Can You Connect to Your Customers Through Social Media?

On November 18 at ITT Tech at 11:30 am, Kristina Evey will be speaking to the group on improving your connections with your customers through Social Media.

Kristina Evey is an expert in helping companies better connect with their customers and clients in order to increase their profits. Since our emphasis has been on social media, she will incorporate this theme using increased customer satisfaction and retention as the desired outcome.

Kristina is the owner of Centric Strategies, a firm focused on improving the relationships that businesses have with their customers in order to increase profits with existing customers while, at the same time, attracting new customers. She helps companies nurture the valued relationships that businesses depend on in order to be sustainable in today's economy.

You can learn more about Kristina by visiting her websites at www.CentricStrategies.com and www.KristinaEvey.com

What Savvy Networkers Know....

October's GRAPE speaker was Jennifer V. Miller. She is the owner of a performance consulting company that serves a variety of industries— financial, manufacturing, human services and retail.

Carrying on the social media theme lately, her presentation focused on networking in the various mediums that we are all becoming familiar with, like it or not.

Jennifer explains networking as this -"My definition of networking is: “the purpose of networking is to connect people who have a mutual interest in developing a business relationship or assisting one another”. So with that framework in mind, I invite you to consider the following ideas, which I’ve playfully named “Miller’s Maxims”.

Read her summary of her presenation by clicking here.

How do YOU Network?

What’s your networking style— LinkedIn? Facebook? Twitter? Or do you prefer the old-school method of face-to-face networking?

Whatever your preference, please join us at the GRAPE meeting on Thursday October 22, 2009 for an extended networking session from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM at the ITT Technical Institute in Wyoming's Metro Health Park. GRAPE member and self-avowed “networking freak” Jennifer V. Miller will discuss how your communication style drives your networking behaviors. Building on the Social Media session presented in September, Jennifer will lead you through hands-on networking exercises that will engage you, no matter what your style. Come prepared to learn more about your fellow GRAPE members and to walk away with solid networking tips.

Photos from the September Event

Tim Penning, GVSU Professor of Communications, addresses new media or good old fashioned PR. Public Relations regarding companies has gotten far more public with the rise of social media.

A good turnout for the September meeting. GRAPE can be found on Twitter@GrapeGR, and we have groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Don't just fritter away your lunch hour - come to GRAPE for a great speaker and relevant conversations. We save the first half hour of our program for face to face networking time.

Save the Date - August 20, 2009 Learn all about "Lean Offices"

Mark your calendars: Thursday, August 20, 2009 - our own John Potter, Librarian at ITT Technical Institute will be speaking on "The Lean Office."

What do 'Lean' manufacturing techniques have to offer service companies? Lean production practices generally reduce costs, eliminate waste, and increase efficiency. However, translating these practices to an office environment is often less than obvious (though generally predicated upon optimizing office flow). And fully achieving 'Lean' may entail learning value stream mapping, root cause problem solving, and 5S methodology (to name a few). But these ideas are far from difficult to grasp and often enlightening.

July GRAPE Event: Marylu Dykstra from the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum

Customer Satisfaction Tip

Do MORE than is required. Customers love it when they see that you do more than the bare minimum. It shows you care.

Those who skate by with the bare minimum are clearly not planning on doing whatever it takes to keep the business of their customers. Those companies are thinking short term, not sustainability.

We all appreciate any extra effort that is given to us. Turn it around and make that extra effort for your customers. They'll reward you with their business and referrals.

What are your Core Values?

Core Values - many of us have heard the term, but do we really know what they are or mean? Core Values are those values by which you and your company are driven by. These determine who you are and what you stand for. The Core Values don't necessarily have to do directly with your product - but with your customers and business.

For example, Zappos is held in the highest regard for their customer service and satisfaction. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, said recently that they really don't train for customer service. They hire for culture fit. The culture of Zappos is what makes them who they are. The core values of Zappos are these...

1.Deliver WOW Through Service
2.Embrace and Drive Change
3.Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4.Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5.Pursue Growth and Learning
6.Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7.Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8.Do More With Less
9.Be Passionate and Determined
10.Be Humble

By adhering to these core values, customer service and satisfaction are a natural benefit. Everyone who works at Zappos fits their customer mindset culture, lives these core values, and truly enjoys working there. Because of this, they are invested in the success in the company and vested in keeping their customers happy. It's a win/win situation for both.

July 23rd Grapejuice Speaker

Marylu Dykstra of the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (WMSBF)will be speaking July 23rd at the next GRAPE meeting@ITT Technical Institute (11:30-1pm).

GRAPE - Grand Rapids Area Professionals for Excellence
Bring your own lunch and listen to a great speaker monthly!

Some pics from the latest GRAPE event

Some pictures from the June 18th GRAPE event:

About 25 people showed up to listen to a speaker from the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC). Great Q & A discussion followed with about full participation from the audience.

The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center

Dante O. Villarreal, Regional Director for the The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC), will be speaking June 18th at our next GRAPE event. It will be held at the ITT Institute, located at 1980 Metro Court SW, Wyoming, MI 49519. Networking begins at 11:30 and the speaker presents from 12:00pm until 1:00pm. Please feel free to bring your own lunch to enjoy during the presentation.

The mission of The Michigan Small Business & Technology Dvlpt Center (MI-SBTDC) is to "enhance Michigan's economic well-being by providing counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures, existing small businesses and innovative technology companies. With offices statewide, the MI-SBTDC positively impacts the economy by strengthening existing companies, creating new jobs, retaining existing jobs, and assisting companies in defining their path to success" (from GVSU website: http://www.gvsu.edu/misbtdc/ ).

These GRAPE events are a great way to learn more about the businesses and services located here in West Michigan. But, even more importantly, they are a wonderful forum to network and share ideas, concerns, and strategies.

Please be sure to join us on June 18th. We'll see you there!

Why West Michigan?

Simple, West Michigan is a national center for manufacturing excellence, life science discovery, and technological innovation. Long the home of office furniture giants Steelcase, Haworth and Herman Miller, the region is now the center of one of the largest investment in life sciences in the country. More than $1 billion has been invested in research and patient care– propelling Greater Grand Rapids onto the elite list of America’s top sustainable, knowledge-based economies. We are ranked globally:

· 13th World Knowledge Competitive Index
· 41st Regional Ratio of Knowledge Intensity
· 4th R&D Expenditures by Business
· 13th Primary and Secondary Education Expenditures
· 20th Economic Activity
· 24th Patents Registered per capita
· 36th Biotechnology and Science Employers
· 40th Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita

Culturally, a low cost of living, award-winning schools and diverse cultural options are just a few reasons why people choose West Michigan to live and work. Our region has a vibrant, big-city feel while retaining smaller-city charm in its neighborhoods, boutique shopping areas and tree-lined streets.

And at The Right Place it’s our mission to build on these strengths to further advance the economy. The Right Place is a regional non-profit economic development organization founded in 1985 and supported through investments from the private and public sector. Its mission is to promote wealth creation and economic growth in the areas of quality employment, productivity and innovation in West Michigan by developing jobs through leading business retention, expansion and attraction efforts.

From Tim Mroz, Senior Communications Director for The Right Place (the leading economic development organization in West Michigan)

New Blog for GRAPE

GRAPE stands for Grand Rapids Area Professionals for Excellence. We're a speaker's group dedicated to advancing educational topics of interest to the Grand Rapids Professionals.