Text Box: [Home] [Bio] [Feedback] [Contact]        [FREE Newsletter]   

 

Text Box: Hey There,   We just finished Small Business Boot Camp and have another scheduled for August.  Details to come!  We also have another session of our Empowerment for Women in Business workshop coming on May 24th. For this month, we have some tips for customer service and performance improvement.  Happy reading! Ernie

Text Box: April 2011

Text Box: Test Your Creativity   You want to send a valuable object to a friend. You have a box which is more than large enough to contain the object. You have several locks with keys. The box has a locking ring which is more than large enough to have a lock attached. But your friend does not have the key to any lock that you have. Note that you cannot send a key in an unlocked box since it might be copied.   How do you do it?   *Answer at the bottom!

Text Box:   “Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself.  That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent.”   - Sophia Loren

Text Box: Notable Quote

Text Box:   Executive Coaching  · Strategic Planning  · Team Building  · Continuous Improvement  · Professional Development © 2011, E.A. Lewis Consulting          www.ealewisconsulting.com

Text Box: You are receiving this free newsletter at your request or as part of E.A. Lewis Consulting Services.  If you have been forwarded this newsletter from someone you know and would like to subscribe, please click here to send an email. To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here to send an email.   This material is provided as general information only and is not a substitute for legal advice or consulting services specific to you, your employees, or your organization. This content may be forwarded in full, without permission, when used in a not-for-profit format. No other reproduction of this publication, in whole, or in part, is allowed without the express written consent of E.A. Lewis Consulting. This newsletter is a free service of E.A. Lewis Consulting, Management Tips and Best Practices Newsletter, all rights reserved. Copyright 2011 E.A. Lewis Consulting.   *Brain Teaser Answer: Attach a lock to the ring then send it to her. She attaches her own lock and sends it back. You remove your lock and send it back to her then she removes her lock.

Text Box: Brain Teaser

Text Box:   “I've never felt like I was in the cookie business. I've always been in a feel good feeling business. My job is to sell joy. My job is to sell happiness. My job is to sell an experience.” - Debbi Fields

E.A. Lewis Consulting

Text Box: Helping You Achieve Your Personal Best!

Text Box: Congratulations to the following business owners for completing Small Business Boot Camp!    Debby Peters, owner and founder of Connext Nation, Rachel Hobson, co-owner of RiseTyme Coaching, Peggy Master and Jennifer Starr, co-owners of Maumee QuickPrint, and Joani Donovan, owner of Ultimate Body, Mind and Spirit   They spent five weeks taking an intense look at their businesses, brainstorming improvement opportunities, implementing positive changes in their companies, and achieving great results.  They asked tough questions and held each other accountable!   They are also continuing their business building work and have set goals and objectives for the next year.  Check out their websites for more information about them and their companies and keep your eyes and ears open for great things to come!

Text Box: Blog: Coaching for Success LinkedIn Facebook Twitter

Ernest A. LewisText Box: The Next Small Business Boot Camp starts August 23rd! Review the fundamentals of effective business growth including having the right business model, effective marketing, efficient systems, branding, and much more.  Discover the power of peer support and learn how to grow your business right!   Starts Tuesday August 23rd, 5 Weeks, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., Limited Seating Call for Details:  419-345-4254, or email:  ernest@ealewisconsulting.com  or Register Online

Text Box: Empowerment for Women in Business Workshop Learn why many women business owners don’t achieve the success they dream of.  Learn the typical Roadblocks to Success that many women face and how you can deal with them honestly and effectively to achieve your goals and dreams.  Energize your business, yourself, and change your life! Tuesday May 24th, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Limited Seating Call for Details:  419-345-4254, or email:  ernest@ealewisconsulting.com  or Register Online

Text Box: The Pickle Principle Bob Farrell, founder of Farrell’s Ice Cream, got a letter from an unhappy customer one day during the early years of the company.  The customer had ordered his usual hamburger and chocolate shake and also asked for an extra pickle all of which he had been doing a couple of times a week for several years.  This time however, the waitress refused (She must have been new because he had never seen her before.)  He explained he had been doing this for years and had always gotten his extra pickle at no charge and he also asked her to talk to the manager.  She came back and looked him in the eye and said, “I’ll sell you a pickle for a nickel.”  The customer left!   Bob Farrell realized he had lost a great customer over a slice of pickle that cost next to nothing.  He wrote the customer and told him they didn’t run their company that way, offered a free hot fudge sundae, and created the “war cry,” of “Give ‘em the Pickle!”  They got the customer back and soon had many more.  The company grew and grew and added hundreds of stores across the country!   “Give ‘em the Pickle,” is about doing what it takes to make things right and giving each customer the best experience possible. It’s about doing more and better than the competition and standing out from the rest.  It’s about going the extra mile!   In what ways do you, “Give ‘em the Pickle!” in your company?

Text Box: Goals and Objectives That Work! Goals and objectives are necessary for performance improvement.  Goals are typically big picture and long term.  Objectives are typically smaller and shorter term.  One way to look at it is that our goals are our targets and our objectives help us to aim for the center.  A lot of people set goals and objectives but still never achieve them.  Simply defining the tasks can help!   This important concept, defining and implementing the specific tasks that are required to actually reach our goals, can greatly improve our success.  The more specific, the better!   Example: Goal –     1. Increase this year’s profitability by 20%.                    Objectives – 1. Raise revenue by 15% average across all product lines.                                          2. Cut expenses by 5%.                                     Tasks –   1a. Improve use of word of mouth marketing.                                                    1b. Check P&L and set sales goals for each month.                                                      2a. Review all expenses                                                    2b. Implement cuts in non-strategic exp’s. by May 1st.