Some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, leadership, HR, and career tips.

SBA @SBAgov
Want to grow your business in 2020? These SBA resources can help! — http://ow.ly/hoVU50xbsgv

REI College @REICollege
Steps to Getting Business Credit http://bit.ly/2Uarl33 building business credit can often seem like a mystery for many #smallbusinesses and #startups but is not very different to building your own #corporatecredit.

Alexandra Beauregard @productivityzne
The subtle difference between being busy and being productive that you might have missed — http://bit.ly/2sClvP5 #productivity #entrepreneurlife #smallbiz

Business Club @Business__Club
3 Investments Every Aspiring Entrepreneur Should Not Hesitate To Make http://dlvr.it/RLsgQ0 #Entrepreneur #SmallBiz

Allen Ruddock @AllenRuddock
What steps can you take to learn #leadership http://dld.bz/dDQy2 

Dr. Eshani Niranya Karu MD @dreshanikaru
How To Challenge The Status Quo In Traditional #Leadership Behaviors http://ow.ly/XZHT50xvlcO

Jon S Rennie @jonsrennie
70% of employees in Corporate America report that the worst part of their job is their direct line manager. Also, 70% of employees are disengaged at work. I wonder if there is any correlation?

BotCore.AI @BotCore_AI
How #Chatbots are Revolutionizing The #HR Department https://buff.ly/2Kizket

PayrollVaultFran @PVFranchise
What recruiters really think about when they interview candidates http://fastcompany.com/90435212/what-recruiters-really-think-about-when-they-interview-candidates #HR 

Mark C. Crowley @MarkCCrowley
How do you feel when a colleague says “Can I give you some feedback?” Most of us stiffen up & get defensive & anxious. Gallup says Orgs would be wise to start encouraging employees to reverse the process & intentionally ask others for performance feedback. 

FocusFew Strategy @FocusFew2Win
Why are companies investing in upskilling? — http://bit.ly/34C9KWy

Dennis Patel @ITMob
The 10+ Most Important Job Skills Every Company Will Be Looking For In 2020 https://buff.ly/32ho1qm

Hannah Morgan @careersherpa
Are you aware of these often-overlooked employer benefits? By @ShelleyPiedmont https://buff.ly/38VPi6l

World Economic Forum @wef
Why it’s good to turn your colleagues into friends https://wef.ch/339r5We #Careers

Many of us are familiar with the phrase: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That philosophy can seem really tempting — especially at the end of the year when we’re scrambling to get everything done before holiday breaks and year-ends. But a much wiser man, the late PR powerhouse Al Golin (1929-2017), said: “Fix it before it breaks.” This is the philosophy we should embrace as we prepare for success in 2020.

Start by taking a few extra minutes as you analyze month-end, quarter-end or year-end reports. Don’t just go through a rushed process of checking the same facts and figures that you check every month, quarter or year — instead, look closely at the details. Is there a slight increase or decrease in one number? If so, why? Look at changes in both numerical quantities and percentages to ensure you’re evaluating the whole picture. Then look for statistics, trends, reports, and other information about competitors and your overall industry. How does your organization compare to them? 

Even if you believe you are performing better than the rest of your competition, and even if you’ve had the best year in your company’s history, pay attention to anytime that you or someone else on your team utters phrases like: “Yeah, but that’s no big deal,” or “Yeah, but everyone is going through that right now,” or “Yeah, but we’re still within an the industry average.” This is what I call a yellow flag. You’re not at the red-flag stage yet, but the whole point of fixing something before it breaks is that you never want to get to the red-flag stage. 

The yellow flag tells you to pay attention, analyze why something is happening, and start planning how your company can evolve right now. This gives you ample time to be thoughtful, exploratory, and deliberate with how you address current or anticipated needs. You end up with a better result, and it may give you an innovative advantage in your industry. This could mean something as complex as incorporating artificial intelligence or other automations, or it could be as simple as identifying a previously overlooked market for your product or service.

This philosophy of “fix it before it breaks” urges the importance of constant environmental scanning, as well as being proactive with internal communications and external public-relations efforts. 

Remember all that time you gain to be thoughtful and exploratory before making a change? This also gives you an opportunity to involve myriad stakeholders throughout different phases. It gives you a chance to communicate with your employees — to get input and/or gain support. It allows you to develop powerful messages about the changes you’re making, create new marketing materials, and garner news coverage for your insights and innovations.

Most importantly, though, the “fix it before it breaks” approach to business will keep your organization healthy and successful. And by incorporating a communications strategy into this forward-thinking way of doing business, you’ll also reap the benefits of earning a strong positive reputation.      

Crystal DeStefano is president and director of public relations at Strategic Communications, LLC, which says it provides trusted counsel for public relations, including media strategy, media outreach, monitoring, and analysis. Contact DeStefano at Crystal@stratcomllc.com.

I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And make believe it came from you
I’m gonna write words, oh, so sweet
They’re gonna knock me off my feet

—Fats Waller, American jazz pianist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer

America may run on Dunkin’, but business runs on email. 

Planning out your email marketing missives for the new year? Try writing your marketing emails as if you’re writing to yourself. 

Read your draft out loud. Let your colleagues vet it before you load it into Constant Contact or MailChimp. Test it on a trusted customer. Edit as needed. Then press send. 

Here are 12 more tips for effective email blasts.

1. Be clear and concise — it sounds obvious, but we all get an ocean of email that uses a lot of words to say nothing in particular. Words matter. Make them count.

2. Pay attention to your subject line — using an incentive can increase your open rate by up to 50 percent.

3. Create a sense of importance and urgency — if there’s a real time sensitivity, say it in the subject line and again in the close.

4. Use a compelling, open-ended question. Example: Are you ready for the XYZ Law?

5. Use an emoji — 56 percent of brands report higher unique open rates when using emojis.

6. Make sure your first 35-140 characters count — that’s all that typically fits in email- preview mode.

7. Avoid spammy words like buy now, win, and free.

8. Avoid all caps — it’s still considered shouting.

9. Avoid overusing exclamation points. Period.

10. Be conversational — talk human and avoid business jargon.

11. Encourage sharing — tell recipients it’s as easy as hitting forward or clicking on social buttons at the bottom of your message.

12. Resist using colored text — stick with black or dark gray for readability and professionalism.      

Steve Johnson is managing partner of Riger Marketing Communications in Binghamton. Contact him at sdjohnson@riger.com

When the contractor didn’t deliver the proposal as promised, the homeowner called to find out when to expect it. “Sorry about that,” was the reply, “You’ll have it later today or tomorrow.” When it arrived, what passed for a proposal was a “cost estimate” and a hand-drawn layout lacking specifics. It appeared to have been dashed off on the way over. The contractor came recommended, but the homeowner chose another company due to a lack of trust.

Hands down, customer experience is today’s number one marketing hot-button issue — and for good reason. Up to 82 percent of customers who leave do so because of a bad experience. While businesses keep trying to plug up the customer-experience holes, it’s never enough. 

There is a lesson here: it’s over and done if trust isn’t established as early as possible. Without a reservoir of goodwill available to recover from a bad customer experience, customers bail.

Even though winning sales is the goal, the first objective is winning customer trust. Credibility matters since the doubt meter is always running with prospects and customers. This is why bulletproofing customer relationships is the number one task. Today’s customers don’t automatically trust brands, businesses, or salespeople. It’s earned by actions, experience, and attitudes that develop over time. And here are ways to establish it. 

Follow through

When contacting a business, a lack of follow-through may customers’ greatest fear. Allay their worries by acknowledging how they feel. You could say: “I know how important this is to you … I’ll be back to you about 3 p.m. today,” or “You have my word … but should you want to contact me, here’s my email address and cell number.”

Solve problems fast

“Will-they-or-won’t-they take care of it?” is what customers are thinking when they have a problem. What they’re looking for is a clue on how a business will respond. Surprise them by letting them know you understand and will take care of it now. If you can’t do it, change the policy.

Be candid 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” are words that no salesperson wants to hear from a customer. It happens because there’s often a wide gulf between what customers think they want to buy and what’s going to best serve their needs. Be candid with them to make sure they will be satisfied.

Encourage feedback

Companies may say they want to hear from their customers, but make it difficult, at times nearly impossible, to do so. If you’re serious about getting feedback, make it easy for customers to contact you and then respond promptly.

Personalize content

It’s important to tailor content to the customer, and not by just dropping in the customer’s name a couple of times. Imagine having a cup of coffee with someone and keep that picture in your mind as you write. It’s how you say it — with empathy, openness, and understanding that makes it personal.

Make relevant recommendations

Let customers know you “get it” by giving them specific ideas and suggestions that fit them. General offers have a negative effect; they make customers feel you don’t know them.

Test ideas and initiatives first

Before making changes affecting customers, ask them to comment and express their views. Don’t bother if you’re afraid you’ll learn something you don’t want to hear. Taking customers into your confidence avoids mistakes — and creates trust.

Respond quickly

When customers contact businesses today, they either don’t expect a response or assume it will take a day or longer. This is no way to build trust. Response rule: best within 15 minutes — repeat, within 15 minutes.

Acknowledge mistakes

Desensitize tense situations by offering an apology and do it in a way so customers know you care — and not just trying to appease them. Then, resolve it to customers’ satisfaction.

Keep your promises

Many “one star” customer comments, those that inflame customers the most, have to do with “broken promises.” Solution: do what you said you would do when you said you would do it. If you don’t, be prepared to suffer customers’ wrath. In their mind, you have disrespected them.

Give meaning to “valued customer” 

These two words are useless unless they translate into value for customers. Examples: a higher credit limit, loyalty options, a direct phone number, an assigned CSR, or some special service.

Find out what they expect

Even though trust is the critical component of customer relationships, its meaning can be highly individual. To avoid customer dissatisfaction and disappointment, ask clients what they expect from you.

Be up-front

Bad customer experiences make consumers wary and doubtful. They’ve heard it all before so they’re ready to do battle when someone says, “We put customers first.” Being transparent in dealing with customers helps boost their trust. 

Is it worth the effort to build customer trust? It is worth it if you believe that new customers come with built-in skepticism, waiting for the other shoe to drop This won’t change unless trust is the basis of the customer relationship.      

John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. He is the creator of “Magnet Marketing,” and publishes a free monthly eBulletin, “No Nonsense Marketing & Sales Ideas.” Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com or johnrgraham.com