Note: This is the first post in our "Change is Good" series.
"It doesn't work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps." -American Proverb
Have you ever had a bad experience at a restaurant? The coffee was cold. The soda was warm. The salad had a hair in it. The waiter came by a total of two times the entire meal. It wouldn't matter if they had the best, juiciest steak in the world, you probably wouldn't go back.
It's the same thing in business. You can spend $100 million dollars on marketing and advertising, but if your customer service leaves something to be desired you're going to lose customers. You can have all the meetings you want. Create another focus group. Whatever. What you really should be focusing on is your direct contact with the consumer.
Are you a manager? Take some time today to talk to your people. Remind them how you couldn't run the company without them; that they are the backbone that keeps the company from falling over. Be available to help them with their issues. It's amazing what a little positive reinforcement can do for their attitudes, and it will most definitely come through in their contact with customers.
You've all heard how you can hear a smile on the other end of the phone, so the trick is to make your employees genuinely happy to work for you.
Not in a management position? This philosophy applies to life in general, too. Your kids, your spouse, your friends- they'll all be easier to deal with if you're not fighting them every step of the way. Take a look at things from their perspective and try to understand where they are coming from. You'll be surprised what you might learn.
Stay tuned. There are 20 more ways to inspire change coming. If you can't wait to hear them all, check out the book, Change is Good...You Go First.