Be Different or be dead

April 4, 2012

Why too many layers in an organization prevent great customer service

Source: Unsplash

Why too many layers in an organization prevent great customer service.

How many levels in your organization separate the executives from the customer? Too many I suspect…

Stand-out organizations have a specific objective to minimize the number of layers between those that serve customers and those that are in leadership positions.

Amazing things happen when these structural filters are removed.

— leadership is better informed about market - both customers and competitors- behaviour since communication lines are more direct and fewer numbers of managers are in a position to filter any market news that could be helpful in executing the organiation’s strategy;

— the frontline gets heard in terms of the barriers to their performance; leaders have a better chance to cleanse the internal environment and make it easier for customer serving employees to do a better job;

— managers in the organization are forced to actually do more than manage. A flatter structure requires managers to perform tasks rather than delegate;

— response times to customer problems improve as leaders are made aware of problems in a timely manner;

— the organization’s customer learning abilities improve as information within the organization flows more freely;

— decisions are made faster as leaders are informed of performance levels in real time mode;

— operating expenses are reduced without impacting the customer;

— the ability to respond to unanticipated events in the environment is dramatically improved. Feedback on events happens quicker; reaction time shortens.

Organization structure is the vehicle to allocate resources to execute a strategy.

It will encumber plan execution if it is too vertical and bureaucratic; it will facilitate it if it is flat.

Structures don’t serve management; they should serve the customer

Does yours?

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 4.4.12 at 10:00 am by Roy Osing
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April 2, 2012

Why a sneaky grin can mean you are being betrayed

Source: Unsplash

Why a sneaky grin can mean you are being betrayed.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover….

Or a person by the way they’re dressed.

Sure an underwhelming cover sometimes masks brilliance. But it works the other way as well.

In fact the pretty package could hide a devastating downside. Great looks and a pristine veneer can be deceiving.

He can flash a big grin at you while cursing you under his breath. Ever been ‘grinned’?

He can answer all of your questions absolutely perfectly, yet he doesn’t believe a word he says.

The pretty first impression can be completely misleading.

The act can be captivating.

Better look deeper.

Better spend the time and confirm that his looks and words portray who he really is.

Fashion isn’t important. Human DNA is. Is he real? Does he care about other humans?

It really doesn’t matter what his intellectual capacity is. If he doesn’t relate to people he and you will be trouble.

If he can’t contribute to the humanity of your organization you won’t be getting a payback on your investment.

Do a deep dive under his pretty and plastic finish. Strip it off. Expose the real person. Be brutal if you have to.

If your experience with him doesn’t give you goosebumps, next…..

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 4.2.12 at 10:41 am by Roy Osing
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March 29, 2012

How your brilliant business proposal can be a whopping success

Source: Pexels

How your brilliant business proposal can be a whopping success.

Your business proposal has been approved. Awesome! Well done!

All your hard work has paid off. The many hours of analysis. Research. Economic study. Trade-off assessment. Lobbying for support.

Make no mistake about it though. All you have done is make the paper case that your plan will succeed.

You have in no way created a case that will actually win in the real world.

In fact most of the work that has to be done takes place after your plan has been approved internally.

Execution brings your proposal to life.

Whatever the number of hours invested in developing your proposal spend 3 times more in creating your detailed execution plan.

Critical steps in your action plan

— Assign the individuals who will be assigned to each;

— Set the completion dates for each action item;

— Establish the review process that will be followed to ensure implementation is moving forward as planned;

— Define the contingencies for when things go off track (and they will).

Your business case has given you the right to commit resources to a given course. It is a mere possibility and guarantees nothing in terms of success.

Put in the hard work into execution for success.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 3.29.12 at 08:03 am by Roy Osing
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March 26, 2012

3 important ways to power up your business

Source: Pexels

3 important ways to power up your business.

Everyone is looking for the key to winning in business.

Problem is there isn’t ONE key. Winning in today’s intensely competitive world is all about doing a ton of simple things that create distance from the competitive herd.

But there are 3 things that, if done with passion and relentless tenacity, will turbocharge any organization on a winning path.

1. Have an ONLY Statement

Create a competitive claim that clearly establishes your distinctiveness. Your uniqueness. What makes you special compared to others.

“We are the ONLY ones that…..” is a practical way to create your position that is not aspirational, but can be executed in the marketplace. The ONLY statement is your elevator speech to describe what you do and who you are.

2. Do stuff for your loyal customers

Make them the center of attention. Build your business on the backs of the people who are loyal to you. Offer them the special deals first; don’t try and use promotions to acquire new customers until you’ve taken care of your loyalists first.

Make it easy for them to ‘sneeze’ you to others. Grow your business by trusting that if you leave your fans gaspworthy they will spread your word.

3. Make your game the dazzle game

Loyalty is created by delivering WOW! experiences not products that work according to specifications. People expect things to work the way you say they will. What they don’t expect is a mind-blowing experience when they get them.

Dazzle = powerful positive feelings = loyalty = word-of-mouth promotion = long term success. It’s just that simple.

Focus on getting started by creating this culture in your organization and it will yield the end-game you want

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 3.26.12 at 09:53 am by Roy Osing
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