Month: March 2011

Where are all your posts, Scott?

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I’ve recently been savaged by haters (okay, one of my friends commented over a beer) about the paucity of blog posts on this web site.

It’s simple.  When I start writing, it usually turns out to be an article, or a chapter in an upcoming book.  It’s very rare when I can keep the word count down enough to make it a blog post.

Besides, posting a chapter from the middle of a book is like inviting someone in during the middle of a conversation.  I tend to “build” books and articles in a pyramidal fashion – laying all the ground work, explaining things, and then the stuff on top relies on the groundwork to support it, to make the information understandable.  When the underpinnings aren’t there, everything falls apart.

I’ll try to do a better job going forward.

Shoes!

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When you’re going for that first job interview, your parents (should) look at you and say, “You’re not wearing those shoes, are you?  People will look at your shoes and judge you.”

While I mostly agree with that sentiment, staffing a booth at a trade show is not the time to try to break in new dress shoes.  It’s more important to be able to stay on your feet with a smile on your face than it is to be seen wearing wingtips or whatever.   (The exception, of course, is if you’re attending a footwear convention.)

I have a pair of broken-in black leather sneakers, stuffed with off-the-shelf gel inserts, that I wear when going to a trade show as either a staffer or just as an attendee.  They can keep me going for at least 8 hours, which is really saying something.  My podiatrist and friend Mark Post will tell you what horrible feet I have!  Many of the bones have been broken, my Achilles tendons are shot, and my right ankle is in the early stages of arthritis.

Of course, as a business person Dr Post would love to sell me a set of custom orthotics, but as my friend he’s happy that an inexpensive pair of gel insoles works fine.

So when you’re standing in your booth space (not behind the table, I hope!) and people look askance at your shoes, smile – which shouldn’t be too hard – and thank them for noticing your comfortable footwear.

Customer service isn’t fair

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I supply most of my clients with a copy of Zingerman’s Guide to Giving Great Service.  Click on the Recommended Reading link and get yourself a copy.  It’s thin, so take a couple hours and read the damned thing.  Then go back, and read it again.  You paid for it – write notes in the margin.

One of my favorite points raised: Customer service isn’t fair.  We try to impose a “one size fits all” approach to handling sales and service, but more often than not if backfires on us.  If life were fair, we wouldn’t need customer service.  Products wouldn’t break during shipping, customers and vendors would be forgiving to a fault if the product or the check was late.  Service would be perfect, and there would be no need for complaints or unhappiness.

The people in your organization responsible for customer service – this includes the Big Boss, and the front line people – should read the book.  Better, go through the Zingerman’s customer service training.  Not only will it save you money, but by practicing the techniques learned, you’ll make money and do more for your brand than almost anything else you can pay money for.