You Got it Wrong

When you make a mistake, don't just try and hold your breath till the smoke clears. Deal with it:

1.) Apologize
2.) Assume Responsibility
3.) Talk to the Problem

Apologize
As I've mentioned in an earlier post (The Proactive Apology), apologize as soon as a problem comes up, by voice (in person or by phone / no emails).

Assume Responsibility
Our nature as humans and as workers is to automatically assume (or try to find a way) that its not our fault. We cross our fingers and hope it'll surface that the mistake rests on someone else's shoulders. Don't go this route. Get in front of the problem and just go ahead and stick your neck out there. If you had any hand in the mistake happening, go ahead and assume responsibility. Start there, and then work your way down to the heart of the problem. Its not important who's at fault, its important that the problem is solved and prevented from happening again.

Talk to the Problem
Its easy to get emotional and start talking to the person - criticizing what they did or didn't do. Instead, focus on the issue at hand. What happened, what should have happened, why that needed to happen, etc. Focus on the problem, not the person, and more results will follow.

Uncovering Needs

My house always needs repair work. Problem is, I never know for sure what needs to be done, and often times its past the point of a quick fix when it is discovered. I wish I had a monthly service where someone would just come out for a flat fee and inspect my house. They could tell me all the things that needed to be fixed, provide me a quote, and I could pick and choose what items I wanted them to complete. It'd be a steady revenue stream for a handyman, not to mention it would save me money in the long-run (preventing things like rotten wood that had to be ripped out and replaced).

As a MM, I find the same thing is true for our clients. Folks are looking for someone to discuss their problems with, and as a result, a need is uncovered. That need many times turns into a project/new work for you and your company to tackle. And all it took was a conversation about what was going on with your client. Selling isn't about cold calls and hunting for work, its about simply uncovering the needs of those around you.

Simple Things Matter

Its often the little things that can be the most bothersome or even the most enjoyable about an experience.

Here's an example that came to mind the other day - email addresses. Make it easy on people. Don't put your last name in your email address. No one cares if you're Tom Jones: tom.jones@icouldcareless.com. You should just be tom@. Its easier for other people to remember your first name only. If you're one of two Tom's at your office, simply make a slight change: tomj@...

Client-centric decisions aren't automatic, so stop and consider before you act as a MM.

Compliments Count

We all like to be complimented. Usually, as a MM and the one being paid, we're hoping to have our work affirmed by the one paying for it (our clients). We want to prove to our clients that we're worth what they're paying and hunting for that compliment that proves that they feel the same way.

This is backward...isn't it?

Shouldn't we be focused on complimenting the great work that our clients do in their business practices, the creative problem-solving techniques they employ, etc?

I accidentally saw this play out the other week. I was talking to a client about their competitive advantage and, in a sincere reaction to that advantage, noted how impressed I was with the job they do and their approach to that job. I could tell it made an impact. I've seen that relationship continue to grow and trust continue to develop much faster than is typical.

Its easy to try this when you're "selling" something or trying to impress. Stop that crap and just be sincere. If you don't have any sincere compliments, don't offer any. Even so, odds are you can find at least one honest fact about your client and what they do that you can offer a true compliment about.

Stop focusing on hearing how great you are and get out there and talk to your client about how great they are (that goes for me too).

Check out this month's Inc. Mag!

I recently had the chance to be interviewed by a PR firm to share the story of a crazy happening that took place at my office last Halloween. The firm sent it Inc. Magazine's way and they must have thought it was pretty crazy too...they included it in this month's publication! Check it out in the latest edition of Inc. Mag - page 33. You can also check out the article here.

(For an added bonus to really see what happened that day, check out photos of the event here.)

More Planning = Less Work

As a MM, its easy to assume you don't have the time to plan properly. You deal with the squeakiest wheel in the moment and then move on to the next fire. Problem with this is that it keeps you in a constant state of work.

I've made an effort over the last 6 months to focus on planning the next steps of any project I'm working on days in advance. I then tell my clients exactly when we will talk next to review that next stage. So on Wed. I'll say, "let's talk next Tues @ 10:00 to go over ___". The result, my voice mail messages have gone down from 60-80 per week to around 15 per week. People are calling me less asking me questions about their projects because we're answering their questions before they have to ask them.

Always plan ahead. Make it your goal to set what you and your co-workers are going to work on, at least one day in advance, if not sooner. Do the same for your customers - make sure they know at least one day in advance what to expect. This allows you to truly manage time, which always gets you better results. And you'll be working smarter, not harder.

Tried...and True?

Staring at the same problem the same way usually gets the same result. Right? Pretty straight-forward.

Still, I find myself doing this all the time. If I've created a system or a process to accomplish something and it works, I will keep doing it that way over and over again rarely stopping to think if there's a better way. If its getting the job done, then it must working...right?

Maybe.

I had two things that happened last week that made me chew on this a bit more.

My first occurred when I set out to mow my grass on Sat. I have cut the grass the same way since the first time I cut it when we moved in. I figured out a good way to cut the rows early on, and I've stuck to it ever since. However, this past Sat I wasn't in the mood to spend the normal hour it takes me to cut my front yard, so I started thinking - Is there a quicker way to do this? I surveyed the land (which basically means I stared at the yard) and determined that it might be quicker to cut my rows horizontally rather than vertically. The result, it took my 15 min less than in normally does.

The second example happened when I was telling my boss about a problem we've had come up at work a number of times in recent months. I was telling him how we've had to explain a certain part of our process over and over again. His response, why don't you just put that info on every page of our presentations? This was a simple solution to the problem, but I had been staring at it too long to see it.

So as MMs, we need to stop and think before we tackle our work. See if there's a better way to do it and don't assume the tried and true are still the best methods. If you are too close to your work to see how to improve it, talk about what you're doing with someone else and invite them to comment. Just because it has worked in the past, doesn't mean it is or ever was the best.