Customer service/disservice files
Is the way your company operates thinking of the customer first? Or at all? I have recent examples of two companies that did a good job and two that did not. The surprising instances of customer appreciation: Bank of Montreal: My husband and I have banked with BMO for...Starting out? Find support and inspiration from others who have been there
I’m having lunch later this week with an acquaintance who is considering launching her own business and wants to “pick my brain.” While I don’t claim to know it all, I’ve had my own business for about 18 years, so I must be doing some things right! I’m happy to share...Really? ‘Bailout’ is the word of the year?
You’d expect a “word of the year” to be something special, wouldn’t you? So it’s somewhat disappointing that the American Dialect Society’s word of the year for 2008 is…drumroll…bailout. Even Grant Barrett, chair of the...
Get creative with metaphors
You can’t argue with the Publication Coach, Daphne Grey-Grant, when she encourages writers to use metaphors. “They add interest, colour and power to your writing,” she says. “As readers, we all do better when we can visualize something concrete.” I keep a file...
It’s like magic: referrals help you diversify
If all your money was invested in the stock market, you’d be feeling pretty nervous when prices start dropping. That’s why financial advisors suggest you diversify — mix it up between stocks, bonds, guaranteed investment certificates and other products with...Back away from the Internet to spend time on what matters
You knew it, and usability expert Jakob Nielsen confirms it: we’re drowning in irrelevant information, squandering an hour or more each day simply dealing with email and other distractions. So if you haven’t picked a new year’s resolution yet,...
Top 10 time: Bailout and other words of the year
Happy new year! Word nerds enjoy this time of year, when various dictionaries and other authorities name top and top 10 words: Merriam-Webster lists bailout as the word of the year for 2008 after it received the highest intensity of lookups on Merriam-Webster Online....
Santa’s blogging, and says it’s not a ‘holiday’ tree
Did you know that Santa’s blogging this year, and he’s planning to podcast next year? Dave Fleet, who listed what he’d do if he were Santa’s PR guy, directed me to Santa’s blog. Sadly, the blog is no longer live, but the list of 100...