28. August 2010 by Bob Griffin.

I was speaking with a class of management students this week at the University of Georgia.  My topic was on getting customers, but I veered off topic a little when we got to communication to customers and word-of-mouth marketing.  I mentioned that bad word of mouth marketing - the media saying bad things about you or your business - can actually help you if it is played well.  Since it was a group of students and Thursday is the unofficial start to the weekend, I was impressed when they sat up and took notice of my statement.

There are exact times and places when bad word-of-mouth marketing works when nothing else will.   Seems counter-intuitive, but it is true and we have real world examples of this to point to.  BP has been dragged through the mud (or mucky oil if you wish) with little hope of recovery.  When the oil platform exploded and people died, that was a low point for them.  When millions of gallons of oil washed up on shore killing wildlife and the economy of several states, that was another low point.  It seemed that there was no end to the bad news and the CEO, Tony Hayward, was not helping the situation…except he was.

When bad things happen (and bad things will always happen) you have two ways of handling it.  Fight it or deal with it.   The first part, fighting it, seems to be what Tony wanted to do and we can see how far that got him.  He was covering his company’s rump with as much actions as he could stand, but he was ill prepared to make much positive change since he really did not understand why everyone was upset with him.  He wanted things to “go back to normal” as fast as possible since the accidents did not impact him directly.  He was mad and all of the actions he showed indicated he wanted to fight back.  To the families who lost a loved one or the people who live and work by the Gulf coast, they wanted to fight too.  One man against a population who have been harmed is ugly.

So, when the cap was attached to the pipe and the oil stopped gushing out of the well, they fired old Tony.  Look back and you will see, the bad press for the most part stopped as well.  All of the bad word-of-mouth marketing ended when the target - Tony Hayward - left the scene.  BP and the Board of Directors were smart enough to see that they had a chance to let the bad press go when they let Tony go.  No face to the business means the press is unable to fight and the population has no target for tough words.  Did the problem go away? No, but the bad word-of-mouth marketing was carried away on Tony’s shoulders.  Now, any news is going to be compared with the bad news that Tony endured.

Timing is everything.  If they fired Tony before they capped the well, it would still be BP that was the bad guy.  With a built in bad guy, they waited and made the change when good news was available.  BP is a media savvy company.

I was going to add in examples of other industries and celebrities, but you get the idea.  Since bad things happen, you have a choice in what you can do.  Fighting is sometimes an option.  Tony Hayward thought so.  BP let him fight. Then, they let him go away with the bad press.  Will BP bounce back? Yes.  Exxon did and they did the same thing with the Captain Joe Hazelwood of the Exxon Valdez.  There are ways to let things work out without losing your business.  Are you ready for all of the kinds word-of-mouth marketing?

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26. July 2010 by Noel Guilford.

Volume 1: Employee’s

All employers will at some instance experience their fair share of the typical issues when dealing with employees. Undoubtedly some employers’ will have more issues than others. These issues can range from a constant ache to an unmanageable thorn in one’s side. I’m sure that many of you are eagerly nodding in agreement. On that note let me say the white unicorn does exist. Yes, there are employers that presently experience very few issues if any. Rest assured that it is by no coincidence, or random happenstance, but a result of someone’s diligence. For the rest, it’s time to treat the cause of the problem, and not the symptoms.
Any of these sound familiar

High Absenteeism

High Turnover

Low Productivity

Increased Employee Injuries

Customer Dissatisfaction/Retention

Low Employee Referral

Research organizations and corporations have sought to find the correlating factor since the 1980’s. Interestingly, in a report by The Corporate Executive Board in 2003, all paths lead to employee satisfaction and employee commitment. The important thing to understand is what “employee satisfaction and employee commitment” mean to you and your organization. I encourage those readers that are business owners or leaders in business that now need this answer to begin a journal if you do not already do so. Bulldog rule #5 says “Every business is a people business” and the journal will log your progress as you become an employee driven business.

“You don’t even know me!”

Do you? Have your leaders, if you have them, and yourself list each person that they are responsible for managing. Now for each person list those things that do and do not motivate that employee. This should be enough to show most that they have no idea how to help each employee reach their full potential. Have a human resources department, great, but what do you do if you don’t. Creating and using an employee poll and survey to determine the cultural health of your business costs you time and effort and earns loyalty and commitment.

“Managing is managing and leading is leading”

You will get one or the other. A manager is only going to go so far as to make sure that the requirements of their position are met, if that. If you want someone innovative with self initiative and drive, then you want a leader. Expect a manager to direct your workforce and a leader to develop your workforce. Not all cases call for a leader and it’s up to the vision of the business to determine that. To place the responsibility of employee satisfaction and employee commitment into the hands of a manager is a vital mistake for everyone involved.

“You can’t kill weeds with a lawn mower”

Good luck at getting rid of your employee issues by punishing or threatening to punish those that break the rules. My personal favorites are memo postings that are clearly meant to cause compliance through intimidation. If employees possess some sense of investment then anything that brings harm to the business also brings harm to them.
To simplify, connect with your employees find out who they are. Provide collected information to someone that can support that connection. Address issues proactively and preventatively that result in the employee’s desire to integrate themselves because it is mutually beneficial.

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30. June 2010 by Bob Griffin.

I teach business skills every day.  There are people that I deal with who have many more years of experience in business and have many more degrees from prestigious colleges, but there is always something that I can suggest that has merit to adding customers and sales or reducing costs. Business, like some of our readers have noticed, has many angles and can be approached with a new view even after centuries of sales.

The reason I mention this is that I had my finest achievement recently and it involved a businessman that is headstrong, stubborn, and doesn’t listen to me most of the time.  I guess I need to restate a few things.  He does listen.  He just never let me know he was paying attention.  Business skills are learned as much as they are a part of a person’s personality.  I would rate his skills before this past weekend as high in personality but low in business acumen.

Once the weekend hit, I learned how wrong I was.  He had learned the lessons I taught about how to build a brand and I learned a few things myself.

To say that I saw the best businessman in any industry at work is an understatement.  I saw him stop traffic…I mean he stopped traffic!  People got out of their cars and spent money right there at the street.  He is beyond a doubt the very best.

• I saw him stand at the front counter and grab people’s attention with a wave and smile.
• He was charming and polite.
• He asked customers for the sale and then asked them if they wanted more.  He asked enough questions until he got to the word “No”.
• He was fast serving them.
• He was quick to close the sale.
• He mentioned that they could stop back for more later…for an additional fee.
• He thanked them warmly and continued to be polite.
• He knew the sale did not end the relationship with the customer.
• He asked them to mention the products to friends.

I was proud.  I was very proud.

The “man” is my 8 year old son.  He asked me a few weeks ago to help him start his own business.  Knowing that an 8 year old doesn’t think small and would want to lease space for a store front if I let him, I worked a deal with him to build a lemonade stand if he was willing to follow my rules for business.  Little man has heard me talk about business since before he could talk, so I knew he heard the Bulldog Rules for Business, but I did not realize how much he had taken them to heart and was able to demonstrate them and make money.

I built the lemonade stand and he paid for the cups and the lemonade mix.  We were going to freshly squeeze the lemons, but we decided to make profits instead.  There is always an element of profitability that every good businessman must take into account.  The task of running the booth was his alone.  I stood by and ended up assisting (I filled cups with ice), but I did not engage the customers.  That was his job and I did not want to artificially increase sales by stepping over his management.

To say that I was stressed in watching my son run a small business in my driveway is an understatement.  I wanted to help, take over, manage the station, and control the sales.  That is what “Type A” personalities do…we jump in and get it done.  This, however, was my chance to see if I am a good coach.  I wanted to see if the lessons I preach can be lived on a very small scale and make a big impact.  It worked!

Little man was amazing.  He did stop traffic.  He even sold lemonade to the lady driving that infernal ice cream truck with the horrible music.  She stopped right in front of his stand and bought from him.  She was impressed with his sales ability (He asked her if she wanted two cups since it was such a hot day).  He sold to neighbors, his friends, and anyone who happened down our street that morning. He started selling lemonade at 9:00am.  I can’t drink lemonade that early.  I still taste toothpaste at 9:00am, but people bought and loved it.

Like I do in every article on Business Bulldog, I want to know if your team is following the rules that an eight year old made look easy.  The Bulldog Rules for Business are common sense, but powerful when followed.  Can you have the enthusiasm of an eight year old every day and with every sale?  Can you speak clearly and ask for the sale and then ask for more from the customers without sounding like you are selling to them?  Do you ask your customers to send friends to your store?  Do you ask how they like your products and service?  My son did and now he has a following of people who want to come back for more.

As for using a powdered mix instead of fresh lemons, the customers loved the experience, so it didn’t matter.  It isn’t all about the product.  The best situations to get a sale involve the product, the engagement, and the environment.  Get these things right and the sales will come.  The drink was good enough leaving room for profits without cheating customers.  The engagement of the sale to the customers was better than they would have gotten at 100 times the price.  Finally, he maintained a clean, good looking environment for customers to feel confident they were getting a good product.  How about your store?

That old saying, “When life gives you lemons - make lemonade” is a good one.  A better saying is “Start with the lemons and make money”.

**Side note:  He sold between 60 and 70 glasses of lemonade in just a few hours.  I don’t know the exact number because many customers were giving him 100 percent tips!

Posted in Customer Service, Being the Boss, Training, Making Money | Print | 1 Comment »

10. June 2010 by The Original Bulldog - Bob Griffin.

It is always the execution that we stumble on.  Mostly because we get the right idea with the wrong delivery.  I was passing this sign and had to take the picture.  It seems innocuous, but add the word “IF” to the end of the message and you have a whole new meaning.  It would be our pleasure to serve you IF we wanted to or IF we were done with our smoke break.  Any time you do not make a good point, you lose credibility and putting a bland message out says a lot about who you are.

“It is our pleasure to serve you” is a better message, but what does it mean?  Why are you wasting prime space on your sign to make a throwaway statement?  Step up and sell me something.  Be funny or eye catching.  Be bad, strange, or thoughtful, but be something that people will remember.  This made me think they are not worth my time.  From the number of cars driving by that had passengers that didn’t even look at the sign, I am right in my analysis.

The message you send needs to be as thought out as any big advertising campaign.  If you are not making the effort to do something that will draw customers into your store to buy, you are wasting time, money, and effort. 

I saw a tiny doughnut store that was packed.  I mean they had people who were getting kind of personal they way they were crammed into the front of the store and everyone one of them was smiling and wanting to spend money.  The sign at the front of the store said, “Fresh Doughnuts! If we drop them twice we throw them away!”.  That is bad, but it was memorable.  It has been over twenty years since I visited that shop and I still talk about that sign and those doughnuts.  Did anyone really think they reused a doughnut that they dropped?  Maybe.  Did it keep some customers away?  Yes.   Why is that good?  The owners made it a point to target the customer base they wanted.  They wanted fun people who would put up with a tiny store and being packed in.  I bet you go somewhere that is not up to your standards as an owner, but keeps you coming back because of some bit of character the place created.

Never let your message be wasted on blah!

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6. June 2010 by The Original Bulldog - Bob Griffin.

Since posting my last article, I have been hit with many questions from readers about what BP should be doing to protect themselves and build on their reputation.  Right now they have the President of the United States beating them up verbally at every chance and the media starting to find ways that BP is not working to stop the spill from hitting the beaches along the east coast.

It is a tough situation.  One one hand, they are at fault.  They drill for oil as part of their operations and spills happen.  One the other hand, they want to survive the crisis and grow their brand.  The marketing they have put out since to spill has not helped.  Stodgy old business-types yammering on your TV about how much they are doing when the oil is still spilling as a bad way to save your reputation.  People don’t care about what you are having other do.  They care about getting the job done.  A better way of building your band would be to show rather than say what you are doing.

If I was CEO, I would be out on the beach before daybreak with a bucket and gloves picking up globs of oil.  I would be part of a very large group of people who normally sit in the BP offices working harder than anyone.  You want to show you care and that you mean what you say.  Show it…and shut up.

The media is all about image and if you want to be seen as someone who wants to get your business back on track, then get in there and get your hands dirty.  Saying that you just want to get “your life back to normal” (or whatever the quote is) is the opposite of getting the track back under your business.

Be a part of the solution.  The greatest asset you have in a time of severe crisis is to stop talking and start leading by example.  Do you think CEO Tony will help himself and go clean up the oil?  I would bet he never even thought about getting a bit dirty in order to stop the criticism being shoveled at BP.

As for the President of the United States shaking his fist at BP, that is another lack of leadership that we do not have space for here. Again, it is about acting now and talking later.

As for you and your business, you do not need a major crisis to have the need to get your hand dirty.  If morale drops, get on the front line and show the team that you want to be there with them.  Your business growth is the distance of your front counter - from the customer to your cash register.  Stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.  The more you are seen the more you will change - dramatically change -  the character of your business.  You get credibility by being credible.  Walk the walk FIRST…let others talk about you by the example you set.

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