Bob Poole's Water Cooler Hangout

How Many Customers Don't Tell You?

I don’t know about you but I really enjoy fresh yellow-fin tuna. I especially like it grilled outdoors over a very hot fire. While cooking out this past weekend, it came to me that I had done a disservice to my fish supplier.

For a couple of years now, I would put in an order for twenty or forty pounds of fresh tuna from a wholesale supplier on the northern Jersey coast. Most of his customers are restaurants or markets so he has a minimum size order. I get it in one or two large pieces so I can cut it up the way I like and so I can freeze some.

Last year for the 4th, I ordered the tuna and we had a party for some friends. The fish, like always, was fantastic quality.

This past Christmas, I once again placed an order for the same quality tuna in one large piece. When it came, I was dismayed to find it cut up in about ½ to ¾ slices as if it had come out of a retail showcase. And, I could see the tuna didn’t seem to be the same quality. It turned out it wasn’t.

It didn’t taste nearly as good as past orders and it was obvious to my family who by now knew what high-quality, fresh yellow-fin tastes like. I ended up throwing out the fish we froze because it just wasn’t any good.

For some reason, I never contacted the fish vendor to let him know that he had not only shipped me inferior fish but it wasn’t sent in one piece as ordered. I just never ordered from him again.

This weekend, when friends asked me if we were planning on having that “wonderful tuna” again, I realized I hadn’t really been fair to the owner. I never told him and I assumed he knew what he had shipped. However, I’m sure he was swamped during the holidays and he probably assumed that whoever packed my order shipped the correct quality in the manner I ordered.

So, I decided to let him know. I have his email address and I’m going to drop him a note. I’ll keep you posted as to his response.

Meanwhile, how many people don’t let you know when your service or product doesn’t meet expectations?

How many just never come back?

Judging By the Cover

Seth Godin has a great post today about judging a book by its cover and how he does it all the time. Book covers are meant to get your attention - immediately and make you want to look more closely.

There are all kinds of book covers and they aren't just on books. You might want to consider the following covers for your own business.

• The look of your website. Is it well designed, clean, easy to navigate or does it look like your 8 year old made it?
• All of you company materials from business cards to stationary to brochures. Sure it's easy to go for the free cards you can get on-line or make your own stationary using your word processor. But what does that kind of "cover" say to people who make a decision to look further in only seconds?
• How you dress when you're with clients. You don't have to wear a suit but I still believe in dressing just a little better than my clients. You can also dress to get attention and create some fun like wearing socks from LittleMissMatched with your suit.
• Are your presentations still old school PowerPoint or have you learned to make them interesting either without the slides or with photos - images worth a thousand words. Pick up a copy of "Slide:ology" and learn something new.

I'm sure you can think of more things that deserve to have your best possible cover.

My favorite cover happens to be the cover of my book. It's humorous, clever, and gets your attention and makes you want to turn it over and check out the back and thumb through the pages. It was  designed by a super talented buy by the name of Paul Durban. Paul did something extraordinary yesterday. He quit his job to follow and passion and build a new company.

He'll be designing things like book covers but also eBooks, audio and video presentations, podcasts and more for people like us. By the way, if you're thinking of putting together your own eBook, I'd talk to Paul before getting too far down the road.

His new company is called Blazonfire. I can't wait to see what's burning.

You can click on the book to learn more about it too.

Watch What He Does and Not What He Says

"Watch what he does and not what he says." With those words another negative political ad is launched in New Jersey this week. I saw it yesterday on TV and I started laughing because I thought "Wow - doesn't that statement apply to all politicians?"

As I thought about it more I realized it really applies to all of us but especially those of us who work in sales and marketing. We can make lots of claims about our company and its products and services. But, why should anyone believe our words any more than how much we believe what politicians tell us?

It comes down to trust and credibility. And, their are only a few ways to earn and build it.

1. Work on building a relationship by giving not taking.
2. Listen and don't try to guess what people want and need.
3. Put your clients needs first.
4. Do what you say you will do.
5. Do good.

You can also build credibility by letting other people talk about you. Your prospective customers are more likely to believe what other people say about you than what you say. That's why many companies still don't have a blog nor do they engage in social media. They don't want people to talk about them because they are afraid of what they (and others) might hear.

Well, it's too late to try and manage that. They are already talking about you. And, if you live the lie of doing one thing while saying another that talk is sure to increase in both frequency and volume.

You really only have one choice.

Start with the 5 items above.

Remarkable People Need Only Apply

What's the first thing you notice when you walk into a business? It doesn't matter if it is a retail shop or a Fortune 500 company. You'll notice and remember how you were greeted. Those first few seconds of interaction with the person in front of you set the tone for your relationship with the company from that moment forward.

It seems to me that whoever you designate as the first point-of-contact they need to be a remarkable person, full of warmth, compassion and extraordinary people skills.

Why then do so many companies put people in this position and pay them minimally. In many industries the receptionist (or whatever term you want to use) is often considered the lowest entry-level position. So even if someone is remarkable they want to move "up" as soon as possible because they recognize their position isn't valued by management.

Many companies do recognize the value of the person who is the first point-of-contact and they pay them well and let them know they are a vital member of the organization. I bet you can think of a store or business where you are always warmly greeted and made to feel welcome. I know the ones that come to my mind are the ones that get my business over and over again.

Hire the best people you can find for these types of positions and pay them well. It is an investment that will pay wonderful dividends for years.

And, by the way, the same rules hold true for whoever is answering your phone. Only they need to be even more remarkable because they don't have the benefit of body language to communicate.

"A Little Rebellion Now and Then Is A Good Thing."

I saw Governor Rendell of Pennsylvania on television stating that if there isn't an increase in the state personal income tax, the state may have to cut subsidized health care to the 194,000 children in the state who are covered by CHIP. CHIP insures the children and Rendell is lobbying the legislature to raise the personal income tax to ensure the program doesn't face cuts.

There's nothing like using the vision of children suffering from lack of heath care to get your agenda passed.

But, hold on a minute. I also saw a report by Common cause that stated that the gaming industry has given $4.4 million in campaign contributions to state government candidates in Pennsylvania, including over $1 million to Gov. Ed Rendell. An additional $12.3 million in contributions has come from lawyers and lobbyists licensed to represent the state's 14 gaming facilities.

Let's see - that adds up to $16.7 million in donations made to our state politicians to influence their support of gambling in PA.

What if the $16.7 million had been donated to the state to support CHIP? Maybe the governor wouldn't have to hold the specter of damaging the lives of kids over our heads in order to push his "temporary" income tax increase. Maybe if our elected officials spent less time with the folks from the gambling industry and more time with the people who elected them, they might actually understand the will of the people and work and vote accordingly.

By the way, I'm not anti-gambling. People want to gamble and they are going to do it.

But what makes me sick to my stomach is hearing about any industry that can legally contribute $16.7 million to people that we elect. And, that's just through 2008. The donations are continuing as strong as ever.

What makes me sick to my stomach is our lack of backbone and our inability to stand up and tell the politicians "NO." It's time this state passes a law to do away with (never happen) or limit campaign contributions. We're one of only a few states in the country that doesn't limit contributions. And, by law, we won't know how much more these representatives of the people have taken to line their pockets until January 2010.

It's time to tell our representatives to actually represent us.

• Don't tell us that gambling is going to be a solution to tax revenue and at the same time threaten us with cutting health benefits to our children.
• Stop taking millions of dollars from lobbyists and "industry representatives."
• Start doing your job and represent the will of the people - all the people.

We're running out of patience. And, we remember the words of Thomas Jefferson that pretty much sums up the character of most of our politicians these days.

"He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him."

Jefferson also wrote in a letter to James Madison, "A Little Rebellion Now and Then Is A Good Thing."

Let your representatives (wherever you live) know where you stand - whatever your beliefs. They really do believe they can do anything they want to us these days and we'll accept it.

Maybe they're right. What do you think?

I Dare You!

I met a colleague last night for sushi and I realized how much I miss actually having someone to talk with rather than communicating digitally over the computer (and sometimes phone) all day. It was fantastic being able to have discussions about a bunch of wide-ranging subjects with a real person whose face and body language I could see.

For those of us who operate out of our homes it is very easy to settle into a routine that doesn’t give us that kind of human contact. I even “meet” with most of my clients on-line since they are geographically spread all over.

Some people like networking events and clubs. I abhor them. I’d much rather meet one-on-one or with a small group of people with whom I have or am developing a relationship.

Why? One word - Trust! We learn to trust each other and thus we learn to share with and care about each other.

My plan is to have these kinds of meetings with interesting, intelligent, humorous, and compassionate people on a regular face-to-face basis. It enriches my life and I’m guessing if you read this blog regularly you are the type of person who will feel the same way.

By the way, we talk very little “business” during these get-togethers. Instead we talk about life. Because, ultimately, we don’t have a separate business, personal and family life.

We have a life. And, it’s fuller and more worthwhile when you share it with others.

So, get going and set up a face-to-face meeting for next week to talk about life instead of business.

I dare you!

When Will You?

Do you know the hobbies of your best clients and customers?
Do you know their children’s hobbies – or even their names?
Do you have all the family's birthdays in a database so you can send cards or, better yet, a personal note?
What do they do for vacations?
What’s their favorite type of food?
Where do they shop, play, and go out to eat?
What sports’ teams do they follow or don’t they care?
Did you send them a postcard the last time you were on vacation?
What’s their favorite car? Why?
What kind of books do they read?
What's their favorite TV show?
Do they like to travel?
What countries have they visited?
Golf, tennis or ping pong.
Poker or bridge?

Why don’t you know these things?

When will you?

Fooling Yourself

Let's say your physician told you that you need to lose weight, stop smoking and get more exercise. You decide that you'll buy the latest diet book, cut back on smoking and exercise as soon as you get more time.

That's not what I'd call commitment. It's not going to work. But, I'm willing to bet at you next physician visit you'll tell her how you tried all three ideas but they just didn't work.

This is exactly what I see some people doing when it comes to changing their marketing. Like losing weight or quitting smoking, it's a lot of hard work.

• They start a blog but discover it takes time so they eventually post less and less.
• They tell their employees they are committed to using the latest tools and strategies but they don't walk their talk. Your employees are the first to know what's real or not. Your customers are next.
• They buy someone's email list and spam people who will never buy from them.
• They continue to spend money on TV, radio and print advertising because that's what they've always done and it's a lot easier than using social media.
• They tell their friends this "new marketing" doesn't work.

If you're not committed to really changing your marketing, it would be better if you don't bother starting at all.

You'll only be fooling yourself.

Who Cares If You Have Thousands of Followers

For the last few years, I have gotten lots of spam from people claiming to have all the secrets to making millions on the Internet. The same people (or their clones) are now doing the same thing now on Twitter. They will tell you they have the secret to getting thousands of followers.

So what!

Who wants thousands of "followers" when they don't know you, you don't have a relationship with them and it is highly unlikely they are bothering to actually follow you. Better to build your own small community of people a few at a time. You can do that by providing interesting content. The same thing goes for blogs, websites, email, direct mail, letters, notes and phone calls.

Wanting to say you have thousands of followers is like a golfer who cheats by turning in lower scores so he can have a lower handicap for vanity purposes. It hurts the golfer and anyone who plays with him. However, it helps his competition which makes the behavior even more stupid.

Be compassionate, honest, speak from your heart and have your "followers" best interests in your mind in your communications and interactions. That's how you'll get people to really follow you. That's why people will be willing to send you money. And, that's how I think all businesses (Internet or otherwise) need to operate.

Want to see a wonderful example of someone who really knows how to communicate with people with compassion and honesty. Take a look at Havi Brook's site - The Fluent Self. You can also meet her business partner, Selma, who is a rubber duck. Now you have to look!

Focus

"To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail." --- Mark Twain

Some salespeople make this same kind of error.

• They see prospects instead of people.
• They look to close a sale instead of opening a relationship.
• They hear objections instead of questions.
• They make claims without knowing if it matters.
• They tell instead of ask.
• They talk instead of listening.

The difference is focus.

Focus on yourself and you're like the man with a hammer.

Focus on the customer and providing exceptional value and everything looks different.

Especially you.