To Move Forward You Sometimes Need To Do Something Different

Daily Spin:

How Do You Move From Where You Are To Where You Want To Go?

Easy.  Right?  You keep doing the same thing you've always been doing.  Ah, but there's the challenge.

Marshall Goldsmith's book, What Got You Here, Won't Get You There is one of the most we'll written, genuine, in your face, look at why you are where you are, and how to get to where you want to go.  Check out Goldsmith's blog at http://blogs.hbr.org/goldsmith/

The fact of the matter is most of us are not realistic with where we are currently.  And, as Goldsmith points out, it's not until you honestly and truthfully identify where you are now that you'll ever start making progress on where you wish to go.

Many of us are in that position now.  Don't like your job.  Doing more than others.  You understand but they don't.  The list goes on and on.


Final Torque:


It's simple.  Today I ask that you evaluate yourself and your situation honestly.  Ask those closest to you to give their input.  Take the information, use it to your advantage, and begin moving forward.

I just took this step.  It was hard.  It was good.  I'm moving forward.

You can do the same!


-MAC

Enjoy your ride on the flywheel.

Are We All Similar?

Daily Spin:

1.  Hold up three fingers of your writing hand.

2.  Think of a flower.

3.  Think of a piece of furniture.

4.  Think of a color.

5.  Think of a number between one and ten.

When you set the vision for your small business, I hope it's a vision that personally drives you because chances are that if it drives you, then it will drive customers to you.  

One key expectation management goal of any small business is to remember to grow naturally.  Said differently, don't try to be someone you're not.  Having growing pains that are in stride with your growth needs have their own challenges, but those challenges are easier to deal with than to add too much business too fast and ending up sacrificing your quality to get the business.  Remember, if you're a one person shop, adding too much too fast can take you out of your comfort level and out of the work that you enjoy - the work that drove you to start your own business in the first place.

I think we're all more similar in what we want, than not.  I think we all want a vision that helps us stay true to our self, and have the faith necessary to know that success will follow.

Building your business for you, around you, isn't selfish.  In most cases you'll be creating something that others want, too - and, when all is in motion, you'll know how to service your customer's needs because your servicing something that is also passionate to you, too.

Final Torque:

By the way, regarding the requests at the beginning, Are We All Similar?:

1.  96% of us hold up all but our thumb and little finger.

2.  96% of us think of a rose.

3.  Chances are one out of three that you thought of a chair.

4.  Chances are more than 60% that you thought of red.

5.  Chances are one out of four that you thought of seven.

-MAC

Enjoy your ride on the flywheel.

The Very Beginning Of A Marketing Plan

Daily Spin:

A Friend to Walt Disney's brother at the second opening of Disney Land:

"I wish Walt could have been here to see this."

To which Walt's brother said,

"Oh, he saw it.  That's why it's here!"

What's Your Plan?

To start life's flywheel, you first need a plan.  Life's vision is complicated, and can cause you great stress if you try to control its every move.  It's an art, really, to learn to let go, but still be in control.  I know I've got a long way to go in controlling myself to not be controlling.  I have so much room to get better in this area, that I wonder if I can ever reach such control or if this kind of control is always an arms length away.  None-the-less, I know I need to visualize, and not get stressed out when I can't control every move of my vision.

You have to chart your course, and then navigate your ship.  Having a plan puts your vision in motion.  It's a fact that it is easier to adjust when you know what the plan is in the first place.

As a manager, business owner, entrepreneur, or if you're involved in any leadership role, etc., the best way to navigate your ship is to make sure everyone knows your plan, and to give key individuals who will be involved in your plan the opportunity to provide their input. 

When you're involved in small business, one of the hardest things to visualize is your marketing plan.  Why?  Well, there are many reasons, but the main reason is that most small businesses are comprised of one or two key individuals that do the majority of the work - and if you're in the field all day working, there isn't sufficient time to implement your marketing ideas.  

In many cases, true small business America doesn't have the financial resources to hire a person to handle the marketing portion of the business.  Which is sad, because marketing is the main ingredient.  The truth is that most small business America owners ARE their own marketing plan.  Owners rely on word-of-mouth that their reputation will speak for itself and will market their future success.  I guess this approach is OK, but it won't necessarily work if your business isn't local, or if you're business relies on the Internet for sales.   Most businesses must have some type of marketing to succeed.

"Marketing is so basic it cannot be considered a separate function of the business, on par with manufacturing or personnel.  Marketing is the whole business, seen from the point of view of its final results." - Peter Drucker

So what type of marketing strategy will work for you?  How do you visualize the plan?  How do you put the plan in place?

First, you need to really decide your marketing mix:

• Service
• Fee / Price
• Personal selling / Commitment
• Advertising & public relations

More than likely, your marketing mix is a combination of each of the above activities.  So which of the above areas do you give the most emphasis?

The president of Revlon once said, "Fifty percent of our marketing works.  I'm just not sure which fifty percent."

First and foremost, and the simplest place to start, is to ask yourself what do you need to do to generate immediate sales and, second, what should be done every month to generate a type of top of mind awareness in your customer base so that they are always aware of your services when they need them.

"The choice for a professional service company is not whether to market or not, but whether to do it poorly or well."  Aubrey Wilson in marketing professional services

Final Torque:

If you can't differentiate from your competition in service, personal attention and commitment, and product quality, then, in most cases, the price of your service will be the only means in which your customers will make their decision to work with your company.  Working with an unbalanced marketing mix is like trying to sit on a two-legged stool.  It's just not very long-term.  And only selling price will put you into a "commodity-type" situation that can lead you and your customers down a constant path of always being unsatisfied.

Give some thought on how your marketing can differentiate you from your competition. 

-MAC

Enjoy your ride on the flywheel.

20-Minute Oil Change Discussion

Daily Spin:

I hope you've been able to give some thought to the 20-Minute Oil Change exercise.  Personally, I think the exercise shows that, as a customer, we're all fairly perceptive on how we're treated. This exercise also provides us with a reminder that expectation management, client service, and sales processes can be effective even when they are simple.  Sometimes, the more simplistic the process the more consistently it becomes etched in your customer's mind.

20-Minute Oil Change Discussion

A.  Do you need to know anything about oil, or your engine, to get your oil changed?  Explain.

Absolutely not - it's that simple.  First, you probably already know that oil is important to the life of your car, or you wouldn't be getting it changed, but you don't need to know how the oil gets put in, or how your engine works, etc..  

Personally, it's really the other services that come after the oil change in which I wish I had knowledge.  You know, the "Your air filter looks dirty, do you want us to replace it?" questions that you get at the end of the oil change.   "Your radiator needs flushed, do you want us to flush it?"  "Your windshield wipers need replaced.  I know there's a drought going on, but it could rain soon.  Do you want us to change them?"  These are the questions in which a little knowledge would be helpful.  The "ADD-ONs" that cost more than the oil change when you're done. 

Do you consider the above scenario's good service, or good sales technique, or both?

Think about the process your customers go through at your current business.  How much time do you spend teaching your customers about your product or services?  When you teach, are you also selling more and/or educating your customer so that the next time they visit they're ready to buy?

B.  List in Order the tasks a 20-Minute Oil Change Company goes through from the time you arrive at the garage to the time you depart:

• Pull up to the garage entrance.
• Greeted by an attendant who determines if you're a repeat customer, or if it's your first visit.
• If repeat customer, they'll review your file so they know what you typically request on your visit, and they'll know what you did, or didn't, buy when they discuss the "Add-Ons" above and beyond your oil change.
• You pull your car into the oil change station.
• They run you through some simple tests to see if all your lights work - and if they don't you'll get the chance to make the decision to add-on lights to your total before the oil change starts.
• You get to leave the car and relax by yourself, and/or with other customers, in the waiting room until they call you back into the oil changing station to go over the "Add-On" options.
• After you decide what you want done, above the oil change, they give you time in the waiting room so they can finish the oil change, and so you can mull over if you really need that radiator flushed, etc..  Many oil change customers use this time to call someone they know who might give them advise if they should spend the extra money for the add-on, and many oil change customers actually change their mind to go ahead with the add-on.  They customer is there now...so might as well get it done, so they don't have to make a special trip between the next oil change.
• You start your car, so they can make sure there is oil pressure.
• They place a sticker on the window so you know when your due to come back.
• You leave.

C.  What are your expectations when you arrive to get your oil changed?  Explain.

• To get your oil changed?
• To have it take 20-Minutes?
• To avoid the extras?

Simply put, most of us go with the expectation to get our oil changed, and that's it.  Nothing else. So...

D.  How often does the Oil Change Company meet your expectation(s)?  Give an example of an expectation that is met, and one that is not met.

• I would say that my expectations get met 90% of the time.  Quite honestly, I don't like the process taking more than 20-Minutes, and I don't like knowing that I'll have to go through the "Add-On" selling process.  I'm not sure if I don't like the "Add-On" selling because it shows my ignorance, or because I don't want them to make the decision for me so I'll wait until I go back and tell them that I think the Oil Filter, Windshield Wipers, etc., need changing.  I guess what I'm saying is that it's a great lesson to let your customer feel smart, and let them know more than you - sometimes.

E.  What determines if you'll go back to the same place?  Remember, there are a lot of different places you can go to get your oil changed.

• Location and convenience of the location?
• Cost?
• Customer Service?
• Whether you feel pressure to "Add-On"?  Do they always try to make you buy something you don't want, or something you didn't come to buy?
• How fast they are?  Do you get in and out in the time they say?

Most people buy where they feel they are in control, and they buy from businesses they trust.

F.  How do the tasks that take place during a 20-Minute Oil Change relate to the tasks necessary to fulfill your current job requirements?  Explain.

• Do you have products or services that are specific to your customer's immediate needs?
• Do you keep a good database of your customers, so you know who repeats and who moves around?
• Do you survey your customers so you know what they need?  Do you also know your customers well enough to know what they need before they ask?
• Do you give your customer's the opportunity to add products or services?  Do you ask them if they are interested before you explain why the extra product or service is important, and how it will benefit them?
• Do you treat your customer as the expert, or do you give your customer the tools necessary for them to make an informed decision?
• Do you give your customer the opportunity to visit again to discuss and make their decision?
• Do you follow-up with your customer on a routine basis, or give them time frames in which they can follow-up with you?
• Do you complete your customer's request in a timely and professional manner?

Final Torque:

What keeps your customer's coming back?  Is your process?  Your Service?  Your technique?

Is it because they know your processes before they even step foot in your store?  Do you provide something they know they need, even though they don't know a thing about it?

-MAC

Enjoy your ride on the flywheel.

A 20-Minute Oil Change

Daily Spin:  

Most all of us have been through the experience of getting our oil changed at a quick-lube.  There are many different quick-lube companies but, overall, most all of the quick-lube companies in business today are operating under a similar business plan.  Now, one can argue whether a quick-lube business plan is effective, or not, but I like to think that my 20-Minute Oil Change exercise can teach us all a little bit about Expectation Management, Client Service, and Sales.  

Before you begin, take a few minutes to visualize your last oil change experience - from the minute you pulled up, through the waiting period, to the second you pulled away.  

Now, let's get started.

A 20-Minute Oil Change

A.  Do you need to know anything about oil, or your engine, to get your oil changed?  Explain.

B.  List, in order, the tasks a 20-Minute Oil Change company goes through from the time you arrive at the garage to the time you depart.

C.  What are your expectations when you arrive to get your oil changed?

D.  How often does the oil change company meet your expectation(s)?  Give an example of one expectation that is typically met, and one expectation that is typically not met, or hasn't been met in the past.

E.  What determines if you will go back to the same oil change company again?  Remember, there are a lot of different locations and businesses that can change your oil.

F.  How do the tasks that take place during a 20-Minute Oil Change relate to the tasks necessary to do your current job well?  Explain.

Final Torque:  

The purpose of the 20-Minute Oil Change exercise is to take you through a company's process from start to finish.  Most all of us have had the experience of getting our oil changed and, although there might be other business examples we can use for this exercise, the process of the oil change is very consistent from location to location and from person to person.  Take some time and thought on the above exercise.  Tomorrow, I'll provide the discussion portion of the exercise.  I look forward to our discussion, and to comparing our thoughts. 

-MAC

Enjoy Your Ride On The Flywheel.

Why Flywheel?

A Flywheel is a device used to produce and release very high pulses of power.  

Most of us spend an incredible amount of our day putting "things" in motion, and/or we are responding or acting on "things" already put in motion.

So, this blogs goal is to provide torque - the force that rotates ideas around your own personal, corporate, or entrepreneurial flywheel so those ideas can one day catch, and release the stored power of your efforts.

We'll focus on all types of topics - from business to home, and back again.

Each day I'll post a Daily Spin, and summarize it with the Final Torque. 

Welcome, and enjoy your ride on the Flywheel!

-MAC