Wood Foss, a proprietor in Westerly RI, owns Alley Katz, a wonderful 20 lane center that does some great numbers and has really, really great sports bar called Cleats. In addition to the great service, the burgers, specials and other concoctions are terrific. I can't wait for my visit to see them; the burgers are that good! :-)
In any case, Wood is a fervent reader of Chris Brogan's blog and he passed this information on to me. I thought you might like it
"I’m convinced that everyone in every organization is now part of the sales force. I also think you’re part of customer service, but there are no customers without sales. Sales comes first. No matter if you’re the "bagger" at the grocery store to the CFO, your job is sales and then customer service, and if you don’t think it is, your company’s health is probably just as questionable as the rest of the businesses out there.
Think Sales
Sales people don’t push a product; they listen for people’s needs. The really good sales professionals I’ve met sell other people’s products just as readily as they sell the one they’re paid to sell. Get in that habit, the habit of being helpful. Find people’s needs as a matter of fact. Find them even when you’re not really on duty. Listen to people. Listen to what they’re really saying versus what is coming out of their lips. This will pay you forever.
Think Customer Service
The #1 trait of excellent customer service is empathy married to action. Sometimes, empathy is all you can deliver. I’m sitting in an airport writing this at 5AM because our plane was rerouted due to an emergency on board. It’s no one’s fault. But none of the passengers really want to be here. Everyone has dealt with us with empathy first and foremost, and that’s what matters. They’ve spoken from our side of the fence. They’ve been personal with all their interactions.
Empathy plus action is what makes great customer service. You can practice this as often as possible, too. You can do it at home. Get on the other person’s side of the table as often as possible. Look for potential ways to help. And remember, listening and making someone feel heard is every bit as important an action as any other (note to men: we tend to leap to action instead of helping a woman feel heard – that’s from studies I’ve read and John Gray’s work)".
My best to all, Wood
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Why Facebook and Google are Doomed!
Ever try to call Google or Facebook and get a real person to answer your call? Won't happen. It's not their business model. In fact, it is the antithesis of their business model.
I tried calling Google several times, maybe even 20 times, only to be referred to a website or an email; never heard from them again.
And then it hit me. These very companies whose aim it is to connect people, facts and fiction and to communicate with the world are doing one S*#@*y job of connecting with me or letting me connect with them. I want a real person to whom I can speak. Why is that so hard for them to do?
In addition to it not being in their DNA, they simply can't afford to be able to answer questions from millions and millions of users globally. What would you do if everybody was your market. And I do mean everybody!!
With 35 billion emails being sent, everyday, via the Internet and with these two companies having the lion's share of this market, how could they possible answer all the calls. It's near impossible...or is it?
And then I knew that the end is near for Google.
Larry Page, who has taken over the CEO position again, is now stating that his job is to get the 24,000 Google employees to make decisions quicker and act more like a "start up." He has set down rules such as: "All proposals have to be pitched in 60 seconds or less." "Supervisors were to cut their project list in half and then half again." And so on...
Trouble is with all his edicts he missed CEO 101.
First rule of CEO 101 has always been to get out and speak to the customers. Find out what they want. And no where was this mentioned in his "Page Manifesto." Sure Google and Facebook have lots of stats and can tell YOU what YOU want, but who is out talking to people and getting some qualitative data instead of all quantitative information.
No where. All of Mr. Page's focus appears to be on the internal structuring of his company, without ever mentioning the customer. Yikes!
Now this may be an exaggeration and I don't suspect Google or Facebook to go out of business anywhere soon, but if you take this example to our bowling center levels, how hard would it be for us to lose customers if we didn't listen to them and find out all we could so we could give them what they wanted.
Pretty easy, I think.
I tried calling Google several times, maybe even 20 times, only to be referred to a website or an email; never heard from them again.
And then it hit me. These very companies whose aim it is to connect people, facts and fiction and to communicate with the world are doing one S*#@*y job of connecting with me or letting me connect with them. I want a real person to whom I can speak. Why is that so hard for them to do?
In addition to it not being in their DNA, they simply can't afford to be able to answer questions from millions and millions of users globally. What would you do if everybody was your market. And I do mean everybody!!
With 35 billion emails being sent, everyday, via the Internet and with these two companies having the lion's share of this market, how could they possible answer all the calls. It's near impossible...or is it?
And then I knew that the end is near for Google.
Larry Page, who has taken over the CEO position again, is now stating that his job is to get the 24,000 Google employees to make decisions quicker and act more like a "start up." He has set down rules such as: "All proposals have to be pitched in 60 seconds or less." "Supervisors were to cut their project list in half and then half again." And so on...
Trouble is with all his edicts he missed CEO 101.
First rule of CEO 101 has always been to get out and speak to the customers. Find out what they want. And no where was this mentioned in his "Page Manifesto." Sure Google and Facebook have lots of stats and can tell YOU what YOU want, but who is out talking to people and getting some qualitative data instead of all quantitative information.
No where. All of Mr. Page's focus appears to be on the internal structuring of his company, without ever mentioning the customer. Yikes!
Now this may be an exaggeration and I don't suspect Google or Facebook to go out of business anywhere soon, but if you take this example to our bowling center levels, how hard would it be for us to lose customers if we didn't listen to them and find out all we could so we could give them what they wanted.
Pretty easy, I think.
Friday, March 25, 2011
10 Immutable Laws of Customer Relationships
The following is based on a conversation with the enthusiastic, enlightening and entertaining sales trainer Jerry Acuff, author of The Relationship Edge in Business
"Selling at the highest level means building strong customer relationships which create ongoing sales opportunities.
There are ten fundamental laws that determine whether a customer will want to have a long-term relationship with you.
Here they are:
LAW #1: Your customer wants to feel important.
LAW #2: Your customer craves being appreciated.
LAW #3: Your customer is NOT interested in you.
LAW #4: Your customer seeks success and happiness.
LAW #5: Your customer wants you to listen and understand.
LAW #6: Your customer must feel valued before buying.
LAW #7: Your customer buys emotionally but defends logically.
LAW #8: Your customer’s average attention span is short.
LAW #9: Your customer wants you to show true interest.
LAW #10: Your customer wants to teach you something.
If you behave with these laws constantly in mind, your customers will work with you, buy from you, and give you great referrals. On the other hand, if you ignore any of these laws, you’re toast. Your customers will move on to somebody who knows how to treat them right."
"Selling at the highest level means building strong customer relationships which create ongoing sales opportunities.
There are ten fundamental laws that determine whether a customer will want to have a long-term relationship with you.
Here they are:
LAW #1: Your customer wants to feel important.
LAW #2: Your customer craves being appreciated.
LAW #3: Your customer is NOT interested in you.
LAW #4: Your customer seeks success and happiness.
LAW #5: Your customer wants you to listen and understand.
LAW #6: Your customer must feel valued before buying.
LAW #7: Your customer buys emotionally but defends logically.
LAW #8: Your customer’s average attention span is short.
LAW #9: Your customer wants you to show true interest.
LAW #10: Your customer wants to teach you something.
If you behave with these laws constantly in mind, your customers will work with you, buy from you, and give you great referrals. On the other hand, if you ignore any of these laws, you’re toast. Your customers will move on to somebody who knows how to treat them right."
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Millenials
I received several interesting comments from my readers, in the past few days, focusing on an element of Cosmic bowling I neglected to mention.
From Max Cook Pasco, WA, "a lot of centers all over the country do not have all the fixtures working. It's not a cosmic show without the lights. ALL lights have to be working or replaced. An investment of 1 or 2 new fixtures a month or every other month prevents a massive overhaul expense."
From CJ Fox out of Newton, IA, "Move your old lights around. Get some new LED lights which will save you gads of energy costs."
From a Bowling Proprietor in Madrid, Spain, "It is of the utmost importance that our cosmic show be first class ALL THE TIME. Customers simply won't tolerate broken fixtures or dirty setees. We must be perfect."
Now for today's topic: The Millenias.
Who is this group and how will they affect your business? For one there are 82 million Americans born between 1979 and 1999 (22 to 33 yr olds); the biggest generation since the Baby Boomers (72 million)
As consumers, they want mostly to have a company build a relationship with them rather than sell them.
Consider the kinds of emails, Facebook messages and tweets you send out to them.
If you're only sending "an offer" every time you communicate with them, you are turning them off. Big time.
Instead engage them in contests, give them information and tell them what other Millennials are saying about your center. Just don't sell; TELL A STORY!
As employees, they expect to be heard and to have their opinions listened to. Expect them to question authority and ask "why" very often.
According to Cathy O'Neill, senior vice president at career management company Lee, Hecht and Harrison in Woodcliff Lake, N.J, "The millennium generation has been brought up in the most child-centered generation ever. They've been programmed and nurtured. Their expectations are different. The millennial expects to be told how they're doing."
Give them plenty of feedback and plenty of constructive criticism, if that's what is needed.
More importantly, the Millenia worker wants a real life balance; wants flexibility in scheduling hours and finds it normal to text, scroll the Internet and talk on the phone with a friend or family member at the same time.
This tech savvy generation doesn't just want it all...rather, this generation wants it all on THEIR terms.
From Max Cook Pasco, WA, "a lot of centers all over the country do not have all the fixtures working. It's not a cosmic show without the lights. ALL lights have to be working or replaced. An investment of 1 or 2 new fixtures a month or every other month prevents a massive overhaul expense."
From CJ Fox out of Newton, IA, "Move your old lights around. Get some new LED lights which will save you gads of energy costs."
From a Bowling Proprietor in Madrid, Spain, "It is of the utmost importance that our cosmic show be first class ALL THE TIME. Customers simply won't tolerate broken fixtures or dirty setees. We must be perfect."
Now for today's topic: The Millenias.
Who is this group and how will they affect your business? For one there are 82 million Americans born between 1979 and 1999 (22 to 33 yr olds); the biggest generation since the Baby Boomers (72 million)
As consumers, they want mostly to have a company build a relationship with them rather than sell them.
Consider the kinds of emails, Facebook messages and tweets you send out to them.
If you're only sending "an offer" every time you communicate with them, you are turning them off. Big time.
Instead engage them in contests, give them information and tell them what other Millennials are saying about your center. Just don't sell; TELL A STORY!
As employees, they expect to be heard and to have their opinions listened to. Expect them to question authority and ask "why" very often.
According to Cathy O'Neill, senior vice president at career management company Lee, Hecht and Harrison in Woodcliff Lake, N.J, "The millennium generation has been brought up in the most child-centered generation ever. They've been programmed and nurtured. Their expectations are different. The millennial expects to be told how they're doing."
Give them plenty of feedback and plenty of constructive criticism, if that's what is needed.
More importantly, the Millenia worker wants a real life balance; wants flexibility in scheduling hours and finds it normal to text, scroll the Internet and talk on the phone with a friend or family member at the same time.
This tech savvy generation doesn't just want it all...rather, this generation wants it all on THEIR terms.
Monday, March 14, 2011
9 Secrets To Building Cosmic Bowling Lineage
Reports from around the country indicate that cosmic bowling has picked up as we get deeper into the season. Problem is that the season is about to slow down and as the weather gets nicer so will your cosmic bowling.
Here are 9 secrets I use to keep our cosmic moving:
1. Make sure that your cosmic bowling has at least someone who can act as a master of ceremony. If this person isn't on your staff, a local college may have acting, communications or speech majors looking for a little extra work.
2. Try to encourage staff,working that night, to dress up in funny hats, costumes or anything that the customer would see as "fun". Give out funny red noses to customers. just because!
3. Run a few different contests like crazy bowl, music trivia contest and red pin head pin or 3 6 9 strikes.
4. Conduct some 80's theme nights or 70's theme nights and give the customer pricing that is 70% or 80% of your price
5. Direct mail every week. send out 300 to 500 postcards every week to your 15 to 34 mailing list offering a $5 discount off your price. If you don't have a list, go buy a list of people in this age category in your zip codes who have shown some interest in sports, music or entertainment. Check www.Infousa.com
6. Send out emails every other Thursday (and Twitter) to tell your prime segment about upcoming cosmic events in your center. Build the fun on Facebook with questions about music and entertainment; and referencing that correct answers will win a prize at your center during Cosmic night.
7. About once a month, hire a local band. Give them the gate ($5 to $10 per person) You keep the bowling, food and beverage proceeds.
8. Set up Facebook ads and budget about $50 per day for at least one week to 10 days per month.
9. Look at your cable TV for great buys over the summer. Spots in good day parts can be had for less than $20 in most markets (MTV, Comedy, E, Cartoon, Spike, etc) advertise on Wednesday through Friday. minimum of 30 spots.
...And one more. Keep thinking of ways to make your cosmic more fun. Ask your staff. Ask your customers.
Party on!
Here are 9 secrets I use to keep our cosmic moving:
1. Make sure that your cosmic bowling has at least someone who can act as a master of ceremony. If this person isn't on your staff, a local college may have acting, communications or speech majors looking for a little extra work.
2. Try to encourage staff,working that night, to dress up in funny hats, costumes or anything that the customer would see as "fun". Give out funny red noses to customers. just because!
3. Run a few different contests like crazy bowl, music trivia contest and red pin head pin or 3 6 9 strikes.
4. Conduct some 80's theme nights or 70's theme nights and give the customer pricing that is 70% or 80% of your price
5. Direct mail every week. send out 300 to 500 postcards every week to your 15 to 34 mailing list offering a $5 discount off your price. If you don't have a list, go buy a list of people in this age category in your zip codes who have shown some interest in sports, music or entertainment. Check www.Infousa.com
6. Send out emails every other Thursday (and Twitter) to tell your prime segment about upcoming cosmic events in your center. Build the fun on Facebook with questions about music and entertainment; and referencing that correct answers will win a prize at your center during Cosmic night.
7. About once a month, hire a local band. Give them the gate ($5 to $10 per person) You keep the bowling, food and beverage proceeds.
8. Set up Facebook ads and budget about $50 per day for at least one week to 10 days per month.
9. Look at your cable TV for great buys over the summer. Spots in good day parts can be had for less than $20 in most markets (MTV, Comedy, E, Cartoon, Spike, etc) advertise on Wednesday through Friday. minimum of 30 spots.
...And one more. Keep thinking of ways to make your cosmic more fun. Ask your staff. Ask your customers.
Party on!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Mission Not Impossible
What does your center stand for?
Do you really have a mission statement?
If you really have a statement and it is more than just..."best service, cleaner center, best shot, fun atmosphere, blah, blah", then you might have a shot at standing for something.
Clients like Wally Hall and Mike Hall, in their 3 centers in Maryland, practice their mission statement; they even have it up on the wall of their centers in plain sight for customers to see.
Simply stated, their mission is "to make happy memories".
Now, if you think about that for a while that statement stands for something. And it creates a culture amongst employees to fulfill their mission with every customer interaction.
One other client I know has a mission statement that says "our mission is to make your day brighter." Cool. Every employee now understands what the center stands for and what they have to do.
What does you center stand for? Think about it. Get your employees to brainstorm and develop a mission statement that YOU and THEY really believe in and want to fulfill that every day.
Because if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for everything.
Do you really have a mission statement?
If you really have a statement and it is more than just..."best service, cleaner center, best shot, fun atmosphere, blah, blah", then you might have a shot at standing for something.
Clients like Wally Hall and Mike Hall, in their 3 centers in Maryland, practice their mission statement; they even have it up on the wall of their centers in plain sight for customers to see.
Simply stated, their mission is "to make happy memories".
Now, if you think about that for a while that statement stands for something. And it creates a culture amongst employees to fulfill their mission with every customer interaction.
One other client I know has a mission statement that says "our mission is to make your day brighter." Cool. Every employee now understands what the center stands for and what they have to do.
What does you center stand for? Think about it. Get your employees to brainstorm and develop a mission statement that YOU and THEY really believe in and want to fulfill that every day.
Because if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for everything.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Marketing Lesson 134: Sly and The Family Stone
The more I travel through Airports, the more I realize that each one has a pace, a vibration and a tempo all its own. There are differences in airport personnel, food shops, even the security people, we fondly call the " TSA search people", are different.
Sunday, 2pm in Denver and the airport is decidedly different than midweek. More business guys in blue jeans, more families, more seniors and more ladies in very casual, but still stylish apparel. But the airport services don't change. It's still the same old bar and grills, fast food joints and an occasional "theme" restaurant trying to be representative of the local market.
Surprisingly , most of the eateries are less than one quarter full; but I notice many people eating from brown paper bags they probably packed themselves.
Deductively, I reasoned that passengers probably packed their own food because:
it is less expensive
it is food they want.
it is healthier.
past experience has conditioned them to believe that airport food is "terrible."
No doubt it is all these variables have contributed to seemingly less patronage.
Now think about your center
If you change or add more family friendly food items on weekends, do you think you would generate more business? If you had a special Saturday night cosmic bowl menu., would you sell more food?
How about special weekend beverages; not just booze, but things like milk shakes, ice cream sundaes, root beer floats or even glasses of milk and chocolate milk?
If you already have these items, why not create a 1/3rd of a page quickie menu for the weekends and then distribute them from 9a to 6p all weekend long.
Do the same for after 9pm when a different market segments visits the center.
You just might get some more customers to pay attention get some interest, build some desire and get some action and buy your food or drink more frequently
Its marketing mantra # 134 from Sly and The Family Stone: "Different Strokes for Different Folks."
So what are you doing differently?
Sunday, 2pm in Denver and the airport is decidedly different than midweek. More business guys in blue jeans, more families, more seniors and more ladies in very casual, but still stylish apparel. But the airport services don't change. It's still the same old bar and grills, fast food joints and an occasional "theme" restaurant trying to be representative of the local market.
Surprisingly , most of the eateries are less than one quarter full; but I notice many people eating from brown paper bags they probably packed themselves.
Deductively, I reasoned that passengers probably packed their own food because:
it is less expensive
it is food they want.
it is healthier.
past experience has conditioned them to believe that airport food is "terrible."
No doubt it is all these variables have contributed to seemingly less patronage.
Now think about your center
If you change or add more family friendly food items on weekends, do you think you would generate more business? If you had a special Saturday night cosmic bowl menu., would you sell more food?
How about special weekend beverages; not just booze, but things like milk shakes, ice cream sundaes, root beer floats or even glasses of milk and chocolate milk?
If you already have these items, why not create a 1/3rd of a page quickie menu for the weekends and then distribute them from 9a to 6p all weekend long.
Do the same for after 9pm when a different market segments visits the center.
You just might get some more customers to pay attention get some interest, build some desire and get some action and buy your food or drink more frequently
Its marketing mantra # 134 from Sly and The Family Stone: "Different Strokes for Different Folks."
So what are you doing differently?
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Success Needs To Be Heard
So you go to your center on Saturday night and say to the manager or assistant manager; "how is everything going"? It's a common greeting, isn't it? You might even ask "what's going on"? or you might say, "how are we doing tonight"?
If the manager tells you, "oh pretty good, but we had a fight outside and a couple of guys got a little tipsy at the bar and they are still there; then all of a sudden, YOU have a problem to solve."
All of your energies go to the problem as your brain spins its file system to come up with a solution. You see, in our current "always connected world", the question that we asked is really; "tell me everything, tell me, tell me, tell me! And as entrepreneurs, we want to fix whatever problems we here about immediately. I mean right now!!
Celebrating any success comes later or sometimes not at all.
Life isn't always perfect and these problems/issues/challenges will happen all the time. So is that the answer you really want to hear?
Now, I'm not saying that you ignore these issues and make believe they aren't there or your manager decides not to tell you about them, but I am suggesting that you ask your management team to provide you with more positive answers first.
For example, your manager could have said; "We had all lanes going for cosmic bowling, food and beverage sales are great and the new menu items have really taken off. Even the beer special is great. And we have had a few issues in the bar with a couple of guys getting a bit tipsy, but it is all handled."
Now its up to you to jump on the positive message and make sure you can replicate the full house, the great f&b sales and the fun people are having next Saturday night.
Success needs to be heard. Every employee in the center needs to hear about it; needs to feel like "Yes, we won".
Share it. And then share it again!
Because the more successes you share with your employees, than the more successes you will have.
If the manager tells you, "oh pretty good, but we had a fight outside and a couple of guys got a little tipsy at the bar and they are still there; then all of a sudden, YOU have a problem to solve."
All of your energies go to the problem as your brain spins its file system to come up with a solution. You see, in our current "always connected world", the question that we asked is really; "tell me everything, tell me, tell me, tell me! And as entrepreneurs, we want to fix whatever problems we here about immediately. I mean right now!!
Celebrating any success comes later or sometimes not at all.
Life isn't always perfect and these problems/issues/challenges will happen all the time. So is that the answer you really want to hear?
Now, I'm not saying that you ignore these issues and make believe they aren't there or your manager decides not to tell you about them, but I am suggesting that you ask your management team to provide you with more positive answers first.
For example, your manager could have said; "We had all lanes going for cosmic bowling, food and beverage sales are great and the new menu items have really taken off. Even the beer special is great. And we have had a few issues in the bar with a couple of guys getting a bit tipsy, but it is all handled."
Now its up to you to jump on the positive message and make sure you can replicate the full house, the great f&b sales and the fun people are having next Saturday night.
Success needs to be heard. Every employee in the center needs to hear about it; needs to feel like "Yes, we won".
Share it. And then share it again!
Because the more successes you share with your employees, than the more successes you will have.
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