;-) Frnds ;-)

Being a good friend is a skill we can learn and improve upon. Here, eight ways to be a better friend.

1. Number One: Like yourself
The first step in having a good relationship with a friend is to have a good relationship with yourself. When we genuinely like ourselves, we become more attractive to other people. We have more to offer others because we are not constantly focused on our own image and reputation.

We become better friends because we don't cling. We are secure enough to spend time with a friend because we want to, not because we need to.

2. Number Two: Choose wisely
Relationships among true friends take a steady dose of time and energy--two resources in limited supply for all of us. Identify the friends with whom you wish to create a closer bond. It's perfectly okay if not all of your acquaintances make the list. The closeness of your connections is far more important than the length of your guest lists.

3. Number Three: Make the time
Friends are important in many ways--so much so that these relationships often take on a life of their own. You owe it to yourself (and to your friends) to make these relationships a priority. Carve out some quality time for one another.

4. Number Four: Make the first move
If you want to improve your relationships, put your fear of rejection aside and start taking more risks. Invite your friends to lunch. Organize a new playgroup. Invite them over for dinner.

Too often, we fail to follow up with our friends. Don’t miss out-just make the first phone call. Your friends are just as anxious to get together as you are.

5. Number Five: The Golden Rule
Treat your friends as you wish to be treated. Stated another way: "To have a friend, be a friend." Focus more on being interested than on being interesting. Be enthusiastic and energetic. Avoid complaining, gossiping, and criticizing.

6. Number Six: Sweat the Small Stuff
Make your friends feel significant by remembering small kindnesses. Notice her new haircut. Remember to ask about her mother-in-law's surgery. Send flowers or a simple email when you know she needs it most.

7. Number Seven: Listen
Good listeners are hard to find, and honing your skills can be a long-term project.

8. Number Eight: Be loyal
we all need someone in our corner. If your friend isn't there to defend herself against gossip or criticism, speak up, and know she would do the same for you.

CRM AND CUSTOMER WOW

Initially there was the concept of customer service to deliver customer satisfaction. Then came the concept of customer delight and today everyone talks of customer WOW. So what is this Customer WOW?
At a fundamental level the end objective remains the same which is to create a strong rapport and bond with the customer to ensure long-term loyalty and repeat purchases. The customer has no switching cost between the stores and therefore the role of emotional bonding become very crucial.
Now I am just trying to explain the concept of customer wow by relating it with CRM concept i.e. Customer Relationship Management. I will take a very simple and practical example that every one of us has sometime or the other either seen it or realized it.
What is the service that the kirana delivers that constitutes value?? He caters to our whim and fancy; literally and figuratively. By sending even a small item to our homes, taking orders even at 9.30pm and so on. And also by remembering the exams of our children, remembering to ask how your backache is, being contrite when something is not good and so on.
And what enables him to do that? CRM. Not the customer relationship management that one usually reads about. His CRM is Care, Respect and therefore the motivation to shop with him.
There is two parts to this: his ability to recognize you and your family members remember your shopping habits and more importantly your monthly spending. Then his brain analyses and generate business intelligence in the form of your lifetime value to him.
Several Corporate Retail chains have tried to duplicate this through loyalty programmes and membership cards. However these are again dependent on the store staff to be efficient. Whether I have a loyalty card or not I will develop a high relationship quotient and therefore loyalty to a store which understands my needs and works towards building a relationship with me. In the absence of that customer would have loyalty cards from different chains and just accumulate points which end up being an added cost for the Retailers.
The core to a successful programme is a one-to-one orientation versus a one-to-many orientation.
This is where most Retailers have an issue. Because Retail is by nature a mass business it becomes very difficult for Retailers to manage these two divergent thought processes. However, once this conflict has been resolved, the CRM programme is bound to be an unqualified success. A lifestyle Retailer in India runs a very effective programme by effectively mining sales data, understanding customer’s needs and expectations and meeting them. The reward is that such loyal customer generates more than 40% of their sales.
This is because they have clearly understood what their core customers expect and they deliver the same consistently to deliver customer WOW. This could be in the form of preview sales, special billing counter, special offers, etc. The underlying theme is to recognise and reward loyalty and thereby further reinforce this and create a virtuous cycle.
So this how small things that a person does lead to the objective of CRM and thereby creating Customer WOW. It is a new concept that has come in Retail Sector but very important to know all these because somewhere in future we need to follow these.