I’m a big sucker for companies who go above and beyond for their customers and 1-800-PetMeds put a giant smile of my face when I opened up my shipped package. Inside were the two boxes of medication I ordered and two dog treats with a note that read “The big treat is for Leidi B and the small one is for Nikki.” (I had two dogs, a 70-pound Lab and a 20-pound Jack Russel).

When companies send you a little extra with your purchase, it means a lot, but when companies say “Hey, we paid attention and know you have two dogs, a big one and a small one, so we took the liberty to send you appropriate treats,” I’m hooked and even more so, I’ve become an advocate.

My vet even tried to convince me once to buy meds from her instead of 1-800-PetMeds, but I stood strong next to the company that not only cares about my pets’ needs, but also provides excellent products and customer service.

My latest purchase was a doggie bed that made me envy my dog; it’s really comfy: Ortho Small Dog Sleeper.

Oh and I love that no matter how big the company gets, they’ll always interact with you on Twitter.

P.S. Did you know that they’re based in South Florida? Just in case you needed another reason to like them

Web City Girls is a “labor of love,” as Lynn put it. It was originally intended to be a reality show, that featured Lynn’s sister, Linda Ponder-Mayer, but the brand expanded to include an agency branch (focused on public relations, social media and marketing) as well as a media branch (delivering marketing messages for clients that the agency side comes up with).

WCG Media: Mara Fernandez, Lynn Ponder, Linda Ponder

WCG Agency: Lisandra Carballosa and Lynn Ponder

Instead of hearing about how Web City Girls grew into a successful company in just four months from me, let Lynn tell you about it in her interview. Afterward, make sure to check her out in the following networks:

Twitter: @WebCityGirls

Facebook: Web City Girls

Foursquare: WebCityGirls W.

Youtube: WebCityGirls

Interview: Web City Girls 2.13.11 from Agustina Prigoshin on Vimeo.

As friends, we tend to listen to each other and support one another in times of need. Some of those needy times are when we’re stressed and need to vent. What if the venting is work-related? How would hearing so much negativity from someone on the “inside” affect our perception of their employer?

A company’s biggest asset is their employees.

After reading each comment from last weeks’ post, I tried to imagine the opposite effect:

“Employees are arguably the BEST brand ambassadors for any company,” wrote Cristina Sotolongo. Imagine if these brand ambassadors are unhappy and complaining about their boss, the company and the way things are run.

“This goes back to the need for ‘authenticity,’” wrote Brian Breslin. Being that our brand ambassadors are our friends, we’ll believe them and more than likely take their side and look down on the company that makes them so unhappy.

“Even if we aren’t altogether familiar with a company or how it works, I think we have a tendency to give it a chance if people we trust are working in its behalf,” wrote Eileen Spiegler. Again, if the people we trust aren’t happy, we’ll more than likely put the blame on the company.

“Thanks for wanting a front row seat to our new ventures!” wrote Mallory Colliflower. If our friends are happy and are excited to work at a company, we’ll get excited to hear about new developments and become loyal fans, but if they’re not happy, we probably won’t give that company any thought.

We’re always hearing about Word of Mouth and its power. In my opinion, negative Word of Mouth is much more powerful and spreads quicker because people find it juicy.

All in all, companies need to be very careful, more so nowadays with Social Media, to ensure their employees are happy. I know you can’t always please everyone, but employers need to make a conscious effort to listen to their employees. There are several cases where companies have noticed their employees complaining about their job via Social Media and fired them. Then there are the companies that see these complaints and take the necessary measures to make the disgruntled employee happy – those are the companies I admire.

Several friends of mine have gotten some really great jobs in the past few months at big-name companies. For example, Cristina Sotolongo now works for the Miami Science Museum, Lori Marie Todd now works for John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Mallory Colliflower now works for AutoNation.

I’ve known about these companies well before my friends started working there, but it wasn’t until they were hired that I felt compelled to hit that “Become a Fan” or “Follow” button. I wonder how many people react the same way I do. I can think of a few reasons for taking action once they’re hired:

1. I want to support them and the company they now work with.

2. I know the greatness they’re capable of and want a front row seat to all their projects.

3. I now feel a more personal connection to the company or organization.

That personal connection feeling is what I find very interesting. In all honesty, I can’t really analyze that feeling and was hoping for some other perspectives. What are your thoughts?

See, I’m Hispanic and like any other Hispanic, I say “Hello” with a cheek-to-cheek kiss.

In the business world, it’s customary to say “Hello” with a handshake.

I’ve been greeted a few times with a cheek-to-cheek kiss in a professional setting and it always throws me off guard. Not that I mind it, on the contrary, it establishes a sense of comfort and trust that a handshake can’t offer. Nevertheless, it is unexpected.

I have developed a great habit of pausing when I meet someone new and waiting to see how they’d like to be greeted. It’s my safest bet.