Tag Lines and Expectations

Perhaps I am more sensitive to tag lines having recently gone through the process of changing one.  The question for me became, do I deliver what is advertised or is it just a catchy statement?  Now I am evaluating my customer experience based on the tag line of a banking firm that I recently engaged.  They proclaim  ”where people matter more than money”.  There were two people out of seven that I spoke withthat truly reflected this statement.  Not great odds.

A tag line can mean something to the person/ team that creates it.  How do we get buy in from all staff?  We can promote it, hammer it home and even post it for all to see.  Still, do all staff live the tag line that they work under?  The good odds are probably not.

Pickles and Problems

Yesterday I had lunch at a local place.  One of the reasons I go there is that I can depend on consistency and the staff doesn’t have to ask what I want.  My order came and there was a problem.  My side order of pickles had virtually no flavor (or at least not a flavor that I like).  When I brought my problem to the attention of the server the answer was “let me get you a new side of pickles”.  She did and the taste was just like the first batch.

Turns out the resturant buys pickles in bulk and that the server just got more from the same batch.  When I asked if she could try a new can of pickles she responded that “the manager won’t open a new can until the old one was finished”.  Just my luck, the manager was on break and not available to listen to my thoughts.

In the scheme of things, so what.  So I didn’t get the pickles I wanted.  My lunch was ok aside from this one small aspect.  I’ll go back in the future.  So what. 

Years ago I worked with an individual by the name of Bob Feeney.  When any of us would start to gripe about our problems he would always respond “if you didn’t have any problems, you wouldn’t have any business”.  The point is that it’s not the problem per say but rather how we deal with the problem.  If we are prepared to resolve issues in a fashion that benefits the customer as well as our respective organization we should be enabled to make good on any problem that confronts us.

I really would have liked a different batch of pickles………….

Pest Problem

I just returned from a vacation that was outside of the United States.  It was a great trip with warm weather, good food and great accommodations.  Still I didn’t enjoy the trip as I had anticipated.  The problem (for me) was that from the moment I cleared customs and until I returned to the airport I was bombarded by individuals selling everything from time share to jewelery.  A simple walk down the street turned into a verbal mugging and I got to the point of not wanting to go out at all.

 So there I sit in paradise and it becomes very clear that this is potentially how my clients feel.  Are they afraid or to weary to answer the telephone due to all the “peddlers” that are attempting to solicit their business?  Is avoidance easier than dealing with the mass of people that are pushing their version of the same service?  The realization is staggering……

Still we need to sell our product and/ or service and not every call will be a referral.  Our approach should be one that invites the potential contact to respond not hide.  There are many thoughts on how to differentiate ourselves but it should start with a single thought.  How would I like to be treated if I were the targeted contact?  Find your approach and then look to be unique.  Separate from the herd.  Remember, your success will be built on a relationship but how we develop that relationship will determine our success.

Bad Luck For A Price

I have recently had a string of bad luck and it has me wondering about the reviews that appear in Cigar Aficionado.  Specifically, I have been trying cigars that were reviewed in the magazine (buying four versus one to ensure a sampling) and have not been impressed with the results.  From plugged and hard to draw to flavor that is less than other labels that I have come to trust I have not been impressed with what the magazine is rating so highly.

The thought begins………..do the companies pay to get reviewed?  The possibility is daunting in that if a label can flourish based on paid reviews and not on quality then I am buying bad advice.  We want to trust the “published expert” but what is the reality of the review?   I paid a pretty good price to try these rated cigars and came away with doubt. 

For now I am sticking with the labels that have been good to me in the past and it will probably be awhile before I trust the review of a major cigar publication.

Must There Always Be Metrics?

The news today is all about the economy and the upcoming elections.  Banking profits are at a sixteen year low.  McCain would prevale over Obama or Clinton if the the elections were held this week.  All of this is substantiated by numbers.

 In turn we focus on our day and the people around us and when things get tough we turn to metrics.  How many calls?  How many contacts?  The list is long and distinguished…………….and the questions are valid.  Without production/ goals we tend to be targetless.  Still, can sheer numbers rule at the close of the day?

 What about relationships?  We have multiple contacts (that is how we meet our production numbers) but are they what we need to be successful.  Recruiters can make a volume of calls and get lucky as can sales people.  Volume does not neccecarily build knowledge and without knowledge can we really own a client? 

 When times are good it is easy to make the calls with little investment.  When the market turns south we really learn about who has built the relationships that are of value and of content.  Making the investment to build relationships can pay in the best of times as well as the worst of times.

Being Unique

Conversations are raging about not just being different, it’s more about being unique.  What is it that we have that others don’t?  Even when we know that what we offer is the same or similar to what others in a particular industry have, can we still be unique?

 It seems to me that being unique can be as much about how we communicate our offerings as it is about finding an offering that stands apart. 

When meeting a person for the first time I always offer the following: look for the tallest person in the room that has the biggest nose and that will be me!  Never has it been a challange to connecting with the other party.  Usually they make a direct approach to me smiling as they come near………..and the first greeting is always the same.  “Your nose isn’t that large at all.” 

 I am not unique in appearance just in description.  It can work.

AT&T Where Are You?

When you have an isolated problem with a service or product it’s easy move on and forget the issue.  When you have multiple occurrences it’s easy to become frustrated.  Take AT&T, my data carrier.  Service has been interrupted several times in recent weeks and for extended periods.  My company pays its bills so I know that money is not the issue! 

 When service is interrupted, my IT Director calls AT&T and always receives the same answer.  “Our lines are fine so the problem must be with your equipment”.  This has not been the case.  What I would prefer is that our service provider act on the information provided.  Stay in touch with updates instead of us having to track them down.  Also, when asked for a meeting to discuss problems and problem resolution it would be nice to get a response.  Fix the problem.  Step up to a level of customer service.  Be visible and accountable.

I had voiced my concerns to the Regional Manager for AT&T and had requested a meeting to address the issues that we as a business face as a client of theirs.  No answer.  When reaching out to this same individual regarding our most recent outage and the continued need to meet I was told that they were leaving this position and wouldn’t be available.  Trying to sneak out the door without escalation or resolution about sums up my experience with AT&T. 

What does it take to get one person in their ranks to step up and work with a paying customer?  This could be one of the mysteries of our time!

A Mile Is Still A Mile, Still

It is suggested that in running a mile that the first person to finish the race is the only person to be rewarded.  While there are medals for second and third, the first place finisher does get the “gold”.  Still, there is more to finishing a race than being the very first to cross the line.  There is first by age or gender at the very least.  More to the point, a person can be running to qualify or are running  against themself and simply running for time.  There were many races that I finished where I was participant on an individual level and was not positioned to win.  But yet I did.  Finishing ninth with a personal best can be viewed as a win.

 In business, not every employee can be the “star”.  There are various levels of achievement and they are matched by the appropriate reward.  More importantly as was pointed out by lisaamorao, managers are not looking for the “one hit wonder” rather we are looking to hire the individual who can create repeatable success.  There is a place for steady performers.  They might not win the President’s award but you can count on them to compile strong numbers month after month and this is what pays the bills that allow companies to grow.

Success is a funny thing………..it can mean different things to different people.  While there is only one Bill Gates there are many successful people out there in the world!

A Mile Is Still A Mile

When I was still competing in track and field the race that I specialized in was the mile.  Four laps around the outdoor track or eight to ten laps indoor depending on the facility.  Still from start to finish we ran a mile.  There were no short cuts and our efforts were out there for all to see.  It seems to me that work in the staffing world is much the same.  A mile is a mile.

 From start to finish, we should always go the distance in order to ensure quality customer service.  If an order is worth taking, work it as if it is golden!  Afford your clients and consultants the best that you have to offer.  Build your conversations into relationships.  Create partnerships.  Invest your time and efforts and show your interest and appreciation.  Just as a runner completes four laps to successfully complete one mile people in staffing must make the effort to complete each and every transaction.  Spectators at the track know a great effort when they see one and our clients know when they have received quality customer service.  A mile is a mile and the finish line has its reward!

Have Telephone?

Are there still telephones in use in the business world?  Are people still talking or is this a keyboard society?  An article in the news today spoke ever increasing number of young people that prefer posting over talking and it makes you wonder just where our social skills are going. 

There are a few of us that still remember doing business before faxes, mobile phones, pagers and even computers came into play.  Business was built on relationships and conversations that were fostered by telephone and in person visits.  Even within the office people would get up and walk to the work area of a peer to ask a question.  Discussion often ensued and relationships were established.  People acted with urgency in that communications were not always quick and in order to meet goals and production standards it was essential to manage time wisely.

 Today we are blessed with time saving tools such as email and IM.  Calls can be made from just about anywhere and at any time.  Faxes can be done from your computer, documents can be scanned and emailed and messages are received on both your phone or computer.  Through the progress of tools we now have more time to accomplish more……or do we?  Is it possible that while we have more time that we are still doing the same amount of work as before?  Could it be that technology has afforded us a more liesurely work pace?  We are all busy but doing what.

Perhaps what is lost is the relationship aspect of our day.  For example, I received an emailed notice that a client is lowering the rates of their suppliers.  It was sent to an out dated corporate name and was done by an individual that we don’t know.  Could this have been prevented by a stronger visit and telephone campaign with this client?  I think so.  The electronic communications have become faceless and it is all to easy for someone to send a notice of rate change via email.  It certainly is harder to explain let alone defend by telephone or in person.  Could this have been prevented or at the least negotiated if we had that stronger relationship?  I think so.

My thought is for people to work the phones on a more aggressive level.  Start talking to your contacts.  Network new contacts.  Set a lunch.  Make a visit.  Start the process by picking up the phone.  I can offer a bunch of reasons for not calling when IM or email is easier but none of them can justify not having the conversational relationship that comes from talking with another person.  Visibility is not a bad thing and the phone is the first step in becoming more visible.