BNGIowa

When to Quit

For the last several weeks, a goldfinch has been tapping on my windows. And glass patio door. And perching on the edge of a patio chair. I think he sees the reflection of trees in the glass. For whatever reason, he wants to get through the glass. Sometimes he flies frantically and beats his body against the glass. At first is was cute, but now it is just plain annoying.

People can be like that bird. They just don't know when to quit. Especially business people. I tend to be direct and let someone know when I am not going to do business with them. I appreciate it when customers do the same with me. My pet peeve is lying. I don't think telling a salesperson that you "will get back to them..." when you really are not interested is helpful. In fact it is a lie. It may be easier for the customer, but it doesn't let the salesperson know it is time to quit.

So don't call salespeople "pushy" if you are misleading them. And don't put a fake reflection in front of a customer. We all need to know when to quit.

If you have a tip for me to help me get this bird to quit, please let me know. BTW, I don't like guns.

Better Late than Never

I was pretty irritated by the customer service I received from a company. I didn't think I would hear back from them at all, but I finally did. What went right? I asked for a specific remedy (please send replacement batteries) and I was persistent. Maybe the company saw my blog or maybe they were just slow to respond, but they finally did. So better late than never. I am taking them off my "do not work with" list.

Update: The remedy didn't work. The company did not send enough batteries and the ones they sent didn't make the light work. I think I will toss the lights out. At least this wasn't an really expensive purchase. Customer service matters all the time, even on the smallest purchase.

What is Customer Service?

Customer service is partly about the buying experience. But the customer service that really reveals the true colors of a company is the complaint experience. Last week, I contacted the a company about some defective solar lights. I called the 800 number and was directed by a recording to leave my call back information. The recording indicated that someone would "call me back shortly." I waited two days, no call. I used their online customer service contact process and left my information again. The form indicated someone would "email me shortly." Nope, no email. I am not a happy customer and will likely not be a repeat customer.

Most companies are realizing that they must train all the employees to provide excellent customer service. A great book that shows how this leads to success and a better world, is The Disney Way, by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson. Check it out, I recommend it for anyone truely interested in your customers.

I am not done with my efforts to contact Brinkmann. Let me know if you have a good idea for my next step.

What's New with the Amish

  One of the cool things about being a member of the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce is attending ribbon cutting ceremonies. It is a chance to meet the owner of a business and get the inside story.

Yesterday, I went to the ribbon cutting ceremony for Simply Amish Furniture on 100th Street in Urbandale. I had been to the store many times before, but there was a new owner and the location changed to across the street. It was a good excuse to check it out. I love looking at and touching Amish furniture. I say "touching" because the finish on the wood is like velvet. The quality is the best I have ever seen.

Since this was a special occasion, some of the Amish furniture builders were there. I had a lovely conversation with one of them. He described a technique used to make the beautiful curves on a bedroom set, one of my favorites. Then he showed me a drawing of a new design. It was one of those exciting conversations that inspire me creatively.

On display was another new design. A bedroom set that was a total surprise. If you have not looked at Amish furniture for a while, you would be shocked. The style was contemporary with a retro twist that had a grace and quality that made me fall in love with it.

Check it out. It is like a trip to an art museum. I highly recommend it.

In the News

It is always exciting when your company is in the news . Especially when the new is good! Check out this link to an msnbc story about the cutting edge science from Arbonne. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29462920/

Tech Withdrawal

I am taking a vacation. I am taking my laptop with me, but I hope I don't use it. It will be interesting to see if I can handle not having email or if I head for Panera the first chance I get. Hopefully, the beautiful scenery will entice me to spend most of my time outdoors.

Glitter this Holiday

This is a quick post to share the latest, hot holiday decorating tip. Glitter. Instead of garland or ribbon, add something to your tree that is glittered. Target is my favorite place for holiday decorations. The items are always well designed and affordable. I bought 82 ornaments in a box for $20. They are silver, gold, and copper. I added a few chocolate (also the hot new color) ornaments and lime green glitter ferns. Go ahead, have fun this year, I hope you all have a glittering holiday!

Weekend Project - Casters

I am always learning. Blogging is no exception and I have lots to learn. I am not alone. Prior to starting this post, I googled blogs to see what others might be saying about casters. I found a company, Caster City, that has a blog section on their web site. It didn't seem like a blog to me. It appeared to be information about products presented on a blog page.

I give them credit for wanting a blog page, but maybe they need to learn more about blogging, just like me. It isn't just information going out, but also an invitation for conversation to come in.

I am looking forward to comments about this post. I can hear it now, "Wow, how did I live without casters!" I figure there must be a few people like me who get really excited about simple things that make life easier.

Yep, I am talking about casters. Recently I was forced to clean out my basement. I have several filing and storage cabinets that are a real problem to move around. With help from my husband, we put casters on the bottoms. Now I can move them easily, without help. I can imagine dusting behind them and rearranging them as needs change. It is a thrill that other organized people will understand.

I would like to offer some tips about applying casters.

1. For one very heavy cabinet that I wanted elevated, I bought Gorilla shelving. It is awesome. I picked up two side braces, four legs and two shelves at Menard's. Gorilla shelving is incredibly sturdy and couldn't be easier to assemble. Adding casters makes it totally cool. We used heavy duty casters that have a "stem" for attachment. My husband's tip is to build up with nuts and washers so you will have space to hold the caster and nuts with pliers. Washers help stabilize the casters.

2. Small cabinets can be fitted with inexpensive casters that come packaged four together. Our tip is to add a piece of wood across the front and back of the cabinet. It will give you a solid surface to attach the casters. One cabinet is white, so I for $2.99, I bought a primed piece of molding that didn't even need to be painted.

3. Casters come swivel or stationary. I used stationary ones on the back of some cabinets so the wheels wouldn't swing out. The front swivel ones are easier to straighten out. The cabinets can be pushed right next to each other without hitting the wheels.

4. If possible, inset the casters enough so the wheels won't stick out beyond the footprint of the cabinet. That way you can use all swivel casters on heavy furniture. When all the casters swivel, it is the easiest to move the furniture but the wheels may turn out.

So how does all this fit in with the BNG vision? BNG members share challenges. The basement project was a huge challenge for me. Moving furniture is a challenge for everyone at some time or another. Casters make the challenge easier.

Good Judgment

I heard on a TV news report that some doctors and scientists believe children (under age 20) increase the chance of getting brain cancer if they use cell phones. Since the skull is still thickening, the energy from the phone can penetrate the skull futher than in an adult. Still, other scientists don’t agree.

As I was watching the report, I thought about cigarettes. Warnings of the cancer risk from cigarette use was once promoted as false. The season premiere of Boston Legal was on TV last night. The main story line was about “big tobacco” and the debate about cigarettes and whether or not smoking causes cancer. In that story, big tobacco was found guilty. So how come kids still start smoking and get hooked? There is certainly enough credible information available that proves smoking is harmful. Are they really falling for the cigarette ads?

I wonder if this cell phone debate will be similar. Most people won’t be willing to give up their phones. But do children really need cell phones?

Individual good judgment can’t be replaced by science.

Collaborate

When I read the article in the newspaper this morning about the "atom smashing scientists," the thing that caught my attention was the cost. I searched for blogs that might give me some insight into why ten billion dollars should be spent on an experiment that might give insight into black holes.

I found a   that suggested collaborative experiments can be valuable. It mentions that the world wide web was the result of a similar collaborative effort.

Personally, I have been collaborating more and more. I like to discuss ideas with others. It is a lot of fun. When I remember to keep my goal in the mix, fun and productivity are a great combination. When the fun and productivity collide, the explosion is valuable. Maybe not worth ten billion dollars, but hey, everything is relative.