Good Sticky and Bad Sticky

Sticky refers to how long a person stays on your website. It also refers to how difficult it is for a customer to stop doing business with you or switch to another provider. Obviously the stickier we are the better—but not all stickiness is created equal. For example, I have 2 months left on my contract with Verizon and would really like to switch to ATT so I can get the new iPhone. But I will have to pay a cancellation fee ($175) even though I’ve been a high dollar customer for years. Will I stick? Maybe—but I won’t be happy about it! Sticky shouldn’t be based on contracts and threats. It should be based on providing such a level of service, such value, such benefit to the customer that it becomes a true loss to switch. Now that’s a sticky I can live with.

When congressmen and senators voluntary put themselves under the same Healthcare program as tne AVERAGE American then and only then will I believe they are serious about Healthcare Reform.

How is Cash for Clunkers like the sub-prime mortgage fiasco? They are both government programs that end up tempting people to buy what they cannot afford and will most likely lose. Here's how it works. Many who buy cars on this program will end up having their government payment to the dealer disapproved. When that happens the dealer will come after the new owner who, in many cases will not have the cash or credit to pay the difference. The car will be repossessed, the person's credit ruined, and their trade in (destroyed by the dealer by federal mandate) will not be returned. Sounds like another disaster.

Joe Klein, Time magazine, slams republicans for dishonesty in the Healthcare debate. Perhaps true but somehow I'm not sure I see the Democrats as paragons of virtue and truth. Realistically we need to vote all of them out and elect an entirely new Congress.

Beware Fatigue of Heart

It’s one thing to be tired in your body or to be tired in your mind---but if you become tired in your heart it becomes nearly impossible to go on. Protracted hard times tend to make us tired deep inside and the fire burns low (and seems to go out).

So, how do you deal with heart fatigue? Here are a few things I’ve learned from some wise folks…

1. Spend some time remembering good times in the past.
2. Make a list at the end of the day of at least 3 things you are thankful for.
3. Spend time with a good friend who you can trust and open up to.
4. Watch a stupid, funny movie (like an old Pink Panther movie or the Three Amigos or Wild Hogs or something mindless); be sure to laugh out loud.
5. Set 1 achievable goal for each day. Forget next week or next month—how about just tomorrow?
6. Look around for someone to encourage; believe me, you are not alone.

So, how do YOU suggest people deal with this?

The Daily "5"-like a huddle in football game, every team needs to hold a daily meeting to update on priorities and key communications. Everyone should stand and a tight time limit should be enforced. The busier you are the more you need this.

Never Underestimate America

TeaPartyCommercial.wmv

Does It Scare You?

Please read, even if you are an Obama fan. It is legitimate, written by respected, Lou Prichett, formerly of Proctor and Gamble. Lou Pritchett is one of corporate America 's true living legends- an acclaimed author, dynamic teacher and one of the world's highest rated speakers. Successful corporate executives everywhere recognize him as the foremost leader in change management. Lou changed the way America does business by creating an audacious concept that came to be known as "partnering." Pritchett rose from soap salesman to Vice-President, Sales and Customer Development for Procter and Gamble and over the course of 36 years, made corporate history.
_______________________________________________________
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
Dear President Obama:
You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.
You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.
You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.
You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.
You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.
You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.
You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.
You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.
You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America ' crowd and deliver this message abroad.
You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.
You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.
You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.
You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.
You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.
You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.
You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.
You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.
You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.
You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.
You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.
Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.
Lou Pritchett
TRUE - CHECK: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/youscareme.asp
This letter was sent to the NY Times but they never acknowledged it. Big surprise! Since it hit the internet, however, it has had over 500,000 hits. Keep it going. All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing. It's happening right now.

The 11 Million-0-3 Rule

Check out this first in a series of YouTube videos about terrible customer service:

Great Illustration of Uncommon Service

Thanks to Tim Nieman for sharing this:

The following story was told by my friend Phillip Van Hooser, in his book titled: Willie's Way. I really like it and hope you will too.

The conversation was pleasant. Earlier in the day I had presented a service professionalism training program for the Georgia Club Managers' Association, a group of managers representing some of the finest city, athletic, golf, and country clubs throughout the state of Georgia. Now I found myself dining with nine of the most highly respected leaders in the field of club management. Somewhere between the appetizer and the salad, Manuel de Juan, general manager of the host, Capital City Club, spoke.

“Phillip, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation today. I especially enjoyed the stories you shared to illustrate your content points. As a matter of fact, at one point during your presentation, I almost interrupted you to share one of my stories I thought you might enjoy.”

He said, “The occasion was Easter Sunday and the day found more than 500 club members and their guests crowded into the overflowing Capital City Club restaurant. As they waited to dine, a club member and his four dinner guests approached the bar where they were greeted by the head bartender, Bob, who quickly began to take and fill each drink order. Everything progressed as might be expected until one of the guests placed an order for a specialty drink.

'I would like a sazerac, please.'

'A sazerac?' Bob asked curiously. 'Sir, I'm sorry but I'm unfamiliar with that particular drink. However, if you'll share its ingredients with me, I will be happy to make you one.'

'That's the problem,' the guest explained. 'I was in New Orleans on business recently and I stayed at the Fairmont Hotel. During my visit, I went into the hotel bar and the bartender suggested I try the house specialty, a sazerac. I remember the name of the drink because it was the same as that of the bar. Anyway, I tried the drink and I loved it.

Since then though, whenever I've tried to order it in other bars around the country I always get the same response, 'never heard of it.' I was hoping a place like the Capital City Club would be different. But never mind. Don't worry about it. Just give me a Bloody Mary instead.'

Bob filled the revised drink order, and as soon as the guest left the bar to rejoin his party, Bob took his break and headed straight to the nearest telephone. He called information and requested the number for the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. Once connected to the Fairmont, Bob asked for the Sazerac Bar. Within seconds, Bob was talking directly with a previously anonymous professional colleague in a bar several hundred miles away.

'My name is Bob and I am the head bartender at the Capital City Club here in Atlanta. A few minutes ago I had a gentleman order a sazerac. He told me he was introduced to it while visiting your bar. I was wondering if you would be willing to share the recipe with me so I can fill his order?'

Bob's New Orleans counterpart was happy to oblige.

Within a few short minutes, Bob confidently approached the guest's table. Imagine the guest's level of surprise, satisfaction, and sheer delight when Bob said, 'Excuse me, sir, but I have your sazerac. I hope it's to your liking. I have taken the liberty of writing down the ingredients on this index card so you can have them with you in your travels. I hope you enjoy your time here at the Capital City Club. I'm glad I had the opportunity to serve you.'

One of my favorite definitions of listening is from Jim Cathcart. He said listening is wanting to hear. And you see, Bob wanted to hear...and he did. Great service is always about wanting to hear.

Service Lesson Learned:
Surprise...and delight!

Warnings from Abroad

When people from Canada, the UK, and Russia warn the US NOT to move toward government controlled healthcare is there a REASON we refuse to listen????

Knee Pad Email

Check this out. Even the great Amazon.com can do the knee pad every now and then.

Amazon CEO: Deleting Your Kindle Books Was “Stupid, Thoughtless”

from Mashable! by Pete Cashmore

4 people liked this

In response to Amazon’s controversial move last week to remove specific copies of George Orwell books from Kindles, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos apologized on the Kindle forums today, calling the decision “stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles”.

The move resulted in a small backlash last week as Kindle owners found the books missing from their devices and a refund in their accounts: the publisher, it transpired, did not have the rights to sell the books and had added them to the store using the Kindle’s self-publishing platform. But buyers were surprised to learn Amazon could simply take back their books, and Amazon later vowed not to do it again.

Today, CEO Jeff Bezos extended the apology to members of the Kindle forum:

This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our “solution” to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we’ve received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.

With deep apology to our customers,

Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com

Indeed, in a video announcing Amazon’s acquisition of shoe retailer Zappos this week, Bezos highlighted the company’s customer-centric approach. Perhaps the shoe marketer, which has already mastered Twitter, can help Amazon deal with social media flare-ups in the future.

5 Things Leaders MUST Do

According to leadership experts James Kouzes and Barry Posner, there are 5 things that every leader must do in all times…especially these times.

1. Model the Way: be what you say, walk your talk, demonstrate that you can be trusted

2. Inspire a Shared Vision: give people a sense of direction, of hope, of a better future that they can buy into

3. Challenge the Process: always press the edge, live continuous improvement, refuse to accept the status quo, encourage others to do the same

4. Enable Action: train, let others decide, support their ideas, provide equipment and coaching

5. Encourage the Heart: demonstrate frequent, creative, personalized appreciation and celebration

The “New” GM?

The "new GM" emerged Friday from bankruptcy. Government Motors is now owned by the federal government (60.8%), the UAW (16.6%), the Canadian and Ontario governments (11%) and the balance by bondholders. QUESTION: will GM make the governments more business like OR will the government-owners make GM more government like?

A New Minority

When those who don’t produce but leach off the government (including politicians and their bloated staff) outnumber those of us who actually work and produce, will we then get special treatment from the government?

No Time for Lost Focus

There is no time for anyone to lose focus on the MAIN THING. That’s true in the best of times and especially in these times. Leaders are diligent to determine what the MAIN THING is and then to KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING.

Beware of distractions—trivial activities, bad attitudes, needless conflict, technology glitches. There are 2 or 3 critical items for every branch and every team member. Identify them. Post them on the wall. Talk about them. Come back to them. Live them.

Success in battle belongs to those who know what the vital objective is and resolutely drive toward that ONE thing.

Why Does the Media Hate Sarah?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Sarah Palin is or is not qualified to stand on the national leadership stage. But I am amazed at the persistence of the media in trying to defame her when I see people like Barney Frank, Christopher Dodd, Al Gore, Timothy Geitner, and others whose corruption or failures are monumental getting a passing mention and then a free pass.

Government Jobs Aren’t Real Jobs

I’m not saying that government employees don’t work hard—some do and some don’t; that’s a topic for another blog another time. What I am saying is that when the government increases its employee base by 10 or 10,000 nothing is produced. Work may be done but no products are produced, no profits are generated, no innovations are created, no wealth is increased. These are activities not jobs. Only jobs in the private sector do what jobs are meant to and that is increase the overall GDP and thus the overall economic well being of the population. That is why Keynesian economics doesn’t work and that is why I am so adamantly opposed to large government—as were the founding fathers!

When Liberty Mattered

In the days leading up to July 4, 1776, a nervous but courageous gathering of colonial statesmen met in Philadelphia and debated the idea that the time had come to break with England and set up a new nation based on the concept that power came from the people not the government. This was a radical idea in the 18th century (and still is). They knew that their “declaration” would put their lives and fortunes at risk but in their minds liberty mattered more—not just theirs but all of their countrymen and those who would come after them.

Today, America stands as a standard of personal liberty and individual responsibility—a shining example of what a people may achieve if left alone. The freedoms you and I have and the prosperity we enjoy is a fragile thing. It was when Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. It was during the Civil War. It was during World War II. Every great period of history has tested the fragility of our liberty and discovered the truth that “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”

As we celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, let us celebrate those who overcame the dangers of their age to birth and preserve the United States and pledge to do the same in our day!

Is it me or is it too much?

We’re going to fix the banking system, the economy, the healthcare system, Social Security, the military, global warming, oil dependence, the war in Iraq, and whatever other cataclysmic initiative of the week Washington seems to focus on. Is it me or are we being sold a bill of goods?

Tailoring Service to the Client’s Requirements

Edwards Deming revolutionized the world of quality when he reduced the definition to simply “meeting customer requirements.” Combined with lean thinking, that means we should always be clarifying what the client actually wants (vs. what we offer in our “standard” package) and be willing to tailor our offering to their standards. In some cases that means doing more (and charging accordingly), in some cases differently (customization is part of the game), and in some cases it means doing less (and reducing our fees). None of our brands is a one-size-fits-all and we have to get away from thinking of our SOPs as unchangeable—innovation and service require us to constantly rethink what we do and how we do it while always listening to and aligning with our customer.

Blowing Our Customers Away

I found this on a blogsite recently and wanted to share with more people:

Chip Bell and John Patterson wrote a great book called Take Their Breath Away: How Imaginative Service Creates Devoted Customers.  In it, they talk about real examples of companies going beyond high priced value-added situations and creating what the author’s call “value-unique” experiences.  They also talk about the ideas from the book in this recent ABC news video.

Great Post about America’s Heritage

Sick Soldiers

Please pray for Mike W and Perry C who have come back from India quite sick.

National Healthcare in 3 Easy Steps

1. Mandate universal coverage, i.e. require insurance companies to essentially cover anyone who applies and if they can’t afford it, then the states will have to pay it for them. Employers will have to offer insurance to their employees.

2. Nationalize or centralize the now bankrupted health insurance companies (from Step 1) and “bail them out” (take them over like GM) and basically make the government the single payer for all healthcare in the US.

3. Drastically reduce the fees that will be paid for various services (similar to Medicaid and Medicare) so that most doctors and hospitals are utterly dependent on the government for additional funding.

Done! Cook for 25 minutes at 300 degrees and you’ll have a wonderful healthcare omelet that serves everyone but feeds nobody!

They Won’t Call Me Back

If your prospects won’t return your calls, it’s because we aren’t giving them a sufficient reason to do so. People always do what they think is most important. If they don’t call us, it’s because we aren’t registering on their priority list. So ask yourself: if it were me on the other end, what would compel me to call me? If you can’t answer that, go ask some of your clients (after all they did call you back); maybe they can give you some ideas.

Hurling on Your Client’s Desk

Don’t throw up on your client’s desk! Obvious? Not really. It’s very tempting to lay out a laundry list of what we could do for them to retain them or to capture all their business. That’s like tossing your cookies on them.

What they are interested in and what they want is what they need now…NOW. The odds of hitting the right button by random vomiting on them are pretty slim. That’s what we do when we tell them a bunch of cool stuff they don’t need currently.

There’s only one way to discover current need. Ask lots of questions. And then ask more. Understand their need by gentle, professional interrogation. Then, only address the need they tell you about today. Save the rest for later.

I know the imagery is gross but I bet you remember it. Gag.

Token Restitution—Special Recognition

After one of those “days from hell” in traveling (delayed for hours, losing a free first class upgrade because I missed a connection by 2 minutes and ending up in a middle seat between two very uncomfortable people (large and smelly), I got this email from Delta.

MORE FOR THE MIDDLE SEAT
500 bonus miles as a thanks for your flexibility.

Dear Mr. Baer,

Monday's are tough, and we're sorry yours may have been less comfortable when you ended up stuck in the middle seat.
While we strive to give our most loyal customers our best seats, unfortunately that's not always possible. To thank you for your flexibility and understanding, we've credited 500 miles to your SkyMiles® account.
It's just one of the ways we're expressing our appreciation for your loyalty to the SkyMiles program. And we'll continue to take care of you—from booking to baggage claim and everywhere in between.
So thanks again. Next time, we hope to see you in First.

The New Normal

We’ve been conditioned for decades that growth (fast) is the norm of healthy business. Not today. With statements like “flat is the new up” and “job is the new bonus,” people are beginning to face an important truth. The road ahead is going to be a long, hard, and resistant one. Growth can and will come but it will not come by the old means, messages, or mantras. Character and perseverance and creativity will trump brands, strategies, and cost-cutting. Commit to the long haul…because that’s what it’s going to be.

What’s Wrong with Plumbing?

For some reason, American youth think that the only route to success is college—the problem is, many aren’t cut out for it and, once they get through, there aren’t a bunch of jobs waiting for them.

On the other hand, there are openings and demand in the skilled trades arena: plumbers, welders, electricians, manufacturing maintenance, etc.

If people think they are “too good” for these jobs, I suggest you take a look at the salaries they are making, the job security they enjoy, and the opportunity to work with your hands and actually see what you’ve done.

Thank You, Senator Shumer

Finally, someone in Washington has gotten their priorities right. Instead of all this concern over Pakistan, North Korean missiles, and the economy, Senator Charles Shumer (Democrat, NY) has determined to introduce legislation banning the resale of concert tickets. That’s right, music fans. The US government plans, if Shumer has his way, to regulate Springsteen tickets. Tell me, can you impeach someone for being stupid and egotistical and totally out of touch with reality?????

Leadership and Humility

As a 7-year-old, Richard Bernstein admired Jackie Robinson’s athletic ability and courage as the first African-American man to play Major League baseball in the modern era. A few years later, while working at a small-town golf course, Bernstein was astonished to find himself carrying the bag of his hero, Jackie Robinson. When rain postponed the game, Robinson held an umbrella over the two of them and shared his chocolate bar with the young caddy. Writing in The International Herald Tribune, Bernstein cited that humble act of kindness as a mark of greatness he has never forgotten.

The Times Belong to the Courageous

While “men’s hearts fail them for fear” there are those who look up and seize the opportunities in front of them. The creative and courageous will win the day. They always have. Challenging times are nothing new. Most people turn victim and let fear rule their hearts and minds. The few that keep their heads and hearts will see what to do and do it.

We Elected A Car Salesman

I’m amazed. After forcing Wagoner of GM out of the CEO role, our President is now asking us to buy GM cars and promising that the US Government will stand behind the warranty and repairs. Am I dreaming? Somebody wake me up!

Business with Meaning

I’m speaking this weekend at a Business as Mission conference in Philadelphia. From a faith perspective, the short version is learning to deliberately connect our businesses to what God is doing around the world. Even for those who don’t necessarily share a Christian worldview it is still a great idea to ask what the purpose of your business is and what good it’s doing in the world. Trying to answer these questions is a difficult but healthy struggle.

Is the Splurge Working Yet?

President Bush had the surge—the media asked if it was working. President Obama has the splurge of seemingly unlimited federal spending, borrowing, buying, spending, taxing, did I mention spending?, etc. Is it working yet?

EFCA

The so-called “Employee Freedom of Choice Act” (which eliminates secret ballots for unionization and replaces them with an OPEN ballot where everyone gets to see how an employee votes) is a very real threat to employers. This brazen attempt to intimidate workers into joining unions when they may not actually want to is of real concern to employers everywhere—especially small business. In the spirit of “Find the Pony in the Pile of Manure” we need to get creative and figure out how to help our clients and prospects avoid what should be the Employee Frightened to Cave-in Act. At the very least, contact your senator and tell them that you oppose this job-destroying action.

The Power of Priorities

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. The problem is that the main thing is a moving target and changes. What is the main thing today may be “so last year” by next week. Two things are required to manage this volatility. First, clear core values, i.e.  a solid understanding of what is truly important to you (personal) and the organization (corporate). Second, ruthless re-prioritization, i.e. constantly asking what is the most vital thing that I need to do today.

I Am The Brand

Unless you work for a giant company that spends large amounts of money on PR and brand development, save yourself the heartache. Here’s some really good news. To most people, YOU are the brand. The company name, logo, slogan, brand promise, etc. are nice but relatively meaningless. It’s YOU. Make yourself ubiquitous. Start your own blog. Put your name out there. Build meaningful relationships.

Quit Waiting for “Someone” to Fix It!

15 years ago I was working in the newly independent Republic of Kyrgyzstan. There I saw firsthand what socialism can do to a people. Unemployment was over 50% and despair was the emotional currency.

I remember a brilliant young financial guy named Ivan. He had been the CFO of a tractor plant; the plant closed with the collapse of the USSR. I asked him what he was going to do and would he consider putting a team together to re-open the factory entrepreneurially. His answer was “Someone will come.”

Guys…NO ONE’S COMING! No one is going to fix this. Quit waiting. Quit worrying. Do something. The one thing that has always separated America from the rest of the world is the wild-west, pioneer, get out of my way spirit. If we wait, we lose. If we worry, we are weak. Get up and act! Today!

Don’t Let Surveys Take YOUR Place

We are surveying our clients—new ones (as soon as their first billing) and existing ones (every quarter). And we get good information from those surveys. However, NOTHING TAKES THE PLACE OF PERSONAL INTERACTION WITH YOU!!! Get time with your clients to “dig deep” into their needs, our relevance, and our performance. Ask the hard questions and listen to the hard answers. It takes courage but it’s the very best way to live out the reality that GOOD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Are We Having Fun…Yet?

I remember being called into my boss’ office and reamed out for “having too much fun in my division” (which happened to be outperforming all the others 2 to 1) and “having people lined up to transfer into my group.” Am I the only one who thinks there’s something wrong with this picture?

Look, I get that times are tough. And being down doesn’t make them better. So why not re-introduce the idea of fun into your business—pranks, jokes, games, laughter, energy. If you have to go through tough time, foxhole humor is a pretty good way to do it.

The Victimization of the American Government

At last, a nation of victims has managed to elect a government of victims. Blaming has replaced solving (if you think the current epidemic of stimuli is a solution then your an idiot). Blame Bush. Blame Wall Street. Blame the rich. Blame the 2%. Blame the Chinese. The poor, powerless victims in society have filled the halls of Congress with victims—except these victims have power, a power they are using for vengeance and personal gain rather than calling America to personal responsibility.

The fact is that we are in this predicament because we have chosen to be. We have overspent, over charged, over bought, over lived. And now that it’s caught up with us we are not man enough to accept the consequences of our actions.

Relevant Solutions

It’s not a solution unless it’s relevant. If it doesn’t impact a current, real, and realized need, you can’t sell it. Do you wonder why your prospects won’t see you? Do you wonder why your clients don’t seem to call you as much? Maybe because they view you as “last year’s answer.” They are dealing with this year’s problems—strike that, today’s problems and they need today’s solutions. Retool. Get out of the box. Change the way they perceive you. Or fade away into irrelevancy!

High Tech Touches

Once upon a time, it was all about High Tech and High Touch (Alvin Toffler). Today, it’s about High Tech Touches. Once you capture someone’s email or cell number, you have the means to stay in touch with them and add value on a massive scale. Blogs, SMS, FasCas, email (sounds old fashioned), Twitter…you name it; there are dozens of ways to remind your prospects and clients that they are on your mind.

Holding Value

When you buy a new car and drive it off the lot, its value (i.e. what it’s worth) drops almost 20%. And it continues to diminish over time until its worth nothing. Client relations are similar. The moment we start a new client relationship, our value to the client is the highest it will ever be because we are the solution to their immediate pain. As their pain diminishes (we solve the problem) so does our value. There are only two ways to address this. One is to constantly search for new pain that we can address (starting the value clock over again). The second is to lower our price (thus increasing our value relative to cost). There is no third option.

Why Good Clients Leave

We don’t lose clients! That’s totally true. We know where they are…somewhere else! So why does that happen? Why do good clients leave? Feel free to add to the list.

1. They no longer need what we’ve been giving. Last year’s solution is this year’s expense reduction. Client needs have changed radically in the past 6 months. Have our conversations changed? Have our solutions changed? No matter how well you speak of a solution no one wants, you are going to keep that client.
2. Someone else offered more value. This often comes in the form of a lower price and we dismiss it as that. But look deeper. Price is a part of the value equation. No one buys for a lower price unless they feel they are getting value (benefit). Somewhere along the line, our benefit failed to justify the cost. Be realistic. If our benefit has dropped (i.e. we solved their problem) then our cost should also. If ours doesn’t someone else’s will.
3. We got boring. We stopped pursuing our client, dating them, coming up with creative solutions and new ways to make a difference. We went from uncommon to common. It was so gradual we didn’t even notice it. Maybe they didn’t at first either. But over time, our “same ol’, same ol’” opened the door to a new suitor.
4. Management changes. The person our relationship was with is gone and we either haven’t built other relationships in the organization or we haven’t gotten in front of the new decision maker quickly enough. If have gotten there, we’ve probably told them more about what we did than explored what they may need. See #1.
5. We Blew It and Didn’t Know How to Recover. Most companies blow it from time to time and, while not acceptable, it is expected. The real trick is whether or not we can recover—own the problem, solve it, etc. Defensiveness, denial, ignoring it, not apologizing, explaining it…these are the ways to lose a second chance.

Zappos—A Company to Benchmark Against

If you’ve never seen an interview in a bathtub watch this. If you’ve wondered who out there gives incredible service check out Zappos and watch this.

Being Customer Driven

Check out this article from Harvard Business Review on being a customer driven business. http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/merholz/2009/02/becoming-a-customer-experience.html

New Solutions

What’s the point of offering last year’s solutions to this year’s problems? More effort at pushing what doesn’t work or matter any more is a great way to fill out sales activity reports but an even greater way to end up losing your job! Listen to your clients. Throw out preconceived notions of what they need based on what you have. Ask real, piercing business questions. Solve today’s problems!

Lincoln’s Leadership

If ever there was a man who led, and led marvelously well, during times of crisis it was Abraham Lincoln. Secession and Civil War had been fermenting for decades in an increasingly divided country. Finally, with his election in 1860, the Southern states decided they had to withdraw from the Union and war began a few months later in 1861.

Nevertheless, Lincoln led and lived almost long enough (he was assassinated in 1865) to see all hostilities cease and healing begin in the country he loved.

So, what were his leadership traits? What made him the man for the hour?

1. Humility—while he knew what he wanted he could also listen to others, even putting men into his Cabinet that stringently opposed him at every turn.
2. Honesty—there seems to be no “spin” in his speeches or letters.
3. Boldness—he did what was necessary. Suspending habeus corpus, for example, while a highly criticized move, helped keep order during the crazy period.
4. Decision—if a general couldn’t get it done, he replaced him. The times were too dire to worry about feelings. Not until he found U.S. Grant did he believe he had the man to win the war and he went through several generals to get to him.
5. Focus—there was nothing else on his agenda besides reuniting the nation.
6. Passion—aged beyond belief by his time in office, Lincoln gave his energy, his health, and ultimately his life for his cause.

February 12 is his birthday. We need to lead like Lincoln today—in our companies and in our country!

Invaluable

In tough times, people are tempted to discouragement which leads to a kind of hopeless, lethargic approach to work. “What’s the point?" I’m gonna get laid off anyway!” Shake it off. Now is the time to make yourself invaluable to your organization—put in extra time, take on a new project, create a new solution, volunteer to handle the job no one wants. Sitting back with your head low is the surest way to lose. Stand out. It’s worth the risk.

Discouragement

Discouragement—what a word. If you break it down, it’s the opposite of en-couragement and the enemy of courage. Dis-courage. Negative courage. Controlling fear.

Fear is not the enemy. Everyone has moments of fear—even heroes. And courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the will to act in spite of fear. En-couragement is the help we provide to another to act in spite of their fear. Dis-couragement is the anchor we throw to a drowning man (or to ourselves). So….be strong and of a good courage. Be encouraging. And never be discouraging or discouraged.

Making Time

Willie Nelson once sang "If you've got the money, honey, I've got the time." He had it backwards. The real issue for us is "if you've got the time, you'll make the money." What I mean is if you have the time to do the most important things, the things that link to growth, then you'll make money! The problem is that we let the urgent crowd out the important and confuse activity with priority. Try this: break your activities (and all the new demands you think are being placed on you) and divide them into Rocks (the most important), Sand (next in importance), and Water (last in importance). Then, with a blank weekly schedule, put the Rocks into your calendar first, the Sand activities can work around the Rocks, and the Water tasks can flow around Rocks and Sand.

Cool Under Pressure

Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III--doesn't sound like a hero but he is. He was the captain of USAir Flight 1549 which he had to crash land into the Hudson River this week. His cool decision making, the professional focus of the flight crew, and the amazing response of the NYC rescue teams saved the lives of all 155 people on board. That's the leadership you and I need to exhibit to our teams. No matter what happens or how challenging--cool, focused, never forgetting our purpose, taking care of our co-workers, and clients. We need some heroes today

Quality and Common Sense

I was talking with a friend of mine in Kansas whose company is starting their lean transformation. They are a small manufacturing company that makes livestock management equipment. After they began their research (one of their board members does lean for GM), one of the senior leaders said, "This is just common sense." My friend replied, "It does look like it...after you're done." My friend is right. On the front end a lot of continuous improvement and lean stuff (like taking 1/2 hour for the team to brainstorm better ways to do things rather than doing data entry) seems counter-intuitive. One piece flow. Don't do what your client won't pay you for. Only produce exactly what you can sell. Etc. But once you've made a few improvements and you look back, it really is just good old common sense.

A Great Tool for Thought

2009 will require better thinking than ever. Analytical and non-linear. Strategic and Creative. There is a great and free tool available called FreeMind. It's a "mind mapping" application that helps free up your creative and non-linear juices. Check it out at http://freemind.sourceforge.net And, Happy New Year!