I just returned from my trip to Rhode Island followed immediately with a trip to Austin, Texas, where I attended a conference attracting the owners and top management of independent wholesale paper, sanitary maintenance, and restaurant equipment distributors. While meeting with about 80 of these organizations, I asked them to comment on what they see as the key reasons for their success. Here are the top six answers:

1. Diversity – being able to quickly decide which products and services to embrace and release to market and which to discard while offering the right range of their customers’ needs.


2. Management – the human factor of making the proper decision, leading the company and creating strong relationships with customers.


3. Technology – The best and most successful distributors where using advance technologies while constantly looking for the next best solutions to embrace. I found the opposite to be true. The ones complaining about the economy, suppliers and their customers’ loyalty were the ones to use antiquated technologies and way of thinking.


4. Serendipity – Or what many referred to as luck and being at the right place at the right time. It was interesting that the majority or all of the most successful companies did not talk much about luck but their ability to take control and influence their future.


5. Locality – For many, being local helped them focus and develop strong relationships with their customers. I found the majority who held such belief to be smaller organization size as well as revenues and profits.


6. Customer service – They ALL claimed that the key was customer service yet many complained about lack of customers ‘and vendors’ loyalty.

What are the keys to your success?

In my previous post I was talking about having to listen to absurd and ineffective voicemails when calling others. I recently played several voicemail (VM) messages that I retrieved from my own voicemail system

The first VM was a garbled message from a prospective client interested in talking with me about our solutions. The message was probably recorded using his cell phone making it almost impossible to recognize the complete phone number. Luckily I was able to make sense of the company name and after a quick Google search, I found them on the web as I was able to match the web phone number with the incomplete phone number left on the voicemail. Since I return all calls within 24 hours (unless they are clearly telemarketer calls) I called his company. Their main message stated that they are closed for the holidays. I left a brief message, letting them know who I am and explaining that I am returning their call. I left my phone number and email address twice, and suggested my availability to connect. Finally, I made the recommendations that they check the calendar, as I believe the holidays are over by now. I figured if they don’t have a sense of humor, it would not be a good match anyways.

The second VM was from a company specializing in training and documentation. I was not sure if this was a sales call or an interested prospect so I called her back, got her on the phone yet she barely remembered who I was, This sure made me feel really special. She then immediately jumped into her sales pitch telling me how long they’ve been in business, the type of products they sell, the awards they won and more blah, blah, blah. I was waiting for a question or two but quickly lost my patience when she started her third paragraph. I stopped her and said: “Not Interested.” Meekly she replied: “oh ok” and hung up the phone.

The third VM was from a sales trainer who luckily left a clear phone number and company name. I found his company on the web (where would I be without my Google?) and I quickly realized what his main focus was. Unfortunately I was unable to find any clients’ testimonials on his site or whom he had a chance to work with. When returning his call he immediately gave me his value proposition (good but a bit too long) and told me that he works with technology companies JUST like mine although would not name any of them. And I was born yesterday, I thought to myself. He asked me if I read all the marketing material he sent me. I told him that I have no idea what he is talking about as they all end up in the garbage. He then suggested he would stop by my office to introduce himself so we can talk about my business and what projects I may have in the works. I quickly and politely explained to him that I have no need for his services and do not meet with people who cold call me. He realized that I was getting ready to hang up the phone when he said: “look for me, I will be famous one day.” I hung up the phone and thought to myself, dreams are one thing but illusion and desperation are another.

My favorite was a call I received today in my office. It went like this:
Him: Mr. Barr?
Me: Yes
Him: This is not a sales call.
Me: (silence, although thinking … yeah right)
Him: We are in your neighborhood tomorrow morning and would like to stop by and introduce ourselves.
Me: Not interested (click)

How many of such calls or voice mails do you get and is it possible that you or your staff are making such calls and leaving similar voice mails?

I believe that we have more control of impacting our destiny and creating success than chance or luck has to do with it.

Here are three ideas that have been instrumental in impacting mine:

1. Opportunities are all around us, we just have to learn to pay better attention to them.


2. If you don’t ask the answer is always NO.


3. When serendipity takes place, I seize the opportunity to create additional serendipity.

I am a frequent Continental flyer and enjoy flying with them and the service I receive. Last night, I booked a round trip flight for my son using their online service, which I use quite often. I find www.continental.com to be an easy site to navigate to quickly book my flights.

When logging on to their site this evening, I noticed the price for the identical flight was much cheaper. I called the elite desk line and got Buzz Savage, their pleasant helpdesk manager, on the phone. He explained that the rule states that in order to rebook the flight at the different rate I must make the change exactly within 24 hours of booking the original fair. Although I had passed the 24-hour mark, he will make the necessary adjustment and take care of me.

It was a great pleasure to talk with Buzz and hear his story. He retired quite a few years ago and decided to go back to work. Sitting in his family room where he now works daily, all customers’ calls are directed right to his home phone. He said he loves his job, and Continental takes great care of him. I asked him what is one of the greatest attributes about the company that most people do not know. He said, the focus of everyone in the company to service the customers and make it a great place. He then proceeded to tell me that even though he is already working remotely from home, they are working on the technology to soon allow him to work remotely from anywhere in the world.

These four most recent blog posts illustrate four different companies with four different mindsets of servicing their customers. Which company would you want to do business with and which company most resembles your organization?

While at the mall, my wife and I left Nordstrom and had some time to kill before our dinner reservation at a nearby restaurant. We walked into Dillard’s women shoe department when my wife noticed the boots she got several weeks ago were significantly discounted and on sale now. The sales person explained that even if the boots are still brand new in the box, since they were purchased three weeks ago she couldn’t credit my wife the price difference. Her option would be to return them for full credit, which will put them back into stock and then attempt to repurchase them assuming the proper size is available in stock.

I shared with her the great service experience we just had at Nordstrom and the no-questions-asked and friendly price adjustment policy they had. “We are not Nordstrom” She said. “I noticed” I replied.

I mentioned to her why this is illogical and does not make any business sense. Forcing the customer to return the boots for full credit while waiting for the salesperson to put them back in stock and then allowing the customer to repurchase them seemed absurd.

She thought about it and then said: “Bring your boots tomorrow and I will process the credit on one register. You will then have to wait 20 minutes so I can then process the sale on another register so I don’t get in trouble.”

It’s amazing for me to see how two different organizations (Nordstrom and Dillard’s) empower their employees to make the proper decisions to serve their customers.

My wife and I went to the mall the other day to stop at Nordstrom in order to get my new mail-ordered coat altered. While waiting for the tailor tp arrive, the friendly salesman started to process the alteration order request on his computer. “I have good news for you Mr. Barr”, he said. “I just processed a credit for over $100 on your account to reflect the price adjustment on your coat since it is now on sale.” I thanked him for this special gesture and it was then that the tailor arrived. He took my measurements and asked if I have a special occasion and whether I need my coat ready right away?

It was back in December and a couple of days before my trip to Las Vegas to visit my son in Utah when I realized that I forgot to rent a car for the trip. In a great hurry and armed with the power of the Internet, a couple of minutes later I rented the SUV from Dollar Rent A Car. A couple of days later I landed at the Las Vegas airport and within a short time found myself standing at the long line of the previously mentioned car rental office. And that’s where my dreadful experience started.

It was taking forever for the service reps to take care of each of the irritated customers. Even my attempt to get more help fell on deaf ears. Almost an hour later and finally it was my turn to be served. The condescending representative seemed to be a natural extension of the poor mindset already shared by the other company’s representatives and she also seemed to enjoy her acquired power. I then realized that the faster I get served, the faster I will be on the road for the 4 hour drive to Utah. It took a tremendous amount of self-control for me to not comment on the attitude I was noticing coming from her and the others in that office.

Almost relieved and with the paperwork finally in my hands, I rushed downstairs to their car lot to get my rented car. To my amazement the car was not there. When I questioned the service rep he said that he does not know when my car will be ready although he hopes it will be soon. I told him that hopes won’t get me far and I need the car NOW! He then told me that I may select any car I want from the lot. Glancing over, I noticed they were all small cars and I told him that I reserved a 4-wheel drive SUV to safely drive in the mountains of Utah. He did not seem to care while telling all the customers coming down with their paperwork that they also may select any car they want from the lot. There was an almost frenzy like feeling in the air.

With my pulse beating faster, my self-control gone and my voice increasing in volume I told him he has three options: 1. Go down to his competitor’s lot and get me an equivalent car to the one I rented. 2. Get me into the Cadillac Escalade I just noticed on his lot. 3. Call his manager to immediately resolve this problem. He explained that the keys to the Escalade are locked inside and he cannot leave his post since there are customers to serve. Demandingly I reminded him that I am one of these customers and he better get me the car now while I can direct the rest of his customers.

Perhaps it was my demeanor, my loud voice, the face twitch I started to develop, the fact that he started to get tired of me or perhaps his realization of the customer service responsibilities when he suddenly left. Several minutes later he came back with a brand new SUV handing me the keys while I am still in the midst of directing the customers’ traffic to select any car they see on the lot. What can I tell you? I had to have some sense of humor about this dreadful situation.

As I climbed into the car, almost two and a half hours after my landing, I realized the senior moment I had when booking my car reservation and forgetting to use my gold membership with Hertz, which would have prevented this from happening.

Our latest December newsletter for 2007 contains a couple of articles that you may find to be of interest. Blogging in the New Year is an article I recently wrote after attending the Blog World Expo last month in Las Vegas and after getting tremendous amount of questions about leveraging blogs in ones business. I also decided to publish Additional Lessons Leaned From Running My Business article after releasing the first Lessons Learned article and getting many emails requesting I share more such idea.
To also see how successfully some of our clients use their blogs, please visit www.AvivShahar.com and www.ContrarianConsulting.com for such examples.

I would like to wish you a fabulous and safe New Year and may this coming year be an amazing one for you, your family and your business.

Best Regards,

Chad

What a brilliant move by FaceBook to improve their software and with no investment!

They’ve attracted 70,000 developers to build free plug-ins interfaces to their web site. Once approved by FaceBook, these plug-ins provide utilities for users to improve their online experience. They may play games, share reviews of books, movies, vacations, dress up their profiles and much more.  Software developers who contribute may sell advertising, promote products and services and gain tremendous exposure.

Sounds like a win – win great opportunity to all involved.

I’ve been following Starbucks expansion in the US and am quite impressed with their expansion now into Russia. What impressed me more is a statement from Martin Coles, President of Starbucks International saying: “We do not spend a great deal of time focusing on our competition. The growth of other coffee chains can actually help Starbucks by increasing the overall coffee market. We are at our best when we have some competition.”