Title:  Doing Business with Heart

If you are trying to establish, build or nurture a customer service culture, here’s a Ready-2-Go Meeting segment using the concept of “Doing Business with Heart”.  While it’s seasonally appropriate to introduce during Valentine season, it’s also appropriate to introduce and pursue all year long.    By sharing heart stories in meetings,  you:

• set a positive mood for the meeting and beyond.
• encourage participants to watch others who do business with heart.
• encourage participants to do business with heart – with internal and external customers.
• nurture a caring customer culture.

All of that by just sharing stories!

Here is a suggested plan for making heart stories a 5-minute agenda item for your regular staff meeting.

Needed:

• stories about “doing business with heart” – some of your own or from this site:  www.doingbusinesswithheart.com
• optional( if you like to give rewards or treats to contributors):  little boxes of conversation hearts, a few heart shaped chocolates or if these aren’t “in season”, something like small packages of Sweet Tarts.

In advance of your meeting:

1. Read the stories at:  www.doingbusinesswithheart.com.
2. Choose two of your favorites to share with the group(three if they’re real short).

At the meeting:

1. Start by saying something like:  “I ran across these stories about doing business with heart and wanted to share them with you.”
2. Read the stories you selected in #2 above. 
3. After reading the stories, pause, allow for comments but don’t worry if there aren’t any.
4. Then ask this question of the group:    ” Do you know anyone who does business with heart?”
5. If they offer examples immediately – great!  Give heart candy to those who contribute if you chose that option.
6. If no one shares, don’t worry about it.
7. Close the discussion with this request:  “If you find any stories about people doing business with heart, please bring them to the next staff meeting.”

Important Note:  Some managers are tempted to mention to the group that this is now a regular agenda item.  I do NOT recommend that because at this time, you can’t be sure of how long you will include it.  I’ve seen some groups keep it on their agenda for years.  I’ve seen others gain from its effectiveness after about 4 meetings and then instead of making it an agenda item, they just allow for stories to be told as they bubble up from the world.   And I’ve seen others stop after the first meeting. The biggest factor seems to be the meeting leader’s enthusiasm for the concept of “doing business with heart” – even when others aren’t so enthusiastic about it.  And I have to be honest – most people aren’t enthusiastic about it at first.  Some will never become enthusiastic about it.   The people I know who are enthusiastic about it became that way gradually – after hearing about it, seeing it in action,  feeling how it felt to be on the receiving end, feeling how it felt on the giving end and telling stories about it.

For the next few meetings:

Always bring at least one heart story to share (just in case no one else brings one).  

1. Start the meeting by asking if anyone brought a heart story.  Stay silent.  Wait.  People might be hesitant to share – especially at first.
2. If no one offers,  share one of the stories you brought. 
3. Someone else may now be willing to share.  So ask if anyone else would like to share. 
4. Close the discussion with this request:  “If you find any stories about people doing business with heart, please bring them to the next staff meeting.”

You might be the only story teller for a few meetings.  But soon, others will begin sharing – a sign that hearts are warming.  And then, if it hasn’t happened already, soon the stories they tell will be about their colleagues and then….

Congratulations!  You’ve done it!  They’ve got it!  Keep it going!

To help you get it and keep it going – consider using Heart Cards for reinforcement.

Also – we’d love it if you would share your heart stories with us.  You can do that by scrolling down to the comments section at:  www.doingbusinesswithheart.com

copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc