What do you do when you find yourself in a downturn?
No one enjoys this situation – and often, the result is that we start marketing obsessively, creating an appearance of desperation for business. Ironically, no prospect or previous client is attracted to a company that seems to be hurting for customers.
Instead, we need to consider a more guided and reassured approach.
Within the professional speaking segment of my career — as opposed to the consulting and education/training aspects of what we do — I’ve noticed that spring often brings a bit of a slowdown in activity. A smaller number of conferences and conventions are held when school is not in session, and families are taking vacations, so we typically get fewer calls in the spring to book speeches for meetings in the summer months. (It’s why the National Speakers Association has always scheduled their annual convention in the summer!)
And 2024 is part of the four-year cycle of both a Presidential election here in the States and the Olympic games occurring in the same year. This often means that keynote slots usually filled by professional speakers will now go to political analysts and successful athletes.
Is there a typical time when you experience a lull in your business?
It’s tempting to view these quieter periods as detrimental. However, it’s crucial to recognize them for what they are: seasonal adjustments, part of a natural ebb and flow in the cycle of business.
Understanding the patterns of our professional landscape can transform how we perceive and react to these lulls. Instead of succumbing to frustration, we can view them as an opportunity to regroup and realign our strategies. Here are four approaches to re-motivating oneself during these slower periods:
1. Strategic Planning and Goal Setting
Use the quieter times for strategic planning and setting new goals. It’s an opportune moment to reflect on your business’s direction, evaluate past performances, and set clear, achievable objectives. This is not merely about continuation but a strategic recalibration to ensure that when the pace picks up again, you are ahead of the curve.
2. Skill Enhancement and Learning
Slow periods are ideal for personal and professional development. Whether it’s attending online workshops, reading the latest in your field, or learning a new skill that can add depth to your offerings, the investment in your growth will pay dividends when the demand picks up.
3. Strengthening Connections
Networking doesn’t only have to occur in peak business times. Reaching out to your network, checking in on colleagues, or even setting up informational interviews can foster relationships that yield future opportunities. This is also a perfect time to collaborate on new ideas with peers. Knowing you aren’t alone in this situation can provide assurance, as long as it does not become a “woe is me!” conversation. My mastermind group meets every summer – and a small group of pals and colleagues meet on Zoom every week. We help keep each other motivated and encouraged.
4. Innovative Experimentation
With more time at your disposal, experiment with new ideas that you wouldn’t during busier periods. Whether it’s a new marketing technique or a fresh topic for your speaking engagements, experimentation can lead to innovation and renewal. It was during a slower period in speaking that I created the concepts that became my bestselling book, “ICONIC.” You never know where your experimentation might lead!
Reflecting and Renewing for Enhanced Relevance
Reflecting on past successes can indeed be a double-edged sword, particularly for seasoned professionals who might worry about remaining relevant in a rapidly evolving market. Here’s how to reflect on your achievements and use them to foster continuous renewal:
Analytical Reflection: Examine your past successes to understand the qualities that distinguished you then and consider how these can be adapted or expanded upon to meet current trends and expectations.
Feedback Loops: Engage with peers, mentors, and trusted clients to get feedback on your current offerings. This can provide insights into how the market perceives your relevance and where there might be opportunities for innovation.
Personal Branding: Update your personal branding to reflect both your legacy and your adaptability to current market demands. This shows that while you respect and acknowledge your past work, you are also fully engaged with your industry’s present and future.
Continuous Learning: Embrace a mindset of continuous learning and curiosity. Being open to new ideas and approaches not only enhances your skill set but also signals to your industry that you are a dynamic and evolving leader.
Embracing Reverse Mentoring for Fresh Perspectives
Another powerful strategy I’ve employed to stay engaged and relevant during quieter times is reverse mentoring.
This involves partnering with younger professionals who not only value my experience but also challenge my thinking with their fresh, generationally unique perspectives. Here are four reasons why reverse mentoring is a critical element of staying motivated and relevant:
1. Cross-Generational Insights
Reverse mentoring allows for an exchange of ideas across generations, fostering a deeper understanding of emerging trends and consumer behaviors that are shaped by younger demographics. This can be particularly valuable for tailoring our strategies to meet the expectations of a broader audience.
2. Challenging Established Norms
Young professionals often bring a different approach to problem-solving and innovation. By engaging with reverse mentors, seasoned professionals can challenge their established norms and potentially outdated methods, ensuring that their strategies remain dynamic and adaptable to new market conditions.
3. Fostering Inclusivity
Reverse mentoring encourages a culture of inclusivity by validating the contributions of younger team members. It demonstrates a commitment to hearing diverse voices within the organization, which can inspire loyalty and a positive work environment.
4. Mutual Benefits
While reverse mentoring is designed to benefit the more experienced professional, it’s a reciprocal relationship. Young professionals gain from exposure to the seasoned insight and strategic thinking of their mentors, enriching their professional growth and understanding of the industry.
Incorporating reverse mentoring into your professional life not only bridges the gap between generations but also injects new zest into your career.
It’s a testament to the idea that learning and motivation are lifelong processes, invigorated continually by new challenges and perspectives.
Every professional will experience cycles of peak activity and slower periods. The key is to use these quieter times as strategic periods of growth and development.
By embracing these lulls as opportunities for strategic planning, learning, and innovation, you can ensure that you remain motivated and ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of your next busy season.
This post is a bit unusual for me. This is directed solely to my fellow #professionalspeakers and to those who desire to speak professionally.
It’s time for me to respectfully, but strongly, dispute some advice that is being shared by some that, if taken on its face, could be hugely detrimental to both your career personally and to the speaking business as a whole.
When asked to describe what it takes to become successful, Steve Martin said, “Market like crazy and do whatever it takes to get hired as a performer!”
No…wait. He did not say anything like that at all.
Instead, he said, “Become so good at what you do that you become impossible to ignore.”
Here’s the problem — Martin’s approach is significantly more difficult to undertake. It also leaves you less of a prospect for those who seek to sell you services that market your business, run your social media, write and publish a book, and any of the other myriad of pitches that anyone who calls themselves a speaker will encounter.
If Mercedes-Benz said, “Our job is to sell the car, not make a great car,” where do you think their reputation and profitability would be as compared to the esteem they have in the marketplace?
If Steve Jobs had stated, “Apple’s job is to sell the iPhone, not deliver a remarkable device,” we might still be carrying BlackBerrys. Instead, he drove his team to develop products that were “insanely great.”
Let me be clear: if you call yourself a professional speaker, your primary job is to serve your client by delivering a distinctive, amazing presentation.
You book the speech because you are so great on the platform that you become impossible to ignore as a speaker, thereby creating demand for your programs. If you think your primary job is to book the speech, your focus is on the wrong target — and can likely derail your long-term prospects for a successful career.
Look, I realize there will be many who will dispute my position here — or say this is the way it used to be but doesn’t apply to today’s meetings marketplace. All I ask you to consider are these two questions:
If you purchased a supremely marketed product or service that failed to deliver as promised, would you buy more of it and advocate it in the marketplace? Or would you never buy it again and tell others of your disappointment?
If someone tells you that booking the speech is your main job instead of delivering the presentation, is there the potential for a hidden agenda? Are they hoping to sell you a service that promotes your speaking without helping you improve your content and delivery?
Your job is to craft and deliver a presentation so compelling to the client and the audience that their loyalty becomes assured. I had someone tell me that my success as a speaker could be measured in the thousands of paid presentations that I’ve delivered. I gently disagreed. I think my success should be measured by how many terrific clients and meeting professionals have had me return and speak for their groups on multiple occasions.
A speaker does not work for one firm over 100 times, as I have for Merrill Lynch, because I thought my job was to book the gig.
You aren’t a keynote for seven consecutive years, as I am for Chrysler, because of marketing.
You don’t sign six-figure retainers, as we have with terrific partners like Volkswagen Australia, Juniper, and SkinCure Oncology, and more, because I hired a social media team.
(Please excuse this previous paragraph — I know it sounds braggadocios, and I apologize for that. It’s important to me, however, that you know I’m presenting my opinion from experience and evidence.)
There’s only one aspect that the “A-list” of professional speakers have in unison. In today’s meetings marketplace, thank goodness, there’s more diversity in speakers and in thought than ever before. But there is still this common denominator: the top speakers are all AMAZING on the platform.
Here’s a bit of tough love that we all need to hear in this profession: If you are not getting booked — and especially if you aren’t getting booked to return or through word-of-mouth recommendations — your problem is NOT your marketing.
the impact of individual actions on customer experiences
the importance of adapting to life’s changes
While these subjects may seem unrelated at first glance, I believe they both highlight the crucial role that people play in our lives.
Posts about lousy customer service and ridiculously horrid experiences get more clicks and traction, however, I believe it is also critical to make the effort to also note when something goes right. My personal experience has been that when something falls apart – like my recent stay at the Hampton Inn West in Amarillo – it’s because leadership failed in its job to model the customer approaches they want to see from their team. Many times, though, when something is great, it’s because individual team members take it upon themselves to deliver for their customers.
That was the case with Carson, the front desk clerk at the Hampton Inn in Rolla, Missouri, the very next night of our trip.
With a big smile and warm manner, this young man sincerely welcomed us to the property. He showed me where the luggage carts were and helped ensure that we got to our room promptly and easily. He made certain we had a couple of bottles of water – our choice: room temperature or chilled – and told us our dogs were extremely cute. (A sure-fire way to score points with us!) And he directed us to precisely the right place to park both my car and the SUV with the U-Haul trailer that Tammy was driving. (Obviously a major improvement over the previous evening!)
After we got settled in our room, we noticed the toilet was running. We couldn’t get it to stop – so I called the front desk. Carson not only answered promptly, he was in our room in mere moments to fix the toilet! He even apologized to us that because his shift was ending, he would not see us as we checked out the next morning. He wanted to wish us safe travels and hoped we would return to this Hampton Inn again in the future.
Here’s the point: our previous night in Amarillo was horrendous. This night in Rolla, Missouri, was terrific. Same hotel chain. Same décor. Same room, same mattress, same everything.
The difference was Carson.
Carson’s exceptional service not only made our stay in Rolla pleasant but also restored our faith in the Hampton Inn chain after the disappointing experience we had in Amarillo the previous night.
Your job is to:
create more Carsons through your leadership and training for your team; and,
model the behavior for your team that will help them become a group of Carsons
It’s been said by every writer and speaker on CX, “Your people make the difference.” It’s a cliché because it’s true.
Carson’s impact on our hotel experience serves as a reminder of how the people in our lives can make all the difference, which brings me to the second topic I’d like to discuss: changes in life.
This next point is a strange segment to share because I’ve lived for many years in Vegas and have loved my time there. However, as family members are getting older and some are facing health challenges, Tammy and I have decided it’s right for us to move back to Indiana for a year or so. In the past year, Tam has lost three aunts, and I lost the last member of my late Dad’s family of twelve siblings. (Thankfully, my Mom is still doing well.)
The driving trip I discussed in the last couple of messages was because we are relocating to Fort Wayne for the next twelve months or so. My business will still be officially based in Las Vegas, and we plan to return to the West in the future, but the time is right for us to be Hoosiers who are based in Indiana again for a little while.
The two seemingly disparate topics discussed in this post – the impact of individual actions on customer experiences and the importance of adapting to life’s changes – are more interconnected than they may initially appear.
Just as Carson’s personal dedication to providing excellent service transformed a routine hotel stay into a memorable experience, the people in our lives have the power to make even the most challenging transitions more manageable and meaningful. By focusing on cultivating these connections and striving to be the “Carson” in someone else’s story, we can navigate life’s ups and downs with grace, resilience, and a greater appreciation for the people who make the journey worthwhile.
Sometimes life throws a curve or two – and it is in these times that we should be reminded of the importance of the people in our lives…and how they are more impactful than the places where we may be residing.
And while Fort Wayne and Las Vegas aren’t too much alike (to say the least), and my travel will be different from the small airport here instead of the huge one in Sin City, it’s an adventure.
I just wanted you to know – and we both appreciate the love and support we receive from our friends, family, and our clients who have become our friends and like a family. Thank you.
Tammy and I were each driving our cars cross-country this week from Las Vegas to Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was in my car, and she was driving our SUV while pulling a small U-Haul trailer. Our older dog, Lucy, was in the car with me, and our puppy, Chloe, was Tam’s traveling companion. After a long day crossing I-40, we pulled off in Amarillo, Texas, to use some Hilton Honors points and stay at the Hampton Inn West just off the highway.
As it was difficult in the busy parking lot to find a space big enough for the SUV and trailer, the front desk clerk said that since I was a Diamond-level Hilton Honors guest, we could pull the combination into the two spots reserved for Diamonds on the side of the building. We dragged our luggage from both vehicles. Tam went to park her SUV and trailer as directed. I loaded our baggage on a cart, threw it into our room, and then returned to help her get both dogs out for a potty break, after which I’d park my car as she headed up to our hotel room.
I opened the door to the room, quickly got the luggage inside, and hurriedly returned to help my wife. The dogs finished their business, and Tammy headed to our room with them as I circled the lot, looking for a place to park my car.
As I re-entered the Hampton Inn, Tammy texted me a picture as she was calling me. Opening the closet, she found men’s dirty underwear and socks. I noted the TV was on when I opened the door to pitch the luggage in. I immediately became afraid that a person was still occupying the room and would return to find someone he would perceive as an intruder. I told her to exit the room immediately and wait for me to get up there to get our luggage.
As I told the front desk clerk what had happened, she said it “was impossible.” I asked her why I would make something like that up. Then I showed her the picture. She told me, “If your wife entered the room with those dogs, my manager says I can’t give you another room.”
I was incredulous. Would she even imagine we would stay in a room that had obviously not been properly cleaned—and perhaps had not been vacated? I might not have been as kind as I was previously, but I told her in no uncertain terms that we were getting another room. She made me wait as she texted her manager, who, after several minutes of leadership contemplation, told her to give us a different room.
I get Tammy and the dogs in the new room, go back up, reload the luggage, and move it down two floors to our new location.
Finally, at about 11 PM, we drift off to sleep. Until 1 AM when the phone in our room rings.
This time, the overnight clerk at the front desk ordered that I must move our SUV and trailer immediately or risk being towed away. I informed her that I parked where the last desk clerk told me to — and a bit coldly asked why she would call a guest at 1 AM anyway.
“My manager has made it clear that only Diamonds can park their cars in those spots.” I responded that I was a Diamond. “Yes, but you also parked a trailer in the other spot, and that’s against what my manager told me was permissible. If it’s not moved, it will be towed.”
So, I get up, get dressed, and head out into about 35 degrees and spitting snowfall. I asked the clerk to show me where to park so I wouldn’t be towed. She points to an empty space in another hotel’s parking lot. “You can park there—they don’t mind.”
“How will I know,” I ask, “that THEY won’t have me towed because I’m not a guest there?”
“They won’t care. It’s fine.”
Tired and upset, I park the SUV and trailer where she points — and move my car into one of the Diamond spots. I return to the room a little after 1:30 AM, adrenaline pumping because I’m so mad and frustrated. It takes me at least 90 more minutes to finally fall asleep.
As we check out about three hours later — exhausted and with a day’s drive ahead — the same overnight clerk tells me that three other cars — two with trailers — were towed away after I moved mine. (Which was, fortunately, just fine where I had parked it in the other hotel’s lot.) She presented the bill for the night at the hotel. (Even though we were using points for the stay, we were charged $95 for having two dogs with us.) I told her I wanted to have a few words with the manager.
She said, “After I told the manager about all the upset guests from the towing and everything, he told me he was sick and wouldn’t be in this morning.”
As we drove away, I realized that even though I was angry with those two clerks for obviously egregious behavior towards customers, the blame should rest on the missing manager. Both clerks were more concerned with upsetting the manager than their customers. Apparently, they were afraid of managerial reprisals for any deviance from “the policy” — even if their efforts were to ensure that the guests at the property were taken care of in the manner that the hotel promised in their marketing and branding efforts.
How about you and your team?
Would they be afraid that making it easier for the customer (like where a guest can park or moving someone from a dirty room) isn’t the priority and would cause them to be on the receiving end of managerial reprimands?
Have you trained them on the Ultimate Customer Experience®?
These desk clerks knew one thing: there would be hell to pay if they did something outside the lines of precisely what their manager had told them.
Keeping guests in a dirty room or towing their cars away in a strange city was acceptable as long as it fits within what the manager had outlined.
That’s bad management. Of course, you already knew that by how the manager hung his employees out to dry by calling in sick after being told there were upset customers wanting his attention.
One final thing: I called the Hilton “Customer Cares” line the following day while driving to tell them about my horrible experience. A woman I could barely understand — as her English obviously was not yet fluent — told me she could put my points back into my account.
I replied that I also wanted a refund of the $95 because I didn’t want that property to have a cent of my money — and that they had failed on the aspect that’s the bare minimum of what a hotel guest has a right to expect: a decent night’s sleep.
She told me that was beyond what her manager would let her do, and she’d have to escalate my case. I said I would like to speak to a supervisor. She replied that it was impossible — just check my account in 48 hours, and I would know what they had decided.
I hung up and just shook my head as I proceeded down the Interstate. If that’s how they treat their best customers as a Diamond Hilton Honors member — how do they take care of (or not) their occasional guests?
And why should I choose a Hilton brand in the future as opposed to another? (They might save the $95 — and lose thousands in future business. We will see…)
What happened to me isn’t important to your business, but the question about how your employees treat your customers is.
In the field of customer experience, the advent of Artificial Intelligence presents an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to redefine the way they interact with customers.
Your incorporation of AI into your customer experience strategies is not just about harnessing new technologies; it’s about crafting more intuitive, responsive, and personalized interactions that elevate the customer journey to new heights. Here’s an exploration of how AI can be leveraged to enhance the Ultimate Customer Experience®:
AI-Enhanced Personalization
At the heart of any exceptional customer experience lies deep personalization – the ability to not only meet but anticipate the unique needs and preferences of each customer.
As I’ve written in my previous books dating back to the late 1990s, it’s the way you personalize to create emotional connections that form the fundamental difference between “customer service” and the “customer experience.”
AI excels in analyzing vast datasets to uncover patterns and preferences, enabling your business to tailor their offerings with unprecedented precision. From customized product recommendations to personalized communication, AI can transform a standard transaction into a tailored interaction that resonates deeply with the individual customer.
Conversational Interfaces and Virtual Assistants
AI-powered conversational interfaces, such as chatbots and virtual assistants, have revolutionized customer engagement by providing instant, on-demand assistance. These AI solutions can handle a wide range of queries, from simple FAQ responses to complex transactional conversations, ensuring that customers receive the right information at the right time.
The key to leveraging these tools in creating distinction lies in their seamless integration and human-like interaction capabilities, making digital conversations feel personalized and engaging.
Predictive Analytics for Proactive Engagement
Predictive analytics, powered by AI, allows businesses to anticipate customer needs before they arise, offering solutions and services proactively. This forward-thinking approach to customer engagement can transform the customer experience from reactive to proactive, delighting customers by exceeding expectations and preemptively solving problems.
Whether it’s predicting a need for maintenance before a product fails or offering a discount on a much-loved product before the customer runs out, predictive engagement adds a layer of thoughtfulness and anticipation to the customer experience.
Continuous Learning and Evolution
AI systems are inherently designed to learn and improve over time, analyzing every interaction to enhance future performance. This continuous learning process ensures that the customer experience is constantly evolving, adapting to new trends, preferences, and feedback.
Businesses that harness this aspect of AI can ensure that their customer experience strategies remain at the cutting edge, always one step ahead in meeting and exceeding customer expectations.
Finally – and most importantly:
Enhancing the Human Touch with AI Insights
While AI can automate and enhance many aspects of the customer experience, the human touch remains irreplaceable.
AI’s true power lies in augmenting human interactions, not replacing them.
By providing customer service representatives with real-time insights, suggestions, and support, AI enables them to deliver more empathetic, informed, and effective service. This synergy between AI and human intuition creates a customer experience that is both highly efficient and deeply personal.
In integrating AI into the Ultimate Customer Experience®, it’s vital that you maintain a customer-centric approach, ensuring that technology serves to enhance rather than detract from the personal, emotional connections that lie at the heart of every great customer interaction.
By leveraging AI in these strategic, thoughtful ways, you can create an Ultimate Customer Experience® that creates distinction for your business in a crowded marketplace.
This afternoon, I’m in a meeting in Buffalo, New York, listening to leaders of this retail company and their vendors talk about commoditization in today’s marketplace. In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, one of the greatest challenges organizations faces is the perilous trap of the “sea of sameness.” It’s all too easy to become just another face in the crowd, blending into a swarm of indistinguishable competitors.
But fear not, for there is a powerful antidote that can help you rise above this trap – the Ultimate Customer Experience®.
In my years as a professional speaker and author, I’ve had the privilege of working with organizations worldwide, helping them understand the significance of creating an unforgettable customer experience. Here’s are seven ways the Ultimate Customer Experience® can be your ultimate weapon against commoditization:
Distinctiveness is Your Shield: In a commoditized market, customers often make purchasing decisions based on price alone unless you provide them a reason to make a different choice. When you offer a unique and exceptional customer experience, you become a brand apart. You stand out in a crowded marketplace, and customers are more willing to pay a premium for what you provide. Distinctiveness becomes your shield against price-driven competition.
Building Emotional Connections: The Ultimate Customer Experience® goes beyond transactions; it’s about forging emotional connections with your customers. When you invest in creating meaningful, memorable interactions, you develop loyal advocates who not only return but also spread the word. These customers become your brand ambassadors, helping you expand your influence.
Consistency is Key: A crucial aspect of delivering the Ultimate Customer Experience® is consistency. Your customers should know what to expect every time they interact with your brand. You cannot become “Ultimate” if what you deliver is random. Consistency builds trust, and trust is the foundation of long-term relationships. Organizations that prioritize consistency demonstrate their commitment to excellence.
Continuous Improvement: The pursuit of the Ultimate Customer Experience® is a journey, not a destination. Embrace a culture of continuous improvement, always seeking ways to enhance the customer journey. Gather feedback, analyze data, and adapt your strategies accordingly. This commitment to growth not only keeps you ahead of competitors but also delights your customers.
Personalization and Inclusivity: In today’s diverse world, personalization and inclusivity are essential. The Ultimate Customer Experience® acknowledges the individuality of each customer and ensures that no one feels left out. This works in both B2B and B2C situations. As an article in Harvard Business Review stated, “The fundamental change in B2B is that it has become more like B2C.” By catering to diverse needs and preferences, you expand your reach and make everyone feel valued.
A Competitive Edge: Commoditization often leads to price wars that erode profitability. However, by providing the Ultimate Customer Experience®, you shift the focus away from price. Customers are willing to pay more for an exceptional experience, giving you a competitive edge and increased revenue.
Authoritative Insights: As an author and professional speaker, I’ve witnessed how organizations that invest in our training on the Ultimate Customer Experience® gain authoritative insights into their industry. They become thought leaders and trendsetters, setting the standard for excellence.
It’s important to remember that the Ultimate Customer Experience® is not just a strategy; it’s a commitment to excellence that helps organizations transcend the trap of commoditization.
It’s about creating a distinct, emotional, and consistent experience that builds trust, fosters growth, and makes your brand a global leader.
As you embark on this journey, remember that it’s an ongoing process that requires dedication and continuous improvement. Seek out diverse perspectives, stay relevant on a global scale, and never stop advocating for the importance of standing out and delivering the ultimate customer experience.
And if we can help you with training your team, coaching your executives, and consulting with your leaders, we stand ready to be of personal assistance.
By embracing these principles, you’ll not only escape the commoditization trap but also lead your industry with unwavering distinction. Your customers will thank you, your brand will thrive, and your organization will reach distinctive heights of success.
