Monday Mornings with Madison
February 28, 2011

ANTI-SOCIAL NETWORKING, PART 1

Issue #169

THE PROS AND CONS OF ALLOWING ACCESS TO SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AT WORK

To social network or not to social network, that is the question. Companies everywhere are struggling with the questions surrounding social networking. In addition to practical questions such as what sites to join, how to drive traffic from the social network sites to the company’s website, and how to convert fans to customers, there are also bigger policy questions about whether to even allow social networking at work. On the one hand, sales staff and marketers know the amazing power of social networking to generate viral buzz, increase brand awareness, generate dialogue and position products. On the other hand, operations managers, IT administrators and HR directors worry about productivity, security and bandwith issues. Fame and Fortune vs. Fear. It is a proverbial virtual-tug-of-war. So far, fear has the upper hand. Continue reading →

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February 21, 2011

SOCIAL NETWORKING: WHICH SITES ARE RIGHT FOR YOU?

Issue #168

Facebook. Twitter. MySpace. LinkedIn. These are popular social networking sites with which most people are probably familiar… and perhaps even use. But what about: Ning. Yelp. FourCorners. Plaxo. Digg. Orkut. Path. Talkbiznow. PartnerUp. HubPages. Tumblr. There has been a proliferation of social networking and sharing sites in the past five years. With the unexpected success of some sites, many more are emerging. This onslaught has caused many business people to ask themselves “On which sites do I need to be?” Some wonder “Do I have to join them all?” If you’ve pondered these same questions, stay tuned as we delve into the data to find the answers.
Continue reading →

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February 14, 2011

HOW TO KEEP YOUR BEST PEOPLE

Issue #167

The economy is improving. The stock market is hot. Business is picking up in many sectors. Most importantly, unemployment numbers are finally starting to decline, albeit slowly. That is all good news! But beware. Just as companies start to breathe a collective sigh of relief, a very different problem may lie ahead. Continue reading →

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February 7, 2011

FINDING YOUR BLIND SPOTS

Issue #166

Everyone has a blind spot in their eyes. Located in the back of the eye, there is a point on the retina where the optic nerve joins. This point has no color or light receptors at all. The lack of light receptors at the area where the optic nerve joins the retina results in a “blind spot.” The optic nerve is actually an extension of the brain, and extends all the way to the back of the brain. The average person with two eyes open doesn’t notice their blind spot because both eyes help each other and cancel the blind spot when the brain fuses the two images from both eyes together. 
Continue reading →

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January 31, 2011

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES, PART 3

Issue #165

FINDING NEW WAYS TO OVERCOME OLD HURDLES

Every person and company faces challenges in achieving goals. For the last two weeks, we’ve examined individual strategies to help overcome personal challenges as they appear. However, there are times when you hit a wall and just stop moving toward that goal. Rhetorically speaking, you stand at a wall and make no attempt to move in another direction. You make no effort to find a way around, above, over or under the obstacle. Inertia hits. That goal is left by the wayside. Why? Often, you simply don’t know where to look to find a solution to the problem and you are not encouraged to find a new way to overcome the hurdle.  Continue reading →

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January 24, 2011

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES, PART 2

Issue #164

HOW TO OVERCOME WRITER’S BLOCK

Obstacles come in all shapes and sizes. From time to time, everyone experiences challenges in achieving personal and professional goals. Sometimes trials come from external sources. Conflicting demands for one’s time. Work overload. Inability to focus due to too much technological and interpersonal stimulation (ie emails, text messages, sametime, facetime, phone calls… you get the picture). Other times, the impediments to achieving goals are internal. The hurdles are self-imposed. While it seems that those should be easier to overcome, they aren’t. Personal issues can be serious stumbling blocks to achieving personal or professional goals. Continue reading →

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January 17, 2011

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES, PART 1

Issue #163

STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU PERSEVERE

January is here.  Business plans are fresh.  New budgets are in place.  The economy is slowly picking up and optimism about 2011 is growing.  Businesses are poised for a surge in sales.  Most likely, you have set goals and made resolutions to do more… do better… do, do, do.  This happens every year. Continue reading →

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January 10, 2011

CUSTOMER SERVICE ON STEROIDS, PART 3

Issue #162

GETTING PERSONAL IN AN IMPERSONAL WORLD

As technology continues to evolve, populations increase, and the world becomes a busier, more hectic place (which is to say it already is), it will also become more challenging to deliver excellent customer service. Why? Simply, today’s fast pace encourages businesses to lose their personal contact with customers. Mobile devices have made it possible to ‘shop around’ without interacting with a single person. E-commerce allows customers to consume without connection. The bigger the business, the less personal contact there is likely to be. Continue reading →

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January 3, 2011

CUSTOMER SERVICE ON STEROIDS, PART 2

Issue #161

STRATEGIES FROM THE TOP DOWN

While it is imperative for employees that deal face-to-face with customers to provide great service, the realm of customer service does not begin and end there.  Many senior level managers make decisions and implement policies that directly impact customer service.  Those policies can be customer-friendly or they can be customer-averse.   Continue reading →

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December 27, 2010

CUSTOMER SERVICE ON STEROIDS, PART 1

Issue #160

HEARING AND LISTENING 

 There are lots of things that companies do to motivate employees to ‘do their best’, ‘act their best’ and ‘be their best.’  Some common ones include setting performance objectives, offering rewards, paying bonuses, and organizing games to hit targets.  Some companies use pride as a way to motivate staff to do better.  After all, pride is one of the most powerful forces in business. These are all good ideas that work.  If your company wants to improve customer service, that’s a good place to start. Continue reading →

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