In just about any human endeavor, there are two dimensions at work. One is objective—elements that are black/white, yes/no, 1/0, and are easily measured and managed—while the other is subjective—these are the elements that are not easily measured like emotions, feelings, and behaviors.  This set up fits with how our brains work. As Daniel Kahneman … Continue reading Want your business to be known for great service? You’ll need a balanced approach.

Leaders solve problems, they also—should—help the people following them solve problems. However, many of them don’t so much help as they jump in and take over. It’s that overwhelming leadership urge to be hero rather than helpful guide gently steering them to useful solutions. This heroic urge impacts just about everyone, and as much as … Continue reading Why leaders should stop trying to be heroes and what to do instead.

Civility, courtesy, and manners are severely lacking in our world today. Here are five behaviors we can practice to lead change. Consideration – Taking time to see others and take into account their needs and feelings is an invaluable relationship skill.  Consideration of others affirms their basic human value and shows respect. Using Please and … Continue reading Want to make a difference? Try manners.

We live in a time of great upheaval where people are very divided. One thing we all share though is a need for freedom. The need to be able to do things that further our beliefs and help those we love to thrive without having to succumb to the control of others. Over the span … Continue reading Freedom. Ironically, for it to work, there must be control.

Let’s get this straight. Customers do not buy products, they buy what products help them do. Thus, the goal for businesses is to determine what it is they help people do and then proceed to help them do it in the best way possible. This means there is more to business than just selling a … Continue reading Do you know what game your business is playing? Is it the sell game or the serve game? Knowing determines everything.

Businesses send messages to customers all the time. Sometimes they are intended and sometimes not. I was getting some work done on my car and had to use the restroom. I walked in and …AAAHHHH!!! It was like a dingy truck stop in the middle of nowhere. But I couldn’t wait. Business had to be … Continue reading What message do your restrooms send?

“Customer satisfaction is the biggest driver of customer retention.” I saw this the other day as the subject in an email and had to ask, “Is this news to anybody?” This kind of thing always surprises me. How can things that are so obvious be such eye-opening news? It seems the customer experience movement gets … Continue reading C’mon business leaders, do you really need proof of the obvious? CX matters.

What do you do with a difficult customer? How do you deal with that jerk who seems intent on making life hard? This is one of the most challenging things for customer-facing employees to deal with and one of the most problematic situations for managers to try and remedy. You will hear all kinds of … Continue reading What do you do with difficult customers? The answer is more, not less.

I recently saw a list of “Six ROI-Friendly Goals for Customer Experience Initiatives” that contained the following: Improve customer acquisition Up-sell, cross-sell or increase purchase frequency Increase retention, active usage, or share of wallet Increase pricing power Generate awareness Reduce costs To most people, these might seem innocuous and perfectly reasonable business goals, however, I … Continue reading There’s more to ROI than how it serves you, and taking that view can help you.

In the 2015 movie, Steve Jobs, there is a scene where Steve Wozniak asks Jobs, “What did you do? You can’t write code; you’re not an engineer, you’re not a designer. You can’t put a hammer to a nail… What do you do?” Jobs’ reply? “I play the orchestra.” This simple dialogue struck a chord … Continue reading Orchestra conductors don’t make any music. A valuable lesson for all leaders.