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JULY/AUGUST 2024
307-322-2545 • CHBEF.COM
From Hearing to Understanding WHY ACTIVE LISTENING IS YOUR SECRET WEAPON IN CLIENT ENGAGEMENT
At CHB, we want to help you solve problems for your clients. However, to find solutions, we must first understand the situation completely.
physical cues to show you are fully engaged. Allow wait time before you respond to a statement. This gives the other speaker time to get out all their thoughts and gives you a fuller picture of what they are saying. It’s important to withhold any judgment as you are in a conversation. They could bring perspectives to the table you hadn’t even considered before. One of the most powerful ways to show someone you’ve heard them is to restate or paraphrase what they have said back to them. Not only does this technique ensure you comprehend them correctly, it signals to each other that everyone is on the same page. When it comes to helping the people who turn to you, you can look to CHB because we’ve practiced active listening to the point that it is muscle memory. We provide the tools and support to help you engage deeply with your clients, ensuring you can deliver exceptional service and foster trust every step of the way. As you focus on hearing your client’s unique story, we are here to identify challenges and solutions for you. From deal previewing to life of loan servicing, we will communicate with you every step of the way and strive to make decisions on financing requests quickly. Anytime you call or email us, you will talk to a real person, and we pride ourselves on being the ultimate resource for you to develop, market, and build your business. Active listening is a worthwhile skill set to develop. It will improve the service you can provide clients, help you look beyond the initial problem, and gain a bigger-picture understanding of the people you work with. As you refine your communication skills through active listening, you’ll find that your ability to connect with and support your clients grows exponentially. At CHB, we believe these abilities are not just assets but essential tools for delivering exceptional service. –Kit West & Ed Meyer
Active listening is the best way to discover exactly what a person needs. In financial services, understanding our client’s goals isn’t just about hearing their words; it’s about engaging with their challenges, aspirations, and objectives. July 18 is World Listening Day, and it’s the perfect time to consider ways to use strong listening skills to help build better, more trusting relationships with customers. Understanding your client’s unique needs and challenges is vital as a broker assisting people in securing loans for essential equipment. When people come to you, they want answers and ways to make their dreams come true, perhaps through equipment financing. To help solve those issues or struggles alongside them, you must ask great questions and then sit back and listen. Too often, people feel the urge to jump in and solve a problem immediately. This can lead to interruptions, missed information, and eroded trust. Interject only to spur the conversation forward and prompt a client in a way that helps them provide important information they may not have considered. It’s crucial to give your client plenty of time so you can gather as much data as possible and gain a deep understanding of what they need. Be patient and take notes during these meetings to ask informed follow-up questions. It’s natural to want to add a perspective, a thought, or an idea to the conversation. As difficult as it may be, focus on listening and not talking. As with other professional skill sets, you can improve your listening abilities with feedback and work. Before you meet with a client, always do some homework beforehand so you are prepared and have a solid plan and goal for the conversation. Ensure your body language lets the other person know they have your full attention. Maintain eye contact, nod, and use other
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307-322-2545
Connecting With Audiences in a New Way INTERACTIVE MARKETING
In marketing, we find two forms of content: passive and interactive. Passive content is a form of advertising that does not require anything of the viewer, like a sign, an ad, or a television commercial — many traditional forms of marketing are decidedly passive. Interactive content, however, demands something of the viewer and, in turn, draws further engagement from them. If you want to learn more about this type of marketing, then read on about what interactive marketing is and how you can use it to strengthen your brand. Components of Interactive Content If your marketing efforts included polls, contests, assessments, quizzes, games, or interactive eBooks, they were interactive. While most marketing revolves around one-way communication with the viewing audience, interactive content requires some reciprocation. Not only does this content increase engagement, but you can also leverage it to gather valuable data about
your customer base and increase brand engagement simultaneously. The Interactive Impetus Interactive content is becoming more prevalent, especially among larger corporations. An astounding 87% of marketers agree that it increases engagement compared to passive content. As of this year, 62.3% of companies are utilizing some form of interactive content in their marketing campaigns, an increase of more than 16%. Serious Engagement According to a study by the Content Marketing Institute, 60% of content marketers listed “producing engaging content” as a top challenge. That problem has an answer: interactive content. With the high numbers of people who use their cellphones daily, interactive marketing is more accessible and prolific than ever before. A survey by Inc. com rates interactive content as 93% effective as opposed to static content, which ranks at
70%. More than just a tool for advertisement, interactive content can also educate potential customers about your product or service. And those who engage with your content are more likely to appreciate its message, which improves your brand’s strength. Creating interactive content can help reshape your engagement levels and give you a stronger brand and a more loyal audience.
TAKING THE PULSE
SOCIAL LISTENING SUPERCHARGES MARKETING SUCCESS
Monitoring what people say about your products and services on social media, known as “social listening,” can be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. Deciding how to use it, however, is a high- risk, high-reward proposition. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, a training and certification company, social listening has huge potential rewards if done well. These include burnishing your brand’s reputation, understanding your customers more deeply, and gathering valuable intelligence on your competitors. However, if you decide not to bother with social listening or do it poorly, you miss out on the world’s largest source of customer insights at your peril. For example, if a new marketing campaign touches on negative commentary on social media, a tuned-in business can quickly retool the campaign. A company that doesn’t use social listening is likely to be blindsided. Companies can also analyze conversations to determine what customers like and don’t like about, for example, a new hamburger menu item or a meal-delivery service, and understand the underlying emotions.
Various social listening tools, including Hootsuite, Google Alerts, Brandwatch, SparkToro, and Mention, can assist you. The first step in working out a social listening strategy is to research your buyer personae, or the fictional profiles of your prototypical customers, to help you decide what to listen for online and on what platforms. Then, figure out what you want to accomplish. Most businesses use social listening to learn how people feel about their brand, monitor industry trends, and identify high- impact keywords and hashtags. Casting a wide social-listening net will undoubtedly capture some negative reviews. Rather than avoiding unpleasant feedback, use it as an opportunity to shine. If a customer complains, reach out as quickly as possible and describe what you’re doing to solve the problem. Log, organize, analyze, and study your data for trends and insights. Over time, understanding where, how, and why your business is mentioned online will empower you to stay ahead of customer tastes and industry trends.
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Strawberry Shortcake
FUEL YOUR FINANCES
• 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp salt • 1/2 cup butter, softened • 1/2 cup granulated sugar INGREDIENTS
OVERCOMING TOP MONEY CHALLENGES IN TRUCKING
• 1 large egg • 2/3 cup milk • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 2 tbsp granulated sugar • 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
Navigating financial highways can be as challenging as maneuvering a 40-ton rig through a tight city street. Trucking companies must deal with unpredictable fuel costs, expensive repairs, and fluctuating freight rates. In this edition, we’ll explore the top financing challenges trucking companies face and provide you with tools to keep your business cruising smoothly. Access to Capital Trucking companies need enough working capital or funding to pay daily operating costs. A lack of access to capital is one of the main reasons companies fail. Having money available for short-term obligations is crucial because a truck will incur daily expenses. If you rely on any external financing, you must meet all the obligations of that agreement to maintain funding.
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan. 2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. 3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until blended. 4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients; mix until blended. 5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan before serving. 6. Whip cream and sugar together until stiff peaks form. 7. Arrange strawberries on top of cake and spread whipped cream over top before serving.
To ensure you have access to the capital you need, you must:
• Monitor your credit. By watching your credit, you will better understand your finances. It will also help protect your identity and alert you to errors. Tracking your status as a borrower and identifying your position with lenders is essential. • Use credit cards wisely and pay them off every month. A business credit card can be a helpful tool for quickly raising capital and meeting short-term goals. They can get you into trouble if you’re not careful, so always pay them off each month and pay more than the minimum. Dependable Cash Flow Due to the nature of the business, trucking companies see high daily operating expenses. A healthy cash flow is necessary to cover essential bills, driver pay, and all the unexpected and on-the-road costs that can occur. Any time you don’t have enough incoming money to cover your costs, it will slow your operation down and make financial planning difficult. Suppliers may also become less responsive.
Help Us Welcome Regen Ainley! Regen Ainley is joining the PVC family as a Document Technician at CHB in Wheatland. He grew up in southeast Michigan and has lived in Wyoming for the past three years. Regen attended Eastern Michigan University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Outside of work, Regen enjoys photography and hiking.
Here are some tips to ensure you have a dependable cash flow:
• Make sure you are spending less than you are earning. This method will help you accumulate wealth and keep a positive cash flow. Don’t spend money you don’t have. • Use freight factoring. This popular technique takes invoices for the loads you run and lets you pay them immediately instead of waiting up to 90 days for a client to pay. This gives you helpful capital between invoices.
With these strategies in your toolkit, you’ll have the financial horsepower to keep your business rolling smoothly, mile after mile.
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307-322-2545
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
C.H. Brown Co., LLC A PLATTE VALLEY COMPANY 20 W. Frontage Rd. • Wheatland, WY 82201 307-322-2545 • chbef.com
Inside
1 Celebrating Communication Skills for Better Client Solutions 2 Interactivity Is Revolutionizing Marketing 2 Successful Businesses Tune in to Social Media Trends 3 Strawberry Shortcake 3 Meet Our New Document Technician 3 Cash Flow and Capital Tips for Truckers 4 Overcome the Summer Slump at Work
SUNNY DAYS, PRODUCTIVE WAYS Summer Strategies for Staying on Task
Summer is in full swing as people enjoy vacations, pool time, and a break from the daily grind of jobs or school. But, if you are working, it can be easy to fall into the dreaded summer slump, where motivation is hard to come by. While rest is essential, don’t sit at the office
reaching for inspiration all summer long. Make the most of this time with these three tips to stay motivated at your desk as fall approaches. Physical Activities Don’t deny yourself a little sunshine and fresh summer air just because you are in the middle of a work shift. Add in breaks to your workday for a little physical activity. Try walking around the block on your lunch break or do a few jumping jacks in the shade. Physical activity helps boost your endorphins and reduces stress. You’ll return to your desk focused and rejuvenated after taking time to be active. Journaling Writing things down can help you remember tasks, stay organized, and identify goals. Spend some time journaling about the projects you’re working on and how to manage them. Jot down goals and smaller
tasks to achieve and celebrate all the little steps to get there. Keep your journal in a place handy in your workspace so any time an idea strikes you, you can record it. Journaling will help you stay on track in the summer and energize you. Contact Friends A great conversation with someone can spark inspiration and help you get the creative juices flowing. If you work in an office with others, ask a teammate to help you brainstorm. You can also see if a friend wants to meet for lunch for a nice chat. Making time to reach out to friends and family during the summer ensures you don’t feel isolated at this time when many people are out of town. These tips will help you remain motivated and focused throughout the season and into the fall. So, don’t let the heat melt your productivity as summer shines on!
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