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What Are Your Team Doing?

Last week I had an unannounced visitor. I was working in my home office and there was a timid knock at the door. So timid I was not even sure it was a knock. When I got to the door there was Malcolm*.

Malcolm was walking the street for a company and giving away “Stand By Power” boards as part of a government initiative. So his company would get paid by the government for the 1 per household board they installed. Anything else they sold was theirs.

It was obvious to me that Malcolm was massively undertrained. It seemed like his company just scooped up uni students who needed cash and said. “Walk the streets, give these away and fill out the paperwork.”

With the right recruitment and the right training, Malcolm could have done these things too:

  • Engaged with me so I cared about what he was selling
  • Questioned me about other rooms in the house that may have needed another board
  • Offered an energy audit to be done at a mutually agreeable time
  • Offered LED globes (Malcolm would have seen at least 9 globes that could have been replaced with them at my place)
  • Asked me if I have family or friends in the area who may be interested so he could get a warm referral

These things may have added five minutes to the time with me but over the course of a day, it would add hundreds to his sales figure.

So what are your team doing? Do they have the training to do their job correctly? Are you checking that they are following the training? What about you, do you have the training you need? 

If not, take the action and get it.

* Names have been changed to protect the innocent


PS If you Exhibit, there is a 2 hour training session on tonight in Mulgrave on how to Exhibit Like A Pro. Details are here 

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What Does Great Service Cost?

Steak
What Does Great Service Cost?
When it comes to Customer Service, I don’t need Outstanding Service, I don’t need Great Service, I would settle for Good service!
As you know from last week, it was my birthday on Thursday (by the way, thanks for all the birthday wishes!) Wifey took me to Number 8, an upmarket restaurant in the Crown casino complex. It had great reviews and seemed suitable for a posh night of celebration. It’s not cheap (about $50 for a steak) but I am happy to pay for “an experience”.

The summary is that the food was good (presentation was a bit ordinary) but the service was atrocious for what I expected from such a high quality establishment.

Simple things like:

  • They were advised this booking was for my birthday, but made no reference to it
  • The waiter did not engage with us at all – merely asked if we had finished when he took plates
  • The waiter offered to get another drink when we had 2/3 of a glass (when we didn’t need it) and did not offer when it was empty
  • We waited so long to give our dessert order that we left and bought ice cream as we walked along the Yarra River

Notice how these things are incredibly minor? As I said, customers do not expect a great deal. Get the basics right and they will be impressed. All they had to do was listen to what we said, and be observant for our needs.

What about in your business? Do you listen to what your customer wants? Are you observant to what you think they will need next? It could be an internal customer (you know, your colleagues) or an external one. Great Service does not cost much extra effort to provide but it pays off big time. Can you afford not to provide great service?


PS For more tips on Great Service when Exhibiting, check out our 2 hr, $29 Exhibit Like a Pro session on next Monday in Melbourne.

PPS Don’t get me wrong. I get that this situation is a real “First World Problem”. Can’t get good service for my $50 steak – really! The idea is what small thing can you do to improve your service?

Image: Flikr TinyApartmentCrafts – This image is a vegetarian friendly steak. I didn’t want to upset anyone!

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Happy Birthday

I like birthdays. I figure every year that I have one is a good year and to be quite honest, as I get older I feel more comfortable with myself and my life. This week it is my 44th birthday.


Naturally wifey has been asking what I want for my birthday. The reality is that I have everything that I need. I don’t really need anything extravagant just for the sake of it.

But Wifey is persistent.

The lawnmower died a couple of weeks ago, so on Saturday I got a brand spanking new lawnmower for my birthday. Thanks Wifey!

I wanted to give you a gift as well. It’s my way of saying thank you for receiving the Get More Goer every week and tolerating some of my literary indulgences and tilted perspective on the world. A few years ago I created the Birthday Bash. It is an easy to use two page document that enables you to do a quick assessment of the year past and the year ahead. You can download it here as my birthday gift to you.

Whether you use it on my birthday (this Thursday) or wait until your own birthday is

up to you, as long as you use it.

Happy Birthday to me, I hope you enjoy it. I know I will!




PS Speaking of gifts, if you struggle to think what is the best gift or freebie to give when you are exhibiting, sign up to our 2 hr Exhibit Like A Pro session to be held in Melbourne on Monday 30th April. This is just one of the many things we will be covering. Find out more info here.

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What Did You Give?

Easter Egg
I had Easter lunch with some of my family on Sunday. My niece and nephews were all fired up on chocolate. The question that most people would ask them in relation to the Easter Bunny is “What did you get?” After considering this for the last 24 hours, I think “What did you Give?” would be a better question to ask.


Our modern society is so focussed on the individual that we forget the community. Some people say “It is better to give than receive” but they are not the actions that I see in the world.


Business is no different. A lot of people talk about Win-Win but would you err in the side of caution and make sure your customer wins first or maybe even your supplier? How can you Give to those at your workplace rather than looking at what you get?


So today, my question for you

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is What Did You Give?

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Quality or Quantity?

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What Happens After?



So often we get focussed on the event or the meeting or the conference or the get together, that we forget about what happens after.  On most occasions, the real value is after the event. For some the activities after is the icing on the cake that magnifies the value.

Let me give some examples:

  • The personalised thank you cards the go out after the wedding referring to the gift you gave
  • A confirmation email following a prospect visit detailing actions you will take and next steps
  • Review of a project to look at what went well to repeat and what did not go well, to improve
  • Actions to implement new ideas or skills after a training session or annual conference
  • Arranging appointments after a trade show to convert your message into sales

So when you are next having a significant event, make sure you pay enough attention to What Happens After – that’s where the real value is.






PS If you Exhibit or are considering Sponsoring as a client acquisition technique, register for today’s Get More From Exhibiting webinar.
The focus is going to be on What Happens After. Even if you can’t make it, register and get access to the recording.

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Are You In or Out?

singh is king
Wifey and I had a brilliant trip to India. The worst part of travelling is being treated like a tourist, so it was fabulous to be treated like family during our first week. This was when we attended the wedding of our friend Gagan.

Indian weddings are amazing. Over the course of 8 days we were able to join in 5 different celebratory events. The bride requested that I wear a turban (which looks funny without a beard so I had to grow one of them too) and I felt quite stylish in it. Yes, that’s me in the picture.

With all of the different celebrations, customs and rituals going on, it would be very easy to stand on the sidelines and merely be an observer. Wifey and I decided that we would do everything and experience all the ceremonies as much as we could. So much so that at the end of the trip, the mother of the groom invited us back in October for the wedding of her other son who we had only just met!

It is the same with everything: Work, hobbies, projects, events… you name it. The more you commit to something and go full on, the better the results you will have.

So what about you, are you In or Out?

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Another Sign

As a follow- up

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to my previous blog, here is a great sign I saw at Readings book store in Malvern.

I like it because it gets the message across in a friendly manner. Rather than telling you what you can’t do, it tells you what you can do. So not “NO FOOD” but a pleasant please enjoy before entering our store.

It doesn’t get your potential customers back up before they even enter the store.

Have you seen any other signs you like? Let me know or post them on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/GetMoreGuy


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Did You Read The Signs?

Sign
At a recent webinar for Exhibitors, I stressed the point that your signage has to be simple, focussed on the visitor and it has to make it easy to be a customer. Wifey and I saw this sign at an airport in India during our recent trip. It hit all the right buttons!
It was simple – Only 3 words
It was focussed on me – Just in case I thought to bribe/tip someone
It made it easy – I had no question on whether I should bribe/tip someone or not.
How many times have you seen banners or signs loaded with words that you don’t read?Maybe you do read them and you find that it is all about the vendor and telling you how good that they are.The reality is you customer does not care. Their focus is firmly on themselves and their own needs.
How is your signage? Do you read your signs with your customer’s shoes on?


PS If you want more tips on How

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To Exhibit Like A Pro, I will be running a webinar with my business partner Danielle Storey on Monday 26 March at 1pm AEDT. The focus of this session will be on what to do AFTER the Expo or Trade Show. Click here to register and find out more information.

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Are You Working Right?

I was working with a mentoring client recently and telling her that she needs to do less and less to achieve more and more. Yes, yes… this seems silly at first glance, but it is the secret to success (well one of them anyway). 

Look at the most senior person in any organisation. Essentially they do nothing. Don’t get me wrong, they are busy, but they do nothing. They day consists of meetings, phone calls, and checking things. They have learn’t the secret of getting their people to do the work and they just make sure the right things get done at the right time.

What about you?

Now you may say “Oh by I am just a solopreneur” or “a mere employee” but the same principle applies. It may be that you get colleagues to do the work or outsource it to a VA or third party.
You can achieve more by doing less. Your value is in knowing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done and who is the best person to do it. The person who thinks that “no-one can do it as well as me” is the one working massive hours and feeling exhausted.

So are you working right?

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Are You on Track?

We are now almost 1/6th of the way through the year. It’s less than 10 months until Christmas! Isn’t it amazing how fast time flies.

So are you on track?

No doubt you had goals for the year. If not goals them maybe some dreams or at the very least a loose idea of what you would like to achieve.

So are you on track?

The maxim “What gets measured gets improved” is powerful and relevant regardless of who you are and what you do. I break it down to make it easy (I am only a simple guy!)
I have an annual target (plus a stretch target) with rewards for each. Then each month I have the breakdown of what that need to be.

I am measuring monthly sales, monthly $ invoiced and monthly value of opportunities. These things matter most to my business.
Other measures to consider are Cost Per Lead, Cost Per Cust Acquisition, Lead Conversion and Lifetime Value of Customer. (Let me know if you need help working these out). Other speaker friends measure Nights Away from Home, some people measure Dates with Family.

Remember what gets measured gets improved.

What about you?  Are you on track? Get measuring and find out.

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Is Your Body Where It Needs to Be?


dads
The late, great Kevin Merry (my Dad – the one on the right) often said to me, “sometimes your body just has to be there whether you want to go or not.” Usually he was talking about funerals, wedding, celebrations and events where you could choose to go or not.

That message always stuck with me. It was reinforced when I missed one of my best friend’s wedding – a decision I will always regret (Sorry Simon).

But I am one who learns from mistakes. So this week Wifey and I are at her friend’s wedding. It is an Indian wedding in India. In fact, it is a Punjabi Sikh wedding so that means 4 days of celebration spread over a week. I have even grown a beard for the occasion to go with my turban!

Three weeks out of my business this early in the year was not really what I had planned. It has set me back on a few things but Wifey and I decided that our bodies had to be here. The bridal couple are fabulous people, it will be an amazing cultural experience, we get to spend a little extra time enjoying the delights of India and I don’t have to shave for a month. So many great reasons to be here. If I really wanted, I could come up with many why it would be better to be at home.

Sometimes your body just has to be there.

Image: My father in law and father at Wifey and my wedding in 2007

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How Are Your Reflexes?

Bike
Can you twist, turn and flip when you need to?

Last week I was riding my motorbike to a client site for some mentoring (yes my motorbike is my company vehicle! Yay!) On the way two people nearly killed me and a police officer nearly scared me to death.

The two drivers didn’t mean to kill me, they just changed lanes without looking properly. It’s easy to do, I have done it myself. Fortunately, every time I go out on the bike I expect someone to do this so I am hyper vigilant. In both occasions I could quickly twist the bike out of harm’s way.

The police scared me because he sounded his siren for a burst. I knew he was behind me but I didn’t notice the unmarked police car to his left. He was basically saying “hello” to his mate, police style. As soon as I saw the unmarked car I knew I had nothing to worry about.

Running or working in a business is the same. You have to be alert (but not alarmed) for things that may cause damage to your business or cause you to go in another direction. When you detect these you need to be willing to quickly change direction. You also need to be alert for things that sound and look like they need a reaction, but don’t.

So how are your reflexes? Can you twist, turn and flip in your business when you need to?

Picture: My bike on a trip to Canberra 

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Email Auto Responders

I love email auto responders.

When I am travelling they give me a chance to let clients and prospects know what I am doing and I can set them up so they are almost self service. A few links here and there and clients can get what they need.

They are great marketing showing your contacts the development and work that you are doing for others or the growth you are experiencing yourself.

I got an auto responder message from a client today and I loved it. It is so cool I just had to share it.

“Thank you for your enquiry. We are currently travelling in the Arctic Circle in pursuit of the Northern Lights. We will be on email though so should be able to respond shortly to your enquiry.”

How fantastic is that!!
Better make sure my autoresponder message

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is that cool for next week – shoot me an email next week and test it!

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What is Your Backup Plan?

When everything is going fine, we don’t spend time thinking about what could go wrong. But it is when everything is going fine that you MUST consider what happens if things go wrong?

Yesterday Wifey and I were out for lunch with friends celebrating Wifey’s birthday this week. It was lovely place in the Yarra Valley wine region. A hot (33 C) and windy day, but comfy in the air-conditioned restaurant.

Then the power went out.

As they have electric doors, the first response is that the doors automatically open. This let in the blustery warm wind. We ordered food and were told that they can’t start cooking it yet. One of our party went to the toilet and came back quickly saying there were no lights in there.

Fortunately they had a backup generator so after a little bit, the power came back on and all was ok. Then just as our meal was served the power went off again (doors opens again too!). This time it didn’t come back on. After desert, a waitress came over to ask us what we had so she could prepare the bill.

Essentially they had a backup plan but not a secondary backup plan. It seemed that their generator was enough to help shut things down but not enough to run their operations on an ongoing basis.

What about your business?

What would you do if your power was out for the day?
What would you do if your computer hard drive crashed?
What would you do if you could not issue invoices?

Now is the time to have a plan in place and then follow it when you need to.

So what is your backup plan? 

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