Writers are often unsure of how to format thoughts in their writing. Thoughts are best put in italic and do not include quotes. For example: I hope this description makes sense to you. An attribute tag, such as “he thought” is not used, since the person doing the thinking should be obvious from the context. […]
Categories
Penny Wise and Dollar Foolish
Customer Service Failure Exists in Both Big and Small Ways By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD After moving from one town to another, I continued working with my long-time business accountant. Though most of our interactions occurred over the phone and through email, I persisted in making an hour-long trek to his office each tax season. […]
Some writers post new material on social media. Others repeat content from their blog. I do neither. Here’s why. Republishing the whole post isn’t a good idea because it repeats content, and search engines dismiss duplicate content. And I feel it’s too time-consuming and therefore not a good use of my time to write new […]
Real World Customer Service Stories to Inform Your Practices By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD For over twenty years I’ve written a “From the Publisher” column in each issue of Connections Magazine. For many years that meant six columns a year, although it initially was four and at one time it ballooned up to ten, but […]
Verify Key Information and Don’t Assume You Know the Answer By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD My first full-time job was repairing copy machines. One day, toward the end of my short tenure there, the new service manager shared his vision for the future of his department. The company had two product lines, each with its […]
Categories
Celebrate Being a Writer
Even though it took me a while to call myself a writer, I’ve been writing most of my life. In high school, I learned I had a knack for it, and it’s been part of almost every job I’ve had. Although I’ve had some great jobs, my work as a full-time writer is the most […]
Here are the pros and cons of indie publishing versus going with a traditional publisher: Traditional Publishing Pros and Cons: In most cases, traditional publishing requires less of the author, should result in more book sales over a wider distribution, and carries the prestige of a publisher selecting your book for publication. The negatives include […]
Categories
Customer Rip-Offs
Make Sure Your Objectives Align with Your Practices By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD To avoid the huge depreciation loss that all new cars undergo, I buy used. However, there was a season when I bought new. This story is about one of those times. Although it wasn’t my practice to go to the dealer for […]
Categories
Sticky Customer Service
Do you lose customers about as fast as you gain them? It doesn’t have to be that way. The Sticky Customer Service book will show you how. Customer service isn’t a once-and-done effort. It takes ongoing work to truly meet your customers’ expectations. In Sticky Customer Service, unearth practical, action-oriented insights to help you turn […]
I’ve paid to enter some contests. I don’t mind it when I win, but it’s a double hit when I don’t. I’ve paid from $1 to $20, and each time they gave a compelling reason why I needed to compensate them to consider my work. And each time I’ve felt duped afterward. Going forward, the […]