Moving Forward Business Coach Newsletter
http://www.movingforwardcoaching.com.au
Email:  robyn@movingforwardcoaching.com.au

September 2005,  Issue #10

In this issue there is an article on customer focus - because it will be such an important part of business survival in the future.  One of the things that really did strike me whilst I was away is what a difference customer service makes.  Its great to get the feeling that you are really important as a customer.  You may only be a very small part of their business but if you feel looked after you feel really important.  If this is lacking then you feel let down.

In this issue also we have an article written by Henry Neils of Assessment.com.  So many businesses have difficulty because their staff are not motivated.  The successful business program is very focused on effective teamwork, so it is a very important step to first of all determining what people are motivated to do.  For career and executive development also I have place a lot of emphasis on the MAPP Assessment.  It gives me some excellent information about what people are really motivated to do - and then to build learning strategies around their motivations.  It gives me a great basis for organising teams for performance and empowerment of the individuals.  If you know what people enjoy doing - it is a recipe for success.  If you would like a MAPP (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential) for yourself or your staff - just email us and you will be given a login to get started.

My husband and I went to a coffee shop a little while ago and ordered our coffee from the counter.  This place I knew had great coffee - but I was not greeted with a smile. They told us to take a seat and they would bring it over to us.  Fifteen minutes after this we still had not received the coffee.  I went up to the counter to see when it would come as I still had lots more shopping to do and did not want to waste the rest of the afternoon waiting for a coffee.  They told me it would come when it was ready.  They were teenagers serving and it felt to me that they liked the power of telling the customer to wait and not to cause them any trouble (just sit down and it will come soon).  I did sit down again for another 10 minutes and still the coffee did not come.  At that point I told them that I wanted my money back and went to another shop to have my coffee - which incidentally served me with a smile and within a couple of minutes.

It is a manager's responsibility to know what good customer service is for their business and then set the standard for the rest of the staff to follow with standards for good customer service.  Training needs to be given to staff so that they can focus on the customer and give them great service.  You can't expect your staff to know what good customer service is.  Staff dealing with the customers should have a good feel for customer's reactions.  Customers are very discerning and it is the business that gives exceptional customer service that will prosper in the next decade.  Make sure that you look at the different levels of customer service for your business.  What is basic, what is expected, what is desired and what is the unanticipated.

What do you feel like when you are not looked after as a customer?  Do you go back to that business?  Remember that a smile is understood in all languages.  Ask yourself "What are the things in your business that will make a customer feel important?"  Make sure that your staff have the confidence to look after the customers well.  You as a manager can make sure that this happens with the appropriate training and systems in place.  If staff are worried about making a mistake, then they lack the self-esteem and confidence to service the customers well.

One comment that is heard time and again about those who demonstrate excellence is, "He/she is a natural at it." They don’t seem to struggle to be excellent; it just flows. That is always a sign of motivation, and therein lies the first key: Motivation is required for excellence.

Motivation is what we like do well naturally. It’s like being right or left-handed. We don’t even think about it. We just write. The same is true for people known for excellence. They have a group of motivations that work in concert to help them perform at a higher level. Like all motivations, these were inborn and are as much a part of them as being blue-eyed or tall.

But there is a second key: Motivation can be developed. People who demonstrate excellence have identified their motivations and worked hard to develop them. They have added knowledge, skill, experience and practice to consistently produce at the highest levels.

By the way, there is a flip side to these two keys, and it is this: The best we can be with low motivation is adequate. No matter how hard we work and desire it, in the long run we will never be excellent at something without high levels of motivation in that area. In other words, if we toil in areas where we have low motivation, we resign ourselves to mediocrity.

Who wants to be mediocre? Who wants to be known as "adequate?" Wouldn’t you rather have a shot at excellence? The first step to unlocking your excellence is to know what you do well naturally. What are your motivations?

Henry Neils
President
www.assessment.com

Reproduced with permission from Henry Neils. 

Personal Development

Do you know that you have a choice! When we are passionate about what we do then we have energy and are motivated to achieve our goals. This 2.5 hour workshop will take you through a series of stimulating and thought provoking exercises and move you through a list of tips before concluding with a series of change making exercises.

Date: 6 October 2005
Time: 9am and 7.30pm
At: Donvale

Plan a Successful Business - Workshop 1
- Your Business and You
A 3 hour workshop that undertakes a thorough review
of you and your business both now and where
you want to go.  This workshop helps you to
undertake the reviews and analysis necessary
to the development of a strategic business plan

Date: 11 October 2005
Time: 9am and 7.30pm
At:  Donvale

Plan a Successful Business - Workshop 2 
- Developing your Strategic Business Plan
This 3 hour workshop helps you identify the purpose 
and audience for your strategic business plan and 
then takes you, step by step, through the components 
of a strategic business plan

Date: 8 November 2005
Time: 9am and 7.30pm
At: Donvale 

MAPP Assessment
Everyone is motivated to do what they enjoy.  Why not take steps to understand the strengths of your staff or team so that you can gain competitive advantage with a motivated team. When a job matches their true motivations work is fulfilling and satisfying.  Book this online test today for yourself and your staff.  Comes with a ½ phone session with a Moving Forward Business Coach ($280 including GST) and quantity discounts apply. Email Moving Forward Business Coach to discuss your needs.

Recommended Book to read:  Built to Last - Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, J C Collins and J I Porras
An organisation that is built to last is built on solid foundations with core values and continuous inmprovement firmly entrenched in the culture plus a vision to build an organisation, not just a product. 

Six ways to increase the value of your business (from the New York Enterprise Report)

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© Moving Forward Business Coach - September 2005
You are welcome to use the articles from the 'Tips to create a successful business' newsletter as long as you include complete attribution and a live link to the website, The attribution should read "By Robyn Pollard of Moving Forward Business Coach.  Please visit our website at http://www.movingforwardcoaching.com.au/" for extra tips on creating your successful business