We got eight inches of snow yesterday. Schools were closed. Kids were home. A good day to stay indoors.
Not for me. I had an appointment at 11am in Cuyahoga Falls and I wasn’t going to miss it. I chose to driving on the secondary roads figuring that if I got stuck I would be within walking distance to help.
I made it almost there when I got stuck at an intersection. The accumulated snow was just too high for my mini van to navigate. I struggled forward six inches. Backed up and tried again. Luckily it was a side street without traffic. As I continued my forward and backward trip to nowhere, my cell phone rang. Out of habit I reached over and answered it.
What was I thinking?
“Hi this is Barbara and I recently heard you speaker at the local chamber meeting. Is this an okay time to talk?”
I started to laugh. “Well, I’m stuck in an intersection right now but since I can’t seem to go forward or back, it is just as good a time as any.”
I put the car in park, hit the hazard light button and said “How can I help you?”
She shared her harrowing driving experience and we commiserated before getting down to business. She needed a speaker. “I have a date in February that I’m desperate to fill, can you help?”
As it turns out – I was free that day. We talked a little longer and then agreed to continue the conversation when we were both safe and warm.
Customers come first in my book. It is a natural, knee-jerk reaction. Just like my response to the ringing phone. You just never know who needs help.
Had I let the phone ring – she might have called the next speaker on her list. The time it took to connect with Barbara allowed us to develop a connection and gave my car a chance to rest. I hung up and shot out into the intersection. Okay, that is an exaggeration, but I did manage to get going in a forward motion.
I’m not suggesting that you answer your phone no matter what – obviously you need to be safe – but how often do you just let the phone go to voice mail, choosing to screen your calls? In this day and age of complex voice mail systems, getting a live person can be just the ticket to set you apart from the competition!
Do you have any crazy stories like my intersection experience? I hope you’ll share.
I love going to Connecting Touch for my monthly massage. I learn more about business and walk away relaxed and refreshed. Today was no exception. The owner, Jack Hayes, was telling me about a new program he’ll implement for the month of February.
“I wanted to find a way to give back to the community,” Jack told me. “Times are tough and I have been trying to think of a way to do something of value. And that’s when I thought of a food drive!”
Starting in February every customer who comes for a service with a canned good or non-perishable item will receive a coupon for a free hand paraffin treatment. (I’ve had them and they are a wonderful way to restore dry, cracked wintery hands). He’s contacted the Akron Food Bank and made arrangements with them for the donations.
It is a great idea. A simple, yet vital way to help his customers give back to the community.
People are looking for ways to help others. Is there some way your business can give back to the community? What ideas have you seen work? Have you heard about the new Hyunadi stimulus program? Buy a car this year and if you lose your job they’ll take the car back so you don’t have additional debt you can’t handle. Talk about being empathetic to a customer’s concerns!
Consider adding a program in which your customers are able (with your help) to give back to your community. You just might find that giving back will drive traffic to your door!
Here are instructions to give yourself a hot wax paraffin treatment at home, but if you are local to the Akron/Canton region, why not give Connecting Touch a call and let them pamper you. Just remember your canned goods!
I’m a big fan of Liza Minelli. (she’s brilliant in the above rendition of Irving Berlin’s I Love a Piano.)
And her mom was no slouch either (Judy Garland). When I was younger people would say I looked like Liza; same short black hair styled to accent my eyes, big voice, and long legs. Huge compliment!
I have recordings of Liza from when she was a child appearing on her mom’s television show, memories of her starring in Cabaret, and a variety of other albums and video recordings across her career. She was a performer extraordinare. She has my loyalty. I am a fan.
So when I saw her this morning making her comeback on the View (she is actually performing in a one-woman show on Broadway) I stopped what I was doing to enjoy every note, every dramatic arm fling.
So how was she? Well, her hair looks the same and she’s lost weight. Her many face lifts resemble her younger look and her voice? Shakey, a little flat and unable to sustain a long note.
However as a fan – I saw the vivacious performer selling a song I’ve always loved. To my ears, she sounded fantastic. Her song interpretation was dramatic and enjoyable.
My loyalty glosses over any flat sounds and the fact that she can no longer kick her legs as high as she used to.
Loyalty forgives a million little mistakes. Our customers are no different. If they are loyal; they forgive a missed deadline, a faulty product or a sour note. They want us to do good because of their memory of our past treatment and their faith in our future successes. We earned their loyalty by taking the time to build a relationship, listen closely and effectively match the right products/services with their needs.
How do you go about earning your customer’s loyalty? Building a relationship with your customers no only leads to a great customer sale, referrals, return visits and (if we are having a bad day) a blind eye to our little mistakes.
I just got home from church and was moved by a story within the sermon. The scripture from Mark told of Jesus gathering his disciples from the beach. “Come and follow me,” He said.
The story told of four ways we might be fishers of men or of people – a more inclusive term. I tell the story here on Make or Break Moments because I believe there is a correlation to the ways in which we drive traffic to our business.
The story shares four ways to gather followers:
A man sits on the beach sunning himself in a beach chair with a barrel by his side. His method of fishing? If a fish happens to jump out of the water into his barrel – he’s happy to take him/her home. I can remember managers who would tell me that if I could just get customers to the door, they would take it from there. They weren’t willing to reach out into the community – they preferred to sit back and see what happened on its own. Kind of like singles who sit at home looking at a silent phone, hoping someone will know they are available. I gotta ask, “How’s that working for you?”
The second fisherman has a pole, with a hook and bait and periodically catches fish. The fish aren’t sure why they were caught. They don’t know where they are going or what is in store. They just know there was a shiny fly or a tasty morsel or a great loss-leader discount that drove them to shore. Will they come back a second time? Well, since they don’t know why they came the first time, chances are you’ve only caught them for that one moment in time.
The third fisherman has a net and captures hordes of fish, dragging them kicking and screaming to the shore. Again – no clue as to why they have been caught. They just know they’ve been told “it is good for you” and so they come, resistant and resigned. Perhaps you are in the healthcare industry and customers are forced to come to you to stay in network. Or maybe you are a retailer with exclusive rights to a product (Best Buy’s rights to the first week of selling the long awaited Guns and Roses CD). Are people glad they came or resigned to the fact they had no choice?
The last fisherman stands on the shore and calls out “Come with me. Learn what I have to share. Tell me your needs. Let’s work together to find a solution.” The people come willingly to gather round someone who has reached out to them. Someone interested in being with them. Someone who wants to learn more and share what they have to give.
Whether your goal is to bring more people to your faith, to volunteer in your fund raising efforts or to come and try out your services and products…which fisherman will be the most successful in the LONG RUN? You might catch more people initially with great bait or a big net, but will you earn their loyalty?
As we reach out into our community (within our town or the great global online network) how are you perceived by your potential customers? Which method would catch you?
John is – WAS – a customer of a local eatery, frequenting them every weekday with the same order. After an unfortunate incident in which the management showed, by their actions, that they didn’t feel John’s business was all that important, John wrote them a letter.
In the letter he calcuated the cost of lost revenue due to the lack of customer service:
Now to you this is probably no big deal, you didn’t sell a few egg-whites this morning, so what… but let’s look a little closer. As mentioned above we have been coming there almost every single weekday for the past year (enough so that Sarah and the rest of the staff know our order by heart – which I am sure you do too because our waiter this morning told us we could not have egg-whites, before we even had a chance to order!) so that means we are there about 250 days every year. Our bill is the same every morning: $10.14 – and we always give a $3.00 tip – so that is $13.14 x 250 – or roughly $3,285 in lost revenue to you and your staff.
Ah, but we also bought muffins and cookies for our clients from you and we had been ordering lunch for our entire staff from you a few times every month too, so conservatively that is at least another $1,200 a year we were spending at The Bakery Mill & Deli. Now the total is $4,485 in lost revenue.
However, that is only one year. Since we live right up the road, there is no reason to believe that if we had been treated well we would not have continued to come in for quite some time. But let’s just call it the next 3 years – so a conservative “lifetime value” for us as customers is: $13,455. Which means you just turned away more than $10,000 in future business over probably less than $1 of egg-whites.
Over $13,000 in estimated lost revenue for the next three years when the manager/owner could have walked across the street to the grocery story to purchase a container of Eggbeaters for a few bucks.
Over $13,000 in estimated lost revenue and a tarnished reputation here on the web. John not only wrote to the owner but also posted the full letter in the comments section of my blog post.
Over $13,000 in estimated lost revenue within the community. Certainly if someone were to ask John about the benefits of having a meal at the Bakery Mill and Deli in Florida, he would retell this story.
How do you regain your reputation? How quickly do you gain back the trust?
We need to think twice and three times before we quickly dismiss a customer’s request. In this age of instant and viral communication, our reputation can suffer almost before the words are out of our mouth!
Have you ever calculated the cost of a lost customer? What would you do differently if you had the chance to try again? Anything?
Yesterday was an amazingly historic day. A peaceful transition from the Bush administration to President Obama, all eyes on what Michelle would be wearing, how many millions would attend the inauguration and how many portapotties it would take to serve their needs, the inauguration speech, a celebration parade with 81 groups playing their best for the new President and his wife, and a newly arranged musical piece performed by the great Yo-yo Ma and Itzhak Perlmen which included the familiar Christian song The Lord of the Dance.
So many moments to comment on. I have to admit my heart was filled with great joy as I watched with hundreds of millions around the world, as a new president was sworn into office. President Barack Obama. May God Bless you and your family.
However, it was a few little details that stood out for me. Details that were a small mirror into the character and integrity of our new first couple. When they first emerged from Blair House to drive to church, the then President-Elect Obama walked hand-in-hand with his bride delivering her to her side of the car. He then walked AROUND the car so she didn’t have to “sckooch” across the seat. I loved that.
When they arrived for coffee with President and Mrs. Bush, they emerged from the car and Michelle brought a gift for Laura Bush. The commentators went wild! It was a first. No one had ever brought a gift to the last coffee before. What could the box include? Was it something for the Bush’s to use on the plane ride back to Texas? Had Michelle stayed up late baking cookies? No, it was a journal and pen for Laura’s thoughts; it was such a human, loving gesture. With everything the Obama’s had on their mind that Michelle would think to bring a little something to Laura was just delightful.
What about the fact that President Obama and Michelle walked the Bush couple all the way to the helicopter for a last farewell. So classy.
It is the little things that count the most. The little gestures. Think of the impact those two small things had on the outgoing family.
We can make the same kind of difference in the lives of our customers, our employees and our vendors without spending a fortune; without making a grand statement. Just something little. Something that shows you care.
Beautiful.
What can you do today to let someone know you care?
I’m reading another idea in the Care Packages for Your Customersbook by Barbara Glanz and this tip suggests that managers get out of their office and be visible both to employees as well as customers.
The technique is called Managing by Walking Around but essentially it is just being visible to assist, encourage and participate in the daily business.
I’m reminded of a story I heard about Anne Mulcahey and her bid to turnaround Xerox in 2000. When she took the position she spent the first two months in the field visiting Xerox locations, managers and employees to learn about the business. She asked questions, she was visible, she got involved and her actions spoke volumes about the depth of passion she feels for the company, the customers and her employees.
Leili McKinley just wrote about Anne in a recent post called the Secret of Leadership.
What would you do if the company you work for were 18 billion dollars in debt facing imminent bankruptcy with debtors dragging you to court and your boss quits?
Well you might choose to run from the obvious train-wreck. But, Anne Mulcahey is different. Anne chose to step up. She became CEO of Xerox and faced doubters, debtors and critics head on. In a few years she cut the debt in half, raised revenue, and inspired her company’s employees, customers and vendors.
How?
In the words of Bill George Harvard Business School Professor, she is an authentic leader. She leads from her own “true north”. She understands the purpose of her leadership. She is also conscious of the “true north” of the company, it’s soul, so to speak. She understands the entelechy of the company. She knows where the two intersect and where she can add value.
Anne’s method of managing by walking around gave her the opportunity to hear from employees and customers just what it would take to turn around Xerox.
By being AVAILABLE as managers we have the opportunity to witness make or break moments between employees and customers and between peers. How we use those moments and the knowledge we gain from them will be what sets us and our business apart.
Barbara Glanz lists just a few of the benefits of being available to our business:
Be available – don’t hide behind your cell phone
Do more listening than talking
Make eye contact
Ask questions
Be honest
Show appreciation
Do it regularly
Use the time to praise rather than criticize. Use the time to share and direct rather than lecture. Use the time to learn rather than assume.
Good stuff. What experiences have you had with managing by walking around?
Today is the day we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Our soon-to-be-President Barack Obama has coined it a Day of Service – a day to give back within our community.
I remember years ago sitting in a marketing meeting for Pearle Vision – it was in the late 80s and we had over 1400 locations. A disagreement was taking place over how to spend marketing dollars. As a relatively new regional manager I asked a “silly” question – or at least that was how it was perceived:
“If each of the stores used their percentage of the marketing budget purchasing advertising within a three mile radius – wouldn’t that have the same effect if not better, as if we spent the money on television or radio nationwide?”
My idea was viewed as silly for of course you shouldn’t do anything unless you can do it on the grand scale. However, that is totally opposite of what Obama is asking of us. He says:
We need your service, right now, in this moment – our moment – in history. I’m not going to tell you what your role should be; that’s for you to discover. But I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current of history. I am asking you to change history’s course.
Each person making a stand, making a difference in their own community.
In the email from David Plouffe, Campaign manager for Obama he says:
Monday is not only the eve of an inauguration that brings all of us so much hope, it’s also Martin Luther King Jr. Day — when we recognize the power of one man to bring about change by serving his country.
Help kick off an ongoing commitment to serve our communities by taking part in this extraordinary day of service.
The grassroots movement you helped build was always about more than an election. It’s about bringing much needed change to Washington and our communities.
I don’t usually like to have my picture taken but Kristen Rist did a great job. She met me at the Akron Public Library and took about 25 pictures of me that I’m able to use with my marketing materials. I’ve heard it said that your name and photo will be the new brand image going forward – taking the place or at least taking precedence over your company name and logo.
I wait my turn in line and then hand the stack of envelopes to the postal clerk. She weighs and measures and then looks at the label, up at me and back to the label.
“Wait – is this YOU?” she exclaims with great surprise. Now cut me some slack, it is Saturday morning – frigid winter temperatures and perhaps I haven’t put my professional face on. Okay – maybe I’m totally without makeup, barely ran a comb through my hair and am dressed in sweats.
“Yes, that’s me,” I admit. “Guess I look a little different.”
She does another double take and says – “Did you have a professional take your picture?” Read between the lines – with special filtered lenses and lots of touch up???
Okay, so let’s say this was my make or break moment, an opportunity to share my brand with the community because of course there were seven other people in line listening to the conversation and straining forward to see the labels in question. I missed the opportunity to put my best foot forward.
Has this happened to you? Just like the Boy Scouts or the Armed Forces – when you go out and conduct business (even if it is just a trip to the post office) do you dress in the uniform of your brand image?
This fall the much anticipated sequel Age of Conversation2 became available. Much anticipated by those who were familiar with the first book faciliated by the great Drew McLellan of Drew’s marketing minute in conjunction with Gavin Heaton and much anticipated by me.
I have a chapter in the book. Well, okay…a page. But a page included in this magnificent tome that includes such marketing greats as David Meerman Scott, Todd Andrlik and Mike Sansone. And me.
I love picking the book up and opening it at random spots to see what I can learn. Today I found a great correlation between marketing and teaching that ties in beautifully to building relationships.
Wayne Buckhanan of Life Love and Learning compares the job of a teacher to that of a marketer. He says that:
“Teaching and marketing both happen best when there is a conversation – when there is an exchange that benefits everyone involved (and is non-negative for everyone else!)”
Rather than TALKING AT our prospects/customers – he suggests that our marketing needs to inspire a conversation. Gee. Don’t people in relationships have conversations? Wouldn’t you like to have a conversation with your customer?
He goes on to say:
“Communication skills are number one. Clear communication is a skill continually practiced and never perfected. Every interaction is a new situation and therefore a new challenge.”
Although the temptation might be to TEACH our customers a thing or two – it is only through a two-way conversation with them that we are able to uncover their needs and then match our solutions, our benefits with those needs.
Thanks, Wayne, for that thought-provoking comparison. What do you think? Do you approach your marketing as a teacher might; with the focus being on education rather than a quick sale?
Do you have your own copy of Age of Conversation 2? You can download a copy for under $13 at Lulu. Order Age of Conversation2 today and start reading this afternoon.
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We got eight inches of snow yesterday. Schools were closed. Kids were home. A good day to stay indoors.
I just got home from church and was moved by a story within the sermon. The scripture from 
Yesterday John Spence left a comment on a post a wrote last month entitled 
