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Beliefs drive actions. Some choose to believe that when something is working good enough, then it’s alright. Leave it alone. No need to improve it. Others of us (my hand is in the air) choose to believe that everything can be improved. I have an additional belief – it’s way more fun to pursue making it better than it is to sit back and rely on it continuing to work reasonably well. Status quo isn’t fun. Pressing to make things better is!

What do you believe?

The specifics of your business are always changing. Try keeping up with strategies and tactics. Impossible. People will always chase tools. Chasing tools is for fools. Chasing improvement isn’t.

But tools do improve things, you may argue. They can. But not necessarily.

Be careful what you fall in love with. The safe money bets on constant improvement. Sometimes subtle tweaks pay off big. Sometimes big projects backfire costing us thousands. Press for improved results. Don’t get fancy.

Find the speed bumps in your operation.

There are constraints in your business – those roadblocks, or at least those speed bumps that slow things down. Work is slowed down or stopped somewhere in your operation. Start looking for those. Identify them and figure out why it’s happening.

The first rule of business is to fix what ails you. But that’s an improvement. A major improvement.

Ask your people where they’re stuck. Ask them why they’re stuck. “What are we doing that’s a royal pain your butt?”

It can be something as innocuous as people having to enter a customer’s information twice during some transaction. When you call customer service did you ever wonder why the agent needs your name and account or pin number or phone number, then minutes later they need to ask for your phone number again? You know why? Their system is asking for your phone number in two different areas because their leadership is too inept to figure out they need to change that. They need the system to auto-populate the second phone number field with the first input. But nobody is paying attention. So day after day the poor agents are stuck asking customers for their phone number, then minutes later they have to ask for it again. You don’t think that agent is going to memorize your phone number, do you? Hello, speed bump. How are you today?

It may as major as some safety issue that nobody is watching. Until some disaster happens. Don’t wait for that.

Go hunt down these issues and problems. None are too small. Find them all. Don’t stop looking. When you think you’ve found them all, start over again. It’s like cycle counting inventory. You’re never done. Commit to the effort.

You won’t fix them all at once. Vet them. Figure out the ones that absolutely must be fixed pronto. Things like safety, customer experience and others should get top billing. Things like idiotic processes that take longer than necessary can come later. But get to them all. In quick order.

Communicate to the people what you’re doing. And why. Get the dialog opened up and keep it open. Ask better questions as time goes on. People are going to be reserved or whiny. Drill down to get the best intel possible. You need to know exactly what’s broken or not working as well as it should.

Find out where unintended consequences are killing you, too. You think companies are intentionally making their agents ask for your phone number twice in a conversation? No. They’re just not paying attention and somebody made it a necessary field to proceed without realizing it had already been asked and answered.

Stop being stupid.

Aim next at what’s working the very best.

This is counter-intuitive. People want to attack thinks in order from worst to next worst. Tackle everything that’s bad and broken. All that stuff in the middle, leave that for last. It’s ordinary and average. It won’t kill you for it to remain that way for a bit.

What’s remarkable? Look under the hood of that to find out why it’s working so well, and to examine if you can make it even better. A small incremental improvement in superior results is a much bigger needle moved than quantum leaping something that’s average. Go big or go home.

Learning. It’s all about the quest and what you’re learning along the way. As you dive more deeply into those things that are working a pattern will emerge. You’ll notice there are some things you can likely deploy in other areas where things aren’t so spectacular. And by trying to improve those things that are already working well you’ll also display a positive dissatisfaction with the status quo. You’ll begin to create a culture where everybody questions, “Can we make this better?” That’s when the ideas and creativity start to really pop because people know how committed you are to the cause.

It’s also fun to test your skills of improving when you tackle something working really well. And you do figure out a way to improve it. You show yourself and the organization that everything can better.

Mostly, you show people that we can each be better. And that’s the quest. For all of us, individually and collectively to grow, improve and transform.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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“Next man up” is a commonly used phrase in team sports and the military. A variety of implications are in play. For starters, everybody is replaceable. But more importantly, the success of the team, the unit or the organization hinges on having people ready and capable of filling a space once occupied by a contributor. Otherwise, when one person goes away, or is absent, or leaves — then the gap goes unfilled. It speaks to the “bench depth” or the ability of an organization to have people in various stages of preparation to step up into a higher role. The show must go on!

Today I’m not so interested in how deep your bench is as I am in encouraging you to develop people. Invest in helping people become prepared to take their place and contribute more to the enterprise.

People are interested in contributing. Especially people ambitious enough to work on improving themselves. These are exactly the kind of people you want throughout your operation. If you don’t develop a culture that feeds their ambitions, they’ll go elsewhere. So this matter is important for today, tomorrow and ten years from tomorrow. Your present and future depend on it.

Without understanding your context I can’t possibly know what suggestions to specifically give you, but I can offer some general idea to help you figure it out for yourself.

Seek Understanding.

I’m starting here because it’s so obviously necessary. Too many people have their mind made up completely refusing to be open to having their mind changed. By anything. Including facts. Deeper truth. Or anything else. You know these folks. They’re the smartest people in every room they occupy.

You must understand your roster. Everybody on your roster. If you’re running a small team or a few direct reports, then it’s easy. If you’re directly responsible for dozens, or more, it’s more challenging. Meet the challenge by doing whatever it takes to get to know and understand the individuals on your team. If you don’t, then stop fretting about your bench depth. It’s not going to matter because the star players aren’t going to stay on your roster unless you’re whipping them with money. And good luck replacing them.

Understand what each person wants for their life. Not what you want for them. Not what you need from them.

You’ll be tempted to employ a single strategy with everybody. Don’t. They’re all different. You have to make adjustments based on their individuality. There’s no way to do that until you first know and understand each person.

Shut Up And Listen. Learn.

Your talent pool and the depth of it depends on your leadership. Your leadership depends on how deeply you care about your people. Each and every one of them.

Ask them about their life and what they most want. Then listen. It’s the path to understanding.

Demonstrate how much you care about them reaching their full potential. You want them to succeed. Don’t you? Their success is your success. Stop thinking your heroism is all about you. It’s not. It’s about them. All of them.

I’m preaching this message because your bench depth depends on it. Ignore figuring this out at your peril.

Plan.

Do it. Make one. Keep improving it. Don’t assume you’ve got it figured out once and you’re done. Things change.

Put in the work to plan. Create a plan. Focus on what you’ll do if somebody leaves.

Ask a CEO what she’ll do if her COO walks in this morning and says he’s going to step down.

Ask a business owner what he’ll do if his right-hand man walks in this morning and says he’s turning in his 2-week notice.

Ask a sales manager what he’ll do if his top producer walks in today and tells him he’s found a better opportunity.

Many will admit it would completely wreck their week. Probably wreck quite a few weeks, maybe a few months. They’re not ready for such a thing to happen. Mostly because they don’t think about it, much less plan for it.

Plan for it. All of it. Stop ignoring the possibilities. They may be eventualities.

But…

There’s something else about bench depth and understanding the individual members of your team.

Those scenarios I’ve just described are much less likely to blindside you when you really know and understand your team. You’ll be blindsided when you stop focusing on the people…and making sure they’re happy because they’re achieving their goals. And make sure they understand how important their contributions are.

The key to bench depth is the same key to anything else you accomplish in your operation. Pay attention to it. Make it a priority.

Figure it out. You can do it. I’m encouraging you to put your people first. It’ll pay off more than anything you can do.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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Not everything can be fixed. Some problems have to be endured. Thankfully, loneliness doesn’t have to fall into that category. I believe it can be fixed. Better yet, I believe it should be fixed. We owe it to ourselves and the people who care about us to avoid falling into the abyss of hopelessness prompted by our loneliness.

Admittedly, there are many forms of loneliness. I’m not here to give you dating advice. I’d be more tempted to give you marriage advice. After 41 years of successful marriage, I’ve learned a thing or three. But it feels arrogant to go there. At least for today. So I won’t. Today I’m focused on professional loneliness. The kind of loneliness we feel when we’re operating our business, or leading our team and we feel all alone in the effort. There is a fix for that. More than one.

Understanding The Context

This is a universal problem with loneliness. Finding and connecting with people who really understand.

Watch and listen. To others. To yourself.

Isolation, even professional isolation, can become an easy habit to maintain. I’m reminded how late last year actor Jim Carrey talked openly about his intentional isolation.

Sometime earlier a quote made the rounds, attributed to Carrey.

“Solitude is dangerous. It’s very addictive. It becomes a habit after you realize how peaceful and calm it is. It’s like you don’t want to deal with people anymore because they drain your energy.”

I tried to find out if he indeed did say or write it. I don’t honestly know, but I remember it got my attention. On a number of levels.

For starters, isolation can be dangerous. It’s not necessarily dangerous. We all need some time alone. Introverts need more of it than others. I know because I am one. I’m that rare personality that is introverted, but I appear extroverted. For me, it’s about energy. I have to intentionally withdraw and embrace some isolation in order to recharge myself. It’s not long-term sustained isolation though. And I know when it’s coming, or when I need to do it. That’s because too much interaction with too many people drains me emotionally and mentally. And physically.

For some, isolation may be more dangerous than for others. So it goes with the addictive nature of isolation. I’m sure for some of us this quote is true, but I know other people who would find it nearly impossible to enjoy isolation, much less to become addicted to it. One size won’t fit all. Which is why you constantly hear me admonish you, “You’ll figure it out.” As always, I’m here to help, but in the end…each of us must make up our own mind, and determine to do whatever it is we think is best.

For me, isolation can be peaceful and calm, but it can also – depending on what’s happening with me – be chaotic and filled with anxiety. It depends.

So here’s the deal. YOU have to understand YOU. And that may be the toughest order of the day. Self-awareness is very, very hard for most of us. We have a view of ourselves, but it may be inaccurate. Even grossly inaccurate. The best way to know the truth is to get various outside perspectives. How do others see us? It’s all part of unearthing the context necessary to understand ourselves better.

Loneliness isn’t determined by a majority vote though. We alone determine it. We feel how we feel.

Loneliness isn’t determined by the presence or absence of people either. We can be in a crowded room and be very lonely. We can be married and sleeping right next to our spouse, and feel isolated and lonely. Perhaps there no deeper loneliness than the loneliness of being a foot away from others, but feeling isolated and alone.

Doing Something About It

Recognition is paramount. You already know the truth. Now it’s time to come to grips with the reality of it. The depth of it.

We’re all lonely now and again. It’s normal. But is your loneliness chronic? Does it sweep over you and settle in for days at a time? Perhaps weeks? Months?

Professionally, based on my decades of leadership experience and my years coaching other leaders (or emerging leaders), fear is a major driver. We can easily underestimate the value of fear. Or I should say, the consequences of fear.

We’re afraid people will think we’re weak. Or that we don’t know something. Like what to do.

Ready to hear some irony? I’ll bet you proudly acknowledge that you’re not the smartest person in the room. You likely have no problem telling people that.

But here you are, driven to isolation by your own fear to demonstrate that to people. Meaning, you really do think you’re the smartest person in the room and it’s more important for you to continue fronting that, than it is for you to learn, understand and grow. Is that right?

See what I mean? Fear isn’t always rational. For any of us.

Self-doubt is real, too.

Voices in our head often grow louder and louder. While we get lonelier and lonelier.

I’ve got a 3-year-old grandson. He’s just about fearless. Over a year ago I nicknamed him Road Rash Roy because he’s so fearless he always had some minor scrapes. I know he’ll begin to doubt himself over time. Part of that will be wisdom he’ll learn. Discerning dangers is invaluable. The problem is seeing danger where none exists. Or seeing risk where it doesn’t really exist.

What if you could approach life like an adventurous 3-year-old? He’s confident. Gets lots of attention. Gets lots of encouragement. Okay, it helps that he’s pretty cute. 😉

Road Rash Roy is not lonely. He’s okay playing by himself, even though he’s the youngest of three. But he doesn’t lack much of anything. I’m pretty focused on doing my part to help him keep that momentum going.

I get that we’re not able to go back in time and become an adventurous 3-year-old filled with confidence and curiosity. If we could, we’d be unstoppable. But we’re quite stoppable…and yet nothing has changed except the noise we’ve bought into from all the naysayers who surround us. The voices which have been placed in our head and which we’ve let gain volume. They defeat us. Road Rash Roy didn’t have any of those 18 months ago. He’s got low-level noise in his head now. You can see it in how he behaves. And it’s mostly good. But not always. It’s manifested in timidity.

All this affects us and our loneliness. I know that “Roy” will battle the same things we all do because he’s living in the same world we are. He’ll be influenced by the idiots who surround him, the naysayers and doubters. All those folks who will judge his every move. But I’m optimistic. He’ll also be influenced by those of us who are wise. I’m battling hard to make sure he embraces the wisdom that surrounds him.

What does all that have to do with you fixing your loneliness epidemic? Courage. Just courage. Which is everything.

Courage to connect.Courage to communicate. Courage to collaborate.

I’m a guitar nerd of sorts, which is really super crazy because I don’t play. I’ve always wanted to, but evidently not enough to devote myself to it. And I’ve owned a guitar – that’s right, one at a time – for a long time. I’m 8 feet away from one right now, sitting over there in a nice hardshell case. I know way more about guitars than any non-guitarist should. Well, the other night I’m watching a YouTube video on a new guitar produced by Fender. The short video tells the remarkable story of guys who love guitars connecting, communicating and collaborating to create a guitar that’s never existed. Until now. Until they came together to build magic.

Maybe your loneliness isn’t epidemic. Maybe it’s off and on. But I can guarantee it’s problematic because when it’s on – when you’re most alone – it’s damaging. It’s holding you back. Sticking you. Eroding what could have been. Maybe even what should have been.

Greatness is the result of collaboration. I intentionally put two other C’s in front of it because without them you can’t get to collaboration.

Connect. Communicate.

All three C words are verbs. Action words. And that’s how you fix your loneliness epidemic. You take action. Meaningful, purposeful and intentional action.

All of these are preceded by that other C word I used. Courage. Without it, the others can’t happen.

The dictionary defines courage as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.”

Some think courage is fearlessness. I don’t believe that. Rather, I believe courage is the willingness to venture on in spite of fear. It’s the drive to do the thing, even though you’re afraid. Because the need is so great. Or because the desire is so strong.

It’s the ability to act like a confident 3-year-old. To move. Quickly. Toward what you most want. Without concern.

I know the next dilemma. Who? With whom do I connect? That’s for you to figure out. Look around at the possibilities. Aim at making a connection and give it a go. If it fails, then it wasn’t meant to be. Move on and try again. Road Rash Roy tries lots of things. He doesn’t succeed at first at all of them. Sometimes he does, and that fuels his confidence to try something else. Follow his lead.

Be purposeful and intentional.

Communicate. Share whatever you want to share. Offer whatever you’d like to offer. If you’ve connected with the right somebody, it’ll resonate with them. They’ll be empathetic. Helpful.

Collaborate. That doesn’t mean you do business together necessarily. It just means it’s a mutually beneficial relationship. You give something to them of value, too.

I know how hard this is, which is why I’m launching The Peer Advantage by Bula Network, an intentional place where 7 entrepreneurs can come together online, using a video conferencing platform, to get to know each other, help each other, and grow great together and individually. Because they’re courageous enough to connect, communicate and collaborate. Because they’re curious enough to want to achieve more. In their business and their life. That’s somewhat easier to do when you all know THAT is why you’re there. And when you know everybody in the room is in a very similar position. It provides the common context we need for safety, security, and growth. Road Rash Roy feels safe. It’s largely why he’s got the courage he does. Here he was over a year ago! Proof that I’m not just telling you some story. 😉

If you’re a US-based entrepreneur ready to grow your business, your leadership and your life, then visit ThePeerAdvantage.com. I’d like you to join. I’ll be forming 2 groups of seven and you can read all the details at that web address.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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Confession: I’m really tired of hearing people bally-hoo happiness. “I wanna be happy. Don’t you wanna be happy?”

Don’t get me wrong. Yes, we all want to be happy. But happiness is such a short-term objective. Nobody is happy all the time. Happiness isn’t even appropriate all the time.

The quest for happiness presupposes that it’s a higher value than any other feeling or emotion. It’s not. We need it, but we don’t need it all the time any more than we need sadness, or laughter all the time.

I begin talking about this because almost daily I encounter people lamenting how unhappy they are. They incorrectly think happiness is the goal and their failure to achieve it makes them miserable. More miserable than they might have otherwise been if they’d been reaching for something more appropriate. The result? Disappointment and in many cases, increased loneliness.

Social media, smartphones, and the Internet are part of a grand irony – we’ve never been more connected to more people more hours of a day, but many of us have never been so lonely!

I bring up happiness because it’s such a culturally imposed pursuit – be happy – that we’ve collectively fallen for it. We think it’s a worthwhile pursuit. Maybe THE pursuit we should be aiming for.

People chase it. The other day I was reading about how people are buying clothing from online retailers and returning it. Turns out, many people are buying clothes they can’t afford, putting them on, taking photos for their Instagram, then returning the clothes.

Hypocrisy. Fronting. Faking it.

What makes us happiest and content in life? Is it stuff like clothing or fancy cars or big houses? Nope. Is it more followers on Instagram? Or more listeners to our podcast? Or more subscribers to our YouTube channel? Nope. Nope. Nope.

Surveys overwhelmingly show that friends and family are the real prizes. Even though our need to connect is hardwired, some of us are always alone. Conversely, some people who are surrounded by others, still experience deep and pervasive loneliness.

So what are we doing? We’re faking happiness and it’s making us more deeply dissatisfied and unhappy!

Entrepreneurship is being held up as the end all, be all. It’s the path to happiness. Quit that 9 to 5. Ditch that job career. Start your own thing. You don’t have a side hustle? You’re a moron, a loser. Entrepreneurship is about spending 90% of your time working, chasing, pursuing, hustling. Sleep 4 hours or less, then work, work, work. It’s what all the cool kids do. Don’t you wanna be cool? Don’t you wanna be able to call yourself an “entrepreneur?” What’s wrong with you?

Then, there’s YOU. And me! People out here doing real stuff. Every day. People churning out the work, making payroll, managing inventories or manufacturing, managing budgets, putting out fires, building cultures that will perform at the highest level we can possibly influence. Some days we eat the bear, and some days the bear eats us.

We’re surrounded by employees, suppliers, stragegic partners, customers, and prospects. But we’re very lonely. Often feeling like we’re serving everybody, but nobody is serving us.

Sometimes we feel guilty because we feel that way. So we power through it. But it’s still there.

The loneliness.

I saw that posted online this past weekend. I laughed, but the more I thought about it the more I realized how true it is. And I don’t mean the $5 million part. Sure, that’d be nice, but the encouragement would be terrific, wouldn’t it?

About a year ago I developed a fascination with ENCOURAGEMENT. It directly speaks to the power of loneliness.

I’d ask people about a time when they were really encouraged. I noticed something. People would always harken back to some encouragement they received long ago. Nobody – and I mean NOBODY – would mention encouragement that was recent. I wouldn’t say anything. I’d just listen and drill deeper on occasion, trying hard to understand why that particular act by somebody had impacted them so heavily.

As I’d listen to people recount the story of a time when they were most encouraged I’d see it in their eyes. A yearning to have that experience again. A craving. A strong desire to not be so alone. A strong desire to have somebody recognize the difficulties of their life and somebody to express belief in their ability to endure it, or overcome it. Perhaps an even stronger desire to have somebody do for them what they remember being done years ago – somebody who cared enough to go the extra measure. To challenge them in the most positive way.

From Psychology Today –

Not surprisingly, feelings of isolation can have a serious detrimental effect on one’s mental and physical health. Loneliness can be a contributing factor to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis, among other critical diseases. Lonely people are also twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. At the root, isolation compromises immunity increases the production of stress hormones, is harmful to sleep, and impacts cognitive abilities. All of this feeds chronic inflammation, which lowers immunity to the degree that lonely people even suffer more from the common cold. Loneliness can be a chronic stress condition that ages the body and causes great damage to overall well-being.

There are many prices paid by our loneliness, compelling reasons to conquer it. But I’m focused on it for two main reasons. One, because of the total negative impact it has on your life and every part of your life, including your business. Two, because you’ll never be able to grow as great as you could – never be able to grow your business as great as it could be – if you’re lonely. Coupled with that, you’ll never climb higher by yourself as you can with some help. But I also think of the people whose lives can be enhanced by your also helping them overcome their loneliness! And people whose lives will be better if you’ll just let them serve you.

The intrinsic benefits to all of us are immeasurable. To know we have others who care enough about us to help us, to know we have others who trust us enough to let us help them – can you put a price tag on that? I can’t. I can’t properly calculate the value of that any more than I can calculate the value of my wife or my family. Can you?

The challenge is how to fix it. We’ll talk about that tomorrow. For now, I’d like to give you a virtual hug and encourage you to make up your mind to open up yourself – to helping others and letting them help you. To join forces in fixing the loneliness epidemic by finding and implementing a remedy so you can avoid remaining part of it.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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“All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”   – Tom Peters

Do you agree? That marketing is your most important job as a CEO/entrepreneur?

“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”      – Seth Godin

“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.”       – Jeff Bezos

Branding works exactly the same way those stories work – the ones you can create versus the ones you let your employees create. People are forming opinions about you no matter what. So if you’re not branding yourself and your company, then others are doing it for you. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Jack Welch.

What is marketing anyway?

Google it and you’ll find 9.7 BILLION results.

Getting someone who has a need, to know, like, trust, contact and refer you. That’s as good a definition as I’ve seen. Some add a step between contact and refer, BUY. I omit because you can achieve effective marketing without ever making a sale.

In 1995 a book was published, Up The Loyalty Ladder by Murray Raphel and Neil Raphel. I bought the book when it was first published even though I’d never heard of this father/son combo, but I read the book with interest. It distilled better than I ever could what I had always believed to be true. You can take a person from prospect to advocate without them ever becoming a customer. That’s the power of marketing.

Sometime around 1982 I had developed a marketing circle, not a ladder. I drew it out and regularly talked of it with the salespeople of the company I was running at the time. It was a common sermon I preached often.

I was running a retail company so I began with the shopper. First, there’s the general public. All the people out there who we think may need or want what we’re selling. But people have to self-select. They have to figuratively raise their hand and declare, “Hey, you’re talking to ME.” For our purposes those were shoppers.

Shoppers became prospects whenever we came in contact with them. I’d use tire shopping to illustrate the point.

This morning, somebody is going to get in their car and the last thing on their mind is shopping for tires. Their tires are fine. Or so they think until they have a blow-out on the way to work. Now, suddenly they’re shopping for tires. If we’re operating a tire store we don’t know anything about their shopping until they contact us. When that happens, they’re now a prospect (short for a prospective customer). It means they’re a potential buyer.

Just here I’d interrupt my sermon and draw a line connecting PROSPECT to ADVOCATE. I’d get puzzled looks, but explain with a true story.

It was a grand opening of a new location. I was walking about the showroom floor. Greeting people. Watching and making mental notes. I stepped behind the cash counter. An elderly gentleman walked up to the counter. I asked how I might be able to help him. In his hand was an automobile fuse. “Do you sell these?” he asked. “No, sir,” I replied. “But let’s see if we can find you some help.”

This was umpteen years ago when everybody had a Yellow Pages. I knew of a nearby gas station that had a mechanic on duty. I’d never done business with them, but they had a good reputation as an honest place for small repairs. I suspected they may have fuses in stock. I looked up their phone number, took the fuse from the gentleman so I could tell what kind of fuse it was, then called them. They confirmed they did indeed have a good supply of that fuse, and I asked how late they were open (this was an evening grand opening). I hung up, returned the fuse and told the gentleman the name, address and phone number of this station, which was merely 2 blocks away. I came from behind the cash counter and walked him to the door. At the door, he shook my hand and apologized for not needing anything we carried. I said, “That’s quite alright, I’m glad that little fuse brought you by to see us. Now you know we’re here and we’ll be happy to help with anything we do sell.” He replied, “Shoot, you helped me with something you don’t sell. Thank you! I’ll be referring my friends to shop here.”

I sold him nothing. I gave him less than 5 minutes of my time. I never got his name, but for years he has served to illustrate how we can take somebody straight from PROSPECT to ADVOCATE.

From PROSPECT we go to CUSTOMER. That is, we take somebody from looking to buying. They actually do business with us. Now here’s the sad truth. Too many of our customers never become advocates.

Marketing includes – I think it especially includes – the experience we provide people. No matter if they’re prospects or buyers (customers). Don’t be transactional. Don’t just focus on getting a sale. It’s important that we focus on creating a customer who is happy enough to tell other people about us. You don’t see referral listed on my circle, but every ADVOCATE refers people. That’s what advocacy is all about. Telling others about it.

I grew up in the era of negative advocacy. Somebody in the neighborhood would buy a new car. We’d all go oggle it. The husband would likely tell the other men how much he loved the car, but how much he hated the dealership where he bought it. It was word of mouth alright. Bad word of mouth. They got his business, but the experience was so dreadful he couldn’t tell a good story to his friends and neighbors. That’s bad marketing.

I gave a gentleman shopping for a 25 cent fuse something to talk about. Something good to say about us.

My objective – and what I think should be every objective of marketing – is always to create ADVOCATES. Anything less is a failure. I know you can’t convert everybody, but you can try.

In my circle, the next stage was CLIENT. Back in the 80’s when I first crafted this circle I just meant somebody who is now a repeat customer. We wanted people to buy from us, then keep on buying from us. A transactional mindset doesn’t focus on that. Transactional operators just concentrate on making a sale. They worry about making sales every hour, every day, every month, every year. The lifetime value of a customer isn’t much of a priority to them. They’re playing for the short-term gain. Do that if you want, but don’t expect to build a super strong customer base because you won’t. I’m a big believer in customer base!

Note that I also believe a person can become an ADVOCATE before they ever make a second, or repeat purchase. One encounter with us should be enough to make people HAPPY. Not satisfied. Happy!

Satisifed people don’t ADVOCATE for you. Only happy – supremely happy – people do. And there it is. Our most important job. To make our customers happy. But first, we have to make our employees happy because they’re the ones serving our customers. It’s all marketing.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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Faith is a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry, drywall. She comes from a long line of tradesmen. Both grandfathers. And her own dad. She’s accomplished in the trade specializing in high-end residential construction, but she’s also an accomplished business operator. She knows her stuff. But she’s struggling with something she thinks should come more naturally. Celebrating when her company achieves a victory.

“It just feels fake,” she confesses. “I’m just not the cheerleader type.”

It’s not uncommon. Many leaders and business owners don’t know how to celebrate victories. It’s like everything else. You have to learn how so don’t shy away from figuring it out. Let’s talk about some things you can consider.

You don’t have to be the birthday clown!

Too many entrepreneurs endure the pressure of being the birthday clown of the celebration. Get that out of your head. You’re not the focal point. Nor are you the entertainment. You’re the leader, responsible for making sure the celebration happen. You’re the leader, the one leading the parade to show gratitude to the troops for achieving victory.

You likely had birthday parties thrown by your mom when you were little. Your folks did the work. They showed they loved you. And okay, maybe your dad dressed up like a clown. So nevermind. 😀 Listen, the hired birthday clown doesn’t love you. Your parents do. You knew that. This isn’t much different.

Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines passed away some weeks ago. Herb was a grand birthday clown. He was a tremendous celebrator of victories. It was one of his strengths, but it was just who he was. His personality was ideally suited for big, audacious celebrations. And for the smaller, everyday acts of recognition, too. Read about Herb. Don’t do the heavy drinking he did 😉 but there may be something to his ability and willingness to celebrate the people of Southwest Airlines. I’d argue that it was a big contributor to the culture that created such a successful airline.

Some of you are comfortable showing off in public because you’re very extroverted. Others of you are like me, more introverted. The good news is that no matter how you’re wired, you can lead the celebration. You can be like your parents were during your birthday parties – the ones making it happen because they loved you. You can be like Herb – the one making it happen because he loves you and because he loves a party!

Be yourself. Find your own path.

Victories have to be defined. Else it’ll be just another old hat, meaningless celebration.

Faith’s challenge is pretty ordinary. “What exactly should be celebrated?” she wonders.

Sidebar — rant alert — it drives me nuts that some companies have regularly scheduled celebrations. They pigeonhole things to celebrate into the calendar based on the schedule. Employees aren’t impressed. It’s too forced. Too disingenuous. Don’t do that!

Here’s my viewpoint – big achievements deserve celebration, the extraordinary and remarkable accomplishments. Great effort with a willingness to fail in the effort to grow is worthy of celebration, no matter the outcome. That’s it.

I’m being honest. That’s it. Now, let’s define a few things though so you clearly understand. We’re talking about CELEBRATIONS. I make a distinction between celebrations and acknowledgments, or recognition. Well, kinda sorta.  I believe strongly in constant recognition and acknowledgment. I believe strongly in a culture of celebration. These can be private or public. Sometimes it’s appropriate and powerful to simply let a person know you’re aware of their success and contribution. Other times it’s better to shine a spotlight on somebody in front of their peers. Read the situation and do whatever you think is best.

Yes, you can overdo it.*

*Give a kid a birthday party every day and it’ll become ordinary very quickly. You’ll end up with a ruined kid who is entitled. My preference is that celebrations remain extraordinary. Something special. I also like them to be unexpected, or at the very least, to be conducted only when warranted. I hate scheduled celebrations. And I don’t mean something is achieved so you plan a celebration in advance. I mean calendared celebrations that just always happen, then the company finds things to celebrate. Foolish!

Did your company’s fiscal year end December 31st? Then when the final numbers come in and you figure out that the team hit the goal and exceeded it, then it’s a BIG victory worth celebrating.

One of your sales teams lands a major deal after months (perhaps years) of work. The deal gets signed. Time to celebrate. Time to recognize that victory publicly I think.

Celebrations vary based on the victory.

Just like real life, huh? Birthdays are great, but getting married trumps an ordinary birthday. So does having a child. Think over the milestones of your life: birthdays, wedding days, births of children, births of grandchildren, new jobs, job promotions, launching a business, and so on. I get that we can celebrate something every day. I celebrate waking up alive every morning. 😉 But we need and want these to be special events that shine a light on remarkable events, not ordinary events.

Faith wonders if she should throw a companywide party. Maybe. Maybe not. Celebrations based on the victory aren’t all the same. And owners or leaders aren’t the same. Herb celebrated in ways I never would because, well, because he was Herb. I’m not. I’m not a party animal like Herb was.

I can tell you some things I personally would never do. I don’t share these as truths you should embrace. These serve to illustrate how personal these decisions are for leaders, and how your beliefs impact things.

One, I wouldn’t impose on people – and if I did, I’d include their significant other or a plus one. We spend so much time together it just never made sense to me that all the employees have a big blowout and spend more time together without including the one person who is important to each employee. Let me include my wife, for instance, and that’s different. Now we’re able to enjoy the celebration together.

Two, I wouldn’t provide alcohol. I don’t drink. Never have. Yes, it’s a religious conviction. I don’t judge people who choose to live differently, but I would never budge on this. This isn’t nearly as controversial as it once was. There was a time when open bars were commonplace in most company events. Due to liability issues and safety concerns, it’s grown increasingly less common. My decision isn’t based on any of that, but it may be worth considerating for you.

Three, I wouldn’t likely conduct some big company-wide blowout during off hours. It’s just not who I am. I go back to point one, I wouldn’t want to impose on people. I’d much prefer to do something during hours so people’s lives aren’t disrupted.

So how would YOU celebrate?

That’s for you to figure out.

Sometimes all hands on deck and let’s recognize some special accomplishments. That’s the order of the day.

Other times it’s a private one-on-one conversation with an employee who has or is overcoming some adversity and they’re still performing at a high level. “I want to let you know I notice how exceptional your work is, even under these circumstances. Thank you for what you do.”

Sometimes it’s a memo that goes out informing the company that our sales team has just landed a major piece of business and we name the team members.

Sometimes it’s a bonus paid to people for performance above the goal.

Sometimes it’s an unexpected gift card with an acknowledgment of special effort or achievement.

Don’t celebrate ordinary. Don’t celebrate just for the sake of celebrating. Challenge people to perform at celebration-worthy levels. When they do, don’t hesitate to get too wrapped up in how you go about it. Always remember the objectives. To make them feel appreciated and respected. To shine the light on their accomplishments. To let the entire organization know you care. About them as people and about the work they produce.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!