Chocolate Macadamia Nut Coffee
August 6, 2009
A bookstore understands its niche in the community and offers coffee and cake just for stopping in.
Many businesses fail because they really don’t understand the need they are filling in the marketplace. In today’s competitive environment, this is more critical than ever.
Last year, I was doing some work in Southern California, and I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon on Balboa Island. This is a cute tourist village near Newport Beach.
While walking along the street and visiting some of the shops, I went into Martha’s Bookstore on Marine Avenue. In addition to books, the store also had gifts, gourmet foods, and decorative household items.
Upon entering the store, I was greeted warmly by the owner who asked, “Would you like some chocolate macadamia nut coffee and some cake with lemon curd?” This started a conversation which must have lasted at least 20 minutes. We talked about the niche the store filled in the community, her recommendations for gifts, and the cake with lemon curd, which was excellent!
When I asked her, frankly, how she was able to stay in business and compete with the large bookstore chains, she laughed and said, “I don’t compete with them because I don’t own a bookstore.” With a puzzled look, I pointed at the business card in front of me that read “Martha’s Bookstore.” She explained it to me this way:
“Most of what we sell is books. But we sell many other things that defy a general category. People know what a bookstore is, so we call ourselves a bookstore. But our advertising, the arrangement of the items in the window, and our general approach to business suggest something different. When was the last time you walked into Barnes & Noble and were offered coffee and cake – just for stopping in? People visiting Balboa Island are not out shopping for books, they are relaxing and want to take that feeling back with them.”
This made a lot of sense to me, and I was impressed at the level of thought she had given to her store’s identity and its fit in the community. I also bought about $50 worth of gifts to bring home.
As you look at your own organization, try not to think in terms of what it is you do, but rather, what it is you provide to your customers.
You Can Do Something…
August 5, 2009
Life and experience are always the best teachers, and this last weekend was no exception.
Always looking for a greater challenge, I’ve moved up from the shorter sprint distance triathlons to the longer and more demanding Olympic-distance races.
The distances for the race this weekend were:
Swim: 1500 meters (.93 miles)
Bike: 28 miles
Run: 6.2 miles
A few comments on the distances. Even though the swim is 1500 meters, because it’s an “open-water” swim (on a lake, ocean,or in this case, a river) you always end up actually swimming more than the posted distance. That’s because you’re seldom swimming in a straight line like you do in a pool with lane dividers and a solid line that you can see on the bottom of the pool.
Second, you’re doing these events one immediately following the next, so there’s not much chance to catch your breath.
And third, preparing for three very different events requires a rigorous and disciplined training regimen. And that’s the one that got me this time. You see, between work, travel, and a nagging knee injury, I had to sit out the run. And since Lorie had been even busier with our daughter’s graduation events, she wasn’t really up to doing the complete race either.
So we decided to compete as a relay team. Normally, three people participate in the relay, each one completing one of the events. We had done this at a recent Half-Ironman event with our friend Lisabeth doing the 1.2-mile swim, Lorie doing the 56-mile bike leg, and me doing the 13.1-mile half-marathon segment.
This time, there were just the two of us, so Lorie did the swim; I did the bike; and Lorie finished up with the run.
Now let’s get down to business and see what this all means for you. (I figured you might be wondering that by now…)
First, either one of us could have decided to drop out of the race entirely. Certainly we both had enough going on to justify that decision. But in our minds, that would have been simply giving up, and that’s not really our style. Instead, we found a solution that took our circumstances into consideration, but still let us compete.
Too many people hit a major roadblock – or even a minor bump in the road – and simply give up. Then they blame an incompetent boss, the bad economy, or an unhappy childhood for their lack of success. In all but the most horrific situations, there’s usually a solution. Not always an ideal solution, but a solution nonetheless.
More importantly, sometimes these “alternate solutions” provide an unexpected opportunity to excel. And that was true in this case: because I didn’t do the swim (my weakest event) and didn’t have to hold anything in reserve to do the run, so I basically went all-out on the bike ride, turning in an average speed of 20.5 MPH – by far my fastest time ever.
Sometimes having just one task to focus on lets you perform extremely well in that area. Similarly, eliminating unnecessary distractions in your work and in your life may be just the thing you need to excel at what’s truly important to you.
And even if there’s no one timing you and no finish line to cross, you can still experience the personal victory of a job well done.
At the End of the Day, It’s Just a Sport
August 5, 2009
I recently read an article in the American Airlines in-flight magazine about tennis great Rafael Nadal. Published in the June 1 issue, it was a natural lead-in to the upcoming Wimbledon championships where, just a year before, Nadal had stunned Roger Federer to take the title in what has come to be regarded as the best tennis match ever played.
They were naturally predicting a rematch this year, but Nadal couldn’t play because of a knee injury. Fortunately there was another exciting five-set final with Federer eventually prevailing over Andy Roddick to win his 6th Wimbledon and 15th grand slam title – a record on the men’s side.
As competitive as Nadal is, he’s also, well, a genuinely nice guy – a rare commodity in the world of elite professional sports. And a lot of this can be traced back to his early days in the sport when he learned the fine points of the game from his Uncle Toni, who has been his one and only coach.
Toni set three ground rules if he was going to train the young Nadal:
1. If you ever throw a racket, we’re finished. They’re expensive, and when you throw a racket, you don’t just disrespect the sport, you disrespect all the people who can’t afford equipment.
2. Losing is part of competing. You will lose. And when you lose, it’s not going to be my fault or the fault of your racket or the balls or the courts or the weather. It’s your fault, and you will accept it and try to do better next time.
3. Have fun. When you stop enjoying this, it’s no good. You’ll find something else that gives you pleasure.
And these same three rules can be equally applied to our business environments.
First, if you get into a jam, don’t lose control, work to find a solution.
Second, you will fail from time to time. For all our success in this business, we’ve also had some monumental failures. It’s inevitable – you can’t have one without the other. And when that happens, there’s no point – and certainly no benefit – in looking for someone else to blame. Recognize that there is no failure – only feedback. Learn from the situation; brush yourself off; and get back on the horse.
Finally, you should enjoy what you do. I’m not saying work should be like a heavenly nirvana with beautiful music, colorful flowers, and birds singing. But for all the time you spend at work, thinking about work, and taking work home, you should at least enjoy it a little bit. If not, then maybe it’s time to look for something new.
And, above all, try to keep things in perspective. As Nadal put it, “Of course I want to win, but at the end of the day, it’s just a sport.”
Sorry Your Heat Doesn’t Work
August 4, 2009
A hotel acts inappropriately when dealing with a customer service issue.
Even though mistakes occur in any organization, it is important to recognize them and do the right thing to correct them. The following story offers you an example of how a company handled a problem situation poorly.
It is reasonable to expect certain amenities when you stay in a hotel: a clean room, a comfortable bed, and heat – particularly if the hotel happens to be Canada and it’s the middle of winter.
Unfortunately, the hotel I was staying at during a recent trip to Montreal only had two of these three conveniences – a clean room and a comfortable bed. In fact, the heat wasn’t working at all. I reported this to the front desk in the morning so that it would be fixed by the time I returned later that evening.
When I got back to my room later, the heat was still not working; in fact, it didn’t appear as if anyone had even looked at the heating unit. I reported this to the front desk again on my way out to dinner, but still the unit wasn’t repaired when I returned to the room.
At that point, it was late and I didn’t have time to deal with the situation anymore. I grabbed an extra blanket and went to sleep.
The next morning, as I was checking out of the hotel, the clerk asked about my stay. I explained about the heating issue and that the problem had not been fixed, despite several requests for them to do so.
She said, “I’m sorry.” And proceeded to hand me the bill to review before closing the account. I was somewhat puzzled and asked her if she was going to make some adjustment to the bill. She answered that she couldn’t do this without management approval. I told her, “That’s fine; I can wait while you can check with your manager.”
About ten minutes later the clerk returned and informed me that she would take $10 off the bill. The compensation was not what I had expected, but I had a program to teach that day and I didn’t have time to pursue the issue.
She then kept me waiting another ten minutes while she processed the necessary paperwork to provide the discount. Needless to say, I was not pleased. And I should point out that this was a rather upscale hotel in downtown Montreal!
While this situation was frustrating, there are several lessons to be learned from this experience. First, an organization should be willing to compensate customers when it fails to deliver the product or service it has committed to. Second, front-line customer-contact employees must have the authority to resolve customer problems on the spot. And finally, when some form of compensation is offered, it should be done in a friendly manner and without any undue inconvenience to the customer.
Look at your own procedures for handling customer problems and see if you are doing the right thing to honor your commitments. You’ll be amazed at how your customers warm up to your efforts when you compensate them fairly for your mistakes.
