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Actual for You - Saying One Thing, Doing Another...
So you are thinking about accepting the counteroffer even though I said it was bad? You ask what could be so bad about getting an increase in salary or a big new promotion with your present employer versus making a change to leave them and go with a competitor? It does sound tempting, but life is perfect only in hindsight and on The Girls Next Door if you happen to be Hugh Hefner.First off, no matter what is said over the bargaining table, if you accept a counteroffer that is the end of your career with that company. You will never be seen again in the same light and likely will always be considered a risk to company assets. When it comes to a ve
Where is the customer on the agenda?
Just look at your next team meeting agenda. Where is the customer satisfaction review? Is there one? I know of monthly and quarterly meetings where the customer and the customer satisfaction measure are not even spoken about? How can management then say they are focussed on the customer?
You are your diary Look at your diary.
How much time do you spend with Customers or working on Customer issues? Look at your bosses and senior teams - this will tell you the difference between the actions and the intentions.
Customer complaints
Are they a good thing or a bad thing? Customer complaints should be encouraged - they are fr
When helping our clients sell their businesses, we get to witness buyer behavior first hand. The most important behavior is their economic vote – how much they are willing to pay for a business. Many factors go into their assessment of value, but a contractually recurring revenue stream is consistently the number one value driver.Why is this so important? The first answer is risk. Buying a business is risky. Any factor that reduces this risk is rewarded with transaction value. Forecasted sales, for example are at the high end of the risk scale and are heavily discounted in value. Historical time and materials revenues that are “ most likely to be at
As I sat there I started to think, why do people say one thing and do another? Do they really think people are that stupid that they cannot see the conflict between the words and the actions? So, as the speakers droned on and on about product X and revenue Y, I thought “what are the tell tale signs that show if your company is really customer focussed?”. I took the opportunity to make some notes…….
When I visit companies, they take great pains to tell me how customer focussed they are. They show me mission statements, pretty “charters” on their wall extolling the virtue of being customer focussed and explain how the company is organised around their products! Yet the reality is that their words and their actions are different. Customer focussed is the last thing they are. Let me be very clear right up front, our people are not stupid, and your customers are not stupid, they know you are not customer focussed! One thing I have learnt over the years is… “Customers will judge you on your actions not your intentions.
So what are some of the tell tale signs of people saying one thing and doing another?
What do you measure?
This is the easy one. I have met companies who tell me they are customer focussed and yet they have no form of Customer satisfaction measure at all! Do you measure Customer satisfaction? Ask yourself now if you know what last month’s results were? Now ask yourself if you know the company’s revenue performance last month? Normally people can tell me the latter but not the former. What does that tell me?
Half the Customer Experience is about emotions. So, do you measure the emotions you’re evoking in your customers? When were your measures last reviewed to check they are still the right ones and changed if necessary?
What happens to the information?
Too many companies have a “tick the box” mentality. They measure Customer satisfaction as the management books say they should. But they never do anything with the results. So ask yourself, how often is your customer satisfaction measure actively used to drive improvements?
How important are Customer measures to your company?
Who gets paid on the results and how much? I remember when I was in corporate life; I had a stand up argument with one of my colleagues at a board meeting about this. I suggested that the bonus we paid account managers, which stood at 5% of their overall bonus, with the remaining 95% paid on revenue, should be increased to 50% of their bonus. I argued if we really believed that focussing on the customer was critical then we should “put our money where our mouth is”. Sadly I lost the argument. Revenue was the key measure throughout the company and would remain so. Talking about being customer focussed just made everyone feel better. In fact with hindsight, in everything they did the customer came second or in some cases third!
Where is the customer on the agenda?
Just look at your next team meeting agenda. Where is the customer satisfaction review? Is there one? I know of monthly and quarterly meetings where the customer and the customer satisfaction measure are not even spoken about? How can management then say they are focussed on the customer?
You are your diary Look at your diary.
How much time do you spend with Customers or working on Customer issues? Look at your bosses and senior teams - this will tell you the difference between the actions and the intentions.
Customer complaints
Are they a good thing or a bad thing? Customer complaints should be encouraged - they are fre
Thinking about changing your career... but worried that you may not have the background or qualifications to make the change?In some cases, you're right to be worried. Some careers do require you to possess specific qualifications and experience.However... it could be that your concern isn't warranted at all.Actually, you may have "credentialitis" - you think you need some kind of credential to qualify you for a promotion, new position or career change, when you actually have all the skills, talent and knowledge necessary.Funny, really.I always considered qualifications and credentials to be short-hand for skills and kno
So what are some of the tell tale signs of people saying one thing and doing another?
What do you measure?
This is the easy one. I have met companies who tell me they are customer focussed and yet they have no form of Customer satisfaction measure at all! Do you measure Customer satisfaction? Ask yourself now if you know what last month’s results were? Now ask yourself if you know the company’s revenue performance last month? Normally people can tell me the latter but not the former. What does that tell me?
Half the Customer Experience is about emotions. So, do you measure the emotions you’re evoking in your customers? When were your measures last reviewed to check they are still the right ones and changed if necessary?
What happens to the information?
Too many companies have a “tick the box” mentality. They measure Customer satisfaction as the management books say they should. But they never do anything with the results. So ask yourself, how often is your customer satisfaction measure actively used to drive improvements?
How important are Customer measures to your company?
Who gets paid on the results and how much? I remember when I was in corporate life; I had a stand up argument with one of my colleagues at a board meeting about this. I suggested that the bonus we paid account managers, which stood at 5% of their overall bonus, with the remaining 95% paid on revenue, should be increased to 50% of their bonus. I argued if we really believed that focussing on the customer was critical then we should “put our money where our mouth is”. Sadly I lost the argument. Revenue was the key measure throughout the company and would remain so. Talking about being customer focussed just made everyone feel better. In fact with hindsight, in everything they did the customer came second or in some cases third!
Where is the customer on the agenda?
Just look at your next team meeting agenda. Where is the customer satisfaction review? Is there one? I know of monthly and quarterly meetings where the customer and the customer satisfaction measure are not even spoken about? How can management then say they are focussed on the customer?
You are your diary Look at your diary.
How much time do you spend with Customers or working on Customer issues? Look at your bosses and senior teams - this will tell you the difference between the actions and the intentions.
Customer complaints
Are they a good thing or a bad thing? Customer complaints should be encouraged - they are fr
Any responsible person, even with limited formal instruction or experience, can do a simple fire risk assessment. More complex buildings will need to be assessed by a person with full training and experience in fire risk assessment.Mainly companies and building owners will be affected by the new legislation but it could be anyone who has some control over premises. Fire certificates will no longer be valid.Under the new regulations it is the responsibility of employers to do a risk assessment of their places of work, which must contain provisions concerning fire safety measures in the workplace.The responsible person must go over the ri
Half the Customer Experience is about emotions. So, do you measure the emotions you’re evoking in your customers? When were your measures last reviewed to check they are still the right ones and changed if necessary?
What happens to the information?
Too many companies have a “tick the box” mentality. They measure Customer satisfaction as the management books say they should. But they never do anything with the results. So ask yourself, how often is your customer satisfaction measure actively used to drive improvements?
How important are Customer measures to your company?
Who gets paid on the results and how much? I remember when I was in corporate life; I had a stand up argument with one of my colleagues at a board meeting about this. I suggested that the bonus we paid account managers, which stood at 5% of their overall bonus, with the remaining 95% paid on revenue, should be increased to 50% of their bonus. I argued if we really believed that focussing on the customer was critical then we should “put our money where our mouth is”. Sadly I lost the argument. Revenue was the key measure throughout the company and would remain so. Talking about being customer focussed just made everyone feel better. In fact with hindsight, in everything they did the customer came second or in some cases third!
Where is the customer on the agenda?
Just look at your next team meeting agenda. Where is the customer satisfaction review? Is there one? I know of monthly and quarterly meetings where the customer and the customer satisfaction measure are not even spoken about? How can management then say they are focussed on the customer?
You are your diary Look at your diary.
How much time do you spend with Customers or working on Customer issues? Look at your bosses and senior teams - this will tell you the difference between the actions and the intentions.
Customer complaints
Are they a good thing or a bad thing? Customer complaints should be encouraged - they are fr
If you’ve never planned a big marketing event or campaign before, some of the little logistics can be daunting. All the little details can seem overwhelming. The last thing you need to be worrying about is your promotional giveaways. That’s why reputable business gift companies have experts on hand to lead you through the process and help you design and place your order so that it’s delivered to you on time and in excellent condition. Here’s what you can expect when you order promotional items from business gift companies like Ideasbynet.comBrowse the Catalog Online If you’re unfamiliar with the range of products offered by the company, or haven
How important are Customer measures to your company?
Who gets paid on the results and how much? I remember when I was in corporate life; I had a stand up argument with one of my colleagues at a board meeting about this. I suggested that the bonus we paid account managers, which stood at 5% of their overall bonus, with the remaining 95% paid on revenue, should be increased to 50% of their bonus. I argued if we really believed that focussing on the customer was critical then we should “put our money where our mouth is”. Sadly I lost the argument. Revenue was the key measure throughout the company and would remain so. Talking about being customer focussed just made everyone feel better. In fact with hindsight, in everything they did the customer came second or in some cases third!
Where is the customer on the agenda?
Just look at your next team meeting agenda. Where is the customer satisfaction review? Is there one? I know of monthly and quarterly meetings where the customer and the customer satisfaction measure are not even spoken about? How can management then say they are focussed on the customer?
You are your diary Look at your diary.
How much time do you spend with Customers or working on Customer issues? Look at your bosses and senior teams - this will tell you the difference between the actions and the intentions.
Customer complaints
Are they a good thing or a bad thing? Customer complaints should be encouraged - they are fr
In this world of technology, you have to wonder what would happen to the medical billing profession if suddenly all the power in the world went out and the computers stopped working. If you never thought of how catastrophic this would be, this little eye opening look at a hypothetical situation should get you thinking about having some backup plans for your medical billing business.The problems with not having a computer to do your medical billing in today's day and age are mind boggling. There are actually a multitude of headaches that you're going to have should your PC and network decide to go south for an eternity.For starters and this i
Where is the customer on the agenda?
Just look at your next team meeting agenda. Where is the customer satisfaction review? Is there one? I know of monthly and quarterly meetings where the customer and the customer satisfaction measure are not even spoken about? How can management then say they are focussed on the customer?
You are your diary Look at your diary.
How much time do you spend with Customers or working on Customer issues? Look at your bosses and senior teams - this will tell you the difference between the actions and the intentions.
Customer complaints
Are they a good thing or a bad thing? Customer complaints should be encouraged - they are free consultancy and feedback from your customers. Too many companies treat them as something they shouldn’t have?
“Inside out or Outside in”
A couple of weeks ago I was involved in a meeting where there was a heated debate about what the customer wanted. Retail put their view, Customer service put their view, sales put their view and it all got a bit strained. I sat there and, at an opportune moment, asked the simple question. “Can someone tell me what the customer thinks?…..”Where is your customer data to back up what you are saying, because without that these are just opinions”. The most important thing is what the customer thinks.
So in summary these are the main areas which show the difference between words and actions. Look at your colleagues and bosses and then ask yourself, are you truly customer focussed?
Finally, I would be fascinated to learn of any other “tell tale signs” you have observed; we are considering using them in our next book. Perhaps email them to me at colin.shaw@beyondphilosophy.com. If they are new and we use them in the book then we will acknowledge your contribution in print!
Colin Shaw Founding Partner, Beyond Philosophy. colin.shaw@beyondphilosophy.com
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