by Marvin Kane | Jan 29, 2012 | Business, Rants, Sales and Marketing, Sharing
The good folks at Starbucks in Winchester, MA get it.
Here’s a secret. It’s all about customer service. Here’s another secret. Simple isn’t the same thing as easy. There’s a huge difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. With that said, here goes.*
1. Answer Your Phone
I can hear the moaning. What’s that you say? You’re too busy to answer the phone? Really. How do you feel when you call a company and are told, by a recording, to “listen carefully as our menu options have changed?” I’m used to it by now but I still don’t like it. When I was working with John Webb from Webb Transportation Services, LLC several months back, it was clear to me that his business was thriving. I asked him what he was doing that his competition was not. “Simple,” he said. “I answer the phone.” I tested him by calling the company several times. Guess what. He, or his Director of Operations answered the phone every time. Not every other time. Every time! How refreshing.
2. Return Phone Calls and Answer Emails
This is a tough one. Our inboxes are littered with emails – many of which are spam or plain junk. I get that. What I’m saying is this. Identify which messages are relevant to your business and answer those quickly – the same day if possible. If you’re being asked about something you’re supposed to do but haven’t done yet, politely say that in your response. Responding quickly and honestly is better than waiting a few days to finish what you’re working on and then responding. If you’re in a meeting or at a client site, answer as soon as you can. (I have to say this: if you’re in your car, pull over. There. I’ve said it.) You get the point. I try to practice what Brain Tracy calls single handling. That means responding to important emails right away instead of leaving it for later. You will be more likely to forget if you don’t do it right away. The main point is this. Don’t ignore emails and phone messages (unless you’re doing it intentionally and with knowledge of any consequences). Doing so will eventually erode your reputation and damage your business.
3. Do What You Say
Nothing will hurt your business more than making promises you don’t keep. If you tell a client you will have their proposal to them by Thursday, get it to them by Thursday (Wednesday would be better). If you promise to gather some information and email it to them by Monday, email it to them by Monday (the previous Friday would be better). How annoying is it when a client tells you they will get you something by a certain day and then doesn’t do it? But here’s the thing, if you don’t do what you say, don’t expect your clients to either. Remember Ghandi’s famous quote “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
4. Show Up
“Eighty percent of success is showing up”
Woody Allen
For some reason – I have no idea what that reason might be – general contractors have a reputation for showing up late or worse, not showing up at all. (General Contractors, don’t send me hate mail. I’m only stating what I’ve observed and what others have told me.) When Alan Weisner started his interior painting and home fix it business several years ago, he knew that simply showing up at the time promised would separate him from his competitors. So committed was he to this mission that he named his new company We Show Up. Brilliant! Several years into his enterprise, We Show Up has consistently garnered the Better Business Bureau’s highest A+ rating, qualified for Angie’s List’s Super Service Award in 2010 and 2011 and won Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston Home Award in the Small Repairs category north of Boston for 2010. Amazing what happens by just showing up.
*Disclaimer: I have not mastered all four of these points. I work on them consistently. I thought you should know that.
And Now Back to You
As a business owner, what is your take on the four points mentioned above? What about as a consumer? Do you agree? Is it unrealistic in today’s fast paced world to expect businesses to do these four things? Talk to me.
Photo credit: SierraTierra
by Marvin Kane | Jan 24, 2012 | Business, Design, Rants, Sales and Marketing, Sharing
Think a logo isn't that important? Guess again.
Last week I met with a company on the verge of big things. I can’t talk about what they do because the legalities aren’t in place yet and I don’t want to be sued. The point is they’re on board with the importance of a great website. They just seemed to “get it.” I love working with companies that “get it.” Then they pulled out their business card with the company’s “logo” which they insisted we use. Ouch!
The Logo Police
In my previous life as the Web Production Manager at a promotional services firm, I worked with some big name companies. Each of them had strict brand guidelines – rules for how their logos should and should not be used. I’m talking about things like always maintaining a one inch each area of white space around the logo, never superimposing text or images over the logo, how to properly invert the colors when using the logo on a white or dark background. Why all the fuss? Because these companies (and eventually me too) understood the importance of branding. In fact most of these companies employed entire divisions whose job it was to make sure their logo was being used properly. We affectionately called them the logo police.
It’s About Psychology
Here’s how my handy pocket dictionary defines logo: n. a symbol used by a corporation, business or company as its emblem. Fine. Here is what a logo really is. It’s a visual expression of your company’s identity, core values and beliefs. It’s durable, flexible and transferable. You can put it on a golf ball, a coffee mug, a tee shirt or a hat. You can put it on anything anywhere. It travels well. It builds equity and power over time. The site of it evokes a visceral response. It makes people think about what it’s like to own your product, eat your food or drive your car. Think I’m overstating? Look at the logos in the box at the top of page. See what I mean?
“I don’t love it, but it will grow on me”
Phil Knight, CEO of Nike after his first glimpse of the now famous swoosh
Trust Professionals
Back to my meeting last week. It seems the good folks at the company designed the “logo” themselves because they believed it depicted the essence of their newly patented process – and since they knew that process better than anyone else it followed, according to their logic, that they would be best qualified to design their logo. Logical but wrong.
Quick Summary
- Think about the power and importance of your company’s logo and let an experienced, talented, professional designer design it for you. Hint: think Nike swoosh
- You’ve invested countless hours and had sleepless nights conceiving your business. Don’t get cheap when it comes to the symbol that will be the face of your business. Hint: spend less on that cushy leather chair and more on your logo
- Give it up. I know it’s hard but if you work with the right designer he/she will treat your ideas with respect. Hint: you have kids but they eventually leave
And Now Back to You
Are you happy with your logo? How important do you think it is? Am I making too big a deal out of it? Talk to me.
by Marvin Kane | Jan 16, 2012 | Business, Rants, Sales and Marketing, Sharing
Sales is a difficult profession. That’s why I have respect for good salespeople and contempt for bad ones. It can be very challenging out there when you have to make a sale to put bread on your table, or to satisfy a belligerent boss. Sadly, caving in to the pressure often takes the form of compromising your values. I witnessed this first hand last week.
Starched White Shirts and Baklava
I have been patronizing a small family owned dry cleaning business for the past two years. I’ve gotten to know the family and look forward to stopping in. Sure, they’re very good at what they do but my visits are more about pleasant conversation and home made baklava than crisply starched shirts. I’ve mentioned what I do for work a couple of times but never tried to sell them anything. One day last week they called me to ask if I would be interested in redesigning their website. “Of course,” I said. So after throwing a pile of dirty clothes on the counter and getting my pickup slip, we sat down to discuss the possibilities. There was a problem.
Right Place Right Time
They were at the end of what they believed to be a one year contract with a large, well known company whose specialty is traditional phone book ads. I won’t mention their name. Just imagine a book being the color of a banana. Subtle enough hint? As we talked, their sales rep pulled into the parking lot. Pure serendipity. To avoid a potentially awkward situation I respectfully offered to leave. The family patriarch grabbed my arm and said, “please do me a favor. Just sit here reading this magazine (note: the magazine was in Greek. I don’t read Greek.) and listen to what he says so we can discuss it later.” Well, I thought. This is kind of different. I didn’t see any harm in it so I complied.
Making the Sale at all Costs Just Might Cost Too Much
What I heard was a toxic mix of lies and misinformation.
- lie – “You can’t redesign your website or move it to another provider because you will lose all of your search engine standing.”
The truth is that you can redesign or move your website any time you choose. By using 301 permanent re-direction code, a technique any web designer knows about, anyone looking for an old page will be redirected to the new version of that page. The permanent nature of the redirect tells Google to remove the old page(s) from it’s directory and replace it with the new page.
- misleading information – “Don’t worry about your domain name. We’ll take care of it for you.”
I cautioned about this in an earlier post. While this may sound like one less thing you have to worry about, what it really means is that they will own your domain name. One more way they make it difficult for you to leave and take your business elsewhere. Your domain name is a vital part of your business. You should own it. They should tell you that.
- selective memory – “You signed a two year contract”
Before the sales guy arrived, both brothers emphatically stressed that they were told they were signing up for one year. It was a precondition to signing the agreement in the first place. The sales guy suddenly had a different recollection. Guess who I believe?
Now Back to You
I’m pretty steamed about this. I know it’s easy for me to say but if making a sale requires that you lie, please look for other work. There are plenty of terrific salespeople out there who blend their skill (make no mistake, selling is a skill) with good values and strong ethics. What do you think? Have you been manipulated by a shady salesperson? Did you know it when it was happening? What’s your take? Talk to me.
Photo credit: Supermac1961
by Marvin Kane | Jan 9, 2012 | Business, Rants, SEO
I Knew I Should Have Gotten Directions
Why is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so expensive? I hear this question all the time. I’m going to tell you why. But first a brief history lesson. In the beginning (mid-nineties) there were few websites. It was easy to get found. Just pack a few keywords into the content of your site and voilá, there you were. Now there are more websites than stars in the sky (yes, I’m exaggerating to make a point.) It’s NOT easy to get found anymore. End of history lesson.
Search Engine Rank: Easy Concept, Hard Execution
Think of your new website like a new house. You’ve spent all this money to design and build it. It’s finally done. You’re excited. You throw a party and invite people over to see your sparkling new home. No one shows up. What happened? You forgot to tell them how to find you. See where I’m going with this? There are just too many websites for you to not take search engine optimization seriously. Taking it seriously means accepting that you have to pay for it. I’m not going to get into who you should hire to do this. Like any other industry there are those who are very good at it and those who aren’t but claim to be. For purposes of this rant I will assume that you understand that.
So Here is Why It’s So Expensive
Because of the sheer volume of websites (there will likely be thousands more by the time you finish reading this), search engine optimization has evolved into a stand alone skill set. Getting your website to stand out from the countless others in your industry and in your geographical area takes expertise and experience. Here are a few things you need to understand:
- content – if you’re undertaking an optimization effort on an existing site, your content will have to be reviewed for keyword density and placement. The content may have to be edited or rewritten entirely
- research – the keywords you think your customers are using to find you may not be the ones they’re using at all. Only keyword research and competitive analysis can determine this
- tools – an experienced SEO person knows how to use the right tools to uncover the information necessary to achieve high page rank
- measurability – (I made up this word. You get the point.) your SEO efforts have to be analyzed and measured for effectiveness to ensure the proper strategies are being used
- reporting – periodic reports need to be provided. This is part of measurability
- tweaking – depending on results your website may have to be tweaked and adjusted
- time – doing all of the above well takes time. That’s why it’s expensive.
I can go on. The point is this: If you take your business seriously enough to invest in a well designed website, skimping on search engine optimization will cancel out all of your best intentions. It’s kind of like building a brand new house and never telling anyone how to find it. Unless you’re a recluse (I’m assuming you’re not), this is just not going to work.
And Now Back to You
Have your search engine optimization efforts paid off? Is your website being found? Do you agree or disagree with my analysis? Did you skimp? Be honest.
Photo credit: snappybex
by Marvin Kane | Dec 12, 2011 | Business, Rants, Sharing, Social Media
Want to really be social? Spend more time away from your computer.
This is not a picture of me. The point is, it could be. Ironic isn’t it? Here I am, a web designer/social media maven/blogger and I came to the sudden and startling realization that I’m spending too much time at my computer. Further introspection has revealed that I may also be suffering from NPWYP syndrome. (That’s Not Practicing What You Preach). And here is where my Baby Boomer perspective kicks in.
Being Social Is Still About In Person Connections
What I love about today’s internet is the ease with which people can connect. It’s been fun rekindling relationships on Facebook and finding old friends on LinkedIn. But we boomers have always been a bit cynical about online relationships. Back in the day there was no such thing. Personal relationships were forged by looking someone in the eye when you spoke to them, shaking hands when you met or said goodbye and …. well you know what I’m talking about. Don’t misunderstand. This is not a case of some old guy pining for the good old days. I’m simply saying that an active online social life should add richness to your offline (real) social life not be a substitute for it. Let me put it another way. If you spend hours each day at your computer tweeting, blogging, facebooking, google plussing, (yes, I’m making up words here), you are not being social. You are being anti-social.
You Really Need to Get Out More
Back to me. Why am I guilty of not practicing what I preach? Because I’m starting to feel like the guy in the picture. I’m working hard at building my online relationships but not hard enough on the real ones. I need to get out more. I need to join more groups, meet more people, attend more events, look into more eyes and shake more hands.
And Now Back to You
Do you think of yourself as a social person? How about this one – do you like people? Do you use social media tools to build online relationships? Do you look like the guy in the picture? Be honest.
Photo credit: LuChOeDu »
by Marvin Kane | Nov 14, 2011 | Business, Rants, Sharing
Is it so hard to be nice?
My friend often complains about his boss. The complaints are not about workload, hours or responsibilities. Mostly they’re about feeling under appreciated. This got me thinking. So I asked around and in an admittedly small sample size my very unofficial poll confirmed what I already knew. Employees want to feel valued. Simple. Although you can’t see it, everyone of us has a sign on our backs. The sign says “be nice to me.” This is a very basic human trait. It is NOT a weakness. Why then do bosses, managers and supervisors not get it?
You Get More With Honey Than With Vinegar
Have you heard that one? It’s true. It seems to me that bosses are afraid to show empathy because they believe, wrongly, that doing so will erode their authority. It won’t! It will make you seem human, which you are. Sure, you’re the boss. Your employees have to do what you say. After all, you hold a very sharp sword over their heads. You can fire them. But beware. Brandishing that sword overtly will create resentment and fear. Is that really what you want? I’m not talking about becoming everyone’s personal friend. That has its own set of problems. Here is what I am talking about:
- Say please – yes, I know it’s their job to do as you ask. Say please anyway
- Say thank you – yes, I know its’ their job to do as you ask. Say thank you anyway (I just said that)
- Be consistent – complimenting employees today and criticizing them tomorrow sends a mixed message. If your employees never know if they’re getting the “mean boss” or the “nice boss”, they’ll hold back for fear of getting the “mean boss”.
- Be sensitive – you make more money than your employees do. Don’t talk to them about your vacations to far away places (unless they ask). Chances are they can’t relate and will end up resenting you.
- Praise more, criticize less – okay this one is really Human Relations 101 and we’ve all heard it countless times. Bosses/managers/supervisors listen up! You can’t praise enough! I’m guessing that if you’ve never had children, you won’t get this one.
Fear and Resentment Will Work … Temporarily
So here it is in a nutshell. The “mean boss” and the “nice boss” will both get the same results from their people. But here’s the crucial difference. One approach creates a culture of resentment and fear and the other creates a culture of mutual respect and cooperation. The first can’t last. The second can’t lose.
And Now Back to You
I really need help with this one. If you’re an employee, does this resonate for you? Have you worked for the “mean boss” or the “nice boss” or both? What was your experience? If you’re a boss, does any of this make sense to you or am I missing something?
Photo credit: robinsonelizabeth76
