Scare-dy Cat (October 31, 2003)
We don’t have to wait for Halloween’s haunted houses and ghastly ghosts and goblins to be scared...

in the dark (October 31, 2003)
Customers complain, “Invisible help!”
Workers complain, “Invisible boss!”
Managers complain, “Invisible help!”...

Take It Back (October 23, 2003)
Rush rush
Hurry hurry
Still behind
Late for a meeting
Heart racing...

Thanks, Boss! (October 16, 2003) Today was Bosses’ Day. Wonder how many bosses were recognized. I was talking with a group of colleagues today - about bosses and the criticism they get...

An Inspirational Boss (September 12, 2003) Do you want to be an inspirational boss? Do your own job with passion...

Back to School (August 21, 2003) It’s time for school to start.
And here we are in Business Class...

Business and Basketball (August 1, 2003) Phil Ford grew up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. In 1978, he graduated from The University of North Carolina, where he was on the basketball team...

Lessons From Mom (May 7, 2003) What did you learn from your mother? Specifically - what did you learn from your mother that has contributed to your success in business or career?...

Power (March 9, 2003) We woke up one morning in December. The house was colder than normal. The clocks were dead...

Sweet & Sour (February 14, 2003) I love it when people send me stories. One day, I received three, which brought on reactions both sweet and sour...

Gobble! Gobble! (November 26, 2002) In the customer service workshops I facilitate, we generally start with the participants sharing stories about times they have received poor service...

Boo! (October 30, 2002) Harry is 77 years old and has lived in the same house for 40 years. His home and yard are lovely - full of memories, familiarity, convenience, comfort – and paid for. Some of his friends have moved to retirement communities. He has actually considered that from time to time. But it has never seemed quite right...

Trick or Treat (October 17, 2002) There were ten customers in line at the office supply store.  Just one cash register was open – though there were five other employees standing around doing nothing.  Dressed the same, they even had identical expressions --- scowls...

See Sally Run. See Jane Jump. (September 17, 2002) Remember Sally? Her internet provider problems were described in “Are There Holes in Your Bucket?” (click and read for the full story)...

No Problem (July 31, 2002) This will ring clear and true for many of you.
Others of you will balk at it.
Stick with me, if you will...

Thank You (July 15, 2002) “Thank you” – an expression of gratitude. Being appreciative of benefits received.
Businesses certainly derive benefits from their customers. Showing appreciation for that is an important part of doing business - of getting repeat business and getting referrals – all critical for success...

It's Not Our Fault (May 30, 2002) Did you see the Cathy cartoon where Cathy picked up her clothes at the cleaners and there were orange spots all over her blouse?
Here is the interchange.
Cathy: “It’s ruined!”
Cashier: “It’s not our fault. It says so right on your ticket.”...

A Forgotten Customer (May 3, 2002) What is the purpose of providing good customer service? From a humanitarian standpoint – it’s just nice to be nice to people. From a business standpoint – it helps your business get and keep customers. So --- who are your customers?

The Customer is Always Right (February 28, 2002) This is what we were always told - young and new to the business world in the late 1970's. I, in turn, passed it along to all at University Directories. Customer service was important to us - and by golly - the customer was always right...

Doing Business With Heart (February 14, 2002) Don't you love it when, in this rough, tough, seemingly heartless, bottom-line oriented world of strategizing for survival through layoffs and budget cuts, you find people who do business with heart?

Over-Easy (January 31, 2002) In response to the December article, “Are You Over-Reacting?,” I received some interesting comments...

Angels (January 2, 2002) We rode MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) from the airport to the Peachtree Center Station...

Are You Over-Reacting? (December 17, 2001)
We all want our businesses to run smoothly – with no errors and no complaints. We also know that no matter how hard we try, mistakes will happen. These mistakes can cause a loss of customer confidence – maybe even the loss of the customer altogether. On the other hand, a well-handled mistake can actually win customers and their loyalty...

Are There Holes in Your Bucket? (December 3, 2001)
My friend Sally recently had a problem with her internet provider...

Gobble! Gobble! (November 21, 2001)
In the customer service workshops I facilitate, we generally start with the participants sharing stories about times they have received poor service...

What A Mess! (November 4, 2001)
Providing excellent customer service is about being courteous and following through on quality and promises. It is also about avoiding dumb rules and making it easy to do business. What about when things don’t go well?

Making It Easy (October 15, 2001)
A few weeks ago, I was at Great Harvest Bread Company, and was being waited on by owner, Mark Zimmerman. As I was paying, I remembered to pull out my Baker’s Dozen Card, which rewards you with a free loaf of bread after buying eleven. It had been a while since I remembered to use it - and it was obviously old and tattered...

Staying True (October 3, 2001)
This newsletter focuses on leadership, management and other professional development issues. It is about doing a better job at home and at work – thereby being more successful, having more fun and feeling more fulfilled...

Continue While Remembering (September 17, 2001)
This newsletter focuses on leadership, management and other professional development issues.It is about doing a better job at home and at work – thereby being more successful and feeling more fulfilled.The pursuit of happiness.
The things I had planned to write about in this issue, just don’t feel right at this time. Maybe later...

More Than Ordinary Business (August 31, 2001)
The world is on fast forward. It seems like we all have too much to do and too little time. That hectic pace shows in businesses all over town…both on the faces of the workers and of the people coming in to do business. So, when someone goes out of the way to make doing business special, maybe even fun, it is such a treat...

Above and Beyond (August 17, 2001)
Don't you love it -- when someone goes above and beyond the "normal" way of doing business?

It's Not What You Know (July 31, 2001)
Last week, I ran across some notes from a speech I made in 1997. It contained one of my favorite stories on customer service and I think it is worth sharing...

Dumb Rules (July 9, 2001)
Dumb rules can hurt a business or organization of any kind.
Here are 3 examples...

But First (June 11, 2001)
Does this sound familiar?
I call it the "But First, Syndrome." You know, it's when I decide to do the laundry, I start down the hall and notice the newspaper on the table. OK, I'm going to do the laundry....
BUT FIRST I'm going to read the newspaper...

It's About Time - Part 2 (May 13, 2001)
Here are five more ways to reduce the speed and increase the productivity and enjoyment of life...

It's About Time (April 27, 2001)
If you search on the subject of time management, Amazon.com (www.amazon.com) lists 1547 books. Barnes & Noble (www.bn.com) lists 1222.
There must be some interest on the subject...

Are You Losing Your Marbles? (April 11, 2001)
My friend and former colleague (UD 1996), Brooke Packard Blanchard, sent me a story. The message of the story is closely related to that of my recent e-letters to you. One was the "Big Rock Theory". Another was "Time is the Coin of Life"...

Too Many Rocks (March 28, 2001)
Many people have written to me about my recent explanation of the BIG ROCK theory...

The BIG ROCK Theory (March 14, 2001)
In many of my workshops, whether they are on time management or goal setting or sales or management, I do a demonstration of the BIG ROCK theory...

It Really is YOUR Time (February 26, 2001)
Great stories have come to me recently…about people who successfully squeezed past and present passions into their hectic lives…yoga, the guitar, the saxophone, writing, riding horses, surprising a 5th grade son by showing up for lunch at school...

Your Time (February 5, 2001)
A Time/CNN poll found that 65% of people spend their leisure time doing things they would prefer not to do...

Ready --- Set --- Go! (January 22, 2001)
Ready or not...there we went... into a brand new year.
Did you know where you were going?
Do you know now?...