NEWS ISSUE 03/ JANUARY 2015
Setting the Standard
SOUTHEASTERN STAGES
FEATURE IMG COMPANY
FMCSA Seeks to revise levels of
insurance responsibility.
Time to Stand Up To Workplace Bullies
7 Design Trends
Creating Website
Best Practices 4 Ways to Cut Down the Hidden Costs of Sales
We wish everyone a very prosperous,healthy, safe and happy 2015
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TIME TO STAND UP TO WORKPLACE BULLIES/
Legal experts say California’s new anti-bullying legislation may set a new national....
APNEA CLARIFICATION UNLIKELY IN SHORT TERM TO REMEDY THE CONDITION’S GROWING IMPORTANCE IN MEDICAL CERTIFICATIONS/
5 PHRASES THAT RUIN MARKETING MESSAGES/
SCHUMER CALLS FOR FMCSA TO CLOSE LOOPHOLE FOR CHAMELEON CARRIERS/
DESIGN 2015 – 7 DESIGN TRENDS CREATING WEBSITE BEST PRACTICES/
Though the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration...
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is calling for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety ...
HOUSE VOTES TO RENEW “TAX EXTENDER” BREAKS/
The House voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to renew more than 50...
These common marketing expressions make your messages longer, less....
7 TIPS FOR DEALING WITH UPSET FACEBOOK FANS/
What do you do when you’ve just received a less-thancomplimentary...
In 2015, your web design needs to be a powerful marketing and lead generation...
4 WAYS TO CUT DOWN ON THE HIDDEN COSTS OF SALES/
How much does it really cost to close a sale? Sure, there’s the salesperson...
FMCSA SEEKS COMMENT FROM THE PUBLIC, INSURANCE PROVIDERS, MOTOR CARRIERS ON REVISING MINIMUM LEVELS OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY/
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced through...
5 WAYS TO AVOID MISCOMMUNICATION WITH YOUR EMPLOYEES/
Have you ever been in a conversation with one of your employees and found...
HOW TO CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGES THAT SUPPORT YOUR BRAND/
Are you getting maximum results from your visual content?...
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IMG Feature Company Southeastern Stages
Enjoy some southern comfort. Since 1933, that is the chorus that Southeastern Stages has used to deliver impeccable service to customers in the southeastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Southeastern Stages has remained focused on providing reliable and affordable intercity transportation throughout Georgia and South Carolina while connecting travelers to major cities and towns throughout North America. Born in the days of dirt roads, limited passenger traffic, and advertising that was primarily conveyed through word-of-mouth, co-founders Jake Hughes and Lon Shipman devoted their efforts to building a company that would be a major participant in the growing intercity bus industry. Following a series of mergers, Southeastern Stages would soon be interlining with other regional carriers and Greyhound Lines to form the foundation of a strong transportation network. The history of the company is rooted in the pride of two families working to overcome obstacles and being flexible to changing ways of doing business. The concept for what would become Southeastern Stages was born in the lobby of a hotel when Jake Hughes overheard guests asking for help traveling to Charleston, SC. Within a few months, Jake was behind the wheel of an eight passenger Buick making stops at various hotels and taking anyone willing to pay for a ride. 6
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80+ years later, the company has stayed true to the goal of offering personal and professional attention to every person who steps on to one of its motorcoaches. Today, Southeastern Stages remains a third generation family business known for its old-fashioned brand of customer service that retains the flair for personal interactions. With a fleet of over 40 motorcoaches, Southeastern Stages’ staff of 65 employees serves more than 400,000 people each year over nearly 3 million miles all based from its Atlanta, GA home terminal.
In 2005, following the retirement of 2nd Generation owners Ed Shipman and Bill Hughes (both still active on the company’s board of directors), Mike Dickson assumed the responsibility for the day to day operations of the company. Dickson, who started at Southeastern Stages in 1993 working in the wash bay, is Ed Shipman’s son-in-law and was asked to apply his education and experience in accounting towards building a company capable of withstanding the challenges facing today’s modern motorcoach business. With a fleet of MCI, Prevost and VanHool motorcoaches, Southeastern Stages operates some of the newest and most technologically advanced motorcoaches on the market. “We load up our buses with the latest in technological advances,” says Mike Dickson, president of Southeastern Stages, “and then we teach our drivers how to avoid situations where we are forced to depend on them.”
Southeastern Stages recently celebrated the extraordinary achievement of two veteran drivers – 25 years of continuous, accident free driving – by placing special naming decals on two buses in their honor. “Our service philosophy is simple,” says Brian Parker, Southeastern Stages Director of Development, “without our customers, we don’t exist. We strive to deliver the most excellent service available, which includes employing the best drivers using some of the best motorcoaches around.” “The biggest challenge for us is to maintain an infrastructure that’s based on our signature personal touch,” said Parker. “We know it’s tough to compete with companies who don’t feature bus stations staffed by ticket agents or live people on the other end of the phone. More and more, we all live in a society that is driven exclusively by price. The challenge for us is to communicate the importance of our infrastructure and the personal experience it provides.”
Add surprisingly low turnover of staff and drivers and you have the formula for Southeastern Stages excellent safety record. To demonstrate that success,
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In regards to the Motorcoach Marketing program, we love it. So far, we have made the 1000 postcards, and we did some full page handouts. We just got a stand up banner. When I get some time, I’ll be making new rack cards for both offices. We made 500 church theme postcards and 500 in the safety theme. We sent out the church cards through a local mailing company to every church within 50 miles. So far, we have had a great response and 4-5 people booked trips from it. I plan on using the safety ones soon by sending them to our new customers. All of our staff and drivers love the modern design and the finished products. Only one of my staff has watched the videos so far, but we will be working on that next month. So far I’m very happy with the service. It works well and looks great!
Chris Knittel
Owner/General Manager New Mexico Texas Coaches, LLC
We Help Operators Sell More Charters To More People. Easier. Faster. Far More Effective. MotorcoachMarketing.org www.greenazine.com
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Apnea clarification
Apnea clarification unlikely condition’s growing importan Though the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says it will send a bulletin to medical examiners to clarify its guidelines on screening drivers for sleep apnea, it’s unlikely medical examiners’ willingness to issue shortterm driver medical certifications contingent on apnea testing will be affected. The problem was documented in-depth this summer in a series of articles on Overdrive. FMCSA head T.F. Scott Darling issued a response letter to two Congressmen last week saying the clarification will remind FMCSAapproved medical examiners that there is no official regulatory guidance with specifics on how and when to screen or test drivers for sleep apnea. Screening drivers based on their risk, he said, is at this point left to the discretion of the medical examiners. But as Overdrive noted this summer in the sleep apnea series of reports, to be included in the May implementation of the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners every medical examiner in the country today went through some variant of formal training on requirements of the DOT physical. Several of the training programs have given some examiners the impression that very particular screening guidelines — BMI measurements, neck size and the like — are law, and examiners have been in large numbers acting accordingly. As watchers have noted, it looks an awful lot like an end run around Congress’ halting of FMCSA’s preparations to issue regulatory guidance on how to address screening and treatment of apnea during medical certifications.
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y in short term to remedy the nce in medical certifications
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FMCSA, in response, has washed its hands repeatedly of any concern over the contents of the examiners’ training beyond an expressed responsibility for making certain that specified content areas are covered at a bare minimum. Darling’s letter 14 www.greenazine.com
itself, though promising clarification to training organizations as well as medical examiners, says much the same. What to expect from your DOT physical in the short-term: Confusion
over what is required and variation in approach at the examiner level, relative to the sleep apnea condition, is likely to continue indefinitely. Many, though not all, examiners are using one or another strict sets of criteria to determine whether truck
What to expect from your DOT physical in the short-term: Confusion over what is required and variation in approach at the examiner level, relative to the sleep apnea condition, is likely to continue indefinitely.
operators are at risk for sleep apnea. If drivers meet those criteria, it’s left to the discretion of the medical examiner to issue either a short-term medical certification pending a sleep test or to take the driver off the road entirely by not granting certification
until the sleep test is performed and any follow-on treatment, if needed, is proven to be effective. At this point, as mandated by Congress last year for any action on the condition, only a notice and comment rulemaking with clear-cut
guidance on apnea stands a chance of truly clarifying what drivers can expect relative to the condition. Until then, drivers — and examiners — remain on uncertain ground. If you’re at risk for the condition or believe you may be screened by an examiner, taking care of the condition outside of the medical certification process may be the best way to ensure your certification isn’t disrupted by a test need, as we wrote in September.
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Chameleon Carrier
Schumer calls for FMCSA to close loophole for chameleon carriers Chameleon carriers often re-form with the same management, same dangerous vehicles, same unfit drivers, and same unsafe ways. 16 www.greenazine.com
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is calling for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to include information about individual drivers to improve the agency’s screening protocols used to identify reincarnated or “chameleon” carriers. In a letter to acting FMCSA administrator Scott Darling, Sen. Schumer, D-N.Y., urged the agency to include driver information as part of the algorithm used to identify motor carriers that artificially shut down their business to skirt safety regulations, then re-form under a new name. “Chameleon carriers often re-form with the same management, same dangerous vehicles, same unfit drivers, and same unsafe ways,” Schumer’s letter stated. “FMCSA must do all that it can to ensure that truck drivers with a proven history of unsafe behavior are not able to get a new job at the same old unsafe company.” A member of the Senate’s Housing, Transportation and Community Development Committee, Schumer said
he “applauds” FMCSA’s recent steps to develop a data-driven system for vetting motor carriers. The final product is expected to be released in October 2015. “We appreciate Sen. Schumer’s support of our aggressive efforts to combat chameleon carriers, and Acting Administrator Darling will respond to him directly on the new rules and policies we are taking to keep these unsafe companies off the road,” the agency said in a response emailed to Land Line on Thursday. FMCSA has already implemented stricter new entrant vetting policies and financial penalties to prevent unsafe bus companies from avoiding their enforcement history by reincarnating under new names and
USDOT numbers. Earlier this year, the agency published a new rule on Patterns of Safety Violations, which gives it authority to shut down a bus or truck company if the company, or a company officer, has a history of purposely violating federal safety regulations. The new rule complements a rule adopted by the agency in 2012 to apply outof-service orders to reincarnated or chameleon carriers and to consolidate their enforcement histories. Schumer’s letter also cited a 2012 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which suggests that the number of new motor carrier applicants to FMCSA with chameleon attributes has been increasing in recent years. The GAO
identified 1,136 such carriers in 2010, up from 759 in 2005. “The majority of truck companies and drivers understand the importance of safety,” Schumer said in the letter. “Very few companies will ever become chameleon carriers, as most companies that receive violations quickly take steps to improve the safety of their operations. The small number of chameleon carriers, however, affect the reputation of the entire trucking industry, and pose risks on our roadways.”
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Once again, Setra has raised the benchmark in the North American luxury motorcoach segment, with over 30 innovations in design, passenger and driver comfort, safety and environmental efficiencies. Daimler’s new, unique Front Collision Guard (FCG), for instance, is a passive safety system engineered to protect the driver and tour guide in the case of a frontal impact. Experience the all-new Setra TopClass S 417. From Daimler Buses North America, the worldwide leading manufacturer of buses and motorcoaches.
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Tax Extender
House votes to renew 20 www.greenazine.com
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The House voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to renew more than 50 expired tax breaks for individuals and businesses through the end of this year, with the Senate looking increasingly likely to follow suit. The one-year retroactive renewal, which passed by a 378-46 vote, includes heavily lobbied business breaks like those for corporate research, wind production, renewable fuels, corporate expensing and expanded depreciation schedules. It also includes tax breaks for individuals including a deduction for mortgage debt forgiveness, a break for state and local sales taxes paid as well as breaks for teachers and commuters. The majority of members who spoke in favor of the bill said they would vote for the extension because it was the only option, not because it was a good one. (Also on POLITICO: White House doesn’t rule out
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Boehner plan) “To not act would disrupt the coming tax-filing season for millions of American workers and businesses, which have relied on Congress to extend these provisions and will, in a matter of weeks, begin filing their 2014 tax returns,” said Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. “As a result I will support this measure.” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) said the bill was “a different and less effective approach” than a tentative deal he negotiated with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last week. Those negotiations fell apart after President Barack Obama threatened to veto the proposal before it was completed. That pact, which would have made several business
The majority of members who spoke in favor of the bill said they would vote for the extension because it was the only option, not because it was a good one. failing to take his offer to make some business breaks permanent. “As recently as this past Sunday we offered a reasonable, balanced deal to House Republicans which they refused. This included a two-year extension with permanent R&D and other permanent provisions that support working individuals, families and business,” Wyden spokeswoman Lindsey Held said in an email to POLITICO. “We are disappointed that at this point there doesn’t appear to be a procedural path forward,” she said. provisions permanent, caught the ire of the White House and many liberals who objected to setting the corporate benefits in stone while not touching Democratic priorities like expansion of the child tax credit and earned income tax credit. (Also on POLITICO: Right scoffs at Boehner deal) House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) thanked the retiring Camp for his courage in drafting tax reform, adding, “I’m not going to thank you for this bill however.” The vote put pressure on the Senate to follow the House, which seemed increasingly likely late on Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said he did not see a path forward for his preferred two year deal, blaming Republicans for
Republicans, including Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), said the president’s veto threat created a steep hill to climb to reach a deal and not much time to climb it. “I think there are some people still trying to come up with an alternative but time is running out,” Cornyn said. The 10-year cost of the one-year bill is about $42 billion. Lawmakers are under pressure to take action before the end of this year so that taxpayers can claim the breaks on their 2014 tax returns.
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Workplace Bullies
Time to Stand Up To Workplace Bullies Legal experts say California’s new anti-bullying legislation may set a new national standard for employment-law compliance. As of Jan. 1, 2015, there is a new anti-bully sheriff in town: California Assembly Bill 2053. It amends California’s mandatory sexual harassment prevention training statute—AB 1825—and requires “prevention of abusive conduct” to be included as a component of the training. This amendment breaks new ground as the first “anti-bullying” legislation affecting the private sector. AB 2053 aims to address workplace bullying by educating managers about prevention instead of imposing punitive measures. Through this approach, organizations now have an opportunity to combat workplace bullying on dual fronts: managers can develop the skills and increased awareness necessary to help avoid bullying behavior in the first place; and impacted employees will find greater support in speaking up about harmful coworker behavior that may not otherwise be protected (e.g., because it is not based on race, color, sex, national origin or other “protected categories”). “It’s a win-win,” says the bill’s author, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who adds, “we’re trying to make workplaces better for both employers and employees.”
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The amendment’s definition of “abusive conduct,” according to the California Business and Professional Code, reads as follows: [C]onduct of an employer or employee in the workplace, with malice, that a reasonable person would find hostile, offensive, and unrelated to an employer’s legitimate business interests ... [and] may include repeated infliction of verbal abuse, such as the use of derogatory remarks, insults, and epithets, verbal or physical conduct that a reasonable person would find threatening, intimidating, or humiliating, or the gratuitous sabotage or undermining of a person’s work performance... Organizations can look to this definition as a blueprint for their prevention and compliance efforts. The bill’s training requirement, if utilized constructively, will help employers and their managers take inventory of the current workforce and company culture, review/revise current policies and effect change as necessary, and thereby create a more positive and productive workplace culture.
Take Inventory The first assessment measure an organization may consider is an honest review of its own culture. Are new products, services, customer relationships or profit margins impacted or derailed by internal toxicity? In making this assessment, HR professionals would be wise not to overlook the input of top-level executives, all levels of management, and the employees themselves.
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Implement an initial inventory process to look for signs that bullying behavior exists and is impacting the workforce:
· Is there evidence of reduced productivity in a given team or department? At a 2014 committee hearing,
Assemblywoman Gonzalez identified loss of productivity as a key indicator of workplace bullying. “A lot of the background on this showed the lack of productivity, people www.greenazine.com
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calling in, not coming into work, quitting, because of these feelings that may not rise to an actionable offense but really are disrupting the workplace,” she said. One study referenced during the hearing stage estimated the financial costs of bullying at more than $200 billion per year.
· Is there an increase in the number of stressrelated claims filed? Along with the devastating
psychological impact of abusive work environments, there is often a discernible increase in medical and workers’ compensation claims related to stress, anxiety, and related disorders.
· Is the organization experiencing higher absenteeism rates? Bullied employees often find
that the best coping mechanism is simply to stay home and avoid confrontation with the bully altogether.
· Is the organization incurring increased legal costs related to dispute resolution, harassment concerns, workplace violence claims, settlements or trials? Although bullying itself
does not support a legal cause of action, it is often a significant part of the pattern that leads to actionable claims.
· What is the “bully climate” at the organization?
According to a 2014 survey conducted by The Workplace Bullying Institute, 25 percent of employers either deny that workplace bullying occurs or fail to investigate allegations of workplace bullying. This is too large a risk to remain undetected. Can useful data on the warning signs or patterns of bullying behavior be distilled from the organization’s complaint-response procedures? Is there an uptick in the number of complaints based on interpersonal behavior? Are managers the source of those claims? Note that according to the WBI survey, bosses are still considered by employees to constitute the majority of the bullies.
· Is the organization experiencing frequent turnover as a result of unaddressed bullying?
Yet another downside of workplace bullying is that a large number of targeted employees quit, are forced out, or are even fired on some occasions. When the average cost of replacing an employee is between
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10 percent and 30 percent of an employee’s annual salary, and the cost of replacing a bullying executive can exceed 200 percent of his or her annual salary, the bottom line impact of bullying-based turnover becomes clear. Taking the above inventory can be an important first step in creating the awareness–and building the business case–that an organization may need to take additional preventive steps in building and maintaining a bully-free workplace.
Effect Change with an Anti-Bullying Policy Another measure organizations can take to address bullying is to introduce a company policy that sets a zero-tolerance standard for workplace bullying and sends a strong message of anti-bullying support. Many organizations have policies addressing unlawful behavior under federal Equal Employment Opportunity laws and state equivalents. The challenge for HR executives now is: Can they take their approach one step further and address workplace bullying headon through effective policy implementation? Consider working with key representatives of the organization, including employees, management and executives, to develop policy language that meaningfully addresses the impact that bullying can have in that particular workplace. HR executives can work with the organization’s legal team or outside counsel to develop a policy in which the scope is organizationally appropriate and legally compliant. While the language of AB 2053 is currently restricted to the requirements of California’s mandatory antiharassment training, legal analysts are discussing its role as a de facto national standard to be used in eliminating bullying and abusive conduct at work. Even for organizations doing limited work in California, does the existence of a clear statutory requirement in one state suggest an implied standard of compliance elsewhere? Who wants to be the test case in litigation where an effective anti-bullying policy was not implemented because it was not required in that particular state?
In short, draft a policy that is relevant to the organization and can ultimately serve as a clear and objective standard. Once in place, such a policy can be leveraged to maintain a tone of civility and respect— a powerful reference point as well as a helpful enforcement tool.
Conduct Effective Training Once the organization has conducted an inventory assessment and drafted an effective anti-bullying policy, establish an effective training program that gets the message across to all employees and keeps a “bully-free” commitment front and center for employees’ understanding of organizational values. “Training really makes people aware, and —we are hoping—that is what happens with bullying and there is not a need to create a private right of action,” says Assemblywoman Gonzalez. “If you think about how sexual-harassment training has changed our workplace, [it is] probably more than the threat of litigation.” Build an anti-bullying training program on a framework of company policy and existing employment laws, as well as standards most employees are already well aware of--courtesy, tolerance, teamwork, problem solving, communication skills, diversity awareness and respect. Tie bullying into the negative impact it has on employees’ well-being and organizational success. Discuss the warning signs of bullying, provide tools and techniques to combat bullying situations, and outline coping strategies--which may include stress management, human resources support and Employee Assistance Programs. If a bullying pattern is identified, consider coaching sessions, if appropriate, as a partial remedy. Let the organization’s workforce know what is unacceptable, and let the employees know they have HR’s support in standing up to abuse. A training regimen that effectively and continually reminds an organization’s employees about the policy and general workplace expectations around this message is essential to creating a sustainable, bullyfree workplace environment. Combining evidence of an organization’s commitment to a bully-free culture with information concerning its mechanism to prevent and respond to unacceptable behavior will be a strong step in not only complying with the law, but
with keeping its workforce productive.
Think Beyond Borders Organizations doing business in the United States should take notice that AB 2053 may affect employee relations at their locations outside of California. There is always a risk associated with inconsistent organizational practices, such as when the laws of one state compel handling one incident zealously, while less stringent regulations in another jurisdiction may permit more lenient handling of a similar incident. On the global front, multinational organizations have become increasingly aware that anti-bullying laws are becoming more prevalent outside the United States. For example, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom have laws that either explicitly or implicitly prohibit workplace bullying. Many of these laws are based on universal principles of human dignity and free will. Many U.S. organizations pride themselves on their progressive practices. As awareness of workplace bullying continues to build on both the global and domestic stage, it is plausible that an organization’s bullying prevention practices will become a new benchmark by which surveys recognize “best” employers and set a higher standard for business practices and employer competitiveness. Now is the time to reaffirm employee relations excellence through prevention practices that take the next step in seeking to create and maintain workplaces free from all forms of abusive behavior, including bullying. “We need to have some kind of standard,” says Assemblywoman Gonzalez, “some awareness that people come from different places with different coping mechanisms and approaches to work. If we can at least make managers aware of that, we can avoid bigger problems in the future.”
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Marketing Messages
5 Phrases That Ruin Marketing Messages These common marketing expressions make your messages longer, less readable, and less likely to get a response. In my free weekly newsletter, I critique and sometimes rewrite sales and marketing messages that readers send me. Many contain one or more of the following phrases that are either meaningless, confusing, or make it less likely that a customer will respond: 1. “Our product is designed/ implemented/architected to...” Customers don’t care about your
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design intentions, your thought processes, or anything else that’s internal to your organization. More important, a product can be designed to do something and then utterly fail to do it. Conversely, sometimes products do cool things that weren’t intended in their design. Talking about a product’s design is almost admitting that it doesn’t work, or you’d be talking about what it actually does, rather than what it was designed to do. Better: “Our product does...”
2. “Our product enables/empowers/ allows users to...” This phrasing assumes that your customers want whatever your product does and have been waiting you to make it possible. But customers don’t think that way. They are focused on their own goals and desires, in which your product may (or may not) play a part. They want to know what buying your product means to them, as in: How will it make their life easier? Or make them more successful?
Better: “With our product, you can...” 3. “Our product has these features/ functions...” Lists of features and functions confuse customers because they assume that customers have defined what they need and will match those needs to the list. However, unless they’ve written a formal Request for Proposal (RFP), they probably don’t even understand the problem, much less have a specific solution in mind. What’s worse, though, it that even if something in the list does pique the customer’s interest, the rest of the list makes whatever you’re selling seem more complicated. Better: “This results in [quantifiable benefit].” 4. “Feel free/Don’t hesitate to call...” This phrase attempts to position something that you want the
customer to do as something that the customer might be afraid of doing. But the customer knows that you’d be absolutely delighted if he or she picked up the phone and called you. It’s not like you’re going to yell at them or something. What’s even worse, though, is that this phrase sounds like a radio or TV advertisement from the 1950s. It’s almost as lame as “But wait, there’s more!” Better: Omit this line entirely. Put your phone number under your signature. If customers want to call you, they will. 5. “I look forward to hearing from you.” Well, duh. Customers obviously know that you’d like the opportunity to sell something to them. This phrase is also presumptuous. It’s like you think you’ve made such a compelling case to buy that
These common marketing expressions make your messages longer, less readable, and less likely to get a response. it’s a foregone conclusion that the customer will respond. Yeah, right. Beyond that, though, customers don’t care about your emotions, your wants, your needs or expectations. So why bring them up? Better: “If this interests you, I can...”
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Upset Facebook Fans
7 Tips for Dealing With Upse 32 www.greenazine.com
et Facebook Fans
What do you do when you’ve just received a less-than-complimentary Facebook wall post from someone who likes your business (or used to, so it seems)? The customer could have a simple complaint, or be so upset he’s gone on the offensive, making sure you and the rest of your community knows he’s angry. Your next steps are key to retaining not only the business of the angry customer, but the business of other fans who like your page as well. #1: Respond no matter what It’s vitally important that the complaints and issues your fans pose on your wall are addressed. Inactivity on your part will appear as though you’re trying to ignore the issue and sweep it under the rug. Being unresponsive does nothing more than incite more anger and increase the chance the user will come back with even more angry wall posts. Moreover, your community can see that angry post. If you don’t reply, it appears as though you are unconcerned with customer support, which can be detrimental to your reputation. A response that illustrates respect and understanding for customers’ concerns will indicate your intention to rectify any problems. By addressing this upset fan, Newegg is demonstrating that they value their fans’ opinions—even the negative ones. #2: Be patient and understanding In dealing with upset fans, you must remember that you are closer to your industry, products and services than they are. What may seem like basic, common knowledge to you is often foreign to the end user. Take a step back and put yourself in your customer’s shoes. This can go a www.greenazine.com
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long way in understanding why he or she is frustrated. It may not be your company’s fault that the customer is upset. Whether or not the fault lies on your end, a simple apology will go a long way in keeping the customer’s business. Instead of trying to figure out where the blame lies, turn upset fans into loyal customers by making their experience better. #3: Contact the Customer Privately Sending a private message or email to the customer opens up more options for you to address his or her complaints. The goal here is to extend some sort of token letting the customer know you’re sorry he or she is dissatisfied with your company, and you’re willing to make it right. Whether that’s offering the number of the manager’s direct phone line or a discount off the next purchase, moving the conversation from public to private allows you to give the customer a personal touch that signals you care. However, offering things like direct lines and special discounts publicly can lead to other people creating problems just to get that special treatment, so it’s best to keep these practices off the wall. While Hayneedle’s customer shown below isn’t visibly upset about the damaged order, Hayneedle handles the situation perfectly, and contacts the customer privately to resolve the issue. #4: Consider asking the fan to remove the post Say you’ve discussed the issue privately, any problems have been straightened out, and the faultfinder is, once again, your happy customer. While your wall is an integral part of your web presence, the customer may be unaware of how important it really is to your reputation. If he or she is satisfied with the resolution you’ve reached and grateful for the time you’ve spent making things right, there’s nothing wrong with privately asking the person to remove the post. Most of the time, he or she will remove the angry wall post. #5: Respond back to the original post As a general rule, you, the Facebook page admin, should not remove negative posts. Not everyone is going to have a glowing review of your product or company. Social media users know this, and if they
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see nothing but positive comments, they’ll assume your company is deleting the bad comments. If you don’t feel comfortable asking your customer to remove the post, you do have the option of publicly responding back to that post. Express happiness in the resolution you’ve reached and thankfulness for her business. Even a negative post can be a good thing, as long as the last comment is positive. Your reputation among your community will soar when they see how well you take care of your customers. Zappos is shown below addressing a negative comment. The helpful attitude effectively nullifies any poor reflection on Zappos or their services. #6: Let your community respond Letting your community respond for you is really the end result of all the earlier steps. It requires
copious time, energy and patience with your fans, and a fantastic product. After you’ve engaged with your fans for a period of time by answering questions and offering support, you’ll notice that your fans will be more active on your page, even to the point of assisting each other. What’s great about getting this community support is that there’s a genuine credibility when fans endorse your business for you. They become your eager virtual support agents, answering questions and solving problems before you have a chance to. But this is a level you can only achieve if you’ve nurtured and supported your community. The Pampered Chef has built a fantastic online community of users who love the product so much, and who have been given such great support themselves, peers will answer each other’s questions before The Pampered Chef has to respond.
#7: The Last Resort If the offended party is unreceptive to your customer service attempts, blatantly hostile and only active in your community to start arguments, banning the individual is a last-resort option. And anyone leveling expletives or racial slurs against your staff or fans should be banned. Your staff and your fans don’t deserve to be subjected to the abuse, and in the end, they will respect you more because you took the initiative. What’s been your experience? How has your business handled complaints from upset fans on your Facebook wall in the past? What has worked? What hasn’t?
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Design 2015
Design 2015 – 7 Design Trend Creating Website Best Practic 36 www.greenazine.com
ds ces
A hot trend in web design is the scroll factor— parallax scrolling. Parallax scrolling is a visually pleasing 3D effect created when the background of a website moves at a slightly slower rate to its foreground.
In 2015, your web design needs to be a powerful marketing and lead generation tool for your business. Today’s competitive websites are designed for a mobile world, one that emphasizes video content engagement and crisp content blocks designed to captivate visitors—and convert visitors to customers.
What are the top trends powering web design for 2015? Go Responsive, Now! Sleek, brilliantly mobile and intuitive, responsive websites are the ultimate in user engagement for web design today. Responsive websites started gaining traction during 2012,
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when more businesses realized that mobile engagement was a mandate. As mobile device usage surged, the need for mobile-friendly websites fast became essential, driving web designers to create sites that looked brilliant on any device. The beauty of responsive websites is they employ coding that actually changes the layout and content displayed, depending on the device viewing the website. Text is always clear, easy to read and images are always enjoyable, even on a smartphone.
Minimalist Design Clean, minimalist designs eliminate the risk of cluttering up a website and present an ideal design approach for clearly and purposefully presenting design and content elements in a concise, clear fashion. Simple splashes of color can add creative elements to a clean minimalist design—one that expresses a business or brand in a conceptually stark, yet appealing, manner. Minimalist designs make great use of simplicity and outstanding, creative play with typography and even whitespace.
Video Engagement Today’s websites require powerful visual content, particularly videos. Videos are engaging. Videos are authentic. Videos are great for mobile users. There is a mobile video revolution happening right now. YouTube is No. 2 in search engines. Some 40 percent of YouTube’s traffic now comes from mobile devices. Your customers are viewing your website from their mobile devices— and they want to be entertained. Videos provide an opportunity to quickly engage your website visitors, allowing them a fast platform to 38 www.greenazine.com
be informed and delighted. Think delighting your website visitors isn’t as important as informing them? You’re wrong. Today’s web surfers want to be mesmerized and entranced. Videos are an effective visual content tool for intriguing your website visitors to learn about your business—and navigate other pages of your website for increased awareness.
Crisp Card Design Are cards the future of website design? They are certainly web design’s present. Card design is visible more and more on websites for B2B and B2C targets. Think Pinterest. Card design layouts are highly functional and effective mechanisms for conveying rapid-fire content in concise bursts—allowing for website visitors to get an immediate glance at your products, services, news, philosophy of business and more. Google uses card design! With Google Now, information is shared on simple cards that appear just when the user needs them— immediate information in a clean content carrier. Cards allow your website to deliver information in small, almost snack-sized formats. When visitors are checking out your site on their smartphones, they want to see neatly organized content blocks. Card design gives them what they want, resulting in happy visitors to your site.
Forget The Fold
inspiration for the concept of the fold. By respecting the fold, web designers loaded all the important stuff at the top of a website and avoided scrolling and other navigational mechanics. Good news, today’s web designers no longer determine their designs based on the fold. Bye, bye imaginary border!
In the early days of web design, web designers feared, and exploited, the fold. The fold was the imaginary dissection between the top and bottom of a web design page. Imagine folding a newspaper in half – that’s the
Microinteractions Matter! Microinteractions are the small product moments that accomplish one task – and only one task. Every time you create a new status message on Facebook or simply LIKE!
a post, you are engaging with a microinteraction. Abundant in every app and pretty close to all modern website designs, Microinteractions are engagement mechanisms that are so subtle, people sometimes don’t realize they are engagement mechanisms at all. Microinteractions are experts at knowing who is using them, and if leveraged appropriately are excellent triggers in engaging users – getting user feedback, collecting user habits and more.
Scroll On
easy content experience.
A hot trend in web design is the scroll factor—parallax scrolling. Parallax scrolling is a visually pleasing 3D effect created when the background of a website moves at a slightly slower rate to its foreground. Parallax scrolling gives visitors a pleasant content experience, as an element of depth appears to cushion the content. Smooth animations and unique visual effects are commonplace in the world of parallax scrolling, resulting in a customer-centric design that provides a pleasing navigation and
Web design tools, techniques and tricks are continually evolving to deliver a creative, crisp viewing experience for today’s mobile viewers. Websites that capture the very best of what today’s modern designs have to offer will score high marks with their visitors in 2015.
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Hidden Costs of Sales
4 Ways to Cut Down on the Hidden Costs of Sales How much does it really cost to close a sale? Sure, there’s the salesperson, the swagger and relentless pursuit of the deal (which all comes at a price). But there’s also a massive opportunity cost most companies overlook. Currently, sales reps spend a large portion of their time doing everything but selling. For instance, according to a recent CMO Council study, nearly 40 percent of a rep’s time is spent creating presentations, customizing messaging and preparing pitches. All in all, this squandered time means your closers are only spending about
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half their time actually closing. I have always said that the most expensive hour you will pay for during any given work day is a nonsales related hour. Obviously, the more time your reps spend on nonsales activities the less successful the company will be. Here are several ways to keep your salespeople happy and on the hunt:
1. Bring on the automation Even the most skilled salespeople need the right tools at their fingertips. To save them precious time, you’ll need prospecting tools capable of
growing your database with the most targeted leads. If you don’t already have a marketingautomation system, try looking into one such as Eloqua, Silverpop, Marketo or Pardot. Also consider whether you’ll need a customerrelationship management program as well, and if these tools will be able to integrate and work well together. Given today’s digital landscape, software-as-a-service models are often best because they give your team access to the tools they need anytime and with any device. By automating
sales-funnel pit stops such as totals and targets, open accounts, new leads and opportunities and performance reporting, your sales team will be armed with this insight from the start -- giving them the necessary time to go and do something with it.
approaches to lead generation. While exciting and new, social media was found to be most overused tactic. Executive events, telemarketing, webinars and search marketing are generally the most profitable avenues for finding potential customers.
Research from CEB describes a dramatic shift in the way modern customers seek out business solutions. Better informed than ever before, people are no longer satisfied by the salesperson’s predictable path toward simply filling a need.
2. Join forces with marketing
By deploying your marketing team as an effective ally for sales, closing deals will happen at a faster pace than ever before.
Consequently, your sales team should be prepared with the skills and mindset necessary to not waste either party’s time, and instead identify who the new decision-makers are, what their business challenges are, what it will take to secure their partnership and how to deliver that insight in just the right way.
Too often, sales and marketing teams fail to play nicely when it comes to nurturing leads. Yet, marketing can and should be a major part of your sales strategy. The benefits of leveraging marketing to both generate and qualify leads before they get into the salesperson’s hands are significant. Take the time to ensure your marketing efforts are focused on the most effective methods. InsideSales. com recently published a study suggesting companies waste millions in time and resources on ineffective
3. Lay off traditional processes For centuries, sales leaders stood by rigidly structured methods when honing in on a potential customer. Even today, qualification criteria, reporting methods and activity metrics are all designed to keep the funnel running smoothly -but companies are now finding the approaches that once helped streamline their processes are actually holding them back. Why?
4. Run rigorous analysis For sales leaders, the metrics we watch can make all the difference between a stellar quarter and a lackluster one. More likely than not, you’re already collecting this data, so www.greenazine.com
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Even the most skilled salespeople need the right tools at their fingertips. To save them precious time, you’ll need prospecting tools capable of growing your database with the most targeted leads. make sure you’re using it to your advantage by identifying correlations between which activities lead to certain sales outcomes. You might end up redefining your team’s understanding of which metrics are worth watching and which aren’t. For instance, early on at Domo, we discovered several non-traditional ways to measure sales performance that could deliver incredibly powerful insights. We used to consider total number of deals in the pipeline as a standard measure for evaluating sales progress -- it turns out, a different metric, pipeline velocity, was actually a much better predictor of monthly and quarterly numbers. Nuances like these can be hard to detect by just looking at the surface of your data without digging in for deeper analysis. As important as sales are to driving an organization forward, there’s no reason why your pipeline shouldn’t run as smoothly as possible. Empower your salespeople by giving them the tools they need and removing the distractions they don’t. They’ll not only appreciate you for it and stick around, but also regain an entire day (or more) each week to do what they were actually hired to do.
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Revising Financial Responsibility
FMCSA Seeks Comment Insurance Providers, Mot Minimum Levels of Finan
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from the Public, tor Carriers on Revising ncial Responsibility The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced through an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that the Agency is seeking comment from the public, liability insurance providers, motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders on the safety and financial impacts of revising minimum levels of financial responsibility. The Federal Government has long required motor carriers to maintain certain levels of financial responsibility, either through insurance, a bond, or other financial security, as a means to protect the public in the event of a crash. An April 2014 Report to Congress found that while catastrophic motor carrier crashes are rare, the costs for resulting severe and critical injuries can exceed $1 million; current insurance limits do not adequately cover these costs, which are primarily due to increases in medical expenses and other crash-related costs.
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To provide a basis for proposing changes to insurance rules and estimating those impacts in the future, the Agency is seeking additional information on 26 questions. Whenever possible, commenters should provide data in support of their responses. FMCSA recognizes that an individual commenter may choose to respond to all of the issues or only a subset, based on his or her interest or area of expertise.
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Avoid Miscommunication
5 Ways to Avoid Miscommun Have you ever been in a conversation with one of your employees and found it hard to communicate with them? Or, after you’ve had the conversation, it turns out there were misunderstandings that were not clarified, and led to further miscommunication down the road? There were probably several factors to blame. Many times, without consciously knowing it, we set ourselves up for defeat when trying to effectively interact with another person. Whether it is on the phone or in person, there are some barriers we must eliminate if we are to be successful in our communication. Here’s some advice.
Close your door. Many times, without meaning
to do so, other managers or employees can hamper your efforts to connect with the person with whom you are communicating by interrupting or disturbing your one-on-one conversations. By closing your door, you’re sending clear message that your communication time with the people in your office is important no matter who they are.
Turn away from your computer. If you have
someone in your office or on the phone, put your computer on sleep mode or simply turn your chair away from it so you will not be distracted by what is on the screen. There is nothing more unprofessional and irritating than a person who is supposedly communicating with another, and continues to tap away on their computer keyboard. Research has proven that trying to do two things at one time only lessens the effectiveness of both activities. Despite what you say, if you are not focusing on the other person, you are creating a solid barrier to good communication.
Don’t play mind reader. Another suggestion is to stop thinking you know what the other person is going to say, or worse, preparing your response 46 www.greenazine.com
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before you’ve heard everything the person has to say. Encourage the person to talk further, and clarify their message, by asking them questions that require more than a one-word response. Some examples: How do you mean? Then what happened? Could you tell me more? These kinds of questions allow the other person an opportunity to fill in all the details and make their communication more complete.
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miscommunication comes from leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith. He reminds us to stop finishing other people’s sentences. Let’s face it – we’ve all done it, but the truth is no one likes to have their sentences finished for them. So, why do people continue to violate this rule? One excuse given is because they think they are saving time. If anything, it wastes time because it can set up miscommunication by shutting the other person off from communicating everything they want to say and the way they want to say it.
Have an end-of-conversation recap. At the end of your
conversation, ask for clarification about the communication between you and the other person. Clarify what you have heard, what you have said, and what actions you expect each of you to take. Using this approach can be a powerful tool in maximizing the results from each and every business conversation you have.
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Social Media Images
How to Create Social Med That Support Your Brand 50 www.greenazine.com
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If you look at the images of any wellknown brand, you’ll see that they use the same colors repetitively in their logo, in their text, even in their images. Are you getting maximum results from your visual content? Do you use fonts, colors and clever effects to make your company’s images more recognizable? Graphics that are consistent with your company’s established image increase your audience engagement by creating familiarity. In this article you’ll discover how to use simple design tactics to help your audience instantly associate your pictures with your brand.
#1: Make Logo Size and Placement Uniform Determine a minimum size for your logo and apply it consistently across your social media images. Your logo should never overpower your design, but it’s also important that it isn’t too small. Keep the positioning of your logo consistent for the majority of your graphics—the best rule of thumb is to put it in the bottom right corner. This ensures that the logo isn’t too distracting but still associates the product with your brand. If you need to change the size or logo placement to suit a particular kind of design, make sure it’s center-, right- or left-aligned.
#2: Keep Fonts Consistent Many people like to use text overlays as headings, subtitles and body copy. If you’re one of those people, choose no more than three fonts and use them throughout all of your social media graphics.
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For increased recognition, use the typeface most commonly associated with your brand. Nike does a great job of this on its Facebook page, using its iconic bold uppercase font for the majority of its social posts. If you aren’t using your brand font (or don’t have one), you can use script, uppercase or handwritten fonts for your header (just make sure the header is readable). A popular option for subtitles is to use the same font as
your heading, but at a smaller size or with a different style (e.g., bold or italic, or increased letter spacing). You can use a completely different font for body text.
#3: Integrate Brand Colors If you look at the images of any well-known brand, you’ll see that they use the same colors repetitively— in their logo, in their text, even in their images. That consistency is what helps viewers recognize the
company and evokes certain feelings and emotions associated with the brand. You can apply this same approach to your own visual content by choosing two to four colors and using them consistently. You can find and save your brand colors using hex codes, which are the six-digit codes that appear when a color is selected on the color wheel. Cadbury uses this technique effectively on their
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Facebook page, making sure most images use the colors their audience associates with them: purple and white. Not all of your images need to use your brand colors, but aim to use them in at least 50% of your graphics so people begin to associate the colors with you.
#4: Choose Images to Fit Your Style Whether images are used as a background or as stand-alone posts, it’s important to pick a consistent theme.
#6: Find Signature Filters Filters give your images an interesting look and feel. Before you start applying them though, consider which ones match your established design elements (like those mentioned throughout this article). Some filters brighten your images, while others enhance certain colors, so it’s important to have a clear idea about how you want your images to look. When you’ve settled on a filter, use it to create a uniform look for your shared visual content.
To discover your company’s personality and find images to suit it, ask yourself what product, service or experience you’re trying to sell. If your brand was a person, what kinds of things would it like to do and see? What does your audience respond to? Find images that match your answers.
#7: Use Consistent Composition
For example, Lululemon Athletica uses images on its social platforms that depict outdoor exercise, healthy eating and beautiful landscapes. These pictures reinforce their mission statement: Creating components for people to live long, healthy and fun lives.
When your audience sees your familiar design, they quickly recognize that the image is yours.
#5: Use Clever Product Placement If you choose not to add your brand assets—like fonts and colors—to your social media designs, branding your images is difficult. One way you can make things easier on yourself is to focus your image on your logo or product. Part of clever product placement is being able to identity the right setting. A good way to think about it is to identify the kind of experience you want your product or service to empower—this will help appeal to your target audience. Swedish water brand Voss uses simple images in their Instagram feed to appeal to their target audience. Picturing their bottle at the beach and the gym shows the product as more than just water—it goes hand-in-hand with an experience.
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One way to foster brand recognition is to create a series of templates. Not only do templates make it easier for you to create new images quickly, but they’re also great for user engagement.
Conclusion Fonts, colors and layouts are all design elements that play a huge role in making your company’s images stand out. If one of your social media goals is to increase your brand recognition and drive more people to your business, effective design tactics are your express ticket to success. What do you think? Is your visual content immediately familiar to your audience? What is your favorite way to add your brand touch to designs?
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