Interpersonal Business

Vol. LXXVIII

Dear Manager,

It’s been suggested (at least by me) that one of the highest priorities in management is to surround oneself with exceptional people. I feel we’d have to agree that in essentially every case, the very best organizations we’ve observed flourish within this single advantage. I’d suggest, then, that the second priority (to use a classic real estate term) would be to put these resources to their “highest and best use.”

While having the very best people in a significant position of strength in ones organization does not insure success, it’s my primary criteria for evaluating the potential of a company. While some companies can certainly stumble their way along in first generation, others are debating the nuances of sixth generation. This is what we all strive for. While both may succeed, the contrasts are palpable.

I’d like to approach this month’s issue based on the assumption that we have, in fact, achieved nirvana and our exceptional team is now in place. Now that this is the case, it’s time to move our focus to their highest and best use.

Play Ball!

I’ve always been a big baseball fan. While many may describe the game as slow, once the nuances and heritage are fully understood, it truly becomes a glorious reflection of life, sport, and competition. As long-time readers can attest, I often find analogies between sports and business; baseball is no exception. What other sport relies more on individual competition, the pitcher, the hitter, and eight other players waiting to assist should they be called upon? The intensity of the confrontation between pitcher and batter has even been compared to a medieval clash of knights.

As a big Seattle Mariner fan, and occasional Yankee fan (the last few years more occasional than not) I’ve taken a great interest in the managers of both teams in the 1990s: Lou Pinella and Joe Torre. Both are former Yankee players with traditions, levels of success, and championships seldom heard of in sport. There must be some lessons to be learned here.

As I watched Lou’s Mariners one season set or tie records for most wins in the history of the game, I began to wonder what the magic was. What was it that created this obviously special team? While the Mariners had a crew of very good players, the true super stars were nowhere to be found. What was the secret?

Certainly good fortune graced this team with members who enjoyed and truly believed in one another. Yet, it was clearly Lou who became the glue for this historic season. His sense of timing and his outright respect for each and every player was an amazing motivating force. In one breath, his frankness about a player’s current poor performance was awash with indignant confidence in this same individual’s ability to compete and succeed the next time he was called upon, most likely when the game was on the line.

Over the season, in literally dozens of instances, I’d see Lou make unconventional strategic decisions that would consistently work in his favor: a player in a hitting slump asked to pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth hits a home run; a call to the bull pen for a pitcher who’d been creamed in their last three consecutive appearances shuts out the opposing team; leaving the slowest runner on base in a “must score situation” and seeing him pull off a double steal when he hadn’t stolen a base all season. All of these decisions were made when the game was on the line. I watched all this with my laymen’s eye thinking, “OH NO, not him, not now of all times!!” Boom, we’d win.

These players knew that Lou absolutely believed in them, often more than they could have possibly believed in themselves. When we dig deep as a manager, knowing the organization can only win as a team, it becomes evident that we must first and foremost instill our confidence, and then rely on the team. Lou couldn’t throw a strike, steal a base, or hit in the winning run, but he can build the confidence in a team that will.

Countless times a player who’d been asked to always be prepared was put in at a critical moment and achieved well beyond their historical or typical performance. This decision alone, regardless of the outcome, instilled confidence that only one’s manager can possibly provide. With time, these situations became commonplace, the parties involved simply knew that a successful outcome was imminent. And consistently it was.

What an amazing lesson for all of us. We often let sleeping dogs lie as it relates to our key staff members. Are we using these staff members to their full potential? Are there areas of expertise untapped due to our confidence in their current role? Could members of our staff find themselves underutilized and unfulfilled in their current role? Are we giving these fine-tuned assets of our organization our personal time to assess our collective needs? Finally, have we recently acknowledged their value in word, deed, or a personal note of sincere thanks?

What Position Can I Play, Coach?

Have you ever considered mixing up the duties of your staff on occasion? Beyond their gaining a greater understanding of yours and others’ roles, this can certainly become a great insurance policy against future unexpected events or loss of staff members. How can you better understand ones strengths or capacity without testing their limits? How can you possibly show your confidence in your sixteen-year-old with a new driver’s license without handing them the keys to your favorite sports car? How can one show their commitment and dedication to you, having never fully been put in a position of ultimate trust?

Please, Coach, Just Give Me the Ball . . .

The summer I graduated from High School I worked at a grocery store in the produce department (as I had for a number of summers). The produce manager was going on vacation, and I was the only assistant he had. I begged him for the chance to manage the department in his absence. This was a good-sized store, and I remember a significant reluctance from the store’s manager. But I had my department manager’s support. The store manager reluctantly agreed, and I was sent up to the plate.

Rather than my usual 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM shift, I’d show up at 3:00 AM each morning with the store’s alarm code in hand. By the time the store manager arrived around 8:00 AM, I had the department well in hand. By the time the doors opened at 9:00 AM the produce department sparkled (if I do say so myself). I was on a mission, always staying late to complete the next day’s ordering. I tried to be as nonchalant as possible with regards to my efforts, never letting anyone know of my extra hours. This became my victory, not for anyone else, simply to prove to myself I could do it. Clearly, this vivid memory suggests how meaningful this opportunity was to me at the time. Have you any consistent parallels in your own life, or in your management of others?

Tell Me Again, What’s My Job Description?

Think in terms of how our own or our staff members’ job descriptions have evolved over the years. Was this by design, or simply determined by needs defined at a different place in time? When was the last time you individually met with staff members to determine their (current as compared to former) desires, interests, and observations of their positions within your company?

Surrounding yourself with the very best is only the opening day in establishing your lineup card. Positioning, confidence, and reassessment are all part of winning the series.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2011. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Vol. LXXVII

Dear Manager,

There’s no question that these lessons greatly assist the survivors as well as those who venture into business in the future. Which of these lessons might apply to our own business experience? Is there a connection, and can we learn and apply these lessons without having to pay our predecessors’ price?

As suggested, in the aftermath there were many lessons learned including the fundamental need for profitability, and never to put one’s cart ahead of one’s horse. Why did some survive while others with much greater funding and clear potential proceed to fail? The single answer that seems to continue to apply to those who survived the test of time suggests the following: Those who found success never deviated from their model of insuring a positive and clearly rewarding customer experience!

The successful companies only followed applications that would allow them to enhance or improve upon current standards of service for their potential customers in the marketplace. Those who survived executed this premise very well. While it didn’t guarantee their success, in retrospect failure to do so certainly negatively impacted their potential or led to their ultimate demise. How can this lesson enhance our own “more low-tech” organizations?

HOW “USER FRIENDLY” IS YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Anyone who’s spent time on the Internet with business-to-business or business-to-consumer websites will understand the frustrations that can occur in conducting business in this forum. By nature, Internet commerce best accommodates those individuals or companies that are fully prepared to complete an immediate transaction. In many cases these sites are ready and willing to finalize the sale, if we could just figure out what information is required to do so! I’ve found the circuitous routes used by some websites to guide me to the “purchase” button make me want to jump in my car and drive to the mall! Aren’t they trying to grease my path to this mutually productive outcome? One would think so, yet many have failed in this most obvious area of conducting business.

From the outside looking in, how user friendly is your company’s sales process system? Have you ever asked someone with no current awareness of your product or service to evaluate their ability to purchase from your company? There are now very successful companies who are doing this for the high tech industry, so why not for the low tech industries as well?

As often as not we are developing client relationships with individuals with little or no understanding of what we do, who we are or what benefits and services we can provide them. Wouldn’t there be significant value in reviewing current marketing materials, product initiatives, and customer support agendas with this thought in mind? Are you effectively communicating and translating “your best sales effort” with regards to your most basic sales initiatives?

POINTS OF HUMAN CONTACT

This is a great place to begin the process. When a new or existing client initiates contact with your company, what will their experience be? Whether with a receptionist, through customer service, or with a professional sales person, will this be a positive and memorable experience? Do these individuals have the current information readily available to assist this person in meeting their immediate needs? Even though not all these individuals may be classified as “sales people,” do they fully understand their personal value in meeting the sales objective?

Since sales is not part of their formal “job description,” these first lines of contact may not fully understand or implement this clear objective. These individuals must learn to consider every potential line of contact as a sales initiative, and be trained to effectively do so. How often have we contacted companies, only to get the run around with regards to gaining basic information about a product, service, or placing an order? It can make a frustrated client wonder, “Do they want me to buy something or not!?” Develop a training system that will allow these individuals to provide at least basic sales procedures. We must also provide instant access to individuals who can meet the needs of more complex customer demands.

This process should not include leaving messages on a voice messaging system. The objective here is to focus on providing an exceedingly satisfactory customer experience. We want to create the “wow factor” by anticipating their needs, having the answers to their questions, and having all members of our staff on the same page in meeting this goal.

It’s easy for organizations to take these fundamentals for granted. Management often assumes that its staff instinctively understands the need to communicate a positive and supportive sales message with each client interaction. I would encourage you not to assume this. Now is the time to (re)establish a company-wide initiative with regards to this clear objective.

A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MISSION STATEMENT

Based on the assumption we can’t assume anything, wouldn’t this be an excellent time to develop a document and single agenda relating to this objective? This then becomes the standard by which all members of your staff will be judged. As managers we must first establish the standards, and then be prepared to provide the training to fulfill this objective. Finally, we must also – and very consistently – send a strong message in support of this program. Awards should be established for superior performance, perhaps on a monthly basis. Those who are in a position to benefit, including the sales team, should also recognize individuals who have provided excellent sales support.

IN FACT, ASSUME NOTHING!

One would like to assume that in each and every sales environment, our sales people would understand the value and importance of creating a positive customer experience. While this would be true in many instances with our best sales people, it’s not the case in many instances. Creating these standards of customer experience might seem obvious to management, yet fulfillment is totally dependent on the message takers: your sales people.

An addendum to your mission statement should be targeted directly at the point of sale. This document should not only suggest your mission and its merit, it should also suggest the minimum standards of performance related to your expectations in this area. These standards should clearly state defined timelines relating to customer follow up, problem solving, assistance to one another in the sales arena, and the principles relating as to how to exceed your clients’ expectations.

We are no stronger as a company than the message embraced by each and every member of our staff. Clearly these ideals will feed off one another once a consistent and inspired message is delivered each and every day by your management team. You need to become the exception rather than the rule if you are going to improve your “customers’ experience” with the objective to truly dazzle the marketplace. In fact, this could easily become the title of your mission statement.

ENHANCED CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND OUR
ABILITY TO DAZZLE THE MARKETPLACE

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2011. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.

Vol. LXVII

Dear Manager,

I continue to see evidence of less than stellar performance. With all of the discussions regarding its importance, and the clear and obvious need, why are we still having this conversation? Could it be a conspiracy? While kidding, there are times when even this doesn’t seem too far-fetched!

In my review of many institutions and corporations, I have come to the conclusion that many are in total darkness with regards to their ultimate customer. While they may indeed “talk the talk” with their management and shareholders, in reality they simply don’t want to allocate the resources to provide effective customer service. In many instances they are not only getting away with it, they are flourishing in this environment.

This is where it begins to get scary. These companies and industries, directly or indirectly, have come to the conclusion by their actions (or lack of actions) that they simply no longer have to care about true customer service! You must understand that I’m becoming a generalist in this view, but it’s too often true. How is this possible? Let’s look at examples where this may be the case, then examine the corresponding impact on our priorities and perspectives on this topic.

I believe it all begins with a mentality established years ago by our utility companies. While their monopoly is now in transition, over a period of years their approach to customers was to provide service “on their terms.” Effectively, they owned us as a customer; the rules of supply and demand provided very few options for the consumer.

Our only position of strength was with the regulatory commissions. And how many of us have contacted this “watch dog” recently, let alone in our lifetime? The only customers that the utilities had to please at a very personal level were these regulators. Have you ever tried to work out what should be a simple problem with a utility company? We have evolved from being a customer to simply being a user.

Users and Simply Being Used

As we look beyond utilities, let’s focus a bit closer to home by looking at companies and institutions that make significant impact in our lives, yet have no monopolistic grip on their users. This type of company, including banks, mortgage companies and insurance companies, relies on the initial contact and sale to develop long-standing and “convenient” relationships.

Certainly there’s very heavy competition in each of these areas. Yet for most of us, it would require one of these institutions to hit us over the head with a ball peen hammer to bother to make a change. We are simply too busy to worry about these seemingly mundane aspects of our daily lives. Sign me up and let me forget about it. This is exactly what these types of companies are banking on … mortgaged against and insured upon!

Once you’ve signed up, have you noticed how difficult it is to get their attention? Their attitude can be one of superiority, with very clear rules, policies and hoops to jump through. Have you noticed how few bankers actually reside in the local branch of the larger banking institutions? Don’t dare ask for service or, God forbid, a personal discussion with the individual approving the loan. We have seen steady increase in the number of independent community banks in our region. Their success and growth in the market place has been significant because they provide service and personal contact.

We have all tried to contact a major bank or our mortgage and insurance companies by phone. With fifty layers of options to choose from, the hope is that you will figure out your own problem long before you have figured out their phone system. It’s very simple: if the process is difficult enough for our customers, they will simply quit calling to pester us.

These industries and others rely heavily on the initial sale, with little or no responsibility after the initial conquest. They rely on actuaries that determine they will lose only a minor percentage of their customers regardless of their customer service efforts. You and I become no more than an annual annuity for these institutions.

The Difference Between “The Need” and “The Nod”

I feel these major institutions have skewed our perceptions on common sense and simple courtesy with regards to ones sense of priority to the customer. Once again, they simply don’t have to in most cases. As long as we get an occasional “nod” we will accept their terms of sale. This personal convenience quotient holds significant power in our behavior.

The problems begin when this mentality and acceptance begins to seep into more conventional business and personal relationships. In a recent conversation with a doctor, he was discussing how wonderful his profession “used to be.” He can no longer look at his patients as clients. His true customers are the insurance companies, HMO’S and Medicare, as they hold the purse strings to 80% of his income. These institutions effectively control his earnings, and the decisions he must make regarding patient time in the hospital, prescriptions, rehabilitation and convalescence. Second generation suggest these controls affect staffing, time with patients, further education, facilities and state of the art equipment.

I recently heard a radio commercial that caught my interest. An auto body shop was extolling its ability to truly meet their customers’ needs. They suggested that studies have shown four out of five consumers do not recognize whether their auto bodywork has been properly executed. Combine this with the fact that once again 80% of the repairs are paid by insurance companies. Who is the customer? Will these repairs return your vehicle to its original condition, or simply repair it to the standards established by the insurance companies? I’m afraid to even touch the analogy regarding auto repair and human “bodywork”…

In the consumer products industry, this customer service mind set simply won’t due. With most of our products, our customers make a conscious decision, whether or not we have cut the mustard. Instead of a placating NOD, we must earn our stripes, because we NEED our customers.

So why do we continue the need for consistent conversations with our staff regarding proactive customer service? Because we are fighting a culture that is confronted daily with something much, much less. I believe this “user mentality” continues to compete and conflict with our own efforts to establish a very high standard of customer service.

There can never be enough discussions within our companies about very personal customer service. While this relationship has become blurred by other industries, it is our paramount job to bring crystal clarity with regards to its priority, daily. Our lifeline is in the hands of our customers.

I recently saw a television ad for Ameritrade with the byline: “Customer service doesn’t begin until someone answers the phone.”

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2010. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Vol. LXIV

Dear Manager,

Personal growth, experience, and maturity certainly impact all of us. The question becomes: Is personal growth strictly a personal issue, or something that management should want, expect, and even demand from those they manage?

If we are to expect growth in others, we must also expect growth within ourselves. Similar to a commitment to exercise, all too often we allow this critical area to simply slide. We had intended to do more insightful reading, attend a seminar and class, or ask for consultative guidance, but life seems to be unfolding at accelerating rates. Perhaps many of us believe we have learned enough in school and on the streets. I am not suggesting that this is substandard. The question is, is it good enough?

With the current transitions in the world of business, will resting on your laurels of current growth service your future needs? I took some computer classes this past summer at a local community college. What an eye opener! Here were individuals committed to join the twenty-first century. Many were my age and older, often better prepared than I, taking their own steps in a new world. I left these classes shaking my head, not only in the limited knowledge I had grasped, but also in the amount of knowledge yet to be learned. I found it very humbling to re-enter an exciting world, one I had long forgotten.

I would be the first to admit that I could have done much more in the past thirty years relating to this issue. Most professionals simply accept the need to stay informed and to continue their education. For doctors, lawyers, accountants, or engineers, further education is understood as an accepted routine. Would you trust a doctor whose medical knowledge hadn’t been updated for ten years? Why isn’t a similar culture routinely accepted in American Business?

Once again, as managers, do we have the right to address personal growth issues with our staff? Do we have a right, as their employer, to expect them to accept responsibility for self-improvement? When these individuals were hired, it would be common for them to embellish their education, and areas of further education. This suggests their acceptance and understanding of its vital role to any profession. Should we not continue to expect more?

If in fact we have no right to expect a higher standard and continued growth, then the die has already been cast when the hire is complete. Effectively, we had better be damn good in the hiring process. In this scenario, we must assume that the current package “is as good as it is going to get!” More often than not, I believe this is truer than we would like to admit. How do we change this standard of mediocrity, in ourselves and in the assets we choose to manage? The current economic culture suggests the time is now!

Having now established the foundation, and the current deficiency, I would suggest that there are few of us, including those we manage, who could deny its significance. As always, the question becomes how do we turn idle conversation into a strategy that will affect change? I believe this comes with mutual participation, recognition, and a system that rewards individual efforts.

YOU DESERVE MORE!

This is an ultimate truth, that all of us can relate to and accept on a personal “income growth” basis. Many of those you manage have achieved success beyond their wildest dreams. This would also suggest they may have become satisfied with their current standard of living. Complacency sets in, and a loss of rhythm relating to self-analysis and improvement follows. These individuals must now be convinced that they have only begun to meet their potential, and the worth you hold for them in the future. This must be accomplished in its most sincere form, as it is absolutely true.

There is an element of fear in all of us relating to what the future holds for business in America. We see the Generation X-ers with seemingly so many more tools to effectively maneuver and succeed in this changing climate. What seems so out of our element often seems rudimentary to this next generation. For many, the anxiety of being left behind is indisputable, and creates a very real sense of urgency to get caught up before it is too late. Certainly this creates a significant and authentic opportunity to not only make your point, but to take a stand.

OUR INVESTMENT

Having benefited greatly from my recent experience back in school, I would suggest this is a very cost effective investment for you and your team. On a very reasonable budget, classes can be incorporated as one aspect of your company’s strategy and compensation package. I would not encourage you to simply roll out the checkbook, assuming full responsibility for their growth. You cannot force feed; you cannot want self-improvement for your staff more than they do. Perhaps your participation would include 50% to 75% of the tuition and books relating to approved courses, or reimbursement related to an acceptable grade. In some instances this might be a class that you and your staff could participate in as a team. Regardless, your objective is not only their participation, but also the buzz among the staff created by their enthusiastic participation.

As their manager, I would acknowledge those who participate to their peers. Certainly everyone would understand if these individuals were to be given favorable consideration should advancement opportunities become available. This was certainly part of the criteria when they were originally hired for their current position!

I am not suggesting that this agenda become an all out competitive assault. I am suggesting that we are all fighting for our collective futures in a whole new era of doing business. Either grow as individuals or fall further behind the national and international standards of what can be reasonably expected from a professional.

THE QUESTION BECOMES

What do you hope to earn this year? What changes do you plan to make to accomplish this objective? On reflection, what areas would you change from last year’s efforts? What areas of personal growth do you plan to address in the next six months? What are your three and five year objectives? How might these objectives also assist in enhanced personal time? What can we, as an organization and team, do to assist in meeting these objectives?

ITS OWN REWARD

To bring conclusion to a prior question, yes, as managers we have every right to assume and expect sustained and committed personal growth from our staff members. It is our only prospect for the continued growth and vitality of one’s organization and our individual and collective futures.

As managers, we all know the value timing plays in the success of any program or strategy we might pursue. There can be no greater personal reward than that of accomplishment. There can be no greater benefit than what you can bring to your organization and to each of your staff members on an individual basis. The time is right, the urgency is crystal clear; your future will be defined in the process.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2010. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM