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.”
A client and I were recently in a spirited discussion about
a particular speaker/author/seminar leader. He’s someone the client admired –
and let’s say that I do not share his viewpoint.
“You’re just jealous of his success,” my client and friend
said. “He owns his own jet, fancy cars, and makes a lot of money!”
“Do you think he’d make a good friend?” I asked. “Well,
probably not,” my client said. “I sense he doesn’t play well with others. But,
maybe it takes an ego that big – maybe even a bit of narcissism — to be that
successful.”
“I sure hope not,” I replied. Then, I asked, “If you booked
him – or if you were doing business with him…would you trust him?”
Now my client looked at the floor and said, “In fact, no I
would not. Just watching him online or watching his training courses, you can
tell it is all about him. I don’t think I’d trust him to have my company’s best
interests at heart. My guess is that he would think he was doing us a favor,
rather than viewing us as a valued client.”
“And you’ve just nailed why I am not a fan of his,” I said.
“I would rather be something that clients
trust than someone they envy.”
Seth Godin wrote about this recently. He said, “Earning trust outperforms
earning envy.”
I believe he meant that in every way. Trust
might take the long haul – sometimes outlandish flamboyancy generates quick
results.
However, give me a long
career based on trust than a short career focused on just making a splashy
impression.
At the recent Ultimate Business Summit, we offered that we
could help improve your efforts by 10%. During a webinar, we were asked why we
didn’t say “10X” instead of 10%?
The answer was simple – we knew from experience we could
deliver on our promise. If your business is doing $1,000,000 a year, we
believe that we can easily help you get to $1,100,000. (We’ve had many
participants obtain much higher multiples.)
However, if you’re doing $1m, do you really think a two-day
seminar will get you to $10m? I don’t think that’s possible. Could you go from
$1K to $10K? Maybe. But once the numbers get higher and the participants are
more successful, outrageous promises are just that – outrageous.
For some, promises of ten times results aren’t sufficient,
evidently. This week, I saw a book in an airport bookstore promising “100X
Leaders.” Too bad for you, John Maxwell, Dorie Clark, Mark Sanborn, Barbara
Corcoran, Mike Myatt, and other top leadership authors and speakers. This
book will make leaders one hundred times better! Yeah, right.
Remember that scene in “Something About Mary” with “7 Minute Abs”? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB2di69FmhE) It’s like this comedy has now become our reality! It doesn’t matter what you can deliver…just promise more! I had a friend on Facebook write me this week to joke that he now had the title for his next book, “1000X Leaders!”
On a recent podcast I was a guest on, the host mentioned
that going forward, the two most important qualities for professionals will be
transparency and integrity. While we might quibble on whether those are the top
two of all aspects we will need to exhibit to colleagues and customers,
it’s a darn good place to start.
Focus on being the type of person — and
professional — who builds trust.
While
you probably won’t get there as quickly, my bet is that you’ll eventually have
the kind of reputation and life that others will envy.
The past two weeks for me have been spent Down Under working
for my wonderful client, Volkswagen Group Australia. As I’ve met with many
great folks – from those working in dealerships in Tasmania and New South Wales
to those in the call center in the home office – I’m once again struck by the
critical role that leadership plays in delivering the customer experience.
I don’t think any leader goes to the office any morning with
a mission to erode the level of service that her organization is providing for
customers. So, the question becomes, “Why does this happen?”
While the solution is complex, the answer is simple: Leaders
get distracted from the most important mission they have in business – creating
an experience so compelling to customers that their loyalty becomes assured.
I’ve seen it happen in public companies, where leaders get
distracted by what’s happening in the market and how investors view their share
price. I’ve seen it in larger private companies where those in charge become
obsessed with balance sheets and EBITDA. I’ve seen it in small businesses,
where entrepreneurs get blinded by landing new transactions and keeping their
sales funnel full.
The blinding flash of the obvious should be that everything
from share price and investor attitudes…to balance sheets and EBITDA…to sales
and vibrant funnels…improve when customers enthusiastically repeat their
business and tell their friends and colleagues about you.
As a leader, you have one mission. You need to do what it
takes to deliver that Ultimate Customer Experience to those who do business
with you.
Naturally, there are multiple subsets to this:
How do you construct and manage a team of
employees that are trained and empowered to do this?
How do you know what the “ultimate experience”
is for your particular group of customers?
How do you execute a strategy than ensures this
approach is done in a profitable manner for your business?
And many more…
At one Volkswagen dealership I visited this week, a change
was recently made in ownership and leadership. Bringing in leadership who
believes in this approach, sales have almost tripled in the first period of
their efforts.
Sales didn’t get better because the leader pounded on desks
and shouted at them to sell more cars. It’s because he changed the culture.
From the moment you walk in the dealership, to the time you depart (frequently
in your new car!), you can just sense the commitment to the customer.
What is fundamentally important to note is this:
it’s the same cars (Volkswagens)
sold in the same building
by the same people.
What changed was the leadership – and the approach those
leaders brought to the business.
You don’t have to change ownership or leadership. What
you can change is YOU.
When you understand the most critical mission that you have
in business – no matter what you do or where you are – is to create experiences
for customers that are so compelling their loyalty is assured, you can enhance
your results (sometimes dramatically)!
Are you willing to refocus on your most critical mission
this coming week?
As I stood before the audience that represented a group many
have considered entitled and spoiled, it was impossible not to be impressed
with how seriously they were taking the message being offered to them.
Here I was, before a couple hundred of the “everyone gets a
trophy” generation — high school students between their junior and senior years
— and amazed by how they were writing copious notes and asking insightful and
incisive questions.
For almost two decades, I’ve donated a speech and a couple
of days to the Youth Citizenship Seminar at Pepperdine. Other speakers who have
done the same over the years include celebrities such as Jon Voight, Kathy
Ireland, Tommy Lasorda, and more — and top-notch professional speakers like
Captain Charles Plumb (a former Vietnam POW), Carnegie Hall virtuoso Mike
Rayburn, broadcaster Dennis Prager, author Mark Sanborn and many others.
Something occurred to me over the years giving these
speeches:
Yes, everyone should get a trophy.
Everyone who participates.
In this world where it’s easier than ever before in human
history to tune-out and withdraw to our screens and online universe, it’s hard
to see why we should complain about awarding those who get off their tails and
participate in a worthwhile endeavor.
That’s NOT just about students — it’s about your entire
team where you work! I’m suggesting that everyone who does their job and
serves customers should receive recognition for their efforts.
Yes, everyone should get a trophy.
There was another room that I stood in several years ago
that made quite an impression. Back when I was doing television news in
Louisville, I was invited to do a story at Churchill Downs. In conjunction with
the Kentucky Derby, a special display was opening at the museum at the famous
racetrack that showcased almost all of the world’s most famous trophies.
There I stood…just me…surrounded by the Stanley Cup, the
Lombardi Trophy for the Super Bowl, the Borg-Warner Trophy for the Indy 500,
the World Series trophy, and almost all of the other priceless emblems of
sporting success. I got to pick up the
Stanley Cup…thrust the Lombardi up in the air, just as I had seen my NFL heroes
do…and more.
Yet, it was oddly unmoving to me. I realized later that I
was privileged to hold these incredible awards — but that none had connected
emotionally with me because I had done absolutely nothing to deserve them.
Some trophies should be reserved for the winners.
In other words, everyone who participates should get A
trophy…but, only those who win should receive THE trophy!
Those students this past week at Pepperdine all deserve a
trophy for participating in a conference to grow their leadership — instead of
sitting at home on summer vacation like many of their contemporaries. And, it
should not be missed that they were preparing to win THE trophy for success and
achievement in their adult lives.
I’m convinced that our future is in good hands with the
future these students represent.
And, I left with the thought that all of us could make our
businesses and lives better by following the example they’re displaying of
participating — and preparing to win.
Recently, I spoke at an event an organization was sponsoring
for its top franchisees. Each person in attendance ran a business that
generated at least hundreds of thousands – and for most, multiple millions – of
dollars in revenue. As a bonus for the best franchisees, the leader of the
group mentioned that they were going to make it available for a few of them to
have me to come to their respective businesses and work with their teams.
Guess who was the first to jump up and make it happen? The
owner of the most successful business in the room.
Want to guess who did not accept the organization’s generous
offer? The owners of the least successful businesses in the room.
This isn’t an unusual occurrence. Those who grow great
businesses jump on ideas and programs to make their organizations better. Those
who are less successful – for some strange reason – tend to think they don’t
have time to learn and train themselves and their teams. They attribute the
success of others – selling the same product at the same price in the same
region – as luck (“I was dealt a lesser hand of cards to play…”), the economy,
or anything other than their own lack of commitment and effort.
Please don’t misunderstand – it’s not about whether they
chose me or not. That’s not what I’m suggesting in the least. The leader of the
organization remarked to me before the offer was made that it never fails:
regardless of the possibility or promotion, the best performers take advantage
of every opportunity immediately; the laggards seldom, or not at all.
So – how about YOU? When something doesn’t work out
for you…personally or professionally…or your organization faces a difficult
time or task – do you seize opportunity or keep grinding it out the way you’ve
always done it?
Too many of us attribute declining success to a lack of
intensity. We decide we’re going to “hustle” and “crush it” by rededicating our
efforts to harder work and a stronger push.
The problem is this: working harder on the wrong plan
won’t generate more profitable results.
The challenge for all of us is to jump at opportunity, be
willing to learn and alter our approach, and be a model of growth for those who
depend upon our leadership.
In almost every book I’ve ever written — and there have been quite a few at this point — I quote the best business advice I have ever heard. It’s from my friend, Dr. Michael LeBoeuf, from his work that was originally titled, “The Greatest Management Principle in the World.” Here it is:
“Behavior rewarded is behavior repeated.”
The problem — and wisdom — in this phrase is that it’s so much more profound than it originally appears. Of course, it means that our customers and employees will repeat the activities that we compensate them for executing.
However, more subtle is that it also challenges us to question: What actions are we rewarding?
For example — we want sales professionals to establish relationships with customers rather than pressuring them into a solitary closing. Yet, when we examine their compensation structure, we find there’s no additional incentives for future purchases.
In other words, we give lip service to how important that on-going loyalty from our customers. However, when we examine what we reward, it appears our focus is on closing (through any means available and ethical) a single transaction.
My friend, former Chief Customer Officer at Microsoft and Lands End, Jeanne Bliss, often mentions in her presentations the story of the hospital that posted every physician’s evaluation from patients and their families. The result was that malpractice suits dropped by 43%. When receiving high marks from patients and families was rewarded, doctors responded — to the benefit of hospital, physician, and (most importantly) customers that are called “patients.”
That’s the challenge that I make to you. Take a bit to re-evaluate what you’re rewarding and examine if it’s congruent with your goals and aspirations for the future. My guess is that you’ll find some disconnection.
If you resolve it, you’ll be rewarding the behavior and activity that your desire. It’s an important step to creating distinction!
