Don’t worry! I am not going to break out singing like Aretha Franklin. Of course, if I could sing like Aretha I do not believe you would find me in the promotional products industry.
I write the word respect as the heading for this blog because it is that time of year when we need to stop and think before we speak sometimes. Believe me when I say that I have to do this every day. This is the peak season for orders and business even in a year like this. Peak orders mean peak problems. Peak problems mean peak frustrations!
I also bring up the good old fashioned, tried and true “golden rule” that says “to treat people the way that you would like to be treated”. Before someone thinks that this is a message from the home office to all the sales people in the field let me very clear that this is a message for everyone, including myself!
I struggle to compose myself many times during this season but what I have to keep coming back to is the fact that we are on the same team. We should be working to a common goal of satisfying the customers by delivering the product they requested in the condition and of the quality that they requested by the date they requested. Sounds simple? Heck no…we all know that! You can have a spirited (I use this rather than the word heated…it sounds better, doesn’t it?) discussion one minute and then hang up only to have to answer the call a second later to speak with someone who knows nothing about the call that you just had. It is critical that we greet this new caller with respect just like it was the first call of a bright new day. Answering the call with “what do you want now” is certainly not the way to set a positive tone.
Again this message can be appropriate for all of us. Inside, outside, support staff, executive management…..we should all heed this advice! Have you ever taken out your frustrations on someone on the phone even though you know that they are only the messenger? I have and most times after I have done it I recognize that this poor person who just got the brunt of my anger, that she did not create the problem. Or reversing roles, have you ever found yourself telling a salesperson right after their order was cancelled due to no fault of their own, that they should get over it and move on? Remember most sales reps do not get paid if they do not get an order!
So when you find yourself in that position where the top of your head is ready to explode…yes I know, everyone knows this feeling…we should all attempt to take a deep breath. Hold off before clicking the SEND button on that message. Consider saving it until the morning. If you wake up and read the message in the morning and it seems good then go ahead, click and send. Many times I think we will see that it needs some softening if it is to be received in a constructive manner by the party at the other end. This brings me to my next pet peeve…
To call or not to call…
Does anyone use the phone anymore? I know that I fall into this trap as much as anyone. Recently when walking through a department I noticed it was eerily silent so I remarked that “it appeared pretty slow”. Oh my goodness did I get an earful! Almost in unison they proceeded to tell me that they were swamped. How could that be as I heard nothing?
The fact of the matter was and is that so much of our communication today is done via email. I acknowledge that we have announced at meetings loud and clear to all who would listen that this is the preferred method of communication. We say this because it is quick and easy to track! It helps to provide all parties with documentation of the correspondence. It is also NOT perfect!
Emails do not always get noticed! Emails do not always get delivered! It is hard to pick out an urgent problem from a list of 62 emails in my In Box. The point to be made here is that there are times when an actual phone call is more appropriate. Have you sent a few emails and they have gone unanswered? This may be a great time to make a call and, if nothing else, let the recipient know that you had sent two emails inquiring as to whether or not they were received, and then attempting to resolve the problem on the phone once and for all. Do you need the corporate office to help out ASAP? Perhaps a well placed phone call to one of the support staff will elevate your request up and above the 61 emails ahead of yours in the In Box?
Today with Spam Filters and Junk Email being handled by 100’s of different internet providers, all with different rules, we know lots of emails get blocked. Most companies cannot control what gets through and what gets blocked.
The bottom line here is that while electronic communication is efficient and fast that there are times when resorting to the good ole phone works best. Keep this in mind! Let’s not be afraid to speak with each other. Some messages are much easier to communicate in the spoken word rather than the written word.
These are my words of wisdom for this month. Now if I can only practice what I preach!
Thanks for listening!
