My blog has moved!

You should be automatically redirected in 3 seconds. If not, visit
http://mikegerholdt.com
and update your bookmarks.

February 28, 2008

2 Great Points

  1. People don't surf the web anymore- they info snack- Thanks Seth
  2. Customers don't read anymore. They scan. - Thanks Scott

February 27, 2008

How big is your radar?

Everyday we are blasted with tons of emails. In fact I have days when I never think they will stop coming in.

A few months ago we had a major announcement that I sent out which was effective today. (I sent it on November 20th to be exact.) I alerted people to the change and warned that I would need their feedback.

Today the change came. Guess how many phone calls I received?

The problem was everyone's radar wasn't big enough. They didn't see how the change effects them until its within striking distance. It was a tiny blip on the screen. They didn't pay attention to the blip until it got really close.

Similar to our personal space theory of Americans- you don't bug me until you are within 4 feet of me.

Is this a phenomenon? Could be. I know many salespeople who seem to have short sighted vision. But not everyone.

So my question to is how big is your radar? Do you catch things right as they too close to you? Or do you have the vision to see them coming from way off in the distance and anticipate what action is needed?

The latter being an important characteristic in dealing with customer problems. By the time the customer calls in, it has already been a problem simmering for a while. Just not to us. To us- it didn't become a problem until our phone rang.

Here's an Idea for you...
Solicit feedback from your users. In Seth's book, he mentions that customer to customer interaction can really help to build a brand and increase sales- in fact he points to it as one of the future states of marketing. I agree. I am not advocating you put up comments boxes in your store, slapping a "How's my driving" sticker on every car. But change the philosophy of your company. The response rates of those items are low, because many people feel as though their information goes into a black whole. No, doing those things give CEO's a warm fuzzy. We live in the real world, and want to know what people honestly think.
So what do we do?
Lets make it part of our conversation. This will require training, but incorporate customer learning into every salesperson's life. When they go to see a customer they have a goal- increase the business and the sale. Lets add to that- increase our understanding of how to improve ourselves. Salespeople are instinctively good at reading people- that is why we are in sales. So lets get instinctively good at gathering feedback.


February 22, 2008

Real vs. Reality

I just ordered a combo meal from a restaurant. What I got was real. What they presented me with was a painted reality.
So my question to you is what does your company perceive as reality and what is real to your customers?

February 15, 2008

It's about the passion

Anger in many organizations equals dissension. Why can't anger equal passion - to make a change, to improve, to build a better widget? I am angery a lot sometimes, but it all relates back to my passion to succeed.

My point is that you can learn a lot by seeing what angers your salespeople. You can learn even more by seeing what angers your customers-remember they are passionate about improving your product too.

February 3, 2008