My Child Has Opie Eye!


7:00 a.m., the silence in the house is broken by my child's call to me, from another room, "Mom, please take care of my Opie eye!"

Huh?... 

My mind is spinning trying to process this information, what sort of illness is Opie eye? Is it a variation of Pink eye? What is the cure? What is the cause? Why didn't I notice it? Why hadn't I heard of it?

I must be a terrible parent.

My mind goes back the 1960's sitcom 'The Andy Griffith Show' where Ron Howard played the sheriff's young son Opie. This must be the reference for Opie eye, I surmised.  I can't think of a single thing wrong with the adorable little guy's eyes.

I'm not doing well sorting this out.

Then I hear it again, "MOM, Puh-lease take care of my Opie eye.... I can't go to school until you do!"

I decide to go to my child and have a look, perhaps this problem has another name that I'm familiar with.

As I walk up to her, tilt her head toward the light and have a look at her eyes she says in her best teenage I'm-disgusted-with-you tone, "What ARE you doing?"

"Why, I'm looking at your eyes. Which one is bothering you?" I counter in my best Doctor Mom voice.

To which she flatly retorts, "There is nothing wrong with my eyes."

"Then what is all this about you having Opie eye?" I asked now very confused.

She held out an extended hand with a form and a pen. The form that she wanted signed was saying that I have seen and agree with her Spanish teacher's guidelines for (are you ready) an Oral Proficiency Interview.

That's right, O.P.I.

In my best Gomer Pyle voice I loudly declare, "Shazzam! Andy call Aunt Bee to bake a pie, my child don't have Opie eye!"

While we laughed ourselves silly over this early morning incident, it provides a very important lesson in business. Nothing defeats your purpose faster than using acronyms that nobody understands.

I have articles submitted to me for publication every day using acronyms that are meaningless to my readers.... they are not published here. I receive publications everyday, that I can not find the web site because the publication is sent as an acronym and I don't know or can't remember what the acronym stands for.

You can't sell to people that don't know what you're talking about. Therefore, by using acronyms you defeat your purpose and I would advise that you stop P.D.Q. (Pretty Darn Quick) It is your job to educate, not intimidate or confuse your clientelle.

About The Author

Thea Swafford is the owner of, The Shepherd's Inn Inc. and two very successful web sites that focus on helping both the novice and netpreneur to reach their objectives with wisdom and humor.http://Targeted-Ad.Com and http://Secrets-To-Your-Successful.Com, for our free newsletter secrets@a1ebiz.com

thea@secrets-to-your-successful.com

 RELATED ARTICLES
Setting Up a Customer of the Week Program for a Mobile Car Wash
In a mobile detail or mobile car wash business you are on a first name basis with your customers. You sink or swim with your ability to please your customer and rely on them to build your business by referring their friends, associates and neighbors. One excellent way to insure referrals is to set up a "Customer of the Week Program." Here are some pointers to help you do just that.
Keeping Clients Happy Keeps them Coming Back
Whether you are a seasoned small business professional, or you have just opened your doors to new clients, your marketing strategy should not only involve bringing in new business, it should also include keeping your current clients, your most important asset, happy and coming back for more or referring your services.
Your Actions Tell Your Clients How You Expect To Be Treated
There is a widely accepted principle of human behavior that goes something like this. "Your actions tell the world how you expect to be treated." Look all around you and you will find that the truth of this statement is as evident as the clothes you wear.
Treating the Customer Dissatisfaction Epidemic: How to Go Beyond Simply Masking the Symptoms
Corporations in every sector are spending more than ever before in an attempt to improve their customer service levels. Every year they pour hundreds of millions of dollars into new systems and training programs that promise them the ability to win customer loyalty. Despite their efforts, however, customer satisfaction results continue to fall. Why aren't these massive efforts paying huge dividends? One would think that by now the organizations that have committed these vast resources would have a large cadre of satisfied, loyal customers, but in most cases just the opposite is true.
Over Delivering Provides Big Results
Over promising is a problem only when you under deliver. There are a number of ways that you can overdeliver to your customers or prospects, and as a result create a win-win situation for you both. They will be provided with some additional value, while you will be upgrading your learning around a particular issue, adding another product or service to your business, or even increasing the mastery level of your craft.
Customer Satisfaction and the Service Business
The relationship between customer satisfaction and success of a service business is a direct one. Customer satisfaction measurement, however, is a much more complex matter. Customer satisfaction is a qualitative assessment of the services you provide, and therefore it is a surrogate measure of the value of your services to your customers.
Customer Service, Italian Style
Nowadays, we complain nearly all of the time about how few businesses remember how to provide quality service to their customers. But a recent trip to Italy not only reminded me that the art of service is not dead, but that providing outstanding service is the key to almost any successful business. Here are a few well-worn but important principles that I was reminded of during that trip:
Have You Hugged a Customer Today?
It all started a couple of weeks ago when a friend asked me if I could scan and print some of her slides. No problem, I said.
Outsourcing: The Unspoken Costs
Outsourcing seems to be the new-new thing and approximately 50% of our major corporations are doing it. What are the costs? The benefits? And what skills need to be managed in order to make it work optimally?
Revealed ? A Simple Formula For Success! Exceeding Expectations
Delight = Customer Expectation plus 1. This was the simple formula for delighting your customers that Ken Blanchard informed us of in his book "Raving Fans"
Restaurant Scheduling for Success
- Excerpt from Richard Saporito's latest e-book "How to Improve Dining Room Service"
How To Keep Your Customers Coming Back -- Understanding Customer Retention
Why do some businesses offer points, stamps or every tenth coffee for free?
How to Keep Customers
Who was it that said - "The customer is always right"? Wellfor those of you who can't get through the day withoutknowing, it was H Gordon Selfridge, the founder ofSelfridges's department store in London.
Poor Customer Service - Are Your Customers Driving Away Other Customers
Every customer you have is a word-of-mouthadvertiser for you. Unfortunately 90% of this freeadvertising is negative. Your goal is to getpositive-word-of-mouth advertisers.
The Importance of Good Customer Service
Do you have good customer service? Even for your free giveaways?
Listen to Suggestions
If you are up to your ears in a stressful situation, it becomes difficult to think clearly. Sometimes, it is best to walk away from a problem, and think about it, rather than try to solve it with an instant solution.
What Exactly is Customer Relationship Management?
The defintion of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) that I favor is "CRM is the business strategy that aims to understand, anticipate, manage and personalize the needs of an organization's current and potential customers"
Customer Service and Call Center Outsourcing, Whats The Buzz?
The buzz is all about customer service and call center outsourcing, also known as BPO (Business Process Outsourcing). According to Gartner, the outsourcing market in Europe has grown with over 6%, BPO with 10%. The market for offshore outsourcing (to low wage countries) is growing with a whopping 40% this year! However, the subject of outsourcing is not without controversy. So what's it all about?
Leverage Customer Capital First
If you're still dreaming about raising outside capital for your business before you have any paying customers, I've got a nice big bucket of ice water to throw on you. Wake up! The cold reality is that investors aren't interested in your business idea unless you can demonstrate that you've got customers who are actually willing to buy. Before you try raising outside capital, you should focus on building your Customer Capital.
4 Things Your Clients Want From Your Company
Sure, all clients are different. They have different kinds of strengths, weaknesses, cultures and goals. Even what blocks their efficiency and growth (blind spots) is different. Davis, Kingsley & Company has conducted hundreds of interviews and there are four strong themes that always emerge.

© Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013