5 Steps to clean up a mess

Posted on September 10, 2010 by David

I received a Tweet the other day (yes, I’m a Twit-ter-er) about “How to clean up your social media mess in 5 simple steps”. As I read along, I realized that these 5 steps can be applied to any situation where you’ve made a mistake, not just in a business/social media sense.

Think about the last mistake you made. Now, see how this list can help you get beyond that mistake.

  1. Admit your mistake. This isn’t to show you are a better person. It’s to show that you are human and you have faults. Sometimes publicly admitting your mistakes helps you overcome them.
  2. Respond directly and publicly to the most vocal objections. If someone is out to exploit your error, this can take the wind out of their sails. 
  3. Give people a channel to vent. Sometimes people just need to be heard. If it is a customer you have wronged, let them speak. 
  4. Do something right. The timing of your correction can be extremely powerful. Don’t wait to respond. Make it right.
  5. Don’t make the same mistake again. Turn it into a learning experience, not just for you but for your team (if you are a leader). Even if you are part of the front line staff, others will observe your behavior and could possibly benefit from your mistake.
Sounds easy right? It all depends on how you handle yourself following the mistake. Take responsibility, respond, make it right and move on. 
Posted in Learning, Mistake, Move On, Responsibility, Right | 4 Comments

Are you a shirker, a jerker or a worker?

Posted on September 6, 2010 by David

As the country celebrates Labor Day today, I would like to share something I heard in a sermon recently by a good friend.

Are you a Shirker, a Jerker, or a Worker?

A shirker – a person who actively evades duties, responsibilities or work.

A jerker – a person who starts off like a rocket but ends up falling like a rock.

A worker – a person who acts or operates effectively.

Which one are you?

We’ve all probably been in each category at least once. But what are you on a daily basis? Nobody wakes up and decides they are going to be a shirker, do they?

If you are going to work tomorrow, which one will you be?
Posted in Effective, Jerker, Shirker, Worker | 2 Comments

Bad Customer Experience – Who Do You Tell?

Posted on September 3, 2010 by David

We did our regular Sunday night routine. Went to church. Left church. Went to a particular restaurant to get the regular order for Sunday nights. We’ve done this same routine more times than not. We go through the drive thru (if it’s not too long), place our order and then we’re told to drive around to the front of the building to wait for our order? What? No one was in line behind us. The order wasn’t that big.

Two things here that bug me. First, why make us drive around front? Second, are you trying to inflate your numbers so that your store looks good to the corporate office? To inconvenience your customers this way . . NOT GOOD. Hey restaurant, was it worth the 10 minutes I spent online last night complaining? How about the extra 10 minutes I complained on the phone? It was to me. And I asserted my right to complain.

And now I am putting it out there for everyone to read.

A bad experience for one of your customers doesn’t just stay between you and your customer. They’ll talk. And if it’s bad enough, they’ll walk.

Posted in Bad Experience, Bad Service, Complain, Negative | Comments Off on Bad Customer Experience – Who Do You Tell?

Re-markable

Posted on September 1, 2010 by David

How remarkable are you?

Many years ago, I had a math professor who would randomly throw in some English lessons during Math class. It had to do with any word that started with “re” like refrigerate, regret and remark. He would ask if you “re” something, what was that something to begin with that needed to be done over? Like regret. How do you gret something in order to regret it?

Take the word remarkable. If you use my professor’s logic, in order for something to be remarkable it first needs to be markable, or able to be marked . . . hmmm. Why would you mark something? Because it’s special? Because it stands out from other things around it?

That’s the very definition of remarkable. Something that worthy of notice or attention.

Is your business worthy of notice or attention? Are you doing something to stand out in your organization? Or are you just another cog in a machine? It may take a while for you to be noticed. But something worthy of being remarkable goes beyond just being noticed. You can run down the street naked and get noticed. That doesn’t make it remarkable.

Fireworks aren’t remarkable. Fireworks that explode in the shape of the Empire State Building . . . . now that’s remarkable!

Posted in Attention, Linchpin, Notice, Remarkable, Seth Godin | Comments Off on Re-markable

CIO, CEO, COO or CMO?

Posted on August 30, 2010 by David

Title. Moniker. Label. Handle. We have them. We use them. We pay big bucks for them.

CIO = Chief Information Officer

CEO = Chief Executive Officer

COO = Chief Operating Officer

What could CMO be? I’ve written earlier about Disney’s version of CMO, their Chief Magic Official. But that’s not what I’m talking about.

This is about the job of the CMO, the Chief Me Officer. Do you have an idea? A vision? A passion? A hidden talent? It’s about self promotion. It’s about getting your message out to the masses. In the early stages of a business or any venture, you have to do the work of HR, Marketing, Finance and be the CEO all at the same time. 
One simple place to start is with a business card. The cheapest form of advertising is word of mouth. But a card that gives your contact information is among the least expensive ways to get your name out. 
It’s up to you. This little bit of self promotion is a good way to remain in the forefront of people’s minds. So go ahead, toot your own horn.
After all, if you’re not your own Chief “Me” Official, who will be?
Posted in Business Card, CEO, Chief Me Official, CIO, COO, Marketing, Self Promotion, Vision | 2 Comments