Jon Carson Consulting - November 2020

Jon Carson Consulting - November 2020

November 2020

THE ORIGINAL DIRECTOR OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS!

As I reflect on Thanksgiving this month, I find myself being thankful for my mom, who posed with me for this picture last year. I love to brag on my mom, who is just 77 years young. She is also the author of the most popular part of my newsletter, GG Gretchen’s Kitchen’s recipes. It might come as a surprise to you, but my mom is the original Director of First Impressions in the Tester family. Long ago, my mom taught me that it’s not what you say to people, but how you make them feel, that makes all the difference. From finding a way to deliver maple bars (my favorite treat) to me on my birthday in a town some seven hours away from her to always sending the kids special surprises on holidays, Mom knows how to deliver the good feelings. One of the biggest lessons that Mom taught me is the importance of writing personal thank-you notes to follow up with clients. A small gesture, some might say, but boy does it make a person feel good to get one! Mom knows what she’s talking about. As we get ready to launch my new book, “Fearless Communication,” which is based on how a business needs to handle the Director of First Impressions, I can’t help but think of Mom once again. Your team members who answer incoming calls talk to an astounding 99% of your clients and prospects. Sadly, they receive less than 2% of the training offered in the average company, and it’s usually very basic skills like saying “please” and “thank you” to customers. Please and thank you are lovely bits of polite decorum, but they certainly won’t transform your culture or your bottom line. Perhaps Mom understands what many business owners are still missing? Most people on the phone listen with intent to respond. However, Mom taught us to listen with intent to understand . Simple phrases on the phone like “tell me more” and “I’m taking notes, is that okay?” go a long way toward improving the customer experience. In this time when most people would rather use an automated operator than train someone how to answer and handle the phone like the Director of First Impressions would, these kind of phone skills can be a real game-changer.

Clients and prospects may not give you a “yes” based solely on how the phone is answered in your company; however, they will give you a “no” based on how you say “hello.” Being listened to and being loved are so close together that most people cannot tell the difference. Make sure you are listening to your customers and prospects with a well-trained Director of First Impressions. I’m so thankful for my mom and all that she has taught me (and continues to teach me) about the importance of being a genuine listener. Now I’m going to turn the page and listen to what she’s suggesting for dinner in GG Gretchen’s Kitchen’s recipes! Note: If you would like a free chapter of my upcoming book, “ Fearless Communication,” go to my website, GoDaveTester.com. On the “Connect” page, request the “Director of First Impressions” chapter.

-Dave Tester

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As we continue to adapt to a half-digital, half-physical world, one thing is certain: This is our new normal. And in the business world, you adapt or you die. While in-person sales meetings and lunches will never be a thing of the past, mastering the video sales call to present yourself, your company, and your product is vital. After all, you want the most memorable part of your call to be the product you’re pitching — not your cluttered background or the tinny sound. MASTERING THE VIDEO SALES CALL WITH FILMMAKER EXPERTISE

TIP NO. 2: GET THE CAMERA ANGLE RIGHT. Aesthetically speaking, one of the worst angles for a camera is pointed upward at the subject being filmed. However, you’re often looking down at your laptop or monitor’s camera. Instead, stack your laptop on books or risers for meetings, or purchase a separate camera to mount at eye level or just above you. This is a much more flattering and commanding angle. TIP NO. 3: LOOK AGAIN. In the moments leading up to a video call, remember to do two things. For starters, quickly scan the background behind you. Will your prospective clients see anything unflattering or unduly distracting? A simple background, like a plain wall or a bookshelf, is great for bringing attention to you and not what’s happening in the background. And before you join that meeting, rehearse looking into the camera as you speak, not at the screen itself. That will create eye contact for those in the meeting.

To appear like a pro, try these three tips from filmmakers to make your video calls the envy of your competition.

TIP NO. 1: USE WHAT YOU HAVE. While moviemakers, vloggers, and podcasters have advanced equipment to make them look and sound great, you can provide a professional video call without blowing your budget. Start with lighting. Shine a lamp toward the wall facing you, and turn on a light behind you to softly illuminate your face while creating background light for depth. Good sound quality can be just as simple to achieve. Rather than rely on your computer or laptop’s microphone system, plug in your AirPods or headphones. These items have built-in microphones that better capture your voice due to their proximity to your face.

You don’t have to be an Oscar-winning filmmaker to master these techniques. All it takes is a little practice to upgrade your video sales call.

TESTER-

MONIAL “Thank you for the training! I put it into action during phone calls today, and I built more

Are you ready to better yourself and your business? Have Dave secret-shop your front desk today! Call 208-707-9807 or visit GoDaveTester.com for more details.

“Hands down, the best method to book appointments and increase revenue. My clinic has used Dave’s system for a year, and the revenue difference is astounding.” Dr. Derrick Nelson, Owner, Town and Country Veterinary Clinic Praise for Dave’s new book, “Fearless Communication: How to Energize Your Team for Success on the Phone”

rapport and scheduled a lot more appointments than I have in the past. Thanks again!” Kyle Ellwanger Territory Sales Consultant Allied Business Solutions

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ICE, ICE, LAWSUIT Woman Sues Starbucks Over ‘Too Much Ice’

Sometimes, there is such a thing as “too much ice.” You’re sipping your cold beverage when suddenly, it’s gone far quicker than you expected. All you’re left with is a cup full of ice. It’s disappointing, for sure, but is it so disappointing that you would want to file a lawsuit against the company that supplied the beverage? That’s exactly what Stacy Pincus did in 2016. She ordered an iced coffee from Starbucks, only to find “too much ice” in her drink. The lawsuit, filed in Chicago, alleged that the drink was advertised as a 24-ounce beverage, but once the ice was factored in, Pincus and her lawyers claimed the drink was really only “14 fluid ounces.” “Starbucks’ advertising practices are clearly meant to mislead consumers when combined with the standard practice of filling a cold drink cup with far less liquid than the cup can hold,” the suit claimed. NBC News reported that Pincus sought damages to the tune of $5 million against the coffee chain. “The plaintiff would not have paid as much,” her lawyers stated in a court document, “if anything, for the cold drinks had she known that they contained less, and in many cases, nearly half as many, fluid ounces than claimed by Starbucks. As a result, the plaintiff suffered injury in fact and lost money or property.”

Starbucks’ response: “Our customers understand and expect that ice is an essential component of any ‘iced’ beverage. If a customer is not satisfied with their beverage preparation, we will gladly remake it.” The company also reaffirmed that you can order any iced beverage with “light ice” and receive half the ice normally included. Interestingly, a second lawsuit against Starbucks popped up in Los Angeles a few months later, but both cases were thrown out. Pincus never saw a cent of that $5 million, nor did she recoup her attorneys’ fees. The case went on to be called “one of the most frivolous lawsuits of 2016.”

GG Gretchen’s Kitchen (My mom’s secret recipes)

Take a

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients

BREAK

• • • • • • •

2 tbsp flour

• •

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp group allspice 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup sweetened condensed milk 2 tbsp butter, melted 1/4 tsp lemon or vanilla extract 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

• •

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed

•

•

2 eggs

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Mix flour, spices, baking powder, and salt. 3. In a separate bowl, whisk sweet potatoes, then add eggs (one at a time) and sugar. Mix well. 4. Add flour and spice mixture, sweetened condensed milk, melted butter, and lemon or vanilla extract to the sweet potato mixture. 5. Pour into pie crust. 6. Bake for 40–50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 7. Place pie on cooling rack and cool to room temperature. 8. Serve and enjoy!

Corner Post MINISTRY

If you would like to listen to Dave’s spiritual podcast, visit CornerPostMinistry.com.

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”

– 1 Timothy 4:4

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6700 N. Linder Rd., Ste. 156 #297 Meridian, ID 83646 208-707-9807 GoDaveTester.com

The Original Director of First Impressions! Filmmakers’ 3 Tips for Video Calls That Don’t Suck

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Tester-monial

Woman Sues Starbucks Over ‘Too Much Ice’

A Number of Importance

THE 11TH HOUR OF THE 11TH DAY OF THE 11TH MONTH Why Veterans Day and the Number 11 Go Hand in Hand

Veterans Day comes every Nov. 11. It’s a national holiday that recognizes veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces and honors those both living and deceased. Historically, the day marks Armistice Day and the end of the Great War: World War I. But what is the significance of the number 11?

specifically World War II and the Korean War — and hundreds of thousands more Americans had served.

Unsurprisingly, there was some political drama surrounding the day. In 1968, Congress made Veterans Day a federal holiday under the Uniform Holiday Bill. The idea was to increase the number of three-day weekends in

The armistice was signed at 5:45 a.m. in France, but it took effect at 11 a.m. that same morning — which happened to be Nov. 11, 1918. The armistice originally lasted 36 days but was extended month after month. This led to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, when peace was officially declared.

the year. Veterans Day became a holiday that would fall on the fourth Monday of October, a far cry from Nov. 11.

However, in 1978, Veterans Day was restored to its original Nov. 11 date. But why?

Later that year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that Nov. 11 would be known as Armistice Day to honor those who fought in the Great War. This lasted until 1954, when President Dwight Eisenhower signed a proclamation turning Armistice Day into Veterans Day.

The answer is simple. It’s a number that sticks with you. When the clock strikes 11:11, you always take notice. By that same notion, we all remember the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Because of this, we’ll never forget the end of the Great War, nor will we forget

those who served.

The change was made in order to recognize all veterans who had honorably served their country. By 1954, the U.S. had fought in more wars —

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