-ServiceCoughlin’s Law – “If you are going to turn the lights on, be ready to serve.”
If you are going to have a business phone number, you should answer it when it rings.
-TeamworkCoughlin’s Law – “Everyone here has an oar. Pick it up and put it in the water”
Something I have learned over the years – Everyone has a unique story and a different way of looking at things. People come from different backgrounds and have their own view on similar events. So why would just one person be in charge of your social media, your marketing and your customer service. To put your best image out to your customer and to best reach out to your customer, you need a team. Yes someone does need to the the “person in charge”, the leader, the captain, to make the final decision and to give direction but this person needs input from a team. The best case scenario is that this is not a defined team but rather your company collaborating on the final product. Now that might seem like a lot to take on but this can be easily solved with some crowdsourcing internally or a “core” team leading the way and then asking for input from everyone. This gives you “buy-in” and ownership by the employees. This makes it a part of your culture and then second nature to everyone.
Coughlin’s Law – “Be different, Be Wacky, Be Original… Be Remembered”
Tomorrow, next week or next month, try an experiment. Turn off email and instant messenger and either go see your clients or colleagues in person or pick up the phone. Get rid of all distractions that keep you from doing what you need to do and get your work done early. When your “To-Done” list is complete, call or visit with someone. See what is going on in their lives. Talk with them with out looking at the clock.
-JoyCoughlin’s Law – “Take your job seriously.”
… MY… FULL TIME JOB: IS… TO… LIVE THIS LIFE!!! YOU HEARD ME!!! MY PAY CHECK: HAPPINESS!!! MY BONUS: ULTIMATE… JOY!!!
These days I’m taking in all the good I can and this was a post from a good friend the other week. Reggie is one of those energizer bunnies running on pure joy and I always look forward to his “pick-me-up” Facebook posts. You can find Reggie in Asheville, NC or in Atlanta, GA or on Facebook making people happy.
Reggie, Thanks for inspiring me!
-GoalsCoughlin’s Law – “If you don’t have a target, you’ll never hit it.”
Over the past week, I decided to put my goals up on Facebook for a few different reasons. One, to write them down; two, to get them out there into the universe and three so people will hopefully hold me accountable and help me achieve them. After my first post, a good friend suggested that I include an updated profile picture to go along with each one. It was a fun exercise and got some great comments:
-Sell, Sell, SellCoughlin’s Law – “Coffee is for closers.”
Taking care of your customer is your highest priority because its a symbiotic relationship. You take care of your customer and they will take care of you. Choosing the customer that is right for you is the topic for another article but also an important discussion your organization should have early on. How you take care of your customers is a topic of much debate because it opens up the possibilities of a “Pandora’s box”.
Can you, should you, would you sell into existing customers?
Of course you should! If you have done a good job the first time, then your customer will look at you as their trusted adviser. So it’s a great opportunity for you. You will automatically have the upper-hand in any bidding process and hopefully you would be involved in the creating the RFP.
I am more concerned with the “how” you sell into your customer. Since your customer trusts you now, that puts you in a position of responsibility and if you believe in Karma or in referrals, then you NEED to do what is best for your customer at all times. Continue reading
Coughlin’s Law – “Know who you are and what you want before you leave the house each day.”
Each day we should ask ourselves some questions to start off the day.
What makes me happy?
Coughlin’s Law – “Buy from your neighbor when possible. It’s good for business.”
A few weeks back my wife and I were in one of these shopping membership clubs looking to see where we could save some money shopping for food. In the frozen section we were looking for frozen organic vegetables and we found a lot and were happy. For a moment….
-SimplifyCoughlin’s Law – “If someone can do it cheaper and better than you, go find something else to do”
So for about the past eight years now I have been hosting my own email and websites. Way back when I was starting out with Microsoft’s SBS server and it was a chance to eat my own dog food. Back then, the ISPs didn’t give you a hard time with hosting a server on port 25 (SMTP)or port 80 (HTTP). Then with the rise in spamming, they started to block port 25 and then other companies started offering services to redirect port 25 to another port on your server. I put up with the power outages or being blocked from some networks but it was all part of my “learning experience“.
-FeaturesCoughlin’s Law – “You save more time, taking time to make the right decision”
In my last article, we went over the Must Haves for a CRM System. Continue reading
Robert specializes in CRM, xRM, SCRM and SharePoint Solutions. Robert is a husband, a proud father and organic farmer