2008 by admin.

Research shows a listener will decide how or if they will respond to voicemail within 10 seconds of hearing the message. Rushing through those 10 seconds does not serve you well. If voicemail had a warning label, it would read: “For best results, speak your name and return phone number slowly and clearly.”

Take the time to practice your voicemail message. Learn how to slowly say your name (especially if the message recipient has not met you before), by pausing between your first and last name. Provide your phone number with care, enunciating each number, not spewing all 10 digits in one syllable. And for best results, repeat it at the end of your message.

–Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Employee Communications | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

The reporter is calling or e-mailing, or the news cameras are on and in your lobby. You are already prepared with a statement or information. But interviews can often get off-track and result in statements that do more harm than good. Do you know the three things you must NEVER say to a reporter?

“Off the record “– Take this out of your vocabulary – there is no such thing. If you don’t want something in print, don’t say it.

“No comment” – This only makes you and your company look bad. Consider responding to questions you do not want to comment on with a statement like this: “I’m not the best source for this information. You should speak to so-and-so.” Or “Once that information is available from the such-and-such agency, we can share it.”

Jargon and its first cousin, rhetoric – You may know what the M-Quat is, or the CAGR, but your audience won’t. In addition, any reporter worth his or her salt will read between the lines of a rhetoric-laced response and dig deeper, possibly causing you so much more discomfort. Stick to short, simple and specific answers.

–Amy Biemiller

Posted in Media relations | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

You may never know which of your e-mails will languish in someone’s spam mailbox. But you can decrease the risk by being more careful with the words you use in your e-mail subject line.

There are certain key ‘spam’ words that most filters will recognize in a subject line and automatically dump as junk. To prevent your e-mails from relegation to spam purgatory, make your subject line more actionable and specific. For example:

Instead of As per your request, detail what the e-mail is about (i.e. Information for the inventory report).

Instead of Confirmation, communicate specifics such as 2/15 meeting details, or San Antonio trip itinerary.

Instead of Read now or Important, drive home urgency with a needed action, as in Bring attached to Tues. meeting or Presentation input due Wednesday

–Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

Want to increase the response rate you get from media pitches? Forget about attaching a press release, and make your e-mail subject line and body copy do the work for you.

Journalists and editors work at the speed of light, and read just as fast in order to learn about and write about news important to their audiences. Their in-boxes are full to the brim with pitches. Make yours stand out by telling them how your story has significance to their readers. Start with a clear and concise subject line, and support that with a facts-based pitch in the body of your e-mail – not as an attachment.

–Amy Biemiller

Posted in Media relations | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

Studies show that profitability is linked to customer retention, and customer retention is linked to employee engagement. Employees are engaged at work when their managers talk to them, recognize their work and explain what they should do to achieve company goals and how they will benefit from those actions.

Do your managers know the four things they can do to improve employee engagement?

Communicate sincerely. That means no rhetoric. Talk about what the company does in plain English, and communicate directly about how their department fits into the bigger picture.

Personal delivery. Managers have to get up from their desks and away from their computers and speak directly to their department associates, individually and as a team.

Acknowledgement. Address associates by name, and acknowledge their work, performance and contributions.

Invite response. Ask for feedback, questions, and concerns, and be attentive to communication from others.

– Amy Biemiller

Posted in Employee Communications | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

There’s nothing like pundit-bred chatter about an impending recession to get us to review our marketing efforts. Is there a way to make marketing work harder when economic storm clouds are on the horizon? Certainly! Remember, when customers make buying decisions under economic stress, they tend to buy from trusted sources. Make it easier for your existing customers to continue buying from you, with these easy-to-do marketing activities:

Stay in touch – Keep your name and products or services in front of them by staying in touch with them. Give them valuable information they can use, let them know about special offers on your products or services, and ask them for feedback. Use print, e-mail and the phone.

Let them know you care – Show your appreciation for them. Send them a birthday card, or a random note of appreciation with a gift card for coffee or a snack treat.

Refer business to them – There’s nothing more valuable than new business. Keep your eyes and ears open for business opportunities for your customers. Call and give them a good lead with contact information.

-Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

How dependent are your employees and your corporate executives on your newsletter? Get your employees and execs to participate in the newsletter process, and see how soon your employee newsletter becomes a necessary commodity and not an expendable luxury. Here’s how:

Executive involvement – Your newsletter should provide information, every issue, about what those corporate goals are and where the company is in achieving those goals. Ask your executives for information about industry developments, how the company fits in, and how that relates to goal achievement. Also publish when and how the company was mentioned in the news since the previous issue.

Employee involvement – Focus on different departments in each issue, and ask for stories from employees about how what they do influences corporate goal achievement. Work with HR to develop stories about community involvement by employees. Work with the sales department to learn about good customer service examples. Write like a news reporter, and quote more employees than executives.

- Amy Biemiller

Posted in Employee Communications | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

Who hasn’t had second thoughts after sending an e-mail? Either you get that sinking feeling because you sent something to the wrong person, or what you sent to the right person was wrong. Sender’s remorse can be avoided with these top tips.
1. Address the e-mail last – Go ahead and write that e-mail. Just start with the content and make the e-mail address the last item you type in. You can’t successfully send without the address, and you have a few more moments to consider that the information is correct, and going to the correct person.
2. Do not rely on the pre-population feature – The larger your e-mail address book becomes, the easier it is to send the wrong e-mail to the wrong person. Make it a habit to type in the whole address, and not rely on the pre-population feature.
3. E-mail to one, not all – When responding to an e-mail, respond just to the sender, not the whole group.

- Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Employee Communications | No Comments »