Dr. Brad Harken, a dentist in Spokane, had just sat through my presentation at the American Dental Society’s National Convention. I had some free dental bib chains I wanted to give him. They are the small chain that has clips on either end, which keep a napkin on your chest while you are having dental work done. In this case the two chain clips said “Crest” and “Oral B”. Stay tuned. Even Proctor & Gamble can get it wrong. Dr. Brad noted that in his practice they don’t use the metal chains because when you put it around the patients
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Archives for Signifcance
Exits and Enters – What do you do when you have a 88% chance of failure
Two days left in the year. Time to look back, learn from success and set-backs and make plans for climbing that next big challenge. New Years resolutions have a 88% failure rate. So why even make them? The problem is not with the resolutions, but putting enough meat into them to make them work. “I am going to lose weight” becomes a fight against will power. If I just have enough tenacity, drive, and motivation . . .then I can white knuckle it . . . to the new me. But willpower is not enough. Especially with the speed and
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If you are a hotel and providing fresh cookes . . . is that enough? In Pursuit of Hotel "Je Ne Sais Quoi" (the special something that guests are looking for)
I pulled into the Ritz Carlton only to have my car descended upon by a crack team of Bell Captains. By the time I was walking down the hall to my room I had been accosted by at least 8 trained professionals who all had the mad plot of making my customer experience “needle” pin against the “wow” part of the scale. It took me the rest of my three day stay to figure out how they provided an off the chart guest experience. I thought I would discover some secret technology that allowed them to communicate between themselves about
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Gaping Headwound and Amish SnickerDoodle Cookies – Motivate your customers? Thank you . . . I think I will.
I didn””t see the nail poking out, until after the board hit the ceiling and the business end burrowed itself into my forehead. There is something cool about opening the door and your wife seeing blood running down your face. (not to worry, it looked a lot worse than it really was). A few years ago I was speaking to 600 Amish businessmen. It was lunch and 6 of us were surrounding a table, eating the box lunches and talking. I pulled out the cellophane wrapped Snicker Doodle cookie and commented on it being labeled “Homemade Snicker Doodle”. I pointed
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How make a Stand Out Voicemail . . . Making a Dent In YOUR Universe – (for those who want more customers, increased sales, and more influence)
It has been said that 80% of all conversations now occur with one person communicating with another, with some sort of technology acting as the go-between. Voice mail! That technology monster that buffers us from those who we can help. Is there a formula for leaving voice mail? If I left you a voice mail on the value of quick drying paint, you probably are going to delete it in record time. Even if it is short and to the point. But if I leave you a message on proven methods to make your vacation twice as fun, without additional
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Being Cool is over the horizon of the average.
Facebook is not cool. Recent findings of note indicate that the social media site is loosing some of its cachet with the teen crowd. There is a real value in exclusivity. Does that $80,0000 dollar import sedan get a gas mileage that is 3 times better than the American sedan, while selling for 3 times the price? Is it’s sound system three times better? The fact is that there is real value in the unique, the niche. The $30,000 watch may only be a ten thousandth of a second more accurate than the $100 watch . . . but the
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The New Rules for Branding – Getting Edgy or Getting Lost in the Noise of YOUR Marketplace
The biggest enemy to your business these days is being average. With mass customization, free information, and a tight economy, you need to drive your branding image. What are the new rules for branding? 1 – It must have a plot or a storyline. Think Disney. Chipotle has it’s brown bags with stories on them. Harley is about terrorizing small towns (see previous blog post) 2. It must be unique to stand out. Unless you have a BHAC (Big Hairy Audacious Concept) you have beige, average, pedestrian. 3. It must fill a need or create a new mind set for
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Creating Ardent Customer Fans . . . lessons learned from a Coke Machine, Trader Joes, and Frequent Flyers
Are your customer’s ardent fans? Do they tell others about your offerings without your prompting? Consider a recent trip I made to a local hamburger place. These GUYS (5 of them) recently switched their soft drink dispensing machine to a high tech, complex juggernaut. You put your glass into one slot and then, by pushing various buttons on a screen, get your drink. After inserting my paper cup, I studied the screen, which is covered with images of choices. Water, flavored water, the cola and diet cola offerings along with the various lime, cherry additives and on and on and
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How to Destroy Your Competition – Transactions or Transformations?
Stop looking at your business in terms of getting more orders and instead asked, “How could I help my customers transform THEIR world?”
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You Are Talking BUT They Are Not Listening . . . Understanding and Connecting with the Three Levels of Business Leaders
There are three “languages” in business, which change as you move up and down the organization chart. Unless you are aware of these, you might be talking, but they may not be listening. To illustrate, let’s make a visit to Ye Olde Table Factory. The Table Builder (the worker) Our first contact is with one of the people who are hammering away at building. A conversation with this person is about materials and the processes in putting together raw parts to make the finished product. This person represents the day-to-day tactical work. They are interested in: Getting things done now
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