The almighty buck can actually be detrimental to your business. Think
about it, if all you think about is how much you can make, are you
really focusing on the other aspects of running a business. For example
quality control, safety of your product, etc. If money is your only
motivating factor, what corners are you cutting to make the Almighty
Buck. If your focus is only on the Almighty Buck are you missing other
opportunities, (to make more money), because the only thing you have on
your mind is how much you can make. With the Almighty Buck as your only
motivating factor you are destined to run into problems with your
business. The corners you cut, the opportunities you miss, the people
you disappoint, are going to be your downfall. We see and hear about
the Almighty Buck more and more every day. We get emails that tout "Get
Rich Quick", "Make thousands working only 2 hours a weeks", "Make Money
Selling ____(put in a product name) from home". While, yes, we all go
into business to make money, that cannot be your only motivating factor.
If you are blinded or sucked into these schemes I can pretty much
guarantee you, you will get nothing out of it. The only person who will
make any money is the person selling it, and usually for only a short
period of time. Then, they too, need to find the next "great
opportunity". These type of offers play off of a terrible trait the
majority of us in this culture have, "greed". Remember, if it sounds to
good to be true it usually is. So, you ask, if I am not going into
business to make money, why am I. Well, not to be evasive but only you
can answer that. Also, I am NOT saying that you should not want to make
money. We go into business to provide ourselves with a roof over our
heads, the ability to cloth ourselves, and our families, feed ourselves,
and help ourselves buy the things we need to keep going. So yes, money
is important to us. However, it is not the be all and end all. The
successful business owner realizes that how he runs his business, and
treats his customers is paramount to staying successful. Think of some
of the offers mentioned above. They sell their offer, the person gets
it, realizes it won't work, and then bad mouths them. So yes, for a
while they will sell, but will they ever get a repeat customer? Will
that customer recommend others? Probably not. Those of us in business
for the right reasons, in addition to making money, get repeat
customers, and our customers refer others to us. And many of us have
been in business long enough, have made our mark, are making a good
living, and are giving something back. That is what the really
successful people do. Look at Bill Gates, Jay Leno, Bob Hope and so
many other owners of large corporations, in show business or sports. Not
all of them are only in it for the money. All of these people
contribute to a variety of causes. While you might not agree with some
of their views, or the way they run their business; they all give
something back. So remember, business is not always about the Almighty
Buck, it's about how you treat people, and how you want people to think
about and treat you.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Win The "Yeah But" Game in 5 Easy Steps
Next time someone tells you about a problem use these steps.
1. Listen politely, without offering any suggestions. Remember, it is not your problem.
2. Affirm that the problem is really important. Just say, "That sounds like a really big problem "
3. Ask, "What have you already tried (thought of) doing about the problem?" You learn all the suggestions to scratch off your list. And you subtly reinforce the capabilities of the person with the problem.
4. After you hear the answer, ask, "How did that work out?" You invite the problem holder to rethink his or her own challenge. Often that leads to a solution on the spot, with thanks to you for your brilliant suggestions. (Of course, you have not made any suggestions, but that doesn't really matter.)
5. Ask, "Is there anything you would like from me?" Often the answer will be, "No thanks, I have figured out what to do next." If you are invited to do something more, you can choose to accept or decline with a much broader understanding of the problem.
These steps will help you resist your own tendency to try to be a hero by solving someone else's problem usually before they even ask for your help. This game usually starts by someone lamenting about a problem instead of asking for help to solve it.
The invitation you are learning to decline is really about proving that the problem is unsolvable, that nobody can help, and that the problem holder is justified in giving up and doing nothing further about the problem.
Instead, you affirm the problem holder's skill and resourcefulness, without getting involved in the game. And you may become the hero after all.
1. Listen politely, without offering any suggestions. Remember, it is not your problem.
2. Affirm that the problem is really important. Just say, "That sounds like a really big problem "
3. Ask, "What have you already tried (thought of) doing about the problem?" You learn all the suggestions to scratch off your list. And you subtly reinforce the capabilities of the person with the problem.
4. After you hear the answer, ask, "How did that work out?" You invite the problem holder to rethink his or her own challenge. Often that leads to a solution on the spot, with thanks to you for your brilliant suggestions. (Of course, you have not made any suggestions, but that doesn't really matter.)
5. Ask, "Is there anything you would like from me?" Often the answer will be, "No thanks, I have figured out what to do next." If you are invited to do something more, you can choose to accept or decline with a much broader understanding of the problem.
These steps will help you resist your own tendency to try to be a hero by solving someone else's problem usually before they even ask for your help. This game usually starts by someone lamenting about a problem instead of asking for help to solve it.
The invitation you are learning to decline is really about proving that the problem is unsolvable, that nobody can help, and that the problem holder is justified in giving up and doing nothing further about the problem.
Instead, you affirm the problem holder's skill and resourcefulness, without getting involved in the game. And you may become the hero after all.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
You Win With People
Is anyone surprised that this is where I chose to begin my
monthly newsletters? The concept of "You win with people" is the basic
premise that I have built my entire management and leadership style
around. The quote and original concept was presented to me in high
school when I read a book of the same name written by the Ohio State
Football Coach Woody Hayes. Woody was known as a strict disciplinarian
on the football field, but many people did not understand the depth of
the man, as he was not only a football coach but a military historian, a
philosopher, and a great molder of people (Coach).
The premise of Woody's book was built around the story of a new football coach who recruited a bunch of reasonably talented, but unmotivated, undisciplined football players. The team lost many more games than the won and the coach was known as a lousy coach of a lousy football team. The next year he focused on recruiting players who were more talented, and wanted to achieve, were disciplined, and focused on the success for themselves and for the team. Soon he became known as a great football coach with great football teams. Did the Coach in question change his playbook or coaching strategies? No, not really. Instead he found that the players make the team and having great players made for great teams, and made him a "great Coach" as well.
The premise is exactly the same in business. As a leader you have certain responsibilities to your company and your team. The first of which is recruiting. If there is one area where you can assure yourself of success as a leader it is in the area of recruiting. By surrounding yourself with talented, motivated people their success and your success is virtually assured. The people who work for you have the ability to make you look like a genius or a goat based on their abilities to think, react, and produce. The better your staff looks, the better you look. This concept is where a lot of "would be" leaders fail. They fail because they do not hire the best. They fail because they fail to fully utilize the talent of the people that work for them. And they fail out of fear. What fear, you ask? The fear that by allowing the light to shine on the people that work for them that they themselves will be passed over in favor of their subordinate. In reality, that very seldom happens, but that fear can sabotage even the most talented of leaders.
The premise of Woody's book was built around the story of a new football coach who recruited a bunch of reasonably talented, but unmotivated, undisciplined football players. The team lost many more games than the won and the coach was known as a lousy coach of a lousy football team. The next year he focused on recruiting players who were more talented, and wanted to achieve, were disciplined, and focused on the success for themselves and for the team. Soon he became known as a great football coach with great football teams. Did the Coach in question change his playbook or coaching strategies? No, not really. Instead he found that the players make the team and having great players made for great teams, and made him a "great Coach" as well.
The premise is exactly the same in business. As a leader you have certain responsibilities to your company and your team. The first of which is recruiting. If there is one area where you can assure yourself of success as a leader it is in the area of recruiting. By surrounding yourself with talented, motivated people their success and your success is virtually assured. The people who work for you have the ability to make you look like a genius or a goat based on their abilities to think, react, and produce. The better your staff looks, the better you look. This concept is where a lot of "would be" leaders fail. They fail because they do not hire the best. They fail because they fail to fully utilize the talent of the people that work for them. And they fail out of fear. What fear, you ask? The fear that by allowing the light to shine on the people that work for them that they themselves will be passed over in favor of their subordinate. In reality, that very seldom happens, but that fear can sabotage even the most talented of leaders.
David Meyer, owner of Coaching for Tomorrow, has more than 25
years of management and leadership experience, having worked for
companies such as Allied Stores, MCI and Nextel Communications. His
mantra, "You Win With People" is based on the deep-seated belief that
hiring, developing, and promoting the right people can lead to
organizational and financial success. As amanagement and leadership
coach, David works to instill that same passion in his clients by
helping them understand the importance of strong leadership, strong
teamwork, and strong players.
David has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and has been certified by both ACTION International as a Business Coach and the Coach Training Alliance. He also has received his CTM from Toastmasters. He is an Officer in the Denver Coach Federation and a facilitator/trainer for the Coach Training Alliance.
David has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and has been certified by both ACTION International as a Business Coach and the Coach Training Alliance. He also has received his CTM from Toastmasters. He is an Officer in the Denver Coach Federation and a facilitator/trainer for the Coach Training Alliance.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
How To Provide Outstanding Delivery
How To Provide Outstanding Delivery
Sales and Delivery
Two concepts and departments that must work hand in hand to provide your customers with an optimum buying experience. Whether you are in retail, wholesale, manufacturing, or service, the sales and delivery of your products and services will make or break your company.
Why is it then that so many companies fail to provide outstanding delivery of their services?
Is it because they have made conscious choices to annoy the customer?
Is it because they don't understand the importance of the final delivery to the customer?
Or, is it because they have lost focus on the customer?
My guess is that it is the latter of these three. As companies grow and expand, specialization begins to emerge as a method to streamline processes and improve the quality and consistency of product delivery. So Sales makes a sale and then turns it over to the "delivery machine". Sometimes that delivery machine is the checkout line at the front of your store. Other times it is a production department that has to manufacture and deliver your product. But in any case, it is not often that the sales person and the delivery person are one and the same, and that means handing off the customer to someone else in the organization.
Why is this important?
Because sales in the 21st century has changed from where it was only 5 or 10 years ago. Today, sales is much more about relationships and focus on the customer than it is about product. Many stores sell exactly the same products. Many service companies have products that are either indistinguishable from each other, or have qualities that are not easily measured.
In truth, many products have become commodities, much to the dismay of all involved.
So why should someone choose to buy from company A versus company B?
Because of the relationship that has been built between the sales person and the customer.
Think about why you shop at a certain grocery store or go back to a certain auto mechanic. 99% of the products are the same from one store to the next. Yes, in some cases convenience might be an issue. Yet you tend to favor certain stores, not because they carry Cherry Pop Tarts, but because the store appears cleaner and brighter, it's easy to do business there, and most importantly because the people there treat you better. Hence the customer/company relationship.
When your sales team hands over a sale to your delivery team, that relationship can be jeopardized if the delivery area fails to recognize their responsibility to the customer and their ultimate responsibility, not as a delivery group, but as an extension of the sales process and therefore the sales team.
Your delivery organization must think of themselves as an extension of the sales team. Their job is just as much about nurturing the relationship with the customer as every other part of the company. And to nurture that relationship takes time and commitment from the company as a whole.
In other words, the company/customer relationship commitment starts at the very top of your company and then extends down. It is the responsibility of the leadership of the company to foster the understanding of the customer/company relationship and give all of the players involved the processes, systems, and VISION required to turn that vision into reality.
Sales is now much more relationship based than it had been in the past and that means that your sales process no longer starts and stops with the sales team. In the 21st century, everyone that touches the customer (and many who do not) is now part of the sales process. And as such they need the same type of training, commitment, and customer focus that your sales team has. Failure to understand that commitment results in confusing operating results as sales plummets and customers become less, not more satisfied.
Let me give you a true to life example of how this happened to a company that I worked for years ago. I was working in the back office of a department store chain. Sales were bad and getting worse. Revenue was declining and losses were accumulating. The Executive Team got together to create a battle plan. More money was provided to the Buyers (those folks who buy the goods that sit on the shelves), and more money was given to the Advertising and Marketing teams to help create promotions that would bring more people into the stores. The Buyers were told that it was up to them to buy the right goods that the customers wanted to buy. The pressure on them was enormous as they flew off to various lands to find "the next hot thing".
In the same meeting, it was decided that all operational organizations needed to cut their expenses by 10%. Layoffs resulted in Accounting (1 person), Housekeeping (3 people), Warehousing (5 people), Store Department Managers (1 per store) and last but not least, Sales Associates (2 - 10 per store, depending on size).
You can probably guess what happened.
The Buyers did their jobs and purchased a wide variety of popular items, negotiated hard on the terms, and had them shipped to the warehouse. But the warehouse manager was short staffed and had problems getting the merchandise to the stores. When the sales advertisements hit the paper, not all of the goods were available. But the ads were good and customers came into the stores. Unfortunately the depleted sales staff was too busy doing merchandise counts for the nervous buyers to be of any real help to the excited customers. Department Managers, tried to shift resources in the stores, but found that the sales associates didn't know the merchandise, or any intricacies about how their "new" department operated.
Sales continued to decline, merchandise was marked down and sold at a loss, and the layoffs continued. They eventually went bankrupt.
The Buyers in retail are treated like the Sales Teams in many companies. When times get tough in retail, more money is allocated to Buyers to get customers into the stores. When times get tough in other organizations, more money is allocated to Sales to get more customer orders.
But cutbacks of those groups that touch the customers, or assigning them duties (like counting merchandise) that take away from their primary, customer-oriented responsibilities, look good on paper, but ultimately reduce the effectiveness of the organization.
Increasing focus on sales and decreasing focus on delivering on your promises is a recipe for disaster.
How do you get the two in synch?
First, start by understanding the relationship between Sales and Delivery. It doesn't do you any good to sell something that you cannot deliver. Likewise it does you no good to deliver something that is not what the customer wanted or ordered. That understanding needs to start at the top and filter down to every organization and every person in the company.
The commitment from the very top of the company must be that everyone who touches the customer is a part of the sales process and by definition, has a customer focus. That mantra needs to be continually reinforced across the company. It needs to be made clear to everyone in the company that the customer is really king. Anyone who touches the customer must have as their primary aim the satisfaction of the customer.
Next, reinforce that understanding by reviewing the organizational and departmental objectives to ensure that "indirect touches" of the customer are given the same weight that direct touches are. That applies to the Sales organization, the Delivery organization, Customer Support organization, Billing organization, Collections organization, and so on. It is up to the CEO/COO to ensure that the message is being received loud and clear to the entire management team and the entire company.
Ensure that departmental budgets and headcounts are related back to customer impact. Don't increase your sales force and then decrease your ability to deliver. And that means not confusing order efficiency (orders per person) with customer satisfaction.
Draw clear distinctions as to how customer touching employees will be rated and measured. Make sure that people who touch the customer are not measured on how many customers they touch, but how satisfied those customers are.
The trick here, if you will, is to figure out who touches the customer (satisfaction driven) and who does not (metrics driven). If you can do that you will go a long way to satisfying your customers and providing them with the services that they want and deserve.
Sales and Delivery
Two concepts and departments that must work hand in hand to provide your customers with an optimum buying experience. Whether you are in retail, wholesale, manufacturing, or service, the sales and delivery of your products and services will make or break your company.
Why is it then that so many companies fail to provide outstanding delivery of their services?
Is it because they have made conscious choices to annoy the customer?
Is it because they don't understand the importance of the final delivery to the customer?
Or, is it because they have lost focus on the customer?
My guess is that it is the latter of these three. As companies grow and expand, specialization begins to emerge as a method to streamline processes and improve the quality and consistency of product delivery. So Sales makes a sale and then turns it over to the "delivery machine". Sometimes that delivery machine is the checkout line at the front of your store. Other times it is a production department that has to manufacture and deliver your product. But in any case, it is not often that the sales person and the delivery person are one and the same, and that means handing off the customer to someone else in the organization.
Why is this important?
Because sales in the 21st century has changed from where it was only 5 or 10 years ago. Today, sales is much more about relationships and focus on the customer than it is about product. Many stores sell exactly the same products. Many service companies have products that are either indistinguishable from each other, or have qualities that are not easily measured.
In truth, many products have become commodities, much to the dismay of all involved.
So why should someone choose to buy from company A versus company B?
Because of the relationship that has been built between the sales person and the customer.
Think about why you shop at a certain grocery store or go back to a certain auto mechanic. 99% of the products are the same from one store to the next. Yes, in some cases convenience might be an issue. Yet you tend to favor certain stores, not because they carry Cherry Pop Tarts, but because the store appears cleaner and brighter, it's easy to do business there, and most importantly because the people there treat you better. Hence the customer/company relationship.
When your sales team hands over a sale to your delivery team, that relationship can be jeopardized if the delivery area fails to recognize their responsibility to the customer and their ultimate responsibility, not as a delivery group, but as an extension of the sales process and therefore the sales team.
Your delivery organization must think of themselves as an extension of the sales team. Their job is just as much about nurturing the relationship with the customer as every other part of the company. And to nurture that relationship takes time and commitment from the company as a whole.
In other words, the company/customer relationship commitment starts at the very top of your company and then extends down. It is the responsibility of the leadership of the company to foster the understanding of the customer/company relationship and give all of the players involved the processes, systems, and VISION required to turn that vision into reality.
Sales is now much more relationship based than it had been in the past and that means that your sales process no longer starts and stops with the sales team. In the 21st century, everyone that touches the customer (and many who do not) is now part of the sales process. And as such they need the same type of training, commitment, and customer focus that your sales team has. Failure to understand that commitment results in confusing operating results as sales plummets and customers become less, not more satisfied.
Let me give you a true to life example of how this happened to a company that I worked for years ago. I was working in the back office of a department store chain. Sales were bad and getting worse. Revenue was declining and losses were accumulating. The Executive Team got together to create a battle plan. More money was provided to the Buyers (those folks who buy the goods that sit on the shelves), and more money was given to the Advertising and Marketing teams to help create promotions that would bring more people into the stores. The Buyers were told that it was up to them to buy the right goods that the customers wanted to buy. The pressure on them was enormous as they flew off to various lands to find "the next hot thing".
In the same meeting, it was decided that all operational organizations needed to cut their expenses by 10%. Layoffs resulted in Accounting (1 person), Housekeeping (3 people), Warehousing (5 people), Store Department Managers (1 per store) and last but not least, Sales Associates (2 - 10 per store, depending on size).
You can probably guess what happened.
The Buyers did their jobs and purchased a wide variety of popular items, negotiated hard on the terms, and had them shipped to the warehouse. But the warehouse manager was short staffed and had problems getting the merchandise to the stores. When the sales advertisements hit the paper, not all of the goods were available. But the ads were good and customers came into the stores. Unfortunately the depleted sales staff was too busy doing merchandise counts for the nervous buyers to be of any real help to the excited customers. Department Managers, tried to shift resources in the stores, but found that the sales associates didn't know the merchandise, or any intricacies about how their "new" department operated.
Sales continued to decline, merchandise was marked down and sold at a loss, and the layoffs continued. They eventually went bankrupt.
The Buyers in retail are treated like the Sales Teams in many companies. When times get tough in retail, more money is allocated to Buyers to get customers into the stores. When times get tough in other organizations, more money is allocated to Sales to get more customer orders.
But cutbacks of those groups that touch the customers, or assigning them duties (like counting merchandise) that take away from their primary, customer-oriented responsibilities, look good on paper, but ultimately reduce the effectiveness of the organization.
Increasing focus on sales and decreasing focus on delivering on your promises is a recipe for disaster.
How do you get the two in synch?
First, start by understanding the relationship between Sales and Delivery. It doesn't do you any good to sell something that you cannot deliver. Likewise it does you no good to deliver something that is not what the customer wanted or ordered. That understanding needs to start at the top and filter down to every organization and every person in the company.
The commitment from the very top of the company must be that everyone who touches the customer is a part of the sales process and by definition, has a customer focus. That mantra needs to be continually reinforced across the company. It needs to be made clear to everyone in the company that the customer is really king. Anyone who touches the customer must have as their primary aim the satisfaction of the customer.
Next, reinforce that understanding by reviewing the organizational and departmental objectives to ensure that "indirect touches" of the customer are given the same weight that direct touches are. That applies to the Sales organization, the Delivery organization, Customer Support organization, Billing organization, Collections organization, and so on. It is up to the CEO/COO to ensure that the message is being received loud and clear to the entire management team and the entire company.
Ensure that departmental budgets and headcounts are related back to customer impact. Don't increase your sales force and then decrease your ability to deliver. And that means not confusing order efficiency (orders per person) with customer satisfaction.
Draw clear distinctions as to how customer touching employees will be rated and measured. Make sure that people who touch the customer are not measured on how many customers they touch, but how satisfied those customers are.
The trick here, if you will, is to figure out who touches the customer (satisfaction driven) and who does not (metrics driven). If you can do that you will go a long way to satisfying your customers and providing them with the services that they want and deserve.
David Meyer, owner of Coaching for Tomorrow, has more than 25
years of management and leadership experience, having worked for
companies such as Nobil Shoes, McDonough, Allied Stores, MCI and Nextel
Communications. His mantra, "You Win With People" is based on the
deep-seated belief that hiring, developing, and promoting the right
people can lead to organizational and financial success. As a
management and leadership coach, David works to instill that same
passion in his clients by helping them understand the importance of
strong leadership, strong teamwork, and strong players.
David has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and has been certified by both ACTION International as a Business Coach and the Coach Training Alliance. He also has received his CTM from Toastmasters. He is an Officer in the Denver Coach Federation and a facilitator/trainer for the Coach Training Alliance and ACTION International of Colorado.
David has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and has been certified by both ACTION International as a Business Coach and the Coach Training Alliance. He also has received his CTM from Toastmasters. He is an Officer in the Denver Coach Federation and a facilitator/trainer for the Coach Training Alliance and ACTION International of Colorado.
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