Bob Nunnally Writing

A LinkedIn® entrepreneur network I follow, Economic Development in Savannah, started a conversation last week that I have found fascinating. The challenge posted: “Describe what you (OR your business) do using EXACTLY 7 words.”

The inputs from the members run the gamut. For example:

• “Sustainably produce biodiesel from yellow kitchen grease.”
• “Brew and sell the world’s best beer!”
• “Invigorate existing buildings for a durable future.”
• “Recruit certified workforce ready candidates to clients.”
• “Helping people buy or sell their business.”

My fascination is not in the actual answers (though I love them!), but rather the potential of such a simple question to drive valuable reflection…and deliver useful clarity.

So often, as we market ourselves and our businesses, we trip up on what should be a simple task—telling others what we do in a way that opens the door for sales, networking or collaboration. Sometimes it’s because we aren’t prepared to have the conversation. Sometimes it’s because we try to communicate too much information, or the information is too detailed (the nuts and bolts of my world-changing flux capacitor shouldn’t be my opening line). When we fail to deliver a quick, clear synopsis of who we are or what we do, we don’t give the other person a “hook” to connect with us.

That’s why I’ve really loved this exercise…it can fix that problem.

The foil, of course, is the challenge to do it in seven words. The Twitter-effect notwithstanding, my sense is we think more-is-better when it comes to marketing and that isn’t always true. There probably is a place for a 1,000-word marketing document. But, in today’s world of non-stop messaging, the face-to-face arena can be won with the simple, the elegant…the seven word answer.

After pondering this exercise all week, I think the formula for a powerful seven-word answer is something like this:

Explicit Value Delivered + Delivery Method = 7 Words

I think the power of the seven-word answer is amplified if it includes both value and method. A tall order in seven words, right?

I could just tell folks what I do—as in, “Assess companies for Merger and Acquisition viability.” But, that’s a swing and a miss I think.  Yes, if the listener is into M&A, it might work, but in general, I’ve left them to connect the dots of what I do and why they should care. Traditionally, that’s not a good marketing approach. For me, the answer needs to present both my value and something on how I deliver it.

Much of my work these days is related to my passion for coaching others to become truly amazing leaders in their profession. So here is what I’m tinkering with:  

“Grow your revenue by improving your leadership.”

Does that drive any particular reaction for you? Share your thoughts with me.

I‘m not totally satisfied with it yet, but that’s what I also love about the exercise…it’s keeping me engaged in the value of what I do and how I do it. And that’s a powerful combination for any business leader!

So, what are your seven words?

The gym I go to was packed today. It was great to see so many folks working to improve their health…even if it did mean I had to wait a bit to use the equipment. I wonder though—how many of these folks will actually achieve the change they are hoping to see?

Most of us can easily wrap our brains around changing our health (well, we can understand how/why even if we don’t necessarily see it through…but, let’s hold the “see it through” discussion for another post, ok?). However, when it comes to business, we seem to trip-up on what it takes to actually drive change.

Having led change initiatives both in the US and abroad, for large enterprises and “one-man” operations, I’ve come to understand there are five must-know concepts to actually deliver change. They are:

1. Know where you really are at the moment and why the change is needed. Change begins with an assessment of the current status, a factual assessment. Often, we don’t realize true change because we’ve sought it from an incorrect starting point. To use my health analogy, let’s say I decide to lose some weight. It’s not sufficient to say “I’m about 200 lbs, so I’ll lose 10 lbs and feel better.” What if I don’t weight 200, rather I’m 220? Should I actually lose 20 lbs? What if 220 lbs is the perfect weight for my height and body type? Losing 10 lbs might make me look better, but feel worse. How’s my current blood pressure figure into this idea? To build a foundation for change, I need to know the real situation I’m dealing with; what are the facts? In business, I’m pretty sure faster payment is, like improved health, generally a good thing. But it’s not enough to say “let’s cut A/R payment times in half” until I know things like what they are now, how much it might cost to speed them up, or how the change might negatively affect customers (can they handle it, might they leave us?). If we’re having cash-flow issues due to a disconnect with receivables and payables, then yes, I need to drive some change. But, I will dig into the data a bit: what are the actual averages; is this a new issue or is there a negative trend I haven’t caught; is there an outside force/issue I need to react to? Successful change is built on a foundation of solid information, not opinion, whim or what someone else is doing. 

2. Know where you want to be, when you need to be there, and what measurement will prove you have arrived. Back to my health—it’s pretty straightforward once I have the right information. Let’s say I know a good weight for my body size/type is 190 lbs. Then, given my weight now is 206, I need to lose 16 lbs. My doctor agrees and says I should give it about 3 months. I see a plan coming together! So, I will exercise and watch what I eat in order to lose 16 lbs over the next 3 months. When the scale says 190 lbs, I’m done. Easy right (remember, we’re setting aside the “see it through” part until a later post)? While business issues are certainly more complex—and typically require actions and/or contributions from others—the concepts for business change are exactly the same. Where are we going (e.g. what is the number we need to sell, how big a reduction in operating costs is required)? What is the timeframe we need to work within—do we have a week or 3 years? What are we measuring to track progress, how will we measure it, and what data that will tell us we’ve arrived (e.g. we’re going to take a weekly look at cost of goods, shooting for a 1-3% reduction each week. We need to see a total reduction of $50K within 6 months). This type of information is what guides the execution of change. Without it, neither you nor your team will be able to move towards true change—you’ll feel like you are “busy changing” but you won’t be seeing actual progress. Remember, we pay attention to what is measured, and what is measured can be managed.

3.  Know that your execution plan for No. 2 above is in appropriate, achievable, and measurable stages. I don’t lose all 20 lbs overnight (if so, I need to see a doctor; there may be other issues at play). Likewise, big change in business seldom occurs overnight. It occurs in stages, phases or increments that, when planned for, measured and appreciated, allow us to “see” the change unfold. Why’s that important? Two reasons: first, it helps us generate momentum and buy-in (to help with #4 below), and second, it allows us to actually steer the ship down the path to success (#5 below). On the former, few folks want to deal with change, so to overcome that inertia, you need to show them it is happening and that results are occurring. Most of us require a “sign” to accept that theory is turning into reality (e.g. customer complaints are actually down, staff turnover is actually lower). Knowing what amount of change should be occurring at a given point—the “sign” if you will–allows you to communicate the progress and overcome natural inertia. On the latter point, steering the ship, knowing the stages gives you the ability to properly recognize and address performance at the right point along the way.

4. Know who will either benefit from, or will have to cope with, the change—and involve them in it. While I may not need help losing my weight, I will probably need help to drive business change. As noted, the fact is few people want to deal with change. It takes extra effort, there’s seldom any guarantee things will be better, and things may likely be worse in the near term. Business change always requires contribution and commitment from the team and the only way to get it is to make certain the folks being asked to modify behaviors or actions are involved in it. You need to engage them both passively and actively. Passive engagement means being consistent and persistent in your communication with them about what is needed (#1 above) and why it is needed (#2). This is the squeaky wheel concept: they need to hear you talking about the change all the time. While active engagement can take many forms—creating a matrix team to recommend actions, appointing a popular champion, having the group collect and report on critical change data—the most important element is making certain they understand they are both responsible and accountable for the change in behavior/action being pursued. They must sense they own it.

5. Know that you’ll need to apply corrections and do so…now. Helmuth von Moltke (the Elder, 19^th Century Chief of Staff of the Prussian Army) said, “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” What he meant is since almost every plan is built upon assumptions (e.g. environment, resources, human action) no plan will unfold exactly as we expect once we put it into motion. We all know that, right? If you have kids, you FULLY understand the concept. So it’s reasonable to expect that your plan for change will, well, need to change as you see it through. You will need to react to the realities of acceptance, resistance, outside influence and a thousand other variables. So react! Be looking for the data or information that tells you you need to steer the ship 10 degrees left: look for new software tools, send someone for outside training, hold a town-hall meeting to clarify your intent, or adjust your timeline for new revenue. It’s okay! The question is, are you on, or getting back on, the path to the change you are seeking? Maybe 30 minutes a day on the treadmill isn’t delivering a one-pound per week loss…so go try 35. React!

I’ve found the old adage “adapt or die” to be pretty true in business and in life. However, to adapt, we have to actually make real change and that means knowing how to deliver it. These five concepts will help you do just that.   

In the sales keynotes and seminars Waldo and I give at Wingman Enterprises, we emphasize the philosophy that “trust sells.”   We tie the concept to the fact that in the world of fighter pilots, we must trust our wingmen in order to survive the heat of battle.

I have to trust that what I’m hearing from my wingman is the truth—not something offered so I won’t feel bad, a half-truth to convince me things are okay when they aren’t, or a fabrication to cover a mistake. I need the truth so I can make the best possible decision in the highly volatile and stressful world of combat. Since I may not have a complete 360° view of my environment, and can have limited situational awareness, I must trust that what I am hearing from my wingman is what I need to hear, not what I want to hear.  

The same is true in business, especially in sales. Once I connect with a prospect and we begin working together to close a deal, the prospect and I are in the same type of environment. We’re wingmen. The prospect must trust what I am saying in order to move forward in the sales process. As they listen to me and decide between saying yes or no, they are determining how much they trust me. And the more they can trust me, the better chance I have with the sale.

Yes, price matters, as does quality, customer service, delivery schedule and a host of other buyer-specific concerns. But what ultimately solidifies a business relationship, and results in a sale, is the trust the buyer has in me to deliver on their particular focus. They trust this is a fair price and that the quality, tech support and terms will meet their needs. But, ultimately, me being worthy of their trust, sells.

How are you building that trust in your prospects and customers?

Here are four concepts required to deliver Trust that Sells:

• Never misrepresent the truth: notice I didn’t say “lie”—that should go without saying. Lying to customers is wrong and will kill your ability to sell. But we also can’t mislead the customer by misrepresenting the truth. Products don’t do everything and not every customer is happy. Mistakes happen.  The current economic climate can put real pressure on a person to sugarcoat an issue, gloss over an imperfection, or stretch the truth when a customer raises a concern. Don’t be tempted to take that path. Talk about advantages, share success stories, and emphasize highlights of your product or service, but never lead your customer astray on the truth. Be honest with them and they will give you their trust.
• Never surprise a customer: No one really likes a surprise…especially your customer. And bad news doesn’t get better; it just gets harder to explain. When something happens, quickly gather as much information as you can and contact the customer.  More importantly, tell them what action you are going to take to work the issue.  Perhaps the next step is to find out more information, reprocess the order, or arrange a credit.  You don’t have to commit to a specific solution until you can reasonably do so, but when you present a problem without a potential next step, you immediately put the customer into the mindset of solving it themselves. And if you are adding to your customer’s workload—even briefly—you are moving the relationship away from one of trust.
• Never pass the buck: Your customer understands you don’t personally handle every step in the product or service delivery chain. But you are the face of the transaction. So when things go awry, don’t shift the blame to production, customer service or the “new guy in shipping.” Start with being fully accountable for the mishap and act in a responsible manner. As in “Jim, I let you down. But I’m going to fix it. Here’s how.” We often think being accountable will make us look bad, but in reality the opposite is true. Accountability builds trust. No, it might not save the next sale, but when your customer knows you are the type of person who is accountable for the relationship, it matters…a lot.
• Never Fly Solo: As Waldo’s national bestseller Never Fly Solo and our keynotes explain, none of us are successful alone; we win with our wingmen. For example, as the only sales rep working a territory, we may think we are flying solo…working it all by ourselves.  We’re talking with the customer, dealing with the objections, and processing the orders. But in reality, we have wingmen!  Marketing, finance, back office, customer service, and production–all support the sales mission. They “Check our Six”—our blind spots—and come to our rescue when we need help. But here’s the kicker, we need to call out to them! When we aren’t sure how to move forward, or are dealing with a tough customer challenge, the most courageous (and smart!) words we can utter are, “I need help.” By reaching out to our wingmen and asking for their advice, support or insight, we are better prepared to serve the needs of the customer and better able to maintain the customer’s trust.  And more often than not, guess what results…a sale!

Yes, trust indeed sells.  It is a powerful business advantage that should never be left out of our customer flight plan. Customer trust will help win a sale when “the missiles” threaten to shoot it down. Are you and your team building trust that sells?

A couple of years ago as I prepared the eulogy for my mother’s funeral, I spent several days trying to understand the effect she had on my perspective on life. I came to realize that it was her core perspective on life that had been the greatest single influence on the way I approached challenges and how I tried to help others see theirs. Her core perspective was one of “opportunity.”  To my mom, a challenge, bad outcome, or tough decision were opportunities where strong action could deliver success.

While I’m not a huge fan of stereotypes, I feel there are two broad perspectives on life: entitlement and opportunity. And, I believe the perspective we choose to have affects the values we live by and the actions we take.  So it makes sense to me that, as leaders, our personal perspective on life directly influences the core perspective we hope to instill in within our company.  What is your personal perspective on life?

To me, the perspective of entitlement is one where we feel we are due something or owed something; that life, fate, or our spiritual guide “owes” us because of our actions, inactions, good behavior or previous bad luck. We’ve all seen this perspective: a friend, colleague or family member feels “due” when faced with a good prospect, and never seems to accept responsibility for a decision or consequence. When they find success, they seldom acknowledge how anyone else contributed. But, when things go poorly, they deflect accountability. It’s not that they are bad people; it’s that they seem to connect the dots between prospect, action and outcome in a way that doesn’t include them. It’s as though the universe “owed” them and when it didn’t happen, the universe was to blame.

The other side of the coin is the perspective of opportunity. Here, a person feels as my mother did; personal action can carry the day. But it goes a step beyond. With a perspective of opportunity, I also acknowledge that I might make a bad decision and that the situation might not turn out as I wish. What’s powerful about this perspective is, if things don’t turn out, I see the new situation as an opportunity too. And, since when I connect the dots between prospect, action and outcome I recognize I am are part of the chain, I realize I can deal differently with the challenge this time. A perspective of opportunity acknowledges accountability and responsibility, but it also generates the concept of next personal action I can take. Regardless of who’s to blame, I can act.  

In our company, we will have team members of both perspectives. But what is our company’s perspective? Do we feel like our customers, vendors, partners “owe” us, or that we are “due” this contract, industry respect or media acclaim? In contrast, do we see the interactions with our customers, vendors and partners as opportunities for us to take strong action and generate a positive outcome? Is a customer complaint something the universe has done to us or an opportunity life has given us? Does our team feel like a positive action we take might win the new contract, generate industry notice or garner media coverage?  

As a leader, you can, and must, drive the perspective within your organization. Collectively, our teams must see our business through the eyes of opportunity as they handle their functional areas. Our managers must see their supervision through the eyes of opportunity as they deal with employees, customers and business partners. Doing so allows us to act and drive the success we seek.  

What’s your core perspective?

A recent short notice trip to Newport Beach, CA renewed my faith that even in very large companies, memorable customer service still exists. Three events—finding a last minute “must have ticket”, fixing a mix-up at the rental car counter, and correcting a problem with the hotel reservation—all produced experiences I will long remember.

All three encounters shared a common set of characteristics that we need to remember when dealing with customer issues:

1. The person listened to my problem: two points here…there actually was a PERSON I was able to connect with quickly and once we were connected, the person LISTENED to me. I didn’t spend half my time trying to sort through phone options. Rather, I was able to get to a person and that person actively listened to my situation. They didn’t interrupt, ask me to repeat something, or guess at what I needed. Listening is a great skill set….are you teaching your team how to listen?
2. They told me what they could do, not what they couldn’t: When presented with a less-than-happy customer who may want the moon delivered to their doorstep, we sometimes begin our reply with what isn’t going to happen vice what might be possible. It is more than just a slight change of perspective—it is the difference between projecting a positive, solution-focused approach and coming across as being in a defensive crouch. In all three cases, the first words out of the representative’s mouth was something like “here is what I think we can do”…they had me engaged right then and there.
3. Their tone matched their words: In one of the three situations, we were not aligned in what I felt I needed and what the person was prepared to do for me. But even so, I felt I was talking with a person who, by both their tone and their words, was trying to help me out. When frustration kicks in, we often say the “right thing” but the tone in our voice belies our real feelings. If you’re married, you know exactly what I am talking about! The same is true with our customer relations team. Following the script is not enought! How are we actually saying and communication our position? I knew with my issues, they were genuinely committed to serving my needs—I could sense it.
4. They thanked me by name and pressed to make certain I was satisfied: This one is easy, but in the heat of battle, how often do we forget to say thank you and end a conversation with a real connection? I know these folks had other calls waiting, they were late for their break, or may have needed to sign out to help keep the department on budget—but at the close of our discussion, I felt like I was the only thing on their mind. They gave me the last word and remembered to thank me. It sealed the deal!

Yes, my faith was renewed last week.  How’s your faith in your team? Are you winning over your troubled customers?

PS: Thank you Delta, Avis and Fairmont. Nice job!!

A recent CYO workshop with the leadership team of Famous Enterprises

In Commanding Your Organization, a leadership workshop I teach as the Director of Wingman Leadership at YourWingman, I stress the importance of having a vision if you actually want to move your organization forward. During the discussion with the participants, we talk about how not having a vision is a bit like getting in your car with no idea of where you want to go. While such a scenario seems like it could be fun in certain moments of stress (“I’m just going to drive around so I can get away from my teenagers!”), as leaders, few of us  enjoy the thought of wasting hard-earned resources in such a way (gas, car-life, our time).   

When we don’t have a vision—an idea of where we want our organization to be in three or five years in terms of mission, activity, size, revenue or market relevance—we have little chance of building a team and producing the group behaviors necessary to deliver our measures of success. Back to the car analogy: since we need the help of others to be successful (remember, none of us gets to the finish line alone, we succeed with our Wingmen in life) how likely are they to get into a car with us if we can’t tell them where we are headed, how long it might take to get there or when they might expect to be back home?

If we have no idea of where we are headed, it is unlikely we can get the right folks on board to help us get there and even more unlikely we can keep them on board when the inevitable stresses of life come our way. Yes, we might get lucky and find some success without a vision and/or without a motivated and dedicated team, but I haven’t found many thriving leaders who use luck as their primary business strategy.

As leaders, as people taking command of our organizations, we need a vision and we need to share it with the team that will help us deliver success.

In the coming days, I’m going to do a deeper dive into the concept of creating a vision and communicating it successfully with your team. To get us started, take a few minutes and read a powerful article in the February 2011 issue of Inc Magazine. Called Step into the Future by Ari Weinzweig, it is one of the best primers on vision I have seen.

You don’t have to have to use an approach exactly like Mr. Weinzweig’s, nor do you have to create a vision as detailed as the ones he shares from his company, Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. But his easy to read and understand primer is a great way to start to get your head around the concept of a vision.

As we discuss in the Commanding Your Organization workshop, a vision can be whatever you want it to be (in terms of length, fidelity, reality) and can come to you in any number of ways (from a high-priced consultant or after your third bottle of chardonnay). As long as you know it is appropriate for your organization and see how it helps you make the critical decisions along the way, it will work. So, what’s your vision?

As you’ve read in some of my posts here, I believe the return for business investment in social media is the deepening of relationships. As a CEO, I can appreciate how the challenge of calculating that ROI keeps some of my peers (not to mention CFOs, CMOs and COOs) awake at night. But a recent encounter at a small restaurant gave me even greater faith in my belief.

I walked into the Yesterday Café looking for a light lunch as I passed through the small town of Greensboro, Georgia. As I settled into a booth, I noticed a journal on the table near the ketchup and other condiments. Thinking someone had left it by accident, I showed it to our waitress as she took my drink order.  To my very pleasant surprise, she said it was not there by accident, but by design—the café put them at all the tables to give customers a way to share their thoughts with the staff and other customers. Cool.

As I waited for my cold beer (it was your typical warm day in middle Georgia), I read about meals that went well, service that was less than sterling, how much management appreciated the suggestion for a new sandwich and how the buttermilk pie was the greatest dessert ever created.  Every entry was in each person’s hand writing giving me a sense of originality and authenticity I haven’t felt in quite a while.

When my beer arrived, I asked the waitress about the journal and she shared how customers, staff and management all loved them. Yes, there were the occasional stings—a bad meal, regretful service, an incorrect tab—but there were also inspiring jewels…like a sketch of a staff member or a crayon drawing by a child of chicken tenders.  She went on to say the owners took the information and feedback very seriously often taking the journals home so they could write a reply or digest the suggestions in a personal setting.  Cool.

I also noticed something else–there weren’t any “ads” in the journal. Nothing from the management telling me to try an entree or if I showed up on Tuesday, my kids could eat free. The journal was about customer thoughts and, where appropriate, management appreciation. Way cool.

There are a thousand reasons why today’s social media tools might be a better means for that customer-business connection and quite a few arguments for why a simple journal at a table might be as worthwhile as all our digital investments. But there is a very important commonality—a business connecting and looking to inspire and use customer generated content to build a powerful relationship.  As a CEO, that keeps me up more than the ROI of social media investment: are we connecting and actually building meaningful relationships.

My lunch at the Yesterday Café was super. And, I topped it off with what is arguably the best buttermilk pie in the universe. To see how much I gushed over the flaky crust and amazing filling, you can read my entry in the journal…it has a blue cover and I signed it ”Nunndog.”

A recent study profiled by Research Brief provided some thought-producing statistics. The study, done by American Express, found:

• 91% of Americans consider the level of customer service important when deciding to do business with a company, but only 24% believe companies value their business and will go the extra mile to keep it
• 81% of Consumers are far more likely to give a company repeat business after a good service experience, while 52% are unlikely to do business with a company again after a poor experience
• 48% feel companies are helpful but don’t do anything extra to keep their business

As I mentioned in my last piece, the objective of social media for business should be relationship building. The American Express study leads me to add a touch more to that opinion…social media for business should be about building a strong customer service relationship.

Think about it; isn’t social media—from social networking, to micro blogging, to chats—the perfect medium for helping a customer believe a company values their business? The investment by the company can be pretty small (it’s certainly less than a 30 second spot in prime time telling me you are all about customer service!) and the potential interaction with the customer powerfully intimate.

For example, say I buy a shiny new LCD TV from Best Buy. On check out, instead of asking me to go to Bestbuy.com to fill out an online survey on my experience today (you bet!), maybe the clerk gives me the address (or signs me up!) for a chat group where I can get real-time help during set up. Or, maybe she asks if “Sally” from Customer Service can contact me via Facebook, Twitter, Tick-it or some other forum to see how things are going. If I accept an invitation from “Sally,” the brand-customer relationship has now moved from the immeasurable to the measurable, the catalyst being my interest in customer service via digital means.

As marketing staffs thrash about trying to create the perfect campaign for social media—one with a measurable ROI of course!—why not take a second to ask what your team might be able to accomplish with social media that shows current customers you value their business and demonstrates your customer service is tops among your competitors?

Crossposted from: websimpletools.com

A client in the financial services sector recently asked me for my thoughts on how trends in social media will affect the way their sales force engages and closes a deal with a new customer.  After pondering the question, I offered the following scenario:

It is just as likely the customer-agent meeting will take place at a local coffee house as a traditional office. The potential customer will have done some comparative shopping of products, looked at comments or recommendations your current customers or competitors have posted on the web, and will have searched the virtual fingerprint of the agent via LinkedIn, Facebook,  Google, etc.

Sitting down to a fully-personalized beverage (I get to have it exactly as I want it, all life should be that way!), the customer will be connected to the internet via a handheld device and able to confirm, refute or clarify their own info, and the inputs or comments from the agent, within moments of the need to do so. The customer may even provide a running commentary about the meeting live to friends and family—via Twitter, Foursquare or Facebook—or record it in a public forum like Yelp.

Bottom-line: the engagement will be on neutral turf; the customer will be armed with information that may or may not be your messaging; and, the customer’s take-aways from the encounter have the potential to be shared with an un-calculable audience in seconds.

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