Salina Thompson, PMP®’s Post

In our vibrant community, a crucial conversation needs more spotlight: the customer service experience in black-owned businesses. It's a narrative shared not just by a few but echoed across many. As a black entrepreneur myself, I've seen and heard stories – customers excited to support our businesses but facing disappointing service encounters. This isn't about pointing fingers; it's about acknowledging a trend that's hindering our collective growth and the empowerment of our community. We're not just selling products; we're ambassadors of our culture, our resilience, and our aspirations. Let's talk about why customer service isn't just a business component but the core of our entrepreneurial spirit. When a customer chooses a black-owned business, they're embracing more than a product; they're supporting a dream and a movement. They're part of our story. Lackluster service isn't just a missed business opportunity; it's a missed chance to strengthen our community's fabric. It's about creating a circle of trust and excellence that uplifts every one of us. Here's the call to action: • As business owners, let's invest in making every customer feel valued and heard. Training, customer-centric policies, and embracing feedback are our tools for improvement.  • As customers, your support and constructive feedback are invaluable. It's a partnership where every voice matters. We're not just conducting transactions; we're nurturing relationships, building a community, and creating a legacy of empowerment and excellence. Let's embrace this journey together. It's time for change, and it starts with us! #communitygrowth #empowerment #blackbusinessowners

🙃 As Black Owned Businesses - we've got to work on our customer service. Watch me coach one of my clients on how to approach customer service from a different perspective which WILL directly affect sales. Catch the full episode on my YouTube channel! #StereotypeAwareness #OvercomingJudgment #PositiveAttitude #PersonalGrowth #EmotionalControl #SelfDevelopment #Acceptance #OpenMindedness #NonJudgmental #Empathy

From the newsletter from Work Chronicles this was sitting in my inbox. And it just struck a nerve. Isn't it always like this? The big discounts and good offers are given to the new (not so loyal?) customers, while the patient and loyal customers are left behind with standard pricing. I value my money and want to be loyal, but in this lies the paradox! Very few companies dare to go this way. I wished more companies dared to do like Pepephone - they have disrupted (old school word I know) the phone industry and are gaining more momentum every month by putting the customer first in everything they do. In the end that gives loyal customers. Let me know what you think, have you had similar thoughts? #customer #customercentric #productmanagement #productdriven #loyalty #product

THE CLOSERS 18 Black leaders working to end the racial wealth gap To end the racial wealth gap, we will need to take intentional action for justice and equity. This strategy will combine vision, coalition building, innovation and collaboration across sectors. John Hope Bryant is leading the way by building a Black ecosystem fueled by entrepreneurship. John Hope Bryant’s Mission is to build One Million Black Businesses by 2030. Join the movement: https://lnkd.in/gCPGUuU6

What an absolutely magnificent collection of 18 awe-inspiring Black leaders who are working with passion and purpose to close the racial wealth gap. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, white Americans have six times the wealth per capita as Black Americans. The leaders on this remarkable list are contributing their innovation and ideas to bridge that divide. Each one is playing an incredible role in creating a more equal society – in entertainment and sports to housing and health. There’s ❤️🖤💚💛ERIN (Ear-in) HORNE MCKINNEY ❤️🖤💚💛 who is creating a groundbreaking network across Historically Black Colleges and Universities in support of Black entrepreneurship. There’s John Hope Bryant who understands that empowering Black and Brown people is key to economically empowering all of the United States as the country increasingly depends on minorities as employees and consumers. He is on a quest to create 1 million Black businesses by 2030. There’s Adriana Barbosa who is helping Afro-Brazilian entrepreneurs find markets to succeed. In Brazil, where the average income for white workers was 74% higher than that of Black and Brown workers in 2019, Adriana launched the Feira Preta Festival, which today is the PretaHub, to celebrate Black culture and provide entrepreneurs with a way to sell their products. Check out the entire list of trailblazers advocating for a more inclusive future of opportunity: Issa Rae  Aurora James Angelica Ross Ramogi Huma Leandris Liburd Dedrick Asante-Muhammad Cory Booker Imani Ellis  Darrick Hamilton & William “Sandy” Darity Arian Simone & Ayana Parsons Brian Flores Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell  Lisa Rice  https://lnkd.in/eWtzcVaA

We're beaming with pride with another 5 star review! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Cheers to a wonderful partnership! At Eight Group, we don't just believe in doing business, we believe in forging strong relationships that drive mutual sustainable growth. We're all about 'Collective' - working together to create powerful collaborations that propel us forward. 🚀 Dive into more customer reviews here 👉 https://bit.ly/4cCjGCI #EightGroup #CollectivePower #CustomerStories #Customer #CustomerReview #Collective

One should know that MDP (Most Delightful Product) is greater than MVP (Most Valuable Product). When you focus on building your MDP, you can catapult your customers into the ‘Delight’ zone! #MDP #MVP #Shift

🌟 Today marks the final day of Celebrating Black History Month, but our commitment to diversity and inclusion must endure beyond February. In customer success, embracing diversity isn't just about ticking boxes—it's about driving tangible results. Research from McKinsey & Company confirms that teams inclusive of Black professionals consistently outperform their homogeneous counterparts, delivering superior outcomes across key metrics. I'm inspired by the active engagement of Black professionals in customer success, who are spearheading networking and community-building initiatives. Platforms like LinkedIn and organizations such as Black Professionals in Customer Success (BPiCS) foster invaluable connections and nurture talent. Yet, let's acknowledge the hurdles that persist—underrepresentation, unconscious bias, and barriers to advancement. By confronting these challenges head-on, we unlock opportunities to cultivate greater inclusivity and equity within our teams. The recognition garnered by Black professionals in customer success speaks volumes about their expertise and contributions. They're shaping industry discourse and catalyzing positive change through awards, speaking engagements, and thought leadership. These statistics underscore the undeniable impact of Black professionals in our field. As we chart our course, let's prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Embracing diverse perspectives isn't just a moral imperative—it's a strategic advantage that drives innovation and resonates with our diverse customer base. Join me in championing diversity, demanding equity, and fostering an environment where every voice is valued. After all, our customers are diverse, and our teams should reflect that rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives. Together, let's build a future where everyone has a seat at the table. #customersuccess #DiversityInCS #InclusionMatters #BlackHistoryMonth2024 🚀 https://lnkd.in/gSmZiiCf Evan Williams Erica Swint-Williams, MBA, Sandy Uwimana, Anthony DeShazor, Nate Williams, and Samuel J Cummings III 📈 - thank you for being part of this series - Black Voices in Customer Success - this is just the beginning!

𝓖𝓵𝓸𝓫𝓪𝓵 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓰𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓐𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭. Nah! We like to keep promises and deliver. I could actually never understand why companies who don't even pick up their direct line phones on a weekday, in a work hour, have emails that bounce, and products and services that don't deliver what they're intended to do, actually buy awards (pay huge sums of money) just to show the world they're a great company. My call out to all such companies; Do the good. Do the truth. Do in this world what you have promised your customers and partners to do. Want to do an Ad for your product or service? Be my guest, we'd give you premium service. But if you're faking your awards, tell us when we engage. #CorporateIntegrity #BusinessEthics #CustomerCommitment #TruthInBusiness #DoTheRightThing #CustomerFirst #BusinessTransparency #CorporateResponsibility #AuthenticLeadership #TrustInBusiness

Deeply powerful to see two powerful partners of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Children and Families team given their flowers in TIME. I have gratitude that our Healthy Children and Families works everyday with with Darrick Hamilton at the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy on a broad range of social change to elevate the moral economy, including the #babybonds that he has worked tirelessly to elevate in the public sphere, believing that every child should have wealth of opportunity and that dignity is a birthright. We've been excited in this past year to go deeper in to #reparations efforts with Sandy Darity at the The Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University, and their goal to elevate into what reparative justice looks like in the legacy of families who experienced separation, horrific conditions, and both denial and extraction of wealth through the enslavement of Black people. In each of these cases, they start with the idea that the systems we have in place are made by design -- and therefore need to be imagined and designed in ways that recognize that we all deserve to be healthy and whole. Thank you for your work in partnership with others to help create catalytic change. They have always been the role of what they are being recognized for now. For these present-day closers, it's also reminder that Black History is being made every day and often has been the backbone of our nation's most ingenious advances. Thank you, sirs, for all that you've done. And I quote: "...if we don’t have a concept of anti-racism, anti-sexism, and proactive inclusion, the default will be economic rights that are, by design, management, and implementation, exclusionary." - Darrick Hamilton “As a consequence [of our history] there is this gaping chasm in opportunity and in the capability to participate in a society, and there’s ultimately denial for access to the material conditions for full citizenship in the United States.” - Sandy Darity https://lnkd.in/ewkY-nGZ #BlackHistory #TellHistory #Day6 #Closers #BlackHistoryIsLivingHistory #ProudDukeAlum #RacialWealthDivide