I Don’t Want Happy Customers

I came across a great question in one of my LinkedIn groups today that asked “How do you define achievement / success in Project Management?” Many of the responses were very technical and focused on the metrics of a project and the meeting of deadlines and making sure they achieved the final deliverable. While all that is great and key to having a successful project, I don’t think it defines how to be successful overall. It really got me thinking about all the different thought industries today and how each one has its own definition of how to be successful. Then, it hit me – the answer really is the same across all industries as it always has been. It’s a not so simple choice.

As a consultant you have a choice to make. You can take the road of least resistance or you can do the hard job – the one that needs to be done. The road of least resistance involves going into a client and listening to what is needed. Then, you build a plan to meet that need and work tirelessly to achieve the goal that has been given you. You might be thinking to yourself that’s exactly what I do and I do a great job for my clients. The thing you should be asking yourself is if you have happy customers. If you do – I’m sorry to say that’s no longer enough.

The hard job is to go into a client and listen to what they need; then, to dig deeper and figure out why they have decided on that need. It’s the “why” that makes the difference. It’s the why that’s going to tell you if what they say is needed truly is. The solution they are presenting may be perfect. In most cases though; it’s either lacking a few important ingredients or maybe even way off and will never be something that truly answers the why.

So, now you have the why from them; what do you do with that? This is when you start working with them and co-creating the solution that will meet their “why” on every level. This can be anything from pointing out areas in their given solution that don’t seem to meet what they really want and letting them talk it out while you mediate; to presenting possible solution for them to discuss and integrate into the solution.

Do you see the difference? You just went from being the person that will get them to their defined solution to being a part of that defined solution. You are now such a valuable part of the process that they cannot imagine moving forward without you. And, at the end of the project they will no longer be a happy customer – rather, they will be raving fans.

Keep in mind that a happy customer is not going to evangelize your business. However, a raving fan is going to talk about you every chance they get.  In today’s business climate you need to be a much bigger part of the solution to build a fan base that will go out and tell the world you’re different and that difference is what made their company or project great.

Until next time, focus on what you know and keep doing a great job of what you love to do.

PS: Do you have a great example of turning a customer into a raving fan? If so, Please leave a comment.

Loss

I have to be honest; I’m having a really hard time dealing with loss today. I’m feeling a great sense of loss over something that was very close to my heart – my latest blog post. While I say that a little tongue-in-cheek; I also really kind of mean it. Anything I put time and effort into I feel a little emotionally attached to; especially something I sat down to dig into my thoughts and past to create. So, I was a little saddened – ok a lot saddened – when I found out that blogger (due to a technical issue) lost my and several other peoples most recent posts.

I then proceeded to spend the entire morning looking for ways to retrieve my post. I wonder if the post is in Feed burner or maybe I have it in e-mail somewhere. How do you contact support for Blogger to yell at them and let them know they lost a little piece of your soul? Well, none of my methods worked and my blog is still gone – off into the ether – likely never to be found. I know, had I only started my posts in a word document; save them; and then posted them - I would be fine right now. 

Having wasted my morning in search for that which no longer existed, I started thinking about all the other losses I have experienced in my business life. I have lost employees from time to time; I have lost money; I have lost time; and I have almost lost my mind now and again. So, what has all this loss gained me over the years? Experience.

It is perhaps the most valuable thing I have as an entrepreneur and especially as a business consultant. The experience of my losses has given me the ability to be a great asset to my clients. It’s those experiences that I lean on when giving someone advice or even just a shoulder to complain on from time to time. Each loss has come with its own priceless lesson – a lesson that has helped me make better decisions. It really is a messy world out there full of pitfalls and opportunities to make mistakes and experience loss.

So, what’s the big lesson from losing my post? Well, I guess its best put as learning to count my losses as gain. While it’s never easy to lose; sometimes it’s the best way to gain perspective and new understanding. Sometimes, it’s the only way to grow as a person and an entrepreneur.

Until next time, focus on what you know and keep doing a better job of what you love to do.

PS: I would love to hear your story of loss and the lesson you learned!

Lean In

I had a fight with my wife first thing this morning. I won’t get into the details; let’s just say it wasn’t a great way to start my day. To be fair, it wasn’t a great way to start the day for either of us. As an entrepreneur I find it pretty important to start my day with a positive attitude; knowing that I’m going to go out there and conquer the world – one problem at a time. Unfortunately, the rest of the world simply isn’t always on board with my need for peace and serenity in the morning. Whether it’s someone taking their ever-loving time in the fast lane; the coffee barista that obviously wants to be somewhere else; or a fight with someone close to me – sometimes it can seem like the world just won’t let me get off to a good start.

Angry and frustrated; I had a decision to make. I could decide that the day was a loss and move through it as quickly and painlessly as possible – with fast food as my guide – or I could figure out a way to move past my frustration. So, I opened my Evernote to read some affirmations that I’m supposed to read on the daily. They all started making me feel a bit better and then I read – and re-read – the following . . .

“I accept that life is difficult and that leaning into the struggle adds to my balance” – Unknown

I’m not exactly sure who the author of that little line is – whoever it is, thank you. It’s important to remember that it’s not what comes into our day that makes us who we are – rather, it’s how we respond to it. So, I gave myself the time to sit and reflect on what had happened. I realized that part of what happened may have nothing to do with me directly and the part that did can likely be resolved by listening and understanding her point-of-view. I also realized that the situation was important but did not define me or my day and that I could move forward with what I wanted to accomplish.

Taking time to reflect on a difficult situation was a great way to lean into the struggle and the result it provided truly added balance to my life. I now have the ability to create my own result for the day rather than giving that power to those around me. While taking time to think about a difficult situation is wise, its action that renders results.

I e-mailed her saying I wanted to hear her point-of-view; a few minutes later we had a conversation about what had happened. Since my wife and I work together in many of our business ventures it’s important on many levels for us to have open communication. We leaned into our struggle and worked out a great balance. So, I guess there are two lessons to be learned that have a great connection to each other – Lean into your struggles and always create an environment of open communication. It amazes me that one little sentence can help affect positive change so much.

Until next time, focus on what you know and keep doing a better job of what you love to do.

PS: Do you have a struggle or difficult situation that you had to lean into? I would love to hear your stories of struggles and the lessons you learned from them.   While this is a business blog – it’s truly amazing how much we can use our personal lessons to build better businesses. So, if you can make a connection from a personal story to a business lesson – even better.

Born This Way

She reminded me of a young and possibly more outrageous Madonna. The eighties flare in her voice and that macho feminine swagger across the stage all brought me back to the bold ’90 release of Vogue. She opened her HBO special by getting ready for her show and gave us a glimpse of the troubled teenager that was unsure of her own worth and treated by those around her as if reaching for her dreams was ridiculous. When she came on stage – each outfit more intriguing and twisted – I saw a girl rising above her own voices and using her talent to show others they can do whatever it is they were born to do.

You might be wondering what a Lady Gaga concert could possibly have to do with helping your business improve. Though the costumes and scenery changed from song to song – the message was always the same: Be yourself. The lyrics to her very popular song “Born This Way” says it best “I’m on the right track, baby – I was born that way”. You might have a sense of who you are – but do you really know the people you’re working with and building your company with? You might have socialized with them from time to time and have a sense of who they are. It’s even more likely that they have hidden talents or work methods that you may have never seen.

Well, there is a great way to get amazing insight on the talents of your core team and an even better understanding of how they best fit into the business environment; and how they tend to work with others. Two tools that I have used for several years in my consulting practice tend to give a well rounded insight into the people you work with. Granted, there are many assessments out there that attempt to give you some of the same insight. However, I have found that the combination of these two tools provide a truly well rounded understanding and great insight.

The first is an amazing work released by the Gallup organization and is titled StengthsFinder 2.0. The actual assessment takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to complete. The result is a list of your top five talents. These are the strengths that you were born with – those things that you simply do really well naturally. I can tell you with absolute confidence that this one tends to be a game changer in many peoples’ lives. Once they know what they do well naturally people tend to focus on what they can do rather than what they can’t do.  

The second is called a DISC assessment. This wonderful little assessment can be done completely online – as the StrengthsFinder can – and the result is a very simple matrix of how you tend to interact with the world around you. Talk about structuring a team for the best possible outcome – this assessment will tell you who the natural leaders are and who will make the best team players. It will even help you understand why some people seem flaky – they're usually not; rather they are the amazing creative’s amongst us – and which team members will love repetitive tasks; no matter how mundane those tasks seem to be.

When you decide to take this journey into knowing your team better there are a couple of things I really want you to keep in mind . . .


Be Positive: Never use someone’s strengths against them or make them feel bad because of their strengths. No strength can be called good or bad – it is how you use your strengths that determine a positive or negative result. The same goes with the DISC assessment. Never put someone in a box based on the result – its purpose is to help you work better together. If you’re not sure how to best navigate your teams strengths have a consultant come in and help you – yes, that was a plug.


Own Yourself: Really take some time to understand what your strengths are and how they will help you and your team accomplish whatever goals you have. I would even suggest putting your results in some kind of a frame and hanging it on your wall in the office or at home. Really tune into these super-powers you have. You could even put them on placeholders for a team meeting and spend time talking to others about strengths that are similar to yours or ones that you don’t have to better understand your team.


So, what’s the end game here; what difference will it really make? Well, the more you have people working together that you know will naturally gel, the more they will enjoy their work. The same goes for putting someone in a position to constantly be working in their strengths. The more someone does the things they are really good at naturally, the more they will enjoy what they do. It just feels good to know you’re on the right track because you were born that way. It’s easy to make the connection that happy and motivated team members bring a boatload of productivity, creativity, and heightened efficiency to the team. And we both know that all these things translate to higher profits.

Until next time, focus on what you know and keep doing a better job of what you love to do.

PS: Are there any tools that you use and think will help other entrepreneurs? Any suggestions you have for building a better team are very welcome. Do you have issues with your team that you would like advice about? Post a reply and I’ll be happy to post a response. 

Hello World

I never thought of myself as a “blogger” and so most of my written creations rest comfortably in word documents somewhere. I admit I have tried my hand at blogging now and again – only to delete and re-create my blog account (on several occasions) - in hopes that I might re-invent myself and discover a different point-of-view. I’m now 36 years old and have finally realized that I’ve been on my path all along. With several successful businesses and satisfied clients under my belt I have only now realized that I don’t have to call myself a project manager or a process improvement consultant. No, I am very simply a Business Improvement Consultant; that utilizes my experience doing what I love best – helping businesses do a better job at what they love to do.

Through all of the businesses, jobs, and clients; I have done a few things really well – well enough to be highly recognized and appreciated. I have utilized my love for IT, project management, and process improvement to solve problems that many businesses found difficult to solve on their own. I have also found that I have a true love for the entrepreneurs of the world. Those individuals that may be seen by many as the underdogs and know for themselves that success is a must. The “no matter what it takes” attitude that drives these individuals is the driving force of success in our country and others.

Ok, this is me stepping down from my little soap-box; forgive me – I get a little excited when I start talking about entrepreneurs as I have been one myself almost my entire working life. That being said, I am now looking to expand the ways I can assist entrepreneurs by starting a problem solving blog. I will use this blog to post anything from helpful rants from myself to links to other helpful articles. As my consulting practice expands and I get into new areas of helping businesses I will use this space to provide any insight I might have on helping entrepreneurs. Anything that I know will help small businesses do a better job at what they love to do.

My wife and I have now started Rappa Enterprises to house all of our consulting work. She and I have been partners in many business endeavors. She would provide the highly creative marketing and business development consulting while I held to the improvement side with a bend toward technology. We have now decided to join forces once again and help businesses expand through creative solutions that range from better processes and business structures to assisting companies with acquisitions.

It’s a very exciting time in this country for small business. I know what you might be thinking, with the dragging economy and some governmental institutions making things harder on small business how can I say it’s an exciting time? Well, the excitement comes from what it means to be an American businessperson or an American at all – it is the desire to stand up to adversity and shout “I will win!”. It’s that little voice that says no one gets to tell us what we can’t do. It’s the spirit of the entrepreneur that says the underdog can and will rise to the occasion.

Ok, I warned you before that I get a little excited. Anyway, I invite you to keep coming back and take advantage of all the resources I will be providing every week. And please, feel free to e-mail or post any business issues you might be dealing with. Until next time, focus on what you know and keep doing a better job of what you love to do.