We all have customers or prospects who are willing to assume the worst about our intentions. In this time of social media and instant opinions, their criticisms can race around the newsfeeds of our marketplace in dramatic fashion.
Take for example a viral video from 2017 showing a significant amount of food being disposed of at a local Wal-mart store. The video was of an angry man outraged because he felt the food being thrown away could be of good use if it were donated to charitable causes instead.
The problem not mentioned was that a tornado had ripped through the local area days before causing a power outage throughout the community. The food was spoiled and unfit for consumption.
By the time Wal-mart posted the “other side of the story” and their logical and legally mandatory reason for doing what they did, millions had already decided that Wal-mart was not interested in serving the needy in their communities.
What if Wal-mart would’ve front-loaded this by Tweeting about the food and their commitment to customer safety and health as they were putting the spoiled food in dumpsters behind the store?
What if they would have contacted local media to talk about what they were doing — and encouraged local citizens to check their own respective freezers and refrigerators to ensure they didn’t eat spoiled food?
In other words, what if they would not have waited to tell their story?
Two important questions you should be considering this week:
How have you prepared in your business for those customers who assume the worst about you and use the enormous platform of social media to spread their misinformation/disinformation?
How have you prepared to be proactive in telling your stories about the positive steps that your business is taking?
It was 1978… Kansas City, Missouri’s Municipal Auditorium… the National FFA Convention… and, the speaker was Paul Harvey. The presentation title was, “So God Made a Farmer.”
Audio from this speech was used for the powerful Super Bowl spot for Dodge’s RAM trucks and an estimated 108 million viewers listened to Harvey talk about hard-working American farmers across the generations.
In today’s world of unbelievably efficient agriculture, not all of us are called to life on the farm. However, we can bring to our organizations that spirit and attitude of which Paul Harvey spoke.
When you look for someone to add to your team, do you seek mere skills? Would you be better off to find someone with the spirit of a farmer?
When you look for someone to create distinction and grow your business, do you look into the mirror… and do you see someone with the dedication and commitment of a farmer?
One of the points I made in the book, “Create Distinction,” is that “best practices aren’t always ‘best’ for your organization.”
In other words, what made Starbucks distinctive can provide you with some great ideas and concepts — however, it is NOT a blueprint that you can duplicate for your organization.
Instead, focus on learning from those great examples — and then determining how they can be adapted before they become adopted.
I was playing drums in a family band that opened for the country star at a concert at the little high school I attended.
After the first of two shows, Jim Ed approached me and said, “I’m looking for a new drummer — and I’d like it to be you!”
I couldn’t believe it — a country star and Grand Ole Opry member wanted me in his band? Jim Ed — even though he probably didn’t realize it — forced me to make a decision: I had to choose if I wanted to be a drummer…or if I wanted something else in my life.
I was hit with the thought that it’s one thing to PLAY drums…it’s another to BE a drummer. One is participation…the other iscommitment.
After I had thought about it for a while, I was literally shaking from anxiety as I told him that I was sorry, but I couldn’t accept his generous offer.
He smiled and said, “Whatever you do in life…do it as well as you play those drums.”
I only talked to him a couple of times after that…but, I’ll never forget the wonderful opportunity he provided, or his sincere kindness. I often think of how different my life would have turned out if I had taken him up on the job. And, I always thank him that he moved me to prioritize what was REALLY important in my life…even in my teens.
Jim Ed passed away from lung cancer at the age of 81. My friends, the Oak Ridge Boys, sang at his service. All reflected on this gentle man’s elegance and legacy.
You may never know the impact that you have on someone else’s life.
What can you do today to make someone’s life better?
If I ask you to think of affluent communities, there are some names that come to mind. One that jumps to the top of my list is Carmel, California. The entire Monterey Peninsula is nothing short of spectacular — and, in many locations in that region, it’s quite expensive and elite.
Now, imagine that you are a custom home builder in the area. Obviously, your product must be spectacular for such a demanding clientele. And, given the high dollars involved, my guess is the competition is quite intense, as well.
In that type of market how do you separate yourself from your competitors?
I received a message from one of the elite builders on the Monterey Peninsula. It read:
“As a contractor in the Carmel/Pebble Beach area, we are always in competitive situations in which our competition is highly competent. Just such a situation occurred a few weeks back on a Pebble Beach home.
All three bidders were:
close in price range
close in temperament
and vetted, quality home builders
(My note here: Isn’t that often the case in your business, as well? It’s seldom that your competition is a bunch of idiots — they are worthy opponents. Which, of course, means that it’s both tougher to stand out…AND critically important!)
As the meetings progressed to find the right contractor, it was clear to me that it was going to be a toss-up. Around that time, I had watched your video interview on YouTube, and was motivated, to say the least!
What I did next was to do something distinctive — I created a Gantt chart on our construction software. All the budget numbers were attached directly to a timeline of the project — and, if done correctly, would aid in the decision-making process along the way in the construction.
(Another interruption from me: Notice that what the contractor did wasn’t just about being “different.” He created something that was truly of value to the potential customer. Who wouldn’t want that if you were building a house — especially a multi-million dollar one like this project! If you want to create distinction, you must provide something of unique value to your customer!)
They were impressed with that! The potential buyers mentioned that the others had not thought it…
We just got the call yesterday that we have won the job! Thanks again, Scott McKain!”
I was hugely honored by the message — but the contractor did all the work!
The idea to create the timeline was brilliant. It provided something that was not only of value to the customer — but, also demonstrated that their business was focused upon the successful creation of a beautiful home…not just closing the sale and getting the cash.
Because of that…he closed the sale and is getting the cash!
What an extraordinary example of how to create distinction! What one thing can YOU provide of unique value to your customer to ensure you stand out from your competition?
In my book, “Create Distinction,” I write about a phenomenon I called “The Ebert Effect.” It’s based upon a powerful lesson I learned from the famed movie critic, Roger Ebert, who passed away at age 70 after an extraordinarily valiant battle with cancer.
As I relate in the book, Roger asked me how many movies I was viewing in any given week — then, he told me he would watch three to five per DAY. In his wisdom, he commented, “That’s why quirky, offbeat films often receive rave reviews.
When one is overwhelmed with similarity, you begin to perceive that DIFFERENT IS SUPERIOR.
That is the basis of my work on distinction and the customer experience.
We’ve been overwhelmed with similarity, and we — as customers — are bored. We don’t see any meaningful differentiation between competitors in any given marketplace. When something different or even moderately unique comes along, we immediately begin to perceive it as a superior offering because of the effect Roger so eloquently described. It’s “The Ebert Effect.”
When Werner Herzog called me and asked me to play the “bad guy” in his film, “Stroszek,” I was honored beyond description. The only thing that topped that thrill was seeing the extraordinary review my meager attempt at the art form received from Roger Ebert, the reviewer I respected the most.
Then, when he featured the film and my performance in his first book on “Great Films” on his fifty favorite movies of all time, I was astounded… and grateful.
Roger took such delight at being the one who reunited Herzog and me after thirty years at his “Ebertfest” on the campus of the University of Illinois. He couldn’t contain his joy… and was scribbling notes as fast as he could to tell us how much he loved bringing us back together.
“I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do.”
