Events in recent weeks have made me think quite a bit about a basic rule of business: choose your employees and your business partners to fill gaps in your own knowledge, style or mode of operation. Build your team with balance as a primary goal.

Small business owners often overlook the need for balance because they feel so personally connected to – and responsible for – every aspect of the business.

I just read a great post on Inc. titled, Be the Beatles, Not A Flock of Seagulls. The author, John Greathouse, makes the case perfectly as he discusses key attributes of successful startups.  He talks about the importance of group dynamics – how the different, but complementary, talents of each member of the Beatles created a balance that gave their work longevity and broad appeal.  It’s a wonderful example of what you need to do in any venture.

Every business owner has talents, strengths, vision and capabilities. Every business owner also has gaps in their knowledge, gaps in their methods, gaps in their vision, gaps in their skillset.  You must fill those gaps to keep your business in balance. It’s not about admitting weakness – it’s about showcasing strengths.

The key is to build your business team around people who not only suit your goals and vision, but also seek out people who have skills, knowledge or a mindset you lack.

If you’re a dreamer, you need some practical people around you to ask the hard questions and keep you grounded. 

If you’re a linear thinker who never strays from the path, you need to round out your team with creative, spontaneous people who embrace new ideas and run with them. 

If you’re a compulsive early-adopter, you need someone to say “do we really need that now?” 

If you are resistant to change, you need a team that will suggest new options and guide you to new opportunities.

Maybe you’re great at marketing but bad at sales.  Find someone with stellar sales ability to fill that gap.  Are you great at sales but baffled by tech?  Fill the gap with a team member who can introduce and manage new tech options.  Make a list of areas where your skills are weak;  also tasks you avoid because you hate doing them.  Patch those holes in your business.  Fill the gaps.

Surround yourself with people who support your strengths but also bring their own ideas and abilities. You want balance, not conformity. Build a team where members  complement each other, not just compliment each other.  Many people confuse the two.  To complement is to “complete”.  Of course it’s easier to have everyone on exactly the same wavelength – patting each other on the back for a job well done.  That feeling of “sameness” might be comforting, but a team that is always in total agreement doesn’t have leverage and longevity in the marketplace.  True balance is harder to achieve, but the rewards are worth the effort.

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”  - 

There’s a lot of negative talk going around about negativity.  First of all, let’s get one thing straight.  It’s not negative to say something could be done better – quite the opposite.

Saying something is wrong and can be fixed, or is adequate but could be better, is… POSITIVE.

You wouldn’t think it would be necessary to point this out, but I find many business owners and managers are confused as to what is really negative.  They think admitting a problem is “negative”.

I once worked in an office where they had just cut the commission rate of all the sales personnel.  Tension was very high.  I asked the regional manager for extra toner for the printers, explaining that I didn’t want to run out when every little thing was setting people off.  I wanted to be proactive and do what I could to keep everyone happy.  His reply?  “Don’t be so negative!”  Apparently admitting that there was a problem was treason.  He told me “if you think happy thoughts and say happy things, then good things will happen.”  That didn’t work so well for him; the next expense the company cut was his job.

Burying your head in the sand is the real negative.  Positive change is always sparked by identifying areas – no matter how small – where improvements can be made.  This is true across the board –  from business to science to politics to our personal lives.

Gandhi… Mother Teresa… Martin Luther King Jr. – none of them said, “things are fine just the way they are.”  Neither did they say, “I don’t see any way things could change.”

Remember Henry Ford and his “negative” idea that there had to be a way to build cars faster.  Imagine Steve Jobs using the words “good enough.”  The best entrepreneurs are people who identify and market their solution to a problem and then never stop improving on their own products and services.

Truly negative people ignore problems, ignore solutions -and ignore the advice and ideas of others.  If you want your business to thrive, you must remain open to new ideas. You have to be ready and willing to identify areas for improvement and make the changes that will drive your business forward.  That’s the real plus in this equation.

For the last four months, I have been working on a lease for one of my clients. It came down to one issue and both parties thought the ball was in the other’s court. I finally invited the other party to lunch to discuss the problem and in five minutes the issue was resolved. That meeting ended four months of email and phone calls. One simple face to face meeting finished the deal.

We must make a change in today’s business world; business is becoming less personal and more mechanical.  It’s fast and easy but also dangerous.  One typo can kill a deal or piss off the other party. I have watched my son and many other young people get into arguments on their phone while texting.  Not only do they cramp their fingers, but on most cases the situation gets worse, not better. If each party would just pick up the phone and talk, their issues and feelings could be communicated. A face to face meeting could resolve things even faster. You can’t reach out and hug someone through the phone.

Let’s try to bring some personal contact back to the world of business. Digital communication robs you of important cues like tone of voice and facial expressions. We read body language, whether we realize it or not.  In face to face meetings, you can see and hear those signals – and avoid problems.  When you communicate exclusively by email, text and chat, you are working blind.

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” –

As we wind down 2011, we look back and wish we had changed a few things in our lives. We wish we could change some of the choices we made, both personal and professional. We all control our destiny by our decisions, and by making the right decisions we can make life and work both enjoyable and successful.

Many people live in the past and never move forward. In business, people who hold on to past failures seem to fail again and again. Instead of holding on to the failures, you must learn from them. Sixty percent of Forbes 400 richest people have had at least two business bankruptcies, yet they moved forward with their success.

Ring in 2012 with a new attitude. I call it “PMA”- Positive Mental Attitude. If you’re stuck in a job that you hate, start planning a new career, or even your own business. Life can be short. You must embrace every day and enjoy every moment. Start that business you have been dreaming about for years. Turn that dream into a reality! I respect the person who tries and fails, more than one who never tries and regrets it.

 

I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Successful New Year!

Paul Bensman
Founder and  CEO, Details In Retail 

Great job!      

When was the last time you said these words to an employee, a business partner, a vendor, a customer? If it wasn’t today, then something is wrong. Either you have surrounded yourself with the wrong people for the job, you’re not paying attention or, worst of all, you fall into that category of people who feel that praise is a bad thing.

A simple acknowledgment of a job well done is incredibly powerful. When something isn’t done right, we get the message loud and clear. But when something is done well there’s often a silence that just reeks of missed opportunity. Yes, we expect things to be done correctly. Still, given how often things go wrong, how can it be a bad thing to offer praise when things go right?

I worked for a truly clueless company many years ago. They did annual performance reviews and rated everyone on a scale of 1-4. The problem was, no one got a 4 – ever. The reason, I was told, was that a 4 was “perfect” and no one is ever perfect. I countered that ultimate perfection had no place on any employee rating system. If a 4 was the highest score they offered, then there had to be a way to work your way to a 4 – otherwise, why is the number even on the scale? The manager pondered this for a while and then said she agreed that people should be able to get a rating of 4, but then they’d have to make the scale go from 1-5, so there could still be a score no one could ever earn.

Most business owners don’t sink to that level of praise avoidance. There are lots of reasons why we don’t give people the praise they’re due. Sometimes it’s a simple lack of attention, sometimes it’s a hectic work environment, sometimes it’s a lack of time.

The key to using praise is to make it timely, measured and sincere. For example: don’t go on and on about how well an employee did a simple task and then ignore a challenging project they went above and beyond to complete. Don’t wait three weeks to thank someone for working overtime. If you make it a point to look for opportunities for praise, you’ll be amazed at how frequently they pop up. You’ll find that these opportunities not only benefit the recipients of your praise, but they also make you feel better about life in general, and your business in particular.

Would you rather end the day thinking of all the great work you saw and recognized, or dwelling on what went wrong, didn’t get finished or isn’t working? It’s a good day when the last thing you remember saying at work is “thanks, you did a great job on that!”

“An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.” ~ Mae West

Coverups, scams, cons - the world is full of intentional lies and liars.  Always has been – always will be.

But lately I’ve noticed a massive upswing in a more subtle form of lying – people who just don’t live up to their promises; the ones who don’t put any value on being true to their word.  I know they’ve always been around but there used to be a stigma attached to being one of them.  Now it’s passed off as just the way things are in our busy world.  We all do it.  We’re all guilty.  That’s particularly dangerous thinking for small business, because the backlash can be just as subtle and stealthy as the lie.

It comes down to this.  We’re becoming confused about the difference between promises and lies.  People hate to be lied to, so it’s important to know the difference.  It’s really simple.  If you promise to do something and you don’t – that’s a lie.

Let’s review:

When you promise your customer that you will call them and you don’t – that’s a lie.
When you promise you will do something today, and don’t – lie again.
When you promise an employee a new office, raise or some other perk and don’t deliver – another lie.

Many of us will try to retrofit lies back into promises by means of the handy and versatile tool known as “excuses”.  Yes, there are times when excuses are valid.  Life happens – even in business – and excuses to buy time to correct oversights or explain errors are dandy, as long as there’s follow-through and completion afterward.  Otherwise, excuses are just icing on the “lie cake”.  Covering lies with sugar does not make the steaming pile more delicious.  Do not think for a minute that your customers, employees and co-workers are not aware of this.

What’s the antidote for promises that are really “lies in disguise”?  Small business owners – you set the tone for the way your business runs.  Follow through. Be true to your word.  Be accountable.  All day, every day.  You’ll find it’s contagious.  Your efforts really will pay off.  If you don’t think so, you’re lying to yourself.

—

Enthusiasm – even outright zeal – is important in small business, but it’s not as important as credibility.  It’s devastating to have to “un-announce” something or just slink around hoping no one will say “hey, what’s happening with that ___ you said you were launching in a month?”

Fight the urge to generate excitement by revealing too much, too soon.  It’s so much sweeter – and safer – to announce a new product, partnership, service, whatever, once it’s a done deal.

There’s a Chinese proverb to keep in mind when find yourself aching to share a juicy bit of news about your future business plans: “Think twice - then say nothing.”

Be Nice
In these tough economic times, it’s hard to imagine that there’s still bad customer service out there, but it’s true.  One thing I know from experience is that one snippy clerk or rude receptionist or arrogant sales rep can ruin your whole day and color your perception of an entire company.  In our rush, rush, rush lives, we have become so focused on ourselves, and all that we need to do, that we forget common courtesy. 

If you want to inspire shock and awe, just be thoughtful – be nice.  A few months back, I was at my local market at rush hour.  The parking lot was the usual mass of thoughtless behavior.  I managed to get to the building without being run over, backed into or trampled flat.  At the entry is a covered tunnel where they keep the carts – not really wide enough for two people.  I wrestled a cart free from the rest and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman waiting at the entry to the cart tunnel.  I handed her the cart and grabbed another for myself.  I didn’t think about it.  She beamed and thanked me like I’d just saved her baby from hyenas, “That’s so thoughtful!”  Took me a minute – made her day.  That’s how starved we are for little niceties.

The most powerful thing you can do is just be nice to your customers, clients and co-workers.  Make it a habit. They’re much more likely to forgive little mistakes and remain loyal.  Just like rudeness, niceness lingers…

Be Prompt
I e-mailed a vendor yesterday morning and asked him to call me before 5pm – whenever it was most convenient for him.  Ten minutes to 5pm and no call, so I called and asked “did you get my e-mail?”.  He just said “yes”.  “Yes” was the wrong answer.  “Yes” says to me that my question was received but not regarded as important.  “Yes” says they think it’s OK to keep me waiting.  “Yes, but…” with some sort of explanation would have done.  A prompt e-mail reply to my initial contact saying “in meetings all day, will call you tomorrow afternoon” would have done better.

Many of the most damaging customer service complaints come from the perception that the customer’s inquiry is not being handled with the speedy priority it deserves –or that it’s missing in action.  A prompt acknowledgement along with a defined deadline will address both issues.  When you promise something, give a timeline: “I’ll check on that and give you a call back within 24 hours”.  And if you don’t have an answer in 24 hours, call with an explanation, an apology and an updated deadline.

Be Present
One of our affiliates told me he was heading to the far side of town to deliver a product to one of his customers.  I said “You’re the owner of the company, why don”t you have someone else waste time running around on deliveries.”  He told me that whenever he makes a delivery in person, he gets more business.  When someone else makes a delivery, they just drop off the product.  When he makes a delivery, he takes time to chat with the business owner, ask how they’re doing, shake their hand – and they often remember they need to order more of something or try that new product or arrange that service call.  He’s a wise man.  He makes time to demonstrate his genuine interest in his customers.  This personal connection is the cornerstone of his success.

We can’t all be physically present, but we can call, e-mail, send thank you notes (yes, people still do this) and generally maintain a regular presence in the lives of our customers.  Not with a sales pitch but with:  “How’s business?”  “How’s the family?”  “Were you happy with that last order?”  “Saw the article in the paper about your business, congratulations.”  If you care but they don’t know it, everyone is missing out.

Be Prepared
Know your business.  This might sound ridiculous, but I run into people all the time who can’t articulate exactly what their business offers.  Be prepared to answer questions.  That elevator speech will only get you so far.  If they get off with you at the third floor, can you go the distance?  If you do get caught offguard, resist the impulse to just shoot from the hip.  You’ll shoot yourself in the foot.  If you don’t know the answer, use these magic words: “I don’t know but I will find out”, “let me check on that and get back to you.”

Do your homework.  A few minutes on Google and you can learn a lot about the interests, motivation and experience of just about any person or company before your call or pitch or presentation.  Why would you not use that?  People will be impressed that you were interested enough to take the time and you’ll gain insight into the needs of your potential client.

Be Focused
Develop core services and concentrate on core business.  In this economic free-for-all, it’s tempting to branch out in all directions, grabbing at any revenue source that comes your way.  I’ve learned from experience that marketing a jack-of-all-trades business is ridiculously hard.  Find your niche, find your customers.  Then develop value-added services that benefit those customers.  Business owners are finally coming back to the idea of “a bird in the hand”.  Focus on providing the best service to the customers you already have and new customers will follow.

Be Exceptional
For years, we suffered from a “good enough…is good enough” mentality.  You can always offer more service, better service, service with a twist.  In this economy, going the extra mile is the new norm.  If you don’t go above and beyond – you’ll go nowhere.  It doesn’t have to be expensive or slick or complicated.  It just has to be genuine and it has to hit the mark.

Yesterday there was a hand-addressed letter in my mailbox.  There’s something you don’t see often these days.  The novelty made me rush to open it – even though it was addressed to “our neighbors at”.  Inside was a letter from a local pizza parlor owner explaining that he felt he had the best pizza I’d ever tasted and he was going to prove it to me by putting his money where his mouth is.  He’ll give me a free salad, free beverage and a money-back guarantee on a pizza.  If I don’t think it’s better than any pizza I’ve ever eaten, he will put my cash back in my hand.  A menu was included.  I drive by this place all the time but I have never stopped in – hardly even noticed it.  Never had the slightest urge to try their pizza.  What was I waiting for – a personal invitation?  Well, I just got one.  Looks like pizza for dinner tonight.

—

As she was literally being wheeled out the door of the hospital, she was asked to fill out a “customer satisfaction survey” about her unexpected visit.  The questions seemed to focus on whether everyone had been “nice” to her rather than her perception of the quality of her actual care.  She was more befuddled by that than by the van running over her. 

What IS this?  Suddenly everyone is tripping over themselves to make it appear that their business (even a large well-respected hospital) really, truly cares – in the most sincere fashion they can muster – about customer service.  Why? Because for everyone who has something to sell to the public, the focus has shifted from attracting new customers to hanging on to the customers you already have – even if they were brought in on a stretcher, apparently.

The problem with “so, how’d we do?”  as a breathless afterthought is that consumers have become more sophisticated.  They want you to prove you care, not just say you do.  They want proof that you are listening.  What good is a satisfaction survey to your customer?  They know a survey basically means “better luck next time” for them and some possibly useful input for you.  Neither is appealing from a consumer standpoint.  There’s no immediate connection.  No tangible give and take.

But what if you could offer something of actual interest and value to your customers in your communication with them?  Make it about them, not about you.  It’s easy with E-mail newsletters, Facebook, Twitter and the rest of the social media tools.  You can provide useful information, problem solving, valuable news, special offers, customizable coupons and more – delivered in seconds.   You can have actual conversations with your customers – conversations that have meaning for them.   That’s what smart businesses are doing.

Or, you can just keep asking your customers “on a scale from 1 to 10, were you greeted promptly?”

—

Here’s what we all know, but often ignore: people get angry when they discover – or even suspect – that you have deceived them.  That anger is contagious.  Why do we not remember this?  Why is this a surprise?

You tell a customer that their order will be processed that day.  No true, but it’s what they want to hear, right?  You tell them you solved a quality control issue – but didn’t.  Odds are, they will never know.

You give them an explanation that doesn’t quite ring true - but what are they going to do about it?  Somewhere along the line, many business owners became more concerned about appearing responsive rather than actually caring.  Back when the world was big and impersonal, you could often get away with it.  But now the world feels smaller every day – and it’s very personal.

The surprise that startled even the online giant Amazon.com was how blazing fast outrage can be in this cozy new interconnected world.  Thanks to the web and social media, it takes just a few seconds for one customer to launch a worldwide dialogue.  A single blog post about Amazon’s fateful “glitch” started a snowball effect that gathered with amazing speed in just 24 hours (Church of the Customer Blog has the timeline) – and it’s not over yet.

But you should have seen it coming.  It all comes down to remembering what you already know.  Don’t underestimate your customer.  Don’t be dismissive, or evasive, or less than truthful.  And even if you aren’t any of those things – don’t let them think you are – even for a second.  Be clear, be candid and be quick!  Because these days, people will talk…and talk… and talk… and talk…about it.

—