We use Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch with everyone from grandparents to former classmates to our children. It makes things a lot easier, right? We have access to all these people at the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen whenever we feel like it.

But what is the true value? If there’s no effort put into finding and getting in touch with someone, does it show as much sincerity as if we actually picked up the phone and called? Worse yet, is it possible that substituting online social networking for real interpersonal relationships is harming our communication skills individually, and as a society?

In my opinion, it absolutely is.

Using social media to network and hunt for information on new clients or old friends is perfectly acceptable. The internet is an amazing resource for just about everything. However, relying on it too heavily for too many things can atrophy other skill sets. It can be especially bad to rely on social networking to develop relationships for us: there’s still an element of personal, face-to-face correspondence that’s critical to having a real relationship of any kind.

Taking the time to sit down and have a real conversation with someone tells that person you’re willing to take the time to listen to and get to know him or her. It sends a message that he or she is valuable to you.

Face-to-face interactions are still important in this tech-laden world, perhaps more than ever. We’re all so busy that it is easy to lose sight of what is truly important. Establishing any sort of relationship takes time and takes effort on both ends; it’s not as simple as a quick email or 140-character tweet.

At Curry, we pride ourselves on having established and maintained long-lasting personal relationships with our clients, associates, friends and family. It’s a good feeling to have a personal connection to the people that surround you, and that connection is what may actually set you apart. The connection is a big part of what keeps people coming back.

The convenience of social networking should not be overused at the expense of our ability to interact with other live human beings in the real world—our people skills are what make us unique. The way one acts in social situations reflects who one is better than any Facebook or Twitter profile; keeping that individuality alive can be a key to success.

314 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 | info@curryprint.com | curryprint.com | 410.685.2679

What happens when we disappoint the people for whom we work? Is getting a complaint from our boss or client really as bad as it seems?

The answer is, surprisingly, both yes and no.

Disappointments may arise from a miscommunication between two parties, where one party has higher or different expectations than the other party understands, or else may be unable to meet. If the expectations aren’t set out clearly from the outset, there is potential for a gap to occur between what was expected and what was delivered. We never want our clients or our bosses to be disappointed in the work we do for them—so yes, disappointing them is a bad thing.

However, the result isn’t always necessarily a tragedy. The result, hopefully, is some sort of complaint—and complaints aren’t necessarily bad.

A complaint from a customer is first and foremost an outlet for him or her to express concern that there was some sort of service gap. With today’s levels of stress, tension, and pressure to get everything done in a shorter time and with fewer resources, any deficiency may cause major problems. It’s no wonder clients and bosses get upset when expectations aren’t met…it’s happened to me and I’ll bet it’s happened to you, too.

However, most important, clients and bosses are expecting some action on your part. They want your help to solve the problem. BINGO! Here’s where you can be the hero. 

If a dissatisfied customer is going to take their business elsewhere, they’ll more than likely just do it quietly. If the unhappy client takes the time to call and complain about his or her issue, he or she isn’t necessarily looking to leave—he or she is looking for a solution, and looking to you to supply it. It’s a chance for you to shine and show what you are really made of!

Damage control is easy, as long as you LISTEN to what your client or boss wants and don’t make excuses and dismiss the problem. You actually have to apologize for the issue and go above and beyond the necessary measures to both rectify the situation and to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. The latter is why complaints aren’t bad—they force you to step up your game and make improvements that all of your clients may benefit from in the future.

One should look at complaints as a golden opportunity to show how YOU are different. Studies show that clients are more loyal to businesses that handle complaints well than to those companies that never make a mistake in the first place! Counterintuitive, yes, but true. Use complaints to your advantage to show your clients and boss what you are really made of!

Curry Printing & Copy Center | 314 N. Charles St. Baltimore MD 21201 | 410.685.2679 | info@curryprint.com

Your database represents a goldmine of information for all your marketing plans…but many small businesses are awful at maintaining a great database. Are you? Is your goldmine brimming with information, or is it played out?

This weekend, spend some time updating, editing, and cleaning your database. Gather names, addresses, phone numbers, and email information from your invoices, handwritten notes, emails, and existing data. Then put all of that information into one database you can use. Your “database” may consist of little more than a simple Excel spreadsheet, or it may require a more robust solution, such as ACT, Goldmine, QuickBooks, or any number of other options.

Going forward, get your staff to ask for complete information. Create a basic information form or questionnaire for customers and prospects, and use it to get the kind of information you can use to better know – and understand – your customers and their needs.

Curry Printing | 314 N. Charles St | Baltimore | MD | 21201 | 410.685.2679

You can also … connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter!

Facebook offers a couple ways to do this. The first is the “Like” button, which you can add to any page on the Internet. In most cases, the feature requires just a single line of HTML code, which you can download from the Facebook website. The second is the Facebook Share link, which you can access here. Again, you need just a small piece of code that you can add to any page on your blog.

Twitter recently created its own share button, similar to Facebook’s. You can learn more by visiting here. Another good Twitter sharing tool is TweetMeme.

Depending on the blogging site you use, there might be plugins available to automate the process. Check with your blog provider to find out more. In any case, adding share and like-style buttons to your website and blog are a great way to increase traffic and generate more buzz.

Curry Printing | 314 N. Charles St | Baltimore | MD | 21201 | 410.685.2679

You can also … connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter!