Becuase We Care

We Remembered

October 14, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Best marketing strategy ever? Care.”

Gary Vaynerchuk

 

Becuase We Care

Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.

Actions speak louder than words. Something we can all agree on, yes? There is a big difference between saying we care and showing we care.

After reading The Thank You Economy by my biz hero Gary Vee, I was convinced more than ever that caring is not only a critical part of having a successful biz, but can also be a competitive advantage. As lame as that sounds, because it’s easier than ever to show we care, and sadly, there are just so many businesses who don’t.

With the rise of the social + digital web and the tools available to us, we can show we care in so many ways. Listening, engaging, responding, replying, paying attention, saying thank you and even wishing our clients a Happy Birthday.

Here are some of the awesome Birthday wishes I received in my inbox on my special day. Did I notice which brands remembered? Absolutely.

1. American Apparel
A great image and a special savings. A call to action. Simple and effective. And yes, I did take advantage of the offer.

American Apparel Birthday

2. Sephora
A beautiful image and note. An offer I did not take advantage of but would have if I needed the gift. An invitation and call to action to get my makeup done for my special day was icing on the cake, pun intended. Sephora BirthdaySephora Birthday 13. the Hair Loft ltd
A beautiful image and message from my friends at the Hair Loft ltd. A special offer and a call to action. Perfect on all levels. Only reason I did not make a reservation is because they are in Chicago. But I would have if it came from my salon in Los Angeles.

 Hair Loft Birthday1

Hair Loft icons

With the technology & platforms we have available to us today, no matter the size of our businesses, we all have an opportunity to show we care. But the platforms can’t do it for us, we have to care first, then use the technology to engage. We actually have to care. For reals.

How do you show clients you care? What do your birthday greetings look and feel like? I would love to hear and see what you are doing to show you care. It matters. You matter. And I’m listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

does anyone want my money blog passion squared

Does Anyone Want My Money?

May 20, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

 “We asked ourselves what we wanted this company to stand for. We didn’t want to just sell shoes. I wasn’t even into shoes – but I was passionate about customer service.” Tony Hsieh

I have noticed a very sad trend happening with small businesses and it makes me wonder if anyone really wants or needs my money. I do not have a ton of it, but when I need something, when I am ready to spend it, is your business ready to take it? I know, sounds a bit fundamental, but there is a reason I was inspired to write this post.

The Awning
My beautiful awning in the backyard has been slowly deteriorating for some time. A few Santa Ana winds (what we call wind in la la land) literally tore my awning apart. I called USAA where I have my homeowners insurance, they are awesome. They were ready to give me the money to get the awning fixed, I just needed to get a quote. Easy enough I thought. Well, not really come to find out.

It took me 3 months to find an awning company in LA to take my money, well part USAA’s and part mine. Why? Not a single company returned my emails and phone calls.

Finally, I stumbled upon an awesome company called Superior Awning. Found them on YELP. To my surprise, they actually answered my email inquiry with a phone call, within 24 hours. They had a highly trained awning guy at my house within 36 hours and had the job complete within 2 weeks. They clearly wanted my money and I happily gave it to them. I guess those other companies were doing so well they had no desire for a new client for life.

The Salon
My Mom just moved back to So Cal after 30 years on the East Coast. To say I am thrilled is an understatement. What is one of the first things people do when they move to a new city? Find a salon. How do people go about finding salons in today’s connected economy? They head to Google, YELP and ask their friends and family.

Since I did not know any salons in her new town, I went online and found a couple via YELP that I thought she should look into. So as any good Mom does, she follows her daughters recommendation. :)
She found one she liked, and used their “Contact Us” form on their website. And the waiting game began. One week, radio silence. No response. No reply. Well, my Mom is pretty patient so she decided to call the salon. She left a voice mail. And waited. One week, radio silence. No response. No return call. I guess that salon is fully booked and has no desire to engage with new clients.

Mom did finally find an awesome salon & hairdresser, Penelope at Salon Ana, based on a good old fashion referral from a friend, and she is very happy.

The System
You have systems for cutting hair, for creating color formulas, for ordering inventory, for cleaning brushes, but do you have a system for engaging new clients?

Here are a couple things you may want to take a look at in your salon:
1. What is your system for returning voice mail messages?
2. What is your system for email inquiries from your website?
3. What is your system for email inquires from your Facebook biz page?
4. What is your system for client questions posted to your social pages?

Change the system. Change the result. It’s really is that simple. If you want new clients that is.

If you are in the LA area and are looking for awning repair or a new awning, Superior Awning is the BEST.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Caring Is The New Black

Caring Is The New Black

May 13, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE

“Best marketing strategy ever? Care.”

Gary Vaynerchuk

Caring Is The New Black

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you for listening.
Caring Is The New Black

Social business is all about authenticity, connections, relationships and caring. Today’s connected customer is keenly aware of who really cares and who is giving them lip service. This is true of clients, team members and even family and friends.

As my biz hero Gary Vee says… “Caring is in short supply, but always in demand.” And yes, you can out care your competitors.

Here are a few ways to show you really care both online and off. How many of these things are you doing consistently? Which ones need a little bit more work?

1. Respond + Reply
To phone calls, e-mails, text messages and comments. Yes, all of them. I have a 24 hour rule that I do my very best to stick to. It shows respect. No it’s not easy, but if it’s important to you, you will find the time.

2. Please + Thank You
Saying please + thank you still work. Always have, always will. (A special shout out to my buddy Ira Pope Sage for always reminding me of this. He is SO good at it.)

3. Recognition Squared
Recognition is many times more valuable than money. We all want to know we matter. If I do something awesome, a simple shout out goes a long long way. This also goes for when people walk into your business or give you a shout out on your social pages. A simple hello. A simple like or comment back.

4. Take Action
Actions speak louder than words. So cliche, but so often overlooked. If you make a commitment, follow through on it. Simple concept yet not very common.

5. Listen
Seriously. Listen. It works wonders and shows me you truly care about what I have to say.

Use this as a simple checklist or mental list when engaging in biz and in life. Not only will it show your team and co-workers you care, it will make a huge difference in how your clients engage with your business both online and off.

Think about this. There are two salons in town with equally great skills. One is known for really caring about it’s clients. They return phone calls, answer emails, respond on the social web, give shout outs to team members and clients and greet you with a big smile when you walk in the door. The other does not. Where will you go to get your hair done?

A big shout out to Sage Tryall Salon in Lynchburg Virginia, one of our Creating Awesome Workshop graduates and a salon that cares. Thank you Suzy, Todd and Team Sage for being an awesome model for caring. You ROCK!

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Contribute

Stop. Start.

February 18, 2013Nina KovnerGROW

“Blame is expensive, empathy is free.”

Joshua Fields Millburn, The Minimalists

 

Contribute

Here is the audio version of this post if you are not into reading. You’re welcome.
Stop. Start

Our Dirty Little Secret

I am proud to say I have been in the beauty and wellness biz my entire life, since my first day of beauty school. I love this industry, the people, the passion, and the ability to make another persons day better. But what I have witnessed over the last decade or so is actually not very beautiful at all. Something that many choose not to talk about. And that is lack of leadership, blaming others, insincere motives, hype and fluff and BS, lack of authenticity, insecurity, low self-esteem, mental health and addiction issues, short term thinking and expectations. Unfortunately the list could go on forever, but I will not waste any more words.

Blame is Lame

It seems so easy to blame everyone but ourselves for the state of our industry. But its lame. And not very productive. Let’s make a decision together, as an industry, to focus our energy on what we can do, to help small businesses learn to be better, to help people achieve their dreams and live their passion, to be a contributor, to be a hard working team member, to be honest with those who trust that we know better, and I mean really honest.

All the positive thinking, quotes and motivational seminars in the world will not get us there. Looking in the mirror will. And I mean all of us.

This may be a good start.

Stop. 

Complaining

  • Blaming…

    • The industry

    • The manufacturers

    • Diversion

    • The salons

    • The Hairdressers

    • The schools

    • The distributors

    • Your team

    • Your teammates

    • Your circumstances

    • Your location

Dropping the ball.

Start. 

Contributing

  • Caring

  • Taking responsibility

  • Following up

  • Leading with love

  • Discovering your why

  • Taking action on your ideas

  • Helping those in need

  • Looking in the mirror

  • Focusing on what you can control

  • Building people up

  • Making good art

  • Showing up

  • Sharing

  • Challenging the status quo

  • Changing the systems

  • Creating value.

 Your Choice. Choose wisely. (Particularly if you call yourself a “leader”, “expert”, “icon” or “guru”.)

A super big shout out of gratitude and love to Joshua Fields Millburn and Simon Sinek for inspiring me to create this post. You guys ROCK my world!

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Is Anybody Listening?

Is Anybody Listening?

February 6, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

Leo Buscaglia

 

Can You Hear Me Now?(image discovered on Google via smartinsights.com)

One of the greatest opportunities we all have with the social revolution for business is an opportunity to listen. And for customers, a big opportunity to be heard.

Before YELP, Google, Facebook and the like, it was much harder to really know what people were saying about our salons, companies and brands. It was also not so easy for an everyday person, like me, to reach out to a mentor, a community, a brand. The social revolution has changed that, forever.

Today, the challenge for all of us is to learn how to become good listeners. And the payoff can be huge if we do. How do we do it? The following is my list of a few ways you can become a listening business.

1. Care
You have to care. If you care, you will take the time, energy and resources available to you to become a listening company. This is always the first step.

2. Make Listening A Priority
When I hear people express to me their concern about the time and energy it takes to engage on the social and digital web, my answer is always…”What could possibly be more important than engaging with and listening to your customers?”

As business becomes more social, it’s time to look at your systems, processes and activities and adjust them to meet up with the expectations of the connected customer.

You can also set most of your social pages to alert you when there is activity on your pages. If it matters, you will find the time and resources.

3. Engage On The Platforms That Matter
If you are a salon owner or work in a salon, platforms such as YELP, Google Places, CitySearch, Foursquare and Facebook are awesome listening platforms as is Twitter. Simply search the name of your business. If you are in the product business, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google are all great places to listen.

Social Business Leaders Care. They Engage. They Respond.
Recently, one of my biggest biz mentors and super smart thought leaders in the social + digital space Chris Brogan was listening. How do I know he was listening? He responded. To both an email I sent him, and a tweet. And I am not talking about auto-responded, I mean really responded, with love, attention and grace. Why? Because he cares and understands the power of one person, one tweet, one email at a time. He is a true daymaker in my book. If you are in business today, you are a social business too.

This is a pic of our Twitter convo after our email convo, in which Chris took the time to read one of my blog posts inspired by him and share his thoughts with me. Can you believe that? One of my awesome mentors who I have never met responded to my email. A true OMG moment for me. And this all took place early on a Sunday morning. Yep. Sunday morning. I heart him.

Chris Brogan Tweet

My challenge to you is to take an honest look at your daily activities, and begin to carve out time to really listen to what people are saying about you, your salon, your company and your brand. Believe me, they are talking. Are you listening?

How are you listening on the social web? I would love for you to share your thoughts in the comments or you can share your story with me. I am listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)