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Please excuse our appearance
...it’s our casual Friday! |
Here’s my guess on this one…if you’ve gotten so casual in your
business that you have to apologize for how you look, you’ve gotten too
damn casual.
Here’s how it should work. Any mode of dress that is distracting,
or not in keeping with your business values or brand image is not
useful…and therefore not acceptable. Any mode of dress that could
destroy customer confidence is definitely not useful…and therefore not
acceptable.
And it’s not just how we dress that may have gotten too casual. It
could be how we behave, how we perform, or how seriously we take
deadlines and commitments in our business. If it’s generally OK to miss
deadlines, you’re way too casual. I’ve worked with clients who always
start meetings 15 or 20 minutes late, wasting everybody’s time and
sending exactly the wrong message throughout the organization.
Business is not a casual game of pickup beach volleyball. It does matter when things start and it does matter that things get done properly and on time.
If this sounds like your organization, its time to tighten up.
Don’t go getting mean about it…just kindly but firmly “tighten up”.
This isn’t about driving the fun and enjoyment out of your business.
That would be a huge mistake. It is about creating a business culture that is energized, fun and respectful while getting the work done, on time. It is about looking and acting like we mean business. Anything that looks like or sounds like “Yea…whatever!” is out!
Talk with your team frankly about the high standards of
performance, appearance and behavior that are required to be
productive, effective and competitive in today’s world. Get their
commitment, then lead by example. It starts with you….so get started!
2. Are your instructions clear..or are you driving people “nuts”?
(time to read this article is about 45 seconds)
For a printable version of this article,
click here.
We’ve all struggled with instructions or
directions that were incomprehensible and it drives us nuts! But when
is the last time you looked at your own instructions and
directions to ensure that you’re not doing exactly the same thing to your customers?
Back when we were the world's leading manufacturer of
hockey equipment, we had a simple but effective process
for making sure that every instruction was clear and concise. Take, for
example, hockey helmets. Helmets need to be adjusted to the exact size
of the player’s head and, as kids grew, they needed to be readjusted
from time to time. People’s lives were at stake here and we took it
seriously.
All instructions were first written by the folks
who designed the product. Then, we handed the helmet and the
instructions to several sets of “father & child” and “mother &
child” teams, and to teenage players by themselves. We watched and
listened as they worked through the instructions to adjust and fit
their helmet. We watched carefully for any sign of confusion, any
doubt, any misinterpretation. We interviewed each person afterwards to
find out how they viewed the experience…and then we changed what needed
changing.
Last
week I saw an ad in a Toronto paper for a car dealership at 5328 Yonge
Street. Yonge Street starts at the waterfront in downtown Toronto
and runs on for about 280 miles to the city of North Bay. In
fact, it is said to be the longest street in North America. So,
where exactly is 5328 Yonge Street? Wouldn't it be helpful to tell people that they are two blocks north of Finch Ave, on the east side?
Should you create a Task Force” in your business,
right now, to look into each and every one of your instructions and
directions to customers, and to staff, to ensure that you’re not
driving people nuts, wasting their time or perhaps even risking lives?
3. Are you creating “the next” in your business?
(time to read this article is about 60 seconds)
For a printable version of this article,
click here.
Hitachi, the Japanese electronics company, has
chosen as its brand positioning statement “Inspire the next!” My own
thought is that they’d be much better off with, “Creating the next!”
It’s great to be “inspired”, but we need to use that inspiration to
actually “create” something. “Creating” is the ultimate act of renewal.
Are you “creating the next” in your business, in
your market and in your industry...or would your company’s slogan more
realistically be “Catching up to what was.”?
What is the “next” that you must create to be a
profitable market leader in 3 to 5 years? What does “the next” look
like? Can you picture it? How much time do you even spend thinking
about stuff like this?
So, what are the most important things to do in your business, right now…
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To create the next “big idea” in product or service innovation. (think “amazing” here)
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To create the next new way that you’ll communicate
your compelling value in a way that “grabs” your target customers and
clearly differentiates you from your competitors. Remember, if you
can’t effectively communicate your value, it doesn’t exist.
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To create the next new business model that will transform your industry. (think Costco, Amazon.com, and Southwest Airlines)
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To create the next technology that will change
what you do, how you do it or who your new competition will be. (think
of how the internet has impacted the Travel Agency business)
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To create the next level of operational efficiency that will make you price-competitive, service-competitive and profitable.
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To create an internal business environment that makes you the place that the best people in your industry want to work.
Just keep asking the one simple question that can transform your business, “What’s possible…and what’s next?”
Now, here’s the bad news. If you’re not “creating the next” in
these six key areas of your business, you’re falling behind…and “behind” is
a very bad place to be.
4. Some clarity on “Finding your purpose!”
(time to read this section is about 10 seconds)
I hear lots of my fellow speakers going on about “finding the
purpose” of our life. This raises an interesting question. When we’re
born are we given some “purpose” for being here and we’re expected to
stumble around until we find it?
Or, perhaps, could it be that at the moment of conception, we are
given certain talents and abilities through some accident of genetic
transfer, which we can choose to use or choose to squander.
As unpopular as it may be with some folks, my belief is that our
lives have absolutely no purpose until we give it one, or two, or three
by doing something that makes a difference in our lives…or the lives of
others.
I’m sure lots of folks disagree with that…and I’d love to have to have your thoughts.
5. Bits & Pieces:
(time to read this section is about one minute)
Item (A): Beware of “identity theft”!
My friend Marie Mosely (see
http://www.mariemosely.com),
who successfully coaches management teams around the world on how to
work together more effectively, recently sent me a reminder of how the
new cell phones with camera built in are being used by criminals to
“steal” your identity.
While standing near you in a checkout line at retail stores or
restaurants they can take a picture of your credit or debit cards as
you use them, giving them your name, card number and expiration date.
When making a payment, be aware of anyone using a cell phone near you
and be sure to block their view of your card.
Item (B): We complain about the strangest things!
It seems a bit odd to me that while everyone’s complaining about
the price of gasoline, sales of Starbucks coffee continues to soar.
What’s the relevant connection, you ask? Starbucks coffee is 9 times
the price of gasoline…and nobody says a word. People line up for their
$3.50 double lattes while complaining about the price of gas to the person
in front of them in line.
And what about the price of bottled water? In the Intercontinental
Hotel in New Orleans the 750 ml bottle of Evian water on the desk in my
room was priced at $22 a gallon (CDN), when you do the math. This is
nuts! Perhaps we're complaining about the wrong things.
Item (C): Have you found any new oil lately?
Daily oil consumption is now at 82 million barrels, worldwide…and
the average decline rate of producing fields is about 5%. So, someone
must find four million new barrels of oil every day, just to maintain
equilibrium. And, of course, because demand keeps growing, that number
keeps going up.
Item (D): The value of touching…and a quick tip on improving your “customer service” rating at home!
Research shows that when clerks at cash registers return change to
a customer, if they briefly touch the customers hand, they’re rated
higher on customer service, according to Mel Fertel, a graduate of the
Wharton School of Business.
He goes on to say that in our personal lives most couples don’t
touch enough. Very often, the only time couples touch is in a sexual
context. There’s very little touching purely for the sake of making a
connection at a particular moment. To improve your customer service
rating at home, Mel recommends three of these “touching connections”
each and every day. Call me a big suck, but I think his number is way
too low!
Some
customer-focused retailers have policy that any time a customer comes
within 6 feet of a staff member, the customer will get a smile, a nod
or a 'hello'. It's called "The 6 Foot Rule".
How
about implementing this simple rule at home with your spouse and/or
kids? Anyone who comes within 6 feet gets a loving touch, a
smile, a 'love you'...or maybe even a hug.
6. "The guy what wrote the ad shoulda wrote the book!"
(time to read this article is about 40 seconds)
For a printable version of this article,
click here.
Is your advertising clear, compelling and truthful…or do you
directly or indirectly promise something that you can’t or won’t
deliver? Sadly, lots of businesses do…and it’s a huge mistake!
My Father used to tell a wonderful story about a farmer who found
a huge ad in his local paper for “The Farmer’s Encyclopedia”. The ad
promised that this complete guide to modern farming would…
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Increase egg production 25%…guaranteed!
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Increase milk production 17%…guaranteed!
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Increase corn production 14%…guaranteed!
...etc, etc, etc.
The “encyclopedia” was a whopping $250, but it came with a
money-back guarantee and the farmer decided to give it a try. He sent
off his cheque and a few weeks later the book arrived.
With eager
anticipation and great hopes for improved productivity, the farmer sat
up half the night at the kitchen table reading “The Farmer’s
Encyclopedia”. After several hours of complete and utter disappointment, he decided
to invoke the money-back guarantee. He packaged the book back up and
slipped a little note inside. The note said, “The guy what wrote the ad, shoulda wrote the book!”
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in your business is to
create an expectation that you can’t deliver. Take a good hard look at
your advertising, your “sales pitch”, your brand promise, your
catalogues and brochures and anywhere else that you promise
anything…and make sure that you are under-promising and
over-delivering.
7. Here are a few simple things that you need to know about room set-up for your next conference:
(time to read this article is about 80 seconds)
For a printable version of this article,
click here.
If you have anything to do with organizing conferences for your organization, please read this. If you don’t…move on.
Last week I spoke at three conferences at expensive, first-rate
hotels and in each case the room was set up so badly that we had to
redo it in order to rescue the situation. It’s so much easier
to get it right the first time. Here are a few simple rules…
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First off, by far the best kind of seating is “classroom” style
which gives everyone a writing surface and more space to lean, change
positions and keep comfortable. There’s always water available and
often candies or jelly beans. If you want to spoil your audience buy
them Werther’s caramels or M&M’s and have the hotel put two dishes
of them on each table.
Next best, after classroom seating, is “half rounds”. The tables
themselves are “full rounds” but you can only put people at the back
side of each table so that everyone’s more or less facing the stage.
“Half rounds” work best if you’re going to have discussion groups as
part of the program but they do require a much bigger room to fit
everyone in. With round tables, of course, there’s lots of room to
write and for water and treats.
The least effective seating arrangement by far is “theatre style”
where chairs are crammed in, there’s nowhere to take notes except your
lap and there’s no water or treats. Especially for any presentation
longer than 40 minutes, unless the presentation is primarily entertainment, avoid “theatre style” like the plague.
Before you book a hotel, find out if they have conference rooms big
enough to accommodate a seating plan that works for your audience. If
they tell you that you have to go to theatre style seating to fit
everyone in …find another hotel with the room size you need to do it
right.
Not only does “classroom style” function better for people than
theatre style, psychologically, they’re more prepared to learn when
entering a “classroom” setting. We go to a classroom to learn…we go to
the theatre to be entertained.
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Whatever
seating style you choose, the first row of seating must never be more
than 8 feet from the stage, unless it’s a huge room with a very high
stage, in which case the first row of seats should not be more than 12
feet from the stage. When there’s 20 or more feet between the stage and
the people, as so often happens, there’s a huge disconnect between the
speaker and the audience. And it’s made even worse when no one sits in
the first three rows.
- Never
create a center isle that lines up with the center of the stage. This
creates a situation where the speaker, standing in the middle of the
stage, is speaking right up an empty isle. Two isles, set off center,
left and right, are the way to go.
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Using masking tape, tape off the back few rows or tables to
encourage people to sit up front. This creates more energy in the room
and leaves back seats available for latecomers without disturbing
everyone else.
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One last thing. If you’re projecting PowerPoint or other images on
a screen, the screen needs to be in darkness, but the stage needs to be
well lit and the whole room needs to be bright enough for people to
stay awake, read handouts and take notes. Work with the hotel and the
AV Company well ahead of time to ensure that this will all be done. It
might involve spending a few extra dollars for free-standing stage
lighting. Also, make sure that the screen is big enough. The bigger,
the better.
