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 | 24 Comments »

10. June 2010 by 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 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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3. June 2010 by Bob Griffin.

Amazing how quickly things can go wrong and how everyone can know about it.  Ask Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, how fast his head was spinning from news of the broken pipe a mile down in the Gulf of Mexico.  Being the top dog means you have to lead the pack.  Did he step up and bark out good orders?  Nope.  He wasn’t, and isn’t prepared.

How does this relate to your business?  You don’t drill for oil or have a major international brand.  It is just you in your store working as hard as you can to pay the bills and grow your business.  Change “oil spill” for “customer made sick” or “product injury” and you can see where things along your own pipeline from vendor to your shelf to the customer can get quickly out of hand.

Are you ready for disaster?

When you think about all the things that can go wrong, do you think you are ready to handle them or are you hoping that bad things avoid your business?  Countless owners live in fear of something bad happening, but never do anything about it.  If you, for some unknown reason to me, do not have business interruption insurance, get it.

Just like BP, you know that something is going to happen.  Something that makes you sweat, stay up at night, and worry that you won’t have an income.  Or, even worse, you have to pay large sums of money just to stay in business. Bulldog Rule # 6 - Failing to plan for your day, week, month, and year is unacceptable  is one heck of a rule to follow when everyone around you is looking at clear skies and ignoring the bad weather approaching.

Where do you start?  How about at the front door?  Or better yet, start with your lease.  Does it provide for floods, damage to the building, or any number of calamities that can happen to keep your front door from being opened?  Even if you are already in a lease and it doesn’t come up for renewal for years, ask for a rider to the lease that gives you a break on the rent until you are back open.  If the landlord won’t help, then you know you either have to move when the lease ends or add more insurance to what you already have.

Inside the store, train your team to be ready for anything bad.  Robbery, fire, customer accidents, and many other things can happen depending on your business.  If your employees are not trained well in what to do, things can go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.  I have been in far too many stores that have been robbed at gunpoint.  Since I personally trained the team working, the robber left with money and no one was hurt.  You can earn more money.  You can’t replace a life.

Everyone has a job to do in a crisis.  The counter person calls the police, ambulance, or fire department.  The customers are cared for and kept calm.  They will need to stay in the store until the police arrive.  You can’t keep them in the store against their will.  If they want to leave, ask for their name and phone number. Once everything is settled down, the need employees write down what they saw and heard.  The Manager needs to be a calm voice.  If you do not have a “Drama Free” Manager, start looking for one.  Anxiety can lead to bad decision and a reactionary Manager will already be a point of crisis in the business.

Plan and then train.  Simple?  It is.  If BP had planned better for broken pipes a mile underwater, they would not have had much coverage by the media.  Their stock wouldn’t have lost a third of it’s value and they would be pumping oil instead of hiding from the media.

Be ready for whatever can happen and rest well knowing you can handle any crisis.

Posted in Being the Boss, Training, Saving Money | Print | 35 Comments »

3. June 2010 by Monique Guilford.

That’s right folks, there is no way around it. The world is constantly changing around us. We have gone from the Agricultural Era to the Industrial Era. We have gone from women working mainly in the homes to holding a political office. Once upon a time, technology was a strange, new tool to us, but now it has become a tool that is essential for our survival. Change is inevitable, but it is how we handle that change that makes the difference.

Recently, I finished reading a book entitled; Attitude is Everything by Keith Harrell. Today, Keith Harrell is one of America’s most popular motivational speakers, but before this notable title, he was an inspiring NBA player from Seattle University. Once he was not afforded the opportunity to play for the NBA, he went for the next big challenge, working as a salesman for IBM. After a few years of training and conducting workshops at IBM, Keith decided that it was time for him to focus mainly on what is was called to do…motivational speaking. Mr. Harrell was about to endure a major life change, but he was determined to succeed with his “whatever it takes” attitude.

It was not easy for Mr. Harrell to reach his goal. The road ahead proved to be very tumultuous and there were a lot of “nay sayers” along the way. However, he kept a positive attitude and he refused to become a victim of “changecosis”, a disease that threatens your ability to enjoy life and to develop your full potential (p.181). Again, I understand how ‘scary’ change can be; the unknown can be frightening. We must remember though to keep a positive attitude when change is occurring in our lives. Keith Harrell (2000) suggests ten strategies for creating a positive attitude about change that can be adopted into our lives daily.

1. Tap Into the Power of Your Subconscious.
The mind is a powerful tool and it can be trained to work wonders for you. Take the time to program your mind with a positive attitude about ongoing change. Jump out of bed each morning grateful that you have lived to see another day and be ready to seize it. The author used the example of how he wakes up each morning, clapping his hands a few times to welcome the new day and to get himself “psyched” for the new challenges. This is a good attitude to have towards work. Instead of saying, “Oh no, is it Friday yet?”, try viewing workdays as another opportunity to strengthen your work skills, thus making you a viable employee.

2. We live in a culture of reflection.
Reflection is a powerful tool used by educators to better themselves in the field.  The author encourages us to elevate our standards and overcome our limitations through this process. During this reflection period, we should be cautious to monitor our inner dialogues and be aware of any negative inner thoughts and cease them immediately. It may be helpful to keep a work journal in which you record your actions and tasks, then review them at home to seek ways to improve.

3. Keep Your Long-Term Goals in Mind.
Well-defined goals will keep you focused. Visualization is a great tool to help you in this process. Focusing on your goals helps you to regain a sense of control over your life. It also increases your self-esteem and your outlook on life. I know that when I visualize myself as Dr. Guilford, it makes me that more determined to finish my doctoral program. I have even gone as far as printing out a picture of a scholar in the doctoral regalia and placing my face on the body. If you are hoping for a new promotion on the job, visualize yourself receiving that promotion and keep yourself encourage during the process by remembering things that you have done to enhance the company.

4. Avoid Learned Helplessness.
If you don’t find direction in life, it will direct you. We may not be able to stop unwanted change from occurring in our lives, but we can program ourselves to take positive actions and make the most of it. We are not helpless! We have enormous power to act, set goals, and to go after them. You may not be able to control the fact that your job is down-sizing and that you may be affected soon, however, you can remain positive about this change and make the most of it.

5. Maintain a Balance.
It is important to maintain a physical, mental and spiritual balance. Remember, you are no good to the world if you don’t take care of yourself. Rest, healthy eating habits, and regular exercise are vital in keeping a positive attitude. When we feel overwhelmed at work, quality time with friends and family can easily help us put things back into perspective. Companies today are becoming more and more in tuned with meeting the whole needs of the employee and offer fitness courses that employees can participate in during their lunch breaks. The key here is being in tuned with yourself to know when you need to regroup and to use the words of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin “reload” (without guns of course!).

6. Acknowledge Change.
The author encourages us to never ignore change. We make greater strides in life when we let go and strive for something better. Letting go empowers us to release past hurts, rejection, and frustration. This reminds me of someone whom I used to work with that I will refer to as Sally. Sally was a good employee at company ABC, but her demeanor was not received well by other employees and/or customers. Although Sally received excellent employee evaluations from the company, her employee contract was not renewed during the renewal period. Sally and I were good friends at ABC and one day during lunch, she confided in me that she believed the reason for contract not being renewed resulted in her poor attitude and resistance to change on the job. Sally is a good employee, someone I would hire to work for me if I had my own business, but I am afraid that her attitude may prevent her from getting the job that she deserves in the long run.  Accepting change is not over night, it is a gradual process.  Ultimately the only thing that we can change is ourselves and that makes a world of difference.

7. Convert Threats into Opportunities.
When change seems threatening, try to look at it as a new opportunity to make a difference in the world. When we are given new tasks on the job, exposed to new technology, or even a new boss, we should view these changes as an opportunity to widen our experience and expand our knowledge. Think about it, how impressive will your resume look to future employers now that you have experience working in a different department or with a new tool in technology.

8. Turn the Change into Challenge.
The challenges in life teaches us something about ourselves.  It forces us out of our comfort zones. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man [or woman] is not where he [or she] stands in the moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. If your manager changes your work agenda at the last minute, do not panic! View this change as a challenge and remember that you have the ability to remain professional and make the most out of it.

9. Keeping your mind in a constant positive state requires a tremendous amount of work.
Create affirmations to say to yourself throughout the day or make a list of positive quotations to stay on track. Some places of work have opportunities in which managers and employees empower one another before the day begins. If this is the case for you, I would suggest that you take advantage of that opportunity each time. Empowerment for the mind is like Vitamin C for the body. It will also help if you composed an A-Team which will consist of positive mentors that can help you “snap” out of a negative mood. The A-Team should be diverse and consist of people from all ethnic groups and social classes.

10. Seek Support from Members of You’re A-Team.
As mentioned previously, it is important to have nurturing relationships that are dependable in times of need. Avoid those that a “busy bodies” at work. Surround yourself at work with people who enjoy life and want to make the most out of it. People who truly care about you want you to lean on them in difficult and challenging times because they know that you would be there for them in return. Remember, no man is an island. We can all help each other achieve our goals.

I have decided to refer to this book as my “mini-bible” on attitude. Keith Harrell reminds us that attitude is everything and it impacts everything that we do. A good attitude can lead us down the path to having everything that we desire in life. Whether starting a new job, getting new boss, or dealing with a natural disaster, keeping a positive mindset will help you through adverse times. Jim Rohn said, “If you learn to set a good sail, the wind that blows will always take you to the dreams you want, the income you want, and the treasures of mind, purse, and soul you want. ”Having a positive attitude especially when it comes to change is one way to achieve that. 

Source:
Harrell, Keith (2000).  Attitude is everything: 10 life-changing steps to turning attitude into action.  Harper-Collins Publishers, Inc.

Rohn, Jim (2010).  Retrieved from http://www.jimrohn.com

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