Made You Look

Horseman's Memory System

I've got a suspicion that you've got more good ideas than you have time to experiment with them.  Some ideas are lost in twenty four hours.  They go back to the idea pond for someone else to fish them out at a later date.

I get a lot of good ideas during the day.  Many return to the idea pond because they need to do that.  They have insufficient capacity to sustain themselves.  They need to grow some more.

It's those really good ideas that go back to the idea pond without being tested because they are forgotten that drive me crazy.  Great ideas that slip away every day.

I write them down now.  On an index card or in a spiral wire bound notebook to save them.  It really works.  Try it yourself if you have too many other things to remember already.

I'm glad I wrote this idea down last week for blog fodder today. 

Thanks for remembering.

Signs of Your Business

A visit to the Doctor's office last week for a physical has had me thinking about customer service and making your clients feel welcome.  Fortunately, I don't see a physician frequently due to having good health.

I signed the attendance sheet and the lady behind the glass wall managed to say "Good Morning."

Sitting alone in the waiting area, I couldn't help noticing the signage in the office:

• "Patients must sign in"
• "No Food or Drink Allowed"
• "No cell phones allowed"
• "Payment expected at time of service"
• "$ 25.00 appt. cancellation fee"
• "$ 15.00 bad check fee"

• "$ 10.00 Fee for filling out forms"

I searched for the WELCOME to OUR PRACTICE sign and couldn't find it.  It must have been at the sign shop being touched up.

Does the signage at your business read like my medical group's? I don't mind knowing what the rules are, but I'd like to know you want me as a client first. 

My group doctor at 9:00 A.M. had the energy of a slug and must have been on the waiting list for a personality transplant for a considerable amount of time.  Had he found the time to say goodbye to me following an EKG, I would have attempted to tolerate his dull demeanor.  But, luckily he didn't and making the call today to get on the waiting list of a doctor who "gets it" will be satisfying for me.

Please don't create reasons for your clients to feel unwelcome at your business.  It's expensive to keep finding new clients to replace those who leave because they think you don't want their patronage.

Design for Simplicity

I was ready to replace my cell phone and renew a contract.  My requirements for the phone were easy to read face (preferably without reading glasses) and good volume for easy listening. 

That's it.  Didn't care about camera, music, speaker phone, colors or novel design.

Dial and talk.   Press to answer and listen.  Basic communication.

I spent just about an hour reading the manual, adjusting ring tones, and getting familiar with the features.  Yep it has a camera, speaker phone etc.   Features I probably will never use.

But, they are there and there is no choice for simple phones as much as I'd like one.

Soon I'll be buying some tires.  Thankfully, black is still the color of choice and the big decision is to turn the white lettering inside for the blackwall look or let the lettering show for the sport look. 

I can handle those decisions and joyfully, there are no manuals to read before operating.

Do you have too many options for your customers?

Which End Zone?

I've been reading Stephen Covey's "The Eighth Habit" and have not been disappointed at all with it.

However, I am disappointed with the results from a Harris Poll of about 23,000 workers in various industries included in the book.

37% answered that they didn't have a clear understanding of what their organization was trying to achieve and why.

It made me think of a football team that didn't know for sure which end zone is theirs.

That statistic is probably why so many businesses punt so often.

Decaffeinated Business

I visited the coffee shop across the street from the office this morning.

A new operator started in the place about a month ago according to the local paper. I love trying new flavors when they are fresh brewed.

I asked the coffee man behind the counter what flavors he had today.
" I can put flavored syrup in; I've got hazelnut, butter rum...", said coffee man with hat on backwards.

No, just regular for me, I said and walked out of the shop on my first and last trip.

A coffee shop with just one brewed choice is like a bar that only serves Bud. No Thanks.

In a few months, I'll watch for the new operator. Maybe he or she will understand the coffee business.

Understand First, Then Be Understood

  I was talking with a riding instructor yesterday about the challenge of making sure the student understands the points of the lesson.  Often, she said, students nod their heads yes, when they have no idea what you are talking about.  It's like being up front at the chalkboard in the classroom trying to do math equations with X and Y.  You just want to sit down and end the confusion.

Conversations with students are not unlike conversations with employees, children and spouses.  You will tend to keep presenting information in the same way instead of stopping to ask what part don't you understand? 

Communicating the information in another way will solve the problelm quicker than repeating the same thing over and over and louder and louder.

If the other party doesn't get it and you don't change your words, you don't get it either.  The reason the other party doesn't understand is that you don't understand.

Stop playing your own home movies over and over and start being creative and communicate with the goal of helping the listener understand in the best way possible for him or her.

The assumption of understanding is made in haste frequently with practices you are familiar with doing.  When you teach, give instructions or introduce something old to you and new to someone else, take a few more seconds, minutes to make sure the other party understands.

Jury Duty

The summons for jury duty came. 

I reported. 

I got trained on how to not be judgmental before it was time to be judgmental.

The jury training session even had clips from the Perry Mason TV show along with Diane Sawyer narrating.

The selection process was laborious and my 61 fellow jurors were obediently following the system.

The styles of the prosecutor and defense attorney were night and day.

Prosecutor: disheveled, awkward and sounded like his second time with the juror selection process.  Messed up protocol with the jury selection sheets.  Clumsy with names and very nervous.

Defense: Opens with a story about visiting Washington with his two sons, the national archives and a short speech about the right of presumed innocence and burden of proof on prosecution.  Self deprecating humor.  Prospective juror with arms crossed immediately body language mimicked by seasoned defender.  Better dresser, neater hair, takes time to talk with entire group of candidate jurors not just 18 in the hot box.

I was excused.  I know little about the case other than it is about insurance fraud.

I'll miss seeing how each attorney handle the case.

I think the defendant is going to be happy with the verdict on this one.

Experience from a previous jury stint helped me go through the motions of reporting and knowing what to expect.

Boredom and frustration.

Beemer Branding

I spent last weekend in Burlington Vermont at a family wedding.  The streets and hotels were filled with BMW motorcycle enthusiasts numbering close to 8000.  They had traveled from all over North America on their bikes to attend the annual BMW motorcycle convention.

This group is serious about the BMW brand and spends thousands on accessories for their pricey bikes.  No Harley chic worn by this group.  They have their own look of boots, rain gear, saddlebags and helmets.  A strict fashion code for riders and a devotion to their brand.

Found these stats about BMW motorcycle enthusiasts.

INCOME: The annual mean household income is more than $86,000.
EDUCATION: About 65 percent have a college degree; 41 percent have post-graduate degrees.
MARITAL STATUS: About 77 percent are married.
EXPERIENCE: About two-thirds of members have more than 20 years of riding experience.
MILEAGE: About 40 percent ride between 5,000 and 25,000 miles per year.
Source: Provided by the BMW MOA

Now, that is a well defined brand!

Simply Elegant

Watching the famous B-17 bomber "Memphis Belle" of WWII fame in flight at Geneseo, NY this past weekend made me think how a technically simple aircraft, compared to today's planes, could be so effective at getting the job done.

The B-17's are a formation of aluminum, rivets, 4 big engines, cable and analog gages. They could be repaired quickly with simple tools and made ready for the next run. It was not beyond possibility that a single man could understand and repair everything on board.

Capable of running on 1 engine or with wing or rudder sections missing, they were amazing aircraft flown by amazing crews.

Wouldn't it also be amazing if businesses today could be built and run as simply as the B-17, delivering the same out of impact?

It's about time...

Nothing new about this trick.  It's called beat the clock.  On your to-do list are several unpleasant, boring, mind numbing, frustrating or embarrassing things that need to get done.

Use your cell phone timer, a stopwatch, or the wall clock to set 10 minutes to start one of your nagging to-do list items.  Start, do as much as you can, then stop after 10 minutes.  If you feel like doing more, do another 10 minutes session and repeat until you've had enough.

As C. Northcote Parkinson said so well, " Work expands to fill the time available for its completion."

Ain't that the truth about you and me?