Have a Process, But Have a Brain…
May 27, 2010
We recently attended the grand opening of the new building recently completed for a local art museum. This was a major undertaking for them, taking several years to complete.
The celebration was a two-day event held over the weekend, with bands, hands-on exhibits, and food, in addition to all the new art being displayed. It happened to be a particularly hot day, so we naturally brought our water bottles with us. And everything was fine until we actually walked in to see the new building.
One of the guards stopped us as we walked in; pointed at my empty water bottle, and said, “Sorry, you can’t bring that in here.” Since the bottle was clearly empty, I was curious as to why. This was our conversation…
Me: Oh, I understand that we can’t bring in food or drinks, but this bottle is empty.
Guard: It doesn’t matter, you can’t bring it in.
Me: Can I ask why?
Guard: Because that’s the rule.
Me: Sorry, I wasn’t clear – why is that the rule?
Guard: Because it’s an “object” and it could damage the exhibits.
Me: But that woman is carrying a very large bag over her shoulder that could do more damage.
Guard: Bags are allowed; bottles aren’t.
Me: But you didn’t search her bag – she could have three full bottles of water in there!
Guard: We don’t search bags.
Me: And that guy is pushing a very large stroller with kids swinging all over it near the exhibits.
Guard: Children are allowed.
Me: So these things – all more potentially dangerous are allowed in and an empty bottle is not?
Guard: Yes sir.
Sometimes when you come face to face with an immovable object, it’s best to move on and deal with it later. “Later” came about a week later when I called the director of operations of the museum and explained the situation to him. To his credit, he was appalled, and apologized for the guard being overzealous and putting a damper on our visit to the museum.
Then he said words that were like music to my ears: “Yeah, sometimes these people get so caught up in the procedures that they forget to use their brains.”
Processes are important, but when the process just doesn’t make sense, you have to question it, review it, and make the changes necessary to produce the desired outcome without causing unnecessary conflict.
Take a look at your processes – are they delivering what you want them to?
Inside-Out Marketing
May 27, 2010
This weekend, Lorie and a group of her friends ran a Triathlon. Actually, they were supposed to run a triathlon, but a combination of bad weather and mismanagement caused her to sit this one out. That part of the story is still playing itself out, and I’ll give you an update soon…there will be some customer-service lessons here for sure…
But what I want to talk to you about this week is not the event itself, but rather the day before the event.
Lorie and a few of her friends drove about 30 minutes to pick up their race packets, including the participant numbers they place on their shirts, bikes, and helmets. The pickup took place at a store in Cary, NC, that specifically targets triathletes, and this company is a major sponsor of several large events in the area.
When Lorie and her friends arrived, there were some large tents set up where the participants could go to sign in and collect their packets. Then, they had to go into the store to pick up their T-shirts in the size they had designated when they registered for the race.
There were two problems with this: first, the store was small and very crowded, making it difficult to even move. Clearly, they could have had the T-shirts available outside, but their goal was to get people into the store so they might actually buy something.
Mind you, I don’t begrudge them for doing this any more than I blame Disney for funneling all traffic leaving a popular ride through the gift shop themed around that ride. In fact, I applaud them for doing this, even if it is a bit inconvenient.
But – and this is where they stopped halfway – they gave no incentive for people to step up and make a purchase: no coupons, no one-day sales, and no special “pre-race packages.” They had the perfect opportunity to get people to make that all-important first purchase, and include a “bounce-back” coupon good for the next 14 days to get them back into the store – and into the habit of shopping there.
But they were too busy, too lazy, or too uninformed about effective marketing techniques to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.
Make sure that when you have hundreds of your perfect, ideal customers literally standing inside the door that you do something immediate and deliberate to bring them into the fold – that’s the only way to start building repeat business and lifetime value!
The “Bagel Philosopher”
May 19, 2010
Last week, I told you about the guy in the bagel shop who came up with a simple but elegant process to nearly double the throughput at the store. What I didn’t mention is that he was also a philosopher of sorts – a keen observer of life from behind the counter. Let me explain…
In case you missed last weeks’ issue, here’s a quick summary: before the server behind the counter puts the cream cheese on the current customer’s bagel, he takes the next customer’s order. Since most people like their bagels toasted, he cuts the next person’s bagel, puts it in the toaster, and then completes the first customer’s bagel.
By doing this, he avoids making everyone wait – including himself – while the bagel makes its way through the conveyor on the toaster.
I immediately recognized this as brilliant – in the same way I’m always impressed when the banquet people at a hotel actually pull the tables away from the wall – allowing people to access the food from both sides of the buffet table.
When I complimented him on this process, I also observed that it really only worked if everyone wanted the bagel toasted. He said, “Yeah, that’s kind of important, but it’s kind of like life – everything usually works out at the end of the day.”
As I listened to those words, it occurred to me how they weren’t limited to preparing bagels, but, in fact, they applied to most aspects of life. Virtually every day we face challenges – some minor, some more serious, and some on a level that they can bring everything to a grinding halt.
What I’ve noticed is that in most cases, ultimately things do work out okay – it just doesn’t seem like it at the time. Or, in the words of the bagel guy, “Everything usually works out at the end of the day.”
That’s true. It’s just that sometimes it’s a really long day.
So the next time you find yourself faced with an overwhelming obstacle, try not to let the sheer enormity of it defeat you. Rather, try to find a solution; work at it one step at a time; and remember that most things do eventually work themselves out.
Why Are You in Business?
May 19, 2010
I know that’s kind of a harsh question, but answering it is absolutely central to your company’s long-term success. Have you ever walked into a business and said to yourself, “This place won’t be here in six months,” and when you come back six months later, it’s gone?
It happens all the time.
The only reason you should be in business – whatever type of business – is to offer something special to your customers, members, or clients. Something unique. Something uncommon. Something that helps you stand out from everyone else in your market.
This “something special” is your Unique Selling Proposition, and it can be based on an almost infinite number of characteristics including location, price, market segment, process, customer need, support, or guarantees.
But it has to be based on something. You have to be able to communicate it clearly, concisely, and consistently. If you’re not sure where to start, try answering these four questions:
1. What’s different about what you provide or how you provide it that sets you apart from your competition?
2. If you closed up shop tomorrow what impact would it have on your customers’ lives?
3. What could you tell prospective customers that would cause them to drop everything and come see you right away?
4. Why should prospective customers select you versus all the other options they have?
The answers to these questions will help you define a clear and compelling USP that you can use as a foundation for staking out and owning your market.
Two for One!
May 14, 2010
A few days ago, I stopped by our local Bruegger’s Bagel shop to pick up some breakfast on my way into the office.
A big fan of process and efficiency, I couldn’t help but notice the actions of an employee I hadn’t seen there before.
He called up the first customer and asked her what she wanted. “Whole wheat, toasted, with light cream cheese,” she said. He dutifully selected the bagel from the bin, sliced it in half, and put it into the toaster – an industrial model that took the bagel halves on a conveyor to be toasted, and then, about 30 seconds later, dropped them through a chute onto the counter.
But rather than wait idly by as the bagel was toasted, he did something so simple and obvious that it was almost elegant in its correctness: he asked the next customer for her order. Since she also wanted her bagel toasted, he cut hers, and put it behind the other one on the conveyor.
No sooner had he done this than the first bagel dropped down; he applied the cream cheese, wrapped it up, and handed it to the customer. He then took the next customer’s order, cut that bagel, and put it in the toaster – just in time for the second person’s bagel to exit the toaster.
Now I know I’m easily amused, but in a week where incompetence seemed to be attacking me from every corner, this was like a ray of sunshine. By taking a simple and obvious step, he was able to nearly double the throughput of the bagel shop – preparing two bagels in the time it normally took to make just one – especially important as the morning crowd starts arriving and the lines became longer.
Are there any obvious steps you can take to streamline your own business?
Level the Playing Field
May 14, 2010
We all like it when other people “play fair.” In sports, there are referees and umpires to make sure everyone follows the rules. In NASCAR, there are very specific and strict rules about what you can and can’t install in one of the race cars. We have lawyers, judges, and entire legal systems to help make sure the government’s rules are applied fairly.
But I have to say that in the world of business and marketing, I’m not a big fan of the “level playing field.”
I believe that if a business is better at marketing itself, selling its products, and delivering a superior level of customer service; if it invests in infrastructure and education; and, of course, if it obeys the laws and regulations that apply in its specific industry, then it should make more money.
In that sense, I wasn’t at all excited about all the government bailouts that were granted in 2009 – these businesses took dangerous, unnecessary, and, in some cases, reckless risks, and had someone else step in and rescue them from the fate they had earned.
But none of this has to affect you. Remember, you can do almost anything in your marketing as long as it’s not illegal, immoral, or unethical.
And so your job should be to do everything within your ability to create a playing field which is not level at all, but instead, tilted decisively in your direction so that all the business you want flows naturally in your direction.
You can do this by having sales letters, post cards, and web sites that are far superior – and far more effective – than those of your competitors. You can identify a unique position for your products in the marketplace that helps you stand out and avoid being perceived as a commodity. You can create a level of loyalty and long-term value with your existing customers that will help you to get maximum value from every new customer, member, or client you acquire.
I like to have a relatively level playing field on a tennis court or bike ride. But in business, I want the playing field tilted in my direction, and so should you.
Why Are They All the Same?
May 6, 2010
On our recent trip to Puerto Rico, we had the opportunity to taste some of the local food. Actually, we tasted a lot of local food, all of which we thoroughly enjoyed.
One unexpected surprise was the abundance of kiosks – small stands selling different types of homemade specialties, including pastelillos, piononos, arepas rellanas, alcapurrias, and pinchones.
On our way back to San Juan from the east coast of the island, we passed a long row of about 60 different kiosks – these weren’t free-standing, but rather were more like stalls in a long strip-mall kind of setup. They ran the full range from nice to ramshackle, but the food we tried at several of them was fantastic.
The problem was that in most cases, the items on display were virtually identical from one vendor to the next. As we walked from one stall to the next, we both had the reaction: it all looks pretty much the same, so how do we know which ones to buy?
When it came down to making a decision, we bought the ones that had the fillings we were interested in. If one vendor didn’t have that one ready, we went to the next one.
This may work for street vendors, but it’s a death sentence for you in your business. If people perceive what you offer as completely interchangeable with other companies’ offerings, then you’re playing the commodity game – a very dangerous place to be.
Make sure you offer something truly unique, and make sure that you position yourself that way.
Don’t Overheat!
May 6, 2010
A few months ago, I wrote about a situation with an overheating laptop that caused the cooling fan to run constantly, creating a constant wind-tunnel kind of noise in my office.
I never did find out the cause, but I did discover that the overheating only occurred when I put the laptop in “sleep” mode – when I shut it down or used the “hibernate” mode, the problem didn’t occur.
So, rather than spend hours and hours trying to track down the problem, I take the simple and direct course of action: I just don’t ever put the computer to sleep.
But as I thought more about this, I realized that there was another lesson to be learned from this whole situation.
When the computer is working hard, the temperature of the CPU (the computer’s central processing unit) goes up, and you need to throttle back on the CPU by asking it to do less, or cool it off by increasing the fan speed.
The CPU is the computer’s brain, and if it’s not working correctly, something is going to break down. In fact, if the CPU starts running too hot, the computer’s circuitry is programmed to simply and unceremoniously shut down the computer – regardless of what you may doing at the time.
In much the same way, you need to do the same thing when you get overloaded – either lightening the load (even if only temporarily) or finding a way to “cool down” with exercise, breaks, or other diversions.
That’s why taking regular vacations is essential – if you just work non-stop, then your brain will start to overheat, and you might experience some kind of “personal shutdown.”
