Archive For: Management

Can You Turn a Fault into a Feature?



Screen
I got a message from a friend on Facebook on Friday regarding a conference I was the opening keynote for today. She said:
Eeek! My 3 year old sat on my laptop and cracked the screen…. not great for anyone but esp an editing photographer!! I will give up my EXPO table for Monday…..I was reliant on my laptop for that! I will just come and network and listen instead!
I quickly got in touch with her and insisted that she still exhibit. When things like this happen, you MUST use them as a feature. How much more attention would she get with a printed picture of her child sitting on her

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laptop stuck to the laptop than the same old boring image. Most of the guests could relate to something similar happening. She would be far more memorable as “The woman whose kid sat on her laptop”. We came up with several different solutions she could use and still take advantage of this event.

Too often we take these setbacks and try and hide them from our prospects. It is a great way to show your humanity and show that things happen to everyone. It is also a great way to stand out. Can you turn a fault into a feature?


PS Email me your story of an Exhibiting tragedy and go in to the draw to win a ticket to the Exhibit Like A Pro Intensive on 1 September – valued at $495. Details on the day at www.ExhibitLikeAPro.com

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What Just Happened?

New Website
I love the John Lennon quote “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans”.
That is exactly what happened to me this morning. I had plans all ready to face the day, write the Get More Goer, write some web copy for the new websites, finalise visa details for my China gig (which is very exciting) and many other things on the to do list. Well that all went out the window when I received an email

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from a colleague saying that it looked like my website was hacked.


I don’t understand hacking least of all hacking my site, but it was important to get it fixed. Three hours and lots of phone calls later it was. It has also added quite a few things to my to do list.
Throughout it all, I knew the important thing was to stay focussed on the job at hand and keep a good attitude about it, maybe even have fun with it (have a look at the replacement website I built above). This is just a typical day in our life. The joy of having a plan is now I can change it and keep moving forward.
Maybe the better question is not “What Just Happened?” but “How will I deal with What Just Happened?” So how will you deal with it?


PS Registrations have started rolling in for the Exhibit Like A Pro Intensive on 1 Sept in Melbourne. If you want to learn how to dramatically increase sales by Exhibiting and Sponsorship, register here now.

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Are You Consistent?

Queen
Who would have thought it?

Just one little day late because we had a public holiday and I got several emails wondering where the Get More Goer was.

The reason for this is consistency. Typically (and my apologies for my tardiness this week) the Get More Goer hits your inbox every Monday and it has been doing this for almost 5 years. Naturally some people have come to expect it and

get distressed when it is not there.

The same is true for any business. Consistency is part of the service. You know what will happen, there are no unpleasant surprises. McDonalds is a great example. You know the food will not be of the highest quality and presentation, but it is consistent. So consistent that it is the foundation of its own international economic index.

With it being the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the monarchy is another organisation that has a foundation of consistency, as evidenced in the photo. Years in between photos but the pose is the same.

What about you?

Are you consistent in what you do? Do you make sure that your colleagues, suppliers and customers get no nasty surprises?



PS Consistency of sales is another thing that is important. Join Danielle Storey and Me on Sat 1st September for the Exhibit Like A Pro intensive. You will learn the secrets to Exhibiting and Sponsorship that will bring you extra sales. More information is here at www.ExhibitLikeAPro.com


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How Do You Recover?

Rental
Customer service is important but don’t forget your service recovery skills either. Research shows that a customer who has a good experience will tell three to five people but a customer who has a bad experience will tell 11 people and now with social media, I suspect it’s more.

This weekend I was away with our B&B group of seven people. We had booked a large and lovely place in Echuca (see the picture) with additional bungalow. We arranged and paid for it all over the internet before arrival. When we arrived at the agent we found that it was an additional $150 for the bungalow in addition to the $1,000 we had already paid even though this had not be advertised anywhere.

I raised this with the booking agent who happened to be the owner. Some of her comments included, “we have never had this problem before”, “My team know what they are doing I am sure they would have mentioned it”, “I wasn’t part of your original conversation so I can’t know for sure what was said”. At the end of the day, she had a very unhappy customer and she did not care.

There are many things that she could have done, at the very least acknowledging the emotive side of the transaction. While she may have got her $150, she won’t get any further business or recommendations from the seven of us who were here and she won’t get positive comments on her website. 

So how do you recover?

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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 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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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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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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Have You Exercised Your Slack Muscle?

Damage
Have You Exercised Your Slack Muscle?

Wifey and I are into investment properties. We like them and they work for us.

Late last year a tenant advised us that someone had broken in and done some damage. It turned out the damage was smashed walls, windows and a massive mess. The neighbours advised us that within weeks of moving in there was a huge party and the cops had to be called. In fact, the party made the local paper. Personally, I suspect the damage was more “party” related than “break-in” related.

Anyway, the landlord insurance covered the replastering of the third of the house and we took the opportunity to repaint the entire inside of the house and re-carpet it. That is not us hiring painters, that is wifey and I spending three 14 hour days washing ceilings and walls and then giving the ceilings, walls, door frames and doors two coats of paint.

To be honest, I was physically shattered!

I am used to speaking on stage, strutting around trade shows, talking on the phone or working at my computer. I have all these muscles that had gone slack in my body. An intense painting work out reminded me they were still there.

It got me thinking about some of the muscles I used to exercise in the workplace but haven’t for a while. I haven’t done cold calling for quite a while, I haven’t done random networking for a while and I haven’t called my old clients to see how they are for a while. Like my slack painting muscles, when I do this it may feel strange, hurt a bit, make me feel exhausted or even turn me off doing it ever again. It is so important to exercise the slack muscle in your business. To do the tasks that pay off, even if you don’t want to do them.

Have you exercised your slack muscle recently?




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Complimentary Exhibiting Webinar
Join Million Dollar Relationships  Expert, Danielle Storey, and me for our complimentary Exhibit Like A Pro webinar Tuesday 31st Jan at 2pm Melbourne time. All the details here.

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What About the Little Guys?


In the last couple of weeks I have been on three different airline; Qantas, REX and Jetstar. The service I got varied with each one. More importantly, it varied against my expectation.

The first flight was Qantas. To make things easier for them they now have autobaggage book in. In fact, it is ok for the traveller too, unless you have unusual luggage. I had a guitar with me. The auto check in wanted to charge me an extra $30 as I had an extra bag. I spoke to the assistant (when I could find her) and had a conversation about luggage andwhat was allowed in the cabin etc.  This was from the premium airline. I had 25kg allocation and still I was hassled.

Compare that to REX airlines. When I booked I noticed that the luggage allowance was 15kg. I knew I would be over with the guitar, amp and other things I had so I rang them to try and buy more luggage allowance as it is usually cheaper to buy beforehand than at the airport. I was advised that I could only get it at the airport. I steeled myself for the $5.50 per kilo extra I would have to pay (I guessed about $40) and then checked in when I was in Sydney. At check-in the bag and guitar weighed a total of 22.5 kg. As I waited to be told “That’s $40 please” he actually said, “Let’s say that’s 20kg and there is no extra charge. By the way, would you like an exit row? It would be more comfortable for a guy your height.” I was stunned.

In an age where the focus is cost cutting and bottom line focussed (particularly in the airline industry), it was a delight to get great service. This service continued on the flight – but that’s another story.

As a small to medium business, how can you beat the big guys at their game? As a big business, what can you learn from the little guys?

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