Terri Knox, West Kelowna: Newsletters https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php This page contains the blog. Sun, 03 May 2026 04:29:12 -0700 http://ubertor.com/?v=1.0 en Terri Talks - Terri Knox Newsletter https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/terri-talks-terri-knox-newsletter Thu, 31 May 2018 13:53:20 -0700 Terri Knox General https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/terri-talks-terri-knox-newsletter Print - Terri Talks - Terri Knox Newsletter]]> March 2018 - What kind of friend are you? https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/march-2018-what-kind-of-friend-are-you Thu, 31 May 2018 09:19:17 -0700 Terri Knox General https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/march-2018-what-kind-of-friend-are-you Print - March 2018 What Kind of Friend Are You]]> Terri Knox Newsletter https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/terri-knox-newsletter-may-2018 Fri, 11 May 2018 18:07:00 -0700 Terri Knox General https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/terri-knox-newsletter-may-2018 Terri Knox Newsletter

]]> Do You Value Your Values? https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/5 Fri, 13 Oct 2017 10:21:13 -0700 Terri Knox General https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/5
Also, take a look at your behaviors and see if they match what you have written. For example, if you value being a team player, how do you do or not do this? If you have a sense of guilt or shame as you reflect on how you express your values, it can be an indication of the distance between how you perceive yourself and what you are actually doing.

Once you recognize the importance of your values, you are then able to translate this to your customers.

I once had a colleague who had a hard time with my commitment to friendly service to customers. Internally, he thought that I was kissing up to management. This was far from the truth, as my rewards were greater than what I ever would have received from management. One day as we were walking along a corridor, he told me that within three months I would have the same negative attitude he did. He indicated that, by then, I would be jaded by customers and the public. He continued to say that this service and energy that I believed in and delivered would eventually run out. He never understood that my service to others fueled me and also enabled me to continue filling my service tank. The more I gave to customers in service, the more I received in return.

]]> We Reap What We Sow https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/3 Fri, 01 Sep 2017 10:14:00 -0700 Terri Knox General https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/3
My brother-in-law is one of the most courageous, considerate, smart, and consistent people I have ever known. I’ve always called him “King of Moderation” He has been a mentor to me since I was 13 years of age and I truly love him. He happens to be a farmer and his name is Orville. I’m not surprised his parents gave him that name as he can make anything work and I’m sure that would include airplanes! I have always commented on his amazing skills in running his farm along with his life and family.  Although there have been stressful times in regards to the economics in farming, he seems to have a way of ensuring success with his trade.

As I share this newsletter with you, Orville has been dealt a life threatening illness that he did not plan, research, focus on, or expect. My question is; “What would you do if you had to harvest a crop that you did NOT sow?”  My suggestion is that we should go to school on Orville.  My husband and I spent last weekend with my sister Ellie and Orville. The first thought that comes to my mind: “What an inspiration he is!” He has taken this challenge like no other, while being committed to doing what it takes in response to this life altering shock!

How would you handle a fastball in your life that you never saw coming? Do you wimp, whine and crawl into bed while throwing the covers over your head? Or do you stand tall and say; “What am I in control of?”  Granted, you may not have sown the crop of pain and unpleasantness that requires being harvested but the most single crucial ingredient in response is our attitude. Imitating Orville is my personal goal. This amazing man is giving us strength yet he is the one inflicted with the illness. His comment to me was, “Terri, everyone has to deal with things that come their way and this issue was given to me. I have to make sure that I can see how it can make me stronger.”  My response was, “Amen!”

The next time you’re dealt a challenge, do an “Orville!”

]]> Thrive to Survive https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/1 Sun, 01 May 2016 10:07:00 -0700 Terri Knox General https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/1
Finally…I am developing a newsletter! It has certainly been a long time coming but here it is!! My intent with this newsletter is to provide specialized information, suggestions, and user friendly coping techniques for ever changing life challenges.

In January I had a number of speaking engagements in Dubai. During my presentations and while experiencing the Dubai ambiance I noticed that many Muslin women wore burkas. Although it is customary for most women, I found it interesting that some of these amazing and beautiful women had wonderful eye makeup on and some wore none at all, yet their eyes were more than beautiful! I was amazed. I noticed the eyes of every woman I encountered. Why I share this experience is that it occurred that when I could see only this small glimpse of these woman they were still able to express so much about themselves. Because their entire body is covered with only their eyes visible, these women take great effort to enhance their eyes. The women who decide not to use makeup still have amazing eyes. Perhaps the same could be true for all of us. I believe that when we showcase what we have it tends to take on a whole new meaning and strength! Focusing on what we may have lost or don’t have leaves us little room for our more positive attributes such as coping skills.

How are you coping as you, your friends and family experience the downward spiral of the global economy? Is watching the late news on TV the last thing you do before retiring for the night, or listening to the radio while driving to work or reading the newspaper while having breakfast? If so you are most likely suffering from internal toxic overload! My suggestion is not to ignore, but to explore!

What are your strengths? How can you demonstrate and enrich them? Focus on what you have and not what’s missing. This includes monetary value. The key is utilizing positive coping skills enabling growth and internal optimism in today’s trying and stressful times!

What are you in control of? The reality is that we are only in control of our response to things that happen to or around us! Do we have to like it? Absolutely not! This is the time we must embrace who we are and what we have to ensure that we survive…enabling us to thrive!

]]> Service Excellence..."Thai Style" https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/4 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:17:00 -0800 Terri Knox General https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/4
Many of you know how passionate I am in regards to many things, especially service! Because I spent the last 2 months in Dubai and Thailand, I wanted to ensure you that service is alive and well across the world.

As a speaker I share life lessons through personal stories. Here is an awesome personal story to show how service is delivered in Thailand.  I will be editing this story to save myself embarrassment while also sharing an experience of amazing service "Thai" style.

Several months ago I was enjoying lunch prepared by my husband. As I was eating the egg sandwich, I heard a crunch. Thinking it was part of an egg shell, I was not concerned until my front tooth fell on my plate! It had broken off right at the root. After freaking out, I made my way to my dentist's office. I ended up with a temporary replacement called a partial plate. I’ve loathed it, but it's been a wonderful quick fix for the time being.  

Six months later, Brad and I are having a wonderful dinner in Bangkok as we had arrived there that afternoon. Mid way through dinner I heard a familiar crack and my heart stopped for just a moment.  My temporary tooth had broken in half! I was devastated and truly wanted to come home! The owner of the the restaurant came over (no English) as I had the flipper (tooth thing broken in half; in my hand). He literally took it from me and went away with the appliance! So there I sat, at street level, missing my front tooth; and some guy has just taken away my fake one...only in Bangkok.

The waiter felt so bad that he sent his Mom out from the kitchen to see me. There she was, hugging me and she was missing the exact same tooth but not caring for a moment that it was missing!!  Another coincidence, her birthday is on the same day as mine! Weird, I know! I have a picture of the two of us (big grins)...mine was forced!

The owner came back an hour later and handed me back my tooth appliance. He had used some kind of black epoxy/tar to glue it! He gave me a warning, "Do not place the apparatus into your mouth until the fumes simmer down.” He had to tell me this via ‘hand language’! I obeyed and soaked it in water overnight.

I follow his instructions and am more than excited to get this appliance into my mouth the very next morning! I tried the appliance on and was shocked! In attempting to fix it, he had misaligned the two pieces. Now the tooth is sticking straight out of my mouth and it does not fit the roof of my mouth what so ever! I now look like a rodent/woodchuck (or the banjo picker from Deliverance).

If you can picture this, the appliance is half in, half out. I can't speak at all with it in, and the tooth is now sticking straight out. Are you laughing yet?

I found a dentist down the street the next day and walked into his office without an appointment. Even though his office was filled with patients, he took the botched fix repair apart and bonded the entire appliance. This procedure took 20 minutes from the time I walked in. He amazed me with service and product!

Result: When you want to go out of your way to help a customer, ensure that you are making the situation better and not worse! I recognize that the restaurant owner did his very best, yet his quick fix ended up causing me more stress even though he believed that he was fixing a crisis.     The dentist fixed the broken appliance effectively, efficiently and overwhelmed me with service.

Moral of story: Both product and service are essential in delivering value added exceptional service!

FYI...My dentist appointment is this week for all the permanent work!! (No more flippers!)

]]> Service Verses Technology https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/2 Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:11:00 -0700 Terri Knox General https://www.terriknox.com/Blog.php/2
You know the saying ..."Tell the truth and you never need a good memory!" Here's the truth - I messed up and accidentally sent my initial newsletter to everyone! I begin with an apology as most of you have better things to do than receive an outdated newsletter while trying to keep up with everything else that comes your way! My first reaction was to blame my computer but as with most technology it only does what we tell it to do. I set it up to send out my current newsletter but I had attached the old information to the new date! It was a good reminder that in any customer related situation we need to step up when we make a mistake, accept responsibility, and apologize.  Now, here is the latest information about service verses technology!

I'm as passionate about delivering value added service as I am about fixing a complaint or unsatisfactory situation with a client or customer. Research has proven that if we take the time and effort to fix an error, the affected clients become satisfied, long term customers more often than someone who has not experienced a problem initially. It's been proven that what we think an individual wants in return for their inconvenience isn't half of what they truly want.  The biggest thing most people look for is empathy. Empathy = "em" is a Greek word meaning to see through; "pathy" is Latin word meaning to see through another's eyes. So what's the lesson? Every mistake comes with a life lesson and it’s up to us to learn from them. Some of us just have had more lessons than others. In my school days we were called "slow learners". That's OK also as I never intend to stop learning.

The lesson for me is to dig into this wonderful Ezine newsletter program that I use to write and format these newsletters, and learn the settings properly. Rather than blame the computer or the software program, I intend to use that priceless energy to teach "Terri" yet another lesson! I challenge you (and me) to embrace this message when we get into these negative situations on a personal level with friends or family.

Can you admit to the mistake you made and apologize? Sometimes we apologize in order for the affected individual to forgive us. That's out of our control, but apologizing isn't. Now that school is over for a while lets kick up our feet and enjoy the summer! Thanks for allowing me to "go to school" on you! Enjoy yourself and one another while celebrating this amazing gift called "life"!

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