Interpersonal Business

Vol. XCI

Dear Manager,

Clearly, excellence can be found in all areas of business. But are the examples as apparent as they once were? In the last decade, we’ve also seen dramatic socio-economic changes dictate the dynamics of many business sectors, including both the retail and service economies. We need look no further than the corner drug store (if you can still find one), the “service” counter at the local fast food restaurant, the travel industry, or the challenges facing field sales representatives. Certainly how society operates its service structures has changed.

Yes, there’ve been significant changes in my forty-year professional career. While I believe many, if not most, have been beneficial, others find me longing for former ideals. If, in fact, there are lost priorities, how has their absence transformed the landscape of American business?

Some of these transitions are no longer relevant in this new economy; others will find rebirth in “retro cycles” as brand new concepts (reincarnated from a Business 101 text!). Here’s what I believe deserves further consideration – a “blast from the past”- and a response from management. This is one view from the outside looking in.

Personal Accountability, as a day-to-day standard, seems to have fallen off the top of today’s priority list. Today’s managers are often finding themselves thrust into the role of filling in the gaps of “basic training” that were once taught and reinforced at the family dinner table. Current times now suggest that we enhance our translation skills, provide more clear expectations, and establish a single benchmark for each member of our team. Once this barometer has been formalized, and consistently monitored, much of our responsibility relating to establishing personal accountability can be sustained.

Training and Education has lost some its luster in most service industries; few pursue a four-year degree to prepare themselves for this sector of our economy (this statement offered up by an author with less than two years of college). As managers, we must rededicate ourselves to ensuring that our staff fully assimilates, and can orchestrate, the required elements of their position. Whether at the starting gate, or with tenured employees, we must remain diligent in the practice of training and full reinforcement of the fundamentals. The fundamentals are what made us great, and what will always save our bacon in the end result!

The go-go days of the 90’s have long passed. Those days provided significant and sustained growth in the service economy. Expansion came at a time of great velocity; a time when, very simply, less excellence was required. The internal structures historically required to shore up this level of growth of human resources were often abandoned during these freewheeling times. Lack of management structures created a corresponding expansion of individual and field level “freelancing.” This false foundation will eventually show an inevitable vulnerability: weakness due to lowered standards and expectations. A bedrock foundation, with consistent and clear professional standards, is essential to meeting long term, sustainable excellence in the marketplace.

Weakness in mid-level management has provided limited quantifiable rewards for many organizations. While a good number of these individuals wanted to become “a manager,” too often they hadn’t developed the people skills, hadn’t the proper training, or hadn’t enough experience under their belt to fulfill the objectives. Without realizing it, upper management may have inadvertently set them up to collectively fail. These individuals were often sent into battle with no basic training. Mid-level management absolutely has the potential to excel in the areas referenced above, but only if they are first properly mentored to provide the best possible example to those they are being asked to manage.

A mixed bag of economic and motivational priorities within our staff has, in some cases, diminished the potential of the workforce in the service/retail sector. Employees are generally expected to be both loyal and devoted to their profession and employer. For various reasons, including the predominance of second incomes, this is not always true. While many employees continue to exhibit this devotion, it’s also likely that one’s priority has shifted to meeting ones personal needs first.

This is the culture in which we live. Individuals are looking for a full-time job with a full-time salary and increased flexibility. This has certainly become a difficult issue for many industries. As the financial requirements to support “excellence” continues to escalate, the retail and service sectors no longer have the ability to thrive because the competitive margins simply don’t exist. As managers, we must better quantify the “devotion factor” in the outline of job descriptions and in evaluating talent. An all-star can always be found; the best managers “hunt them down” without compromise.

The dynamics of how and who provides goods and services in this economy has been set on its proverbial ear! Think of it in terms of the changes in your industry and your organization, both anticipated and unforeseen, over the past decade. Where does your office buy its supplies, where do you buy your son’s bike, where do you buy your favorite ice cream? The independents in these and hundreds of other service/retail sectors have vanished. Management must now assume its own position of excellence.

Excellence in management will accept, adapt, and flourish in managing and maximizing the potential within these new standards and guidelines

This month’s issue was not intended to be an indictment of the business world we live in. It’s more a reflection of societal pressures and corresponding changes in ideals that I believe have totally and irreversibly changed the retail and service sectors. In the end, excellence will prevail.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2012. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Vol. XC

Dear Manager,

These events have been embedded in our culture, and we adjust our schedules around them. Many organizations plan all year for a single event. With their historical models well established over years or decades, the clients of these organizations learn to anticipate, and have even been trained to plan around, the established time lines. What if ones historic marketing agenda, now well entrenched, no longer meets the needs and objectives of the organization?

I recently became involved with an organization that found itself faced with this exact dilemma. Their marketing team worked all year for a single event, while preparing for and promoting the next year’s event throughout the balance of the year. Their historic model allowed clients to postpone commitments until the eleventh hour (the eleventh month in this case) prior to closing the door. And even then, the door seemed to remain slightly ajar.

This scenario created havoc for both marketing and production. The last month was chaotic as sales, marketing, and production tried to squeeze in last minute participants. Production was never sure of final inventory until the last possible minute, staffing requirements were in constant ebb and flow until the end, finance had little guarantee that this year’s event the degree of profit, and the organization’s stamina and morale spiraled downward.

Not only did production find itself in a sense of panic as the months wore on, but the quality of services provided held the potential to be critically diminished. This was certainly not the intent; it simply became the byproduct.

And yet, this had been the historic marketing schedule for decades. As someone looking in from the outside, I found this scenario to be truly puzzling.

CREATURES OF HABIT

It’s human nature to delay decisions relating to commitment until the very last opportunity, if allowed to do so. Particularly in these unstable times, why would you possibly want to make a commitment if you weren’t required to do so? The clients of this organization had been quite well trained over a period of years that not only was this time line acceptable, but it could also be anticipated. Effectively, this marketing strategy placed the organization in a position of waiting for leftovers and scraping the change off the table.

There was built in frustration and anxiety in this marketing schedule as pressure built to meet the organization’s annual objective. Their marketing plan showed no sense of urgency, no exclusivity and created no position of strength in the marketplace. There was no wonder that both production and finance were left holding the bag.

Because it had “always been done this way,” there was great reluctance for the marketing department to acknowledge, let alone address, this problem. When the observation was made that this scenario would only continue to create the same results, the reaction was to defend and deny.

This organization was definitely in need of a “marketing makeover!” It could only take place, however, if marketing would take full ownership of the current problem and take full ownership of the solution.

CREATING A SENSE OF URGENCY

It was suggested that the organization develop a three-year plan to transform their marketing structure. After years of reinforcing the acceptability of their “former marketing plan,” this organization couldn’t simply flip the switch and announce: “This is the new deal.” Clients would need to be strategically re-educated about the advantages in making their commitments much earlier in the marketing cycle.

The strategy involved the promotion and publication of a revised time line for sales and marketing to work toward in the first year. Once clients became “retrained,” it would likely be in the second year that participation increased. By year three, it would be understood and accepted by all parties that the time line had been fully executed, and full participation could be anticipated.

SO WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

To best position this new marketing model, real or perceived advantages would need to be established. If, in fact, clients’ commitments could be made months prior to the current time line, would there be reduced fixed costs and efficiencies that could be realized and quantified? If true, would there be value in passing along a portion of these cost savings, thus rewarding customers for their timely participation? Would it be possible to establish a two-tiered pricing structure in the first year, giving clients the option and the value in their decision to participate?

This organization also had the ability to reward its clients with valuable free incentives to affiliated events throughout the year. Would it be possible to institute an element of prestige for those willing to make an early commitment? This created the opportunity to offer “premiere status” to clients with the desire and ability to participate in its first phase. Everyone likes to be acknowledged and appreciated; often the cost to do so can be relatively insignificant.

SENSE OF EXCLUSIVITY

While never enjoying a “sell out,” this organization had very real and quantifiable limitations in its ability to meet the needs of their potential new marketplace. This had never been addressed in any form with their clients. From the clients’ perspective there was unlimited capacity, but in reality only a limited number of clients could be “allowed” to participate in a given year. This would need to be very carefully integrated into the marketing plan. It should be anticipated that a waiting list would be likely once implementation of this new marketing plan had been fully executed.

Clearly, this was a complete reversal in strategy for this organization. This case study is not unlike those I’ve seen addressed by other organizations and industries over the years. While we might find ourselves criticizing our customers for their lack of urgency and inability to make a commitment, we need look no further than to those of us who have trained them.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2012. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Vol. LXXXVIV

Dear Manager,

I believe that business culture in America has lost an element of respect for time. With individuals seemingly being “expected” to give more and more to meet today’s multi tasking standards, there’s an element of despondency in fulfilling all of the personal and professional requirements in their lives. If the scenario becomes hopeless, it can easily evolve to a state of “what difference does it make anyway” and, yes, a lack of respect for this commodity we call time.

While I’ve met a number of individuals who’ve tackled this concern, they seem to be the exception. This month’s issue proposes that individuals must address this problem if they are to reach the Promised Land of fulfillment. Once again, I’m speaking from experience!

I’ve seen friends and associates with anguished, almost sullen expressions, as it relates to their day-to-day realities and sense of responsibility. Their “to do” lists are overwhelmed with messages to return, emails to respond to, and under-whelmed with very little personal opportunity to effectively and creatively manage their organizations. In this scenario, all fundamental respect for time has been lost. My own observations would suggest this issue has only intensified in recent years. If, indeed, individuals can lose respect for their own time, how can they possibly hold:

RESPECT FOR OTHERS’ TIME?

It’s true. I think we all find ourselves frustrated by those who fail to hold any regard and respect for our time. Be it a doctor appointment, meetings with clients, or the very simplest courtesy of a returned phone call. What was once an inconvenience has now become much more common place. I’m here to suggest we shouldn’t accept this in ourselves or in others. This single factor, this lack of respect for time, is professionally and economically costly to American business.

How often have opportunities been lost for the simple reason that individuals have shown a lack of professional follow up and execution? How many doors, ever so briefly opened, were closed? Whether we admit it or not, there’s a surprising number of important decisions made with limited or incomplete information, because someone didn’t take the time to return a phone call.

PRODUCTIVITY VS. EFFICIENCY

There’s no question that we, as professionals, are much more productive than in the past. Commonplace technology and tools have had an extraordinary and positive effect over the past decade. These tools now provide us with the reality of being connected 24/7 if so desired. Are we thirty percent more productive than ten years ago; at some level has our culture “taken us for a ride?”

The daily use of these tools, and their relationship to productivity, is too often misconstrued to mean that we are, in equal parts, much more efficient. In fact, just the opposite is true. Simply because we may be more productive in no way implies we are any more efficient. Tools can only provide increased productivity, while efficiency is a direct and quantifiable reflection of one’s own personal discipline. It’s the evidence of who/what controls and defines ones schedule: ones technology or ones intellect.

In the new age of technology, this distinction has become blurred. The problem with an evaluation based on productivity is that there can be no true quantification of having fulfilled ones potential. We can all give an additional ten minutes today, add ten more minutes tomorrow, and on, and on, and on. There’s no beginning, no end, and ultimately no fulfillment.

Efficiency, on the other hand, is synonymous with discipline and personal control, regardless of any potential for increased productivity. I’ve often heard the lament, “I ‘have to’ do this; there’s no way to consider a vacation this year, there just isn’t ever enough time.”

THE FIRST AND ONLY RULE OF ONES SCHEDULE

A schedule can only have one “owner,” and that’s YOU! There are no excuses, rationalizations, justifications, defenses, or apologies acceptable. We are not only responsible for our personal and professional schedules, but also the implications of how this ownership demonstrates itself. How many times have we heard excuses, only to come to our own conclusion: “Your choices, and their reflection on your actions, have become very clear to me, and have been noted for future reference and consideration.”

TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCE

I learned that our need and appetite for time is insatiable. An eight-day week would no more meet our needs than seven. I realized, in fact, that the world would not collapse with ones periodic absence and, with very few exceptions, with ones eventual and “ultimate” appointment. It’s liberating to know that “no” is an acceptable answer. I also realized that important aspects of one’s professional schedule could, in fact, adjust to varied personal and professional priorities.

We have been given the opportunity to enjoy a new level of productivity. What better time to evaluate each of our own schedules and priorities on a daily and annual basis? I see the anguish in the unknown faces at the airport; I see it in the known faces of some of my clients. We now have all the tools. The only piece missing is in the personal resolve to translate new priorities with higher efficiency and improved discipline. The greatest advantage held by the best and most contented managers I know is that they have figured this out.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2012. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Vol. LXXXVIII

Dear Manager,

The real question becomes, are we truly better prepared? Difficult times require us to raise the bar to meet all challenges or, in fact, we won’t be around to worry one way or the other! Most all of us have taken a shot; the business climate has certainly gotten our attention. Yes, the potential for a positive transition is always within our grasp. Past avenues must now be reviewed, and adjustments are likely to be required to endure and flourish in a new marketplace.

A few issues back, I discussed the effect of the predictability quotient on managing our staff in challenging times; we can all become a bit tooooo consistent. Can it also be time to put a new face on how we communicate, not only with our staff, but also with our customers, business alliances, and the marketplace as a whole?

This, too, is worth a new era evaluation. Logos get tired, standard sales promotions get stale, advertising gets dated, and even new product introductions can begin to look like the “same-old-same-old.” My own experience suggests predictability and ones complacency can seep in long before its reality becomes obvious.

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM …

… would suggest we maximize our promotional budgets to gain the greatest potential return on investment. This is where predictability and promotional investment decisions, based on prior and successful economic scenarios, may no longer be relevant. If this is one of the most difficult climates in our professional careers, all prior marketing decisions for your company MUST now be re-evaluated relative to current climates. If marketing budgets seem to be diminishing, this further suggests that “bang for your buck” is essential in more challenging times.

UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM …

… would suggest it’s time to stick your neck out a bit further. If your company’s marketing strategies are past their “freshness date,” it’s is also very, very likely that many of your competitors are unknowingly in a similar position. This can be the very best possible time to step out of the pack by distinguishing yourself as well, yes, a bit “unconventional.”

Most companies promote themselves online, through trade shows, product promotions and releases, trade advertising, via email campaigns and by word of mouth. Yada, yada, yada, – it’s more and more of the same. Are these marketing efforts inspiring the market, capturing the imagination of your clients, and creating critical mass?

UPSIDE DOWN INSPIRATION

Some of you may have heard of Bill Veek. He was the promoters’ promoter of baseball in both the minor and major leagues. This is the man who created a near riot at Comiskey Park for his “Disco Destruction” night in Chicago. OK, the White Socks did end up having to forfeit the game due to the unanticipated riotous level of inspired “disco destruction,” but few could deny the night set an unconventional foundation for future Veek antics. Bill’s eccentricities, and those of his son, are legendary. One promotion a few years back was to set a record for the fewest fans to watch a professional minor league baseball game. The fans were locked outside the gates until the seventh inning, when the game became official, then let in to celebrate the accomplishment!!

When was the last time you entertained a marketing meeting with the sole intent of being different, creating true innovation, being willing to take some risk, let alone thinking upside down? In all my years of business, this type of “extravaganza,” properly orchestrated, can truly be one of the most exhilarating business “happenings.”

CHECK THAT GUEST LIST

It’s essential that only those individuals who thrive in this eccentric environment be in attendance. You’d never invite your mother to a wet t-shirt contest! One of the easiest ways for an event of this nature to self destruct is for the mix of individuals in attendance to be in conflict with your true objective: intellectual chaos. It’s a rare breed, those who are unencumbered by “conventional wisdom.” They have the self-confidence to visualize, express, and assume partnership with unconventional thought. All it takes is one myopic personal agenda to quash the inspiration of other individuals, not to mention the whole group.

Begin by establishing the ground rules. The first rule is that no individual thought will be ridiculed or diminished in any way. The second rule suggests the objective is to create total innovation and substance to the eventual, and totally unknown, outcome of your meeting. Egos must be checked at the door if the sole objective is to foster communication and “ultra innovation.” If need be, participants should be “red flagged,” and possibly excused, in order to protect the inspiration and innovation of the whole.

While seeming drastic, this clearly sets the stage for unencumbered, unbridled thought and dialog. I’ve participated in meetings of this type yet, on occasion, the guest list was poorly thought out and the effort’s potential was ultimately diminished.

CHAOS BEGINS AT THE BEGINNING

Review the current marketing efforts in place and their historic cycles of execution. Which of these cycles will continue to provide significant return, and which of these cycles are in place out of simple redundancy or unjustified industry standards? What will ignite an “industry buzz” and generate conversation? Will it be further extended word of mouth: your least expensive form of marketing potential?

Would (or should) it be possible to launch products or promotions prior to the current industry expectations? Is it possible to stage a promotion over a period of days, weeks, or months that would build anticipation and excitement to an otherwise more predictable introduction? This could be accomplished with daily/weekly emails, or in faxes providing expanded promotions and recognition.

Are there products, or categories of products, whose sales are so spectacular that a totally “no risk” guarantee promotion is in order? Are there one-time discounts, terms, or incentives that can be easily justified in order to gain placement and momentum? Can you find some “free stuff” or “cash” that holds more value as a promotion than in its current form?

Now, let’s fall even further off the cliff. Are there one-time, or a series of “upside down” marketing strategies or incentives that, to your knowledge, have never been tried? This is where off-the-wall inspiration will begin to serve the group well. One “ridiculous thought” after another will bubble to the surface. I’ve found that each of these thoughts serves as a springboard for second and third generation thoughts that may indeed be the gem with truly amazing potential. The scenario goes, “Gee that’s a great thought, but what if we used it in this context? Yeah, and we tie it in with this product category to maximize its potential.” Once momentum takes hold, you’ll be amazed with where it leads you. Be sure to have someone taking detailed notes for further review in a smaller forum!

Finally, are there any strategic alliances with companies who share a similar agenda to yours? One of the best promotions I’ve seen was a national office supply store’s offer of a 5% donation of all purchase amounts to be given to the school of a customer’s choice. Tell me a parent who wouldn’t be motivated by such an offer during their back to school shopping. The incremental sales growth was substantial, effectively negating the additional discount. Additionally, this corporation established themselves as being very supportive of the community. And where do you think all of the schools and teachers shopped for supplies this past fall? Brilliant, unconventional, and very effective.

May these thoughts inspire and propel you, and your company, into an outrageously spectacular outcome.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2012. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM