“Check Your Drawers” Read Rick Arquilla’s Review
Rick Arquilla COO and President of Roto Rooter was my former boss and now that he has made it to the big time has taken the time out to review my book. Rick is over the operations and growth of the brand to over 7 countries and 600 plus locations. Many people know Rick for his […]
New Review “Check Your Drawers”
We just got a new review in today from one of my old bosses. Russ Umphenour who started out as an Arby’s manager and went on to own over 770 Arbys. Simultaneously he also owned Lee’s Famous Chicken and Mrs. Winners Chicken. After selling his company RTM Restaurant Group he went on to be Chief […]
Do the “Opie”
When I was in my early 20s I had a Sunday school teacher named Larry Woolard that owned a lumberyard at the time but later became a state senator and very well-known man in our parts. He gave me a lecture one day about how important it was sometimes to let people think that you don’t […]
Keep Score, Is There Really A Problem
In my very early days of management I was a young assistant manager for a chain of Arby’s restaurants. I worked for Russ Umphenour, Russ started the company called RTM, which stood for results through motivation. We were taught as part of our training to carry three different 3 x 5 cards in our pocket. One for […]
Watch What A Leader Looks Like in Action?
Watch Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=680NlRI3v2I This is how a leader should appear to his or her subordinates, follow the example of Shakespeare’s character in the true life story of Henry V. Watch the video and see the eloquence, boldness, and assurance that he gives to his army of 10,000 as they face 50,000 Frenchmen. The soldiers are […]
Some days the bear gets You, Especially if your back azimuth is 360 Degrees!
I was watching one of my favorite old movies the other day “The Edge” with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin wherein they spent most of the movie trying to stay alive in the wilds of Alaska and avoid a hungry Grizzly bear. It reminded me that I should use it as an example to […]
Robert Eaton’s NEW BOOK ‘CHECK YOUR DRAWERS’ teaches readers what your boss wishes you knew
05/16/2014 | Huntsville, Al. | Visit www.checkyourdrawers.com/media-kit/ for contact details, photos, and an author bio. A collection of 76 lessons demonstrating the Aha! Moments of becoming a thinking analytical manager and not a ”showing up boss.” Have you ever heard someone say “Get Your Head in the Game?” well that is essentially the message of […]
Are you hiring the Body or the Brain, your interview questions reveal the truth.
This is about the interviewing process and the lack of problem solving questions. Tending to hire the Essence of the employee (commonly known as a Warm Body) and not the being (the curious, questioning, challenging thinker)? Currently it appears that Employee Engagement dominates in the interview process. However all experienced H.R. managers know that […]
Discover Check Your Drawers at BEA 2014
My new book Check Your Drawers will be in the New title showcase at BEA 2014 this year. I’m so excited! BookExpo America (BEA) is the #1 book and author event that offers the book industry access to new titles, authors, and education about the publishing industry. BEA is the best place to discover new […]
6 Creative Ways to Integrate the Phone Into Your Marketing, Sales, Support, and Recruiting
It’s not even ironic anymore to make jokes about the value of “old fashioned” tools like the phone in the modernized business setting. The truth is, the phone is anything but old fashioned: with advances in call technology and the steady global incline of smartphone usage, the phone is as integral as ever when it comes to not only marketing and sales, but support and HR as well. But in case you need some inspiration, we’ll give you a few examples.
Make Recruiting Easier
If your company is growing quickly, keeping up with applicants can be a challenge. Instead of putting your HR manager through the task of prescreening a massive number of applicants, do this instead: prescreen them using an IVR and streamline your interview process. When an applicant applies online, you can set your system to automatically place a phone call to that applicant, and an IVR menu will prescreen the candidate with a unique set of questions (recorded by you) to determine the applicant’s eligibility. Their answers are recorded and entered into your system for later review, and you can call them later if they’re suitable. And if they’re not? Send them a pre-recorded voice broadcast informing them that you won’t be moving forward with them as a candidate.
Optimize PPC Landing Pages with Easy A/B Tests
Marketers are constantly tweaking PPC ad copy, landing page content, headlines, and more. You’re probably doing A/B tests with your email marketing, declaring winners, and such. But are you doing the same for your landing pages? Change the headline, video, etc. on the landing page and simply add a unique call tracking number to each landing page and monitor the calls each landing page drives. These days, the more data the marketer has, the better.
Your Trusty Tracker
Too many marketers admit that they know the importance of tracking ad success but aren’t actually integrating tools that make that possible. A simple integration is call tracking. Insert unique call tracking numbers onto every single marketing initiative you have—online and offline—and analyze the results. Being able to tell which ad, search keyword, email or direct mail campaign, or web pages drove calls and which didn’t adds important value to marketing campaigns.
Make Hotlines Smarter
Maybe you run a psychic hotline or some other call-in service that relies on specific paid selections of call duration. You can use IVR technology to route the caller to the rep (or psychic!) they’ve selected, and then after the call has commenced, notify the caller that their call will be terminated in x seconds unless they purchase more minutes. Or you can terminate the call at the exact time the caller selected and paid for. No hassle.
Your Social Media Lifeline
More and more brands have a presence on social media and many of them use those channels as a means of customer communication, often fielding complaints. But according to Nielson’s State of the Media report, two-thirds of social media users prefer contacting a company by phone as opposed to “social care.” And honestly, you as a business should prefer the phone to “social care.” Social care is just that: social. Do you really want your customers’ complaints—and your dirty laundry—to be aired out on the World Wide Web for everyone to see? There’s also the possibility of delayed response, which is easy when you’re a growing business with only one or two people monitoring your social channels in addition to their other duties. Instead, put a phone number in your Twitter bio with a line that says “Problem? Give us a call. We always answer.” The phone is a lifeline for customers who want fast service and support and can save you a lot of headache.
Take the Pain Out of Satisfaction Surveys
Often, when a customer has a negative experience with your service, they don’t tell you about it. They just use someone else. For example, if you own a chain of furniture stores and one aspect of your business is delivering said furniture, your customers may have had a beef with your delivery service, either its timeliness, the service they experience by your driver, etc. But you may never hear about it. They got their couch, hated the service, and will order elsewhere next time. To prevent the “blackout” effect, trigger a voice broadcast survey once their item is confirmed as delivered. Then, you get on-the-spot feedback on the customer’s experience and, if that feedback is negative, have the opportunity to correct the issue right away, perhaps offering some recompense to lure them back.
So there you have it. If you still think the phone is a dinosaur, then you’re looking at the wrong bones! Want some more ideas? Download this free eBook! Tips for E-Commerce: 4 Steps to Drive Sales with the Phone.