A Study in Be Careful What Your Lawyer Demands

How Not to Use a Lawyer - A Personal Case Study (Plus: Protocol Marketing correction) - The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss is actually several great case studies in one that I had to share it with you!

Keeping this short since Tim Ferriss covers all the salient points about what is so wrong with this interaction. There are so many customer experience lessons embedded in this. Just for the record, I have some real issues with the third comment from the lawyer. But, I *LOVE* the final photo! Better than a PostIt on someone's back!

The Importance of Decency

Seth Godin pointed me to this clip via his afternoon blog post. Tom Peters speaks about the importance of decency, something we can all too easily forget, ignore, or abandon in business and especially, in trying times.

Decency is a quality that should be a part of every aspect of our lives. So, it is definitely a component of good customer experience and service.

It's all too easy to let an edge creep into your voice on a phone call or write an email in such a way that the tone can be misread and before you know it, a client feels a level of disrespect and/or lack of regard for his business when s/he becomes a "squeaky wheel."

This reminder came at the perfect time (thank you, Universe!) as I work to find a solution for a particularly challenging client. I keep reminding myself that ultimately it will be valuable knowledge I can share with other clients in the future while, it is hoped, gain the undying devotion of the client!

But, decency, as Tom Peters notes, goes far beyond the customer experience to every facet of your business and your life. If, at the end of the day, I can look in a mirror and honestly say I have conducted myself with decency throughout, it's a great day.

25 Excuses You Can Have During the Recession | chrisbrogan.com

Jim Kukral's blog this morning pointed me back to a Chris Brogan blog post I'd saved for reading later...uh, since I'm so busy making excuses, actually using some of these - 25 Excuses You Can Have During the Recession | chrisbrogan.com

With the stock market up 700 points with 20 minutes left before close, I think we're all feeling a little more giddy than we were when it closed on Friday. So, it should be slightly easier to avoid making excuses.

The consensus on Friday was that the market was falling due to people's fears and nothing based in fact. Basically, the world is going to hell in a hand basket and I might as well save as much as I can before I lose it all.

Excuses!

Excuses don't just hold you back during a recession. Excuses are the line of least resistance. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, but then again, nothing lost, right? Wrong! As Jim Kukral reminded us, Wayne Gretsky said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

So, stop making excuses! That goes for me, too!

More soon!