Bad Customer Service

 03/08/2026

I do not think that companies actually teach customer service anymore (except maybe Chick-fil-A, which has it figured out). Most of the time, it feels like they just hire them and throw them out to the wolves, hoping they show up tomorrow. I cannot tell you how many drive-thrus I've been in where I wonder, "Where the hell did they get this person?"

Here are some scary facts about how poor service can affect your business.

Knowledge is power!

• Most business people think they have few dissatisfied customers because most do not complain.

1. Think of your own record as a consumer and as a complainer. How often have you been dissatisfied with a product, a service, a meal in a restaurant, or a wait in line?
2. How often have you complained to the management, the manufacturer, or the retailer?

• A recent study indicated that the average business never hears from 96 percent of its unhappy customers.

1. While 96 percent of the unhappy customers do not complain to you, they do let off steam and spread their dissatisfaction with the product or service.
2. They complain to other customers and potential customers -family, friends, and associates at work, and anyone else who will listen.
3. They feel wronged and frustrated and want to talk about it.

• For every complaint received, the average business has another 26 customers with problems, at least six of which are serious.

1. Customers who have problems and complain are giving you a chance to keep their business.
2. An unhappy customer cannot be kept quiet. However, you can regain their support by solving complaints quickly.
3. These customers may not only come back but also give them something positive to talk about.
4. Surveys show that you can win back between 54 and 70 percent of these complainers by resolving their complaints.
5. According to consumer surveys, a person who has had an unpleasant experience with a business will tell 9 or 10 other people.

• Approximately 13 percent will tell more than 20 other people.

1. This negative word-of-mouth can be very harmful to a business.
2. In today's complex marketplace, more and more consumers are basing their purchasing decisions on the advice of people they know.
3. Results indicate that up to 95 percent of this group will become loyal customers again if their complaints are handled well and promptly.

• It is 13 times more expensive to attract new customers than to keep your current ones! A copy of these facts and more like them is at the University of Michigan Extension and can be found at: http://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33209845.html
  
  Thankx for Reading my Rant!
  
  BigMike
  
  

 

Writing Skills

03/05/2026

Tips for Clearer Writing

Writing is a one-way communication. If the message can be understood, it will be.

A writer must be impeccably clear and accurate, or the pact between writer and reader is broken.

Be aware of easy writing. Oftentimes, it isn’t!

 

1.   Keep sentences short. Tests show reading is difficult when sentences average much more than 20 words. Count the words! If your sentences are 25 words or more, rewrite. Sentences composed of 12 to 15 words are usually most effective.

 

2.   Prefer the simple to the complex. This applies to both sentence structure and word choice. Use the subject-verb-object sentence structure for clarity.

 

3.   Prefer the familiar word. If readers don’t understand the words you use, they will miss your meaning. This does not excuse a small vocabulary, however. Writers need all the words they can master.

 

4.   Avoid unnecessary words. Nothing fogs writing more than words that are not needed. Read your copy carefully. Make all words carry their own weight.

 

5.   Put action into your verbs. Action verbs put life into writing. Don’t smother action with too many “passive voice” verbs, like is, are, and —ing ending verbs. Passive writing makes passive readers.

 

6.   Write like you talk. Well, a little that way. A conversational tone is one of the best tricks for producing readable copy. Don’t lapse into stuffy jargon or rely on corporate-speak, legalese, etc. Stay away from words like strategize, finalize, and utilize.

 

7.   Be clear and concise. Search for the single, right word rather than a handful of almost right words. This translates into clear, crisp writing that your readers understand.

 

8.   Watch your tone. Be careful to project a positive tone; positive writing makes for positive readers. Also, prune your prose for racism and sexism—it can creep in writing without the writer being aware.

 

9.   Translate jargon. Every trade and profession has its special language. If you use jargon, make sure your reader will understand it—do not assume!

 

10. Write to express, not impress. Don’t show off, particularly by using complex words and sentence structure. Make your message clear with simple, direct writing. The writer who makes the best impression is the one who can say complex things simply. Your readers will thank you for it.






Thankx for Reading (Not a Rant, but nobody is perfect).


BigMike

Boomer explains Tool and Equipment Maintenance

 01/05/2025

Good Afternoon, ladies and gents,

Today's video explains why you should regularly repair and clean tools and perform all the simple maintenance required. The simple answer is that you like saving money.

Well, you don't, do you? 

Many people will not admit that they never considered the maintenance cost or the upkeep when they purchased it. I've seen people, only two years after they bought a brand-new lawnmower, throw it away, sell it for nothing, send it to the dump, or give it to someone because it didn't work anymore. I cannot tell you how many times I have bought a nonworking piece of equipment from someone in the last 20 years, and with a tiny bit of work, I have made it a functioning tool that has done its job again for many years.

A case in point is to look at weedeaters; I see a lot of weedeaters go to the junk yard. Two reasons for that. Usually, the first big reason is you don't know how to mix the oil with the gasoline, and you end up burning the rings out of the engine or motor, and it starts to consume oil and smoke, and pretty soon, it won't start or run. The next big thing is that nobody knows how to maintain them, so they just call them throwaway items. They paid $200 for the last two years, so they throw it away when it doesn't work, and I get a new one to get a replacement unit. To me, this seems dorky. And by dorky, I mean pointless, verging on stupid, because there's not much you have to do to a weedeater to winterize it for next year. 

I'm looking up on Google. Google is your best friend. You may use a different browser, or you may use Microsoft BING. I don't care. Search for "How do I winterize a weedeater?". The Almighty search engine will take you to someplace that basically just says to follow these steps,  For example: 1) Change the spark plug, 2) find some gasoline additive that stabilizes fuel (the big one is called Sta-Bil), and what it does is a teacher fuel from gumming up inside the little tiny carburetor that's on every weedeater and keeps it running. All you have to do is put the right amount of Sta-Bil inside your gas tank and then run the fuel for a few minutes to make sure that it went through the fuel line that got to the carburetor that went to the spark plug, etc., and then you can go put your weedeater up till next year. When you go to start the weedeater next year, it will begin because the carburetor is not gummed up with all your old oil and gasoline, and you also 3) put new filters in it, and maybe air filters or fuel filters if it has one. So, the only thing that passed was time.

The oil and the gas did not degrade; it did not turn into sludge in your gas tank, in your fuel lines, in your carburetor, or near your spark plug. The purpose of the additive is to keep your fuel in top condition and to keep it dry, to keep the water out of it. Maintaining a weedeater takes about 15 or 20 min. Total. From the last time you used it until the next time you used it, it takes about 20 minutes. To put it away right in my put away right, I mean to do the maintenance for next year. What do you do?

What is your plan for not buying a new weedeater every spring?

Thank you for reading this and, in advance, for watching my video.

BIGMIKE

Boomer Talks about Stopping Procrastination

Stop Procrastinating! 
Why do you avoid doing things?

Why do you put everything off until the last minute?

What can you do about it? Why should you fix this?

Boomer Talks about Life Hacks

 

What is all the buzz about so-called "Life Hacks" and is it a good idea?

Thankx for watching my video.

BigMike

Boomer talks about who is responsible for You

 

How do you know who is responsible?

I mean for anything but especially for you.

Responsible for your actions, your inactions, and what you do
 and what you don't do?

I know this seems like a weighty topic
 that really can be explained with gravity.

Watch the video

Thanks for watching my Video.

Bigmike

Boomer Talks about What you are worth

 What are you worth?

Not what is your salary, I mean what is your true worth?

Not only how do you know, but how do others determine your value?

It's actually pretty simple.

Thanks for watching My video.
BigMike

Boomer Talks about Plan your Work and Work your Plan

 

How do you get things accomplished?

Do you have a system or method that you use every time

or do you just bounce from item to item

 until you are too tired to continue?

If you are like a lot of people you just want somebody
 to point you in the right direction to get you started,
 and that's what this video is all about.

Plan your Work and Work your Plan.
Start with what you're trying to accomplish (the end) in mind.

use the G, A, M, E method

Gather information on what you need.
Analyze the Information.
Make a decision about what to do.
Execute - Get it done.

Make a list.
Write the items down in pencil.
Mark them off in ink.

Thanks for watching my video

BigMike

Boomer Talks about Doing The Right thing

 How do you know that you are doing the right thing?

How do you know what the right thing is.

What kind of things should you think about?

What kind of things should you not think about?

Is doing the right thing situational?

What is the right thing?

Thanks for watching my video.
Big Mike

Boomer Talks about Speaking your mind and how to do it

 
Boomer Talks

about

How to Speak your mind