E- Zine - March 2003

WELCOME to the PROTOCOL PLUS MONTHLY E-ZINE

IN TODAY'S ISSUE:
Tips to Outclass Your Competition – The “BMW” tip?.

Are you just a little shy because you aren’t sure your manners are up to snuff? Or maybe you lack self-confidence in certain situations? Are you loosing customers or sales? Do you find yourself watching other people to follow what they do? Are they doing it right? Maybe they are and maybe they aren’t. My private etiquette-coaching clients come to me for these reasons. After my training, they tell me it is the best thing they have ever done for themselves and they wish they had done it years ago. Their confidence is boosted allowing them to focus on the issues at hand – whether it’s social or business.

Dining skills are the most visible signs of your manners and not being sure of your skills at the dining table can be very intimidating. One of the things we do is role-play through a dining scenario. Sometimes you are the host; sometimes you are the guest. We go through the whole scene from extending the invitation to paying the bill. We set the table; we serve each other, and we remove the dishes. You learn exactly what is going on around you so you know all the rules of the game. There is no better way to learn these things than this safe, CONFIDENTIAL environment of learning by doing.

One of the hundreds of tips I share is the “BMW” tip. If you’ve ever had someone take your bread plate, you know what I mean. The “BMW” tip is an easy way for you to remember which bread plate and water glass is yours. Your bread plate “B” is on your left; your meal “M” is in the center and your water “W” is on your right – “BMW.”

This CONFIDENTIAL coaching will give you confidence of knowing you can handle any situation you encounter? You will never have to watch others again. Others will watch you as you ease through situations with poise and polish. Confidence is the most attractive quality you can have, at any age. It shows and it is alluring to those around you. It makes people want to be with you and to do business with you.

It’s better to “know it and not need it, than to need it and not know it.” To be “IN THE KNOW” call 405-341-3216 today for the most useful, CONFIDENTIAL training available. Don’t ever need it and not know it again. This training is also available in group and/or family settings.

Customer Service Techniques – When is this plane going to take off?

A flight attendant friend of mine told me this true story. It was a bitterly cold day in Chicago with blizzard conditions. The passengers got on the airplane anxious to take off. The pilot came on the system and announced there was a delay due to weather conditions. He did this not once, not twice, but three times. They slowly inched down the runway. It was now two hours after they had boarded the plane and they were still on the runway. The flight attendants were doing their best to appease the anxious travelers. As one of the flight attendants walked through the first-class isle, a passenger grabbed her by the arm and screamed “Sweetie, when is this #!#!# airplane going to take off?” The flight attendant smiled and replied, “When this airplane gets to going REAL FAST.”

What a “humor being” she was at that moment. How would you feel if someone grabbed your arm, screamed at you, and called you “sweetie?” It makes my hair stand up straight. She could have halted the entire flight claiming “verbal and physical abuse.” The passenger could have been thrown off the plane. But she put herself in the traveler’s shoes. She knew he was a businessman needing to make a connection in another city and concerned that he would miss his meeting. She put herself in his shoes, responded kindly, and broke the tension. He laughed – everyone laughed – the situation was handled with finesse and professionalism. The man wrote a letter to the airline afterwards telling them how sorry he was for getting out of line, and complimenting the crew for getting them safely to their destination and also the flight attendant for her customer service skills.

How do your employees handle difficult people – the ones that hammer the HOT button? Do they “react or respond?” Reacting is an emotion that can quickly escalate a situation out of control, while responding requires thought that allows the problem to be solved calmly and professionally. The flight attendant responded – and with such class. I can train your employees to respond so your customers will write you letters letting you know how much they appreciate doing business with you. Don’t lose another customer because your employees react before they respond.

Visit my website to see how I can help you with my Customer Service Techniques Program “Outservice, Outclass, and Outsell your Competition.”

The Coach’s Corner – It depends on how you look at it.

Helping someone find direction in life is not simply a matter of having the right answers. You can accomplish a lot with the right questions.

A man pulled into a gas station on the outskirts of town. As he filled his tank, he remarked to the attendant, “I’ve just accepted a job in town. I’ve never been to this part of the country. What are people like here?”

“What are people like where you came from?” the attendant asked. “Not so nice,” the man replied. “In fact, they can be quite rude.” The attendant shook his head. “Well, I’m afraid you’ll find the people in this town to be the same way.”

Just then another car pulled into the station. “Excuse me,” the driver called out. “I’m just moving to this area. Is it nice here?” “Was it nice where you came from”” the attendant inquired. “Oh, yes! I came from a great place. The people were friendly, and I hated to leave.” “Well, you’ll find the same to be true of this town.” “Thanks!” yelled the driver as he pulled away.

“So what is this town really like?” asked the first man, now irritated with the attendant’s conflicting reports. The attendant just shrugged his shoulders. “It’s all a matter of perception. You’ll find things to be just the way you think they are.” Adapted from the Positive Christianity web site.

Oftentimes, we get stuck in a perspective that blinds us from seeing the issue from a different angle. Part of my job as your coach is to break open your blindness to help you see that you really do have a choice, even when you feel the world is running your show. My job is to help you become conscious of those choices and to help you choose the one that helps you live a fulfilling life. It’s about living life consciously.

If you want to make significant changes in your life, hire me as your coach. Our coaching relationship is powerful, and when the going gets tough we stay in collaboration and work through to the other side. As your coach, you have my word that I am 100% committed to you being powerful, successful and to having the life you want.

Quotes of the Month – See through different eyes.

“Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, where all they need is one reason why they can.”
      --- Mary Frances Berry, U.S. Government Official, Author

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
      --- Bertha Calloway

Ask the Expert - The seven magic words to say to customers.

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