Comments for ldarrylarmstrong http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com 1.888.340.2006 drdarryl@aol.com Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:09:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU Comment on Help the Client See You as a Source of Value and Not a Threat by Lynn Beckman http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/help-the-client-see-you-as-a-source-of-value-and-not-a-threat/#comment-714 Lynn Beckman Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:43:00 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/help-the-client-see-you-as-a-source-of-value-and-not-a-threat/#comment-714 My friend Darryl and Mr. Prosser both make good points. Effective service is often difficult--in some cases, impossible--to deliver, due to personality conflict, levels of personal and/or professional (in)security, and natural desire to take credit for our accomplishments. It is critical in this business--as in my field of social work--to be the source of your own kudos. Social workers are almost always invisible, except in circumstances in which it is perceived that they should have removed someone's children from a dangerous (sometimes life-threatening) situation and did not, or did remove them and are much maligned or relentlessly second-guessed for doing so, mostly by untrained individuals with no firsthand knowledge of the individual situation. In both of these fields, the service provider must be able to deliver in a non-threatening manner, and must be in posession of and able to apply adequate ego strength, in order to be effective/successful. My friend Darryl and Mr. Prosser both make good points. Effective service is often difficult–in some cases, impossible–to deliver, due to personality conflict, levels of personal and/or professional (in)security, and natural desire to take credit for our accomplishments. It is critical in this business–as in my field of social work–to be the source of your own kudos. Social workers are almost always invisible, except in circumstances in which it is perceived that they should have removed someone’s children from a dangerous (sometimes life-threatening) situation and did not, or did remove them and are much maligned or relentlessly second-guessed for doing so, mostly by untrained individuals with no firsthand knowledge of the individual situation. In both of these fields, the service provider must be able to deliver in a non-threatening manner, and must be in posession of and able to apply adequate ego strength, in order to be effective/successful.

]]> Comment on Help the Client See You as a Source of Value and Not a Threat by ldarrylarmstrong http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/help-the-client-see-you-as-a-source-of-value-and-not-a-threat/#comment-710 ldarrylarmstrong Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:06:06 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/help-the-client-see-you-as-a-source-of-value-and-not-a-threat/#comment-710 My friend and colleague Mark Prosser makes a good point. There are those professions where folks have little choice in the clients they must serve. Certainly the field of law enforcement is one! He makes an equally salient and valid point that even in those professions where there are often more challenges in customer service than others you can approach it with an attitude and focus on providing the best customer service possible. After all I can attest to the fact that the only warning I ever received from an officer was done with such equanimity that to this day I can’t be mad at the guy. LDA My friend and colleague Mark Prosser makes a good point. There are those professions where folks have little choice in the clients they must serve. Certainly the field of law enforcement is one! He makes an equally salient and valid point that even in those professions where there are often more challenges in customer service than others you can approach it with an attitude and focus on providing the best customer service possible. After all I can attest to the fact that the only warning I ever received from an officer was done with such equanimity that to this day I can’t be mad at the guy. LDA

]]> Comment on Help the Client See You as a Source of Value and Not a Threat by Mark Prosser http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/help-the-client-see-you-as-a-source-of-value-and-not-a-threat/#comment-709 Mark Prosser Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:52:03 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/help-the-client-see-you-as-a-source-of-value-and-not-a-threat/#comment-709 I agree with your comments Darryl however some of your clients are in the business of having to deal with folks whether they want them their or not. In other words in public safety often our clients don't want us to serve them or our relationship is adversarial righ off the bat. We don't have the luxury of picking and choosing. I think it's important in those cases to still follow the path of good customer service, professional demeanor and always do your best to take the high road in consistent and professional delivery of service no matter what the blowback of the interaction turns out to be. MP I agree with your comments Darryl however some of your clients are in the business of having to deal with folks whether they want them their or not. In other words in public safety often our clients don’t want us to serve them or our relationship is adversarial righ off the bat. We don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing. I think it’s important in those cases to still follow the path of good customer service, professional demeanor and always do your best to take the high road in consistent and professional delivery of service no matter what the blowback of the interaction turns out to be.
MP

]]> Comment on Part Two of Two - Generational Marketing – Do you serve ALL your customers? — The Baby Boomers, Generations X and Y by ldarrylarmstrong http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/part-two-of-two-generational-marketing-%e2%80%93-do-you-serve-all-your-customers-the-baby-boomers-generations-x-and-y/#comment-532 ldarrylarmstrong Sun, 25 Nov 2007 03:52:35 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/part-two-of-two-generational-marketing-%e2%80%93-do-you-serve-all-your-customers-the-baby-boomers-generations-x-and-y/#comment-532 I agree John and cross-cultural differences are a key component on understanding the needs of the customer. When you combine such factors as level of income, socioeconomic background, and an individual's world view of his/her expectations the service provider has a great deal to learn and understand to excel at his/her professsion. I agree John and cross-cultural differences are a key component on understanding the needs of the customer. When you combine such factors as level of income, socioeconomic background, and an individual’s world view of his/her expectations the service provider has a great deal to learn and understand to excel at his/her professsion.

]]> Comment on Part Two of Two - Generational Marketing – Do you serve ALL your customers? — The Baby Boomers, Generations X and Y by John Tan http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/part-two-of-two-generational-marketing-%e2%80%93-do-you-serve-all-your-customers-the-baby-boomers-generations-x-and-y/#comment-520 John Tan Fri, 23 Nov 2007 22:40:04 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/part-two-of-two-generational-marketing-%e2%80%93-do-you-serve-all-your-customers-the-baby-boomers-generations-x-and-y/#comment-520 Hey, Dr Darryl, definitely an interesting read here - Serving all customers - and you definitely have the segmentation done nicely alright. Just to add on, in the attitude of service excellence - there are further segmentations, though, within and outside of this segments - like the consideration for cross-culture differences, the affluence factor - where some are more well-off than others (or that some are poorer than others), hence surfacing different different needs and wants, the environmental factor, etc. JT, http://effectivetraining.wordpress.com Hey, Dr Darryl, definitely an interesting read here - Serving all customers - and you definitely have the segmentation done nicely alright.

Just to add on, in the attitude of service excellence - there are further segmentations, though, within and outside of this segments - like the consideration for cross-culture differences, the affluence factor - where some are more well-off than others (or that some are poorer than others), hence surfacing different different needs and wants, the environmental factor, etc.

JT, http://effectivetraining.wordpress.com

]]> Comment on Charly’s at Tybee Island - Excellent Service and Delicious Food by John Tan http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/charlys-at-tybee-island-excellent-service-and-delicious-food/#comment-519 John Tan Fri, 23 Nov 2007 22:18:47 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/charlys-at-tybee-island-excellent-service-and-delicious-food/#comment-519 Hi Dr Darryl I am certainly heartened to know you as one who believes strongly in the essence of service excellence. It's so important to have that keen sense of doing well in serving, but unfortunately it's still lacking, somehow, in this homeland where I live. Well, we still have to continue to press on and hopefully influence those whom we cross path with... In search of Service Excellence... John http://effectivetraining.wordpress.com Hi Dr Darryl

I am certainly heartened to know you as one who believes strongly in the essence of service excellence. It’s so important to have that keen sense of doing well in serving, but unfortunately it’s still lacking, somehow, in this homeland where I live. Well, we still have to continue to press on and hopefully influence those whom we cross path with…

In search of Service Excellence…

John
http://effectivetraining.wordpress.com

]]> Comment on DHL and Customer Service - How Not to Excel by CJ Parrish http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/11/14/dhl-and-customer-service-how-not-to-excel/#comment-483 CJ Parrish Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:11:01 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/11/14/dhl-and-customer-service-how-not-to-excel/#comment-483 DHL, like many large organizations, uses an auto reply system to e-mail. I tried for 3 hours one day to reach a customer service representative at "the new AT&T" regarding bills for our yellow pages advertising. After through a series of prompts and holding "for the next available agent" my call would only be dumped into a voicemail box. Our ad sales rep offered another customer service telephone number to try--with the same result. In today's economy, no one really cares about the customer--it's all about making money for shareholders! DHL, like many large organizations, uses an auto reply system to e-mail. I tried for 3 hours one day to reach a customer service representative at “the new AT&T” regarding bills for our yellow pages advertising. After through a series of prompts and holding “for the next available agent” my call would only be dumped into a voicemail box. Our ad sales rep offered another customer service telephone number to try–with the same result. In today’s economy, no one really cares about the customer–it’s all about making money for shareholders!

]]> Comment on Part Two of Two - Generational Marketing – Do you serve ALL your customers? — The Baby Boomers, Generations X and Y by barbararuth http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/part-two-of-two-generational-marketing-%e2%80%93-do-you-serve-all-your-customers-the-baby-boomers-generations-x-and-y/#comment-438 barbararuth Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:01:11 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/part-two-of-two-generational-marketing-%e2%80%93-do-you-serve-all-your-customers-the-baby-boomers-generations-x-and-y/#comment-438 The friends vs. family issue is one aspect of Gen-X I rarely hear discussed. I'm an X-er. Of my friends who have married so far, most married past the age of 35 and have, at most, one child. My two sisters, me, and most of my best friends from high school and college are all unmarried in our late thirties and forties. Three friends adopted near the age of 40. One adopted a teenager. My Gen-Y friends seem positively retro in their idealization and prioritized pursuit of the married-with-kids state. At the same time, they are also much closer to and more dependent on (financially, socially, and emotionally) on their parents. The friends vs. family issue is one aspect of Gen-X I rarely hear discussed. I’m an X-er. Of my friends who have married so far, most married past the age of 35 and have, at most, one child. My two sisters, me, and most of my best friends from high school and college are all unmarried in our late thirties and forties. Three friends adopted near the age of 40. One adopted a teenager.

My Gen-Y friends seem positively retro in their idealization and prioritized pursuit of the married-with-kids state. At the same time, they are also much closer to and more dependent on (financially, socially, and emotionally) on their parents.

]]> Comment on Sometimes you can’t be politically correct when dealing with the media by CJ Parrish http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/11/04/sometimes-you-cant-be-politically-correct-when-dealing-with-the-media/#comment-408 CJ Parrish Sun, 04 Nov 2007 16:59:08 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/11/04/sometimes-you-cant-be-politically-correct-when-dealing-with-the-media/#comment-408 Trying judges and your superiors under the public eye of the media is NEVER a good idea. I doubt that this officer is the SFPD spokesperson today. Even if the data he used to support his rant is correct, he overstepped the boundary of protecting the image of the SFPD by not presenting a unified front to the public. Trying judges and your superiors under the public eye of the media is NEVER a good idea. I doubt that this officer is the SFPD spokesperson today. Even if the data he used to support his rant is correct, he overstepped the boundary of protecting the image of the SFPD by not presenting a unified front to the public.

]]> Comment on How to Handle Conflict and Tension with a “Driver” by ldarrylarmstrong http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/10/28/how-to-handle-conflict-and-tension-with-a-driver/#comment-360 ldarrylarmstrong Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:53:55 +0000 http://ldarrylarmstrong.wordpress.com/2007/10/28/how-to-handle-conflict-and-tension-with-a-driver/#comment-360 My friend and colleague Margaret Massey-Cox pointed out that it could sound as if I were being too hard on “drivers.” Ms. Massey-Cox trains people in the use of Wilson Learnings Social Styles program from which the term and analogy of a “Driver” is derived. This was Maggie’s comment as sent by e-mail to me: Darryl, Looks like you learned Social Styles pretty good, although this one seems a bit negative. Drivers bring some real gifts to the table as well as sometimes pushing a bit to hard. Maggie My friend and colleague Margaret Massey-Cox pointed out that it could sound as if I were being too hard on “drivers.” Ms. Massey-Cox trains people in the use of Wilson Learnings Social Styles program from which the term and analogy of a “Driver” is derived.

This was Maggie’s comment as sent by e-mail to me:

Darryl,

Looks like you learned Social Styles pretty good, although this one seems a bit negative. Drivers bring some real gifts to the table as well as sometimes pushing a bit to hard.

Maggie

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