Colin Myles's Blog, page 24

Communication Challenge

I still retain a small interest in direct sales and had to place an order for a customer last week. The company they use to deliver their products  had changed their delivery times for my area, one which did not suit me.

I decided to ring them up and ask them to put the goods on hold, as I would collect them myself. I searched their head office on the web. Rang the number on there for my local depot and guess what ? It was an old number no longer in use. Checked my copy of the Yellow Pages and it had an old address and wrong number. Then I went through a copy of residential numbers with a small business section at the back and found the correct number and address.

I rang and before I asked them to put the goods on hold, I enquired about a collection point in my local area, stunned silence and was put on hold for six minutes. They had to check around to see if this was correct. Now all of this didn't bother me as they are pretty good with delivering items.

Now imagine if you were a first time customer. What emotions would you be feeling ? You possibly be thinking " well if the information on their main site is not up to date, what else is out of sync ". Also " why didn't they know about the new collection point ? ".

The lesson for any business that wants to prevent customer frustration, keep all relevant contact information current and make sure new programmes are communicated to all. Because time is a person's most precious commodity and one of the quickest ways to frustrate an existing or potential new client is make them waste it.

Check your contact information, it may be your answer to slowing sales.

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
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What Does Enlightened Mean ?

Over the past number of years, we have had a flurry of buzzwords being adopted by all and sundry. Once upon a time everyone was Omni - channel, socially aware, green, environment friendly, gave back to local community and so on.

It appears that one very special word is starting to be hijacked " Enlightened ". It is popping up in all sorts of bland mission statements and PR puff pieces.

What does the word really mean ? Enlightened is defined in the dictionary as " having a good understanding and showing of how people should be treated, not narrow in thinking and tolerant of alternative opinions ".

Unless you can put your hand on your heart and truthfully say yes, I adhere to the above definition, please do not use it in any material read by the public. A business that is enlightened does not need to tell anyone. Show and people will know. Tell and people won't believe. Actions speak louder than words.

Please help to save this powerful word from being hijacked by the mindless and meaningless.

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
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Why Organisations Fade Away

Possibly the number one reason is when devotion to the organisation, it's rules, practices and procedures come above developing the people that sustain the organisation.

When an organisation slavishly follows a procedure for customer service, twenty years old, that is irrelevant today, the organisation starts to appear irrelevant in the customers eyes. When the customer and their expectations have changed and the organisation is clinging on because its devotion to the organisation is above the customers needs, it starts to fade away.

When an organisation is more concerned with how it is perceived and ignores their employees growth and development because of rules and practices aimed to keep the organisation the organisation, it starts to fade. If you want your employees to care about the health of the organisation, the organisation has to show that it cares about the health of its employees.

Any organisation is only as good as the people inside the organisation. When they start to feel stifled and threatened because they dare to speak of a future, different from the organisation as it currently stands, they leave. When they leave, you are left with the unthinking ones.

The unthinking ones will follow the majority and think only of the organisation for the organisation. They don't see or know that for the organisation to grow, two things need to happen. The organisation needs to grow with its customers. Second it  must grow with and provide growth for the employees. Failure on both these counts will see the organisation fading from the mind of their customers and employees.

Ask not what the organisation can do for the organisation, but what it can do for the current and future employees.

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
The kernel of an idea for this post came from a magazine article Wallace D Wattles wrote at the turn of the twentieth century.

P.P.S.
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Whataboutism Excuses & Customer Service

Reading the weekend edition of the FT, I came across the term "Whataboutism " in am article. The original meaning was used during the Cold War between Russia and the U.S.A. . The Russians when deflecting something negative about them would say " Well what about the U.S.A. and how they did this to xyz ".

So I googled the term and came across the urban dictionary definition " When you deflect criticism by pointing out flaws in your opponent " .

In terms of excuses and customer service I believe " Whataboutism " still thrives and grows. You still have companies saying " we do not have what they have ", " What about our past low prices ", " What about the forms X company makes you fill out ", " What about our past innovations ", " What about their customer service history ", " What about their high prices ", " What about their hidden charges ".

All of the above are a means of deflecting away current challenges a company may be having at present. Instead the questions should be " why are we having these challenges " and " how can we improve using this information ".

Using " Whataboutism " is just another way of generating excuses to deflect away the fact, customers are not happy with the service they are currently receiving .

Excuses are the future of where your business will be in twelve months time.

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
I contributed to this article
Top 25 Sales Quotes Read it Here

P.P.S.
Quick question
Do you believe that Benchmarking is another form of " Whataboutism "
Let me know in the comments below.

Sycophants, King Canute & Leadership

As children most of us heard the fairy tale of King Canute trying to move back the incoming tide. The story shows a foolish man.

But the real story was that Canute was the king of England around 1015. His band of followers kept insisting he could do no wrong and was all powerful. To show them he was a mere mortal, he set out to show them he couldn't control the sea or tides. This is where the story comes from and one hopes he was successful in persuading his followers to stop flattering and pretending he was greater than nature.

As a leader, the sycophant, yes man is the last person you want in your corner. Yes, you don't know it all, which is why you need a group of trusted advisors. People who will provide answers to questions you don't know. People who will share the pros and cons of a particular decision you may make.

The last thing you want is people blowing smoke about how wonderful and omnipresent you are. This tends to end badly, because you start to believe the sycophants. No one can control events. All one can do is make an informed decision with the information to hand. If the information you are been given is that which feeds your ego, it is as good as the hot air that blew the information your way.

When the information is measured and solid, then you stand a chance of making a decent decision. A decent decision, because you cannot control outside events anymore than King Canute could control the sea.

Choose your advisors well.

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
If you believe you are a leader and no one is following you, then you are only taking a walk.
African Proverb

What Comes First ?

What comes first ... the system, then the team or team and build a system around them. This perplexing question was running around my head as I watched the recent Euros 2016. Portugal won.

France and Belgium had a team of individuals, but no consistent system of play. Portugal, Germany and Italy had a system of play and picked players to play their system. Spain had a winning system for the past ten years, but the current players couldn't play their winning system. Portugal stuck to their not so pretty system and won the tournament.

Now from a business point of view, do you put a system in place first or recruit the best minds and see what evolves. For me, it probably a mixture of both with a sprinkling of flexibility thrown in.

Finding a system that works is a matter of trial and error. Recruiting the right people to work the system is also a matter of trial and error.

Over time if you have a successful system that works, your competitors will copy it and try to recruit some of your team to replicate and implement it.

This is when the mixture of system first and team first comes into play. If you recruited a team just to suit your system, there is a good chance they will not be able to respond when challenges occur. But if you have one or two team members who have the skill and awareness to recognise and adapt to challenges, you will be able to adapt, adjust and continue to thrive.

What do you believe comes first, system or team. Let me know in the comments below.

Colin Myles 
Author

P.S.
Trust is built one consistent act after another" C.Myles

Ever wondered why your customers have gone to your competitors ?  Find out Now

6 Ways to Build Trust

Here are 6 simple ways to build trust.

1. HUMILITY
No boasting, no false pride. You don't know everything and it is OK to ask for help. You won't appear weak.

2. TELLER of TRUTH
" The truth shall set you free "
Why spend your day trying to remember what lie you told and to whom. Why you told it and when you said it. You only create stress for yourself and others. When no one believes you anymore, the game is over.

3. LIFT UP OTHERS
Help people on your way up and they might remember you on the way down. Nothing lasts. That kid with acne who joined you fresh out of college, is probably a billionaire now. Did you help them or make their lives miserable ?

4. GIVE PRAISE
When somebody does something well, tell them. Don't put it off. You don't want to be known as the person who always is putting others and ideas down. Nobody willingly wants to be around this type of person.

5. DO RIGHT
Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Probably one of the hardest things in the world to accomplish. When you master this, you will be trusted.

6. CO - OPERATE
No person is an island. People do not like dealing with people who gather up their toys and storm home, because things are not going their way. Life is a series of give and takes. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, there is a time to give and a time to take. Master this well and building trust becomes easier.

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
If you feel I have left out another way of building trust. Please let me know in the comments below.

P.P..S.
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Reward & Reprimand

Over the weekend I went down the rabbit hole on You Tube and ended up watching a Jerry Seinfeld interview with Charlie Rose from 1993 [ watch here ]. It is from the midpoint of the Seinfeld series and what caught my attention was when Jerry was talking about stand up and why he loves it.

" The audience rewards and reprimands you ... moment by moment, it keeps you honest " Jerry Seinfeld. Let's turn this on it's head slightly and talk about customers and business.

The audience [customers] rewards you by buying your goods and services. They reprimand you by ditching you and switching to an alternative supplier.

The comedian on stage gets instant feedback on their work, moment by moment. If you are doing your job properly they will laugh and clap [ reward ]. If you are not living up to your part of the deal, they go silent,boo and even heckle [ reprimand ].

Are you being rewarded by your customers becoming repeat customers ? Are they reprimanding you, by spending their hard earned cash elsewhere ? Are people recommending your brand on social media ? Or are they complaining about your brand  failing to deliver up to your promise ?

Imagine you and your business being on stage and moment by moment you are getting instant feedback. Here is the question you need to answer truthfully. Would they be rewarding or reprimanding you ?

You know the answer already. Look at your sales growth. Look at your customer churn. Either you are delivering on your promise or not.

Now what can you do to improve your customers [ audience ] perception of your business today ?

Stay honest

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
My book G.R.I.T
Spirit of an Entrepreneur
is available for free
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Enemies, Judgement & Michael Corleone

" Never hate your enemies, it effects your judgement " Michael Corleone

Often it is the world of fiction which speaks the loudest truths. Michael Corleone is a character in the book and movie The Godfather. Yet the above words hold more truth in the world of business.

When you get to the stage, where you hate your competitor and consider them your enemy, the road to failure is not too far away. As Michael Corleone says " hate effects your judgement ".

You start neglecting what you are good at and try to compete in areas where you are weak, just to feed the ego. How many times have you heard the phrase " why didn't we think of that " or " how can we make something to compete with XYZ " or " they are our enemy we can't let them win ".

Here's the thing, ideas are plentiful. What is not, is successful execution of ideas. The secret ingredient that has moved you higher and higher up the food chain, is your ability to execute ideas that are relevant to you and your teams capabilities and your unique way of understanding your customers.

When you start to envy your competitor and work on ways to block their progress, you lose focus. You lose focus on what you are good at and what makes you unique. When you lose focus, you lose strength. When you lose strength, you become weak. When you become weak, you lose customers.

Why ? Human bias means we prefer to be aligned with the perceived stronger model. It doesn't mean their product or service is better than yours. It simply means that your customer like all human beings has an inbuilt bias of wanting to feel safe.

Hating your so called enemies leads to a lack of focus and poor judgement. Poor judgement leads to making mistakes. Mistakes gives your customer a reason to abandon you. Focus on what you are good at and let your competitors worry about you, not the other way around.

The only person you have to delight is your customer. They are the ones who sit in judgement, giving you the thumbs up or thumbs down. What are you going to focus on ....
Hating your enemy or delighting your customer.

Your choice,

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die " Buddha

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The Scarcity of Time

Recently I read an article about a company that introduced a five hour work day [ read here ]. They came to the conclusion,that was scarce in their employees life was time.

Time to spend quality time with their family and friends. Time to rest and recuperate properly. A must for long term health. Time to pursue hobbies,that enhance their life,well being and thinking. Time to be idle and let their minds wander, wherever the mood takes them. Time to pursue a second income stream,because things change so quickly and there are no jobs for life.

Everyone is filling their schedules, they have no time for themselves or their minds to rest and develop. If you don't find the time to keep up with the rapid changes in your industry, you are going to be left behind !

If you don't find the time to rest and develop your mind,you become stagnant. Like stagnant water that carries viruses. Water that ebbs and flows, rises and falls, rests awhile before it continues it's journey, is the life giving water our ancestors drank.

I believe the company that introduced the five hour workday are visionaries and are to be congratulated. You can collect titles, money and trinkets, but you and no other human being can create time. In a supply and demand free market, we tend to pay most for that which is scarce and rare.

Remember you have limited time. Looking busy and keeping up appearances is no excuse for wasting the most precious commodity you own . . . TIME

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
I wish for you a life in which you  give yourself the gift of patience, the virtue of reason, the value of knowledge and the influence of faith in your own ability to dream about and achieve worthy rewards.
Jim Rohn

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