Ever heard this story? A man is walking along a beach where thousands of starfish have been washed onto the sand. He sees another man, scooping and bending, then hurling something out to sea again and again. When he catches up, he sees that the man is throwing marooned starfish into the water. “There are too many to save,” said the first man. … [Read more...] about Compassionate Selfishness
Obey Me or Fail
Are you trying to do something hard and complicated? Maybe it’s lose weight or build a business online or improve your Star Wars origami skills. Along the way, you might have sought out some advice. It could be advice from someone you know, free advice from blogs or the library, or a paid “how to” product. If your Hard Thing has enough pieces … [Read more...] about Obey Me or Fail
Handling Angry Customers: #1, Phone Trees from Hell
As promised, here's a quote from a long letter I'm working on to business that encountered me as a cranky, unhappy customer. Your phone tree, like that in many businesses, is a service nightmare. If I want technical support, it tells me to hang up and call another number. Then when I call that number, I get transferred back to the original number … [Read more...] about Handling Angry Customers: #1, Phone Trees from Hell
Turning Crap into Gold: How to (Gracefully) Handle Angry Customers
One of the most unpleasant parts of running any businesses is dealing with customers who are mad at you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a dog walker or a graphic designer or a neurosurgeon. One of these days, someone’s going to express some significant dissatisfaction with what you do or how you do it. When you’re still a small business, it feels … [Read more...] about Turning Crap into Gold: How to (Gracefully) Handle Angry Customers
