|
Where Things Stand: Need customer service tips? Come to hear speaker
Mac Olsen
for Smoky River Express
It’s in all business owners’ and community leaders’ interest to attend Small Business Week dinner at the Club Alouette in Falher on Oct. 17, as Marty Park will be discussing customer service.
The Smoky River Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting the dinner as part of Small Business Week, which is being held across Canada Oct. 14-20.
Marty Park’s credentials include the Business Coach of the Year for Canada and North America. He is recognized internationally for his work developing both business coaches and their practices around the world.
In addition to international recognition, Park was selected as one of Calgary’s Top 40 Business Professionals under 40 in 2004 by Calgary Inc. magazine.
He was also recognized as the Canadian Youth Business Foundation: Mentor of the Year in 2005.
So what he has to say about customer service should be very insightful.
I have found the guest speakers at other Small Business Week events to be very insightful.
One is Doug Griffiths who wrote a book entitled ‘13 Ways to Kill Your Community’.
He discussed the themes of his book at the Small Business Week breakfast in the Royal Canadian Legion in High Prairie on Oct. 20, 2010.
“It’s designed to explain to the community some of the things that they do unconsciously,” he said. The 13 themes of his presentation are:
. Don’t have good water.
. Don’t attract new businesses.
. Don’t involve youth.
. Don’t assess needs.
. Shop elsewhere.
. Don’t paint.
. Don’t co-operate.
. Live in the past
. Ignore your seniors.
. Have nothing new.
. Ignore immigrants and newcomers.
. Become complacent.
. Don’t take responsibility.
Each “killing” theme is about an attitude, said Griffiths.
Most of the stories he tells point to the attitudes people have about themselves and the ways they undermine their own success.
For example, ways must be found to keep youth in the community and encourage their participation.
“But lots of times in our small communities, we talk about the state of the town and how bad it is and how there’s no hope or future there," he says.
"It tells our youth, ‘There’s no hope here. You need to leave.’ But then we wonder why our youth leave, when we’re the ones telling them they need to go. So we have to be very careful about the attitudes we have and what we display – and the impact it has on the community.”
Returning to the guest speaker for our Small Business Week dinner, no doubt, many business owners and community leaders have an appreciation for the importance of customer service and what communities need to help them survive and thrive.
Nonetheless, speakers like Park can offer some insights that business owner and community leaders may not have thought of.
So, I encourage everyone to attend the Small Business Week dinner at the Club Alouette dinner on Oct. 17.
Tickets are $20 each and will be available at MarVal Promotions and the A & M Confectionary in Falher.
I hope to see you there.
< Previous
Home
Next >
|
