Being you.

One of my favorite authors and speakers, Charles "Chuck" Swindoll, gave a talk in 1998 at a conference in Texas in which he challenged us to do the following:

Know who you are.

Accept who you are.

Be who you are.

I would simply add to it by saying, "Yes, because the world needs what you have to offer."

Chuck Swindoll turned 80 years old on Saturday, and still going strong.

houston@figment-consulting.com

A mission statement or an obsession statement: Real Deals

Knowing my affinity for companies who are obsessed about something rather than on a mission, a friend of mine sent a link to me the other day and told me I needed to check out Real Deals on Home Decor, especially their Facebook About page.

This is what I found:

About

At Real Deals, you have the right to say I like it, I love it, I want some more of it! Linda Hill (Real Deals Fan)

Mission

Mission Statements are for the birds. Here at Real Deals on Home Decor we have an Obsession Statement.

The Obsession of the Real Deals Family of Mom and Pop Stores is to:

1. WOW you with amazing (startling, classic, fresh, super-cute, hip) decor at prices too good to be true.

2. PROVE that YOU are our favorite (most-valued, preferred, adored, best-looking) customer.

3. CREATE a unique (fabulous, dynamic, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping) shopping experience you can't wait to repeat!

Company Overview

We are a close-knit, family-owned group of franchises. We are open only two days a week. Simply put we offer the best home decor from at the best prices. It's a place where you can feel at home while you are shopping for your home. Try getting that at a stuffy big box store.

Now, I don't know about you but this is the kind of place I would like to go to.

Is your company obsessed with anything? If so, why not share it with us and inspire us to do business with you.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Two ways to build customer loyalty

1. Continuously exceed customer expectations and delight them consistently.

2. Recover beyond their expectations when something goes wrong with #1.

Most companies focus on #1 but tend to ignore the opportunity that exists with #2.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Tuition-free, online public school

It's a conundrum for virtual schools. They know the word "free" will attract interest and bring in more leads. Nothing wrong with that, especially if you believe any lead is a good lead.

However, when virtual schools are losing 30-40% of their students each year, one has to wonder if the problem begins with the students being attracted to the school?

"Tuition-free" is a lead-capture phrase, and last time I checked all online public schools are "tuition-free" so I am not sure how that sets one apart from the others. It would be similar to the colas touting themselves as liquids.

However, virtual schools are stuck on features and benefits -- and "tuition-free" is one they just can't get away from because the word free supposedly drives leads.

The question then becomes, is it driving the right kind of lead? Do you want a student to enroll in your virtual school primarily because you are free?

houston@figment-consulting.com

Needs or Wants

The answer is both really. You provide for their wants and solve their needs.

While needs can be emotional, wants are very seldom intellectual.

Wants typically go deeper than what the customer says. Discover that playground within your customers, and live there. Then, you just might do something that matters, and is worth sharing.

houston@figment-consulting.com

The "meconomy"

We live in a world today that allows companies to talk to each customer individually, and tailor messages related to their individual needs.

More importantly, today's customer now expects this type of relationship more and more. It's what I call the "me economy" or "meconomy." Programmatic or transaction emails are fine as long as they are not emails but memails. Customers want the relationship to feel like it is a one-on-one interaction yet know they are part of a larger tribe too.

It takes energy, effort, and even thinking differently but companies need to understand the meconomy is here, and it is here to stay.

houston@figment-consulting.com

An agent of darkness

My wife and I have home educated our four kids since our oldest started kindergarten over 14 years ago. She is now in college and doing a summer internship in Israel before studying in Switzerland this next academic year. Our youngest is starting Kindergarten this fall. We say home "educated" instead of homeschool (or home school) for a reason. For us school is four walls, desks, blackboard (or whiteboard now), and too much rote memorization. We do not believe that public schools are evil, and that there are many teachers doing great work in educating the next generation. For us, educating our kids at home was a personal choice, not a mandate or flight from something else.

It was just over 10 years ago that I spent much of my time traversing the country and unveiling a new concept of home education known as virtual schools. There are stories worth sharing from each state I traveled -- from the questionable hotels before I started booking my own lodging to the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, and from sea to shining sea as the song goes.

I spent winters in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and summers in Florida and California, which seems to be the wrong timing I know. It wasn't my plan, that's for sure.

One of my fondest memories was just outside of Columbus, Ohio where I garnered my first nickname, the "agent of darkness."

It came after I gave a presentation to a packed room of families interested in learning more about the Ohio Virtual Academy, during its infancy. And it occurred during the Q and A time at the end.

He was a nice guy, yet when he posed his lengthy question (which was really more of a monologue as I recall), he framed it with the comment that "you come into our state as an agent of darkness, spreading all of these lies, and you know nothing about homeschool."

It wasn't easy standing there allowing him to "ask" his question, and he must have ignored my first part of the presentation where I covered the fact that my wife and I were home educating our own family. What I did find myself doing though was recalling something the great sales trainer Zig Ziglar had said a few years prior that related to situations like this.

Zig was at a conference, speaking with a fellow presenter who asked him, "Zig, what do you do about the man in the front row who is falling asleep while you are talking? What can you say that will convince him to pay attention to you?"

Zig, in his famous drawl answered, "Remember, you are not here for that man who is sleeping on the front row. You are here for the person next to him who is giving you their full attention. That is who you are speaking to, so talk to them."

I did the same thing that evening just outside of Columbus once the gentleman finished posing his question. I acknowledged his question, shared that the school was probably not for his family, and then answered his question for the rest of the room (at least for those who were there to listen), understanding that I was there for the other families and not for him.

Too many times we spend all of our time and energy trying to convince a prospect to listen to us when clearly they are uninterested, or even antagonistic at times. Sometimes you can't get away from them, however, you don't have to engage them.

Spend your time and energy finding those prospects who want to hear what you have to say, then share your information. Sharing is much more effective than convincing, even though both are considered activities.

And, thanks Zig, for all you did while on Earth.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Does it pay to go to college?

It appears to if you are a college president, and especially if you are a football coach.

Nine Public College Presidents Earn Over $1 Million

College Football Coaches' Salaries

At the same time many argue that the value of a college degree continues to decline.

It's also how you say it.

In my previous blog I made the argument that it really does matter what you say. Having established that, we can move on to the next point and understand it also matters how you say it.

Taking time to choose your words carefully could make all the difference in how you make your customers feel.

What are your "signs" saying to your customers?

houston@figment-consulting.com

It's not what you say . . .

. . . actually, it is.

Telling a student she can move at her own pace when the reality is far different.

Promoting an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) designed for each child to ensure a customized program that fits each child's unique strengths, weaknesses, learning styles and aptitudes -- when the reality is far more generalized.

Telling parents the program is flexible when mandatory requirements apart from courses are increasing each year -- class connects, teacher office hours, test prep sessions, diagnostic tests, and more.

We first have to focus on what we say long before we address how we say it. Want to stand out from the crowded field? First, be authentic.

houston@figment-consulting.com

The trust investment

Trust cannot be purchased but it does come with a price.

Are you willing to pay it?

If not, you will neither earn it, or worse, you will break it. Once broken, it is difficult to restore.

However, if you invest in earning the trust of your customers you will understand that the value in doing so far outweighs any price you must pay.

houston@figment-consulting.com

The culture of service

Companies looking for a competitive advantage will struggle to develop a reputation for excellence in customer service. Instead, those that are recognized as stalwarts in this area (Amazon, Disney, Marriott, Tom's, and others) understand it must be ingrained within the culture.

Putting customers first, putting students first, putting guests first, must be more than a headline supported by a strategy. It requires authenticity, commitment, and treating each one differently.

Develop a culture of service and the competitive advantage emerges all on its own.

houston@figment-consulting.com

". . . we must not lose this sense of possibility . . ."

I borrowed that part of the quote from a new book The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan. Marina was only 22 years old and five days removed from graduating magna cum laude from Yale University when she was killed in a car accident on her way to her dad's birthday in Cape Cod.

Her future had "bright" written all over it. A job lined up with the New Yorker, and a play she had written about to be produced at a theater festival, gave her reason to be excited about what lay ahead. Tragically though, her life was cut short by that accident.

Fortunately for us, we are able to glimpse into what might have been for her through her collection of essays and short stories that make up her new book. And while there are many interesting insights, and wisdom from one so young, her thoughts on the ability to do anything resonate most with me.

Though she is primarily speaking to college-age peers, her words --  " . . . we must not lose this sense of possibility, because in the end it's all we have." -- can speak to all of us.

The power of possibilities is what inspires us to achieve beyond what we can imagine. If we lose this sense, then creativity quickly diminishes, and mediocre sets in -- a mediocre life, mediocre service, mediocre thoughts, mediocre actions, mediocre behaviors. However, as Marina says, "What we have to remember is we can still do anything. We can change our minds."

My suggestion is we do not have to be a recent college graduate to feel this way. No matter where we are in life, no matter what we have done up to now, we still have the potential, the possibility, of doing anything we want.

Let's keep within us this "sense of possibility" and focus on doing the work that matters. Thanks Marina for reminding us.

houston@figment-consulting.com

The power of generosity, delight, and an abundant attitude.

One of my passions is excellent customer service. It is difficult for me to go anywhere without thinking about, paying attention to, and seeing ways in which the service being provided could be improved. Many times, it does not take a budget, instead it can be the little things that make all the difference.

The link below shares some heart-warming stories on customer service. Within each you can see the two primary ingredients (generosity and delight), and the main foundation (attitude of abundance - the more freely I give, the more I will receive) upon which excellent customer service is built.

10 Customer Service Stories that will Restore Your Faith in Humanity
by Gregory Ciotti

houston@figment-consulting.com

The one thing that will not change.

By the time I finish typing this sentence, technology will have changed yet again.

Growing up, did you ever believe you would spend your day "tweeting"?

People complain that Instagram is not quick enough.

Candy Crush was actually a recent IPO -- an app maker is now a public company. How long ago was it that apps were first introduced?

When was the last time you used your fax machine?

Pay phones are now exhibits in a museum.

So, yes change is occurring rapidly and it is difficult to keep up, especially for companies that tend to move slowly.

However, through it all there is one thing that does not change, and by focusing on it first, it can actually help you navigate through all of the change.

Taking care of your customers.

Technology, social media, and the change that comes with them are only tools to allow you to take care of your customers in delightful and more personal ways.

If your attention is on the ever-changing technology and trying to keep up, then your customers will feel that. But, if your focus is on your customers, it can drive your decisions on which tools to use, and which ones to avoid.

Don't lose sight of what you are building by becoming too enamored with the shiny new tools.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Why virtual schools will succeed . . .

. . . is the obligation I owe to you after my last blog, even though I touched on it there too.

The virtual schools that succeed are the ones that embrace the new paradigm. They will move away from the old mindset of marketing to the masses and serve the outliers, the weird. They will stop watching the daily enrollment numbers. And, they will understand that retention is not a program that launches every March.

What will they do instead? Three main things that all other activities revolve around.

1. Make retention a culture

Virtual schools that comprehend there really is no such thing as an "Enrollment Department" will begin to understand the positive impact that can have on their culture. Remember, retention begins at the point someone pays attention to what you are saying, not each March.

It then extends to each and every thing you do as a school -- in reality, even the next two items revolve around this one.

2. Be in the connection business

Successful virtual schools will be the ones who are in the connection business as much as the academic. The internet has transformed our world into a connection economy -- the old way of doing business is either over already, or quickly coming to an end. Virtual schools, by their very nature, have the ability to take advantage of this new paradigm and be an environment of connection.

3. Speak clearly and fulfill your promises

Not talking about annunciation here. No, this has more to do with communicating the expectations, responsibilities, commitments, and challenges clearly, succinctly, and authentically. Stay away from "marketing" terms, and speak with clarity.

And, when you make a promise, make sure you fulfill it. If you want to inspire loyalty, then fulfill it in an unexpected, delightful way to the student/family.

Understand though, knowing what to do is different than knowing how to do it. Implementing these three items (and all the other ones that wrap around these) will not be of help to you unless you do it the right way -- and that takes authenticity more than a strategy.

houston@figment-consulting.com

We all make mistakes . . .

Hello,

We apologize for the inconvenience. For some reason one of our employees did not fulfill the orders for this date so a lot of our customers did not receive their items, Thank you for your time.
We are very sorry about this issue, the best we can do is refund our customers and let them know about the mistake then hope that they can work with us because everyone makes mistakes but only some with go the extra mile to fix the problem. So again, we apologize. 

Would you like us to resend out your order?

This was the reply I received last evening after waiting over two weeks for an order to arrive. And, after the order did not arrive by the due date yesterday, I reached out to the seller to find out the issue, and also find out why the FedEx number they provided me was inaccurate. So, let's journey through this reply, and the email thread that followed. It was definitely an intriguing experience.

"We apologize for the inconvenience" -- it was a nice start, even though they did know my name yet failed to use it in the opening line.

The next line is very interesting to me -- let's blame it on some employee who for some reason failed to fulfill the orders, yet did not fail to send out an incorrect FedEx number and show online that the item had indeed shipped.

Then, "Thank you for your time." -- not even sure what to say about this one.

Next, they move back into apology mode with "We are very sorry about this issue, . . ." but then proceed to tell me the best they can do is to refund "our customers" (notice they do not even address it as an issue for me, instead they speak about all of their customers during that time frame).

So, after they refund the orders, they are then going to let the customers know about their mistake, and hope that the customers will continue to work with them because "everyone makes mistakes."

Now, I was fine so far, slightly confused, but fine. Then, I came to the next line that states, "but only some (will) go the extra mile to fix the problem."

Extra mile? Before someone can go the extra mile, they must go the first mile. Extra mile? Ok, let's see what that extra mile will be.

My request was simple -- "Can you ship my product overnight so it will arrive to me tomorrow?"

Below is the answer I received moments later:

That is fine, and sorry but fedex does not let us expedite our shipping since we ship out hundreds of items at once however we could try but we will not promise you overnight shipping.

FedEx does not allow them to ship overnight? So, the extra mile does not include someone grabbing the product off of the shelf, printing out an overnight label from FedEx, placing the label on the box, and then ensuring that it is part of the lot when FedEx arrives to pick up all of the other "hundreds of items." No, that would be too much to ask, because for them, that is far beyond the extra mile.

What was the extra mile?

I can promise you that the order will be process and shipped tonight and should be there no later than 3 days.

FedEx will evidently allow them to ship products within 3 days, but not overnight. And, I was originally promised the item would arrive yesterday, two weeks after my original order was placed.

They were correct when they said "we all make mistakes." We all do make them. And, it is a time when we can go the extra mile. In fact, when mistakes are made, sometimes they allow you to actually build more trust with your customers by the way you handle, correct, and solve those mistakes.

Most of the time though, those efforts fall short, and trust is eroded. The difference sometimes between building trust and eroding trust is a FedEx label.

houston@figment-consulting.com

I expect you will listen to me. I hope you will hear me.

Listening to your customers merely means you are paying attention to them in order to hear what they have to say. That much they expect of you.

Hearing them goes much deeper where you perceive, discern, apprehend, and even comprehend.

You can applaud yourself for all of the ways you listen to your customers, but if you never hear what they are telling you, it only creates frustration.

Focus on hearing them, on discerning what they are telling you, on understanding their wants that they are trying to convey. If you can serve their wants, you can delight them.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Celebrating failure . . .

. . . may be exactly what you need to do.

If everything has to be done perfectly, then new ideas and innovation will suffer.

On the other hand, if failure (with good intent) is viewed equally with success, then you might just change the world.

houston@figment-consulting.com

What is your why?

Do not tell me what you do.

Inspire me with why you do.

If I believe in you then I offer you my potential loyalty. If I simply buy what you do, then it was merely a transaction, and it may not be repeated.

The more you speak from the why, the greater the possibility that I become a follower of yours. Would you rather have my loyalty or just my money?

www.figment-consulting.com