Newsletter December 2000A

NEW ASPIRATIONS: Your Future

Wanting a change and looking for a change are two different things. Watch a person's actions to see what they truly desire. For example. look at the person who always says that they want to be a writer...but never writes. The individual that says they want to do exciting things but watches TV on the weekends and passes over opportunities to get out into the world.

You have several options available to you today. Of these, how many have you done?

1. Take a course to find out more about specific areas of work. Not only can you learn from the classroom material that is being taught, it might open doors to new career opportunities just in the fact that you can meet and talk to new people who work in a variety of fields that may be of interest to you.

2. Join organizations in your field of interest and religiously attended meetings. Go to some of the meetings of groups of which you might like to be a part in your career. One meeting does not cut it. You may find two things. One: you hate it and you're bored. Two: people might start asking you to come work with them.

3. Shadow or visit a friend or a friend's friend at work. This works very well. If you're fortunate enough to come in contact with the right people, this gives you a very good feel for what everyday life in a particular field will be like for you. It enables you to save time moving towards something that you truly don't want to do.

4. Go to conferences and take classes that specialize in fields you may prefer. (If you're not liking the classes, you might not like the field.) I once attended a "train the trainer" program in Albany. Even though I was a speaker, I realized that I was not that particular type of speaker.

5. Make a list of goals you wish to achieve in your life and look for a pattern. (See #9 below.) Every day look at your goals and update them frequently. Be honest with yourself. Remove and add goals and dreams as you desire, just don't remove any because you quit or the challenge seams overwhelming.

6. Talk to career counselor; advise them of the confidentiality of your exploration. Your career counselor in High School may or may not have given you good advice, but there are good, qualified people out in the world. Believe what's in your heart and gut. Find one you trust.

7. Take a career test...you know the one with the fill in the dots....it says you want to be a farmer. Although you can not expect to find all the answers in one day, it's a start. The high school test I had taken seemed incorrect at the time, boy was I wrong.

8. Listen to what others say you might be good at and explore those options. Sometimes others can objectively see talents that you don't recognize.

9. Go easy on yourself. You may find that the actual change or experiences that you desire aren't necessarily all wrapped up in career. Have you looked at other areas of your life to see if you're missing something there that you're trying to make up for by changing your work environment? Something to consider. This is why goal setting and reading your goals daily is so important.

Many articles come from questions from our readers. It appears that with changing economic trends so too is the desire to change direction. If you're not interested in making any changes in your life at this time, but you know of someone who could benefit from this article, pass it on!

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TRUST ELEMENT: From Customer to Lasting Relationship

Build trust and you're on your way to building a long-lasting relationship with your customers. Trust is the basic framework for all customer/vendor relationships. Advertising and marketing efforts create interest and will initially pave the way, but results win customers' trust. Stage 1 is to entice by developing a perceived trust that products and services will be rendered as expected. Stage 2 is to turn the perception into a reality during your encounter with a customer.

Remember, customer service begins with first contact. This may happen with the customer service person at the front counter who remembers names and orders. It may occur with the call center individual who personalizes service by giving out their direct line and who is requested by clients. Perhaps it's the loading dock manager who makes sure that the carrier moved the merchandise on time for project completion and who has become, in essence, the epitome of the company to the customer.

In my travels to New York City and Javits Center events, I park at an outdoor parking lot located right off 42nd Street. I do so, because there is a parking attendant who, though my visits are infrequent, remembers my name…. Can you image that? He gets my car quickly and always asks how I have been. The amazing tidbit is that this may happen only once or twice a year. I'm disappointed if I miss his shift.

Not every person within a company has direct outside contact with consumers. The relationships may be more internal, such as the salesperson who develops a relationship with her accounting department. When traveling, accounting understands the trust issue and in turn makes sure that all her "problems" are taken care of promptly.

Relationships cannot be faked and be expected to last long. Look at your firm and note where and when relationships can be built in order to foster future business and retain current customers. If you find "All Stars" on your team, acknowledge them and share their secrets with others. You'll be on the right track to establishing trust and long term relationships with your customers and contacts.

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David & Lorrie Goldsmith are founders of the Syracuse based MetaMatrix Consulting Group Inc. Their firm specializes in consulting and speaking services. They can be reached at 315-476-0510  888-777-8857 or emailed at dgoldsmith@davidgoldsmith.com

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