How Much Is That Feature?
November 26, 2009
You would think that a simple question like, “What does this cost?” would get a definitive answer. But some days it just seems impossible to get a straight answer.
We recently needed to establish new phone service at home and called our local phone company to place the order. Since we value our privacy, we don’t give out our home phone number except to friends and family. But with the widespread use of Caller ID, placing an order over the phone delivers your phone number to the company, and it frequently ends up in their telemarketing database.
Fortunately, there is a feature called “Per-Line Blocking” which prevents your number from being delivered to the called party. In many states, this is a free service. I believed this was the case for us as well and asked the customer-service representative if this was the case.
“No,” she explained, there was a monthly fee; she thought it was $1 or $2 per month. I didn’t think this was the case, so I asked her to look into this and get me the exact cost. She called back two days later and said that it was “less than $5 per month.” ”How much less?” we asked. She didn’t know.
I explained that I was pretty sure it was supposed to be a free feature, and she said she would get the exact amount for me. Three days after that, she called back and said that the cost for Per-Call Blocking was $2.49 per month.
But I explained to her, I was asking about Per-Line Blocking, not Per-Call Blocking. With this feature, you enter a code to block the number from being sent; in Per-Line Blocking, the blocking is the default, and you have to enter a code to actually deliver the number. Again, I explained that I thought this feature was supposed to be provided at no charge.
Finally, the next afternoon she called back and said that she had the correct price this time. It was free!
Why did it take four calls to get the correct information? And had I not kept asking for clarification, I might have ended up paying for a feature that was free.
As a service provider, it’s important to know the specifics about your products and services, particularly if you’re the person dealing directly with the customer. Make sure your customer contact employees have access to the tools, data, and systems they need to correctly answer questions and provide accurate information. Or the next call your customers make may be to your competitor.
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.
Growing Strong Brands
November 25, 2009
People seem to be almost obsessed with the concept of “branding” – the idea that an identity and a logo are somehow all you need to achieve massive business success. And while new entrepreneurs with grand ideas might be forgiven for drinking this Kool-Aid, certainly large companies would understand the place of branding in the grand scheme of things. Wouldn’t they?
At least I assumed they would. That is, of course, until I heard an interview last week on NPR. It seems that General Motors has been making some progress in their efforts to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and to get some insight into this development, they were interviewing an executive, Susan Docherty, VP of Sales for GM.
When asked about the current state of affairs, Docherty said, “We’re not declaring victory yet but we’re certainly making progress towards growing strong brands and driving positive business results.”
I thought the order in which she listed the two goals was interesting: “growing strong brands” and “positive business results.”
Because if I’m a GM employee, a stockholder, or the owner of a GM vehicle, I could care less about the “strong brand.”
Oldsmobile used to be a strong brand, around for over 100 years. At one time, the Olds Cutlass, a car I proudly owned in my younger days, was the top-selling car in the world, an honor long since held by the Toyota Camry. The last Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line on April 29, 2004.
Ironically, almost five years to the day later (April 27, 2009) GM announced that it would be phasing out Pontiac, another strong brand, by the end of 2010. Pontiac has been building cars since 1926, and was responsible for the famous Firebird Trans Am model, featured prominently in the movie “Smokey and the Bandit” and on the 1980s TV series, “Knight Rider.”
Two strong brands with long and amazing histories of innovation and popularity, both gone in the blink of an eye.
Now if they had been paying attention to changing consumer preferences; if they had taken more seriously the mass exodus of their loyal customers to foreign competitors; if they had focused on numbers instead of brands, then maybe GM wouldn’t find itself in the situation it does now.
And remember, this is a very large company that actually has the luxury (and the budget) to spend the huge amounts necessary to even attempt brand advertising. You do not. And that’s why it’s important that you measure, analyze, and make business decisions based on the direct return on investment of every marketing dollar you spend.
Because I’d hate to read in the paper that your brand was being discontinued.
The Annoying Telemarketer
November 24, 2009
It’s important to be honest, but it’s also important to have the right attitude about your work, particularly if you have direct contact with potential customers.
While I was away on a trip, my wife answered the phone and was greeted by an overly cheerful voice, and the following conversation took place:
“Hello, can I speak to Mr. Rosenberg?”
“I’m sorry he’s not here. Can I take a message?”
“No, that’s okay – I’m just an annoying telemarketer.”
And the caller simply hung up. With all the telemarketers that call our home, my wife thought that was very funny and quite appropriate, but I wonder how his employer would have felt about that comment. With phone solicitors calling during dinner, on the weekend, and at other inconvenient times, people have a bad enough feeling about these callers without them adding fuel to the fire by admitting to people that they are annoying.
And how can you be effective, confident, and enthusiastic about your job if that’s the way you feel about the work you do?
If you don’t enjoy your job, than at least pretend you do. And if you can’t pretend convincingly, it may be a good idea to find another more compatible line of work.
The Safety Pin
November 19, 2009
Motivated employees can be an integral part of your overall business strategy. But when your recognition programs backfire, your employees can end up doing more harm than good.
Many companies have extensive and sometimes expensive employee-recognition programs that go a long way towards maintaining an aligned and motivated workforce. Other companies have similar programs that have no impact on performance whatsoever as you’ll see in the example below.
Several years ago, I was attending a conference in Charlotte, NC. As I checked into the hotel, I noticed that the front-desk clerk was wearing what looked like a large gold safety pin with about 15 round metallic discs threaded along one side.
After completing the registration process and receiving my room key, I asked the clerk about the interesting piece of jewelry she was wearing. She explained that the safety pin was part of their employee-recognition program. Each time the hotel received a positive comment card about an employee, that employee received one of the small discs to add to their safety pin.
It wasn’t surprising to me, then, that this particular clerk had so many discs; she had been very professional in her interaction with me during the check-in process and I mentioned this to her.
I was a bit curious as to whether these discs motivated her to provide outstanding service. When I asked her about this she looked around nervously, leaned over the counter and whispered, “No, not really. I’d be a lot more excited about this program if they offered some additional compensation or award for top performers like me.”
If you’re going to make the effort to develop, deploy, communicate, and administer a program to recognize and reward excellent performance, then be certain that it will actually motivate your employees. Otherwise, you might just get “stuck” yourself.
Times Up!
November 17, 2009
Being nice to strangers is a concept that seems to have gone out of style, but you’ll see how a nice gesture can make a difference in someone’s life.
Many people attend expensive and prestigious graduate business schools to learn the best ways to attract and retain customers. But sometimes, the best ideas come from the places you least expect them.
Last weekend, we took our 11-year-old daughter with us to see a craft show held in the plaza where we live. While my wife and I find this an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon, my daughter wasn’t particularly thrilled. But since she had no other plans, she decided to join us.
We parked our car, and used our “meter key” to pay for the parking. You can purchase this meter key at the parking bureau and keep it on your keychain instead of having to fumble around to find change to pay the meter. Each time you insert the key into the meter, it deducts 25 cents from your balance.
As we were walking form our parking spot to the craft show, my daughter noticed that the car we were passing was parked at an expired meter. She asked what would happen if he got caught. I explained that he would probably get a $20 parking ticket.
My daughter thought about this for a minute then asked if she could borrow my keys. ”Why?” I asked. ”You’ll see,” she said.
She then proceeded to put my meter key into the expired meter to put 20 minutes on the clock. ”Now if he’s a little late, at least he won’t get a ticket!” she said. Over the next few hours, she “saved” about a dozen cars from the possibility of getting parking tickets at a total cost to me of around three dollars.
Sure, it was my money, but it was worth every cent to see my daughter thinking about ways she could help people she would probably never meet. And it got me to thinking about the chance encounters we all have that sometimes turn into incredible opportunities.
Just like we publish this newsletter and distribute it for free, try to find something you can do for someone that will show your willingness to help without expecting something in return.
Hey Taxi!
November 12, 2009
Many companies spend small fortunes to generate new business, while at the same time allowing poor service to drive away existing customers.
It doesn’t really matter what you do to attract new customers if you fail to deliver what you promise.
We were on vacation a few weeks ago visiting some friends and had to catch an early-morning flight back home. Since we had to be at the airport at 6:30 am, we didn’t want to inconvenience our host by asking her to get up that early. Instead, we opened the yellow pages and looked up the taxi ads.
One large ad said the company offered “prompt, reliable service to the airport.” That sounded like what we needed, so I called and reserved a cab for the next morning at 6:00 am.
We were all packed with our suitcases on the driveway promptly at 6:00, but – you guessed it – no taxi. I went inside to get the phone number and called the company to find out why they hadn’t showed.
I explained the situation to the dispatcher, and after being put on hold for about five minutes, was told that the cab had broken down about ten minutes from the house. He put me on hold again for a few minutes and told me that another cab was on the way and would be there within eight minutes.
When another 15 minutes had passed with no taxi, I called again and was put on hold while the dispatcher contacted the second cab. He was at a location about five minutes away. Finally, at 6:30, the taxi finally arrived.
Fortunately, I had built some extra time into the schedule, so we wouldn’t miss our flight, but the cab coming fully 30 minutes later than expected added a bit of stress to what was already going to be a very long day.
What I did wonder was if the replacement taxi would have been dispatched if I hadn’t called in the first place to let them know of the problem.
As an interesting footnote, the friend we were staying with went out of town on vacation this week. She wanted the name of the cab company and asked me if they did a good job for us. Needless to say, she chose another company for her own early-morning departure!
Right Here!
November 10, 2009
Businesses and associations invest heavily to attract new customers and new members. But sometimes trying to gain new customers can be as simple as asking for them.
Entire MBA courses are dedicated to the topic of attracting and retaining new business. But sometimes, the simplest approaches can be the most effective.
Last week, I was traveling through the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport, on my way to deliver a program at a conference in Philadelphia. Since I had a bit of time on my layover, and since my shoes were a bit dirty, I figured I would take a few minutes and get a shoe shine.
The shoe-shine attendant was a young guy, pleasant enough, and he chatted with me as he worked on my shoes. As he was finishing up, I saw him casually scan the people passing by, but I wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for.
Suddenly, as a well dressed man walked by, he shouted, “Right here!” The man turned around, looking puzzled, and said, “Excuse me?” The attendant replied, “You looked a bit lost, so I figured you were looking for me.”
It took a second as the man looked at the attendant, then peered down at his shoes. He hesitated for a moment, then said, “But you have someone in the chair already.” ”No,” came the reply, “we’re just finishing up.”
“Okay, then,” said the man, and he headed over to the chair as I stepped out and paid the attendant.
I didn’t have time to stay around and watch, but I suspect this young man had a steady stream of customers all morning long. And what was his marketing strategy? He simply asked for the business.
So many times we develop elaborate and complicated strategies to develop and grow our businesses. But we can all gain wisdom from the shoe-shine attendant who simplified his sales and marketing approach to the basics: identify potential customers and ask for the business.
Look at your own approaches and see if you can incorporate these fundamental ideas in a unique and creative way to make your own organization shine!
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.
Maturity of Technique
November 6, 2009
People seem to be in a rush these days. Rushing to get from work to the gym. Rushing to get to the next vacation. Rushing to get promoted to the next level at work. I’ve certainly been guilty of all three at different points in my life. But sometimes it’s better to take it slow.
When I started training in the martial arts, nearly 30 years ago, I took to it instantly…and intensely. My life at that time consisted primarily of work and karate. Sometimes I took as many as four classes in a single day. I clearly remember the head instructor seeing me in my fourth class, and muttering to no one in particular, “Rosenberg’s hooked…”
Because I was putting in so much time and effort in my training, I was able to move up through the various belt levels much faster than was typical. I ultimately got my first-degree black belt in just two years when four years was the norm at that particular school.
But my training partner kept chiding me to not keep testing and getting promoted so quickly. “But I’ve mastered the skills required for each belt level,” I protested. He agreed, but pointed out something profound: “There’s such a thing,” he explained, “as maturity of technique.”
Instead of getting promoted from orange belt to green belt, he suggested, why not spend a little more time there and get everything out of being an orange belt you possibly can?
This same concept applies to absolutely everything you do at work and at home. It translates to living deliberately.- to squeezing everything you possibly can out of everything you do and every situation you experience.
This alone won’t earn you a Black Belt in the martial arts (or even in Business Self-Defense), but it is an essential skill to achieving great things and living a rich life.
