Watch Out for Moving Parts
February 3, 2010
I was talking to an old “office neighbor” – the guy who had the next office from us where we used to be located. He owns the master franchise for North Carolina for the “Anytime Fitness” chain, and we were talking about the complexity of operating all the units he has throughout the state, in addition to the new locations he’s constantly opening.
The key, he said, was to try and avoid “moving parts.” Puzzled, and wondering if perhaps he was suffering from oxygen deprivation as a result of working out too hard himself, I pointed out that virtually every piece of equipment in every one of his locations was chock full of moving parts.
He smiled, and pointed out that the key to managing an enterprise of this scope is to have as much of it on “autopilot” as possible. Yes, there are a lot moving parts in the machines themselves, but he isn’t personally responsible for maintaining them – there was an outside group he hired to do that. There is a person (sometimes more than one) at each location who is the on-site person for registration of new members, personal training, etc., but he didn’t do that either.
What he did was to create systems and processes which could be duplicated and deployed as he opened each new unit, effectively reducing the number of “moving parts” he had to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
By creating a set of well defined processes, you can also free yourself from the overwhelming burden of having too many small details to take care of. It can make your life at work a whole lot easier, and give you enough free time to do something fun…like visit Anytime Fitness!
“Spring Cleaning”
January 27, 2010
Last week was a very long one: we spent seven days, virtually non-stop, cleaning out my mother’s apartment. You may remember that she passed away in November, and this was a task we were all dreading.
And not only because of the emotional impact, but also because of the sheer scale of what she had accumulated, living in the same place for 45 years as she did.
My mother didn’t like to throw anything out, and we had an incredible number of individual papers to go through, most of which went right out the door, along with about 30 large (contractor size) bags of clothing that got donated.
My sister and my wife both left the place with an urgent desire to undertake a similar exercise at their own homes because they suddenly had become aware of the impact that clutter was having on them personally.
I know from personal experience that when I start falling behind at work and the papers on my desk start piling up, my stress level rises and my productivity declines.
Many people have a tradition of performing a major “spring cleaning” on their homes; why not take a few hours and do something similar at work? At the very least, it will make you feel better, and in all likelihood, it will make you more productive.
Say “Hello!”
January 14, 2010
Sometimes the little things say a lot about a business. Last weekend, we went to a free wine tasting at the Angus Barn restaurant in Raleigh. This is a local institution of sorts, and is one of only 72 restaurants to hold Wine Spectator’s Grand Award.
The wines we tasted were okay, not great, but the highlight was the tour of the restaurant’s 30,000-bottle wine cellar. To get to the cellar, you had to walk right through the main kitchen, and pass by the teaching kitchen where Iron Chef winner Walter Royal was giving a demonstration.
The interesting thing was that everyone we passed in the kitchen and in the back hallways – from the chefs to the waitresses to the dishwashers, stopped as we walked by, smiled, and greeted us. “Hi!” “How are you today?” “Thanks for coming in!”
Clearly, they had been trained to do this, but it wasn’t just one or two people – it was every single employee we passed!
Creating that kind of culture – and seeing it play out in “real life” means that everything else about the place is going to be done right. That’s why they’ve been around for 40 years, and why it’s the local institution it is.
Do you have similar processes in place in your company? Do your employees – even the ones who don’t have regular customer interaction – know what’s expected of them and how their work ultimately does impact the customer?
Figure out how to make that happen in your organization and you’ll have a good reason to celebrate the new year!
First-Class Treatment
December 22, 2009
People who don’t travel frequently as part of their jobs tend to think that air travel is somehow a glamorous experience. Those of us who do travel regularly know otherwise. But first-class treatment can make travel significantly more enjoyable.
Because of my frequent flyer status on American Airlines, I frequently get to upgrade to first class. I’ll admit that this makes air travel significantly more comfortable. But if you have images of caviar, linen tablecloths, and crystal salt and pepper shakers, let me assure you that this kind of domestic first-class travel hasn’t been the case for some time.
Tough economic times, September 11th, and the general state of the airline industry have reduced the benefits of first-class on all but the longest flights to a comfortable seat, an occasional meal, and a free drink.
But every so often, a really good flight attendant can make the experience special. On flights where a meal or snack is served, the flight attendant will ask each first-class passenger his or her meal preference. Using a sheet prepared with each of their names, the flight attendant will normally ask, “Mr. Smith? Would you prefer the chicken or the fish?” and proceed to dutifully write down each passenger’s selection, hoping that the selection of choices doesn’t run out.
But on one recent flight, it happened in a slightly different way. The flight attendant made her way down the aisle without a tray, paper, or pen, and said, “Mr. Koslowski, welcome aboard! Would you prefer the chicken or the fish? Fish? Wonderful. Thank You. Mr. Jackson? Fish or chicken for you this evening? Chicken? Great!”
And with great interest, I watched her as she did this with each of the 22 first-class passengers in our 757 aircraft, calling each passenger by name and making no notation whatsoever of the passengers’ orders.
Throughout the flight, she continued to call each passenger by name, and remembered what each person was drinking when she asked if they would like a refill.
Besides making us all feel very special, this extraordinary effort had an additional benefit for the flight attendant. American Airlines sends its frequent fliers SOS (Some One Special) coupons that they can use to recognize employees who provide outstanding service. These are particularly valuable to the employees; the last time I checked, they can get a confirmed first-class flight to Europe with just 14 of these!
I give out these SOS coupons regularly to flight attendants, pilots, and ticket, gate, and reservations agents who go out of their way to be helpful. So it was with a smile on my face as we were departing the flight that I watched as three other passengers handed the flight attendant SOS coupons before I had the opportunity to add my own to the stack.
If you figure that the flight attendant probably works three flights a day, you can see how these coupons can add up very quickly. Does the flight attendant make the effort because of the tickets, or is she just conscientious and the coupons are an extra bonus?
I’m not sure, but it doesn’t really matter – the passengers feel special, and an excellent employee is rewarded for her effort.
Look at your own reward and recognition systems and see if they are eliciting and rewarding the behaviors you want to see. Then all of your customers will feel like they’re receiving first-class service.
It’s All About Choices……
December 2, 2009
It’s All About Choices……
Thanksgiving is a dangerous time, especially if you’re trying to stay in shape. There are simply too many opportunities to eat good food. And then there are too many opportunities to eat leftovers for the rest of the weekend!
With the kids both home from college, we had a full day: brunch at a friend’s house, final preparations for our own dinner, visiting some other friends, then off to see Phantom of the Opera at the Durham Performing Arts Center.
That makes for a very full day. And with all that ahead of us, we certainly would have been justified in sleeping in late that morning. But life is all about choices, and we chose instead to get up at around 6:30 am and participate in the Gobbler’s Run, a 5K (3.1 mile) race to raise funds for the local Boys and Girls Club in nearby Wake Forest.
Okay, three of us decided to get up; our daughter decided to sleep until around 11:00 – even the prospect of a great holiday brunch wasn’t enough to get her up that early!
But there was an added benefit to running: it “created some room” for all the food we were going to eat that day. And we weren’t alone, by the way. Over 1,250 people participated by running or walking in the event, including the 77-year-old father of one of our friends.
The results we get in life, whether about fitness, career, or personal issues, are directly related to the choices we make each and every day. What choices are you making today?
What Are You Thankful For?
November 25, 2009
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve gotten out your Tricks & Tales newsletter, but it’s been a very hectic two weeks. My mother recently passed away after a few months of deteriorating health.
We had to cut short a birthday-weekend getaway and drive 750 miles to be with her during her last hours. Thankfully, she went peacefully with her family by her side.
Something like this makes you stop and think about everything you have to be grateful for in your own life, particularly as we’re celebrating our Thanksgiving holiday. For us, we’re grateful for our family, for our health, and for living in a world where we can influence our situation by our thoughts and actions.
We’re also incredibly grateful for you – our members and subscribers – who allow us to share our style of marketing to help you get fantastic results in your own business lives.
Things can be here one day and gone the next – whether a brand of automobile or a loved one – so it’s important to recognize what you have and appreciate its value in your life.
As we enter the holiday season with all the hustle and bustle and distractions, take time out to be thankful for the things you have, and for your ability to influence the outcomes of many other situations in your life.
Smoke in the Engines
November 6, 2009
Smoke in the Engines
We tend to take things at face value once they become commonplace. Flying, for example. In the early days of commercial aviation, people used to dress up in suits and ties (and proper dresses for the ladies) whenever they flew. It was a special occasion worthy of pomp and circumstance. Of course I remember my grandfather always wearing a suit and tie whenever he even stepped foot outside – things were different back then, I guess.
But as air travel has become a fairly nomal activity, we really don’t pay attention any more. We expect that the plane will leave more or less on time, that any mechanical issues will be safely resolved, and that we’ll arrive at our destination, the recent incident on Northwest Airlines notwithstanding. (In case you missed that one, pilots were somehow preoccupied in the cockpit, ignored communications from Air Traffic Control, and flew 150 miles past the destination airport).
And with that story fresh in my mind this morning, I find myself on Flight 1629. My original flight had been canceled because one of the navigation consoles was not responding. Okay, no problem – please take your time and fix that one completely!
The gate agent was very helpful and rebooked both of my flights for me, even managing to get me upgraded in the process. So there we were, pushed back from the gate, waiting for clearance to leave, when the captain came on the intercom:
“Greetings from the cockpit! We’re getting ready to head for the runway, and I just wanted to let you know that the smoke coming from both the engines is perfectly normal.”
Hello? Come again? Smoke from the engines?
He then went on to explain that because of the temperature outside and the fact that the wind was blowing towards the front of the plane, this was perfectly normal. Of course, this got me thinking about an important lesson in communication.
Sometimes “need-to-know” is the way to go. I was perfectly fine, sitting in my seat waiting to depart without a care in the world, until the captain told us about “smoke from the engines.” I wasn’t even aware that there was a problem. And then that problem turned out not to even be a problem!
It’s good to communicate with your customers, clients, and members; just make sure what you’re telling them is important, relevant, and helpful.
Take a Marketing Shower!
October 23, 2009
I always say that great marketing examples are all around…if you pay attention, and hotel showers are no exception.
I was getting ready for a program I was doing that morning and happened to notice something odd about the shampoo: instead of being completely round like these small bottles are, it was round most of the way…with a flat part on the back. This prevented it from rolling off the little shelf in the shower as usually is the case.
Then I noticed that the shower seemed a bit larger than the usual hotel shower. The reason? The shower curtain, instead of being straight had a “bowed” curtain rod, that pushed the top of the actual curtain farther out, making the shower seem larger.
Both of these were very clever design modifications that make the customer’s experience better. This is the kind of thinking you should employ in your own business, and, just in case you’re in need of more examples, you’re in luck: this kind of creativity isn’t limited to hotel bathrooms!
In the post-9/11 era, when airlines started cutting back and downsizing, planes became more crowded as the number of flights was slashed, creating a severe lack of space in the overhead storage bins.
Most airlines started strictly enforcing carry-on limits, but a few smart ones did something different: they reconfigured the overhead bins so standard carry-on “rollaboards” would fit lengthwise instead of having to be put in sideways.
And in keeping with our theme of asking the right questions, here’s one you should ask yourself:
What can you do to enhance the customer experience in every part of your business?
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to consider this, and the long-term results can be incredible. Plus, people genuinely appreciate it when you try to make their lives easier.
Go Away and Come Back Tomorrow!
October 15, 2009
You may recognize that line from The Wizard of Oz, when the wizard tries to send Dorothy away after she’s killed the wicked witch. But the line also has some relevance in our marketing…
We recently returned from a great trip to California. We visited some close friends from college who live in San Jose, and then headed north and spent about five days doing one of our favorite things: drinking wine, and, more specifically, finding new wineries – preferably small, family-owned, off-the beaten path places you wouldn’t even hear about unless you knew what you were looking for.
Our old favorites are RustRidge (which has a great little B&B where we stayed), and Nichelini (the oldest continually run family-owned winery in Napa valley).
On this trip, we were fortunate enough to add four new wineries to our list: David Bruce and Testarossa in the Santa Cruz area, Summit Lake in the hills above Napa Valley, and De La Montanya in Sonoma Valley. All of these are worthy of a visit if you’re in the area – tell them I sent you!
And, although it didn’t make the list, one winery took “first place” for marketing: Joseph Phelps. This one had been recommended by some friends who had just returned from a similar “wine-hunting” trip, and they said that the views, in particular, were outstanding.
We knew we needed an appointment, but we happened to be driving right by the place, so we stopped in to take a look. We really did need to have an appointment, so they couldn’t do the full tasting with us, but they did two things that are worthy of mention here.
First, they pulled out the schedule for the next day to see what might be available. Second, they gave us a coupon for a free tasting (normally $20). And third, they asked if we’d like to take a glass of wine to sit out on the terrace and enjoy the view.
Booking the appointment, a “bounce-back” coupon, and “try before you buy” – all in about 30 seconds. Well done! And while the wines were good, they weren’t quite what we like to drink, and, having already enjoyed the view (which was spectacular, by the way) we decided not to come back the next day.
Still, there are valuable lessons here, and remember – great marketing examples are all around. You can find them anywhere – even while drinking wine in California – if you’re paying attention.
House at Pooh Corner
September 28, 2009
We had a fun time last Wednesday – we went to see Loggins and Messina in concert.
Some of you may be old enough to remember them – there I go, showing my age again – Kenny Loggins had had a long (and still-continuing) solo career which included several movie themes including, “I’m All Right” (from Caddyshack) and “Danger Zone” (from Top Gun), along with his classic hit, “House at Pooh Corner.”
Jim Messina was in the very popular groups Buffalo Springfield and Poco before teaming up with Loggins in the early 70s. – there I go, showing their age!
And age is actually what I want to talk about here. Because as we sat watching the show, we also were watching the crowd. By our estimate, the average age of the people in attendance was “late 50s”, and from 30 seconds of Google research, I determined that the age of Loggins and Messina themselves was 61.
Here’s the cool part. Sometimes when you go and see the aging artists you listened to growing up, you leave a bit disappointed because, well, they don’t sound that great any more. In contrast, Jim Messina’s playing skills and voice were still strong. And Kenny Loggins’s voice, in particular, was still incredible. At age 61 each! (Three others whose voices still remain as strong – if not better – than in their youth: Steve Winwood, James Taylor, and Stevie Wonder.)
And while Loggins and Messina and their fantastic band were rocking it on the stage, the people in the audience were up on their feet dancing throughout the show, reconnecting with the music they grew up listening to, and seeming to regress in age 20, 30, even 40 years right before our eyes – if not physically, then surely in terms of attitude.
So much of what we can accomplish is based on our perception and outlook on a given situation. Instead of sitting at home, bemoaning the rapid approach of their 60th birthdays, these people were out dancing in the aisles to the music of two legendary musicians who were doing exactly the same thing on stage.
Whose music are you dancing to today?
