Take control of your schedule

This time of year many of us find that there are not enough hours in a day to get everything done that we need to. Regrettably the holidays are a time of stress for many rather than a time to slow down, relax and appreciate our blessings and the love of friends and family.

A good friend told me a few years ago that everything in life is a choice. When anything happens to us we (and we alone) choose how to react to it. We can rejoice, we can get angry, we can get stressed, we can ignore something etc. We also choose how to organize our day, what we will work on, how we will prioritize, and what we will put off until tomorrow.

We then deal with the consequences of the choices we have made.

My best days are the ones where I have made time to think through events in advance to plan the day and get control of my schedule. Many times I am successful but there are the days that everything seems to be going wrong. I’m human.

The following piece was written by Michael Stanier, an author and the 2006 Canadian Coach of the Year. Michael runs the company Box of Crayons and publishes the newsletter Outside the Lines. He has been a valuable source of inspiration for me over the years.

The piece “For Love or Money? – Figuring out what really matters to you” may help you prioritize tasks and help you choose what to do today, what to delay until tomorrow, what to ask for assistance on and possibly what to ignore altogether.

Enjoy!

Until next time – All the best!

RolandB

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For love or money...
My work with organizations, teams and individuals is about helping them do less Good Work and more Great Work.

Easy to say of course, but much harder to actually do.
At the heart of the challenge for us as individuals is that none of us live in a bubble, free of demands of the people and institutions around us. As John Donne wrote over 400 years ago, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main...."

And we're all so busy that it's hard to step back and figure out what really matters.
So how do you manage the competing demands of your boss, your family, your clients, your peers, your friends - against what you want just for yourself?

Draw a map
Before you decide on a course of action, it can be useful to step back and get a new perspective on what's going on.

It's like hitting the pause button, a brief stop before our customary rush to the "do! do! do!" which dominates most of our lives.

Here's one of my favourite "maps" to help you see things differently.
Draw a 2 x 2 matrix (a box with a vertical cross in it, so it's two boxes wide and two boxes high).

Along the bottom put "what I want to do" (with one box "high" and one box "low"). This is the "love" part.

Up the side put "what they want me to do" (again with one box "high" and one box "low"). This is often the "money" part, as the "they" are often the source of payment (in money or in appreciation).

Who are your "they"?
This "they" will be different for each of us.
It might be your family, it might be your boss's boss, it might be your clients, it might be someone else.

But do get a specific person in mind - it will make this exercise much easier.
And of course, you can do a number of different maps, each with a different person.
How do you spend your week?

Now is your chance to map out how you spend your week.
Map out all your activities on this matrix. The more detailed you can make it, the more useful it will be for you.
So capture the meetings you go to, the regular activities you have to complete, the one-off activities you need to do, the administration you do to run your life or your job ... in short, everything you can think of.

Are things getting clearer?
This exercise can be useful in three ways.
1. You need to get clear about what you want to do. Unless you know what you love, how can you make it a priority?
2. You need to get clear about what others think is important. So you get to stand in their shoes a little. And what is often most useful about this exercise is that you find things you had assumed were highly important aren't as important as you thought.
3. You get to decide what you want to do differently as a result of this map

So now, what will you do?

Each quadrant suggests a different type of action...
1. You Care [high]/They Care [high]==> Keep on keepin' on! This is work you and they think is important ... so try and increase what's in this quadrant.

2. You Care [low]/They Care [high]==> This is work that needs to be done, but you just need to find ways to spend less time doing it yourself. Can you delegate it? Do it in a more efficient way? Find a way to eliminate parts of what must be done?

3. You Care [high]/They Care [low]==> For many of us, this is work that's hardest to do, as it's low on everyone else's list of priorities. So how can you carve out some time for yourself? How much time are you willing to give yourself to do it?

4. You Care [low]/They Care [low]==> You're probably doing this out of habit or momentum. Stop. Really, just stop. Or at the very least, figure out what is the minimum level of doing this, and do it at that level.

A copy of the chart can be found at http://www.possibilityvirus.com/blog/2007/12/13/for-love-or-money-matrix/

Michael Bungay Stanier is a professional keynote speaker, the author of the best selling coaching tool, Get Unstuck & Get Going ...on the stuff that matters and the creator of Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun and The 5.75 Questions You've Been Avoiding. A certified coach and Rhodes Scholar, he works with teams and organizations to help them do less Good Work and more Great Work.

Customer Service is not dead!

Wow it has been about 6 weeks since I wrote a piece for this blog. In the mean time I have returned from the American Academy of Family Practitioners meeting in Chicago, been to San Francisco for the American Academy of Pediatricians meeting and have traveled to numerous locations talking to doctors and nurses in support of a product we have in development. Also I had to plan for next year. Life is good but very busy.

I know a bunch has been written recently about how customer service is a thing of the past. There are numerous examples of customers being treated poorly in the name of lower prices and lower profits. Just want to let you know the outstanding customer service is not dead. It can make your company stand out from the crowd and have your customers asking for you by name next time.

A couple of examples;

Have you flied on Frontier Airlines lately? Each plane is uniquely identified by the animal on its tail. Each seat has a small TV in front of it. If you want you can watch ESPN or other TV programming or a movie for a small fee. Just swipe a credit card. You can also monitor your position on a map of the US as you proceed toward your designation. They provide free headphones to listen to music. They provide a granola bar for breakfast and/or a small snack for lunch – all with a smile. The seats are not crunched together. All of this and the tickets prices are about the same price as the other carriers.

I stayed at the Serrano Hotel in San Francisco. The hotel is part of the Kimpton chain that has been acquiring and refurbishing hotels in historic buildings across the country. Their motto is “every hotel tells a story”. The Serrano, located on Taylor Street, is intimate and beautiful. The staff is friendly. The little things were not overlooked. They had the soaps and shampoos as many of the finer hotels do but the room also had a plush robe and slippers. They also provided a number of extras such as tweezers, sunscreen, a lint brush, at a small cost. Every afternoon they served wine and beer at no charge in the lobby. It was a time to meet other travelers and exchange stories. All of this at a cost no higher than the Hyatt and Marriott down the street.

Makes you want to come back for more. I’m sure I will.

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB

A lost opportunity

I went to a presentation recently on marketing strategy, a topic I am very interested in. The speaker was touted as an expert and had recently published a book on the topic. I was looking forward to hearing what the individual had to say and learning a few nuggets to help me as I create and update my marketing plan.

I was disappointed. The individual had a prepared presentation but no cohesive message. He asked questions of the audience but didn’t seem to relate his story to their responses. He had a PowerPoint presentation with numerous word filled slides containing boxes and arrows. He had an 8 point plan that actually expanded to a 16 point plan because most points had a number of sub-points. He made general comments such as you need “collective engagement with management” but no concrete examples of how to accomplish this. He didn’t offer me anything I felt I could use to help my business today. Lots of talk and glitz but nothing memorable.

Bottom line - I enjoyed the networking opportunity, the group was a gathering of marketing professionals from small to medium sized, high growth companies, but I could have passed on the presentation and speaker. I’m sure this guy knew his stuff and has been successful with clients but he didn’t present his case very well. It was a lost opportunity.

So how do you deliver a memorable presentation?

Stephen Gray, a partner at Rockford Gray a media relations company based in Denver, says you should ask yourself 5 questions before you put your pen to paper.

1. Who is my audience?
2. What is my objective?
3. What visual tools do I have?
4. What questions am I likely to hear?
5. What is my “call to action”?

Kevin Eikenberry in his book Remarkable Leadership offers these comments.

1. The presentation is not about you (the presenter). It is about the audience.
2. Open with impact - set the context, set your objective, provide the audience a WIIFM ("what is in it for me")
3. Close with action - summarize what was said. Leave your audience on a high note.
4. Then design the body. Kevin adds don't include any new information or Q&A in the summary.

When I was in the Navy the presentations were straightforward. The presenters told us the learning objectives were up front, they explained the topic, answered our questions and then summarized what they told us. Many times the topic was dry but you always knew why you were there and what you were supposed to remember.

So what makes a memorable presentation? A common thread in these three approaches is to plan your presentation in advance. Simplify the key messages. Make it personal. Tell a story. Engage your audience. Summarize in a memorable way. Remember the audience is focusing on you, keep the focus there – don’t depend on PowerPoint or other technology to deliver your message. Finally I would suggest asking a sample of the audience privately how they liked your presentation and what they learned. Did they take away what you wanted them to remember? If so, congratulations you have succeeded. If not, figure out how to deliver your message in a more personal way and keep experimenting.

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB

Don't lose your customers

I was talking to a business associate this morning and eventually we diverged into customer service. His wife had recently been in an automobile accident and he was extremely frustrated with the process that his insurance company was taking him through to pay for his car and medical claims. The accident was not his wife’s fault which complicated things because his insurance was not liable for most of the damage. He had not spoken to the other insurance company. No one had explained to him the process he needed to go through and/or how to get a vast amount of details sorted out. He felt that no one was looking out for his interests.

Here is a customer in need of help but no one was stepping up to help him.

It seems to me that some organizations just don’t get it. A dissatisfied customer will tell 10 of their friends how unhappy they are. Those 10 individuals may not use the company’s product(s) and may tell others not to use them. Right or wrong the company that is perceived to be at fault will need to spend a good deal of money to replace those potential customers with new ones. Much heartache could have been avoided if the organization had a plan in place that empowered their employees to make it right. The now satisfied customer may tell 5 of their friends how customer friendly the company is. The empowered employee will be satisfied knowing he or she helped a customer. Tomorrow the cycle may repeat itself.

The following article came across my desk today. John Tschohl does a nice job of suggesting actions that may turn a customer losing situation into one that will show your customers how much you care. His suggestion to act quickly, take responsibility, be empowered and compensate the affected customer may turn a one time customer into a lifelong one.

When airlines had customer service
I remember many years ago I was taking a flight on Republic Airlines from Chicago to Minneapolis on December 23rd. When I got to O’Hare I realized it was a mess. There was an ice storm in the upper Midwest and many of the flights into that area were cancelled or postponed. Our flight was supposed to leave at 7:00 PM. Around 9:00 PM the agent said that our flight was cancelled due to ice but anyone that wanted to could ride a bus up to Minneapolis. Many of us got on the bus which left at 9:30 PM. It took a while, there was a lot of ice on the road but at around 6:00 AM the bus pulled into the terminal at Twin Cities Airport. I made it home for Christmas. I thought that was the end of the story. About two weeks later I got a check in the mail from Republic for the entire cost of the trip. I didn't ask for it - it just showed up with a note apologizing for the delay.

Well I was hooked. Whenever I could I flew Republic. I told my friends this story and I’m sure some of them flew Republic. Everything changed when Northwest bought Republic, customer service went downhill and the airline lost my loyalty.

I think my ticket to Minneapolis was $150. I don’t know how much renting the bus cost them that icy night. All I know is that over the next 10 years I probably gave them thousands of dollars in business.

Now if only there was an airline with that type of customer service today. My friend’s insurance company doesn’t need to buy him a new car but could they provide an advocate to help him through the process. I think so.

Empower your people & give them the resources to make life a bit easier for your customers. The payoff is big.

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB


What to do when you’ve made a mistake.
By John Tschohl
Tuesday, 9th October 2007

http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=2443

You arrive at the restaurant 10 minutes before your 7 o'clock reservation and forty-five minutes later, you are finally seated.

The maitre de doesn’t offer an apology, and you are upset. Do you have a right to be? Absolutely. Will you return to that restaurant? Probably not.

Scenarios such as this occur at businesses every day and more often than not leave owners and executives wondering why their repeat business is taking a nosedive.

Instead of taking a good hard look at the reasons those customers are defecting, they invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising to attract new customers—customers who also will defect when they experience poor customer service. And the cycle continues.

John Tschohl, in his book Loyal for Life: How to Take Unhappy Customers from Hell to Heaven in 60 Seconds or Less, takes readers through a step-by-step process in service recovery.

“No matter how good a company or organization is in providing customer service, it’s almost a given that at one time or another they will make a mistake,” Tschohl says.

“How they handle those mistakes is what separates them from the rest of the pack and keeps customers loyal for life.” Service recovery, Tschohl says, “is putting a smile on a customer’s face after you’ve screwed up.

It’s solving a customer’s problem or complaint and sending her out the door feeling as if she’s just done business with the greatest company on earth. And it’s doing so in 60 seconds or less.”

Tschohl, who has been preaching the gospel of customer service for 346 years to organizations throughout the world, has developed four techniques for providing quality service recovery:

1. Act Quickly. “You must acknowledge the mistake immediately,” Tschohl says. “The employee at the point of contact is the person in the best position to successfully implement service recovery. When problems and mistakes are moved up the chain of command, they not only cost the organization more in time and money to deal with it the time delay increases the customer’s level of frustration and anger.”

2. Take responsibility. “No matter who is at fault, you must own the mistake and sincerely apologize,” Tschohl says. “Don’t place the blame on someone else; the customer doesn’t care whose fault it was, he merely wants it rectified. It’s also important to thank the customer for pointing out the problem and for giving you the opportunity to correct it.”

3. Be empowered. “Employees are not making empowered decisions because they’re afraid they’re going to be reprimanded, fired, or have to pay for whatever they give the customer,” Tschohl says. “But empowerment is the backbone of service recovery and organizations that truly want to serve the customers and retain their business must not only allow, but insist, that employees bend and break the rules in order to keep those customers coming back.”

4. Compensate. “You must give the customer something of value, something that will impress the customer and give her the feeling that you really do value her business,” Tschohl says. “Every company has something that doesn’t cost a lot but has value in the eyes of the customer.

An airline can upgrade a passenger to first class. A ski resort can give a free lift ticket. A computer repair store can extend the customer’s warranty by a year.” Service recovery, Tschohl says, can have a major impact on an organization’s bottom line. It can reduce the need for expensive advertising, replacing much of it with word-of-mouth advertising as customers tell their family, friends, and coworkers about the exceptional service they received from you. “Service recovery puts the ‘wow!’ in service and generates word-of-mouth advertising you couldn’t buy if you wanted to,” Tschohl says.

So what should that maitre de have done when you were seated 30 minutes after your reservation time? “He should have apologized and offered you something that had value,” Tschohl says. “That could be a round of drinks or a free dessert, which would have cost the restaurant a few dollars but carries a perceived value of $20 to $25. The magic in service recovery occurs when a frontline employee solves a customer’s problem and does so in 60 seconds or less.

Acting quickly, taking responsibility, making an empowered decision, and compensating the customer will result in customer loyalty that will increase your sales and profits and help to ensure your success in an increasingly competitive world.”

John Tschohl is an international service strategist and speaker. Described by Time and Entrepreneur magazines as a customer service guru, he has written several books on customer service, including Loyal for Life, e-Service, The Customer is Boss, Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service, and Ca$hing In: Make More Money, Get a Promotion, Love Your Job. John also has developed more than 26 customer service training programs that have been distributed and presented throughout the world. His bimonthly strategic newsletter is available online at no charge.

Cooperation in Medicine

I enjoy attending trade shows. It gives marketers a chance to talk to key customers away from the distractions of their office. Customers are motivated and are usually thought leaders. Many of the players (companies) in a given industry attend so it provides a relatively easy way to see what others are saying in your industry and, maybe more importantly, how they are saying it.

I am currently at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) annual meeting in Chicago. There a number of hot topics here. Many sessions discuss the role of the family physician as the coordinator of care. The discussion is as medicine becomes more specialized and a patient sees a growing number of specialists for various ailments he or she needs one doctor responsible for looking after the patient and coordinating their care. Many doctors here feel that coordinator role belongs to their family physician. The AAFP wants a role. The heated discussion is around who pays for this coordination.

The feeling is that the cardiologist, oncologist, (you name the specialty)ologist don’t communicate effectively with each other, the patient and their family. This is hurting patient care.

Another big topic is what should the AAFP position be on “retail health clinics”. These are clinics set up in a pharmacy, food store, or as independent businesses to help patients with minor ailments. They usually have longer hours than a doctor’s office and accept walk in patients. A doctor or nurse practitioner at the clinic treats the patient and will send a report to the patient’s regular doctor if asked. Some AAFP members see this as competition. Others see it as a continuation of overall care.

In the end the organization adopted a resolution stating “AAFP does not endorse retail health clinics and believes that such health care delivery could interfere with the medical home.”

What does that mean? Are AAFP delegates in favor of seamless coordination of care or are they trying to protect their perceived turf?

There appears to be a need. People are getting sick at irregular hours and find it hard to get in to see their doctor if they have one. Family Practice doctors are overworked. I’m sure Walgreens, Kroger and other innovative companies will continue to offer and expand the service. Retail clinics are not going away.

Seems to me that organizations like AAFP should find ways to work with and help retail clinics. In return there are ways retail clinics can help a doctor grow her or his practice. The winner would be the patient. The pie is big enough for both and will only get bigger.

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB

Die Easy (part 2)

I sent a short note to Sears yesterday with a link to my post about my DieHard experience. I was curious how they would respond. This morning I received the following;

Dear Roland Bydlon,
Thank you for your recent e-mail correspondence regarding our DieHard battery warranty.
Please be assured that we understand your frustration, and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced.
By sharing your concerns, you have enabled us to address the issues and provide feedback to the appropriate person. Your remarks provide feedback that will enable us to improve our processes and customer experience.
We appreciate your business, and value you as a Sears’ customer. We certainly hope you will continue to make Sears your choice for quality and value
Again, we thank you for taking the time to contact us with your concern.
Beth G.
Sears Automotive Online Customer Care
1-888-819-6963

I must say that while I appreciate Beth G. and Sears sending me a reply they really did not answer my question about why their batteries do not last. If I had a complaint about a washing machine I probably would get the same response with "washing machine" instead of "DieHard battery warranty" in the first line. Maybe when the "appropriate person" reads my message I will get an individualized response.

Lesson: If you compete on service (and I think Sears wants to) then make sure your customers feel you care.

Until next time - All the best!

RolandB

The Die Easy

The battery in the van died this weekend. Well, almost died. I got the call from my wife “Roland the car won’t start, can you look at it?” I put the key in the ignition and it slowly turned over but I knew something was wrong.

My 2.5 year old Sears Die Hard battery had a 6 year warrantee. I took it back to Sears. Sure enough, the battery was shot. They replaced it and gave me a bit over 50% credit on a new one. The sales associate explained that a “normal” battery lasts for 3-5 years but life can vary based on how the car is used. They replace the battery for free for the first 18 months. After that it is prorated.

Now this is a Die Hard battery. I can still remember the commercials that were on when I was a kid. A frozen lake in International Falls Minnesota. 50 cars all with their lights on. Hours later only one car starts – of course that was the car with the Die Hard. The message was simple and powerful, you got a Die Hard and you never had a problem.

Time marches on. Manufacturers and designs change. Now the battery is “maintenance free”. It never needs water but for some reason it doesn’t last. They still call it Die Hard. Too bad it can’t live up to its name.

Today my Die Hard doesn’t last for 50% of it’s warrantee but Sears has me hooked. I need to go back to get 50% off of a new one. An interesting but costly strategy. So much for Die Hard. They might want to rename it The Die Easy.

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB

Let’s Lead!

I went into a pharmacy the other day to buy some allergy medication. The form for $4.00 off of the Claritin brand was still not working (see my last post) so I ended up buying the generic. The product I purchased was a decongestant containing pseudoephedrine (Sudafed). It is now restricted and stocked behind the pharmacy counter. I had no problem finding it though. I went to where it should be on the shelf and there was a card that told me exactly where to get it. The pharmacist gave me the product and scanned the barcode on the back of my driver’s license. I paid for the product and was on my way.

It wasn’t always this way. A number of years ago Claritin-D and other decongestants with Sudafed were sold in front of the counter like aspirin. Pseudoephedrine is a key raw ingredient in methamphetamine, a very addictive drug. People began making methamphetamine (meth) in their bathtubs. They would buy a couple of months supply of decongestant in 5 to 10 different stores to get enough raw material for meth production while not raising suspicion they were doing something illegal. They sold the meth or used it themselves. The methamphetamine was killing people and meth production was polluting everything it touched. Much of the production was being done in rural areas such as Indiana farm towns where law enforcement was not equipped to handle the problem. Something needed to be done.

Law enforcement and civic leaders suggested that the State regulate decongestants. they suggested that purchases be recorded and individuals could only buy a reasonable amount of medication that they could use over a 30 day period. Any person buying over a certain amount would be placed on an alert list.

The push back was huge. It seemed everyone found something wrong with the new proposal. Manufacturers did not like it because they thought they would sell less product. They claimed people would not buy their product if it was controlled. Pharmacies did not like it because they would be tasked with keeping records of individuals who purchased the product. Many called it an unfunded mandate. Some in government did not know what to do with or how to track the data that would be created. Some people did not like it because they didn’t want government telling them what to do. Organizations lobbied their political officials. Politicians took a "safe" approach. Nothing happened and the meth problem got worse, much worse.

As time went on meth production affected more counties and more individuals. Families were ruined. Law enforcement was overwhelmed. The cost to clean up the problem, catch and convict the offenders and rehabilitate the addicted back into society was staggering.

A title wave had hit and something had to be done.

Store chains such as Target, Wal-Mart and CVS heard the outcry and began to restrict the product. Eventually politicians could not ignore the problem any longer and 30 states passed laws requiring that products containing pseudoephedrine be restricted. Finally the Federal Government passed a similar law in 2006.

So a law passed and the rules changed. You would think that everyone would take pseudoephedrine out of their products. Most had argued that they could not compete with a regulated OTC product. Some manufacturers did.

Only one problem though – the pseudoephedrine product worked and consumers wanted it.

Manufacturers like Schering Plough, the producer of Claritin-D, decided to keep their formula and vary other things to keep market share. Bright marketers put on their thinking caps and figured out how to keep shelf space and make it easy for customers to find their product.

Forward thinking pharmacies tasked their IT departments to develop scanners to take personal information (and conform to federal requirements) off of a driver’s license automatically.

In the end we found that we can have our cake and eat it too. The nay sayers had it wrong. A good product is still on the market with a minimum of inconvenience to the consumer and a deadly misuse has been controlled.

The reality is that industry did not change until it was forced. Voluntary unilateral change doesn't work. The process never would have happened without government intervention ……….

Now I am not a supporter of excessive government regulation. I feel the private market can and should be able to do most things better than government but sometimes, as in the Claritin-D example, rules need to be made to encourage the market to compete in innovative ways and improve society as a whole.

So what are some other examples of how government can encourage industry?

How about increased fuel efficiency in cars and trucks? We all know we need to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. What if the government would set a goal of 80 miles per gallon by a certain date (2017) and give manufacturers tax incentives for meeting those goals. The goal needs to be a breakthrough – not incremental. If we could get a man to the moon in less than 10 years in the 1960’s my hunch is we could come up some fantastic fuel efficient cars in 10 years. If the carmakers really set a priority on making a fuel efficient and powerful car for the US market I think we could do it. These cars would sell not only in the US but lead the world. Take that Iran!

Another area may be carbon reduction. We know carbon levels are increasing and also know a major source is the burning of fossil fuels. Some people ignore the problem or suggest very minor reductions. Why not go for a real breakthrough target and ask for a 50% reduction in carbon emissions over 20 years. There are processes available today that will take carbon out of the air. We need to make them cost effective. There are resins available now that are sprayed on or molded into precast concrete that cause dirt to react with sunlight and disappear. It is self cleaning concrete! How about a similar resin that when exposed to sunlight will convert carbon to something else? How about a carbon converting resin that can be applied to the blade of a fan. Every household’s air conditioner compressor can now become a pump to pull carbon out of the air. Manufacturers could get tax incentives from the government for building and using these carbon reducing fans. If a company invented such a technology their products would be in high demand. They would hire lots of people. We need to make sure it is a US company, with US workers.

A key strength of the United States is our ability to solve problems. Let’s set some challenging goals, create an environment for innovation and solve them before anyone else. It can be done. Let’s lead.

Until next time – All the best!

RolandB

Make sure your website works

I was doing some research yesterday and needed to look up the ingredients in Claritin-D. I googled Claritin and went to the Claritin website. Schering Plough must have spent a ton of money on it. There is an animation containing 3D pictures of simulated characters telling their stories. All animations direct one to a button that says “take the Claritin-D tour.” This brings up a pop-up window with a bunch of text with another button that says “ask your pharmacist now” but the button doesn’t do anything.

I’m still trying to find out what is in Claritin-D! It took me a few more minutes but finally I found a “read the box” link and got the answers I needed. Whoever designed this site must not feel that the ingredients of the product or the directions for use are a priority.

I see another button “Get a $4 off coupon” Well OK, I buy allergy medicine and occasionally buy Claritin or a generic. I click on the button, get a new screen, and fill out my name, email and mailing address. Under “State” the form has a dropdown menu but no individual states are listed and I cannot type in a state. There are two more buttons “usual brand” and “also tried” and both of those buttons are similarly designed. No brands are listed and there is no way to provide the information. I clicked the submit button and got a reply that my request could not be processed because I have not provided all of the information.

Attractive site, interesting graphics but the information I needed was hard to find. Even then Schering Plough got me to in type my name and contact information but I could not submit it. My time was wasted. Instead of a positive experience I now have a negative experience with the brand.

I wonder how long this form will be posted before they figure out that no one is completing it. What is the return on investment of a negative sales number?

Bottom line. Write down what you want your customers to do on your website. Figure out the simplest way for them to do it. Document how you will know the website is performing up to your expectations. Test it then test it again before it goes live. Once it is live tell your friends. Hopefully one of them will tell you if it doesn’t work.

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB

Change the Rules

I follow college football and have been a HUGE fan of the University of Michigan football team since my days as an MBA student. I’ll pull for Michigan over anyone except maybe Minnesota where I received my undergraduate degree. I was shocked recently (along with most of the country) when Michigan, ranked at #5 nationally in a preseason poll, was defeated by Appalachian State (a division I-AA team) in their opening game 34-32. Last weekend they followed this “fluke” by being humiliated by Oregon 39-7. It was the first time since 1959 that Michigan has opened a season with 2 losses at home.

The post game critiques were ferocious. Many announcers / sports writers called for Coach Lloyd Carr to resign or be fired. Some questioned the passion of the team which is usually beating up early season opponents especially at home. The consensus comment was that Michigan was not used to or ready for the “spread” offense.

What happened?

A team with a spread offense thins out the defense by positioning eligible receivers across the entire width of the field instead of packing them in the middle for protection. If the quarterback can get his receiver the ball quickly there is less room for error for the defense. The players are extremely fast and the play is accelerated. Appalachian State runs without a huddle. Michigan’s defensive line couldn’t keep up. Appalachian State got one touchdown, then another. It was 28-17 at the half. Sports Illustrated reported “it was obvious to everyone that the Wolverines had no answer for the spread.” Mitch Albom wrote after the Oregon game “they have played two games now and the defense is apparently still checking into the dorms.” The TV announcers said Michigan liked to play “smash mouth” football. They were out of their comfort zone.

The rules had changed.

Appalachian State and Oregon had proactively changed the rules of the game. They did not try to run up the middle against Michigan's big line or drop their quarterback into a traditional pocket. Michigan seemed unprepared and could not compete.

Why?

Didn’t Coach Carr know these two teams were on his schedule? Didn’t he know they both ran the spread? Shouldn’t he have been preparing for these two games since January? Yes, yes and yes. For some reason either he didn’t do a very good job of planning and/or his team didn’t implement well. He was outcoached. He commented after the Oregon loss “maybe the game’s passed me by.” - WOW

So where am I going with this? How can David kill Goliath or at least create havoc?

As a marketer I try to put myself into the shoes of my customers, my suppliers, my distributors and finally my competitors and then play a “what if” game. I play to win. If I implement a certain tactic how will it be perceived by these key groups? How will they react?

In the military they call it out flanking your enemy. Rather than going head to head against an opponent’s strength (or competing the way everyone else is) figure out a weakness of the opposing army and exploit it. Appalachian State and Oregon proactively chose not to play traditional “smash mouth” football against Michigan. They apparently had a stable of smaller, faster players and used them to their advantage. They took a risk, changed the game and won. Michigan was caught off guard.

Now tie this back to your product, your service, your company or maybe even you as a person. How can you publicize, promote, sell and/or distribute your product in such a way that your competition won’t have an answer for how to compete? Think out of the box. Your competition may be so invested in the current system that they can’t or won’t change until it is too late.

How do you change the rules of the game? It probably will involve taking calculated risks since few companies in your market are successfully doing it now but the potential rewards are huge.

Now I hope Michigan can turn it around against Notre Dame this weekend. At least the Irish don’t have a spread offense. Go Blue!

Until next time – All the best!

RolandB

Stay Connected

I started this blog a couple of months ago after I heard a talk by Andy Sernovitz on word of mouth marketing. The topic that stuck in my mind is that people are already talking about you and your company and products. Your only option is to join the conversation.

I think 80% of the stuff on the web is junk. Many will argue it is close to 95%. It seems like there are many blogs and micro sites that are operating for the sole purpose of selling you something or trying to get you to click on a Google Ad. I wonder how successful they are. There are individuals however that are publishing some very good information about specific topics. It doesn’t take a lot of research to separate the good from the chaff. People will link to a good blog and share the information readily with friends, family and co-workers. Information is spreading with the pace of a wildfire in a windstorm. Some information is accurate. Others is not. For example I find it amazing what some people are doing to treat their children’s head lice. It seems the more frustrated they are the more extreme the remedy.

I’m not that old, at least I don’t think I am (just don’t ask my boys). I like to think of myself as informed on current events and trends in the marketplace. That said if you would have asked me 6 months ago where monitoring blogs about industry trends fit in on my priority list I would have ranked it very low. Heck blogs are for kids. Well not anymore. It seems like there are blogs popping up everywhere on every topic. The scary thing is that one upset customer that is properly connected can create havoc for a company very quickly.

Michael Snyder, managing partner for the MEK group published a very good piece on this topic this morning. His article titled Ignoring Blogs: A Recipe for Reputation Disaster outlines why we must at the very least monitor what is being said about us. Then we can decide if we want to join the conversation and what we should say.

Sernovitz talks about dealing with the negative. The best defense is a good offense. The first point is to know what people are saying. Go where they go and read what they write. People are blogging and most likely they are talking about you. Then show that you are listening. Reply, respond and identify yourself clearly. Many individuals (bloggers) are pleasantly surprised to find out that a company is reading what they write. Convert critics when you can. Treat critics like valuable customers. Finally don’t try to win. Tell your side of the story. People will give you credit for being honest. Maybe that is the last and most important point – be honest. If you are not, people will find out and then watch out!

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB

Extreme Marketing

I heard a piece on NPR recently that discussed the rise of “extreme marketing”. The announcer discussed a convenience store that installed a 20 inch plasma TV inside the store to entice patrons to stay longer and buy more products. A KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) initiative was described that provided office workers with a delivered lunch. A spokesman said, “If you smell it you’ve got to have it.”

I don’t know if I would call this “extreme.” Vendors have been giving away popcorn at trade shows for years. The smell of freshly popped popcorn attracts individuals the vendor wants to talk to like food attracts flies. Starbucks has sold millions of cups of very expensive coffee by creating an environment where the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the comfort of an overstuffed couch create an environment for personal and professional gatherings (and lots more cups of coffee).

Maybe “extreme marketing” is rather full sensual marketing. See it, smell it, hear it, feel it, taste it and create an experience your customers want to tell others about. That will create an advantage that will separate your product or service from all the clutter.

Now how do you create an environment to sell a regulated pharmaceutical product? If this were easy everyone would be doing it!

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB

Capitalizing on a memorable event

I experienced a live example of word of mouth marketing last weekend while in California for a visit. My sister took me to an AT&T store she was working with to see Joe Beimel, a relief pitcher for the Dodgers. He signed a couple of baseballs for my boys and we had a nice conversation. While we were there the store manager took a picture of us from her cell phone and while we were still in the store sent the picture to my sister's cell phone (well this is AT&T wireless). My sister forwarded the picture to my cell phone. I could then send it to anyone. Note all of the AT&T accessories in the background.




Just so you don't confuse us Joe is in the middle. We went to Dodger Stadium later that day and saw him pitch. I’m going to hold on to this picture. If the Dodgers make it to the World Series and Joe wins a key game well …………. I have this picture.

The event got me thinking. How many times have I been to a bookstore, or a sporting goods store or a cell phone store to meet a celebrity and get an autograph? Did the event leave a positive impression? It probably did. Now did the sponsoring organization follow up with me in any way? Most likely unless I bought something right there on that day the organization lost an opportunity to create and nurture a lasting relationship.

AT&T took the picture, sent it to my sister (now they know her email address) and she forwarded it to me. Who knows who I may forward it to? AT&T could make it even easier for me to tell a friend. They could drop the picture into a template with links back to their site or to coupons which promote the products on the wall. They could include a link to information on Joe Beimel. He seems like a great guy. I would think he and the Dodgers would appreciate the publicity. The emails I forward and/or the coupons I redeem can be tracked. AT&T has another way to measure the amount of business they get from this event which may help them justify sponsoring more of them in the future. Sounds like a win/win.

Good luck Joe!

Until next time – All the best!

RolandB

The show must go on ………..

One the things I enjoy doing is to attend the theatre. This past weekend I visited my sister in Los Angeles. She took me to see Jersey Boys at the Ahmanson Theatre on Friday night (Aug 17). Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The show is packed with fantastic songs, great acting and, as in most shows from Broadway, seamless transition from one act to the next. About half way through the second act the show suddenly stopped. A trap door had opened unexpectedly and one of the lead actors had fallen partially into the hole. We noticed the actor fall but he got off stage and no one realized he was hurt until the next act started without him.

The show stopped for about 15 minutes then it was announced that one of the understudies and an actor in several secondary roles, Eric Gutman, would now be in the main role and another actor had taken his spot. It was a bit different watching Eric in the role of Bob Gaudio, the “magic” had been broken due to the delay and he looked different, but as the play progressed I noticed how well Eric fit into the role. He knew his stuff. This wasn’t the second string. He was good.

Eric’s comments about what happened are on his blog.

The whole incident got me thinking about being prepared for the unexpected. I know my son has been disappointed when he didn’t start in basketball. We have discussed what it means to be a bench player. The 6th, 7th, 8th man needs to be physically and mentally ready to come off the bench to help the team. Well here is a case where the lead got hurt with over 2000 people in the audience and the show had to go on. The understudy was trained and ready. He shifted gears, concentrated on the objective and gave a memorable performance.

The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared”. We try to teach the boys to be ready for anything. Friday night’s performance brought it all to life.

Until next time – All the best!

RolandB

I shall not pass this way again ....

I’ve carried a card in my wallet ever since my father in law died over 20 years ago.

It is a short poem - I shall pass through this way but once, if therefore there be any kindness I can show or any good I can do for my fellowman let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.

I was reminded of that poem this evening. A story on NPR stated that over 5% of Idaho is currently on fire. The correspondent interviewed a number of people in Salmon Idaho, a town of 3,000 people on the Montana border, and said that rafting on a very famous and scenic portion of the Salmon River was threatened due to fire and smoke.

A little over a month ago my family and I were in that very spot rafting down "the river of no return.” We had a blast.



I’m the one in the back of the boat. According to the NPR story the river and the gorges are still there but the trees may be gone for a very long time.

A friend told me that every time you cross a river it is different than the last time you crossed it.
I shall not pass this way again …

How many times do we stop and really appreciate what we have today, now.

Life is dynamic. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Appreciate what you have today!

Until next time – All the best!

RolandB

A Marketer’s Paradox

Ever have a good idea …. a great idea ……. no one in your line of business has it. Your idea will allow your company to stand out. If it is successful your product or service will soon rocket to the top of market …. every marketer’s dream.

You present your idea to your management team. You ask for money to implement the project. As you look around the room people shift in their seats and catch each other’s eye. Finally a bold individual says, “It’s obvious that you are very passionate about this idea and you’ve given it a lot of thought. If this is so good why isn’t anybody else doing it? What makes you think it will work? Maybe we should think about this for a while.” The group nods and your idea ends up on the “further study” pile.

Seth Godin may call your unique unproven idea a Purple Cow. There a lots of brown cows and black cows. In his opinion cows are boring. In order to stand out a company needs to be remarkable. In a book by the same name he writes “a purple cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat out unbelievable.” Godin says Starbucks and Krispy Kreme are good examples of companies with purple cow ideas.

An observation I've made is it always is easy to look back and see what ideas worked, it is much harder to look forward (and convince others) about the next purple cow idea. If I knew in advance which horse would win I’d be a fool not to bet on it.

Andy Sernovitz writes a very popular blog, “Damn! I wish I’d though of That!” where he shares great ideas. One thing is for sure, a remarkable company needs to keep moving. A purple cow today soon becomes a brown one tomorrow as copy cats race into the arena.

So how do you create a purple cow, get permission and funding from your team to try and to implement it successfully?


That is a marketer’s paradox.


So here are some thoughts.

1. Understand your customer and your influencers. What need will your new idea meet? What benefit will it provide? Will your customers see the idea as remarkable? Will they tell their friends?
2. How does your customer communicate today? How may they communicate tomorrow? How can you make it easy for them to tell others about your product/service?
3. Ask yourself - what technologies are available to help you communicate with your customers/influencers in a non traditional way? Learn everything you can.
4. Diversify your risks. Your idea is new and innovative. Surround yourself with people who are experts in the process, and the technology you are depending on to implement your idea.
5. Is what you are doing legal? The first thing your competition will argue is “they can’t do that.” Stay one step ahead of them.
6. Start something. Keep pushing. Keep the dream alive.
   

A purple cow example
I was at a seminar recently where I saw a couple of potential purple cows in the same meeting. Bryan Gray and his staff at MediaSauce, a Carmel IN based multimedia company recently hosted a seminar on Web 2.0, an explanation of what is happening in the new interactive worldwide web. The primary presenter, Sarah Robbins (more on her in a minute), is an expert in the technology and is well known in the field. Bryan and Sarah presented information on a number of interesting topics that I might be able to use in the near future. I found out this was the first of a regular series of seminars. The seminar was free.

What made this a purple cow (in my opinion) is that MediaSauce is now an expert in Web 2.0. Need an innovative way to get your message across – use MediaSauce. At least include them in the mix. Have a friend, or a boss you need to educate in this new technology, bring them to the next meeting. I may not be ready to buy now but if I am I’ll know who to call.

Bryan and MediaSauce are taking a gamble. The seminars cost money. Members of the staff are not creating billable hours by attending a seminar. Valuable information is being shared for free. What is the ROI? My feeling is this is a purple cow and once MediaSauce is successful more agencies will be doing it.

The second example of a purple cow is Sarah herself. Sarah “intellagirl” Robbins is director of emerging technologies at MediaSauce. She has a distinctive look.

That’s Sarah on the right.

Her job is to focus on current and future tools of the trade. In her "free" time she is working on a PhD in rhetoric and composition and researching how to teach it in Second Life, an online digital world owned by its residents. Not only does she know about something, she lives it and my guess is that she has a huge network of folks that will help her develop the next killer ap.

A statement your team may make is: Every idea is not a purple cow. Absolutely!! There are plenty of Puk-Green ones out there. Your job as marketing guru is to help your organization separate the remarkable from the boring from the outright bad.

Now how do I use what I learned to help my business? How can I take advantage of this new interactive world? Will doctors and nurses sign on to Second Life to understand a new pharmaceutical product? I don’t know. Wait a minute, what if every inhabitant of Second Life for no reason came down with a case of head lice?? They would need something to get rid of them. On a larger scale what if 40% of them had high cholesterol? Pfizer are you listening. …..

Time to leave the virtual world and come back to reality.

Don’t be scared to come up with ideas that are different. Test them out. Be remarkable. You may be surprised with what you come up with.

Until next time – All the best!

RolandB

A “Can Do” attitude

My wife and I went to a barbeque last weekend. Admission was free. There was a silent and a regular auction to raise money. We dined on burgers, hot dogs, and Indiana corn on the cob. The event was typical of many that Sue and I had attended over the years.

What made this event special were the attendees. Many had Parkinson’s disease. They were all ages. Some had a hard time walking and/or speaking. Others were less affected. All of the attendees had a common story, Rock Steady Boxing made a significant positive impact in their lives.

Rock Steady was founded by Scott Newman, Vince Perez and Kristy Follmer. (see Scott's original story below) Scott discovered he had Parkinson’s disease during his second term as elected prosecutor of Marion County (Indianapolis) Indiana. A few years ago Vince began working out with Scott and taught him to box. Over time Scott’s physical and mental condition improved. So much so that Scott was able to raise money for and start Strand Analytical Laboratory. I met Scott through Strand. My wife Sue had met Kristy through Rock Steady.

Rock Steady Boxing Foundation was founded to give people with Parkinson's disease hope. This non-profit organization offers a variety of classes designed to motivate and empower members through rigorous, but non-competitive, boxing lessons. The organization offers free classes to those who have Parkinson’s disease. They raise money by offering classes for Executives and Women and by accepting donations.

This brings me back to last Saturday and our table conversation over hamburgers. A gentleman at our table had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s for about a year. He found out about Rock Steady in March and was now attending the program 4 times a week. “It saved my life” he told me. “I could only jump rope 3 reps when I started. I had given up golf, a sport I love. Now I’m jumping rope 40 at a time and I’m playing golf again.” We talked to numerous individuals and their spouses with the same story. They heard about Rock Steady and now they were regulars. Exercise, a compassionate staff, and friendship with the other boxers and made their lives a bit easier.

I don’t know if it is the boxing, the exercise, the movement, or the interest that members of the group had for each other that is so overwhelming and is helping to delay the devastating effects of Parkinson’s disease. Perhaps it is a combination of all of these. I’m not a doctor but it is easy to see that Scott, Kristy, Vince and the members of Rock Steady are on to something very powerful and very good.

Contributions are accepted.

Until next time – All the best!

Roland

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kristy posted an introductiory video on YouTube


In Scott’s own words, an article from the Indianapolis Star
July 18, 2007

My view: Scott C. Newman
Battling disease, competition with a one-two punch

At the airport on the way to the "Desert Showdown" (World Amateur Boxing Championships in Coachella, Calif.), it hits home with me that my friend could get seriously hurt. And there I'll be, paralyzed next to an empty corner stool, a towel clutched in my hand. Sparring is one thing, but every competitor bounds into the ring intent upon killing the other guy. They will want to finish my friend, sure enough. He's not from around here. They don't know him; haven't even heard of him.

My friend is Vincent Perez, and his opponent won't know or care about what I'm about to tell you. But it began when I was ready to throw in the towel about four years ago, giving in to the Parkinson's disease that was pummeling me into a shadow of my former self. I had hit the canvass. I took to my bed and my cringing self-pity, and I felt sure that my Creator was calling the count over my increasingly lifeless body. I couldn't sign my name. I couldn't type, as I am doing now.

Vincent Perez -- at the time just a favorite acquaintance and fellow self-absorbed malcontent -- stepped forward out of nowhere and said, "I am your cornerman and your trainer. Now get up!"

Vince taught me how to box. He worked me mercilessly five and six days a week, until my body convinced my damaged dopamine-producing brain cells that we could fight back. And fight back we did, with Vince crowning me with abuse, ridicule and occasional faint praise. One of his rare compliments came six months into our slapped-together rehabilitation program. "I could take you into a real boxing gym now, and not be embarrassed to be seen with you."

Prodded by the sheer excitement of not being a disgrace to boxing, we began to plan a boxing facility where I could continue to develop my nearly adequate skills largely in private. Privacy helped because, still affected by Parkinson's, I was prone to demoralizing "freeze-ups," when I would suddenly stand transfixed, unable to recall the muscle memory to pound the heavy bag as I had been doing only moments earlier.
We kept at it, and eventually (with enormous help from a great friend) built something portentously known as "Rock Steady Boxing" on Indy's Eastside.

An amazing thing was happening. I was getting better. Physically stronger, quicker, more flexible, more alert, more confident, able to sign my name and type on a computer. All this, without adding a single microgram of the side-effect-ridden medications for Parkinson's. With every punch, I imagined myself beating my disease into some kind of submission. It's a battle I'll lose eventually but -- thanks to Rock Steady Boxing -- it's going to take a lot longer to count me out.

Rock Steady Boxing last fall opened its doors, free of charge, to all those with Parkinson's who can climb into our full-scale boxing ring. Vince and our other principal boxing trainer -- former world second-ranked boxer Kristina Rose Follmar -- aren't always "nice." We give our trainees the same respect that Vince gave me -- high hopes, constant challenge, a healthy dose of tough talk, but in a jauntily supportive atmosphere. Here, no one is ashamed of his or her symptoms, and all share a commitment to fighting their way off the ropes and "finishing strong," in life as in each round of a boxing match.


Our boxing-based fitness program has already begun to work small miracles for our fighters, who now number in the dozens. Small victories fill us with joy. Like Bill, who stands up so much straighter now. Or Ron, who like many Parkinson's patients doesn't talk much. When I called out a week ago, "See you next time, Ron," he shot back, in full voice, "You GOT it!"

I still can't lay a glove on Vince Perez, which brings me back to this airplane flight, where my hands fly over the keyboard on my way to Coachella. There, roles will be reversed, and Kristy Rose and I will work the corner for one Vincent Perez, Rock Steady Boxing's first sponsored competitive fighter. At age 40, at 138 pounds and in fighting trim, Vince will return to the ring for the first time since his successes 15 years ago as a Golden Gloves champ.

There won't be enough room in the corner of a regulation boxing ring to fit all the people back home who are standing behind Vince. But whether Vince wins or loses, the fighters gathered to compete at a casino in the desert will know, just like old Parkinson's, that they were in a fight.

Steak n Shake – they are listening!

The home of the “steakburger” has a few healthy alternatives.

I had lunch yesterday with a friend at the Steak ‘n Shake restaurant in Circle Center Mall in downtown Indianapolis. My son had given me a page of coupons from the Sunday paper. My wife had put me on notice that I need to start to eat healthy.

I tried the apple and walnut salad combination (only $4.99 with the coupon). It was fantastic! The restaurant was incredibly busy. During the course of the meal a waitress dropped a tray of drinks directly behind me. I just missed a very cold and sticky shower. My shoes got a bit wet but it was no big deal to wipe them off and move to another chair at the table we were sitting at.

Later the very apologetic waitress came over and offered us both free milkshakes. Well it seems they now have fruit and frozen yogurt shakes. What a treat.

Steak ‘n Shake is doing a few things well.
1) They seem to have heart healthy food that parents may want to eat. I hope the new menu items are successful and stay around.
2) They used a very good coupon deal to get me to try it.
3) Accidents happen. I never asked for any special treatment but was offered some free food to make up for an inconvenience. I ended up trying something I had not ordered before but will most likely order again.

The next time my kids want to go out to eat I may just suggest Steak ‘n Shake.

Until next time – All the best!

Roland

Quotes - Be careful what you say

I read an article in the paper this morning - I was quoted - My first thought was "did I say that". Sure enough I did but the end result came out different than I meant it. Many of you will probably say "join the club" or "next time don't talk to reporters."

Dana Knight a local business writer sent me an email last week and was looking for ideas for a story she was writing about correlations between TV and real bosses. She mentioned a few to get my mind started. Sam from Cheers, Charlie from Charlie's Angels, Judge Judy, Donald Trump. I started thinking she is missing some good personalities and sent her the following reply.

I’ll have to think about your TV boss question. You may be missing a few good ones. Mr. Peterman and George Steinbrenner (maybe I watch too much Seinfeld). There is always Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. I’m not saying I worked with any of those characters though …..

Her article appeared this morning with this quote
"Roland Bydlon, who works in Carmel, didn't have an answer when asked about his boss, but he did say three memorable TV bosses come to mind: Mr. Peterman from "Seinfeld," George Steinbrenner from the New York Yankees and Mr. Burns.
"I'm not saying I worked with any of those characters, though," he wrote in an e-mail."

Dana quoted me correctly but it just didn't come out right. What I meant to communicate was when you talk to people you may want to add these characters to your list. Now I was quoted for everyone to see. Visions of a current or past business associates calling me up and accusing me of calling him/her a "Mr. Burns" flashed through my mind.

Oh well. In my 20 years in business and as a consultant I have worked with and for a lot of different individuals with very different personalities. Some had traits of a Steinbrenner others had traits of a Mr. Grant on Mary Tyler Moore. What I can say is I have learned something about myself from every person I have worked with and most of the time I have been very glad to have had the experience. I'm not embarrassed about that at all.

Until next time - All the best!

Roland

Computers! Customer Service and EarthLink

I like to ask “what if”

I usually think big picture. I’ll approach a web designer or an IT expert and explain what I would like to do and why. I’d to design a particular newsletter. I’d like to send out an email that will easily link to. I’d like to create a very easy way for a potential customer to talk to us ….. etc. etc. I seem to come up with the “what’s”. My experts help me with the “how’s”.

I don’t have a clue how they do it. I read a book once on html. Got a few pages into it and my eyes glazed over and I have a background in engineering. I’m just glad over my career I have been fortunate to work with some very smart people.

Where is this going? Last week a bolt of lightning struck near out house. Afterward my home computer would not hook up to the Internet. The WiFi was out as well. No one in our household could get email. There was a crisis. The teenagers couldn’t talk to their friends. My wife could talk to her employer or her clients. She called EarthLink our service provider. They told her she needed a new modem. We ordered it. The new modem came, we plugged it in but it didn’t work. The family looked to me.

EarthLink advertises that there are multiple ways to get answers if your service is interrupted. You could go to www.support.earthlink.net. Well no, I can’t get on the Internet. You could trade real time messages with a friendly Live Chat representative. Well no, still can’t get on the Internet. You can call 1-888-EARTHLINK. OK I’ll settle for that one. I make the call and talked to a computer that asked me what my problem was, didn’t understand my answer, asked for my phone number, and put me on hold. After 5 minutes or so I end up with a real person. Robert was located in India.

Now I have nothing against technicians from India. I just wanted my computer to work. Robert seemed very nice. The first thing he asks for is my phone number. I give it to him but I already gave it to the computer. What kind of modem do I have? I tell him but they should know that – they sent it to me. He asks a number of other questions. We proceed to troubleshoot various things. Sometimes he doesn’t understand me, sometimes I don’t understand him (try saying “wizard” with an Indian accent), he puts me on hold to talk to his supervisor, and he apologizes for the delay. It is apparent he is following some sort of cookbook. We go down a couple of paths. He puts me on supervisor hold a few times. Finally after about 90 minutes he runs out of options and tells me to call Dell, the computer manufacturer. WHAT! the computer is working fine. It is the Internet connection that doesn’t work. I ask to talk to his supervisor. He puts me on hold. 5 minutes later I get a dial tone – I’ve been cut off. I go get a beer.

Next day I make the call get through the computer and talk to a different technician. Same questions. It appears they have no record of my call the previous day, at least this technician doesn’t. This guy is very green, every minute or so he is talking to his supervisor and apologizing for the delay. We get to the same point, the service isn’t working. I finally ask him very nicely for a number in the US that I can use to talk to someone. I’m on hold for the supervisor again. The supervisor finally comes on we go round and round. He finally gives me a number with a 404 (not a free) area code. By this time it is 1:00 AM. I go to bed.

I am sitting around the table next day at work and my computer guru says “sounds like you have a bad external network card” and proceeds to loan me a spare. That night I bring it home. Eureka it works. Still need to get the WiFi programmed so I call EarthLink, again and 90 minutes and 3 technicians later I’m back in business. Tired but online. My wife and teenagers are talking to me again. The next day I get four pieces of identical mail trying to get me to purchase a new EarthLink service. These guys need to get a clue!

So where am I going with this. My computer worked but I was ticked off. Why does EarthLink spend millions of dollars on advertising to get new clients while they have their existing client talk to technicians in India, and have no record of past problems or their current equipment? Why isn’t there a simple way to check the data line? Why is this process so frustrating? Why am I staying with these guys???

A couple of days later I get a call from my wife. “I know you don’t want to hear this but the computer is out. I called EarthLink they think we have a bad networking card”. AHHHH! Needless to say I go to the store and buy a new card. After I plug it in the Internet is still out but all of the modem lights appear to be working (I am finally starting to learn the system). I prepare for the worst and call EarthLink. This must have been when the Twilight Zone music came up or the clouds parted. The technician seems to know what she was talking about, she understood my problem, and I can understood her. We reach a point where she doesn’t know what to do. Instead of putting me on hold she told me her supervisor would call me back. In 10 minutes I get a call from the supervisor. He solved my problem and asked what else he could do for me. I’m back on-line. I’m speechless!!

That’s when it hit me. Yesterday I was ready to blast EarthLink for absolutely lousy customer service. I was ready to tell 50 friends about what happened. I was ready to switch to any other service. Then the Internet went out again (I still don’t know why). EarthLink had a chance to redeem themselves and helped me fix it quickly and professionally. All is forgiven.

The lesson for me is stuff happens, mistakes are made. Often a relationship is judged by how you solved the last problem. Do it well and treat your customers with respect and maybe they’ll give you the benefit of the doubt….. and then write about the experience.

If the powers at EarthLink are reading this though I do have some advice
1) Please give me a way to talk to someone in the US if I need to
2) Please don’t keep asking for information I have already given you
3) Please keep accurate records for each technician to see. If I call back I don’t want to start from the beginning
4) Call me back if I get cut off and keep saying thank you.

Until next time – All the best!

Roland

Take Time to Ponder

I attended a tele-seminar last week on learning and leadership. The seminar was led by Kevin Eikenberry the head of the Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://www.kevineikenberry.com/), a consulting group in Indianapolis. Kevin runs a number of different programs throughout the year to help “sharpen the saw” (Covey’s term) and to help improve performance.

Kevin’s point is that learning is critical to leadership. The status quo requires no leadership. Being a better leader is equivalent to being a better human.

One of the key areas of learning is to take time to think about an experience after it happens.

Seems intuitive doesn’t it but in this dog-eat-dog rat race where 24 hours is not enough time in a day how often do we plan time to ponder the past and contemplate the future?

After an experience – good / bad / or neutral take time to think and ask yourself:
1) What worked?
2) What didn’t?
3) Knowing what I know now what would I do differently next time?
4) What are the pieces I can get better at?

Most importantly
5) Take action and do something new to continue to grow
6) Take time to ponder and renew the cycle


It is tough to form new habits! Kevin recommends starting small. Take 5-10 minutes a couple of times a week. Ask yourself how can you improve on something that happened yesterday? Brainstorm! Put a star next to an item you will commit to doing today. Did it work? Try it again.

Start small and ask yourself what can I do right now? Slow down. Try it. Do it today.

I came across this quote this morning -
"Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point."
- Harold B. Melchart, C.E.O. Coca Cola

Until next time - All the best!

Roland

To Promote, Educate or both

As a marketer of pharmaceutical products one of things I deal with on a daily basis is the question how do we can our message out to our key customers, the patients that are in need of our products and their key influencers, the doctors and nurses that help them get better?

Many doctors especially pediatricians and family practice physicians have told me personally that their business is not the same as it was a decade or more ago when they entered practice. Increased malpractice insurance costs on top of other business expenses have raised their costs. Pressure from insurance companies has lowered their revenue per patient. In order to make a living they need to see many more patients per day. Sometimes they only are able to spend several minutes with each patient.

Then there are all the pharmaceutical reps that try to see them ….

Some see a drug rep as an intrusion. Some block reps from seeing them. Some only accept samples signing for them while a representative watches from a distance. Others see them as one information source for new products and therapies. Unfortunately as time time pressures increase the number of health care professionals willing to talk to a representative is decreasing.

In this go, go, go world how do doctors learn about new products and/or new techniques for treating disease? Sometimes from their patients – their patients see an ad and ask for a prescription. This begs the question do patients know what they are asking for? In some cases yes but how many consumers ask for a product solely on the number of times they have seen the ad? How many prescriptions are written to satisfy a customer and not necessarily for medical need? Ads are very expensive. How do smaller companies with limited budgets but innovative products get their word out?

One way companies have been using to educate medical professionals is Continuing Medical Education (CME). This is an educational program (in print, a seminar, a web cast, etc.) that is usually organized by a medical group not affiliated with the sponsor. A pharmaceutical company may sponsor an activity but usually does not control content.

Some have criticized pharmaceutical companies from sponsoring CME. I don’t know if CME is the best way but it is one way to get the word out about promising drugs and therapies. Dr. John Lechleiter, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Eli Lilly (www.lilly.com) wrote a very good piece in my home town paper the Indianapolis Star over the weekend. I’ve pasted it below. Please look it over.

My question to you (the public) is how should we (the pharmaceutical company) educate you on new drugs and therapies? How can a small company get its word out? Doctors don’t like drug representatives filling up their waiting rooms – how can we reach you, educate you, allow you to make informed decisions?

I’m all ears – that’s what makes my job interesting and exciting.

Until next time – All the best!

Roland



My View: John C. Lechleiter
Lilly seeks education, not 'dose of influence'

The Indianapolis Star
July 15, 2007

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007707150325&template=printart


The Indianapolis Star as well as scientific journals, legislators and other media outlets around the country recently examined the pharmaceutical industry's financial support of continuing medical education for doctors. This attention has raised more questions than answers, as The Star's June 24 headline ("A dose of influence?") certainly demonstrated.

My goal is to offer some answers and share an insider's viewpoint that draws on the experiences and practice of Eli Lilly and Co.

Pharmaceutical companies such as Lilly are an important source of financial sponsorship for continuing medical education programs. Since medical knowledge grows constantly, doctors are required to complete CME programs on a regular basis in order to remain licensed. And patients, of course, benefit greatly from having doctors who are up-to-date on their fields of practice.

At Lilly, we're quite proud to support CME. Earlier this year, in fact, we became the first drug company to publish an online database of all our grants to medical societies, academic centers, patient organizations and other health care-related institutions (see www.lillygrantoffice.com) -- which includes our support for CME. We earned some praise for this from U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Chuck Grassley, who encouraged other companies to do the same. We agree that openness is the key to avoiding misunderstandings.

Is it a "dose of influence" with doctors that Lilly seeks by making these funds available? No. It is clearly in the interests of our business that doctors do not stop learning when they leave medical school, but rather stay on top of new treatment options that produce better results. But we do not, and cannot, determine the specific content of CME programs that we support -- let alone influence the subsequent treatment and prescribing decisions of the doctors who attend.

That's because, first of all, our payments are made to the organizers of CME sessions, who in turn are solely responsible for the content of the programs. We don't choose the curriculum or the speakers, so we could not use this funding -- even if we were inclined to -- as a means of elevating our products or rewarding doctors who like to prescribe them. Second, we can't determine which doctors will attend a CME program. And finally, decisions at Lilly about saying "yes" or "no" to requests for CME grants are made by our medical department -- mostly doctors themselves -- without any role for our sales and marketing functions.

Doctors are not weak-willed marionettes; they're savvy, well educated and quite fierce about using their own judgment. Lilly shares a compelling interest in a having a community of physicians with the latest knowledge and skills -- which is why we will continue to support CME as part of our contribution to the overall quality of health care in the United States. But our products will rise and fall on their merits -- namely, their efficacy and safety in the treatment of patients.

Initial Comments

Just got back from a fantastic vacation. My wife and I have been talking about doing the dude ranch thing for years .... we have been waiting for our boys to get to an age where they will appreciate it but not be too old to be able to punch out. Kyle just turned 13. Tim is 16. We decided that this was the year. We went to a great ranch just outside of Salmon Idaho, a place with more cows and horses than people. The Twin Peaks Ranch gave us a week of horseback riding, whitewater rafting, fantastic food and some absolutely unbelievable hospitality. There also was not a cell phone tower or television within miles. We would recommend the vacation to anyone. Also spent four outstanding days after the ranch experience driving and hiking in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. My only problem now is how do I top this vacation next year ......

Completed reading Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz while on vacation. (No I couldn't totally turn off business while on vacation but I got very close) I met Andy at a presentation he gave to the Indianapolis chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). He is an excellent speaker and his book gave me a ton of ideas that I want to try. He recommends starting a blog .... so here we go. Don't know how long this will last or what we will say. I've seen a lot of things in the military (submarines) , at a large pharmaceutical company (Lilly), consulting and at a number of startups. I'm currently up to my neck (not literally) dealing with head lice. I have enjoyed everything I've ever done so I decided to give it a try.

Send me a line and we'll get a conversation going. All the best!