Interpersonal Communication Quote – Theodore Roosevelt

The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. — Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (1858 – 1919), also known as ‘Teddy’, was an American statesman, author, explorer, soldier, naturalist, and reformer.

He served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909.

As a leader of the Republican Party during this time, he became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century.

Theodore Roosevelt Famous Quotes To Enjoy Reading:

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” Theodore Roosevelt
“When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.”
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”
“The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.”
“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” Theodore Roosevelt
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
“To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”
“Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.”
“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”
“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”
“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.”
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”
“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” Theodore Roosevelt
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”
“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
“I am a part of everything that I have read.”
“I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.”
“No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care” Theodore Roosevelt
“The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first and love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”
“Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.”
“A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.”
“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.”
“Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.”
“A man who has never gone to school may steal a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.”
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” Theodore Roosevelt
“When you play, play hard; when you work, don’t play at all.”

About Robert C. Lucas

Bob Lucas has been a trainer, presenter, customer service expert, and adult educator for over four decades. He has written hundreds of articles on training, writing, self-publishing, and workplace learning skills and issues. He is also an award-winning author who has written thirty-seven books on topics such as, writing, relationships, customer service, brain-based learning, and creative training strategies, interpersonal communication, diversity, and supervisory skills. Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

The key to successfully making money as an author and/or self-publisher is to brand yourself and your company and to make yourself and your book(s) a household name. Part of this is face-to-face interaction with people at trade shows, library events, book readings, book store signings, blogging or guest blogging on a topic related to their book(s). Another strategy involves writing articles and other materials that show up online and are found when people search for a given topic related to a topic about which the author has written.

If you need help building an author platform, branding yourself and your book(s) or generating recognition for what you do, Make Money Writing Books will help. Bob’s popular book addresses a multitude of ideas and strategies that you can use to help sell more books and create residual and passive income streams. The tips outlined in the book are focused to help authors but apply to virtually any professional trying to increase personal and product recognition and visibility.

The Role of Technology in Customer Service

by Robert W. Lucas

The Role of Technology in Customer Service

One thing is sure in today’s global economy; Internet marketing and sales are major components of a global and personal wealth strategy.

Research conducted by McKinsey and Company “…into the Internet economies of the G-8 nations as well as Brazil, China, India, South Korea, and Sweden finds that the web accounts for a significant and growing portion of global GDP. Indeed, if measured as a sector, Internet-related consumption and expenditure are now bigger than agriculture or energy. On average, the Internet contributes 3.4 percent to GDP in the 13 countries covered by the research.”

Further, “The United States is the largest player in the global Internet supply ecosystem, capturing more than 30 percent of global Internet revenues and more than 40 percent of net income.

Source: Internet matters: The Net’s sweeping impact on growth, jobs, and prosperity Internet matters: The Net’s sweeping impact on growth, jobs, and prosperity, Pélissié
du Rausas, M., Manyika, J., Hazan, E., Bughin, J., Chui, M., and Said, R.. McKinsey Global Institute.

About Robert C. Lucas

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

Inspirational Customer Service Quote – Peter Drucker

by Robert W. Lucas

Inspirational Customer Service Quote – Peter Drucker

Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it. Peter Drucker

Here are a few more amazing quotes by Peter Drucker…

“Do not believe that it is very much of an advance to do the unnecessary three times as fast.” – Peter Drucker
“The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The true dangerous thing is asking the wrong question.” – Peter Drucker
“Entrepreneurship is “risky” mainly because so few of the so-called entrepreneurs know what they are doing.” – Peter Drucker
“Managers are action-focused; they are not philosophers and should not be.” – Peter Drucker
“Cultivate a deep understanding of yourself – not only what your strengths and weaknesses are but also how you learn, how you work with others, what your values are, and where you can make the greatest contribution. Because only when you operate from strengths can you achieve true excellence.” – Peter Drucker
“The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills.Everything else will become obsolete over time.” – Peter Drucker
“It’s amazing how many things busy people are doing that never will be missed.” – Peter Drucker
“If you have more than five goals, you have none.” – Peter Drucker
“To make the future demands courage. It demands work. But it also demands faith.” – Peter Drucker
“There are two types of people in the business community: those who produce results and those who give you reasons why they didn’t.” – Peter Drucker
“The critical question is not “How can I achieve?” but “What can I contribute?”” – Peter Drucker
“You cannot prevent a major catastrophe, but you can build an organization that is battle-ready, where people trust one another. In military training, the first rule is to instill soldiers with trust in their officers – because without trust, they won’t fight.” – Peter Drucker
“Every time you do something that is important, write down what you expect will happen.” – Peter Drucker
“As a manager you’re paid to be uncomfortable. If you’re comfortable, it’s a sure sign you’re doing things wrong.” – Peter Drucker
“There is the risk you cannot afford to take, and there is the risk you cannot afford not to take.” – Peter Drucker
“To make a living is no longer enough. Work also has to make a life.” – Peter Drucker
“To succeed in this new world, we will have to learn, first, who we are. Few people, even highly successful people, can answer the questions, Do you know what you’re good at? Do you know what you need to learn so that you get the full benefit of your strengths? Few have even asked themselves these questions.” – Peter Drucker
“Adequacy is the enemy of excellence.” – Peter Drucker
“Brilliant men are often strikingly ineffectual. They fail to realize that the brilliant insight is not by itself achievement. They never have learned that insights become effectiveness only through hard systematic work.” – Peter Drucker
“Replace your pursuit of success with the pursuit of contribution.” – Peter Drucker
“There are just two questions to ask to attain success in business: First, “What business am I in?” Second, “How’s business?”” – Peter Drucker
“Effective people are not problem minded; they’re opportunity-minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems. They think preventively.” – Peter Drucker
“Don’t try to innovate for the future. Innovate for the present!” – Peter Drucker
“The customer rarely buys what the company thinks it’s selling.” – Peter Drucker
“We live in an age of unprecedented opportunity: If you’ve got ambition and smarts, you can rise to the top of your chosen profession, regardless of where you started out.” – Peter Drucker

Learn About Robert C. Lucas – A Raving Fan of Peter Drucker

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

Here are a few more Peter Drucker Quotes to enjoy reading…

“People who need certainty are unlikely to make good entrepreneurs.” – Peter Drucker
“No one has ever failed to find the facts they are looking for.”
“If you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”
“The real achiever does one thing at a time.”
“By themselves, character and integrity do not accomplish anything. But their absence faults everything else.”
“Luck never built a business. Prosperity and growth come only to the business that systematically finds and exploits its potential.” – Peter Drucker
“Do what you do best, and outsource the rest.
“It is better to pick the wrong priority than none at all.”
“To satisfy the customer is the mission and purpose of every business.”
“Most innovators are successful to the extent to which they define risks and confine them.”
“One can either work or meet. One cannot do both at the same time.”
“Every success creates new opportunities. So does every failure.” – Peter Drucker

Inspirational Customer Service Quote – Larry Winget

by Robert W. Lucas

Inspirational Customer Service Quote – Larry Winget

Here are a few more quotes from Larry Winget…

I don’t have any interest in taking care of people. My interest is in teaching people to take care of themselves.
Everything in life is a lesson. Refusing to learn the lesson means that it will be repeated until the lesson is learned.
I love when people cry. It shows me that they finally have attached emotion to their stupidity. When you finally, finally, finally feel bad to cry about it, then that shows me that maybe you just might care.
Training is expensive. Books are expensive. Going to seminars is expensive. Being stupid is even more expensive.
If your life sucks, it’s because you suck.
When people tell you how honest they are, keep your hand on your wallet.
Let me make this clear: There are no secrets. None. There is no new information. What it took to be successful a thousand years ago is exactly what it takes to be successful today.
It’s better to have a good divorce than a bad marriage.
Three main reasons people are not successful: They are stupid. They are lazy. They don’t give a damn.
If you are unhappy, unsuccessful, sick, or broke – please just keep it to yourself. The rest of us don’t want or need to hear about it, so don’t feel compelled to share!
The problem with “self-help” is that there is way too much help and not enough self.
The number one, most important, get-this-or-fail short lesson for both work and business: Do what you say you are going to do, when you said you were going to do it, in the way you said you were going to do it.
Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy or stupid. Those are the things that happen when you don’t have a plan.
Stress comes from knowing what is right and doing what is wrong.
People change when they want to change; not when you want them to change.
People don’t like what I have to say because I promise hard work is the key to changing your life. Hard work is never going to sell like a positive attitude is going to sell, but it will get you a lot farther.
Do you want to know a quick way for finding out if someone knows more than you do? Look at their results. Results never lie.
Being healthy is a choice.
Do you have people in your life who have “done you wrong?” If you are like most people, then you do. Are you harboring anger, resentment, and hard feelings toward them? Let it go. Forgive them. Not because they deserve it – because they honestly may not. But do it because you deserve it.
Want to be more successful? Stop doing the things that keep you from being successful.
Create the life you want to have by living by design and not by default.

About Robert C. Lucas

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

In my book Customer Service Skills for Success, I define customer service as “the ability of knowledgeable, capable, and enthusiastic employees to deliver products and services to their internal and external customers in a manner that satisfies identified and unidentified needs and ultimately results in positive word-of-mouth publicity and return business.”

Building Successful Customer Loyalty

by Robert W. Lucas

Building Successful Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty is an emotional rather than a rational thing. Each time there is contact at a touchpoint where the customer and service provider come together there is the opportunity for further cementing the customer relationship and loyalty or driving a wedge between the customer and organization due to failure to meet expectations or needs.

With every contact, service providers should strive to demonstrate a commitment to exceed customer expectations and provide an experience that is beyond anything for which they might have hoped. Tied to commitment, loyalty is typically based on customer interest in maintaining a relationship with your organization or brand. Often, customer interest is created and maintained through one or more positive experiences that lead to a relationship.

An important point to keep in mind about customer loyalty is that it does not happen as a result of a single customer-provider encounter. Nor does it happen just because of periodic special promotions, sales or passive loyalty programs that provide only minimal rewards. Rather, true customer loyalty stems from an organization’s concerted, ongoing efforts that are part of their strategic goals to meet and exceed the expectations and needs of their customers.

For more information on customer loyalty and how to create and maintain a solid bond with your customers, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

About Robert C. Lucas

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

What is a Service Breakdown ?

by Robert W. Lucas

What is a Service Breakdown?

Service breakdowns occur daily in all types of organizations. They happen whenever the product or service delivered fails to meet customer needs, wants and expectations.

In some cases the product or service delivered may function exactly as it was designed or promised, still, if the customer perceived that it should work another way, a breakdown can occur. Additionally, when a product or service fails to meet what the customer wants or needs or does not live up to advertised promises or standards, dissatisfaction and frustration can result.

In addition, customer expectations can affect how service is delivered and perceived. Today’s customers are more discerning and better educated, have access to more up-to-date and accurate information. They are often more demanding than in the past. Their expectations about your products and services and the way that you will provide them may create a situation where little you do or say can meet their perceptions. In such cases, remain professional, positive and offer alternatives or concessions, if appropriate, in order to maintain the relationship and provide what the customer needs or wants.

Failure to fulfill some or all of your customer expectations can lead to dissatisfaction and in some cases confrontation and/or loss of business. Keep in mind that they also have many more options offered by your competitors.

For ideas on how to avoid and recover from customer service breakdowns and salvage relationships when customer service does not go as planned, get a copy of Customer Service Skills for Success by Robert W. Lucas.

About Robert C. Lucas

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

Customer Satisfaction Levels – Maybe Not as Bad as We Think

by Robert W. Lucas

Customer Satisfaction Levels – Maybe Not as Bad as We Think

It seems like everyone you talk to has a tale of a customer service situation gone bad. Is it because service is really getting worse or is it that people are just so frustrated with the economy, healthcare, politics, world events and other aspects of their lives that they need to vent about something. Even so, customer service may not be all that bad after all in many instances.

In a survey by Robert W. Lucas Enterprises, people were asked the following:

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest), what is the average score you would give based on customer service that you have received in the past week from various providers? According to over 82 percent of respondents, the range was 6-8.”

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest), rate the general effectiveness of customer service in most organizations today. According to over 71 percent of respondents, the range was “5-7.”

While not stellar in the implications, and while leaving an opportunity for improvement, maybe service is not as dismal as we sometimes think.

Want suggestions on how to improve the service that you and your organization provide to your customers? Get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success, Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and How to Be Great Call Center Representative by Robert W. Lucas.

About Robert C. Lucas

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

The Role of Trust in Customer Service

by Robert W. Lucas

The Role of Trust in Customer Service

Trust is at the heart of any customer-provider relationship, especially when there is an exchange of money for products or services. For a customer to hand over his or her hard-earned cash to you and your organization typically takes a bit of persuasion through advertising or word-of-mouth endorsements from previous customers. All of this is developed by an ongoing investment of time, effort, and money from your organization and commitment and initiative from each service provider.

For trust to start and grow, your customers must believe several things about you and your organization:

1. You and the organization have the customer’s best interests in mind before, during, and after the transaction.

2. You and the organization are honest and forthcoming with customers and your goal is to deliver the best products and services possible in a timely manner and at a fair price.

3. You have quality products and services that are backed by a guarantee that should something go wrong, it will be quickly and earnestly taken care of.

For customers to continue doing business with you, they must trust you and your organization. The thing about trust is that it has to be earned, and that does not happen overnight. Only through continued positive efforts on the part of everyone in your organization can you demonstrate to customers that you are worthy of their trust and thereby positively affect customer retention. Through actions and deeds, you must deliver quality products, services, and information that satisfy the needs, wants and expectations of your customer(s) when, where and how you promise them. Every touch point with a customer is an opportunity for you and your organization to influence customer loyalty.

Even when you win the trust and achieve customer satisfaction, the customer relationship is very fragile. It is easy to destroy trust quickly; an inappropriate tone, a missed appointment, failure to follow through on a promise, a lie, and a misleading statement or information to a customer are just some of the ways you can sabotage this relationship.

For more ideas on how to build a more customer-centric organization in which trust becomes part of the customer-provider relationship and can lead to customer and brand loyalty, get a copy of Customer Service Skills for Success by Robert W. Lucas.

About Robert C. Lucas

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

Dealing with Difficult Customers

by Robert W. Lucas

Dealing with Difficult Customers

You may think of difficult customer contacts as those in which you have to deal with negative, angry, demanding, or aggressive people. These are just a few of the types of potentially difficult interactions that you may encounter as a customer service representative.

From time to time, you will also be called upon to help customers who can be described in one or more of the following ways:

Are dissatisfied with your service or products.
Are indecisive or lack knowledge about your product, service, or policies.
Are you rude or inconsiderate of others?
Are talkative.
Are internal customers with special requests.
Speak a primary language other than yours.
Are you elderly and need extra assistance.
Are young and inexperienced who might need to be guided in making a good choice.
Have some type of disability.

Each of the above categories can be difficult to handle, depending on your knowledge, experience, abilities and organizational policies. A key to successfully serving all types of customers is to treat each person as an individual. If you stereotype people, you will likely damage the customer-provider relationship and might even generate complaints to your supervisor or legal action against you and your organization based on perceived discrimination. Avoid labeling people according to their behavior. Do not mentally categorize people (put them into groups) according to the way they speak, act, or look—and then treat everyone in a “group” the same way.

Ultimately, you will deliver successful service through your effective communication skills, positive attitude, patience, knowledge, service experience, and willingness to help the customer. Your ability to focus on the situation or problem and not on the person will be a very important factor in your success. Making the distinction between the person and the problem is especially important when you are faced with difficult situations in the service environment. Although you may not understand or approve of a person’s behavior, he or she is still your customer. Try to make the interaction a positive one, and if necessary ask for assistance from a co-worker or refer the problem to an appropriate level in your operational chain of command.

For ideas and strategies on how to deal with a variety of different customers and customer situations, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success, Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and How to Be a Great Call Center Representative.

About Robert C. Lucas

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

Effective Customer Communication Quote – George Ross

by Robert W. Lucas

Effective Customer Communication Quote – George Ross

“To be successful, you have to be able to relate to people; they have to be satisfied with your personality to be able to do business with you and to build a relationship of mutual trust.” George Ross

The ability to build and maintain solid relationships, and ultimately develop a level of trust, is a key skill that customer service representatives must master if they are going to be successful in the business world.

As a professional service provider, you must study human nature and become adept at the interpersonal skills of verbal and non-verbal communication, listening skills, and assessing behavioral styles and personality. You must also be able to understand and interact with people from diverse backgrounds.

For more ideas on how to better interact with and serve the needs of diverse customers, get copies of Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and Customer Service Skills for Success.

About Robert C. Lucas

Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Bob Lucas B.S., M.A., M.A, CPLP is the principal in Robert W. Lucas Enterprises, Inc and an internationally-known author; learning and performance professionals. He has written and contributed to numerous books on the subject of customer service skill training.

He regularly conducts workshops on creative training, train-the-trainer, customer service, interpersonal communication, and management,
and supervisory skills.

Learn more about Bob and his organization at www.robertwlucas.com and follow his blogs at www.robertwlucas.com/wordpress,
www.customerserviceskillsbook.com, and www.thecreativetrainer.com. Like Bob at www.facebook.com/robertwlucasenterprises