Eden Sunshine's BLOG

The Customer Doesn't Always Know What's Best

Whoever came up with the statement "the customer is always right" was wrong. The reality is that this statement was designed for people who couldn't be trusted to effectively connect with a customer in order to create a win win environment.

 

But the customer is not always right. The customer doesn't always know what they NEED. They might know what they WANT. But the two are entirely different.

 

Henry Ford once said, regarding the first car he ever built, "If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse."

 

Effective leadership listens and observes trends. They do talk with customers and look to the future. They might not base their decisions on what the customer says they want however. They look for trends that reveal what the customer really needs or at least will want in the future.

 

I recommend that we do this intentionally. Take some time and simply ask the question, 'what trends and opportunities seem to be emerging that our clients and industry will be interested  in the future?'

 

Here are a couple trends I have observed.

 

I see an ultimate decrease in the demand for commercial office space. Why? Technology is going to enable us to be able to telecommute more effectively. It's already happening.

 

There will be an increased demand in resources, training, materials and equipment designed for people to successfully work independently at home.

 

More outlets will emerge for socialization. It is already happening. Look at on-line social media. People will need to connect to others. If that isn't happening at work its going to happen somewhere. Starbucks like places will continue to grow as long as they can cater to the home-based work crowd. Wifi and Internet access, a quiet place to sit for long stretches of time will become common place in our neighborhoods.

 

I believe the next major break in technology since the desktop computer will be high functioning voice recognition programs. Think Star Trek and how the crew would interact with the computer. Key pads, mouses, touchscreens would become obsolete.

 

I would love to hear your feedback on trends in the world you see emerging too. 

 

Please post your comments below.

What Ordinary People Don't Have.

Resolve says, "I will." The man says, "I will climb this mountain. They told me it is too high, too far, too steep, too rocky and too difficult. But it's my mountain. I will climb it. You will soon see me waving from the top or dead on the side from trying."

    Jim Rohn 

 

Ordinary people require no resolve because they have no mountain. Yet, we all have a mountain, a calling to greatness. A meaningful mission. Most people run from the calling. It eludes them. They avoid that quiet whisper deep down prompting them to greatness. They listen to the world that screams out that they are ordinary. The world is lying to them.

 

You are not ordinary. You have a calling. A calling to greatness. A mountain to climb. Discover the mountain. Make it yours and resolve to get to the top. Or die trying.

 

Are You Keeping the Unspoken Promise?

 

"Losers make promises they often break.  Winners make commitments they always keep."

    Denis Waitley 

 

When a prospect decides to do business with you they do so anticipating that your business will fulfill an often unspoken promise.

 

Do you realize that when people make a purchase from your company or agree to utilize your services they do so because they anticipate that the product or service they are buying is going to meet some need or want of theirs.

 

Unbeknown to most of us this is analogous to making a promise. Your business suggests through it's marketing, advertising, positioning and sales message an offer to satisfy that need for your customers. Through our communication we suggest something like, "If you do business with us we will meet your need." That's a promise. Sadly most businesses don't do a good job of meeting the promise. Some resist the idea of making a promise. "We can't promise anything," they say. "There are no guarantees," they often continue.

 

Those that say that straddle the fence when it comes to committing to provide stellar service, quality, excellence and fulfillment. They play it safe. And those that play it safe have a hard time differentiating themselves.

 

Nordstrom's promises...

McDonald's promises...

Southwest Airlines promises...

Domino's promises...

Apple promises...

Geiko promises...

 

I suspect you have heard the saying, "under promise and over deliver?" I believe we must bring alignment to what the customer wants or needed and what we WILL deliver. If we want to WOW the customer with a value added service like making them feel valued and important or creating exceeding confidence and certainty in your products or services, that's great.

 

We must know exactly what the client is expecting. Then make sure we are sending a message that communicates that we intend to meet those expectations. Then we must deliver on it.

 

Imagine how powerful your message and company could be if you promised your clients you would...

 

Save them 20% on their logistic services.

Increase their ROI on their Internet marketing activities by double digit numbers.

Eliminate all their worry when it comes to HR related issues in their business.

Provide a dining experience that is like a new adventure every time.

 

What promises is your business making that really matter to your prospects and clients? I welcome your feedback on this question.

Running business on a wing and a prayer...

There are still a few spots left for tomorrow's Level 7 Experience Teleconference. Click here >>.

 

Taking the risk to start and get into business takes courage, guts and confidence. I admire that about business people. I admire their aspirations to make things better. That's what business owners do. They take an idea, a situation, a condition and look and find a way to improve upon it.

 

To me, that's admirable.

 

However, that same confidence could also lead to their demise. Over confidence could result in an unwillingness to admit or recognize our short comings.

 

Over confidence could lead us to believe we have it all together. The reality is that most businesses are just "wingin it". What does that mean?

 

When it comes right down to it most are just trying to figure out how to make their business work. Some will spend a life time, granted with some or even above average success, to ultimately reach a level of accomplishment only to get stuck. Not knowing how to get to the next level.

 

In other words, they don't really have a formula. A system. A method. A philosophy that could be replicated time and time again. In any business, at any size. It looks more like survival rather than certainty.

 

Perhaps its the thrill of the unknown that we enjoy. Maybe we really like the idea, deep down, that we don't know how our efforts are going to play out. Although, I don't buy it. Most the people I know that own businesses want some certainty of success beyond their confidence in themselves or a prayer (Prayer can be powerful however).

 

If you want to stop relying on a wing and a prayer then...

 

...here are seven things every business must do to ensure continued and replicable success.

 

1- Set goals like crazy. Be intentional about everything the business does.

 

2- Measure your goals objectively. That which gets measured gets done.

 

3- Create systems so that every goal you have has a consistent, predictable way of accomplishing it no matter who is operating it.

 

4- Thread your culture on purpose. Most problems in business stem from people not knowing and understanding the key beliefs and values of the business. Businesses must be intentional about building a self sustaining culture. Otherwise the culture is dependent on the owner.

 

5- Ensure accountability. The business must be absolutely certain that people will do what they say they are going to do. EVERY TIME Period.

 

6- Make sure your business communicates effectively. This included communication from leadership through the organization, communication from employees to management, communication from employee to employee and even communication from the business to it's clients. Quality communication demystifies expectations.

 

7- Be intentional about innovation and improving performance. Don't over innovate or under innovate. Great businesses innovate and improve in areas when its relevant to do so.

 

If you want to better understand these 7 Core Business Principles - Read The Level 7 Manifesto: A Simple, Common Sense and Proven Approach to Businesses Most Complex Problems and Frustrations. Get it now >>

Trying to Shove a Square Peg in A Round Hole...

Sometimes it just doesn't fit.

 

Sometimes an employee just doesn't fit. It happens. Occasionally we hire the wrong person. It could stem from several things. It might be a result of not knowing the "right type" of person you are looking for in the business. You know what I mean by "right type", someone who fits the culture and personality for the business. It could also be from a faulty hiring process itself.

 

Either way we ended up with the wrong person.

 

Despite all our efforts to mentor and guide that person to fit the culture of the business, sometimes they don't fit. Let's stop trying to shove a round peg in a square hole.

 

Sometimes we get the wrong customer. Hard to imagine but it happens too. This condition could stem from a variety of reasons. it could be our marketing message. Sometimes it's our conversion process (Let's face it, occasionally a sales person will over promise beyond the businesses capabilities).

 

Stephen Heitz, Director of the Interactive Division at Lavidge, and I were talking the other day about the mistake businesses make trying to get customers to conform to the way the company does business.

 

In other words, trying to get the customers to do it our way versus look at the nature and needs of the customer and deliver a service or product congruent with how they want it.

 

Now don't get extreme with me. I understand there are some limitations or even choices we make in terms of how far we will go to cater to a customers needs. I have many friends in the real estate business who are on call and available 24/7. Even my wife's OB/GYN went on vacation and was unavailable while she was in labor. We have to draw the line somewhere.

But the fact is, often we try to shove the customer in a square hole when perhaps we need to look more carefully at our services and be willing to become a round hole instead.

System to Hit Your Goals Every Time!

Yesterday I wrote about the need to make course corrections in order to ensure that we don't end up in an undesirable place in our business.

 

Often we set out to achieve a goal, only to discover later that we haven't hit them. Then we wonder why. But at that points it's too late.

 

The question is then, "How do I ensure that I hit my goals every time?"

 

The process is actually rather simply, but not necessarily easy. If it were easy everyone would do it. That's why so few people are actually moving forward in their businesses and lives.

 

Step 1 - Set the goal. Obvious, but necessary. Your goal must be clear, concise, in writing and have a date.

 

Example: We will double our revenue and profit by December 2010.

 

Step 2 - Ensure that you have a methodology for measuring and tracking the goal.

 

Example: We have our financial statements that are up to date and current at all times.

 

Step 3 - Identify the systems that impact or ensure the goals. Identify the systems that are going to require innovation or improvement to achieve the goal.

 

Example: Our lead generation system is the primary driver of doubling revenue and profit. We need more leads. We also have in place a good lead conversion process that currently converts 75% of our leads. Our fulfillment systems are solid and we are managing the inflow and outflow of our money effectively.

 

Step 4 - Establish a goal for the system.

 

Example: Currently our lead generation systems provide us with 60 new, qualified leads per week. In order to hit our objectives, the system needs to produce 120 new qualified leads per week.

 

Step 5 - Innovate your system(s) to make the improvements necessarily to achieve goal.

 

Example: We have identified our primary lead generation sources and will increased our market penetration into those markets.

 

Step 6 - Set up regular checkpoints to evaluate the performance of your innovated system.

 

Example: We will review the results of our new lead generation efforts every 2 weeks.

 

Step 7 - This maybe the most important step. Take immediate action, as needed, to revise the system to ensure you are getting the results, or in this case, the number of leads your need each week to hit your sales and revenue objectives.

 

The bottom line is if you want to hit your goals, you need to take new action in order to get new results.

Are You A Master Avoider? Part 2

Continuing from the previous post...

 

Our actions are driven by our thoughts. Our thoughts are a reflection of our beliefs. We are not always conscious of our beliefs. As a result, our thoughts are being influenced by those beliefs. As a result we take the wrong actions. When we take the wrong actions we get the results we desire.

 

Example: Mary's goal is to accumulate wealth and retire early. Her unconscious belief is, "I have to work hard all my life to survive". As a result, despite all her conscious efforts to accumulate wealth, her belief system won't allow her to do it. She ultimately will sabotage her efforts.

 

Do you know that many of our beliefs are a result of events that transpired in our past? We locked them in and accepted them as truth.

 

So how do you break the cycle?

 

1- Apply The Level 7 Principle of Knowing What's True by asking yourself the question, "What limiting beliefs do I have that are getting in the way of my progress?"

 

2- Determine if the basis for your belief is true. Using the example above, is it absolute truth that Mary has to work all her life just to survive? Is it possible that people can make the right choices and accumulate enough wealth and retire early? Yes. It is possible and is done all the time. Of course Mary would need to accept the truth that it is possible. If she looks for evidence, she will easily find others have accomplished what she desires. Now if Mary says something like, "Well, those other people had opportunities, are smarter than me or have more talent" she has revealed her own limiting beliefs.

 

3- Realize that your eyes and ears are the gateway to your beliefs. What you put in your eyes and ears will influence your beliefs. Here is an extreme example. If you were to call someone a loser everyday for a period of time, at some point they might start believing it, unless they knew how to protect their ears from the onslaught of attacks. The point is you must protect what you allow in.

 

4- You need to start reprogramming your mind with positive, more affirming beliefs. For example, some people are hesitant to hold others accountable for their agreements. They believe that if they do hold people accountable they won't be liked or accepted. In a case like this they would need to reprogram their mind by saying things like, "People appreciate when I hold them to a higher standard."

 

5- Establish a specific routine to feed yourself with your new way of thinking. Personally, I recommend writing down your affirming beliefs and review them at least three times per day with intention. What do I mean by with intention? Don't just scan what you've written. Say it out loud, think about it for a moment, consider what your are saying to yourself. When you hear that little voice in the background saying, "Oh you won't do that, or this doesn't apply to you," simply respond to it and say, "I wasn't talking to you."

 

5-  Here is the key to put it all together. There is no magic formula for applying discipline and follow-through. You just have to do it. If you don't, nothing is going to change.

 

Special Offer for those with the guts and desire to really make improvements in your life and business. Sometimes it is more difficult to see our own limiting beliefs that are holding us back. If you would like some objective feedback and help establishing new more productive beliefs and an action plan to make the change, then lets talk.

 

I am prepared to give you whatever time is needed to help you make your break through. E-mail or call me today if you are interested.

You Secret is Not as Safe as You Think

Self destructive repeating patterns hold us back. Often we don't even know they exist. We keep on fighting the uphill battles, month after month, year after year. From the outside we look like mice running on a wheel or a zombie blindly going through the motions in hopes we will end up some place relevant. We never get there when we don't address the issues holding us back.

 

First step - Wake up and be honest. Are you a mouse running on a wheel dreaming about a better place. Saying to yourself "If I keep going like this I will get to where I want to be". Yet you are really seeing no progress.

 

Second step - Find someone who you trust and cares about you and will really pay attention to you. I mean you can't get good observations from people who are too preoccupied with their own stuff. Ask them what observations they can make about your behaviors or attitudes that might be getting in the way with your progress.

 

Ask them to be honest and candid. Then just listen without getting defensive. You might be surprised how much a person who is paying attention can see and is obvious that we can't see ourselves.

 

Third step - Take some time to process and see if it fits. Does what they see make sense? Are you able to recognize behaviors that are unproductive patterns? Does it feel true?

 

Over the years, having worked with 100's of business owners and 1000's of individuals, here are some patterns I have observed. There are more but a sample includes:

 

Spending a lot of time doing things that are not related to achieving goals. They think they are important but they are not. They find personal value in their busyness.

 

Not willing to try something new because they feel uncomfortable. They avoid great opportunities because they might have to change their behavior or overcome some fears.

 

Here is a tough one. They create problems so they can solve them. Or they always have an excuse for not moving forward that has to do with outside circumstance. Some people are good problem solvers. So they create them so they can feel good about themselves and their ability to solve them. The problems they create and solve rarely have any bearing on moving forward. They stay stuck.

 

Step four - Once you've identified the area, develop a strategy that might include an accountability partner or some daily reminders and new action steps, to begin to make the changes.

Simple Business According to One of the Richest Men in the World

"The business schools reward difficult, complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective."

                Warren Buffett

 

There are seven simple behaviors that work and will transform the results you get in your business and your life if you apply them.

 

Be very clear on goals and expectations in every area of the business.

Be objective when you evaluate performance.

Be intentional when it comes to developing your company culture.

Develop great systems that produce optimal results.

Establish appropriate intervals to innovate your systems and business.

Make sure you have great communication throughout your business.

Create an environment where you and your people can trust, are accountable and can count on each other.

 

Take a moment and think about these for a moment. If you consider every piece of "business advice" you have every heard or seen, they all fall under one or more of these catagories.

 

Example. I see tons of folks out there promoting "how to get more business or touting cleaver or innovative marketing techniques".

 

What are they really saying? See the list above. They are really pointing to developing and innovating better systems.

 

Another Example. You are having a difficult time dealing with some of the people in your business. How do you solve a complex problem like this one?

 

It's actually rather simple. Take the list of Level 7 Core Principles above and ask yourself the question, "Which of these areas haven't we applied effectively?"

 

It's possible you haven't established clear expections. Or you haven't developed a good company culture. Perhaps you need to work on your accountability standards.

 

Business growth and problem resolution is quiet simple when you process them through The Level 7 Core Principles.

Loosen Those Spending Purse Strings

Want to generate more revenue? Duh, who doesn’t. In order to do so we need to be more strategic about our marketing (knowing your customer) and advertising (getting the message out) during down turns in the economy.

 

Here are some interesting statistics for those you who like evidence.

 

A McGraw-Hill Research study of over 600 Businesses found that during the recession of 1981-1982, businesses that maintained or increased their ad spend during this time averaged higher sales growth during the recession and in the following 3 years! By 1985, those same companies experienced sales increases of 256% over those that had cut back on advertising.

 

Likewise in 2001, another study found that aggressive recession advertisers increased market share 2 ½ times the average for all businesses in the post-recession. In 2002, the Strategic Planning Institute illustrated that during economic expansion although 80% of businesses increased their advertising spend there was NO improvement in market share.  Why? Because everyone has increase ad spending!

 

BUT, spending money for the sake of spending money is foolish not only now, but anytime in business. Applying The Level 7 Principle, carefully define the result or outcome you want from every advertising effort and track the results like a mad man (or woman). Make sure your dollars spent are paying off in either increasing your leads and building your brand in a positive and measurable way.

The Power of Life and Death...

It has been said that, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue…” Suggesting that our words have great power. What we say and how we say it will influence our circumstances around us.

 

What are you saying about your business these days, are you speaking life? What are you saying about your people, are you encouraging them and building them up?

 

Begin today by being aware of the words you speak. “Better to say nothing,” my mother would remind me, “than speak ill will of others or a situation.”

 

Try reframing your statements which requires reframing your thinking.

 

Rather than saying “business is bad”. Say,  “We have some tremendous opportunities available to us now.”

Rather than saying “Joe is doing a lousy job”.  Say “Joe has some great talents, how can we help improve his performance?”

 

Finally, as I suggested, what comes out of our mouths is dictated by our thinking. So we must be very aware of what we allow that goes into our heads that might impact our thoughts. A good rule of thumb as you hear negativity is to ask yourself the question, “Is what I am hearing truth or is it someone’s opinion.” There is more opinion out there then we all realize. And that is MY OPINION.

Flexible Like Water...

“One measure of how creative you are is how you respond to changes in your circumstances and environment. How flexible are you? Consider how water adapts to its environment: evaporation, condensation, snowflake, melting, flowing, goes around rocks, fills containers, etc.”

 

As the world and our perception of it changes around us we must be creative and flexible. We must be vigilant with tracking and knowing the truth about circumstances. Not jumping to conclusions and opinions but relying on evidence and fact. We must be proactive as we evaluate performance and attainment of our goals and finally, asking the question, what systems do we need to improve to deal with the changing times.

 

By the way, one of the most important questions you could be asking right now is this… “Is our marketing message congruent with the needs or wants of our potential customers and target market.”

Micromanagement versus Innovation

Employees hate to be micromanagement. Just ask any of them.

Employers hate it when their people don't produce results. Just ask any of them.

Now assuming you, as a business owner or manager, are not simply abdicating and putting up with poor performance and results, you are probably having regular conversations with your people to figure out HOW to get better performance and results.

The conversation often sounds like, "tell me what is happening with this...?" or "Explain what is going on with this client...?"

Believe it or not, to most employees this feels like micromanagement. To a manager, we are just trying to figure out how to fix the problem.

The end result is this method of managing "tactically" doesn't work. The solution to the problem is only temporary and specific to the circumstances in the moment. You never arrive at any permanent solution.

Granted, you might solve the problem or produce the result for that situation, but nobody really learns anything. And the solution is never scalable and rarely replicatable.

A more effective and strategic approach requires implementation of three of The Level Seven Core Principles.

#1- Apply the Principle of Defining Results and ask the question, "What is the ultimate outcome we want to accomplish?"So let's pretend you have a sales person that isn't getting enough appointments through their networking efforts.

An ineffective conversation might be: "Tell me about the call you to made to Mr. Jones today, what happened?" This is tactical troubleshooting. Then you proceed by telling the sales person what they SHOULD have said.

Rather, you ask the question, "What is the desired result?" Answer: To maximize the conversation of our prospecting calls.

#2 - Apply the Principle of Knowing What's True. Determine what the actual results are, objectively.

I might assume that the employee needs help in an area, but upon further investigation of the numbers discover that they are getting appointments with 50% of the people they talk with. I need to consider whether or not I am happy with those results before I jump in and attempt to fix something that may or may not be broken.

A good manager, knows the truth before acting.

#3 - Apply the Principle of Creating Replication. If you determine that the results, based on objective evaluation, are not up to par, then focus on the SYSTEM.

Ask yourself the question, do we have a system that ensures that our people are maximizing the conversion of calls to prospects? If not, rather than tactically solving the problem, work on the system. Test it. Then implement it.

In the end, the work you do with your people won't feel like micromanagement, because it's not. It is focused on system performance improvement and innovation and most employees are happy to participate in improving results and innovating.

Sold! Getting Your People to Buy in to Your Goals.

We just finished the Level Seven Arizona Community Roundtable last Friday. The Community Roundtable is a quarterly event where businesses that are in the process of implementing The Level Seven System get together for a day to brainstorm, problem solve and innovate. Many breakthroughs are made through the process because the conversations are so focused and utilize the Level Seven Language and Way of Thinking to drive our solutions.

One of the big question that came up last Friday was “How to Get Our Employees to Buy in to Our Vision and Direction of the Company”. Several hours on the conversation lead to the framework of what is likely to be a very productive system.

1- The Owner or leadership of the business, applying the Level Seven Principle of Defining Results, must have his or her vision and goals for the business written out in a clear, communicable and understandable format. This applied to things like the vision for the business, core values, annual or long term goals and objectives and more.

 

2- They must install a system, applying the Level Seven Principle of Conveying Information and the Principle of Creating Replication, that regularly and consistently communicates the vision or goals of the company. One time dialogs or hanging a mission statement on the wall won't cut it.

 

3- They must regularly evaluate, utilizing the Level Seven Principle of Knowing What's True, how the system is working. Our group determined that there are several methods to evaluate if the employees of the company are buying in to the vision and goals.

 

One of the ways you will know is simply by observing changes in the language and conversations people are having independently in the business. Are they using terms and language from your vision and goals? If yes, then your system is beginning to work.

 

4- Finally, using the Level Seven Principle of Improving Performance, the business must regularly review and look for ways to improve the system. It was determined that we can't keep saying the same thing over and over in the same way and expect people to continue to pay attention. We must always be looking for new ways to get and keep our employees attention.

 

Apply this system and approach and soon you will find you wont be the only one in the business who understands and is committed to the goals of the organization.