Refractions http://www.refractivecomm.com A matter of message perspective and customer communications. posterous.com Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:19:00 -0800 A Customer is Not a Process http://www.refractivecomm.com/a-customer-is-not-a-process http://www.refractivecomm.com/a-customer-is-not-a-process

Howarthoboe2

Come on … say it with me.

“A customer is not a process.”

Part 1

My oldest daughter plays the oboe, and plays it quite well. It was time for us to buy her “a good one” with full conservatory fingering, so we went (an hour’s drive) to the largest in-stock music instrument inventory store in the world: Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center, a crammed-full, old fashioned-styled, complete-with-original-wooden-cashier-cage, family-run establishment.

Now here’s where it gets real interesting …

After doing all the right things (with attentive, personal service), we selected a handmade, wooden Howarth oboe and went to pay for it. Novel as it may sound, we had saved up for this moment and I wrote a check from our special-purchase savings account. The salesclerk in her wooden cashier’s castle dutifully processed the check, processed it again, and then somberly handed it back to me with a little slip of paper. “Telecheck could not validate your check. Call them on the phone there and see what’s holding it up.”

The telephone conversation went well enough at first: yep, received check request; yes, you have sufficient funds in the account; validated, excellent credit history; okay, updated and confirmed this info in my system file. Great! I asked for whatever approval code I needed to hand the patient folks here at the music store, and I’d be on my way.

--- Can’t do that. Not enough account activity.

--- But this is our special savings account for the rare, special purchase; not much activity.

--- No can do. Not enough transaction activity.

The conversation went downhill in a rush after that.

I was a process, not a customer---not even a customer-once-removed on behalf of the music store. And I couldn’t get him to see it.

Even if Telecheck did not empower him to approve the transaction, he should have had the customer-service-sense to pass me on to a superior who did. Nope. No way. No how.

The only solution he could offer was for me to write numerous checks of small amounts over the next seven days, and then try the larger purchase again.

I had an empty checkbox next to my name in their heartless automated system and there was nothing I could do---or that he would do---to fix it.

There in the music store, I started storyboarding a Telecheck music video in the fine tradition of United Breaks Guitars.

Part 2

After re-cradling the receiver (have you slammed down a phone in the last 11 years? … MUCH more satisfying than pushing an Off button), I returned to the old-fashioned, wooden cashier cage and summarized for the lady inside the one point or two that she might not have overheard of my emphatic telephone discussion.

She looked at me for a moment and my daughter cradling the almost-hers oboe, and said, “Let me see that check. I’ll be right back.” She soon returned and said, “No problem. May I see your driver’s license?”

Less than 10 minutes later, my daughter and I walked out into the sunshine with her new oboe ... proud to be valued customers of Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Store.

I know we are … I’m writing this post, and my daughter has the oboe and an unexpected, free Washington Music Store T-shirt that she wore to school the next day.

A customer is not a process; he or she is an opportunity. Try delighting one, and see what happens.

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:34:00 -0800 You're too much. Really. http://www.refractivecomm.com/youre-too-much-really http://www.refractivecomm.com/youre-too-much-really
Stuffed
 
You're forcing too much on your customers. It's not working, think about it ...

You, sandwich restaurant. You have 12 different garnishes (does anyone say "garnishes" anymore?); count them ... 12. And then you have eight choices for bread, seven different meats, grilled/cold/toasted/nuked/open-faced/regular wrap/lettuce-wrap, fries: string/wrinkle/curly/hand-cut/wedgies/no-salt/extra-salt/spicy/plain, small drink/medium/large/extra large/bucket, carry-in/carry-out, and the final harassment ... paper or plastic?

I no longer know what having it my way means ... my way has way more options than my way ever had before.

Do you differentiate by expanding your core product line with custom options ... just like everyone else?

Quick, which fast food restaurant serves fried chicken sandwiches? Kentucky Fried Chicken? Hardy's? Wendy's? McDonald's? Burger King? Arby's?

Quick, which fast food restaurant serves roast beef sandwiches? Arby's? Burger King? McDonald's? Wendy's? Hardy's? Kentucky Fried Chicken?

What's your core value? What's your core skill? Can you easily find them in your product offering?

Do what you do, and do that service or product better than anybody else. Make something unforgettable, and don't dilute it.

There's nothing memorable in being everything.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Tue, 04 May 2010 06:18:00 -0700 Wi-Fi Bandit Caught Again http://www.refractivecomm.com/wi-fi-bandit-caught-again http://www.refractivecomm.com/wi-fi-bandit-caught-again

Att12059

 

This saga begins with me standing at a Starbucks counter repeating in an incredulous voice what the server had just told me, “The Wi-Fi isn’t free? I have to buy a Starbucks card first?” Nodding sympathetically with a wry smile, she agreed and then said in a conspiratorial whisper, “But it’s free down the street at Panera Bread.”

 

I was in the midst of a 238-mile journey home on a Friday night at 8:20 PM with a pending online task to complete, but I left.


I was willing to pay for coffee, and maybe a pastry, and possibly something else … but I was not going to pay for Wi-Fi. It’s like having to pay for napkins: “Napkins available for free with your $15 Starbucks card purchase.”


I drove down the street to Panera Bread, parked, shouldered my laptop case and hurried to the entrance. A colorful sign on the glass entry door caught my eye, “Free Wi-fi.” I bought coffee and a chocolate pastry, and began working. Just before the 9 PM closing time, I completed and emailed the revised file to my coworker across the country.

  

From the customer experience perspective, Panera Bread's free Wi-Fi was a true customer benefit: easy, free, non-intrusive. Starbucks' misguided attempt to force customer "loyalty" and stickiness derailed a potential customer into the welcoming arms of a competitor. I used to think, "Coffee = Starbucks." But now I've been taught, "Coffee = Panera Bread (+ Wi-Fi + food)." For a company centered on serving coffee, Starbucks now has nothing left in the equation to draw me in the doors again.


A few days later, I was traveling again and needed some coffee. I drove into a shopping center, past Starbucks and into an open parking space in front of Panera Bread. Shouldering my laptop case, I pushed in past the cheerful “Free Wi-Fi” sign on the door, ordered a coffee, a pastry and a sourdough soup bowl lunch, and clicked through the latest online commentary as I ate.

 

Caught again.

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/500470/TwitPict.png http://posterous.com/users/5emk9MCPWmQh Curtis Roberts AREVArenew Curtis Roberts Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:54:00 -0800 More Than Just Woodsmoke http://www.refractivecomm.com/more-than-just-woodsmoke http://www.refractivecomm.com/more-than-just-woodsmoke
Beans
If you’ve ever enjoyed ash-dusted pancakes, innocently inquired after a left-handed smoke bender, and deftly tied a hatchet knot, then you and I have something in common. The 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America started me thinking about the life skills I gained growing up in this intentional youth-building program.

Back then, I just understood Boy Scouting as a merry band of woodsmoke-soaked brothers taking on the wilderness. Little did I realize then that along the way I was being infused with marketable skills and values that serve me well today. Here are just a few, along with a couple of touchstone memories:

Leadership - Ready? Here’s your team of 8 boys, ages 11 to 17, some interested, some apathetic, some skilled, some intentionally ignorant, some fresh from the apron strings. Your task is to mold them into a competitive team, challenge them with stretch responsibilities, teach them new skills, push them to catch that second wind, assuage their bogeyman fears, build camaraderie, endure the “remember when” tent-drenching lightening storms, and encourage leadership. One other thing ... you’re a Patrol Member, not the Leader.

Perseverance - A compass-guided, backcountry orienteering course is a great way to carefully get lost. With a topographic map, compass coordinates and a compass in hand, my two compatriots and I, along with a lips-sealed adult leader, headed off on a deep woods bearing to track down the brightly-colored clues marking each point on the course. We plotted and measured and sighted and trail-blazed all over those woods, but kept at it. We had clearly defined goals, we had the skills (barely), and we knew there was a way to accomplish the task. And we did. Three hours late, but we did. Even more remarkable, the leader tramped silently along with us and let us work it out ourselves, responding only twice the entire outing. I try to remember that patient soul when working with engaged, but novice, team members and my children.

Creativity - Your backpack shoulder strap just broke 21 miles into a 50-miler hike; fasten a new strap of braided rope and a whittled peg to secure it on your packframe. Need to dry soaked clothing at nightfall; fashion drying rack from sturdy branch embedded upright fireside. Buddy forgot pans; cook beans in cans. Buddy forgot hamburger meat; savor beans and eat his portion of dessert. I expect on any given weekend in this country, domesticated, coddled boys learn they can count on themselves and their Scout campmates to come through with a great idea.

Perspective - After a long day of canoeing in pursuit of another coveted 50-miler patch, we finally arrived at our intended riverside campsite to discover an occupying force of cows bedded down for the night. Too tired to argue, we retreated to a small, tree-covered island a little further downstream, set up quick camp, ate a cold meal, sacked out, and woke up shortly after midnight with water creeping in our tents from the upstream dam unexpectedly opening its floodgates. We tossed our soggy gear into the floating, but tied, canoes and took to the branches. Our treed Scoutmaster framed it as another challenge that couldn’t beat us, and our night hanging from the trees became an exciting, memorable experience instead of a frustrating obstacle.

Discerning Palate - When camping, food was what you made it---literally: pot-charred chili, ash-dusted pancakes, soapy scrambled eggs. If I could discern it was edible, I ate it. Don’t sweat the small annoyances; they’re small and fleeting unless you nurture them. That doesn’t mean you helplessly suffer, though. I started bringing a Plan B stash of little Granny Smith apples for cinnamon campfire-baked apples. Delicious.

As a youth, my family moved every three years. And every three years I was welcomed into a new band of boys enjoying the Scouting program, testing themselves, and most ending up as capable young men. 

What a concept.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:39:20 -0800 The Right Knot Improves Customer Service http://www.refractivecomm.com/the-right-knot-improves-customer-service http://www.refractivecomm.com/the-right-knot-improves-customer-service
Shoestrings

I discovered a better way to serve my customers … all because I just learned how to tie my shoes.

This is in no way a poor reflection on my mother or maternal grandmother, who taught me as a young child how to tie the shoestring knot using a big ribbon around the neck of a 4-foot-long stuffed toy tiger. This is a reflection of a good-enough process providing sufficient results with easy-to-correct deviations. I never thought twice about tying my shoes … until a trustworthy source recently asked a fundamental question:

Are you tying your shoes the right way?

Of course, I am. Aren't I? My shoestring knot has two loops of near equal size, the shoestring ends (aglets) do not drag the ground, my shoes stay on my feet, and I only occasionally have to re-tie a loose knot.

Good enough.

But Runners World brings up the point that there is a right knot: it stays tight and many of us are tying the correct knot (a reef knot) on one shoe, but not the other. That’s me; how about you?

Now that I know the difference and I have bought-in to the benefit, basic though it may be, I’m relearning how to tie my left shoe (one of my 3 Words in action: Notebook). Six Sigma process improvement folks call this DMAIC: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. I’m in the Improve stage and finding it surprisingly difficult to alter my habit, but now my deliberately tied shoestrings are matching examples of beauty and performance (not like the pre-insight image above).

This got me wondering about possible good-enough habits in the way I process work, in the way I work with others, and in how my team conducts business. I took a thoughtful look at the everyday things I never thought twice about, and found that I should. A tweak here and change there would achieve an even better experience for my customers and me.

Have you intentionally thought about the processes you initiate or manage: the way you manage your email interactions, engage in personal discussions, address challenging situations?

Many years ago my Psyc 101 professor started the year by wordlessly projecting this statement on the screen for 10 seconds, “You have every right to be who you are, but no right to stay that way.” Now I’m thinking about how that statement applies to how I do things.

I found ways to improve. What did you find?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:17:22 -0800 Solving the Wrought Iron Rat's Nest http://www.refractivecomm.com/solving-the-wrought-iron-rats-nest http://www.refractivecomm.com/solving-the-wrought-iron-rats-nest
Clef

I like puzzles. Especially, a “tavern puzzle” crafted of wrought iron twisted and bent upon itself, and then intertwined with another piece. The goal is simple: Extract the one piece from the other. It’s the “doing” that’s perceived as daunting and I’ve had friends wave off even trying to solve such a complicated-looking conundrum.

In just the same way, I’ve seen very capable managers dodge leadership and project challenges because the doing looks too tough, or too unusual, or too far afield from what they’ve done before. Or else they rattle the situation around a bit to see if it will solve itself and then, if it doesn’t, confirm the situation as intractable and cobble together a work-around.

The key to the puzzle is a position of perception: There is a solution.

For example, I KNOW this cantankerous, obstinate metal ring will untangle from this wrought iron rat’s nest. I know there is some way to get turf-sensitive Department A and belligerent Department B to cooperatively achieve this market-changing goal.

I just don’t know how … yet.

If you look closely at my tavern puzzles, you’ll notice shiny spots in the crooks and bends where I time and again slid that metal ring along the wrought iron trying one idea after another; winnowing down the possibilities. There is a solution, usually something unexpected, unusual and, before now, untried.

Did you notice, though, that once you solve the challenge, you can much more easily do so again and again and again, even where others still cannot? A career skill differentiator. What challenge have you solved into a skill?

In my tavern puzzle collection is one called “The Treble Clef.” I worked that puzzle for days, trying this and that to no avail, until I finally solved it. “Check.” I knew how to solve that puzzle … and now I’m told “Treble Clef” has two solutions. 

Interesting. 

I wonder what happens if I go around this way …

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:33:00 -0800 GPS. Architect. Notebook. 2010. http://www.refractivecomm.com/gps-architect-notebook-2010 http://www.refractivecomm.com/gps-architect-notebook-2010
3words

I am not a natural list-maker. I am not even a natural list-checker to a list I did happen to draft into existence. Therefore, I am a poster child New Year’s resolution-maker in the time-honored tradition of make’ em and miss ‘em, which is fine unless I really want to achieve certain goals in the coming year.

So, if not a list of goals, what then to bring about the new me in 2010?

My natural state is a creative, big picture strategic thinker, quickly seeing connections, opportunities and possibilities in nearly all situations … and now I see my goals for 2010 coalescing around Chris Brogan’s “3 Words for 2010” approach.

Chris uses three words to guide his actions and the projects he takes on throughout the year. As he says, “… what I’m trying to do with the words is come up with something that would take more than a sentence to describe, but that when you think about it, the ideas explode out to fill your head with thoughts of how you might want to conduct yourself.”

Just three words: Got it.

No long list: Excellent.

Big picture thinking: Naturally.

After much pondering and, yes, a LIST of thoughts and ideas, I brewed it down to these three words that have meaning and direction for me in 2010:

1. GPS (God-Positioning System) – On track, attentive and in motion

2. Architect – Build up ideas, build up people, build up situations

3. Notebook – Note what I can learn from others, draft creative ideas in the margins

For another Three Words example, see Cheryl’s.

This’ll be an interesting year for me. I can tell already. A year of changes and achievements in three-part harmony. 

Naturally.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:21:21 -0800 They Got It Wrong, Daddy http://www.refractivecomm.com/they-got-it-wrong-daddy http://www.refractivecomm.com/they-got-it-wrong-daddy
Collar

My youngest daughter sparked some thoughts on team management Sunday morning. She walked up to me in the dress she picked out and said, “They got it wrong, Daddy.”

Apparently after careful consideration, she intentionally put the dress on backwards. In her 8-year-old wisdom and opinion, she felt the dress looked better that way. It didn’t matter to her that a well-known brand, its century of experience, its bevy of educated designers and its well-established manufacturing processes clearly marked the back of the dress with the fancy tag now residing under her chin. She tried the dress on backwards, liked the result and came to me with her idea.

Can your team confidently come to you with your product on backwards in an off-label application that’s obviously not the way we do it around here? How would you respond if they did?

I like creative ideas. I encourage disruptive brainstorming. I’d rather back a crazy idea down to a brilliant idea than try to process-build up to one.

But do you, the leader, allow it? Have you given your team permission to generate wild ideas? Are you willing to consider them?

An open-door policy does little good with a closed mind sitting at the desk.

My daughter and I carefully considered her idea. We looked at how the dress fit, how it felt when she sat down and how the bows tied. After testing her idea, we agreed that the dress worked best with the tag in the back.

But, with what she knows now about testing her opinion, if I hear “They got it wrong, Daddy” again, I bet she walks out the front door wearing her dress backwards.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:11:00 -0800 Fitness Center Unfit for Business http://www.refractivecomm.com/fitness-center-unfit-for-business http://www.refractivecomm.com/fitness-center-unfit-for-business
Oobsign

A friend mentioned that he’ll probably drop his fitness center membership this month to save money. He enjoys the new facility and programs, though he only uses the workout room. Apparently, other customers are feeling the financial pinch, too, so the facility is in a budget crunch … and what does the fitness center plan on doing about it?

They will raise the fee on the remaining members as of January 2010. Should we start painting the Out of Business sign now? Will the paint have time to dry before hanging it?

Unfortunately, this everyday circle-the-wagons business response misses the opportunity for creative customer engagement and retention … and growth.

What if, instead of raising the single, comprehensive membership fee, the fitness center broke the fee structure into three levels, each with greater degrees of access to facilities?

What if the inexpensive basic package allowed access to just one program … say, the workout room … and those customers had a black rubbery wristband that allowed them access to the workout room. Those signed up for swimming had a blue wristband.  Mid-level access (and price point) is a bundled package with its own, single distinguishing wristband. The premium level has the ultimate colored wristband.

What if the fitness facility staff came up with an even better approach than this one to segment their products?

Now their customers have lower barriers to entry, more purchase options, and, perhaps, a visible status incentive to increase their membership levels.

Never allow “Never done that before” to define your customer service. 

Always default to “What if …”

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:10:00 -0800 Help Opportunity Knock http://www.refractivecomm.com/help-opportunity-knock http://www.refractivecomm.com/help-opportunity-knock

Opportunityknocks

My 20-something cousin just returned Stateside from serving in the Peace Corps in Ukraine and Ghana. She's preparing to kick off her DC job search for an international policy position, and asked me for suggestions from my own recession-sparked career change.

Here's the gist of the conversation:

1. Establish a LinkedIn Profile - Immediately make your business skills and experience available for the world to see and build your contacts network. This is not an online resume. This is a networking, promotion tool. For each position (paid or volunteer), briefly summarize your skills and responsibilities. Your profile gives your connections and browsing HR folk talking points to spur that next recommendation or job interview query. Write recommendations for your contacts; they may reciprocate. Update your status weekly. The update appears on everyone else's pages (keeping you fresh in their minds), gives an idea of your business skills and shows activity on your part. As you broaden your online business brand, maximize your exposure by linking to your blog, Twitter and any other online resources. LinkedIn's About is a great starting point.

2. Set Up a Twitter Account for You, The Professional - This is the account where you follow your industry thought leaders, talk with other business professionals, and start building a network in your desired field. Tapping into the Twitter stream of consciousness reveals what these industry professionals are working on, what skills you may need to develop, and how your unique abilities can help solve those challenges. Use an aggregator (like TweetDeck) to manage the wealth of streaming information, and follow Chris Brogan's advice on managing your time.

3. Write Your Resume - This is third because the simplicity, impact and immediacy of the first two rank them higher. Remember, your resume must answer not only the What, but also the So What. Sure you held this position with these responsibilities for this organization---what impact did you have by being there: positive increase, positive decrease, reduced time, improved relationships? Use numbers; 99% of the time.

4. Print Business Cards - Yes, get a card reader/sender for your phone (like Mashable's list), but you also need a hard copy version to fill the gap until we reach the same smart phone saturation point email achieved in replacing hard copy memos and letters. Don't short-change your printed business card with only contact information. Include three bullet points with three-word or less statements of your top marketable skills. Be unique in your list. Your Twitter stream listening post should give you which of your differentiator skills would catch someone's eye. You may also want to include your Twitter account and blog.

5. 10-second Response - Write down and practice saying a 10-second synopsis of who you are, what position you're seeking, and how you're using your three differentiators in whatever you've done recently. You will use some version of this response more frequently than you might expect.

6. Start a Microblog - You have great thoughts. You are the only one with your life experience and, therefore, your perspective in your industry. Writing your thoughts down builds your own understanding of your perspective and gives others the opportunity to expand your thinking. It's also another way employers can learn more about you and encourage a job contact. Simple tools like Posterous and WordPress make it easy to post content and distribute across multiple social media.

7. Network in Person - Join an organization with other professionals and build those personal relationships. Make it easy for your contacts to remember you and recommend you to others by defining yourself using your 10-second Response. Once you've built a relationship, ask if you can connect on LinkedIn. Twitter is a more open network and enables a connection without necessarily developing a relationship first. Larger metro areas often have a Young Professionals group, like this one in DC.

8. Volunteer - Take your focus off yourself and give of your business talents or personal abilities to a nonprofit organization. You'll help make the world a better place, and just might build your career skills and form beneficial relationships in the process. Seek out your favorite charity or check with your local United Way for a list of area nonprofits.

9. Above All and More Than Anything Else - Be yourself, be honest and be optimistic.

What else would you add to help a 20-something find her next marvelous career?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:54:00 -0800 Company's Bobble-headed Explanation Is A Strikeout http://www.refractivecomm.com/companys-bobble-headed-explanation-is-a-strik-0 http://www.refractivecomm.com/companys-bobble-headed-explanation-is-a-strik-0

Bobbledog

When you explain your company's products or services to your customers, you know what you're talking about (or you should) ... do they? Too often we insiders forget to translate our business-speak and our customers end up bobble-head nodding with a glazed stare as we cheerfully confuse them.

Confusion does little to engender trust or build relationships. 

When I wrote promotional copy trying to explain the wonders and workings of life insurance products, I would occasionally run my golden words past my wife or friends to ensure the gobbledigook made sense to these "outsiders." Once we got past the bobble-head moment and I got my explanation through to them, they often said, "Oh, you mean it does ..." and I had my re-write. Never underestimate the value of an ignorant eye.

Try running your material past your uninitiated target audience. You may find your clear, simple explanation is as effective as this baseball description:

Baseball is a game played by two teams, one out the other in. The one that's in, sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out it does count. 

When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out. 

When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over. The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out. 

The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in. 

Got that?

(Thanks to http://www.crosswalk.com/fun/ for the Baseball description)

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:44:00 -0800 Don’t Print This http://www.refractivecomm.com/dont-print-this http://www.refractivecomm.com/dont-print-this

Pastedgraphic

I recently did something that I haven’t done in a long time. While waiting for my car to be inspected early one morning, I read a newspaper. I’m talking about one of those traditional, printed on grey wood fiber, smudged ink newspapers.

It was that morning’s paper with all the fresh news and commentary---except, of course, it wasn’t. The bold print headline stories appeared yesterday on my TweetDeck. I experienced them in near-live timestream as they unfolded on Twitter.

So, what to read for the next 45 minutes??

- Section A International was old news.

- Section B Business was old news.

- Section C Local was old news.

- Section D Classifieds was ignored (thanks, searchable Craigslist).

- Section E Lifestyle was old or uninteresting news.

The print articles’ facts and commentary were dated and even incorrect as compared with postings I read online before driving to the dealership.

Too bad I don’t have a birdcage.

Along with the printed news, the ease of instant information is also whittling away at my RSS feeds. More and more of them seem to deliver dusty thoughts already received real-time via Twitter. Unsubscribe.

Other communication mediums are failing, too. Email and my big, old mailbox up at the street are great for receiving packaged content, but correspondence, well-wishes, updates and invitations are all tweeted these days. Email’s coffin nails accelerated with Google Wave’s launch. Truth be told, I often forget to check my Inbox, and the mailbox doesn’t even cross my mind. How often do you send or receive a letter? I don't even know how much a first-class stamp costs. Do you?

By focusing my Twitter lists and TweetDeck columns on select primary sources, a few wild cards, and Facebook, I easily stay informed and engaged with an immense spectrum of the world and my family that no other medium can match.

How often do you connect via newspaper, RSS feeds, email, snail mail and Twitter? Are your communication methods consolidating?

Excuse me, I have to go … my phone/calendar/browser/camera/game-console/radio/tv/to-do-list just chimed.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:54:00 -0800 Mashable (Facebook): How Do You Know? http://www.refractivecomm.com/mashable-facebook-how-do-you-know http://www.refractivecomm.com/mashable-facebook-how-do-you-know
I regularly click through to Mashable's informative postings and noticed that a good friend of mine, Cheryl, appears in the Facebook window nearly every time. Indeed, since I started keeping track a month ago, Cheryl's photo has graced the FB panel EVERY time, with only one exception.

You may remember, Cheryl is the one who garnered national coverage when her photo unexpectedly appeared in a Seeking Single's ad on her husband's Facebook profile, stoking Facebook's privacy flare-up.

Not that I mind seeing Cheryl so frequently, but still I wonder how Mashable's fan panel knows that Cheryl and I know each other on FB. Seems there might be a lingering link in a backroom server somewhere not included in Facebook's *white hat* privacy options resolution.

Anyone else experiencing this?

See you around, Cheryl ...

[Updated: Soon after this post, Cheryl disappeared from Mashable's Facebook window.]

Mashablefb

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:53:02 -0800 Stop Sign Conversations http://www.refractivecomm.com/stop-sign-conversations http://www.refractivecomm.com/stop-sign-conversations Everything I needed to know about conversation, I learned from a stop sign: Stop. Look. Listen. Engage.

I often forget how easy it is to NOT have a great conversation. By the time I talk to you first thing in the morning, I’m already juggling a brain full of thoughts, my calendar is dragging me onward, I see someone else I also need to catch ... and you have a bit of bagel stuck in your teeth.

Stop. Not a rolling stop, but a full, pause-all-else mental stop and then focus on the person speaking. Looking at him or her helps. Tunnel vision, if necessary, to keep eye contact. The ultimate challenge: Have a truly romantic conversation in a TV sports bar. Could you? Would your date agree?

Try this listening test …

Participants in a listening study averaged seven mental distractions a minute. Score your distraction rate in your next one-on-one conversation. Are you seven or less? Active listening requires proactively refocusing on the speaker every time your attention wanders. Are you with me?

Now ask a question. Questions are the lifeblood of a great conversation. Think of it like a tennis match; each time you ask a question, the ball goes into the other person's court. The most energetic and interesting tennis matches (conversations) include a lot of volleying (questioning) back and forth. Without questions, it’s just one person repeatedly hitting the ball over the net to an empty court. Boring.

Think of the people you really enjoy engaging in conversation. I bet they're great listeners and askers.

I recently realized my distraction rate was low with adults, but often off the scale when my kids talk to me about their day. There were numerous stop sign moments and I'd inattentively blown right through them. My loss. I'm paying attention again.

So, what's your distraction rate? Can we talk?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:05:58 -0700 Identity Crisis: Got Listed? http://www.refractivecomm.com/identity-crisis-got-listed http://www.refractivecomm.com/identity-crisis-got-listed Thanks, Twitter, for lists. Now we can fixate on our personal brand as listed by the adoring masses.

- Am I on so-and-so's list? Why not?

- Hey, I'm on the same list with so-and-so!

- Why did they list me with THOSE people?

- That list title is not what I'm all about. Don't they understand me?

- How many lists am I on?

- Who is following my lists?

- Are my lists better than so-and-so's?

- How do I humbly proclaim whose lists I'm on?

'nuff said ... back for more egoboo-anxiety on lists.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:47:00 -0700 Sometimes, it's great to be a customer http://www.refractivecomm.com/sometimes-its-great-to-be-a-customer http://www.refractivecomm.com/sometimes-its-great-to-be-a-customer

I nearly dropped my phone, but defaulted to a question (thanks Peter) and kept the conversation alive. I was working on printing a new business card layout on staples.marktheworld.com and had trouble with the design tool; the View Proof button showed me a shifted design compared with my on-screen layout.

So, I reluctantly called the Need Help number and, in less than two rings, April answered and asked how she could help. Less than two rings direct to a live, helpful human ... nice. But it gets better ...

She had me try a few ideas. Didn't work. I'm not comfortable with ordering. April then offered to shepherd my order through production and asked me to call her back once I'd ordered online. I did so, she brought up my file, inserted a proof request, said I'll receive it for email approval by tomorrow morning at the latest, and managed my expectations by reviewing the production and shipping times with me. Then she said to call again if I had questions after seeing the proof and asked if there was anything else she could help me with. Thanks, April.

Have you delighted a customer today?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:03:40 -0700 Crazy Customers http://www.refractivecomm.com/crazy-customers-0 http://www.refractivecomm.com/crazy-customers-0 Your customers are crazy. They will provide you---for FREE---a continuous deluge of advice on …. everything. Everything you need to do to make your customers more engaged, more committed, more likely to purchase your product.

Want to know your Web site’s pain points? Just ask. How effective is your frontline phone team? Just ask. What would make your product a market leader? Just ask.

Or are you too scared of the answers? You might have to do something, change something, invest in something.

What percentage of your staff is dedicated to gathering and handling all this free market research? How many levels must a customer with a complaint claw through before reaching an empowered employee? How many “Press 3” phone tree labyrinths before a helpful, authoritative voice answers?

You can tell a lot about a company and its viability by its customer disservice approach.

But back to the free market research … your customers will also prioritize your response. Just listen. They’ll define the problem, describe a solution and prioritize the need. It’s up to you to immediately act on the Must Do’s, address the To Do’s before they fester, and regularly toss in a Delighter to do just that.

Google Wave launched to a select group, who immediately tore it apart and responded with a list of improvements. Sometimes those improvements are termed failings, shortcomings, obvious missteps. Bypass the sticks-n-stones language and appreciate the insights. The Google folks now have a prioritized action list from an expert group of engaged customers.

Go ahead, I dare you. Proactively ask your customers for their advice.

It’s free … crazy as that might seem.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:09:08 -0700 No Thanks, Thanks-giving http://www.refractivecomm.com/no-thanks-thanks-giving http://www.refractivecomm.com/no-thanks-thanks-giving 'Tis the season when my phone rings with caller after caller offering heartfelt appreciation, if I would only donate to their worthy causes.

While many of these charities do a lot of good, I can't support them all (I have my select group), so I thank them for the opportunity, and say, "No, thanks."

At this point, I still have a positive (or at least neutral) opinion of the charity. The insightful agencies thank me for my time, ask me if they can keep me on their call list, and then acknowledge my "Yes" or "No".

Other groups, such as a recent children’s cancer fund caller, dive back in and plow on through the script. The first time they come up for air, I interject with a “Thanks, but no thanks”.

The response?

“But, sir, many of these kids might have died before our next fund drive. Could you just make a $25 donation?”

Having been a paid charity marketer in a past life, I have no respect for bludgeoning money out of potential donors.

State your need. If I connect with your mission, you have my goodwill support. If I decline, leave me as noncommittal. You’ve made an introduction and I may give some other time. Don’t harass me. Don’t disrespect me. Don’t call me insensitive. And now … don’t call me again.

Me again, “No, thanks.”

“Sir, Did you know …”

I hung up and opted out of the rest of the script.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:39:00 -0700 Agreeably Stagnant Gov 2.0 #gov20 http://www.refractivecomm.com/agreeably-stagnant-gov-20-gov20 http://www.refractivecomm.com/agreeably-stagnant-gov-20-gov20
The Gov 2.0 conversation, progressive as it is, is quite agreeably stagnant: everyone agrees something should be done, most folks agree with each other on what should be done, we agree with each other on who should be doing it, and, we agree, it should be done ASAP.

So, I’m glad everyone agrees. Now what?

The challenge seems to lie with getting the wheels of change turning. As a gear in the GE behemoth, I occasionally found my team in a similar quagmire. To accomplish the desired organizational shift, I used a change acceleration process called a Work-out session. This only works if you have the relationships at all levels to secure true commitments to the daylong session, and when the leadership culture requires supporting these focused efforts. Authoritative decision-makers must commit to making the decisions when called, analyzers must provide data when tapped, creative-thinking resources must respond when engaged, and so on through every slice of the organization impacted by the desired change. If you cannot secure the decision-makers, cancel the Work-out and avoid wasting valuable time and effort. Period.

The target driving this decision-making frenzy is the end-of-day presentation to the CEO or senior staff member covering what has been changed and how it will be sustained. Note the past tense “has been changed.” No continuing Work-out the next day, no waiting for get-back-with-you responses, no further study required. Those who can approve change are the ones engaged, no one lesser.

And change happens, usually in just a single day of grueling, inspiring heated discussion by passionate champions with a clear goal.

Lots of reasons why a Work-out can’t happen in government, let’s hear creative ideas on how it could.

Wouldn't you agree?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:28:01 -0700 Tweet Me by Whodeani (Official Music Video) http://www.refractivecomm.com/tweet-me-by-whodeani-official-music-video http://www.refractivecomm.com/tweet-me-by-whodeani-official-music-video
via youtube.com

Great video. Great sign o' the times. Great song to have stuck in your head ... forever.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/229149/straw2.png http://posterous.com/users/36UO1UZHUCE9 Refractive Communications Curtis Roberts Refractive Communications