“In a world of increasingly digitised interactions, connecting on a human level is more valuable than ever.” When I typed those opening words for the introduction of Trusted, the book I co-authored in 2017, I never dreamed just how prophetic they would be for 2020, the year Covid-19 broke out.
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I was doing some reading and research about habits over the weekend and I came across the concept of the ripple effect. The concept is that when you get started on taking one small action it soon builds up and a ripple effect is created amplifying the good work and having a knock on effect to other areas of life.
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At a time of giving and receiving, friends and family, gratitude and reflection, I'd like to take some time to share a story from the fabulous charity I am a trustee of. The story has touched a nerve, it's gone viral and receiving lots of attention, so I thought I'd share it again. This story came out at the end of November.
'This is Anthony. Up until 5 weeks ago he was street homeless and sleeping rough behind Birmingham Central Library.
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I recently spent a wonderful day collaborating with fellow entrepreneurs at the inaugural 'Happy High Performance' event at Caffeine and Machine.
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I don't mind telling you that it's my BIG five-oh this year - scary! As I approached my 49th birthday last year, I was contemplating what I could do to mark my half century that would create a new healthy habit to help me to reach my next half century.
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I have been the proud owner of First Impressions Training for eight years today! 1st September 2010 seems a lifetime ago and yet, just around the corner at the same time. In total, First Impressions has been in business for 34 years and I am the third owner.
I was asked yesterday what I had learned as a business owner and what advice would I give to someone just starting in business now, so that got me thinking...
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Customer loyalty is priceless. It goes way beyond delivering a high standard of customer service and meeting the needs of the customer in terms of product offering and processes you have in place.
Loyalty is engendered when you emotionally connect with your customers and you and your team have the ability to communicate your humanness at each customer touchpoint.
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We have spent the last two days exhibiting and speaking at Accountex at ExCel. We had planned to do lots of social media, live tweeting, video and photos - but - we didn't do that. Instead, we did what we always do, we connected on a human level. We had great conversations, connected with many lovely people and started, what we hope will be great collaborations.
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We all make mistakes. Sometimes we have the opportunity to put them right, sometimes we don't.
Your customers won't always tell you when they're unhappy, instead, they'll tell their friends, family and anyone who they can reach through various social media channels. These customers vote with their feet and are the most damaging to your business. Your churn rates increase, your ability to attract new customers is diminished and your reputation is tarnished.
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We are still floating on air after 'Trusted' was shortlisted for the 'Judges' Choice' category of what can only be described as the Oscars of the business book world!
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