Learning Business from Kids, Really!

Posted on October 2, 2017 by MarleneMB

The day after Hurricane Irma hit Orlando, FL, I spent time with my nieces and nephew. Little did I know that they were going to teach me how to operate in business.

Yes. These are valuable points they taught me:

To be innovative when thinking of my customer

Avoid the pitfalls in business

Have a Plan A, B and C!

Take time to rest – Balance Life

Great Teamwork and Leadership are important for a business to succeed.

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Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. Marlene is the owner of Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a Keynote Speaker, an Author and a Business Consultant.

Want Revenue Growth? Make Them Happy: Superior Customer Service

Posted on October 12, 2015 by MarleneMB

Drained and hungry after a flight from Florida Philadelphia, Dawnna St. Louisand I decided to get something to eat at one of the airport restaurants. :We decided to eat at Legal Sea Foods. I ordered soup and salad. When: the server, Edwin, brought our food I noticed that the salad did not have cranberries. I really thought cranberries will add a nice flavor to the salad.

I asked Edwin if they had cranberries. He said he would check. It was about 6-8 minutes before he reappeared with the cranberries. Pleasantly surprised, I told him I thought that they didn’t have it, because it took a while for him to get back. Edwin said: “We don’t. I went around to the Chinese restaurant to get them. I knew they have them.”

Wow! Dawnna and I were so impressed by this. Edwin could have simply said: “No, we don’t have them,” and continue on with his day. But he didn’t. Edwin provided superior customer service by going out of his way to give me with what I wanted. You know that earned him a great tip.

Now, you may say that this was not so significant. It was a small gesture and he was doing it for tips. For me, it was a big gesture. One that left me with a great impression not only of Edwin but of Legal Seafood. I will definitely visit the establishment again.

Edwin’s actions is a great example of the way customer service will win you new clients. As an entrepreneur, you cannot discount the value of providing your clients with the best customer service that you can. Here are some tips I gathered from my experience with Edwin:

Listen to your clients: Take the time to hear what challenges your client is facing, or what he or she wants. When people know that you are truly listening to them, they know you care. Therefore, they are more apt to do business with you.
No shouldn’t be the first answer: Before you say “No,” think of the issue your client is experiencing or what they want. Is there a solution that you can provide that will not cost you a lot of money, time and significant effort to provide it? By providing the solution, does it bring greater dividend in the long run? If so, go ahead and deliver it.
Let them know what you did: This one may not feel right to everyone, but I learned early in my corporate career that sometimes you have to do this. How will they know that you care enough to give them this special service, if you don’t tell them? It is similar to telling your manager what you did to deserve a raise or a promotion.
Don’t discount the Power of Great Customer Service: More than likely you have experienced good and bad customer service. Lately, it seems that the latter occurs more often than the former. Ensure that your company is delivery customer service that your clients are willing to tell people about it and recommend your company.
Provide the proper customer service training: Lack of proper customer service training for your employees can kill your business. I have seen it often enough. You may save money up front by not paying for training, but you will lose much more if your staff doesn’t know how to provide your clients with good customer service.

Lesson learned: Superior Customer Service = Happy Clients = Revenue Growth.

Upon leaving the restaurant, I asked Edwin if the restaurant had a Tweeter account. I told him I wanted to send out a tweet about how impressed I was by his service. He said he didn’t know if they did, but he was so happy I was pleased with his service. He raised his hands above his head, pumped his fists and chanted: “Edwin, Edwin, Edwin.” Dawnna and I had no choice but to laugh. Edwin’s gesture made me feel that I had truly entered the City of Brotherly Love. What a great way to start our business trip on a hight note.

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Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page to allow me to share more Purposeful thoughts, ideas and experiences with you. Feel free to leave a comment or share the article with others.

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Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a Speaker, an Author and a Business Coach.

Dr. Wayne Dyer and Mrs. Louis-Charles – Their Legacies, Lives and Love Impacted Many

Posted on August 31, 2015 by MarleneMB

Two of my favorite people left this realm, yesterday: Dr. Wayne Dyer and Mrs. Louis-Charles. They existed in different physical places on this planet, but reside in the same place in my heart.

On one of my restless nights at approximately 2 a.m. in the morning in the year 2003, I came across a PBS show. The person on the screen was talking about “Intention.” He mentioned about being connect with the “Source of the Universe.” I was intrigued by what he was saying so I didn’t change the channel. As I watched, I learned that his name is Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Ever since watching that show, my outlook on life “shifted” to reading, learning and implementing more of Dr. Dyer’s teachings of: Connection, the Power of I Am (respect of the God within us), encouragement, the importance of embracing life’s journey and of universal love. His teaching had such a great impact on me so much so that I included him in my book: “Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters.” He was one of my Spiritual Diamond Cutters.

Wayne Dyer touched millions of lives in his time here on earth. Maybe he even touched yours. I didn’t get the chance to meet him face-to-face. I was looking forward to doing this at his events in Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. Interesting enough, one of his daughter, Serena, and I were classmates in our Masters Degree program. She exudes her father’s teaching. I truly believe she will continue on with his legacy.

Mrs. Louis-Charles was not as famous as Dr. Wayne Dyer, yet she was famous in my heart. You won’t find her on social media or television. She was my sister’s mother-in-law. This woman was love personified to me. From the first time I met her, I felt love. She was always welcoming with her words of encouragement and her grace towards others. Mrs. Louis-Charles met my son, Tarik, a few times. My sister said she always asked about Tarik because she saw something special in him.

Whenever they met, Mrs. Louis-Charles would give Tarik a great big hug, She would also tell him he has talents. She encouraged Tarik to develop and share his talents wit others. Each time I think of her, it brings a smile to my face and my heart. I hope to be like Mrs. Louis-Charles that when someone thinks of me, they smile. Do you know someone like that? Are you someone like that?

Mrs. Louis-Charles loss her battle with cancer the day after Dr. Dyer made his transition. Here is my simple tribute to two beautiful human beings: one well known to others and one living a quite life. Though they are not with us in this physical realm, they continue on within my spiritual heart. Their examples of love, encouragement and kindness towards others have permanently imprinted on my soul. Their legacies live on in us, the ones they have touched.

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Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the Toastmasters District 47 Media Manager,. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a Speaker, an Author and a Business Coach.

Mission Accomplished – Networking for A Bold, Audacious, Powerful Woman

Posted on August 10, 2015 by MarleneMB

The phone rang and I glanced over to see who was interrupting my busy day. It was Dawnna St. Louis, one of my mentors. I happily took her call because she always has nuggets of wisdom to share. This time it was different. It was a business offer.

Dawnna asked if I wanted to go with her to New Orleans to the Promotional Products Association International Women Leadership Conference. She was the closing keynote speaker. She wanted me to network for her during the conference. I would intermingle with the attendees, share information about Dawnna, and collect information that the attendees want to learn. Our mission was to secure at least two solid speaking engagements for Dawnna after the conference.

Of course I said “Yes.” Someone is going to fly me out to New Orleans, pay for my hotel, air and for what I love doing: networking and meeting new people? Absolutely, I was going.

The first night of the conference we attended the welcoming cocktail party. While Dawnna chatted with one of the other speakers, I floated around to meet the women. These women were quite friendly and welcomed me into their circle. I told them that I worked with Dawnna and she wanted to know what it is that they wanted to learn at the conference. Dawnna’s desired to ensure she delivered the most impactful speech and teach them “The Audacious Acts of Powerful Women Leaders,” her keynote speech title.

The workshops and networking sessions started on Monday and concluded on Wednesday with Dawnna’s keynote speech. Throughout that time, I mingled with the attendees. As I learned about the women’s interests and career concerns, I shared the information with Dawnna. She incorporated this information in her speech to make it more effective for the audience. I also told the women they shouldn’t miss Dawnna’s speech. She would be sharing valuable tips for them to be more successful in their industry. I informed these women that Dawnna was one of my mentors that have given me the confidence to start and grow my business.

By the time Dawnna to take the stage, the women’s expectation and curiosity had grown. Dawnna entered the room with a lot of energy, boldness and music playing to engage the audience. She threw out a challenge for four of them to get up on stage; if they thought they were audacious enough. The room exploded with excitement. The women rushed to the stage. I was in position to allow only four of them on stage. These women overcame whatever shyness they had and performed whatever acts Dawnna asked of them up on that stage. Here is an image of them having fun and the audience laughing along with them.

Next Dawnna shared her powerful story about going from being homeless to being the CIO of a multi-million-dollar company. She shared the challenges she faced in a male-dominated industry. This story resonated with the audience. Next she taught them how they can use audacious acts to become powerful women leaders in their careers. Finally, she concluded with questions from the audience that gave them an opportunity to get answers to burning questions they had. The event was a great success!

Here are things I learned from networking for Dawnna:

Care about what the audience needs/wants and not what you think they want to know.
Take the time to get to know them by listening more and talking less.
Be open and genuine when you approach them, you will be accepted more readily.
Offer to be of assistance to the event organizer. This goes a long way in getting access to your audience.
It is not about you, the networker, it is about the person your are networking for and his/her audience.
Perform your best for your client by going the extra mile.

The organizer requested that Dawnna and I attend the final dinner party in order for the women to speak with Dawnna in an informal setting. At the event, some of the women chatted with Dawnna while I got testimonials from the others on a cell phone. They were too happy to share that they thought Dawnna was the best speaker at the conference. They also told Dawnna what I great job I did for her. Our goal was to secure two new speaking engagements after the conference. We secured five! Mission Accomplished!

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Magic in Manhattan

Posted on June 18, 2015 by MarleneMB

Buckets of rain kept pouring down as we drove through the streets of Manhattan. My nephew maneuvered in and around the traffic to get me to my book signing event at Sister’s Uptown Bookstore. He was determined to get me there on-time for my “Special Event” as he called it.

The torrential rain was just another obstacle I had to face on Tuesday. The day started with me arriving at the airport only to be told that my flight. This was cancelled due to some difficulties at the arriving airport. My heart almost stopped! I told the valet that there is no way I will miss getting to New York that day. I had my book signing after all. He instructed me to go to the main reservation desk.

Wheeling my bags frantically and praying unceasingly, I found one of the JetBlue personnel who directed me to the front of a line. She told me someone would be able to help me. When I approached the counter the young man said there is a seat available at the same time to JFK instead of Westchester, my original destination. I told him I would take it. A little over an hour later I was on my way to New York.

Knowing that I made it to NYC on-time gave me the strength I needed to be optimistic that folks will turn out for the book signing despite the rain. This faith proved to be true. When we walked into the store, I was greeted by one of my sorority sisters. She came all the way from Sheepshead Bay to support me. This was more than an hours ride on the train.

Not long after, others turned out for the event. My heart was filled with joy as my friends and family came out to support me. I saw folks I hadn’t seen in years, including my brother that lives in the United Kingdom. This will be one of my favorite moments in this journey called “Life!”

If you are faced with obstacles today, here is what I recommend:

Don’t give up.
Take a deep breath and believe that it will work out.
Have faith in yourself that you are strong enough to handle it.
Enlist the aid of others that will take some of the burden off you.
Push forward and see the magic unfold.

It was a thrill to be able to conduct one of my book signing in one of the few books stores left in Harlem. I am so grateful to the owner, Jenifar (I even like the way she spells her name), and her assistant in being such wonderful hosts. If you are in Harlem, check them out at 1942 Amsterdam Ave. They were a part of my Magic in Manhattan.

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