Things are progressing well.  I thank Gloria for her work on my book.  She has renewed a sense of purpose to my book and has helped me with editing and rewriting as needed.  As we speak, I am working with a publishing company on a cover, quantities of books, etc.  This is a very exciting time and the end is near! 

I have a couple of exciting events coming up.  First, on September 17, I will be the keynote speaker for the Riverbend Growth Association’s Women’s Conference at the Holiday Inn in Alton, Illinois.  This event is open to the public.  I will be speaking on networking, branding and marketing your business.  My hope is to see many of you there.

 I have also been asked to be the keynote speaker again at this year’s Illinois Federation of Teachers Association Conference in Springfield.  We had a great time last year.   

Whose Hand Do You Want Me to Shake?            You find yourself in a situation where you want to make an impression that will knock the person’s socks off. My recommendation for the very best beginning is a nice, solid handshake. The perfect handshake does and says so much, communicating character and personality in only a few seconds’ time.  And you want to be certain that yours explains exactly who and what you are.  The ideal handshake:Ø      Thumb facing the skyØ      Four fingers straight ahead, forming a 90 degree angle from the thumb to the index fingerØ      Firm grip (but not too firm)Ø      Make direct eye contactØ      SmileØ      Greet the personWhat can go wrong with a handshake?Ø      Too firm of a handshake (cuts the blood flow from the other person’s hand or crushes their knuckles)Ø      Too wimpy of a handshake (says you are not confident)Ø      Dirty hands (says you don’t take care of yourself) – If you are in a profession for which your hands are always dirty, have some moist towelettes handy and apologize when you shake hands. If I were dealing with a mechanic who started out by shaking my hand, looking me in the eye and greeting me, they would have made a great first impression.Ø      Great handshake, but with no eye contact or greeting  (try it, it just doesn’t work)            There are several other options for handshakes.  I have heard from many seniors that instead of a handshake they would prefer that the person take their hand and simply touch or grasp it for a moment.  In other instances, some people are just not hand shakers at all.  Some feel it is unsanitary, some feel it is not always appropriate; but in most situations, the handshake is appropriate and makes you stand out.  Think about it.  If you went to the library and as soon as you arrived, the desk clerk stood up, shook your hand and said (quietly) “Hi, my name is Sue, welcome to our library.  If I can assist in any way, please let me know.”  First of all, you would probably be flabbergasted.  But, would this library stand out?  Would you think they had excellent customer service?            Do you want to see this in action?  Stop by Sue’s Corner in Granite City, Illinois.  My mom and sister own this bar, and they introduce themselves to every new person who comes in the door.  They take the time to walk over, shake the patron’s hand, and present themselves.  They explain that the bar is family owned and welcome them to the establishment.  When is the last time you went to a bar and the owner came over to extend a personal introduction?  Next time you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and tell them Dawn sent you.              How do I know this works?  Whenever I am training in the Granite City area, I always include a few customer service examples from the bar.  On many occasions people have told me “I’ve been in that bar and they really do that.” Point made. The handshake is memorable, and it can make not only a good first impression but a lasting one as well.            How is your handshake?  Don’t be so quick to think that you can’t shake hands at your place of business.  If it’s not a standard part of the service now, there’s no better time to start.   

I know many of you have heard from years that I am writing a book.  The end is near and we are progressing to the final editing.  I have asked many of my family and friends to assist with reviewing the book.  My thanks to them.  Please keep an eye on the blog for a publication date.  You know where we are going to have the book signing?  My Mom and Sister’s Bar, Sue’s Corner, in Granite City.  Let’s keep it in the family!

I am not sure if I have ever trained so much in my life as I have the last four weeks.  One night I came home and said “I am sick of hearing my own voice”.  My husband didn’t say a word.  Heck, he was probably thrilled that I was going to remain quiet for the evening.  I’m thrilled with the amount of training but I must say, taking a couple of weeks off from training is going to do me good.  It will help me to get refreshed and write some new material. 

Do you have a customer service story?  Send it to me from my home page and let me know of a great experience or a not so great experience.  We may just use your story in the book.

Someone asked me today “How do you have so much energy and keep so positive”?  Well, I truly believe that if you love what you do, it shows.  I absolutely love my role as CEO at Customer Service and Beyond.  In addition, I am the Executive Director of the Troy/Maryville Area Chamber of Commerce. 

I often run into people who hate their jobs, I mean HATE their jobs.  Don’t you feel sorry for them?  It doesn’t matter how much money you make.  If you hate it every morning, when your alarm goes off, it is just not worth it.  Step back and take a look at your life.  What changes do you need to make?  Think about it.

Yes, I said “Oprah”.  On Monday, March 31, I received a phone call at my office.  My Assistant said “You have a call from Harpo Studios”.  Harpo Studios?  That is Oprah spelled backwards.  Yep, they were calling to tell me that they had three tickets that I had requested.  My Mom, sister and I were heading to Oprah.  On Tuesday, April 1, I had to train in Hillsboro so we couldn’t leave until 11:00 p.m.  We drove all night and arrived in Chicago with the sun.

It was an amazing experience.  We had such a great time.  We were all up for 48 hours and you would have never known it.  It was our last girls’ trip before Terri got married on April 5.  If you get a chance to get on Oprah’s ticket list, do it.  She is fantastic in person. 

On my “25 Things To Do Before I Die” list, seeing Oprah was one item and now it is checked off.  I still have “Be on Oprah”.  So, when the book gets done, that is my goal.

We have all heard them.  For example, one of the most frequently asked questions at a local library is “do you have any books”?  You know that want to say “nope, we are all out” but they can’t.  Instead, they should begin to ask leading questions to find out what the customer really wants. 

But sometimes we just hear those questions that we can’t quite believe.  How about this one?  At a local fast food drive through a customer ordered a “Plain double cheeseburger”.  The person on the speaker said “Did you want cheese on that”?  What?  So when the customer arrived at the window, they said “what if I would have ordered a plain hamburger” and the employee said “I would have asked you if you wanted cheese with that”.  Okay then.

Let us know about some of the craziest questions. 

It has been quite a busy week. Actually, the entire month has been very busy. I had eleven trainings in a seventeen day period. But, we are through that busy times and things are settling down a bit. I’m back, working on my book. It seems like I could just keep adding stories. As I meet new people, everyone tells me a story about the poor (usually) or sometimes great service they have received. Do you have a story? I hope that you will consider sharing it with me.