Category Archives: Soft-Skills Training

The Seven Principles of Delivering Exceptional Customer Service

brian smith-pld, Competitive Advantage, Customer Service, Dealing with Difficult People, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Your advertising and traditional marketing campaigns based on the Four P’s (Product, Price, Promotion and Place) are no longer considered a strategic advantage. Some businesses refer to their customers as guests or clients and try to reinvent themselves by adding non-traditional product lines to maintain or grow market share. However, adopting the seven principles of delivering exceptional customer service is the only advantage you have left to set yourself apart from your competition.

‘A business absolutely devoted to delivering customer service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly high.’ – Henry Ford.

If you want an advantage over your competition, then you need to adopt the seven principles of delivering exceptional customer service.

F – Friendly – Smile, say hello and make eye contact. Build those all-important relationships. People like to do business with people they like and with companies that make them feel wanted.

O – Observant – Learn to recognize customers who want help and those who don’t. Ask open-ended questions. Customers know what they want, but if they have never done the task or that repair before, they don’t know what they need.

C – Competent – Don’t make stuff up. Trust me, your customer has already done the research; they want to know what you know about the products and services you provide. If you don’t know the answers to their questions, then find out or get someone who does.

U – Understanding – Be empathetic.. See things from your customer’s point of view – especially when dealing with an angry and upset customer. Don’t waste your customer’s time reciting company policy. Find out what the customer wants to resolve the situation. If you don’t have the authority to grant it, get someone who does.

S – Sincere – If you genuinely want to help your customers, it will show in the way you communicate and interact with them. You communicate 93% of the time non-verbally. You are speaking volumes, and you haven’t said a word. Your actions and words must be congruent, or your customer will believe the non-verbal as being more accurate.

E – Energized – Be enthusiastic; act like you want to be there. Approach your customers instead of leaning on the counter, talking to your co-workers or spending too much time on your phone. Give customers your undivided attention.

D – Dependable – Whatever you said you would do, do it. Your word must be your bond. Customers need to trust what you say. If they can’t trust your word – they won’t trust you at all.

“To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” – Douglas Adams.

Providing exceptional customer service is not that difficult. All you have to be is better than your competitors. Based on what customers say about the current level of service or lack thereof, that won’t be difficult if you apply the seven principles of delivering exceptional customer service.

Copyright (c) 2023. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To learn more about Brian and our Let’s Get FOCUSED (c) on Customers – The Seven Principles of Delivering Exceptional Customer Service workshop, contact Brian at – brian@briansmithpld.com or visit our website – https://briansmithpld.com

Authentic Leadership Defined

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personality Types, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Authentic – Adjective: of undisputed origin, genuine. Synonyms: – credible, legitimate, original. Being authentic implies that you’re trustworthy and reliable. Some leaders and managers start taking on bogus characteristics because they feel pressured to be what they’re not. They believe it will help them increase their chances of successfully leading or managing others. Are you being your authentic self, or are you faking it?

“You were born to be real, not to be perfect. You are here to be you, not ot live someone else’s life.” – Ralph Marston.

You can’t rub the stripes off the tiger or the spots off the leopard, no matter how hard you try. You are who you are. However, your authentic leadership style may not be effective in some situations. A strength can become a weakness. One way of managing and leading others does not fit all. The key to working with others is to communicate and interact with them the way they like. You don’t have to change who you are – just modify your approach.

Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we are supposed to be and embracing who we truly are.” – Brene Brown.

Dr. William Marston believed we are one of four distinct personalities, Dominant, Interpersonal, Steadiness or Conscientious, that heavily influence our behaviour. He ascertained that we become who we are and act the way we act at a very young age. We get accustomed to behaving a certain way, communicating and interacting with others a certain way and managing ourselves and others a certain way that eventually becomes our authentic selves.

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomfort.” – Arnold Bennett.

If you want to be more effective in leading or managing others – don’t change who you are – change the way you do it.

D – Dominant: To be more effective in leading or managing dominant personalities, get to the point quickly, use a rapid pace and be business-like. Answer the “what” questions.

I – Interpersonal: To be more effective in leading or managing interpersonal personalities, be casual and approachable, and establish those all-important relationships. Answer the “who” questions.

S – Steadiness: To be more effective in leading or managing steadiness personalities, use a slower pace and establish rapport by being friendly. Answer the “how” questions.

C – Conscientious: To be more effective in leading or managing conscientious personalities, be reserved and wait for them, limiting your feelings and enthusiasm, Answer the “why” questions.

Copyright (c) 2023. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To learn more about DISC and how it can help you and your leadership team manage and lead others more effectively, contact Brian at: brian@briansmithpld.com.

Unleashing The Power Of Your Potential

brian smith-pld, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personality Types, Planning, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Have you ever wondered why you do what you do and why you do it the way you do it? We become who we are at a very young age. We get accustomed to behaving a certain way, communicating and interacting with others a certain way, which eventually becomes us. An individual’s personality remains relatively stable throughout their lifetime. You are who you are – embrace it. Understanding your behaviour and how it impacts you and the people around you can be the catalyst to unleashing the power of your potential.

Worth Remembering: “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.’ – Carl Jung – Psychologist.

Have you ever scored an assessment tool to help identify your preferred behavioural style? They are designed to assess a person’s personality – how you communicate, interact with others, manage others and how you want to be managed. Some popular assessment tools are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Clifton Strengths and the True Color Personality Test. However, I prefer an assessment tool based on Dr. William Marstons DISC theory because it is easy to administer, and you don’t need a Ph.D. in behavioural sciences to interpret the results.

Worth Remembering: “Whatever the circumstances of your life, the understanding of your personality can make your perceptions clearer, your judgements sounder and your life closer to your heart’s desire.” – Isabel Briggs Myers

Behavioural assessments are not an exact science – just a great indicator of a person’s strengths. I’ve worked with several organizations that use them in their hiring processes to help identify their ideal candidate.

Based on Marston’s DISC theory:

D – Dominant Styles feel most content in authoritative positions and are best suited for entrepreneurs, lawyers and police or any work that displays power.

I – Interpersonal Styles prefer occupations that entail teamwork and collaboration and are best suited for public relations, sales, and marketing professionals or any position that involves working with people.

S – Steadiness Styles have a way of making others feel comfortable and at ease. They are best suited for a nurse, counsellor, therapist or any position that involves helping others.

C – Conscientious Styles are true perfectionists. Their analytical skills make them outstanding planners and problem solvers, and they are best suited as an engineer, systems administrator, actuaries or any position that requires maintaining standards and accuracy.

Stick with what you are good at and put your strengths to work for you. Scoring a behavioural assessment and determining where your strengths lie and what career path you may be best suited for is an excellent way of unleashing the power of your potential.

Want to discover your strengths? Click on the link and download a “Free” DISC E-Book. https://briansmitpld/free-download/

Copyright (c) 2023. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To learn about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization, visit https://briansmithpld.com.

The Challenges of Transitioning Into A Leadership Role

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personal Values, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

You’ve been promoted into a leadership role in your organization. Your management group believes you have the credentials to take on this new position. Making that transition from worker to manager or leader can be complex. It requires a different set of skills. It’s no longer about what you know – it’s about you being able to teach someone else. It’s no longer just about you – it’s about everyone on your team and what you must do to help them succeed. If your team succeeds, then you’ve done your job. But if the team fails, you fail because it is your job to give them the tools to complete the task and accomplish the goal.

Worth Remembering – “Leadership is not a position or title; it is action and setting an example for everyone on your team to follow.”

I’ve spent over 40 years as a general manager of a major retailer, a college professor and an award-winning entrepreneur. I can tell you from my experiences that managing or leading others is a learned behaviour. We are not born to know how to manage and lead others effectively, but we can learn. Here’s what I think you should do.

  • Everyone has a preferred communication style. Learn to communicate in a way and manner that everyone will understand. Whatever you say will mean nothing if they don’t get the message.
  • Take the time to listen to what others have to say. You don’t have to agree with them, but you must respect that they have an opinion and a right to express it if it impacts them or someone on the team.
  • Be empathetic. See things from their point of view. There may be things going on at work or in their personal lives that you aren’t aware of.
  • Be flexible and open-minded. It doesn’t have to be your way to complete the task and accomplish the goal. You’ll get buy-in if you allow others to have input.
  • Be patient. It takes time for people to learn new skills. Be there to offer support. You must be their biggest cheerleader.
  • Relationships are important. Take the time to know everyone on your team for more than just their work. People like to work with people they like. People want to work for managers and leaders who make them feel essential to the team’s success.
  • Establish trust. Whatever you say you’re going to do – do it. They must be able to trust what you say. Truthfulness or honesty means having and standing by a strong set of values.

Worth Remembering – “Leadership is getting everyone on your team to work for you when they are not obligated to.”

One more thing. Knowing what you know is important. That’s why you’ve been promoted. But it’s more important to acknowledge that you don’t know everything. You don’t have all the answers – nor should you be expected to. Don’t be afraid to reach out when you need help. That’s what great managers and leaders do.

Copyright (c) 2023. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a corporate training provider or management consultant? To learn more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization, visit https://briansmithpld.com or contact Brian directly at – brian@briansmithpld.com #leadershipdevelopment #managementtraining #coaching.