January 17, 2019
Marketing
‘Marketing’ used to mean shopping – going out to the market and buying what you couldn’t produce yourself.
That’s still quite a useful way of looking at it if you have something to sell.
Category: Tips
January 10, 2019
Queues
Despite my frequent rants about self-checkouts, there is one good reason to have them.
If you only have one or two things, you don’t want to wait behind an enormous weekly shop. A self-checkout or basket-only lane is a good solution here.
Similarly, its a good idea to split the bakery queue into ‘sandwiches’ and ‘bread’, so bread buyers aren’t waiting behind the office lunch order.
Sorting a big queue into separate, differently handled sub-queues reduces queueing overall, and makes handling the different types of order easier, because you’re not switching between them all the time.
Better for everyone then.
Forcing everyone into the self-checkout queue defeats the object though.
January 8, 2019
Stressors are information
As Nassim Taleb says in his excellent book ‘Antifragile’, ‘stressors are information’.
That means that rather than just get stressed by them, you can use them to direct improvement.
For example, when ‘exceptions’ start to become common, it’s a sign that something in your system needs to change in line with the environment.
A good place to start is by asking “How could I pre-empt this situation?”.
December 12, 2018
Not doing it yourself
Small business owners like us can easily become control freaks.
Not because we need to be in control of other people, but because we care about making sure our clients get the experience they deserve, the one we promised them.
Sometimes we think its easier to do it ourselves rather than delegate the job to someone else, because we’re under pressure and properly getting someone else into a position where they can do it as well as (or better) than we could takes time, energy and intellectual effort.
So we take the easy route (again) and do it ourselves ‘because it’s quicker’.
That’s a trap.
It’s much better to take the hit of time and energy now, because this will make growth easier in the long run.
More importantly, doing everything ourselves means we never make the space to dream up new, better ways of delighting the people we serve, to dare more, give more and strengthen the bonds we have with them. That’s what really builds a business that will outlast us.
If you need more convincing, work through the exercise illustrated above, and work out the true opportunity cost of doing everything yourself – not just in monetary terms, but also in terms of your own fulfilment.
Why do it yourself if someone else can do it better and more joyfully?
December 11, 2018
Doing it Yourself (again)
One of the interesting things I noticed about Gothenburg was an absence of what you might call ‘flunky’ jobs.
In the numerous coffee bars, bakeries and lunchtime restaurants I visited (in the interests of research of course), I saw no wait staff, nobody clearing tables. Instead, customers picked up their own orders, and cleared away their own mess as they left – in one restaurant we even cleared our plates and sorted our dishes into trays ready for the dishwasher.
It was as if nobody felt they had to increase their own status by having someone else adopt an unnecessarily menial one (even as a paid role). How very grown-up.
The sincerest service takes place between equals.
December 6, 2018
Ideas are great
But they aren’t any use until they are turned into action.
I should know, it’s taken me long enough!
Here’s the last free e-book on keeping up with the others for you to download.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate it.
December 5, 2018
Oops!
I’ve been away for a coaching client, and I knew I wouldn’t get time to write each day, so before I left, I scheduled several ‘tip’ blogs to go out automatically.
I thought I had checked them all thoroughly and carefully – at least 3 times – before I left them to simply run.
But I set up today’s blog incorrectly, and didn’t spot it. So I’ve missed my usual slot.
Hmm, time to take my own medicine perhaps, and introduce a checklist…
I hope you noticed!
Thank you for being there.
PS the young man in the photo above slipped on a banana skin while working.
December 4, 2018
Nobody expects to get a complaint
.. to get a complaint.
But you will.
How you handle it can make all the difference to your reputation as a business.
So, put together a really excellent ‘Handle Complaints’ process, and train every single person in your team to use it.
Download our free e-book on what good looks like to find out more.
And remember, all feedback is good.
I’d welcome yours.
December 3, 2018
Keep it real
Nobody likes being talked at from a script.
Nobody likes reading from a script either.
But it is helpful to have something to remind you of the things you need to cover in a conversation.
A simple Aide-memoire sheet could be the answer.
Download our free-ebook on creating Aide-memoires to find out how.
I’d love to know if you find this useful.
November 30, 2018
Get off on the right foot
Is there anything more annoying than having to give your information over, and over, and over again, every time you deal with a new department or a new team?
Well, yes, probably. But this annoyance is easy to fix.
So, create a simple checklist for setting up a client, so their information is in the right place, right from the start.
Download our free e-book on setting up a new client checklist for more.
Let me know how it goes.