Event Delegates Are Lifetime Friends

Customer relationships are meat and drink to Gary Chapman, he runs a consultancy company that trains and informs corporate organizations about Customer Relationship Management (CRM). His company runs public seminars around the country on a weekly basis, dealing with thousands of delegates every year; here is his advice to you if you are planning a similar event.

The registration process may be your first opportunity to connect personally with a customer and demonstrate to ...

Keywords:

online booking, event managment,booking mananger, booking, registration

Article Body:

Customer relationships are meat and drink to Gary Chapman, he runs a consultancy company that trains and informs corporate organizations about Customer Relationship Management (CRM). His company runs public seminars around the country on a weekly basis, dealing with thousands of delegates every year; here is his advice to you if you are planning a similar event.

The registration process may be your first opportunity to connect personally with a customer and demonstrate to them what your values and standards are. Like all relationships, we generally judge what someone is like in the first 60 seconds and this is no different. You should consider each delegate as a potential lifetime friend who you are meeting for the first time and you should give them absolutely no cause to question your professionalism.

If this is the first time you have run an event and your admin staff have not yet cut their teeth either on delegates or on the product (the event), take plenty of time to script everything from the first telephone answer to the most awkward set of requests and questions you can think up. Give your people a chance to role-play those first 60 seconds until it becomes absolutely second nature.
Answer before the first ring

Consider what standards your admin team ought to be meeting. One organization demands that all of its telephones are answered “on or before the first ring” to demonstrate its urgency and alertness. “Hey! That's not physically possible”, I hear you say. Well, some telephone systems ring first at the receiving end before the caller hears the first ring in their ear, meaning that if you pick up after the first ring, the caller won't hear a ring. Although that can be a bit scary, you may want to set your standard around 3 rings and stick to it.

There are all sorts of other standards that are worth discussing with the admin team to ensure that your customers get a good standard of service:

• call-back within a promised timescale

• paperwork posted within 8 working hours

• emails sent within 4 working hours

• database up to date at the end of each working day

• payment reminders sent out 21 days, 28 days and 35 days after registration

Having set standards, make sure there is an easy way of checking that they are being adhered to. It is better that the admin team has their own monitoring system that you can check from time-to-time than to have big brother/sister keeping a permanent watchful eye on standards.

Gary Chapman also encourages his Admin Team to treat one another in the same way, using the same standards that they would use with an external customer. This way you actually remove stress and conflict as there is no potential to make a wrong decision. “What's the point of double standards?” asks Gary “Any reasoning person, given the choice, would choose the easier option. That's how standards slip. We don't give ourselves the choice!”

Friends, Family and Neighbors

Friends, Family and Neighbors. How "good" advice can destroy your chances of success.

Keywords:

MLM, Internet Marketing, Direct Sales,

Article Body:

Copyright 2006 Shannon Lavenia

Friends, family and neighbors - the do-gooders who are always willing to give you advice about your life. Ever wonder why, when you are about to take a leap of faith into something awesome, your friends, family and neighbors are all too eager to warn you of the pitfalls. I call it the "Get By Rule". What's this you ask? Well, if you asked your friend for $1500.00 to pay the bills and feed your kids b/c you were down and out, your friend, brother, sister, neighbor would most likely say "Sure Thing - Always Here to Help a Friend in Need." They are happy to help you GET BY. After all, being charitable makes people feel good. So does knowing they are in a better position than you - it's a sense of accomplisment.

Now, ask the same person for $1500.00 to start a new business and they'll spend time telling you about how many people fail at "those things", about the times that they failed, that only a few people succeed in business, etc. etc. They'll ramble on giving you tails of unsubstantiated BS to deter you. And, they won't lend you the money. Why? Because although they are willing to help you Get By they aren't willing to have you PASS THEM BY. It's as simple as that.

This became so clear to me after listening to Caroline Myss' audio program Invisible Acts of Power. What invariably sets the people who succeed apart from those who never take a chance is the decision to move foward towards their goals regardless of what other people think. My personal success has evolved by choosing carefully who I am willing to take advice from. When someone wants to offer me advice, direction or guidance, I simply look at the results the person is getting in that area of their life and decide whether or not I'm going to choose to listen to them. For example: If someone wants to give me financial or business advice, I look at the level of success that person has had in business or financially, and then I'll choose whether or not to take on their advice/direction. I personally wouldn't take advice from someone making less than $100K a month. I wouldn't have someone with no experience in real estate tell me how to invest in it.

If you are about to venture into a business, decide what you want and go for it. Don't allow your friends, family and neighbors to prevent you from passing them by. Many people simply fail in MLM because the company they are with tells them to go out to their friends, family and neighbors - the black cloud of success. Doing so, for the person who chooses to NOT be deflated, can be very profitable. It can also be the kiss of death if that is your only way of marketing. When selecting a company to work with, choose a company with a well formulated system and marketing plan. One that teachers you how to advertise in a wide variety of media to get your phone ringing with people eager to speak with you. And if you need to borrow the money to start your business, use the money you'd pay your bills with and ask your friend for money to pay your bills!

Because Christmas is a time to be with family, loved ones and friends, it

friends travel between towns and states to spend the day together.

The massive and rapid shift away from an agrarian society to one of

commerce with the development of cities and suburbs caused family members to

move farther and farther away from each other, therefore making it necessary to

travel by land, air or rail to be together for holidays such as Christmas and

other special occasions. And with some countries being economic powerhouses in

the world, movement of peoples got even farther as they migrated to other

countries to take advantage of better opportunities to improve their lives.

Consequently, air travel has expanded in modern times to take people to

international destinations.

But travel during Christmas and the holidays is not limited to visiting

relatives and friends. Many people travel for entertainment, including families

who are interested in seeing interesting sights at Christmas and enjoying world-

renowned entertainment that are in faraway places from where they live. Travel

to a destination that is far away, within or outside a country, may only be done

once by a family and that in itself creates a special memory.

Within the United States, it is popular for families and groups of friends

to visit New York City to see the general sights of the city and to shop at

Christmas. Some of these sights are known throughout the country and are

celebrated each Christmas. The annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center

Christmas Tree is an example.

The lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, which is located

west of Fifth Avenue from 47th Street to 51st Street in New York City, has been

an tradition since the time of the Depression. The first tree was placed at the

site in 1931 but it wasn't decorated with any Christmas ornaments. In recent

years, more than 25,000 Christmas lights and other ornaments have been placed on

the tree.

Also in New York City, it is very popular for tourists to travel at

Christmas to see the spectacular Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall with

the signature high-kicking Rockettes. The show is a favorite of both adults and

children as it is very festive, lively and filled with the spirit of Christmas.

Tourists also travel during Christmas to international destinations for

entertainment. Because the Nutcracker Ballet originated in Russia and that

country has worldwide acclaim for some of the most technical and artistic ballet

performers, it is a popular destination at Christmas. The legendary Tchaikovsky

composed the music for the Nutcracker Ballet, which was first performed in

Russia's Mariinsky Theatre that is home to the acclaimed Kirov Ballet. The

story is about a little girl's dream on Christmas Eve about a beloved Nutcracker

toy she received as a present.

Travel to international destinations is also popular at Christmas time to

escape the cold of a 'White Christmas.' For those who do not like the cold but

like to be out and about at Christmas, the alternative is to go somewhere with a

more tropical climate. Travel to destinations in the Caribbean, where Christmas

is robustly celebrated, is popular during the Christmas season.

One of the intriguing places to travel during the Christmas season is to a

place where Santa can be observed. There is such a place in Finland at a village

where Santa Claus has his workshop. Travel to see and possibly talk to Santa

Claus is a delightful adventure for children. But such a trip has to be made

before Christmas Eve when Santa, his elves and reindeers embark on a trip

themselves to every home in the world.

It can be very satisfying to cater to friends, families and loved ones

and arrangement of decoration that is attractive and has themes for the

holidays. It's also important to make a note of how much, if any, help will be

available from friends or family members.

A formal Christmas party likely would include a small number of people -

not more than 12 and likely fewer - who would be seated at a table for the

duration of the meal. It means that place settings and seating have to be done

and a decision made on whether the meal will be a three- or four-course dinner.

The advantage of a formal dinner is that it is very organized, it has a

known content and everyone around the table usually engages in pleasant

conversation. It also usually provides a good opportunity to get to know and

hear from everyone present without having to initiate any small talk, which some

people are not comfortable doing.

As the host of a formal dinner, you will also have the responsibility of

keeping the meal flowing smoothly by having each course brought out at the

perfect timing and to also be aware of any special needs that a guest may have.

In contrast, an informal Christmas party at home is organized in a

different manner and does not have the predictability of a formal one. The fun

and festive spirit of an informal holiday party comes from groups of people who

mill around, move about freely to have conversations, laugh and enjoy munching

on Christmas treats, goodies and other foods.

Despite the easy, fun-filled atmosphere, it is necessary to plan the use of

space and to think about the area that people will use or wander around. Making

such a plan will facilitate contact between partygoers so that the party spirit

will pervade everywhere and put participants in a livelier mood.

Another consideration to make for an informal Christmas party among friends and

family is if children will be present and about their ages, if they are allowed

to attend. Children, even older ones, always need careful supervision. If

children are going to attend a holiday party at home, arrangements should be

made for adequate supervision of them and special activities should also be

provided that can occupy their attention.

An important feature that must be a part of a festive Christmas party at home is

the right mix of music. In selecting Christmas music, consideration should be

given to what will be played at the start of the party as guests are welcomed

and introduced to each other, the songs that can be played later to inject or

enhance liveliness and later to create the right mood as the partygoers bid

farewell with 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy Holidays.'

Along with the music, Christmas decorations and even the food can also help to

enliven a Christmas party at home. Food that is interesting because it looks

'pretty' due to the color palette of items, infuses a mellow feeling among

guests and adds an intangible element to the level of enjoyment and excitement

of the partygoers.

Christmas parties at home can also be personalized with special cookies, treats

and dishes that are ethnic. The presence of some ethnic food, but not an

overwhelming quantity, which isn't frequently enjoyed by guests will be

different and will add something that is unique to the host. And that is a part

of what a Christmas or holiday party at home is about. It's to entertain family,

friends and acquaintances with a personal style while all enjoy some merriment

in the season of goodwill and good cheer.