Throwback Thursday: News Recap May 1, 2014

If you have been reading the W.L. May Blog but haven't checked us out on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, you may not be getting the whole story. We use all of those social media outlets to share news stories that relate to our industry as well as appliance tips we have found from other sources. Here is a recap of some of the top stories we have seen lately. A lot has been happening so without further ado:

We start with some consumer friendly articles we feel would be great for sharing:

• Ecosalon check in with their top 4 "natural" dishwasher detergents. LINK
• CBS8 has some tips for freshening up your laundry room. LINK
• A letter to Parade asked, and got an answer, to the age old question: Air dry or towel dry those dishes? LINK
• Remodelista suggested some ideas to consider when purchasing a dishwasher. LINK
• ViralNova posted some great tips for getting the most out of your microwave oven. LINK
• TheSpec.Com looked into the question of a new energy efficient model appliance vs a quality used appliance, which is greener? LINK

Next, we look at the manufacturers and how they have been in the news recently:

• GE launched a microfactory to allow for designs from students, engineers and makers to be produced more quickly than traditional manufacturing channels. LINK

We found several articles that might be of interest to those of you who love all thing appliances:

• LAist showed us this bar in Los Angeles. It looks like a yard sale-until you open the refrigerator door! LINK
• The Oregonian took a stroll through the kitchen and tells about when many of our appliances were introduced. LINK
• London24 told us about "Tony the Fridge". He has run TWO London marathons in 24 hours with a refrigerator strapped to his back to raise money for cancer research. LINK
• This article from the UK talked about the history of laundrymats, including pictures and laundry tips. Some of this is particularly British, but still interesting. LINK
• Quick and Dirty Tips suggested a great idea for a Mothers Day gift project. LINK
• ABC5 shared some tips from Angies List to help make dishwashers run more efficiently. LINK
• A Portland artist found an interesting use for old refrigerators-modern art! LINK
• Iceland in Review told us about a dicey situation where sticks of dynamite were cleaned in North Iceland washing machine. LINK

Sometimes, the links we post are related to technology, business or happenings on the internet:

• We've told you before about the website that predicts dating compatability by refrigerator contents. Here is an interview with the man behind the site. LINK
• Facebook released some important information for page owners. LINK
• Instructables posted on building a stationary bike generator from a washing machine. LINK
• Gizmodo explained why, if you have heard complaints about whites not being as white as they used to be, it might not be the appliance. LINK

We close with a few stories that are just for fun:

• Columnist John Winters' dishwasher broke. He thinks the kids can do the dishes-his wife doesn't agree. LINK
• This columnist doesn't take her appliances for granted-she appreciates them! LINK

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Random Thoughts

Good Idea or a Bad Idea? You decide!

Just a few random thoughts and musings today, in no particular order:

• Treat your employees well. Your employees represent you and your company. A happy employee will be more committed to doing excellent work for you. You treat your tools well, don't forget your employees are also the tools of your success. 

• Little things mean a lot. The language you use can change the way a customer perceives you. So can your appearance. At a recent customer service training I attended, a few phrases were highlighted. One was use of the word "client" instead of "customer". The trainer recommended avoiding the word customer and replacing it with client. You are providing not only a repair but consultation and your expertise. Also it is some subtle psychology as client sounds a little more important than customer. Another phrase he recommended avoiding is "no problem". I am guilty of this one. I had the habit of saying "no problem", what I did not realize was that by using that phrase it implies that their might have been a problem otherwise. The recommendation  was to use "my pleasure" in its place. It felt ackward at first but as I continued to work at changing my habit it became more comfortable. You may find yourself having a similar experience.

• Over 74% of American adults are on Facebook. Every one of them has a different timeline and a different Facebook experience. It is a great way to connect with people. Facebook can help you to market, but it also requires a lot of work for your posts to reach your clients timeline. You will never reach all of your followers with any one Facebook post that is not a promoted post, and even then it seems unlikely. Also, don't buy into anyone promising to sell you "likes". It would do you better to have 2 customers who listened to what you had to say and were engaged than to have 200 customers who don't know you and ignore your posts.

• Podcasts can be a great way of growing your knowledge while you are driving between calls. If you use a smart phone it is pretty easy to subscribe to and listen to podcasts. There are podcasts for small business, for marketing, for news and just about any other subject under the sun. I like to listen to podcasts during my daily commute and have found some to be extremely informative. There are a lot of fun and entertaining shows to enjoy as well, but my point is how you can use that "wasted time" to improve yourself.

• Respect technology, but don't fear it. There are some folks who are willing to post every aspect of their lives to the internet. There are other folks who worry that anything they do on the internet will come back and haunt them some day. While I would agree that sharing too many details on line can create problems, I think just as often, a fear of the unknown prevents us from trying out news tools and seeing how they can help advance our lives and our businesses. Its a fine line, but the world is changing FAST and it would be wise to try to keep up with the changes. The trick is to recognize what is likely a lasting change and what is just a fad. Give yourself some room to experiment. 

So those are the kind of things that run through my mind sometimes. My hope is that some of my musings will cause you to shift your thinking in some way that might make you and your business stronger. I look forward to hearing your comments.

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE