Roy's Blog: September 2011
September 29, 2011
Treat Machines Like People
What About Me?
Cruising with The ONLY
The Silver Bullet for Leaders
I think there is ample evidence to support my thesis that giving a human dimension to a machine actually produces amazing outcomes for people.
Case in point: Slot Machines. I have seen people stroke them. Brush them with affection. Coax them with their hands to deliver another ‘7’. Talk to them with tenderness. Apply Theurapeutic Touch strokes over their viewing pane to relax them and feel easy about delivering the big payoff.
AND I have seen people win. Win big. Win Consistently.
Seen them rewarded for their efforts. you stroke me; I’ll pay it back. Creating an environment of mutual adulation. A reciprocity in Caring. That’s what’s going on here with cogs, gears and levers.
People loving machines. It should be an easy leap to People loving People. Right? But it’s an issue in my view. Humanity is getting sucked out of organizations as the quest for cost reduction is pursued. As rules and policies designed for efficiency control the customer experience.
Unfortunately the customer is the collateral damage. And businesses wonder why they lose their fans and their future. Maybe we need to treat people like slot machines waiting to pay us off. Maybe THEN, when we can see the benefit to us, we will put some humanity back where it belongs.
Cheers,
Roy
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September 26, 2011
What About Me?
Let the Numbers Speak
What If You Could ONLY Do 3 Things?
The Silver Bullet for Leaders
I am really concerned about the marketing that pervades our world these days. Particularly when it comes to growing revenues. Acquiring NEW customers is in the sights of marketing folks as the number one way to achieve growth. And there are many Carrot Offers out there to entice people to switch from their current supper to another. “Switch to me and I’ll give you 10,000 Aeroplan Points.” “Switch to me and get 25% off for the next three months.”
All great deals for people who currently don’t do business you! But what are you doing for those folks who have been loyal to you for the past 10 years or longer? What about those who may have liked you enough to have recommended you to others?
Its such a travesty! So inconsiderate! You are prepared to give a great offer to someone who does business with someone else in hopes she will come to you and stay? What makes you think she will be loyal to you if you convinced her to leave her previous supplier. False logic. And a double whammy.
One: you don’t really generate a new long term revenue source. Two: you piss off your loyal Fans who WILL find out how you have treated others in favor of them.
Smart marketing?
Dumb! BE DiFFERENT: take care of your Fans. Give THEM your best Offers FIRST. Trust that they will spread your word to their friends and create growth opportunities for your business. Turning your back on your Fans is NOT the way to grow your business.
But it is an awesome way to KILL it.
Cheers,
Roy
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September 22, 2011
Cruising with The ONLY
Let the Numbers Speak
Social Media Can’t be the ONLY One Standing
The Silver Bullet for Leaders
I am always on the lookout for a good ONLY Statement. Regular readers will know what I mean. If you can declare that your organization is the ONLY one that .... you are well on your way to becoming distinctive and unique.
Uniworld offers river cruises throughout the world. Their ONLY is: “Uniworld is the only Authentic Boutique Cruise Line”.
How do they support this claim? By partnering with Red Carnation Hotels - “an award winning collection of five-star hotels.” By using the Red Carnation Hotels’ design team, Uniworld is able to create their fleet in the image of a boutique hotel: “...stunning interiors replete with all the comforts and conveniences you’d expect from the world’s finest hotels.”
Having been on several vacation cruises with most of the Cruise Line companies I can say that their claim is true. Look, feel and attention to detail creates a very different experience with Uniworld than any other Cruise Line that tends to be characterized by long line-ups, average food, too many passengers, mediocre entertainment and extra charges for everything. The Cruise Line Herd.
This is one of the best examples of an ONLY that has been created by a strategy to offer a unique experience for their customers.
Nicely done Uniworld! Oh, did I mention they hire “Human Being Lovers”?
Oh ya!
Cheers,
Roy
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September 19, 2011
BE DiFFERENT: The Silver Bullet for leaders
Let the Numbers Speak
Social Media Can’t be the ONLY One Standing
Opposites Attract
If ever there were a singular principle for the leader of an organization to focus on, it’s BE DiFFERENT. It’s not only a life saver, it’s THE critical driver of success.
Consider the characteristics of the Competitive Herd:
- it’s about flogging products
- messages are pushed at people
- everyone copies everyone else
- traditional media is used to blast out one’s message. Conversations are generally absent
- product features are incrementally changed to match a competitor
- mass market approaches are still honored even though mass markets don’t exist
What an opportunity for an organization to break out from the Herd and early differentiate themselves in the VALUE they create for people.
Leaders need to spend more time asking their people ‘How can we BE DiFFERENT?’. ‘How can we be more relevant to our customers in a unique way?’. ‘Why do we copy others?’ ‘Why do we have to rely on price discounting to sell our stuff?’
If leaders don’t ask the right questions they will never get the answers they need to create a ReMARKABLE organization.
Cheers,
Roy
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