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Tim’s Thing

Tim Miles is a smart guy. Funny, too. Oh, and quite tall. He makes up words like Shareworthy.

He makes up other things, too, like this thing…

It is really cool.

Most of you instinctively see it for what it is.

You have to first figure out the Goals and Values of your business before you do anything else.

Then you can start making some Strategic Plans for reaching your goals. From there you can decide how to shape and control the Customer Experience. Once you know that, then you know what your Marketing Message should be. And finally you can decide which Media to use to share that message with the world.

It is really, really cool!

Now it needs a name. Tim is asking people to give him suggestions for names. You could win an iPad or better yet, bacon!

What would you call it?

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I suggested “The Order of Business” because so many businesses get the order wrong. They pick a media, then create a message without ever knowing their goals and values.

Great Minds Discuss Ideas

Eleanor Roosevelt said,

Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people.

I did a workshop on Staff Meetings Everyone Wants to Attend. After the presentation, I had each table plan a training for their staff. At many of the tables the attendees were discussing ideas and getting excited about sharing those ideas with others. They were fired up, sharing even more ideas with each other and creating new ways to get those ideas to spread.

At some tables, however, they were discussing how they were afraid their staff wouldn’t listen, learn or like it.

Guess which businesses are likely to be more successful in the long run?

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS If you have a great idea, I want to hear it! (I can talk ideas all night long)

Everything I Possibly Can

I went to Manistee, MI and did a full day workshop on Shareworthy Customer Service (thanks, Tim, for that wonderful word). Part of my contract was to visit stores the day before and the day after the event to get a feel for the town and give them some one-on-one time after the workshop.

One of the stores I visited was a shoe store called Snyder’s (you can see the co-owner “Shoe Man Dan” in the video in the link up above). Even though it was off-season for this primarily summer resort kind of town, Snyder’s was hopping. The store was busy. The staff was engaged. The displays were fresh and brightly lit.

This was a store that got it. This was a store that understood the importance of building relationships, keeping the store updated, doing retail the way it needs to be done. For a store doing this well, I was curious what they were hoping to learn in my workshop.

I asked Jill, the manager, what she hoped to learn. She said…

“Everything I possibly can.”

Here was the best retailer on River Street, the shining star of retail in Manistee, and they were sending one owner and two managers to a day-long customer service workshop. In an interview after the workshop, Dan was asked if he planned to implement any of the strategies I talked about. His answer?

“Everything I possibly can.”

Now you know why they are the shining star. They are always striving to be better.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Yes, I bought a pair of shoes from them.

Managing Expectations

Have you ever done something for a customer and been disappointed by her reaction?

I mean, something really nice, quite special and unexpected, yet she didn’t respond in kind? She didn’t say thank you or decide to buy more, or promise to bring all her friends back to shop with you?

She didn’t even acknowledge that you did something nice for her.

Now you’re pissed. Now you’re in the back room bitching and moaning about the ungrateful customer. Now you’re griping and complaining about how customers don’t care and are rude and don’t get what you have to sacrifice to be there for them and don’t understand how slanted the playing field is against you and don’t realize what it costs for you to be in business and have no idea what you have done for the community and…

Whew. Working up a sweat back there.

I would hate to be the next customer through the door.

The problem here is one of managing expectations. We need to realizes that unless we tell the customers up front how we expect them to behave, we cannot get upset when they don’t behave the way we expect.

I am not actually suggesting that you tell them how to behave. I’m suggesting you give up your expectations. I’m suggesting you continue to do nice things, special things, unexpected things for your customers every single time but without any expectations in return. I’m suggesting you continue delighting customers whether they acknowledge it, whether they tell you, whether they even seem to care.

Give up the expectation. Just do the right thing. Time and time again.

We all know that customers who have a bad time likely won’t tell you, but they will tell their friends. Why would you think that customers who have a great time might be any different? That customer you bent over backwards for might not tell you how grateful she is, but she’ll tell her friends.

It’s all about managing expectations.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Yes, this even applies to showrooming. I’ll talk more about that in future posts.

The Smartest Kid in the Class

When you were in school you either hated the smartest kid in the class or you were the smartest kid in the class. No other options.

Now that you’re older, there are three options.

  1. You hate that person
  2. You are that person
  3. You seek out that person

I hope you’ve moved past number one to either two or three.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS If you are number two, what are you doing to hold onto that position? The truly smart kids are seeking the smart kids from other classes.

Praying for Customers

I know it was tongue-in-cheek (kinda), but when a fellow store owner asked a group of us on FB what we were doing to attract customers, the first response was “Praying”.

This might seem like a religious post. If I offend anyone, so be it. But I found the answer to be not only funny, but also appropriate. Yes, praying can have a place in your business.

Remember what I have said over and over about being true to your Values? If religion and faith are part of your values, praying should be a regular event. Include your staff in a holy huddle. Make sure your policies also reflect your faith. It can be a powerful attractor of customers who share your faith. (See Chick-Fil-A and how they share their faith.)

Here are some prayers you can say.

Pray that your advertising will be effective.
Pray that your staff will have a good day and take care of your customers.
Pray that you will accomplish your to-do list efficiently.
Pray for thanksgiving of the blessings that have allowed you to be in business.
Pray for the blessings of your wonderful staff and all that they do (and have done) for you.
Pray for your wonderful evangelists who tell your story to all their friends.
Pray for your vendors who supply you with the products that solve your customers’ problems.
Pray for your government leaders that they have the strength and will to do good for your community.

If faith and religion are part of your Core Values, then you should be Praying for Customers.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I say a modified version of the Jabez Prayer every single day…
Oh that you would bless me indeed
And enlarge my territory
That your hand would be with me
And lead me to good

What is Your Least Favorite Job?

You are an independent business owner. You wear many hats. You do many jobs. It is the nature of the beast. Let me ask you one question…

What is your least favorite job?

What is the one hat that you dread wearing the most? What is that task or duty that you fear, that you would rather put off, that you just wish it would go away?

Let me ask you another question…

What would you do with the time you have left over if you didn’t have to do that job?

Everything can be hired out. There is someone capable of doing whatever it is that you don’t want to do. For a price, of course. But, there is someone. The only question you really have to answer is whether the time you have left over can be productive enough to afford the person you hire.

Just remember when you calculate the “afford” part you include your lack of stress, your better sleep, and your peace of mind. Sometimes that is worth far more than the salary.

Give up the one job you hate the most and you will find you have more time and energy to do the things you love.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Yes, that even includes the hat of hiring and firing. Many successful business owners hire a manager to run the day-to-day operations and they spend their time marketing, buying and paying the bills. Yes, that includes paying the bills. Other business owners want to run the day-to-day operations and hire an office manager or AR/AP person to handle all the invoices and bills. Yes, that includes a tech person, a warehouse/receiving clerk, a gopher, an event coordinator, or a marketing/advertising coordinator. Owning and running a small business is supposed to be fun. Do the fun stuff and hire someone else to do the stuff you hate.

Pendulum Made Easier to Understand

I’ve talked about this new book by Roy H. Williams and Michael R. Drew called Pendulum. It really has been an eye-opener for me to understanding how advertising, marketing and selling has changed over the last couple decades.

The hard part is trying to explain it. The elevator pitch takes too many floors. Although I read the book in one sitting – I was already pumped up about it, having seen the presentation by Roy twice and by Michael once – most people are looking for a simpler, quicker way to understand this swing between a Me and a We generation.

Thanks to the folks at PendulumInAction, here is a simple graphic that explains it quite well.

Click to get complete graphic…

Thanks Leigh Jeffery for putting this together!

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Warning: Reading and understanding Pendulum can be hazardous to your mental well-being. Often readers are left with a feeling of dizziness, followed by a frustration caused by instantly seeing evidence of this pendulum swing all around you even when you are not looking.

Can You Afford to Be a Snob?

This was an actual poster put up in a Borders store that was closing.

There were three bullet points in there that bothered me (well, okay, the whole thing bothered me, but that’s another story).

  • We hate when a book becomes popular simply because it was turned into a movie.
  • Nicholas Sparks is not a good writer… If you like him, fine, but facts are facts.
  • Oprah was not the “final say” on what is awesome. We really didn’t care what was on her show or what her latest book club book was. Really.
Really? 
If I was a bookstore and Oprah said a book I sold was awesome, I would be loving it! I’d buy more. Make a fancy display. Sell the heck out of ’em.
If there was a writer that everyone wanted his or her books, as far as I would be concerned, if I had no moral judgment against the actual books, I would love that! I’d buy more. Make a fancy display. Sell the heck out of ’em.
If there was book I was selling that became more popular because it was turned into a movie, I would love that! I’d buy more. Make a fancy display. Sell the heck out of ’em.
After reading this poster, I often wonder if Borders went out of business because of Amazon or because of the attitude of the staff.
When the sun shines, make hay.
-Phil Wrzesinski
PS Some of you may be ready to call me out on this since there are certain toys I won’t sell, one of them being toys that are tied to a movie. My reasoning is that most of those items aren’t toys so much as novelties. If the toy has great play value first, the movie tie-in is wonderful. I have sold a ton of LEGO related to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and now Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit.  First it has to be something I would sell. Then if I get a movie tie-in, an endorsement from Oprah, or the general public falling in love with it – that’s a bonus I’m going to run with, not lament.  See the difference?

Reading List (Short Version)

For some reason, I have found myself recommending the same three books over and over the past couple weeks. So before anyone else asks, here are those three books.

Why We Buy by Paco Underhill – Buy this book if you want to be better at merchandising your store. Buy this book if you want to think about merchandising and traffic patterns and aisle widths and aisle lengths and sight lines in a whole new light. Buy this book if you want to read fascinating case studies about retail successes and failures at merchandising. Buy this book if you have any plans at all to change the layout or design of your store.

Drive by Daniel H. Pink – Buy this book if you want to understand how people are motivated to do their best work. Buy this book if you want to find different ways other than money to reward your staff. Buy this book if you want to find ways to make your trainings stick better. Buy this book if you want your staff to work harder.

Pendulum by Michael R Drew and Roy H Williams – Buy this book if you think the world has changed dramatically over the past ten years. Buy this book if you want to see what the next thirty years will look like. Buy this book if you want to know why your advertising that worked in the past isn’t working today. Buy this book if you want to see how society changes every 40 years from one extreme to another and how to navigate each of these extremes.

It will be the best reading you do all year.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I purposefully did NOT include links to any of these books.

  1. Print out this list (or keep it on your phone) and walk into your local bookstore (if you still have one). 
  2. Order these books through the local store. 
  3. While you are there, browse the business section for one more book that catches your eye. 
  4. Buy that book, too.  
  5. Then buy one more book, just for fun.  

You are as good as you read.