Latest Articles by trosanelli

Stranger Danger: Tricks and Lures of the Child Predator

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600

The Dateline MSNBC show “To catch a predator” has brought national attention to the problem of child predators. They managed to increase the awareness and the extent of the problem. However, it leaves one nagging question, “How do I protect my children from child predators?”

To reduce the risk of child predators, the public needs to educate themselves about the tricks and lures that they use to entrap their prey. These predators look for three things to steal your children.

ACCESS - They must be able to talk to the child without the child’s parents around.

PRIVACY – A child predator looks for times when the child is alone.

ESCAPE – If the predator has access and privacy, he looks for the final step, which is a safe escape route.

A child predator employs many tricks and lures to steal away your child. The following are a few examples of the most common.

The Gift-Giver Lure

This lure involves the predator offering gifts to your child. The gift can range from cool video games to money. For example, the abductor looks for a lone child in a store and attempts to offer them a free video game, but the game in his car outside the store.

Teach your child to never accept gifts from strangers and tell them that they need to ask for the parent’s permission.

The Helpless Lure

This lure preys on the child’s good nature to help. The predator appears helpless with some form of injury like arm cast or crutches. The abductor asks for the child’s help in carry something for them or holding a door.

Another version of helpless entails a lost item or pet. For example, the predator needs help finding a cat or a lost bike. They ask the child to hop in their car and assist them.

Bottom line, it’s inappropriate for adults to ask children to help them.

The Messenger Lure

The messenger brings bad news about a parent and tells you to come with him right away. Alternatively, He tells you that your mom asked him to pick you up. For example, “Your dad is in the hospital. Your mom sent me to pick you up and take you there right away!”

All families should have a family password that only you and your parent’s know for this type of situation. Ask him for the family password and refuse to go if he does not know it.

By arming yourself with knowledge about the typical lures, parents can teach their children the appropriate way to handle abduction situations. Awareness is the key to our children’s safety.

--
Tim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and owns Maximum Impact Karate located in Dublin, Pennsylvania. For more information about Maximum Impact Karate visit their website at www.maximpactkarate.com

Or…

Read more of Tim Rosanelli's articles at www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Stranger Danger: Teaching Abduction Safety to Children

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Stranger Danger is one of the most important lessons for children to learn. We all know the catch phases like “Don’t talk to strangers”, “Never get into a car with a stranger”, and “Don’t take candy from a stranger.” The phases are simple reminders for kids, but they can make the child insecure and fearful. How can we teach about stranger danger without scaring them or give them nightmares? Here’s some quick tips to keeping your child safe.

What is a Stranger?

The first thing to teach children is the difference between a friend and a stranger. Statistics show that casual acquaintances perpetuate most abductions. Children wrongly assume that because the parent says “hi” to the clerk at the grocery store, that they are friends. Quiz your child in the difference between a stranger and a friend. Ask them if… a teacher is a friend or stranger, how about the cashier at Blockbuster, or your neighbor that you have know for 5 years, etc.? This drill is an excellent start.

Saying No to Adults

We teach our children to respect adult and listen to them so most children have difficulty say no to adults. Child Predators exploit this tendency to abduct children by telling them to get into a car with a stern voice. The stern voice makes the child feel they did something wrong and comply with the demands.

Teaching your child, that it is okay to say no to strangers and that they ALWAYS need to ask parent’s permission first before meeting stranger’s demands. Parents can role-play the parts of the stranger and have child say no.

What’s the Secret Password?

In the case of an emergency, create a family password that only you and your child know. A friend may need to pick up your child at school or an activity. How does your child know that you asked them to pick them up and it’s not a trick? Yes, you got it, the family password. The child asks the friend for the family password and if they know it, the child knows that you did send them and everything’s okay. Don’t forget to change the password once it is used.

Important Information your child should know

Teach your child some vital information will assist if they get lost. You should quiz them periodically to ensure they remember it. Give them lots of praise and attention for answering correctly. The vital information for the child to know is your full home address, home phone number, both parent’s full names, and cell phone numbers. Many kids are shy around other adults so it’s important to build their confidence so they can repeat the information to a police officer or another person trying to help.

Know thy enemy

Awareness is power in abduction safety. Parents should know if any child predators live in their area. Parents can go to http://www.familywatchdog.us to search for child predators with prior conviction in your area.

Tim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and owns Maximum Impact Karate located in Dublin, Pennsylvania. For more information about Maximum Impact Karate visit their website at www.maximpactkarate.com

Or…

Read more of Tim Rosanelli's articles at www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Creating Effective Rules to Instill Positive Discipline in Children

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Enforcing rules on children is necessary for effective parenting. Rules promote safety and structure to a child’s life that create order and set them up for success at home and school.

Situations usually arise when parent’s attempt to enforce these rules and a child resists. This leads to parent is nagging, cajoling, and negotiating with the child to compile.

Setting up effective rules will make instilling positive discipline much easier. The follow pointers will show you how to create effective rules.

Enforcing the Do’s, Not the Don’ts

Children hear the word “Don’t” and “No” all the time. It’s no wonder that “No” is one of the first words that children learn to say. Most rules appear in a negative form for example, “Don’t Run” or “Don’t touch”.

The problem with the negative form of rules is that they do not present the parent’s expectations. The common rule of “Don’t Run” does not exclude skipping, hopping, crawling, spinning, etc. - all of which could or could not be acceptable behavior. Children think concretely. Therefore, this rule means that anything else is acceptable.

The positive form of rules creates a parental expectation, which is extremely powerful. Instead of the “Don’t Run” rule in the example above, we say, “We must walk in an orderly fashion”. This rule provides a clear expectation of their behavior.

Here’s some common transformation of rules from Negative to Positive.

Negative Statement: “Don’t Run”

Positive Statement: “Please walk in an orderly fashion”

Negative Statement: “Don’t Touch”

Positive Statement: “Let’s only look without touching”

Negative Statement: “Don’t Push”

Positive Statement: “We need to keep our hands to ourselves”

Negative Statement: “Stop throwing around that toy”

Positive Statement: “We need to play with toy properly”

Write and Post your New Rules

Writing and posting your new rules will give a visual account of your expectations. You need to review these household rules with your child on a constant basis. The more you speak of these rules, the more the child will naturally integrate them into their mindset and lives.

For each rule, you can write the consequence for not following the rule. Natural consequences are great to add here. For example, the rule of playing with toys properly, the natural consequences would state that you will take the toy away for the rest of the day or that you will not replace broken toys. Statements like these develop responsibility in children.

Follow through

All is lost without follow through. Rules that parents do not followed through on are as good as no rules at all.

Developing effective rules helps to instill positive discipline in children. They also encourage children to increase their level of responsibility. These factors make parenting and applying the rules much simpler – providing better family harmony.

Tim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and a veteran of the martial arts industry. He owns Maximum Impact Karate located in Dublin, Pennsylvania and also serves the communities of Perkasie, Doylestown, Quakertown, Plumsteadville, and Pipersville. For more information about Maximum Impact Karate visit their website at www.maximpactkarate.com

Or…

Read more of Tim Rosanelli's articles at www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Take a Nap to Improve Your Health

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

In America, we attach many negative stigmas to the idea of napping. Current research shows that taking afternoon nap has many health benefits.

The old fashion nap has taken on many nicknames from catnapping to power napping. The good news is that if you take afternoon naps, you are in good company because many of the world’s greatest minds napped. For example, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Johannes Brahms, John D. Rockefeller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Gene Autry, Nikola Tesla, Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy, Napoleon Bonaparte, Salvador Dali and Sylvester Stallone valued their afternoon zzz’s. -- Just to name a few.

Benefits of Power Napping

* Reduces Stress

* Increases Productivity

* Increases Alertness

* Improves Memory and Learning

* Boosts Creativity

* Promotes Better Judgment and Motivation

* Increases Reaction Time

* Decrease Irritability

The Three Keys to Napping

By observing three key rules, you will gain the full benefits of your afternoon catnap. The keys are the proper length, the proper time, and the proper atmosphere.

Proper Length

Your afternoon siesta should last between 15 to 20 minutes. This length of time gives your body to chance to recharge its engines. Any more than 15 to 20 minutes will let your body slip into the deeper states of sleep therefore causing grogginess. This length of time is enough to gain the benefits of increased alertness and productivity.

Proper Time
The best time of day for napping is about 8 hours after you wake up in the morning and 8 hours before you go to bed at night. This time is perfect to enjoy the restfulness of an afternoon and early enough that it will not make it difficult to sleep at your regular bedtime.

Proper Atmosphere
The right surroundings will aid in you drifting pleasantly off to slumber-land. Make sure that you find a comfortable place for your nap – quite and without disruptions. Also, make sure that the temperature is good for sleeping by adjusting the room temperature or having a blanket available.

Additional Tips

Set an alarm – An alarm is useful so that you will not oversleep.

Take a few deep breaths – A few deep restful breaths will send you off to dream land more quickly.

Create a ritual – Make napping a daily habit so that it’s easier to drift off at that time.

Get rid of distractions – Close your door and turn off your cell phone.

Take a few moments to reorient yourself – Don’t try to jump up after your powernap and slam your body into high gear. Take a moment to stretch while breathing deeply.

The positive benefits of napping greatly outweigh any of the negative stigmas that our society created towards catnapping. Cast off these stigmas and start to reap the benefits napping today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

How to Get a Pay Raise and Increase Your Salary in 30 Days

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Do you need more money? Do you have debts to pay? Would you like to contribution more to your retirement? Are you sick and tired of the same cost of living raise? One of the best answers to improving your financial picture is merely to make more money.

The easiest way to make more money is to increase your salary at your current job. Imagine, if you earn $50,000 per year and receive a 10% raise, instantly you walk out of the office that day making an extra $5,000 a year or $416 more every month.

Getting a raise is cinch if you employ the correct strategies. The secret is that employers pay you what you will accept, not what you are worth. Some small adjustments to your work habits can mean the difference between a substantial raise and promotion or that old cost of living raise.

Tips to increasing your salary

Really show up for work – No, I don’t mean to not call out absent. I mean to go all out at work everyday. Maintaining a positive attitude is the key. Most employee’s trudge lifelessly though the day barely doing the minimum. A winner at his or her job goes to work with a passion that everyone can see. If you don’t feel passion about your current job, you have two choices, either you find a new job or fake it until you make it.
Answer some key questions – Most employees work on what they feel needs to be done, but the secret to a raise is to see through the eyes of your boss.

Ask yourself these questions every day:

What does my boss feel is the most important thing for me to do today?

What will show my boss that I am committed to the team?

What would my boss feel are my strengths and how can I apply them to my work?

How can I help my boss look good to their superiors?
Focus on the wildly important – Develop a list of the five wildly important tasks to complete today. A wildly important task is those things that help accomplish your boss’s mission. The idea is not to work yourself to death, but to use Pareto’s Law to identify the 20% of the tasks that create 80% of the results.
Talk to your boss about your intent to increase your salary – Your boss should view this desire positively because they have the same desire. Ask your boss how you can achieve a 10% raise. Find out what are your boss’s goals and align your goals to theirs. If you help your boss achieve a raise or promotion, you are the obvious choice to follow them up the latter.
Commit to a written raise strategy – Write a “Get a Raise” action plan. This action plan should contain all of the tasks and projects that will help you towards your goals. Every day, finish at least one high value task before getting caught up in the day.
Keep a Scoreboard - Keep track of the high value projects completed and the results achieved. Tracking the results creates an effective tool to selling your value. For example, instead of general statements like “improved sales process”, you make a powerful statement by saying “improved sales process that increase quote conversion from 18% to 48% totaling $500,000 in additional sales”. Your scoreboard will open your superior’s eyes to how much you are worth.

Using this process will get you the raise that you rightly deserve, but don’t rest on your laurels once you receive that terrific raise. Instantly, restart this process and strive towards that next raise. If this process does not get you a terrific raise, you can take your skill to a company that will respect and appreciate them.

--
Tim Rosanelli
Tim Rosanelli currently owns a successful Martial Arts business in Dublin, PA. To tap into more of Tim's business experiences, visit his blog at www.miliondollarbusinessquest.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

9 Interview Tips for a Great Radio/ TV Show Appearance

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Radio and TV interviews are a great way to promote your business and give Radio Show Hosts never-ending material that audience’s love. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

But…

If you look at a list of people’s greatest fears, public speaking appears at the top of the list above even the fear of death. It’s no surprise than that most people get extremely nervous about performing a radio appearance and might even pass on this tremendous opportunity because of their fear. The below tips will assist you in overcoming your fear and not miss this terrific opportunity.

9 Tips for keeping your composure during radio/ TV interview

1. Write down 3 points – You should write down three points in advance that you want to slip into the conversation. Instead of writing a whole paragraph, just write one or two words to remind you of each point. This way you can free talk about the point instead of reading it off a cue card.

2. Remain calm and focused – If you tend to get over-excite in these situations, consciously attempt to slow yourself down. If you start stumbling over words, it helps to stop for a second, take a quick breath, and continue with your point.

3. Watch your body posture – If it’s a phone interview, I prefer to stand over sitting because you tend to project and communicate more assertively. If you are sitting, find a comfortable chair and sit with good posture – no slouching. In fact, you should try to sit on the edge of the seat and lean forward slightly.

4. Give more than yes or no answers – When the interviewer asks a question, avoid giving just a quick yes or no, or a short answer. The interviewer asks questions to engage your topic. The audience will view short answers as dull. Talk fully about each point.

5. Talk enthusiastically about your topic – Nothing can ruin an interview more than not sounding enthusiastic. People respond positively to enthusiasm -- It’s contagious. So in turn, the audience gets enthusiastic about your topic, too. Don’t be afraid to show that passion you have for your topic.

6. Stay on topic – When the host asks a question, staying on topic is very important. By drifting too far off topic, the audience will label you as flighty. Give a sufficient answer to each question then let the interviewer engage the next question.

7. Use lead-in statements – Some examples of lead-in statements are “That’s a great question” or “I am glad you asked that”. Lead-in statements give you time to formulate a precise answer and further engage the host and audience.

8. Keep the tone conversational – Talk to the interviewer as if you are carrying on a conversation with a friend -- forget about the fact that an audience is listening. Occasionally, you should throw the host’s name into the conversation. It shows respect to the host and makes the conversation appear more personal and genuine.

9. Be graciousness – Let the host and audience know how it’s an honor to be guest and your excited to talk to them.

By observing these nine simple tips to performing a great radio or TV interview, you will project that confident and enthusiastic image that will make your interview shine. After the interview, follow the interview up with thank you note to the producer. Who knows? Maybe, you’ll become a regular guest.

--
Tim Rosanelli
Tim Rosanelli currently owns a successful Martial Arts business in Dublin, PA. To tap into more of Tim's business experiences, visit his blog at www.miliondollarbusinessquest.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

How I changed my dog's problem behaviors in one day

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

I barely woke up on a cool September morning when my wife let our German Sheppard, Sachi, outside. We own an Invisible Fence that surrounds our property. Sachi is a nervous and very territorial dog but we never had problems with her because she stays inside the limits of the Invisible Fence area - at least, until this morning.

This cool September morning, Sachi ran through the fence and after a lady walking her dog. We heard the barking and screams from inside. Instantly, we got Sachi back to house. Thank god, she did not bite the startled passersby.

We noticed the weeks leading up to this incident that her territorial behavior was getting worse. Now, we could no longer ignore the problem. I knew I needed to train her or risk her biting someone or worse…

So I read everything on the internet that I could on dog training. Some advice was bad like close your curtains so they would not bark at activity outside and some of it was excellent. Here are the steps that changed my dog’s attitude in less than a day.

Respect First

We love our dog and she loves us but… that does not mean that she respects me. The key of great dog behavior is demanding respect first. Dogs need leadership and they respect a strong leader. It’s in their pack mentality. After the incident, I began the process of becoming Sachi’s leader. Being your dog’s leader goes beyond bribing them with treats to perform tricks. It’s about the dog recognizing you as the leader of the family pack.

Target Specific Behaviors

Instead of a shotgun approach to training, I thought about specific behaviors I desired to change in my dog.

Three specific behavior came to mind.

1. Pulling on her leash – typically, my dog would race ahead of me, dragging me behind.

2. Going crazy in the car – we avoided driving her in the car because she’d drive us nuts with her barking, whining, and restless behavior.

3. Aggressive behavior - inside or outside the house towards other dogs

The Toolbox

To fix any dog behavioral problem, we need a toolbox of basic dog commands. Sachi already knew some basic commands but we only haphazardly employed them. I used the following commands to change her behavior, sit, down, stay, and heel.

Leash pulling

I worked on the leash pulling with a heel command. Dogs interrupted you letting them running ahead of you as a sign that they are the leader. The Heel command means that the dog walks at your side. The instant that your dog walks even a step ahead you give them a quick snap with the chain collar. Most people use the chain collar like a choker, this is incorrect use of the chain collar. The sound of the chain reminds the dog to back up into the proper position. Don’t think of the correction as yanking the dog back. Instead, quickly snap the chain so that you hear the metallic noise.

If your dog travels to far ahead, use a sit command and return her to your side. At first, I used many sit commands to focus my dog. Your dog should sit at your side before crossing the street and while waiting for you to open a door.

I surprised my wife with how good she was walking at my side after a short time practicing the heel command. She never saw Sachi walk right by my side before. For quick result, award tons of praise for good behavior.

Going Crazy in the Car

Next, it was time to take her for a ride. Sachi never traveled well. She barks, whines, and restlessly moves in the car seat. Her behavior is so distracting that on many occasions, I barely avoided an accident or two.

On this ride, I started out with the down and stay command. Every time she started to get up, I pointed down at the seat and she returned to the down position. Every once in a while, I would reward her with a quick pat and say “good dog”. Not only did she seem more relaxed, but the ride became the quietest one I ever experienced with her.

Aggressive Behavior

My last stop was the local park to work on the aggressiveness. I thought this one would be the hardest one to conquer because of all the park activity. I was proven wrong. All the prior training built a great foundation. I practiced my heel command some more and she successful followed my sit and stay command. Every time she would move slightly from the stay command, I would quickly snap the chain to regain the sit position. Eventually, Sachi just sat and appeared to enjoy the scenery as other dogs and owners walked by.

Now, that her basic behavioral problems were solved. I can enjoy my time with her, without all of the annoying behaviors that plagued our relationship. I spend more time with her because traveling and walking are so much easier. I got my great dog back and so can you by consistently following, teaching, and enforcing basic dog commands.

--

Tim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and a veteran of the martial arts industry. He owns Maximum Impact Karate located in Dublin, Pennsylvania and also serves the communities of Perkasie, Doylestown, Quakertown, Plumsteadville, and Pipersville. For more information about Maximum Impact Karate’s exciting, high action program, visit their website at www.maximpactkarate.com

Or…

Read more of Tim Rosanelli's articles at www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Halloween Safety Tips: How to Trick-or-Treat Safely with Your Children

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Children love trick-or-treating for Halloween. They get a chance to dress up as their favorite characters or scary monsters. Halloween is great fun but it also has its host of safety hazards, lurk in the shadows. Keep your ghouls and goblins safe during trick-or-treating by observing the following rules of Halloween Safety.

1. Have an adult with you - A child should never treat-or-treat alone. Halloween is a great time to talk to your child about the importance of Abduction Safety.

2. Trick-or-Treat in daylight, if possible - Get an early start and complete your trick-or-treating by sun down.

3. Carry a Flashlight or Glow Sticks - Kids enjoy carrying glow sticks, but they also ensure that passing cars will see them.

4. Walk, Don't Run - Running is a major cause of accidents for children during Halloween. With the not perfectly fitting costumes and reduced visibility from the mask, slips, trips, and falls are common. Reduce the risk by enforcing a walk, no running rule. Also, make sure their costume does not drag on the grounds.

5. Don't Cut Across Yards - Remember you are at someone else's house. Demonstrate courtesy by walking on the sidewalks instead of cutting across lawns.

6. Wear Shoes that Fit and are Comfortable - Nothing can ruin a great time with your kid more than them whining that their feet hurt and you are a mile walk from home.

7. Take Your Mask off - Masks cut down on your visibility. Pull the mask up between houses and return your ghoulish mask at the door.

8. Only Go to Lit Houses and People You Know - If the lights are not on, chances are that they are not at home or they don't want to join in on the Halloween fun. Respect their boundaries and pass this house for a more trick-or-treat friendly home.

9. Stay Away from Animals - Halloween is exciting for children and animals are excited too. Some animals might display territorial behavior because you are walking on their property. It's best to avoid the problem and stay away.

10. Walk on Sidewalks - Stay clear from the roads were a car might not see you're child. Warning your children to stay away from cars that slow down and offer you candy or try to get you to come over. Also, teach your kids never to get into anyone's car.

11. Never Enter a House without Your Parents - While your child is trick-or-treating, advise them about the dangers of entering a house without a parent accompanying them.

12. Don't Eat Any Candy Until Your Parents Check It - Parents should examine all candy before eating. To avoid the temptation of eating a few pieces on the road, make sure to eat something before heading out on your trick-or-treat adventure.

--
Tim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and a veteran of the martial arts industry. He owns Maximum Impact Karate located in Dublin, Pennsylvania and also serves the communities of Perkasie, Doylestown, Quakertown, Plumsteadville, and Pipersville. For more information about Maximum Impact Karate’s exciting, high action program, visit their website at www.maximpactkarate.com
Or…
Read more of Tim Rosanelli's articles at www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Teaching Tip: Low Profile Intervention

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Teaching Tip: Low Profile Intervention

Here's a tip that I learned from my Grandma that works extremely well in the classroom. Growing up, when my grandmother would talk to my brother and I, she would finish sentences with the phase "Do you know what I mean?" or "Do you know what that is?" Constantly, confirming that my brother and I understood what she was saying.

In truth, my brother and I, who were teenagers, found these verbal confirmations almost silly at time. I remember one time when she told us about her trip to New York. I clearly remember her saying "We visited the Statue of Liberty" then added "Do you know what that is?" Of course, my brother and I were teenagers and rolled our eyes as we said "Yes, Grandma, I know what the Statue of Liberty is."

Years later, I realized that my grandmother was a genius in communicating to us teenagers. The main reason for her making that statement was to draw our attention back to the conversation.

When our focus started to drift as often happens to teenagers, she would ask her infamous question of "Do you know what I mean?" Since it required a response, we are instantly drawn back to the present moment.

Teachers call this classroom management technique, the low profile intervention.

How I use the low profile intervention in the classroom

I started using this and similar catch phrases in my karate classes with great success. Here's how it works. When I am explaining a technique or giving a mat chat, I stop every once in a while and say "Danny, do you know what I mean?" Then I prompt them to reply "Yes, sir!" Also, when lecture, I drop the students name into a statement like "You see, Johnny, we throw the punch straight toward the target."

I purposely phrase the questions so that the answer is always "Yes Sir." The objective is not to stump the student. It's to bring the students attention back to the class. When you get good at it, I noticed that the whole class snaps back into the present and it keeps them on their toes.

Some other good questions:

* "Isn't that correct, Suzie?"

* "Johnny, do you see how I snap the kick?"

* "Right, Chris?"

I found that this quick intervention really snaps the children back to reality. This simple trick in combination with other classroom management techniques creates a healthy learning environment and inspires a positive discipline in children. This tip not only works for teachers for teaching but parent's can enjoy the same benefits by using it on your children at home.

Do you know what I mean?

--
Tim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and a veteran of the martial arts industry. He owns Maximum Impact Karate located in Dublin, Pennsylvania and also serves the communities of Perkasie, Doylestown, Quakertown, Plumsteadville, and Pipersville. For more information about Maximum Impact Karate’s exciting, high action program, visit their website at www.maximpactkarate
Or…
Read more of Tim Rosanelli's articles at www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Customer Service: Making Every Phone Call Great!

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The phone rings. I answer it with trembling hand, because at the time I was an Eastern Regional Customer Service Manager for Matheson Tri-gas. Outside calls usually meant a displeased customer that asked for the manager. I thought "What did one of my customer service representatives do now?" After taking a deep breath, I answer the call to an anger customer. Funny thing was that the customer did not have a real problem... No late delivery, No billing issue, etc. He just did not like the way the customer service representative talk to him in a gruff manner. In fact, he got the information he needed. This article focuses on how to make every call GREAT!

What makes a GREAT call?
These five points will make your calls go smoothly and inspire that WOW feeling in your customers.

Greet the customer with style
The greeting sets the tone for the call. Before picking up the receiver, you should take a deep breath and get focused in the moment. Ready, Set, Go and answer the call. You need to answer the phone with the same greeting every time. The greeting starts with the "Hi", "Hello", "Good morning", or "Good afternoon". Next step is to state your company's name. This might sound simple but you want the customer to know that they reached the right business. Third, you build instant rapport by stating your name. Finally, ask "how may I help you?" This statement leads into our next important topic of the tone of your voice.

Set the tone with your voice
Voice tone is a vital ingredient to the great call. You see, we receive almost 80% of a message through non verbal communication. On the phone, you stripe out all the hand motions, body postures, and facial expressions of a face to face conversation. This leaves you with only the tone of voice for non-verbal communication on the phone. To get the full impact on the phone, I suggest slightly exaggerating your tone of voice and voice inflection. Yes, I know it will feel strange at first, but you don't want to end up like the customer service rep in the story above. Do you?

Smile
Tom Hopkins, a world renowned speaker on sales, says to place a mirror on your desk and smile before answer the phone. I got all of my customer service rep mirrors for their computers. Why smile? Smiling puts you in the right frame of mind, to answer the call with compassion and empathy. Smiling also affects your voice tone, helping you not sound so gruff. Even if the customer is angry, keep that smile on our face. It will help you control your emotions so that you will remain calm under fire and not get defensive.

Use their name
Nothing builds rapport quicker than using the customer's name. On the call, you should say there name at least 3 time during the call. If you have difficulty remembering names, the best tip for this is to repeat it back to them. When the customer says "Hi, my name is Tom", you simply say "Hi Tom, how can I assist you today?" or "Hi Tom, how are you today?" Don't stop there. I always have a pad and paper next to the phone and write it down. If you can not understand, for example a customer with a heavy accent, I ask them to spell their name. I suggest stating their name at the beginning of the conversation, somewhere in the middle, and at the end, which takes us to the final point of thanking the caller.

Thank the caller
Thanking the caller is an often missed but important step. Thank the caller and make sure you use their name in the process. Instead of just stating goodbye, thank them for using your business. This step makes the customer feel appreciated and leaves a positive last impression.

As you can tell, you can minimize problems and create a great call with slight adjustment to your interaction with the customer. By starting the call with an excellent greeting, a great tone, and super attitude, you benefit by the customers reacting to you more positively. Most importantly, remember to make every call GREAT.

--
Tim Rosanelli is a former Eastern Regional Customer Service Manager and currently owns a Martial Arts business in Dublin, PA. To tap into more of Tim's business experiences, visit his blog at milliondollarbusinessquest.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com