It’s a Business Decision

Posted on August 8, 2010 by David

When I was at the bank recently making a deposit, I told the teller (she’s one of my customers too) that we would no longer be banking with them after 1 more day. This is a bank with which we have done business for the past decade. The very nice teller said, “I understand. It’s a business decision.” She said this with a smile on her face as she looked me straight in the eyes.

What a great attitude! She didn’t take it personally. Even though one of the factors in the decision to move was because of a gap in service, it wasn’t something she did that ran us off.

While we gave them advance warning of our departure, most of your customers will not when they decide to leave you. You may never know the reason why. Unless you follow your sales, transaction count, ordering, phone volume, or some other key indicator for your business, how will you know? Would you even consider asking your customer why?

If you have invested in a personal relationship with your customer they will probably go out of their way to do business with you or they may feel compelled to tell you why they have stopped. It’s more than conducting a transaction. That’s what we have registers or POS systems for. Technology will never be able to replace what we long for, and that’s relationship. The face-to-face interaction is so important to the livelihood of most businesses.

So get to know your customer. Know their needs and wants before they do. Otherwise, their decision will be to take their business elsewhere.

Posted in 11 years, Business Decision, Customer for Life, Customer Service, Relationship | Comments Off on It’s a Business Decision

How did you become a leader?

Posted on August 6, 2010 by David

I am part of an online community that completes surveys in exchange for points. I can then use the points for stuff. Stuff like books, MP3 accessories, CDs, jewelry, etc.

A recent survey asked the question, “How did you become a leader?”

I had to think for a moment . . . and then select “N/A” as the answer. I wasn’t ready for this survey. I thought I was. I’ve got a leadership position. I’ve even attended a professional development course on leadership. My walk isn’t always consistent.

A complete stranger called me today to interview me about my experience with the Disney Institute, the professional training arm through which this course was offered. She was not affiliated with DI or with any of the Disney family. I was honored and delighted thrilled to answer her questions. But it also reminded me that there is still work to be done.

If you were posed with the same question, how would you answer it? Unless you are a sculpture or some other piece of art sitting lifeless in a museum, you have a leadership role whether you want it or not. By your actions or words, you are being watched. Someone is choosing to follow your example or they are determined to set a better one.

How did you become a leader?

Posted in Community, Disney Institute, Example, Following, Leader, Leadership, Ready, Watching | 1 Comment

Greener Pastures – Don’t be color blind

Posted on July 31, 2010 by David

From 1987 – 1997 I had a good job at a local state university. Thanks to a visionary leader/boss I was able to grow personally and professionally as technology progressed during this time. I was able to transform my job and create new positions morphed from the old ones.

But being a public institution, salaries and other expenditures were tied directly to tax revenues. If the college was growing and the economy was strong, funding increased for the system. If not, spending was cut, salaries were scaled back and projects were delayed. Don’t get me wrong. I had a good job, good pay, good benefits and worked with some good people. But the opportunity for advancement was limited.

I decided to look elsewhere and after a short search, I found a position that would increase my salary by over 33%! We had just been married for over a year so this seemed like a fantastic opportunity! I interviewed and was offered a position with a fast growing software company all within 48 hours. I gave my current employer the opportunity to match at least part of the offer. They were not able to so I headed for greener pastures.

The new job was located in an area just north of downtown. There was no direct route to get there. It was in a new state-of-the-art facility with special locks, name badges and even its own underground parking garage. Finally, I had arrived. My talents would be exercised at their fullest potential. Two weeks of intense training on their software systems, phone capabilities and general company information and I was ready to go.

Or was I?

The job was a nightmare. Needless to say, I was in way over my head. The pay was absolutely great. That would make up for it, right? WRONG! The stress was overwhelming. I ended up doing poorly, my commute was over an hour each way, and I ended up depressed. Within 5 months of starting a dream job I was out the door with nothing lined up. The future looked pretty grim.

A few months later, a friend hired me as a retail manager. That store eventually went out of business but he lined up a job with another friend before closing the doors. That was almost 10 years ago and I haven’t looked back since.

I’m telling you this story because I say it was one of the worst jobs I ever had but it turned out to be on of the best decisions I ever made. It worked out fine for me but for others, they may not be so lucky. My friend and fellow blogger, Jeff Noel, wrote on his blog the other day that “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water and fertilize it.” If you are looking for greener pastures, start by looking in your immediate vicinity. You may be surprised at the amount of growth that can happen close by.

And just so you know, that fast growing software company is out of business. 

Posted in Change, Color Blind, Greener Pastures, Growth, Jobs, Maturity, Progress, Risk, Vision | 4 Comments

Congratulations on Your New Job!

Posted on July 25, 2010 by David

I would like to thank you for your years of service. I must inform you that your job is in a state of transformation.

I know this is not the best way to inform you of this. It is much better to do it in person rather than what seems to be an impersonal blog post. But this is a change you may or may not have seen coming.

First off, I wanted to congratulate you on your new job in marketing. I know this probably isn’t what you signed up for when you accepted your current position. But, due to many factors beyond your control, you are being reassigned. Why marketing? Don’t we already have a team in place that handles all of our marketing? Well, yes and no.

David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, had this to say about marketing:

“Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.”

So, starting today, you are now part of the marketing team. You are the face, the personality, the front man (or woman). You inform, educate and cultivate your customer base. It’s not just a simple task of working a register or stocking shelves. When customers think of your operation, they often think of you.

Millions of dollars are spent every day on elaborate advertising in print, television ads and radio spots. Throw the internet into the mix and you have the potential for hundreds of millions of impressions a day for your product or service. But if the “face” your customers see is just like everyone else, then they will treat your product or service just like everything else they see. Soon, they will become blind to what you have to offer until they no longer know you are around.

Good luck in your new job!

Posted in Customer Service, David Packard, Face, Job, Marketing | 3 Comments

Incredibly Different

Posted on July 24, 2010 by David

A good friend, and the internet’s only 5-a-day blogger, just returned from a whirlwind trip to Oregon recently and posted a very short video of his experience from that weekend. And by very short, it’s only 38 seconds long.

One of the lines you hear him say to describe his surroundings in the video is that it’s ” . . . incredibly different from any other place on the planet I’ve been.”

What if we took this line and applied to our business/job/line of work? What can you do to make your situation unique? How can we make our environment incredibly different?

It’s a combination of what you have to offer, what you have to say and the setting in which it takes place. Make it different from anything else out there!

Posted in 5-a-day-blogger, Incredibly different, Jeff Noel, Unique | 4 Comments