I just heard an inspiring story about a young woman who pleaded with a soft drink company to change her life.
“Music is my passion, but I can’t do that without your help. If I can’t find a way to pay for school, then I can’t go. You could change my life.” That was North Central University junior Nicki Boon’s video message to Dr. Pepper requesting to participate in Dr. Pepper‘s Million Dollar Tuition Giveaway which involved throwing a football into a hole in a target.
Two days later Nicki was called by a Dr. Pepper staff member. Her video plea had worked; she had been chosen to participate. Determined to win the contest’s prize money, she practiced five days a week, 100 throws a day. She became obsessed with winning.
Nicki also worked at a steakhouse, and one of her customers was Minnesota Vikings Ray Edwards. The next time that she waited on his table, she explained her opportunity to him. After she was finished, Nicki added, “I know that you play football, do you have any tips for me?”
“Can you throw the football?”
“No, not really.”
Ray advised, “Throw a two-handed chest pass.”
“You’re a football player. Why are you telling me to throw it like a basketball?”
The next practice, she understood why. “I had so much more control that way,” she explained.
Nicki’s practice paid off, and she went all the way to the final competition held at halftime of the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. The underdog facing a baseball pitcher, Nicki maintained that the actual competition was “a blur. It felt like David and Goliath walking in there.”
When the competition was over, Nicki saw that she had seven and then realized that her competitor had five. “Did I win this?” She asked out loud.
“Yes,” said the officials.
Nicki was amazed. “A weight just lifted off my shoulders. It was a miracle.”
Her prize was $123,000, which is enough to make her dream of studying the music business at a school in Nashville come true. Her unorthodox method of throwing was accurate, and that’s all that mattered.
I found several of Nicki’s actions interesting. First, she was determined to find a way to have a career in the music business. Second, that career path had to lead through school. Third, she was willing to search out of the box for the money. How many women music majors would consider throwing a football for whatever purpose, even a scholarship? Fourth, she tenaciously and consistently practiced throwing the ball well. Fifth, she sought help from an expert. Sixth, perhaps most importantly, she followed his advice. She was determined to find a way, and she did.
The next time you have a challenge which appears hopeless, remember Nicki Boon and find your way.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Internal Marketing
A couple of days ago I walked up to my newspaper box to pick up the paper and encountered a mess. The paper had been stuffed into the box amid slush and snow. Since the paper was not enclosed in a protective plastic covering, it was soggy and limp. I carefully carried it into the house, separated its parts, and hung them over chairs to dry.
As I was doing this, I thought about the role of the delivery person. Although this person may not picture himself as an important part of the company’s marketing, he is. He actually puts the company’s product, the newspaper, into the customer’s possession. How that newspaper arrives makes the first impression of that day’s product. That impression contributes to the customer’s attitude toward the company. More importantly, the condition of the newspaper when the customer gets it determines how and even if the customer can consume the product. A newspaper that is damaged beyond retrieval cannot be opened, viewed, or read.
A newspaper in that condition causes frustration with the customer. The customer does not have the product which he ordered, and he must now take time to address the situation. At the very least, the customer will be emotionally upset. He will probably contact the company and complain. Another company employee will take the call and process the adjustment to the customer’s bill or have another paper delivered. The customer will go without the product or receive it late and not be happy with either option.
The company cultivated this customer, and the customer subscribed to get the information that the paper provides. If the paper is not readable, the customer has not received what he wanted. If the customer does not receive what he wants, the company has an unhappy customer and risks losing him. Since the company’s objectives include happy customers and repeat sales, those objectives are not being met.
All this happens due to the actions of a delivery person. Does he understand the importance of his job?
I doubt it. He sees himself as someone who drives around and stuffs newspapers into boxes. Likely, he has not been shown how his job fits into the company’s revenue stream. He does not know that his position is an integral part of the company’s marketing. He has not been told that the delivery of a readable newspaper, not merely the delivery of a paper, is critical to the company’s success.
This is not his fault. Informing him is management’s responsibility. In order for the company to be profitable, management needs internally market and inform every employee of how his job contributes to the company’s success. Each employee ought to understand how to do his job well and that doing so is important. He needs to know how his job helps achieve the company’s objectives. When he does, he will make certain that the paper he delivers is in a condition which makes the customer happy. That, of course, is the company’s ultimate objective.
How many of your employees do their job without understanding how it fits into your company’s objective of serving and retaining customers?
As I was doing this, I thought about the role of the delivery person. Although this person may not picture himself as an important part of the company’s marketing, he is. He actually puts the company’s product, the newspaper, into the customer’s possession. How that newspaper arrives makes the first impression of that day’s product. That impression contributes to the customer’s attitude toward the company. More importantly, the condition of the newspaper when the customer gets it determines how and even if the customer can consume the product. A newspaper that is damaged beyond retrieval cannot be opened, viewed, or read.
A newspaper in that condition causes frustration with the customer. The customer does not have the product which he ordered, and he must now take time to address the situation. At the very least, the customer will be emotionally upset. He will probably contact the company and complain. Another company employee will take the call and process the adjustment to the customer’s bill or have another paper delivered. The customer will go without the product or receive it late and not be happy with either option.
The company cultivated this customer, and the customer subscribed to get the information that the paper provides. If the paper is not readable, the customer has not received what he wanted. If the customer does not receive what he wants, the company has an unhappy customer and risks losing him. Since the company’s objectives include happy customers and repeat sales, those objectives are not being met.
All this happens due to the actions of a delivery person. Does he understand the importance of his job?
I doubt it. He sees himself as someone who drives around and stuffs newspapers into boxes. Likely, he has not been shown how his job fits into the company’s revenue stream. He does not know that his position is an integral part of the company’s marketing. He has not been told that the delivery of a readable newspaper, not merely the delivery of a paper, is critical to the company’s success.
This is not his fault. Informing him is management’s responsibility. In order for the company to be profitable, management needs internally market and inform every employee of how his job contributes to the company’s success. Each employee ought to understand how to do his job well and that doing so is important. He needs to know how his job helps achieve the company’s objectives. When he does, he will make certain that the paper he delivers is in a condition which makes the customer happy. That, of course, is the company’s ultimate objective.
How many of your employees do their job without understanding how it fits into your company’s objective of serving and retaining customers?
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Good Samaritan
I discovered Monday morning that the township plow had come down the frontage road and blocked the end of my plowed driveway with chunks of snow. I called the guy who plows for me and asked him to come by and unblock it. His wife said that he was out plowing and would come over. Since the time was 8:30 a.m. and I didn’t need to leave for class until 4:45 p.m., I was confident that he would take care of it.
My driveway is quite long and snakes down the hill with the end of it out of sight from my house. Normally, I would see it when I walk my dogs, but Monday I did not walk them because my schedule was very busy. Consequently, I had no knowledge if the driveway was unblocked or not when I drove down it to leave for class. Since I hadn’t heard to the contrary from my plow guy, I assumed that it was clear.
You can imagine my horror when I reached the end of the driveway to find that nothing had been done. With no shovel and no time, I chose the lowest spot, stepped on the accelerator, and drove into the mess. Thankfully, my car went through undamaged. As I continued down the road, I thought that I would have to shovel my way back into the driveway in twenty below temperatures when I returned home that night.
When I returned, I got out of my car with the intention of retrieving a shovel, but, as I walked through the ruts I had made on my way out, I thought that I just might be able to get back in without shoveling. I repeated my earlier efforts and was successful, leaving the shoveling until morning.
The next morning my plow guy called to tell me that his plow was broken and he was waiting for parts. I did not want to continue to risk going through the mess at the end of my driveway so I picked up a shovel and headed out to clear a path through it. As I was working on the lowest part which I had driven through, several pickups with plows drove past. Watching them drive away through my iced-up glasses, the marketer in me thought, “One of the best marketing actions that a person with a plow could take would be to drive around after a snowfall looking for plowing opportunities. Any of these guys could have picked up extra cash by stopping and offering to help me. They may have even signed up a new customer.”
The mouth to my driveway from the frontage road is very wide. Tuesday morning I shoveled just enough to get out, vowing to finish Wednesday when the temperature would be thirty degrees warmer and not below zero. Wednesday afternoon I went out to do just that. The temperature made a huge difference, and I had moved about a dozen shovelfuls when a pickup with a plow drove by. After traveling just slightly past me, I noticed the pickup’s brake lights. Suddenly, the pickup backed up and came to a stop beside me. Rolling down his window, the driver said, “Would you like me to help you with that?”
I smiled. “I’d love it; thank you!”
With four quick swipes, the truck’s plow accomplished in seconds what would have taken me an hour or more. When he finished, I asked, “Do you have a card?”
“Not with me,” he replied, “but I do have some paper. I’ll write my name and phone number on it.”
“Great! I might call you to plow me out in the future.”
“Call me anytime. I live close by. Merry Christmas!”
After he handed me the paper, I thanked him further, and he drove off. I was reminded of the story of the good Samaritan. Although I know that he helped me out to be nice, in doing so he made a very good impression. As I walked back up the driveway carrying my shovel, I marveled at how many pickups had driven past compared to the one that had stopped. That led me to wonder how many opportunities such as this the average business passes up everyday. How many customers do we pass by and miss the opportunity to make a good impression? Most of us are so absorbed by what we have to get done that we fail to take note of what is happening around us.
When did you last notice opportunity as you passed by it?
My driveway is quite long and snakes down the hill with the end of it out of sight from my house. Normally, I would see it when I walk my dogs, but Monday I did not walk them because my schedule was very busy. Consequently, I had no knowledge if the driveway was unblocked or not when I drove down it to leave for class. Since I hadn’t heard to the contrary from my plow guy, I assumed that it was clear.
You can imagine my horror when I reached the end of the driveway to find that nothing had been done. With no shovel and no time, I chose the lowest spot, stepped on the accelerator, and drove into the mess. Thankfully, my car went through undamaged. As I continued down the road, I thought that I would have to shovel my way back into the driveway in twenty below temperatures when I returned home that night.
When I returned, I got out of my car with the intention of retrieving a shovel, but, as I walked through the ruts I had made on my way out, I thought that I just might be able to get back in without shoveling. I repeated my earlier efforts and was successful, leaving the shoveling until morning.
The next morning my plow guy called to tell me that his plow was broken and he was waiting for parts. I did not want to continue to risk going through the mess at the end of my driveway so I picked up a shovel and headed out to clear a path through it. As I was working on the lowest part which I had driven through, several pickups with plows drove past. Watching them drive away through my iced-up glasses, the marketer in me thought, “One of the best marketing actions that a person with a plow could take would be to drive around after a snowfall looking for plowing opportunities. Any of these guys could have picked up extra cash by stopping and offering to help me. They may have even signed up a new customer.”
The mouth to my driveway from the frontage road is very wide. Tuesday morning I shoveled just enough to get out, vowing to finish Wednesday when the temperature would be thirty degrees warmer and not below zero. Wednesday afternoon I went out to do just that. The temperature made a huge difference, and I had moved about a dozen shovelfuls when a pickup with a plow drove by. After traveling just slightly past me, I noticed the pickup’s brake lights. Suddenly, the pickup backed up and came to a stop beside me. Rolling down his window, the driver said, “Would you like me to help you with that?”
I smiled. “I’d love it; thank you!”
With four quick swipes, the truck’s plow accomplished in seconds what would have taken me an hour or more. When he finished, I asked, “Do you have a card?”
“Not with me,” he replied, “but I do have some paper. I’ll write my name and phone number on it.”
“Great! I might call you to plow me out in the future.”
“Call me anytime. I live close by. Merry Christmas!”
After he handed me the paper, I thanked him further, and he drove off. I was reminded of the story of the good Samaritan. Although I know that he helped me out to be nice, in doing so he made a very good impression. As I walked back up the driveway carrying my shovel, I marveled at how many pickups had driven past compared to the one that had stopped. That led me to wonder how many opportunities such as this the average business passes up everyday. How many customers do we pass by and miss the opportunity to make a good impression? Most of us are so absorbed by what we have to get done that we fail to take note of what is happening around us.
When did you last notice opportunity as you passed by it?
Friday, December 10, 2010
How to Experience Growth
I was pulled into a news report recently by this statement, “In the past three years, not including this year, this company has had an increase in sales of 749%.”
“What?” I thought. “Did I hear that right? Did that company have a 749% increase?”
I grabbed the remote, ran the story back, and listened again. To my amazement, yes, that was precisely what had been said. In addition, the company was adding 59,000 square feet to its 740,000 square foot warehouse and one hundred more employees to its 250 employee force. It was also expanding into Ireland and Hong Kong. “We can’t keep these products on the shelf,” noted the company president.
Like you, I wondered, “What do they sell?”
He soon revealed what the company sold by forcefully dropping an iPad on the floor. The iPad was picked up from the drop, and it worked perfectly. The iPad didn’t get damaged because it was protected by the coverings that the company sells. This company, Otter Box, sells protective coverings for iPads, iPods, iPhones, Blackberries and other devices. These coverings are very effective protection. During the report, iPads were dropped several times with no resulting damage due to the protective covering.
While all of that is very impressive, the reason that I am sharing this information with you is why the company president stated the business was successful. “We listen to our customers and give them what they want.”
Wow! This is a business which not only listens to the customer, but implements what the customer says that he or she wants. Even more, the business admits this to be the key to its success. On its Web site, the company proclaims, “Throughout the years, we've listened to customer feedback and attribute the evolution of our products to consumers who've challenged us to take the idea of a protective case to the next level.”
In this sluggish economy where many businesses are struggling, this company is experiencing an astronomical, almost unbelievable increase of 749%. Yes, Otter Box has a hot item that they are selling, but that wasn’t always the case. Company founder Curt Richardson started out with waterproof boxes which did not sell all that well. After listening to the wants of his customers, he developed the boxes into four product lines of device-specific cases for today's hottest technologies. He morphed his company’s offering to fit what his customer wanted. Before he did that, he talked and listened to his customer.
Have you talked and listened to your customer lately? Your customer has the key to great opportunities for your company.
“What?” I thought. “Did I hear that right? Did that company have a 749% increase?”
I grabbed the remote, ran the story back, and listened again. To my amazement, yes, that was precisely what had been said. In addition, the company was adding 59,000 square feet to its 740,000 square foot warehouse and one hundred more employees to its 250 employee force. It was also expanding into Ireland and Hong Kong. “We can’t keep these products on the shelf,” noted the company president.
Like you, I wondered, “What do they sell?”
He soon revealed what the company sold by forcefully dropping an iPad on the floor. The iPad was picked up from the drop, and it worked perfectly. The iPad didn’t get damaged because it was protected by the coverings that the company sells. This company, Otter Box, sells protective coverings for iPads, iPods, iPhones, Blackberries and other devices. These coverings are very effective protection. During the report, iPads were dropped several times with no resulting damage due to the protective covering.
While all of that is very impressive, the reason that I am sharing this information with you is why the company president stated the business was successful. “We listen to our customers and give them what they want.”
Wow! This is a business which not only listens to the customer, but implements what the customer says that he or she wants. Even more, the business admits this to be the key to its success. On its Web site, the company proclaims, “Throughout the years, we've listened to customer feedback and attribute the evolution of our products to consumers who've challenged us to take the idea of a protective case to the next level.”
In this sluggish economy where many businesses are struggling, this company is experiencing an astronomical, almost unbelievable increase of 749%. Yes, Otter Box has a hot item that they are selling, but that wasn’t always the case. Company founder Curt Richardson started out with waterproof boxes which did not sell all that well. After listening to the wants of his customers, he developed the boxes into four product lines of device-specific cases for today's hottest technologies. He morphed his company’s offering to fit what his customer wanted. Before he did that, he talked and listened to his customer.
Have you talked and listened to your customer lately? Your customer has the key to great opportunities for your company.
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Missing Step
Last month, a cruise ship had a fire on board and, as a result, became disabled in the Pacific Ocean just south of San Diego. You may have heard about the incident. Forty-five hundred people were stranded fifty-five miles from land, and, for four days, they had no running water, no working toilets, no electricity, and no fresh food. Without refrigeration, much of the food on board spoiled, adding an obnoxious odor to their other discomforts.
Carnival immediately addressed the situation by sending tug boats to retrieve the ship and talking to the press. In a statement, CEO Gerry Cahill said, "We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests, and we sincerely thank them for their patience. Conditions on board the ship are very challenging, and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring. The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority, and we are working to get our guests home as quickly as possible."
Later the CEO acknowledged that the situation had ruined many guests’ vacations. However, he wanted to do everything possible to “ease things on board and make the guests whole again.” All passengers received free drinks for the duration of the cruise, prompting several passengers in their interviews upon arriving home to admit a great deal of drunkenness. In addition, they were all refunded their cruise fee in full plus given another free cruise including airfare.
Carnival’s management handled the situation well because they told the truth. They admitted what had happened immediately; they didn’t attempt to hide or disguise it. As quickly as possible, they did everything they could to ease the discomfort of their passengers. They refunded the passengers’ money.
Then, they seized the opportunity to invite the passengers back by giving them a free cruise.
That is the missing step which most businesses do not take. Yes, I know that many do not take the other steps, either, often not admitting the truth, not attempting to make things right, and not refunding money. In fact, I just read this morning that one of the major complaints of customers online is that they are not treated well by Internet sellers when there is a problem. Some customers can’t even get a response from these online merchants. You and I both know that is a very unprofitable way to do business. The measure of a business comes when a problem arises. That’s when the customer discovers what type of service the business truly provides.
If the business handles the situation well, then the business is wise to take the next step and ask for more business from the customer. Survey after survey has shown that customers will not stop doing business because of a problem. How the problem is handled determines customers’ continued patronage. Customers want to be treated kindly and fairly.
When they are, invite them to do business with your firm again.
Carnival immediately addressed the situation by sending tug boats to retrieve the ship and talking to the press. In a statement, CEO Gerry Cahill said, "We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests, and we sincerely thank them for their patience. Conditions on board the ship are very challenging, and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring. The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority, and we are working to get our guests home as quickly as possible."
Later the CEO acknowledged that the situation had ruined many guests’ vacations. However, he wanted to do everything possible to “ease things on board and make the guests whole again.” All passengers received free drinks for the duration of the cruise, prompting several passengers in their interviews upon arriving home to admit a great deal of drunkenness. In addition, they were all refunded their cruise fee in full plus given another free cruise including airfare.
Carnival’s management handled the situation well because they told the truth. They admitted what had happened immediately; they didn’t attempt to hide or disguise it. As quickly as possible, they did everything they could to ease the discomfort of their passengers. They refunded the passengers’ money.
Then, they seized the opportunity to invite the passengers back by giving them a free cruise.
That is the missing step which most businesses do not take. Yes, I know that many do not take the other steps, either, often not admitting the truth, not attempting to make things right, and not refunding money. In fact, I just read this morning that one of the major complaints of customers online is that they are not treated well by Internet sellers when there is a problem. Some customers can’t even get a response from these online merchants. You and I both know that is a very unprofitable way to do business. The measure of a business comes when a problem arises. That’s when the customer discovers what type of service the business truly provides.
If the business handles the situation well, then the business is wise to take the next step and ask for more business from the customer. Survey after survey has shown that customers will not stop doing business because of a problem. How the problem is handled determines customers’ continued patronage. Customers want to be treated kindly and fairly.
When they are, invite them to do business with your firm again.
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