Ed Sykes
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Article
Eight Customer Service Secrets to âJumpstartingâ Your Customer Service During Challenging Times!
Outstanding customer service is the key to creating a successful organization during any economic time⦠but especially during challenging economic times. Itâs amazing how most organizations will invest millions, if not billions, of dollars on new computer systems, new displays, new phone systems, and new marketing campaigns to try to acquire new customers. The moment of truth comes, however, when the new customer has first contact with these organizations. If the customer
April 1, 2011
Article
Presentation Skills: How to Prepare an Outstanding Presentation in Thirty Minutes or Less (Seven Secrets to Giving the Impromptu Speech)
It's 2 p.m. and your manager walks up to you with that look on his face. He announces that the company president wants you to give a presentation to him concerning the high profile project you have been working onâ¦and he wants the presentation to start in thirty minutes. Now you have a look on your face as if you had just seen a ghost. No problem. The following are seven secrets to preparing an outstanding presentation when you have less than thirty minutes: 1. You Don't Ne
April 1, 2011
Article
Customer Service Skills: Check Yourself for Outstanding Customer Service
Recently, a business associate, Mike, mentioned that he was doing a show at a local university and stopped by the faculty dining hall to get lunch. He said that, while waiting on line, the service was poor. The line moved slowly, the counterperson was disinterested in what she was doingâ¦and it showed. It was not a pleasant customer experience. It was Mikeâs turn to order and the counterperson continued to show her disinterestâ¦no eye contact, moving like it pained her, a
April 1, 2011
Article
Success Techniques: Connect the Dots! Your Roadmap for Success
Recently, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios, gave a commencement address to the graduating class at Stanford University. He talked about creating passion, life and death, and âconnecting the dots.â The dots were events in his life, many challenging and many positive, which led to his many successes. He shared with the audience that being fired from Apple Computer, the computer he founded, he was able to step back and develop the idea for Pi
March 26, 2011
Article
Presentation skills: Ten Quick Public Speaking Tips for Outstanding Presentations
Itâs that time againâ¦the monthly meeting. You break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it. Whether you present to your managers or your employees you are saying to yourself: What if I mess up?rn What if I repeat myself?rn What if the audience doesnât like what I say?rn What if I forget a part of my speech?rn What if I look nervous? Itâs okay! Youâre not the only one feeling this way. The Book of Lists states that the #1 fear is speaking in public. This fear is
March 26, 2011
Article
Motivation Tools: Have You Appreciated Someone Today? One Powerful Secret for Team Motivation
I invested some time with Mother recently and drove her to the hospital to visit with her sick sister-in-law, my aunt. While I was standing in the doorway, a nurse came by and introduced herself as Ruth and said âhelloâ to us and said âhelloâ to my aunt. This put a smile on my auntâs face. The nurse then introduced me to the other nurses working at the nursesâ station. She let me know that these nurses are hard working and good at their jobs. I couldnât agree wi
March 26, 2011
Article
How to Give an Acceptance Speech: Seven Presentation Secrets Learned from the Academy Awards
Academy Awards come and go, but one thing is a constant: bad acceptance speeches. You may never win an Academy Award, but you may be asked to give an acceptance speech for an accomplishment in your business, your career, your community, or your organization. Sometimes your acceptance speech will be for what you accomplished, or for what your team has accomplished. Will you be ready when it is your time to give an acceptance speech? The following are seven presentation secrets
January 25, 2011
Article
Presentation Skills: Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat" Will Help You Get Your Presentation Points Across! (Yes you can, here is the Three Step Plan)
I was recently coaching an engineer who wanted to improve his speaking skills. After videotaping him, we discussed his strong points and then his areas of improvement. Then we got to the area of vocal variety. Vocal variety is the quality of your speech that hold your audience. It is the combination of pitch changes, pauses, inflection, rhythm, and loudness in your voice that adds "color" to any conversation or speech. I suggested he try Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat."
January 25, 2011
Article
Seven Secrets for Creating Outrageous Success in Your Life!
By now you may have heard the ultimate success story: the âman with the golden voice.â Ted Williams, a homeless man had a very special talent: he has the beautiful voice of a radio announcer and voiceover professional. Yet, he fell on hard times, took drugs and alcohol, lost his job and family, and resorted to living on the street and taking handouts on a busy street corner. Then, one day a videographer who had heard about the man with the golden voice, interviewed Ted Wi
January 25, 2011
Article
Customer Service Starts with a Can Do Attitude: Five Secrets to Winning, Creating Repeat Customers
Let me share with you the following customer service story on how you can outperform your competition and win customers every day. On our road trips to New Jersey to facilitate a motivation program for a client, Joy and I make it a habit to order food from a particular fast food restaurant. Although the food is not nutritious, it tastes good and is so famous that there was a movie made about the adventures of two people searching for this restaurant (Hint: Harold and Kumar ar
January 25, 2011
Article
Career Advice: Four Secrets to Creating Successful Job Opportunities
Soon after I graduated from college, I moved to New York City to find fame and fortune. I was in a great relationship, found a great job working in Manhattan and I was feeling on top of the world. I was going places! But then it happened. My girlfriend broke up with me and the company let me go due to reorganization. In only a few days, my world was shaken. I applied for job after job with no results. My money was running low and my rent was due. I didnât know what to do.rn
January 25, 2011
Article
Stress Management: Five Ways to Reduce Environmental Stress - Part One
Life is stressful enough without allowing the physicalrnenvironment - air quality, lighting, noise, and otherrncontrollable factors - to intensify day-to-day stress.rnEspecially in the Fall and Winter is where you experiencernless daylight and more mood swings. The great thing about environmental stress is that in mostrncases we can control what is in our environment that isrncausing the stress. Take these five steps to eliminaternenvironmental stressors that might cause stre
January 25, 2011
Websites & resources
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Website
The Sykes Group
The Sykes Group is the leading motivation, leadership, customer service, and presentation skills experts, motivational speakers, authors, and coaches to take you and your organization to the next level of success.
September 23, 2007
Website
The Sykes Group
The Sykes Group is the leading motivation, leadership, customer service, and presentation skills experts, motivational speakers, authors, and coaches to take you and your organization to the next level of success.
September 23, 2007