Drink Wine and Giggle a girlfriend's manifesto

The authors of Drink Wine and Giggle are interviewed by Darcie Davis, the Game Gal.

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/great-examples/interviews/

Teams Have Multiple Personalities

Every team manager must understand the multiple personalities that make up their team.

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/teams-have-multiple-personalities/

Managers Must Have Ice Breakers Handy

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/managers-must-have-ice-breakers-handy/

2 Things A Plumbing Company Does to Get Outstanding Customer Loyalty

http://www.bestcustomerretention.com/2-things-a-plumbing-company-does-to-get-outstanding-customer-loyalty

Timing is Everything for Team Building

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/timing-is-everything-for-team-building

Ice Breakers for Men's Groups

http://www.icebreakersforgroups.com/ice-breakers-for-mens-groups/

Icebreakers Work Well With Teens

http://www.icebreakersforgroups.com/icebreakers-work-well-with-teens/

Ice Breakers for Women's Groups

http://www.icebreakersforgroups.com/ice-breakers-for-womens-groups/

Icebreakers For Team Members Who Know Each Other

http://www.icebreakersforgroups.com/icebreakers-for-team-members-who-know-eac...

Icebreakers For Groups Members Who Don't Know Each Other

http://www.icebreakersforgroups.com/icebreakers-for-groups-members-who-dont-k...

Icebreakers for Board Meetings and Retreats

http://www.icebreakersforgroups.com/icebreakers-for-board-meetings-and-retreats/

Southwest Airlines Understands Team Building

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/southwest-airlines-understands-team-building

Understand the Power of the Introverts on Your Teams

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/understand-the-power-of-the-introverts-on...

Mistakes in Service Grow Customer Loyalty

http://www.bestcustomerretention.com/mistakes-in-service-grow-customer-loyalty

Does Social Media Provide Fun in Your Family?

http://www.ideasforfamilyfun.com/does-social-media-provide-fun-in-your-family

Healthy Living Through Meditation

http://www.healthylivingfordummies.com/healthy-living-through-meditation

Stretching Exercises That Relieve Leg Cramps

http://www.easystretchingexercises.com/stretching-exercises-that-relieve-leg-...

Back Stretches for a Pulled Muscle

http://www.easystretchingexercises.com/back-stretches-for-a-pulled-muscle

I Am a Team Building Therapist

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/i-am-a-team-building-therapist

Using a Dethatcher for Older Lawns

http://www.bestpowerrakes.com/using-a-dethatcher-for-older-lawns

Best Stretching Exercises Must Be Easy

http://www.easystretchingexercises.com/best-stretching-exercises-must-be-easy

Why I Use Right Brain Team Building Exercises

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/why-i-use-right-brain-team-building-exerc...

Great Managers Use Team Building Games

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/great-managers-use-team-building-games

Family Fun at the Bowling Alley

http://www.ideasforfamilyfun.com/family-fun-at-the-bowling-alley

Kill Fleas with These Flea Products

http://blackbugs.org/kill-fleas-with-these-flea-products/

Kill Fleas with These Flea Products

http://blackbugs.org/kill-fleas-with-these-flea-products/

Too Much Dethatching is a Mistake

http://www.bestpowerrakes.com/too-much-dethatching-is-a-mistake

Why Use a Power Rake When Manual Rakes Work

http://www.bestpowerrakes.com/why-use-a-power-rake-when-manual-rakes-work

How to Determine Customer Loyalty in Prospects

http://www.bestcustomerretention.com/how-to-determine-customer-loyalty-in-pro...

Why Seniors Need Stretching Exercises

http://www.easystretchingexercises.com/why-seniors-need-stretching-exercises

Include Happiness in Team Building. Really?

http://www.gamesandteambuilding.com/include-happiness-in-team-building-really

Mazda and Toyota 7 Passenger Cars in 2012

http://www.7seatercars.info/mazda-and-toyota-7-passenger-cars-in-2012

Leg Cramps and Stretching Exercises

http://www.easystretchingexercises.com/leg-cramps-and-stretching-exercises

Who Has Your Customer Loyalty?

http://www.bestcustomerretention.com/who-has-your-customer-loyalty

Inventing a Board Game is Not an Easy Path

http://wowfamilygames.com/inventing-a-board-game-is-not-an-easy-path

How to Power Rake and Aerate a Lawn

http://www.bestpowerrakes.com/how-to-power-rake-and-aerate-a-lawn

Do Companies Lie to Retain Customers?

http://www.bestcustomerretention.com/do-companies-lie-to-retain-customers

Stretching Exercises to Grow Taller

http://www.easystretchingexercises.com/stretching-exercises-to-grow-taller

You Can Lose a Customer and Retain Them at the Same Time

http://www.bestcustomerretention.com/you-can-lose-a-customer-and-retain-them-...

What Makes a Good Book Club

Book Clubs succeed for a variety of reasons but one of the success factors involves the types of books that get selected by the members.

Each book group is different. When most people start new book clubs, they make a decision on the books they will read and we have found that these choices vary widely. Each group takes on its own personality based on the works they choose to read.

These are some of the exclusive focus areas we have uncovered that book groups all around the globe use:

Romance novels
Mysteries
Science fiction
Best Seller Lists
Art history
Oprah’s Book List
Pets
Gardening
Short stories
Travel
Cooking, eating
Biographies
Spirituality

The list goes on and on. What’s missing from their discussions is a framework to decide what they want the book to DO for them. For instance, does each member want enlightenment, entertainment, advanced knowledge, excitement, dreams? A book club will survive better if each reader agrees to seek the same experience from the works they choose.

One book club has decided to focus on books that provide them with spiritual growth. They have been reading a variety of books from spiritual leaders of the past and present including shamans, priests, monks, and self-acclaimed spiritual teachers. The club as a group has decided together they want to elevate their own individual spirituality and have it affect all aspects of their daily living. They want to live what they read. That has allowed the group to have in-depth and personal discussions after reading each of their book selections. They have evolved for years together and have extended their discussions to include experiences they have outside of their book club meetings. Whether or not you endorse their focus is not the point here. They have decided to be clear about the criteria they have on what the books will DO for them.

There is more information on criteria for good book clubs
to help ensure a successful experience for each member of the club.

Finally Get Rid of Stink Bugs

I think stink bugs are one of the creepiest bugs to crawl into our home.  So far, nothing gets rid of them!  We have tried everything but so many of our neighbors have recommended we buy Bill Campbell's book on Stink Bug Control. 

We are about as disgusted as it gets and if this guy's book is as good as they say it is, we will build a shrine in his honor!  We have complained about stink bugs before on http://blackbugs.org/black-bugs-that-stink/ but maybe now we have a chance at ending all those complaints!  Wish us luck.

4 Customer Retention Facts

4 Customer Retention Facts

 

The companies that achieve the best customer retention rates have some things in common.

 

1.  Every employee is trained to provide the best customer service as appropriate to their position.  For example, accountants in the back office are trained to be friendly, responsive and empathetic.

 

2.  Customers feel it is their right and their privilege to complain about any aspect of the service or product they received.

 

3.  Customers know how to offer complaints or feedback.

 

4.  Each customer has a solid and personal relationship with someone at the company.

Children’s Party Invitations and Balloons

How can you have a children’s party without balloons! Balloons are a must. I love balloon invitations and think they can pave the way for a delightful party for your children. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. There are many childrens party invitations that are prepackaged or can be purchased online. In fact, I’ve seen several websites offering templates with balloon themes or already-designed invitations. They are not difficult to find. What would be fun is to include a few balloons (deflated, of course) along with the invitation. The invitee will begin having fun and the balloons will set the stage for a party they’ll want to attend.

2. Balloon contests have been held at parties for generations. And it’s still so much fun to blow up balloons with air or water. Depending on the time of year and the geographical location for your party, you can have a balloon blowing up contest. If you provide fun targets ahead of time, balloons filled with water are likely to be heaved toward the targets instead of the other guests. If you cannot accommodate the water balloons, let the kids blow them up and pop them. For some reason that resonates well with kids of all ages. It feels risky but is fun and harmless. By announcing the balloon-popping contest in your invitation, you are getting the excitement going.

3. Many local grocery stores as well as party stores provide helium balloons at reasonable prices. If you deliver a balloon along with the actual invitation to your guests, they will love the experience. In fact, they will feel as if the party is already beginning.

4. Create your invitation on a paper that is thin enough to be rolled up. Insert the rolled up invitation into a balloon. Blow up the balloon then tie it off, sealing the invitation inside. When each child receives this invitation, they will have a blast trying to figure out the situation. Get some outside resources to help with the balloon deliveries and you will make some guests very excited about the party.

5. Print your invitation details right onto the balloon itself. There are many ways to get customized balloons. Check around to see who can stamp your balloons with your invitation message and let your balloons be the invitations. The children will love it!

Childrens party invitations should be fun and creative. I happen to love balloons and think they provide one of the most festive and party-filled atmospheres. Good luck!

For more ideas about how to use the balloon itself as an invitation, click on Let Balloons Be Your Children's Party Invitations.

Black Bugs - for dinner?

In the WHAT WERE THEY THINKING! Department, I found that Tarantulas are famous tasty morsels in Central American countries. I can only imagine the furry legs tickling the throat as they wiggle their way into our stomachs. Wait, I really CANNOT imagine that. Tarantulas are scary, hairy, poisonous black bugs. Why would anyone want to eat black bugs, much less a big spider that crawls in the dirt? The main food source for tarantulas is other black bugs so by ingesting one tarantula, you would be ingesting a whole family of black bugs. No thanks.

As a child, I sat through the movie called Tarantula and had nightmares for months. The tarantula was of course a gigantic creature that was terrorizing families, just like mine, in communities, just like mine. It produced its silk that pooled up in vats of substance that looked like poi. I didn’t understand the goo at the time, but it may have been preparing itself to be tempura food back then. If you saw the movie today, you would laugh at me but that’s another story. Tarantulas are creepy and furry and they sting. They sting!

Below is a video of a guy who cooks bugs as a common practice. In this video he demonstrates how to slice and dice your favorite tarantula in order to make tarantula tempura. Does he really eat black bugs? How yummy this must be!



I thought this video was hysterically funny.

You can also find people harvesting, selling and eating tarantulas in common practice in Cambodia. There, the black tarantula spiders are considered to be a fine delicacy. The sheer volume of tarantulas they produce is astounding. They eat these furry black bugs on a daily basis. I wonder how that would change the face of other countries if black bugs were part of our typical diet. For instance, our school systems could offer fried black bugs to ensure our students grow up with plenty of protein and calcium in their bodies.

For me, I can only imagine the nightmares I would have had as a child if I was offered fried black bugs in my school cafeteria the day after I saw the Tarantula movie. Shudder.

Too Many Fuddy Duddies in Womens Clothes Shops

Many retailers struggle to stay in business or make a decent profit. They haven’t looked in an area that directly affects their bottom line – the caliber of sales help for shoppers.

Shoppers wanting to look and feel splendid in their new merchandise are often subjected to Fuddy Duddy sales assistance. Fuddy Duddies are simply not capable of understanding how to administer really good customer service. They face service-starved customers every day at work and have no training or inclination to give shoppers that shopping ecstasy they all crave.

For instance, if you are in the fitting room trying on clothes that gave you hope but have been disappointing, Fuddy Duddies won’t even notice. In fact, they won’t bother coming to your fitting room to see how they can help.

What happens when a shopper looks at a grouping of clothes on racks and is not thrilled with some of the items that are suggested for her new outfit? The shopper starts looking around with that “Is there a better looking blouse that goes with this skirt?” look on her face. The Fuddy Duddy will not notice and will keep busy with other activities that please the store owners but do not please the customer. In fact, the Fuddy Duddy doesn’t know how to help.

If she were not a Fuddy Duddy, she would be acutely aware of all the merchandise in her territory and will take on the challenge. A Fuddy Duddy would never say, “I’ll find you a blouse you will love. Just leave it to me.” They do not know their merchandise. They do not care.

The entire Fuddy Duddy experience is draining and will contribute to a bad shopping experience. Womens clothes shops around the world are staffed with Fuddy Duddies who have a direct effect on the bottom line sales results. Why can’t they get this? Or am I just being a Fuddy Duddy?

Company Policy Can Prevent Sales

Why do companies have policies that are landmines for customer satisfaction? I just heard a story about a friend who had recently completed a series of training classes. She decided to extend the series and pay for more. The company representative said, "First you must take an assessment test and that will cost you over $100." My friend was perplexed. Why should she take an assessment test to continue in the same series with the same instructor? The response she got was "It doesn't make sense but it's company policy." My friend took her money elsewhere.

I don't get it. If management looked at their business and their policies from the eyes of their own customers, it may send them back to do some re-thinking.

Do Customers Want to Talk?

The short answer - yes. It's not about whether they talk but whether or not your company wants to really listen. If you want to hear what your customers have to say, you must be in listening mode. That means you must have a process to listen to them. A customer survey doesn't listen and therefore will not qualify as a "process to listen." Sit down with your clients and ask them two questions: "What must we do or not do to make sure you are completely thrilled with our services?" Then sit back and let them talk while you write down everything they say (a visual sign of respect and also shows you are serious). When they have finished talking, ask them "What other issues are you grappling with lately?"

The general idea is to not put yourself out there for a flogging. Put yourself out there as a trusted advisor who seeks and listens to your customers' opinions. Try it and let me know.

Professionals Not as Good at Listening

If you won't listen to me, listen to your clients.

Why is it so difficult for service providers to sit face to face with a client and ask them "How am I doing?" Fear is probably the biggest obstacle. There are likely other issues. I find it difficult to ask my own clients for feedback and I'm in the business of capturing client feedback! There's no simple explanation. But I do know how crucial the feedback is.

A lawyer in a big corporation was telling me about how annoyed he was with the big fancy New York law firm serving him. When they hired an outside consultant to listen to his feedback he unloaded all his grievances. What a concept (said with sarcasm).