Fantastic Service…or Nothing (TP & Jet Engines)

A key to providing exceptional customer service is consistency.  It’s not good enough to provide excellent service some of the time – or most of the time – it must be ALL the time.  If you’re the kind of business where outstanding service is the norm, it only takes a few mediocre or poor customer experiences to damage your reputation.

We’re talking about the ability to “recover well” from episodes in which we provided less than stellar service.  You’ve heard the expression that “it’s better to lose the sale than lose the customer.”  I buy into that 100% – because we need to be looking at the long-term value of a customer, not just today’s possible sale.

Here’s a good example: in another life – in another galaxy – I  sold an $8,400 job to one of our largest clients.  We totally screwed up the job – and chose not to “make it right” with the customer.  We replaced only 1/8 of the messed up order.  Over the next 3 years we lost over $150,000 with that one client.  So, we chose to save about $4,000 of cost and ended up losing $150,000 in revenue. ”Making it right” is always the best policy in the long run.

And I still keep seeing this talk about how “the customer is king” and “the customer is always right.”  You and I know that isn’t true, don’t we?  Sometimes the customer is wrong – and needs to be told so.  Sometimes the customer is an arrogant nutcase – we need to happily send them to our competitors – with our blessing.  Just let the “customers from hell” take their business elsewhere.

Southwest Airlines tells the story about their CEO, Herb Kelleher, personally contacting a disgruntled customer (an elderly woman).   She’d complained that, on her flight, she noticed that the toilet paper roll in the bathroom was set up so the TP came off the top of the roll, not the bottom.  This led her to question whether or not Southwest’s planes were mechanically safe – since they couldn’t even get the TP orientation right.  Mr. Kelleher told her 2 things: (1) what the hell was she doing anyway standing on her head in the bathroom?, and (2) she was more than welcome to take her flying business elsewhere.  Herb, bless his soul, understood that sometimes it’s better to send clients elsewhere.  Smile, shake their hand, wish them well, and say goodbye.

14% & Declining – You & I Would Be Fired

I wish I was sharing a “positive” example of servant leadership today – but we can also learn from those who exhibit absolutely no servanthood whatsoever.  To be specific, let’s look at the worst case of  leadership on the planet – that monstrosity we call the U.S. Congress.  With their latest  public approval rating of 14%, they officially became the lowest-rated congress in history.  What’s interesting is that, at 14%, it’s evident that every political segment of the voting population (republicans, democrats, independents, illegals, foreign terrorists in our military, even dead voters from Chicago) believes that our congress has reached an all-time low.  It’s not just the conservatives’  view.

But they have reached all-time HIGHS in several areas: arrogance, personal wealth, wasteful spending, tax evasion,  ignoring the people they’re supposed to be serving,  really bad hair, etc.   If you got a 14% rating at your next performance review, would your employer keep you around?

Many remedies come to mind: perhaps first and foremost the option of voting ALL of them out of office.  This has a lot of merit, with very few negatives.   86% of voters seem to agree that this congress would be better off doing NOTHING – vs. what they’re doing now.  I’m willing to sacrifice the 4-5  good congresspeople for the good of the whole.

Of course cutting their pay and work hours would help.  How about we go to a part-time legislature, as a few states do?  They can work for 4 months only – so we can cut their pay and benefits by 66%.  That OK with you?  They’ll do a lot less harm this way.  Isn’t it interesting that our nation’s first congressmen were part-timers; they were “citizen congressmen” – who went back to their farms and stores when their term was up.  They didn’t view it as a profession – they viewed it as their patriotic duty.   The idea of leaching off the public for decades was something foreign to them.

Don’t forget: we employ these people.  They’re supposed to be working for us.  Never have so many got paid so much for doing so much – harm.

That Vision Thing (or: ya’ sure these are workin?)

Reading a lot of the alleged “leadership” material, you see that most of it emphasizes the importance of the alleged leader in imparting his vision to the troops.  The assumption is that this guy/gal knows what they’re doing – meaning THEY are the ones most capable of developing and communicating the organization’s vision.   Hey, they’re getting payed about 160 times the annual pay of most of their troops, so they have to be brilliant,  right?  This is just too hard to swallow.  I’m not overly interested in another person’s view of how they want me to fit into THEIR vision – and why would I be?  I’m most interested in my vision, my future, my dreams.

I know of a big company in the Bay Area that shut down for a day (yes, closed their doors for a day) so that ALL of the employees could take part in hashing out the company’s vision for its future.  They’ve been going gangbusters ever since – and why not – they ALL had a part in creating the vision.   They don’t come to work each day to work toward accomplishing someone  else’s vision – they’re working on their own vision for the organization.

I’ll make this even simpler: when was the last time you jumped out of bed on a weekday morning and shouted “Boy, I  can’t wait to work on the company’s vision today!”.   No – we go to work each day to work on what we feel is in our own best self-interest.  Now if my best interest – and that of the company – are on the same path, there’s a pretty good chance that things are gonna work out.  In fact, who knows, we might even move mountains together.  (Sorry about the photo, G.W. – just couldn’t resist)

Fire some customers – you’ll feel better!

I read somewhere that it’s a good idea to “fire” about 10% of your customers each year.  That seems pretty radical, especially in today’s ever-deepening  recession, but it still makes sense.  We all have customers who will NEVER be happy with anything we do.  You know the kind of customer I mean: they eat up all our time, cause ulcers and stress, probably have lousy credit, and are never grateful when we provide fantastic service.  As difficult as it might seem, simply “letting them go” might be the right thing to do.

Warren Buffet said he never did business with anyone who caused either a headache or stomachache.  There’s much wisdom there.  Life’s just too short, and too precious, to waste our time on these people.  Let your competitors have them.  Because we know there are other prospects out there who are more pleasant (& profitable) to work with.  The whole goal of salespeople is centered on the finding and cultivating of this RIGHT kind of customer.

In David Ogilvy’s autobiography he shared that, when he started his own ad business, he made a list of the 5 prospects he most wanted.  These were heavy-duty, famous, large companies.  He then went out and got ALL of them as customers.  That made a huge impression on me…..the idea that WE CAN CHOOSE our customers – and go after the KIND of customer we really want.  Good Selling!

435 Farmers Replace U.S. Congress!

In a stunning development that shocked Washington insiders, 435 owners of small farms across America revolted and took over the U.S. Congress.  The former  members of Congress were flown to France and Iran and told to stay there.   They were given the option of being held in Oregon and forced to listen to NPR 24 hours a day, but none chose that.

What the “citizen congressmen” have been able to accomplish in only 3 days in office is simply breathtaking:

* A national flat-tax (20%) was installed as the sole income tax on  individuals & corporations.   The huge increase in personal & corporate incomes have generated millions of new jobs, huge increases in charitable donations, thriving non-profits, and a return to manufacturing dominance.  The enormous increase in tax revenue has almost completely eliminated the national debt already.

*Congress  will work only 4 months per year – so their pay was reduced by 66%.  Term limits are mandatory – 1 term only.  Lobbyists who are found near a  congressmen will face prison terms.  Pleasure trips (to places like Copenhagen) will no longer be funded by the government.

*Adequate troop levels and weapons were finally given to our forces in Iraq & Afghanistan, as the military had requested.  Both wars should be wrapped up in the next 2 weeks – with all troops coming home.  Many of these soldiers have requested being stationed on the U.S./Mexico  or U.S./Canada border.

*The imaginary “health care crisis” was solved immediately.  Tort reform was instituted to rein in lawyers; all insurance companies are allowed to operate across state lines (driving down costs); and the individual states or local govt. (not the fed’l govt.)  will administer any health-related programs.

* Five cabinet-level departments were eliminated entirely.  The U.S. opted out of the U.N. and suggested it could be relocated to Cuba.  The former U.N. property has been sold to Donald Trump.  The farmers like this guy, in spite of his comb-over.

*A national spending freeze was instituted on their 1st day: any new spending requires that a govt. program of equal cost be eliminated at the same time.  “Zero-based” budgeting was instituted at the federal level.

*All activities and rights (not specifically given to the fed’l govt. in the Constitution) were returned to the individual States.  Congress will no longer hold endless  hearings on the college football playoff system, how much text messaging is allowed, motorcycle helmets and endangered species.

The public overwhelming has begged the 435 farmers to take over the executive branch, but the farmers insist that it could be adequately handled by any 15-20  janitors or truck drivers.

Stay tuned…..as these same farmers consider invading all of the state capitols, beginning with California.

Customer Service….a sense of urgency

It seems like the best organizations have the knack of resolving customer service issues RIGHT NOW.   This “sense of urgency” in dealing with customers is one of the things that makes us go back to the same places  over and over – we know we’ll be treated fairly – and promptly – if problems do come up.

I read that any Ritz-Carlton employee has the authority to spend up to $1,500 to resolve any customer complaint – on the spot.  I don’t know if that’s true, but I suspect it is.  Customers shouldn’t have to go through 2 to 3 levels of management to resolve fairly simple disputes.  You can contrast Ritz-Carlton to the experience you’ll go through at AT&T if you call to resolve a minor error on your phone bill.  They’ll put you through the ringer, and often several of their employees, while you waste a lot of time on the phone, to clear up a $12 issue.  It seems that they’re hoping you won’t want to go through the agony…..that you just give up and go away.

On the other hand, I like the kind of thinking that says any company should consider “firing” 10% of its customers each year.  We all know that the customer isn’t always right.  And some customers aren’t worth the headaches that they put your employees through.  In some cases our time and money would be better spent if we politely shook hands with these people, wished them well, said goodbye, and spent more time trying to find the kind of customer we really want.

The Man Who Would Be King

In the movie,  Sean Connery’s character eventually realized that he’d given in to arrogance when he decided to make himself King.  At least he admitted his mistake.

Yesterday I was startled (horrified, actually) to hear a a radio ad….which I’m sure my tax dollars payed for somehow, urging me to “figure out how I could serve the President.”   I’d be delighted to serve our president – in any instance where he chooses to serve our nation’s best interest.   Don’t we have it exactly backwards?  What happened to the idea of being a “public servant”?  Didn’t we do away with the concept of being ruled by a king over 200 years ago?  The idea of the general public “serving” the president would have been totally foreign to George Washington or Abe Lincoln.  I don’t vote for anyone with the anticipation of serving them once they got in office.  Actually, I was kinda hoping that THEY would be willing to serve our country.  After all, we already work each year till about August 16 just to pay for the expenses that they’ve loaded our families down with.  Hey, holding national public office is the highest-paying part-time job that can be found on the planet.  I guess it’s good work if you can find  it.

At the federal level, we’ve simply lost all sanity.  Both parties have blood on their hands.  The very idea that these public servants might actually be there to BE servant leaders is totally foreign to many (most?) of them.  It’s all about money, staying in office, staying in power.  My beloved state of California isn’t any better.   Look at the mess we’ve gotten us into.  Shame on us for electing such bunglers.

What’s really scary is the notion that – this time – we might have gone so far off course that we’ll never recover.  This is a real possibility.  I just don’t see where REAL leadership is gonna come from.  There just doesn’t seem to be anyone willing to “stand in the gap” and fight.  I hope I’m wrong.  This country better find some true leaders  – and quick.  We are rapidly turning over the control of our lives to the government….though we know they are clueless.  Is this form of economic slavery acceptable to us?  I’m hoping that the majority decide otherwise.

Paying It Forward (what happened?)

I’ve just been blown away recently by the generosity and unselfishness of many of my business cyberworld contacts.  It’s made me stop and really take a hard look at why I like social networking, blogging, etc. – and what the real purpose is.  I’ve been quick to point out the value of the “pay it forward” way of conducting ourselves – but often I’ve been ignoring my own advice.  What an idiot.

There’s a strong pull on social networks (& LinkedIn might be the best/worst example!) to build a huge empire of contacts – simply for our own ego.  I’ve been plenty guilty.  But can we really help (serve) all those contacts and friends?  Or do we just want an impressive quantity of contacts?  Can we really be that helpful to 1,000’s of cyber-friends?   I’m not so sure.

I’ve decided to try  going back through my own contact list  and see how, if at all, I can be of service to them -  to see if I can help their business life in some way.  A very small thing maybe, but a start to being more like those wonderful people on my contact list who send me encouragement regularly – while expecting nothing in return.  You gotta love those people.   Just when you think nobody’s listening to your blog….somebody always seems to write you with the encouragement to keep sharing.  They seem to magically right on time.  God Bless Em’.

Blue Pill or the Red Pill?

(This post will get around to the subject of “servant leadership” – I promise.) As I reviewed today the 8-10 christian discussion groups  that I’m part of,  it was easy to get discouraged…and really worked up.  It seems to me that not only do we not often provide answers…..we often don’t seem to  know the right questions.  I see discussions on church real estate, buildings, programs,  events, human authority – and MORE programs.  Oh…and did I mention PROGRAMS?

I got into a discussion today on “the proper use of the church building.”  I pointed out that those early believers (christians) of the first century had none of the following: church buildings, church real estate, mortgages, articles of incorporation, job titles, special clothes, sunday schools, worship teams, board members, choirs, pulpits, summer camps, and programs of any kind.   But we read that these poorly educated (no seminary, no college), untrained (no programs)  men and WOMEN  turned the world upside down!  What did they have that was so spectacular – so amazing?  They had Christ in them….which, by the way, is the literal definition of enthusiasm.

I was once, in another life, a board member in a “regular” church group.  Looking back on it, I’m horrified by how bad a “church leader” I was.  If there was any “servant leader” in me then, it was all show and not of the heart.  I’m absolutely ashamed at having missed the opportunity to have served my fellow church folk as a servant – rather than some puffed-up bigshot.

Today people are leaving what I would call “organized, commercial religion” by the thousands upon thousands.  They’ve figured out that the “church” isn’t a place – or  a meeting – or a building.  It’s not run by CEO’s who dominate the conversation.  So they flee.   I went through this about 10 years ago.  Let me tell you – this is scary stuff.  When you decide to buck tradition and culture – that’s been poured into you since your birth – it aint so easy.   A lot of real soul searching.  Heart twisting,  gut wrenching stuff.  We still need to meet with the “brethren & sistren” – but it might not be in the traditional places anymore.

The good part is that this is happening all over the world – in fact, we Americans are certainly behind the curve on this one.  If you look for them, you’ll find other souls who have come to this same conclusion.   It IS a lonely road, but there are others out there….waiting to meet you and me.  I wish you success on your spiritual journey.  No one said it’d be easy…..when you head down the rabbit hole.

Passionate Leadership (Kirk vs. Picard)

I started working with an organization recently where the owners  of the company are very, very passionate about their work.  They come to work every day fired up with enthusiasm, ready to conquer the world (or at least their industry).  They love their work, their business, their success, the “doing battle every day”…..and just the idea and practice of “pulling hard when in the harness.”   Do their employees and co-workers admire this?  Oh yeah – it’s almost impossible not to want to be part of that same enthusiasm, that love of your work each and every day.

My dad was in the construction business – and  very successful.  I think a lot of that was due to his passion for doing quality work.  He had a reputation for high quality…..and that  created more and more jobs for him.  Success breeds more success.   Another example that’s close to home (forgive me) – my older son’s high school basketball team never lost a league game in 4 years.  When they took the court, they expected excellence and they expected to win.  They always got what they expected.   Their coach (leader) instilled that enthusiasm in them every day in practice.  I had a mentor who used to say “There’s two kinds of class: first class, and everything else.”  How true…the middle ground is sorta irrelevant.

I’m kinda rambling on, sorry: my point is that the best leaders have an enthusiasm and passion for their work that inspires everyone around them.  This is why John Wooden won about 90% of his games at UCLA.  This is why Bill Russell has 11 NBA championship rings (Michael who?).  This is why Captain Kirk was more interesting  than Captain Picard.

One of the best ways to be a Servant Leader is simply to have a love of excellence that’s exhibited by powerful enthusiasm….shown to your employees and co-workers every day.  I don’t know of anything else that can replace or create this kind of power in the workplace.