TELL THE TRUTH!

This is John. I met him at a trade show the other day. John sells those fashion “readers” that everyone is buying.

So I asked John a question. I asked him if people are still going to the eye doctor.

Boy was that a loaded question for John. While he believes in his product and the quality of his product he also made it perfectly clear that you STILL need to see your eye doctor, get your eyes checked regularly and make sure you are using the correct eye wear. He acknowledges that too many people are using readers as their answer to eye care savings.

It reminded me of the idiot who once told me that dry gas was my answer to the check engine light. Or was I the idiot who believed him and then my engine experienced a sad sudden death?

It’s that simple. Engaged employees tell the truth. When your product is an option, a complement, or a temporary substitute give your customers that information. Don’t tell them you’re the replacement when it is not the case.

Tell the truth. Your employees won’t feel sleazy and your customers will love you, be loyal and keep coming back.

And since I like John’s honesty……check out Scojo’s website

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“Did anyone ever steal your lunch?”

Now that’s an engaged employee! That’s how you engage a customer. And that was how Mihoko started the conversation with me when I entered the trade show booth yesterday.

Much better than….. “Wanna buy from me?” 

I was looking at the moldy sandwich below:

She proceeded to tell me that these bags were the answer to the lunch stealing problem that goes on in workplaces around the world. Nobody would ever steal your lunch again. You see the sandwich isn’t moldy; the green splotches are painted on the bag.

Love it! Lunch stealing problem solved. Another significant business challenge checked off the global problem list. That’s what a business does; solves problems. I wrote 50 Ways to Have Fun at Work and designed The Meeting Playce Mat as a response to customers telling me their problems; not because I thought something was needed. Mihoko told me the product design came as a result of way too many people sharing stories of their lunch being stolen.

So here’s the real question………… Do your products  and services solve problems?

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Brilliant.

Absolutely Brilliant!

Took a Recess from trade show work last night and went to see The Addams Family musical on Broadway. My friend Ellen and I laughed and laughed. Most of the audience did. After all how can anything be bad with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. The writing was brilliant. It was  fun, campy, full of sick deranged comments and up-to-date political and social references; something to engage everyone. 

But that’s not all that was brilliant. My $5 diet soda was brilliant too! It comes in a souvenir travel mug. You’re not asked if you want one. You get it. You pay for it. They only serve drinks in these cups. On one side it says Define Normal. On the other side it has The Addams Family musical logo.

Think about it. When was the last time you got several hundred people to walk around promoting your business? And they get this opportunity six or seven times per week.

Did I say brilliant!

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When I travel to NY or Atlantic City I like to take the bus. It gives me time to read, write, listen to loud music with my headset, put last minute ideas into a program, and not get stressed out by traffic. It takes a bit longer but it is worth it.

I also like to take take the bus as some of my clients are in that business and it’s always good to know what they’re talking about when you’re spending time with them.

Now the bus/motor coach industry is interesting in that it is competitive yet friendly. They compete in similar markets yet have organized themselves in a way that they are there to help one another should an equipment problem occur. Good stuff. How many industries are doing that?

But I get confused from the customer service side of things. When I ride the Peter Pan Bus the driver takes my bag as I board and places it underneath the bus in the storage compartment. When I ride the Greyhound bus the driver points to an open bin and says put it in that one. No help.

I know. Not a big deal. Shut up Rich and put your bag under the bus. Maybe. But when I have a choice of the two providers guess who gets my money? It’s those little things that don’t cost a business anything and make a difference.

Can you, right now, list 10 little things your company is doing to make a difference for its customers?

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Work got you down? Morale in the toilet? Company not meeting your needs? Customers irritating you?

Take a quick Recess and play WWSSD – What Would Steve Slater Do?

Here’s the idea……Come up with as many off the wall solutions as possible to the thing nagging you most. Don’t act on any of them. Just laugh at them. Write them down. Perhaps throw them in your idea compilation system (see yesterday’s blog post.)

Now when the time is right take a look at all the ideas written and laughed about. I wouldn’t be surprised if in those zany thoughts is a next great idea to engage employees and perhaps create an even greater customer experience. Look deep and imagine the possibilities.

Now go grab a beer.

But seriously folks….people are talking about this. And undoubtedly the conversation will go back to how their work environment has its sucky components too. What a golden opportunity for communication. Use it.

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If Steve Slater’s (of JetBlue fame) story can teach us anything is that it is an opportunity to look at your own organization and see what is going on; what is driving people nuts and how you can better engage employees.

It is so easy to sit and talk about Steve Slater and whether he was right or wrong; is a hero or a nuisance; should he go to jail or not; should you contribute to the defense fund to keep him out of jail.

Water Cooler talk about Steve is still going on days later. What’s sad is too many people are just laughing and talking. Smart companies are turning that conversation into how they can become better. They’re looking at things like:

1. Steve Slater was clearly disengaged before this incident. What is the state of engagement in our company? Do you have “Slaters” on your team who could harm your image?
2. How are your customers feeling these days? And where in that customer experience do you have possible vulnerabilities?

It doesn’t matter whether you think Steve was right or wrong. These are two things I’d look at and make part of the Steve Slater conversation.

Of course most organizations will just laugh at Steve or raise him to the status of king. I hope you’re not most.

Are you a smart company?

And seriously, don’t you deep down inside wish you had been there to witness it?

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Where do you compile your ideas? Where do your employees compile ideas?

• In a notebook?
• Online?
• In a computer file?
• On a voice recorder?
• In the “Suggestion Box?”
• You just Tweet or Facebook them?

Do you even bother to compile every new idea that comes to you? You should!

Everyone has ideas. Now unfortunately some people have so many ideas that they lose focus and sight of the projects and ideas currently in front of them.

A while back I developed the GET BACK ON TRACK BUCKET OF IDEAS. It has a two-fold purpose:

1. When I lose inspiration (need an idea) on a current project I pull one of my ideas out of the bucket and see how that idea fits into the current  project. If it doesn’t it goes back in the bucket and I draw another. All my ideas are on index cards.
2. When I’m lost and don’t know what to do next (what is the next project; or what do I want to design next) I pull out an idea and see if that idea is still as exciting as the day it came to be. If not back in the bucket – or in some cases in the garbage when I have one of those “Rich, what the heck were you thinking” moments.

Here’s my bucket:

It’s nothing special. But way too many ideas are lost because no system for compiling them is in place. Come up with one that fits the personalities of your employees or your organization.

Employees become engaged when they implement new ideas. Customers become engaged when employees are excited about new ideas. Start your new idea system today. My idea compilation system was bought at the Dollar Store. You shouldn’t need a committee or a requisition to start an idea compiling system – just a little bit of creativity. But if you’re lazy send me a $10 bill to Rich DiGirolamo, POB 584, Marion CT 06444 or PayPal me (rich @ richdigirolamo dot com) $10 and I’ll design a system and send it to you.

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My sister and brother-in-law made a choice years ago – she would be a stay-at-home mom. Now it did come with its fair share of criticism from people who thought she should work. My sister’s response was usually along the lines of “while you’re at work I’m taking care of your kids in Girl Scouts, being the classroom volunteer mom, going on the school trips and”……. Well you get it.

Over the years I watched my sister go from Finance Professional to Creative Genius. I’ve watched her work Arts & Crafts wonders, create/organize events that rocked, and keep kids engaged in many activities.

And then about a week ago I realized something……..My sister was the answer to a packaging nightmare I was having with a new Professional Development Product I’m creating and getting ready to launch. I figured all that creativity she puts into changing the life of a little kid would easily fit into working with Big Kids and my Recess At Work theme. Who would better know how to blend professional, fun, silly, and purposeful all at once? 

After 30 minutes yesterday we had several solutions. This was after hours of talking to “Professionals.” And it only confirmed what I talk about with my clients all the time. When working on new ideas bring as many people as possible into the process. Engage as many employees as possible if you want to engage a customer or create a customer experience.

Ask the maintenance people. Ask your admins. Ask accounting. Ask your customers. Bring in people from the outside who don’t “seem” like a fit. Tell everyone on your team to go ask their sister!

And then be ready and willing to let go of some of your ideas. In the end you just might have a better offering. 

I hate you Lori! But love you more than you’ll ever realize.

And for the rest of you………that new product…………is now called…………..

Recess in a ____  _______

or is it

_______   _____ Recess? 

You will have to wait a little longer. The good thing is it will solve your slashed training budget issue.

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I normally don’t ride my bicycle on rail trails. The 10 mph posted speed limit is like going backwards. But periodically I hop on for a section or two to see what is going on and who is doing what. This past Saturday I rode a two-mile stretch and made an observation:

• People who were walking/running/biking with others did not seem to be glued to handheld devices

When I was speaking in Bogota Colombia last month I made some observations as well:

• People who were walking the streets did not seem glued to handheld devices
• People who were walking the streets did not have cups of coffee in their hands; yet it was standing room only with people waiting for a seat/table outside the Coffee Houses. I was tempted to walk away but felt like if I did I was breaking a Rule of Socialization that would get me branded a Dumb American. 
• People working in stores were not sneaking to use their handheld device (as if I don’t see it) while I was waiting to be serviced

Yep, the world wasn’t ending because people dropped their handheld for a little while and had some fun, paid attention to the people they were with, or gave a customer 100% attention.

Just an observation.

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Why are companies striving to be like Southwest, Google, Zappos or Apple?

Yes, their employees love them. Yes, their customers love them; and in one of those cases it is even a little creepy and cult-like.

Chances are you will never be like them. These companies worked hard at creating a culture from the inception; and hired accordingly. They’ve invested time, money and other resources into training and creating an engaged workforce who could go out there and engage customers – customers who keep coming back for more – customers who would throw themselves on a sword or take a bullet to protect their brand.

But you have your own people; with great ideas; and unique personalities (now granted some of those are creepy too; but we all make hiring mistakes). How do you turn those into a workplace culture that is so different and so radical from everyone else? That’s what I focus on when I work with my clients. What sets you apart from the rest? How do you get your customers to take a bullet for you? 

You don’t want to be like them; you want to be alongside them as YOUR industry leader. Southwest will reign as that fun airline for a long time to come. Zappos as the King of Service. And you?????

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