Hidden Treasures
March 10, 2009
A wrong turn on a day off shows how a little bit of balance can lead to a hidden treasure.
Balance is an essential ingredient for success in today’s business environment. The ability to balance a focused, detailed approach to work with a more creative “play as you go” approach can yield unexpected rewards. This can be as true in business as it is in your personal life.
The weather was remarkably warm in North Carolina this December. My wife and I decided to take a Friday off from our hectic work schedule and enjoy the beautiful day. We had bagels and coffee for breakfast, then decided to do a little shopping. Instead of taking the direct route to our next stop, I decided to drive around and see where the road would take us.
In all honesty, I thought we were heading south, the general direction we needed to go. Imagine my surprise when we turned onto Main Street in Creedmoor, North Carolina, in exactly the opposite direction. Since we were there, we decided to get out and look around. We visited several shops and were about to head back to the car when my wife suggested we go into one more store called Hidden Treasures.
As we entered, the woman behind the counter and I looked curiously at each other for a few seconds. There was a sudden flash of recognition, at which time she ran towards me, grinning from ear to ear and said to my wife, “Excuse me, but I’m going to give your husband a great big hug.”
Needless to say, my wife was a bit surprised. Of course, there was a perfectly good explanation…which I quickly blurted out. This woman had been the Human Resource manager who supported my group nearly ten years ago, and we had worked together fairly closely on several projects during some challenging times for the organization. I hadn’t seen her for over eight years and hadn’t realized that she too had left the company to pursue other interests.
We spent some time getting caught up and exchanged old stories. Like me, she had left the corporate world, in her case, to open a store and slow down the pace a bit. I left the shop feeling enriched. I was fortunate to have spent some time reminiscing with an old friend and had also learned what she had done to bring some balance to her life.
If my wife and I had followed our original plan for the day and stuck to it, we never would have ended up in Creedmoor, gone into that store, and had a nice reunion. As you work with your group, it is equally important to take a break from the rigorous schedule, even if for a short time, and let the creative juices flow. You may be surprised where you end up. You may even find your own “hidden treasures.”
You’ve Got the Right Number
March 5, 2009
Here a sales representative provided a surprising level of service even though he knew he wasn’t getting the sale.
People attending my workshops often ask me how I “think up” all the stories I tell to illustrate the important points of the program. I explain that there’s no need to invent stories since truth is usually more interesting and more telling than fiction.
On a “getaway” trip my wife and I took to Boston we encountered an excellent example of how knowing your product and service can greatly impact customers. What follows may sound like a product endorsement, but keep reading, there’s an important lesson ahead.
If you travel as much as I do, you know that using your cellular phone on the road can incur excessive roaming and long-distance charges. So I was naturally excited to read about the Sprint PCS Dime Anytime program. You get excellent digital service, and your calls from virtually any major city in the US to anywhere else in the US are only .10 per minute, including roaming and long-distance charges. It includes most calling features, and has numeric and text paging.
Unfortunately, this service was not yet available where I live in Raleigh, and they couldn’t give me a precise in-service date.
While we were walking around Boston, we came across the Sprint PCS store at 422 Boylston Street and spoke with Rodney Brow, a sales representative there. He found out the exact date of service for Raleigh, (in one week), pulled up a very detailed coverage map, and demonstrated, in great detail, each and every calling feature of service.
He then showed us the various phones available with the service and explained with the same level of detail and knowledge the important features unique to that particular phone.
He must have spent 15 to 20 minutes with us that afternoon even though he knew we weren’t going to buy a phone from him in Boston!
Two weeks later, I cancelled my traditional cellular service and turned in my pager. Then I walked into the newly-opened Sprint PCS store in Raleigh, bought two “touchpoint” phones, and established service for both my wife and me.
It was the easiest sale they made that day, and, thanks to Rodney, I actually knew more about the service and the phone than the salespeople did!
Imagine an employee in Boston who took the time to know his product and service and spend time with a customer who wasn’t even going to buy from him! This led to an easy sale for the company’s office in another city and resulted in a very satisfied customer.
Try to find opportunities for your employees to gain a high level of knowledge about their products so they can provide potential or even non-potential customers with the best information possible. Make sure they understand that success in business is not always about making the sale, but more about establishing relationships with customers.
Who Are You Spending Time With?
March 5, 2009
Well, it’s that time of the year again: the first of our three trips up to Baltimore for the high-level marketing group we belong to. It’s always a mix of new faces and old friends; but more importantly, it’s an environment that breeds success, and last week’s trip was no exception.
You see, it’s important to surround yourself with like-minded people who can help you achieve your goals, not “naysayers” who will take every opportunity to shoot you down. It’s not even a simple matter of “winners” vs. “losers,” but rather a question of attitude and expectation.
If you watch the news, listen to the radio, and read newspapers, you’ll constantly see, hear, and read headlines like these:
Immigrants Return Home for Economic, Professional Opportunities
Online Job Postings Show Monthly Gain
Mortgage Delinquencies Up for 8th Straight Quarter
If you pay attention to news like this, then you’re likely to accept the fact that the world as we know it is going to come to a screeching halt any day soon, and you should just round up the family, pack up some provisions, and head for the hills.
I’m not saying things are all roses and sunshine – a quick look at my investment statements quickly brings me back to reality. But it’s not the end of the world either, and the people in our Baltimore group don’t accept this negativity either.
In fact, most of them are experiencing growth in their businesses – some of them dramatic growth, with six-figure and seven-figure revenues the norm rather than the exception.
So what makes this possible? Let me suggest three factors you might want to consider as a part of your own success mindset:
- Keep Things in Perspective – Yes, these aren’t the best economic times, but they’re not the worst either, and you have it within your power to make something of even the most challenging situations.
- Look for Opportunity – In every economic climate, there are always people willing to take advantage of what you offer; it’s just a matter of finding them, and presenting an offer that’s so attractive, they simply can’t resist.
- Surround Yourself with Successful People – If you listen to your friends, family, and co-workers as they constantly bombard you with every bit of negative news as if they’re some sort of “Captain Bringdown newswire,” then you’re going to become depressed and negative yourself. Find a local group, coaching opportunity, or mastermind organization where you will be with people who, while they don’t dismiss the reality of what’s happening, still find a way to be successful.
Motivational speaker Jim Rohm says that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Who are you spending time with?
One of Our Best Customers
March 4, 2009
I got a message a while ago from someone named “Dave” who wanted to talk to me about “an important marketing opportunity.” Not having any information, but being interested in marketing, I called the number he had left for me.
When the phone was answered, and I explained why I was calling, there was a brief pause while the person on the phone had to go off and find out exactly who Dave was. A few minutes later (at this point, they had piqued my curiosity) Dave finally arrived on the call.
He had called me about a marketing conference – a “boot camp” type event featuring three well known marketing people, including Adam Ginsberg, who teaches people how to make money using eBay. Always curious as to how people select and target their mailing lists, I asked how they got my name in the first place.
At first, he didn’t know, and then, after further digging, he said triumphantly, “Oh, here it is: Adam Gisnberg says you’re one of his best students.”
Wow – what an honor! Except for one simple fact: I’m not one of his best students. In fact, I’m not one of his worst students: I’m not even a student of his at all. I’ve never bought so much as a book from him. The closest I’ve ever come to any involvement with Adam Ginsberg is the time he spoke at one of the major marketing conferences I attend each year.
Turns out, I had reached a call center where people were working fervently to fill seats at an upcoming event. There were many ways they could have gotten my name, any of which would have made me a likely candidate. But the minute they couldn’t explain how they selected me – and got their only attempt at it dead wrong – I lost all interest in attending the conference…and in continuing the conversation.
Affinity is important: teachers selling to other teachers; stay-at-home moms selling to other stay-at-home moms; entrepreneurs selling to other entrepreneurs all have better results because of the common background, language, and experience they share with each other.
But you have to get it right. You can’t send a letter to a list of vegetarians that starts out: “Just like you, nothing brings a smile to my face like a big, juicy sirloin steak…” And that’s essentially what they did.
It doesn’t take much effort to select qualified lead sources, segment your own “house list,” and customize the message you send to specific market segments. Best of all, the effort you put into this process will almost always lead to improved response and increased revenue.
Service by the Slice!
March 3, 2009
Superior customer service is served up on a cold day in the heart of downtown Boston.
Our impressions of businesses and other organizations are formed by our perception of their patterns of behavior. In some cases, a simple action can form a strong impression.
A few weeks ago, my wife and I took a “getaway” weekend to Boston. Our children were with family and friends, and we were ready to enjoy a short break from the pressures of business and life.
We were walking around the city; it was late in the afternoon, and we wanted a quick snack to hold us over until we went out for dinner later. It was getting colder out, and we were having difficulty deciding what we wanted to eat. Finally, we saw a pizza place and figured a quick slice would do the trick.
We decided to share a slice with mushrooms, but when we began eating it we noticed that it wasn’t very hot. We took it up to the counter to ask if it could be heated up a bit more. The manager took the slice, smiled, and threw it in the garbage. He opened up the oven, which happened to have a fresh mushroom pizza cooking inside, cut us a large slice, and apologized for the problem.
As we finished the slice, my wife and I talked about what a treat it was to have a situation like this handled properly considering all the difficulties with vendors we had been having lately.
Imagine our complete surprise when the manager came over with a grin on his face and set down a plate with another hot slice of mushroom pizza! “On the house!” he said.
If customer loyalty is built by establishing patterns of exceptional service, then this guy had the right idea. He had no idea if we lived in Boston (we don’t), if we would ever return to his shop (not likely), or if we would even tell anyone about this story (Sbarro’s on Washington Street, near the Boston Commons). And yet he did the right thing when a problem arose and went beyond what was appropriate to ensure a great experience.
Try to find opportunities to go “above and beyond” in dealing with your customers and see what these patterns of excellence do for your customer loyalty.
