Spanish 4 You Blog

Spanish-4-You tip: Be Generous

Some recent encounters with not-so-generous clients prompted me to write this post. Most of my Spanish-4-You clients are amazing...but some are just very difficult, especially when it comes to paying their invoices for Spanish lessons. Clients who live in multi-million dollar homes and take fancy vacations but when it comes to paying, they prolong the process by weeks. As a small business owner that is very difficult because I have to do payroll and my teachers expect, rightfully so, their paychecks on time. Needless to say, this situation stresses me out too much and makes me wonder why some people are so oblivious to other people's situations. 

So this morning, when I found out that another client wouldn't be paying on time because they extended their vacation, instead of getting mad, I decided to write a post based on an article written by the world-famous motivational guru Zig Ziglar. 

"Sometimes when we have abundance, when we've been financially blessed, we neglect to value the feelings and needs of others. A little kindness, a little thoughtfulness, a little compassion, can really impact the life of another person. And it takes so little time and involves such a small investment. Yet real joy can be the outcome. Little things do make a big difference. Today I hope you will have an opportunity to say a word of encouragement, to give an extra big smile, to use a more enthusiastic tone of voice, or anything else that will give just a word of hope. The reality is, we never know but that the other person might be in the depths of despair, and a simple act of kindness could well literally be a lifesaver. In addition, it involves joy on the part of the giver. You experience joy when you do something for someone else, someone who cannot reciprocate your kindness. Think about it. Give it a shot today—and tomorrow, too!"

Spanish-4-You will release lessons for the very first time

Great News!!

 Spanish-4-You is very popular in Los Angeles, CA. We specialize in making adults and children conversational in record time with our Spanish-only immersion program which includes manuals, many poster-size original color drawings and color-coded vocabulary flashcards. For a long time, people from all over the States have asked to have access to our wonderful Spanish lessons. I have always hesitated in making them public because it has taken me years to develop and was concerned about copyright issues. After thinking about it long and hard, I have decided to allow people who can't afford our regular services or people from other cities who would like to benefit from our great teaching to download the lessons for a very reasonable rate. My webmaster and I are giving the final touches to the lessons. There will be four categories: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Coloring lessons for Kids. Starting in January, a percentage of sales will be donated to a Children's non-profit organization...I am thinking of World Vision (where I currently sponsor two Mexican girls) but I am not sure yet. I will let everyone know in my upcoming December newsletter.

Spanish-4-You attitude toward customers

Today, while cleaning my computer files, I came across an article that I had saved for almost three years. It was about a renowned business coach (Dr. Gayla DeHart) commenting about an article she had read in Oprah magazine in December 2006 by David Foster Wallace. When I first read it, that little article had a profound impact on me and now that I re-read it, continues to have a huge impact. I think it is because it summarizes how I have always felt about human interaction, especially in business. Everytime I interact with a client, I think about it. This is relevant to any person or business person and I really hope it will help you gain a deeper perspective of yourself and others. 

Here's the excerpts from David F. Wallace: “ Everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe, the realest, most vivid and important person in existence, Think about it: There is no experience that you have had that you were not the absolute center of.  I’m operating on the automatic, unconscious belief that my immediate needs and feelings are what should determine the world’s priorities.”

Here's what Dr. Gayla DeHart said: "Our job is to take ourselves outside of ourselves and see the world from the perspective of others. What we perceive as the truth is only the truth as we see it through our muddied lens, and may not be an accurate reflection of either the objective truth, or the truth as others see it. The best way to get to the truth is not to ignore your version of the truth, but to find out more about others’ versions and see whether you can connect somewhere in the middlle. To establish trust and credibility, it is essential to provide excellent customer service- first realize that a customer is biased toward his or her universe and although there is no way to get the full story on that, you can at least let the customer know that you care about their reality. Even if you cannot meet customers’ every need, the experience of trying to meet them in their world will be remembered long after your interaction is over."

Here's what I have to say: Powerful, isn't it? As the director and owner of Spanish-4-You,  exceeding customers' expectations has always been my priority, more than making a sale, even more than money. I am very fortunate to be able to apply the concept of putting myself in the position of others in my daily interaction with clients. I have to admit that sometimes it is not easy especially when I have to deal with difficult clients but I always try. That is one of the reasons why I think Spanish-4-You is rock solid with 95% repeat customers.

Why Learn Spanish?

Personal reasons: Learning Spanish will empower you for life.  It will let you communicate  with Hispanic people in their language as well as expose you to the food, the music, the celebrations and other aspects of Spanish speaking cultures. Moreover, it will make travel to Spanish speaking countries more enjoyable and meaningful.

Business reasons: Spanish is the second most common language in the US and the third in the world. Hispanics are America's fastest growing consumer group. For example, by 2010, Los Angeles will be home to more than 8.5 million Hispanics. Many companies in the US are finding ways to embrace diversity in an effort to improve their bottom line. Business people are finally realizing that the market is changing and if they don't diversify, they might stagnate or worse, lose business. Knowing Spanish is very important in most careers, especially Sales, Law and Medicine.

Learn a language as part of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

The most productive and creative people are those who make time to hone their skills and master new ones. Stephen Covey, the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, calls this kind of self-renewal "sharpening the saw".

Any activity that pushes your limits or stimulates your brain-whether it is taking up a sport, joining a book club or learning a new language is a worthy investment. Devote some time to what makes life worth living and you will reap the benefits.