophy the focus of orientation. That way, if safety is one of your core values and you stress this at orientation, on day two, when the new employee’s co-worker tells him ‘‘In this restaurant, we stack the high chairs in front of the emergency exit when we need more room to do our prep work’’ [This is a real-life example, unfortunately], the new employee will experience cognitive dissonance and work on a way to align the actions of the company with the core values they’re supposed to reflect.
 
6. Train, support, hire, and, if necessary, use discipline to enforce what’s important to you. A core values statement is two-dimensional until you bring it to life – with the right people and energetic guidance. ‘‘Maintaining a culture is like raising a teenager,’’ says Ray Davis, President and CEO of Umpqua Bank, a the Pacific-Northwest-based U.S. retail bank that’s consistently top rated for service. ‘‘You’re constantly checking in. What are you doing? Where are you going? Who are you hanging out with?’’ And, sometimes, you have to use some tough love when that teenager is acting up in ways that don’t support the culture you’re working to build.
 
7. Include the wider world. Your people want to be part of an organization with a sense of purpose. Pizza parties and overtime pay (and even, believe it or not, stock options) only go so far. More inspirational: A version of a corporate “triple bottom line,” such as Southwest’s “Performance – People – Planet” commitment and annual report card. Or Ritz-Carlton’s “Community Footprints” social and environmental responsibility program. Or the story Umpqua Bank Regional VP Michele Livingston shared with me, about her employees visiting the homes of disabled customers to help them fill out their paperwork. Now that’s really something.
 

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Stephen Hodgkiss
Chief Engineer at MarketHive
markethive.com

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member