InnovationCompass

Getting Unstuck

Everyone knows the pain of being stuck.

Although writer's block has attracted much attention and strategies for freeing the muse, being stuck can happen to all of us, at any age and at any time.

It doesn't matter if you are stuck in your job, your marriage, your marketing pitch, or your fitness plan. Once wedged in the crevasse, finding blue sky can feel very lonely and hopeless.

You can't go forward. You can't even go backward.

In some cases, folks have resorted to super human acts to free themselves (literally). Others who couldn't cope with the pain and/or cost of getting free may have elected to numb themselves with too much work, too much busyness, too much food, too much alcohol.

Where are your customers stuck?

Do they get stuck right off the bat when they call your office, store, or restaurant? Or do the walls close in a bit later, say when it is time to find more information about your product or service?

Could the incredible happen and customers get stuck when trying to make a purchase?

How easy do you make it for your customers to get their friends and family unstuck by working with you?

Aron Ralston used a multi-tool in Utah's Blue John Canyon to get unstuck and managed to save his own life.

What tools do you use?

Due Diligence

As part of any investment (large or small), there is generally an opportunity for the buyer to investigate whether the proposed investment is a good idea for them or not.

This is true if you are buying a million dollar residential property or a new pair of jogging shoes.

With increasingly better information available to us online, we may find ourselves scouring the Internet for reviews or articles to help guide us along the way.

Many times, though, we don't know what we don't know. And we need someone to point out potential pitfalls as well as areas that need further thought and review.

This is where you (the representative of Company Y) come in!

If deftly and selflessly handled, the due diligence period is an incredible opportunity for providing exceptional customer experiences. How you help your customer at this time can make or break your sale as well as cement the customer's future loyalty to you.

Pretend your customer is your mother, father, sister, brother, or Aunt Bessie. What particular insights would you share? How would you help them navigate the often turbulent waters of product and/or service selection?

Take the time to educate your clients. Teach them what their options are and how to weigh them.

When you consistently put your customers' needs first, second, and last, they'll keep you top of mind and will come back to you time and again.

Getting Things Done

Time management books, like diet books, are ever present on the best seller list.

Why? Because it is really difficult to finally master the art of managing/balancing your time (and controlling your weight). If it were easy, everyone would live stress-free, balanced, and skinny lives.

There are great tools available to help us in the quest to get it together. David Allen's book, Getting Things Done, is one such resource. Today, it is ranked #10 on Amazon's list of best selling business books.

For me, there is one, very simple tool that works: Time Blocking.

When I worked with Real Estate Champions a few years' ago, my coach, Tim Tully, explained the simple elegance and power of Time Blocking. In our coaching documents, there were two Time Blocking schedule pages. Beginning at 6 a.m. and going through 10 p.m., each day of the week was broken down into 30 minute segments.

Tim assured me that Time Blocking would change my real estate career and my life.

When I looked at the two very straightforward pieces of paper, I was extremely skeptical.

"This is going to change my life? This schedule of 30 minute intervals for each day of the week?"

"Try it, Susie," Tim assured me. "It works."

Tim explained that I was to begin with tasks like prospecting, listing appointments, showing appointments and administrative duties. Block out time for each throughout the week.

Next, fill in blocks for exercise, personal and family activities, and time off.

"Pick a couple of days that you want to take off and mark through them," Tim said.

"What? Take days off? It's July!! It's the height of our season!"

"Go ahead and mark through two days."

At that point, I knew his TIme Blocking tool was a farce. Who in the world would recommend I take time off during our summer season? We had a very narrow window of time to do business in my market. And if you missed that short window of opportunity, winter would be very long.

But, I followed his advice and did what he asked. I followed my Time Blocking schedule and found that it worked. By week 4, I had become "an agent in command," rather than "an agent in demand." I found I had time for my biggest priorities and smallest administrative tasks.

Plus, I had my life back.

I realized the full power of Time Blocking in mid-August that year. I was fishing with my youngest son, with my cell phone off. It was glorious to watch him land two, good-sized rainbow trout.

The next day, I landed a deal on a million dollar listing.

Who Is on Your Committee?

In a leadership class I participated in a few years ago, we discussed the power of committees.

This was not a mundane chat on formulating committees to get work done for your organization. Instead, it was a delve into thinking about how we (as individuals) make decisions.

Facilitators asked us: Who is on your committee? Who is it that influences our thinking and often determines how we react to certain events, how we make our next move, whom we choose to interact with, when or if we seek new ideas and input, how we lead our organizations, and what we value?

We were encouraged to think very carefully and dissect our thoughts, actions, and beliefs to uncover our "committee members."

The results surprised us.

We found that when we were honest, there were quite a few folks on our committees whom we didn't consciously invite (but, nonetheless, had consider influence over our thinking and actions).

One woman discovered her estranged father (whom she hadn't seen in years) to be on her committee. Another was appalled to find at her table some former classmates from elementary school who were bullies.

I learned that my family comprised the majority of my committee (no surprise there); I was surprised to see that authors of books I had read (some of whom I had not read in years) had equal (and sometimes greater) voice.

Sitting right there next to my mom, dad, brother, and sister were Tom Peters, Seth Godin, Stephen Covey, and Stephen Levine!

Who is on your committee?

Peel back the layers of your thinking, actions, and values. Who do you see at your table?

Are these folks you love and/or respect? Or are there some folks who need to be fired?

A Little Soap and Water

I spent some time in an establishment yesterday which is under new leadership.

Before I even walked through the front door, I could tell the once rudderless entity now had direction. Straggly, sprawling landscaping once choked with weeds was gone. In its place were carefully manicured shrubs, bright flowers, and fresh mulch. Everything from the edge of the property to the front door said this: we care.

The surprises kept coming once I was inside the building.

The building's interior shined with new paint, bright colors, and the hope of a fresh start. Employees who were once downtrodden, sad, and hopeless were illuminated with great enthusiasm and energy. People were spontaneously forming ad hoc small teams, working together to accomplish goals.

A place I used to dread going to was now I place I did not want to leave.

So, what happened? What magic had descended upon this organization?

Capable, caring leadership.

All along, the potential was there for greatness. But it was hidden under several layers of dulling muck created by the former person in charge. An atmosphere of fear and powerlessness had been replaced by one of empowerment.

All people needed was a chance to do their jobs. A chance to do the caliber of work they envisioned when they began their careers. Everyone had risen to the level of expectations and shined.

Look closely at your entrepreneurial team or your non-profit board.

What energy and leadership do you exude? What messages (both tacit and overt) do you send by how you treat your employees? Do you love your employees enough to be the kind of leader they deserve?

We're All Cynics

... which is why offering a free trial like TypePad is such a good idea.

In just a few minutes, you can start trying out their blogging software. And for 30 days, you can give it a real test run to see if it does all that it claims.

How easy is it to design and configure your blog? When you run into trouble, how is their tech support? Can you find answers to your questions easily?

I am on Day 6 of my free trial with TypePad, and I happily report they deliver on every front. TypePad can count me as a loyal user -- that is, unless they do something shortsighted and take the great customer experience away.

Where can you give your customers an opportunity to try your services and products without forcing them to commit right away? How can you prove to your customers you are trustworthy and that your firm consistently delivers on promises made?

Make it easy for me to join, become a member, sign up. And then, show me you have carefully thought through every aspect of how I will interact with your product or service by providing an experience I will talk about with all my friends.

Ritz-Carlton Service at Applebee's

When you dine at the Ritz-Carlton, most of the magic is in the service you receive.

Servers only appear at the precise moment you need them, always anticipating a need you may have. They don't go into monologues about what their name is, and they don't hover over you with, "Are you still workin' on that?" They whisk in and out and you hardly notice they are there.

One wouldn't expect the same at Applebee's, but in a surprise twist, my family and I received the greatest of care from a young man named Charles (he didn't offer his name, I read his name tag).

Realizing we were trying to make a 7PM movie, he went through amazing contortions to ensure we got there, with time to spare. The restaurant was packed, with a line going out the door. He juggled appetizers, drinks, and dinner orders, timing everything to precision. I added a layer of difficulty by ordering something that wasn't on the menu!

Everything that came to the table was exactly what we had asked for (including my "on the side" requests). He spotted a need for a "To Go" cup for my youngest son, prepared our check well in advance so that payment could be in the works while we were finishing, and appeared with doggie bags in a flash.

All of this was without our asking.

In most exchanges, we are surprised when we get what we asked for or what was promised. That is unusual enough. But when you receive what you didn't ask for (but needed), your experience moves to an entirely new level.

How many people like Charles do you have working with customers in your organization?

Second Chances

A reader of this new blog sent me an email explaining why the first posts simply did not appeal to her.

Too personal, not enough pragmatic, actionable information.

I received another email from her yesterday -- she had revisited my blog and was now very impressed with the new posts. She had given my blog a second chance.

But how often do most customers give you a second chance?

In this Web 2.0 world, customers will quickly leave your site, your store, your restaurant, your company if they don't have a great experience. They can simply move on to another thin slice of what Chris Anderson describes as The Long Tail.

And they will.

Just as entrepreneurs now have the ability to reach millions of people with very few resources required, customers can find solutions to their problems as well as products and services that appeal to their niche interests just as easily.

Each time out of the gate, you must provide your customers with a compelling experience. Otherwise it is click, click, and you are dead.

Mind the Gap

Maybe you are feeling pretty secure that your company consistently delivers what your customers actually want.

Your numbers last quarter were pretty good, so you draw the conclusion you are providing compelling customer experiences, especially for your most profitable customers.

Well, maybe, maybe not.

Most likely, there is a gap between what you think about your customer service and what your customers think.

Fred Reichheld's The Ultimate Question helps companies determine if they have "good growth" (customer-led growth) or "bad growth" (short-term growth made at customers' expense).

By this book and learn if your company is doing the right things to generate loyal customers, and if it is not, how to do so.

5 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Nonprofit Services

Nonprofit executive directors and boards have a continual challenge: how to enhance the services they offer, attract more clients, and secure more financial support?

Take this list with you to your next board meeting.

1.  Make it easy for clients to find you and access your services.

    a. Examine your hours of operation - Are you open when your clients need you to be open or when it is convenient for you to be open? Be brutally honest here! Maybe you need to close from 12-3 and reopen from 3-8PM.

    b. Put yourself in your clients shoes - Is your location easy to find? Once you arrive, is it clear where your office is located? Is there plenty of signage and parking? Who greets your clients on the telephone and at the front desk? How are they greeted? How easy to navigate are your voice mail system and website? Do you have a website?

2.  Cross-train your employees.

     Make sure that each employee understands the role and job duties of every other employee. Encourage employees to act autonomously when faced with opportunities to serve clients. (Stamp out the "It's not my department mindset.") Reward creative problem solving.

3.  Reach out to donors more than once a year.

     Don't wait until the annual campaign to make or renew contact with donors! Educate your donors all year long about the services you are providing and your success stories. At each contact, give them an opportunity to give. Enroll your best supporters in an ambassador program so that they will encourage their peers to give their time and money to your organization.

4.  Take your marketing messages to your clients.

     Are you only advertising your services in traditional venues (newspapers, radio, direct mail, etc.)? How do your clients need to become aware of what you provide? Where do they work, go to school, go for fun? Is your message written (literally) in their language?

5.  How much time do you spend in meetings?

     Make sure you are vigilant in guarding your time. When you are invited to a meeting, ask yourself if you really need to be there (or will reading the minutes and/or getting an update from someone else suffice?). Do not host or attend a meeting without a well prepared agenda. Keep board meetings and brainstorming sessions to one hour. Encourage employees to find ways to replace the majority of in-person meetings with online collaboration.