How Can You Help Them?

I recently popped into my local Staples to buy some new printer cartridges for my very hungry color printer. I needed two of every color under the rainbow, so I took my son with me because I was pretty sure it was going to cost me my firstborn to buy that much ink all at once.

I grabbed all of the colors I needed and piled them up at the cash register. Just then the manager walked by. He sized up my leaning tower of ink, and said, "You need the two-packs, they'll save you money." He walked over to the ink display, grabbed two-packs of my colors and brought them back over to the register.

"Heck, you're going to save $4 on just the black ones alone," he said as he glanced back at the price sticker on the shelf.

He then proceeded to coach the cashier to notice when people are buying this particular type of ink cartridge because the two-pack is cheaper than the individual packs.

He could have let me walk right out the door and made a few more bucks for the Staples shareholders. However, it's just this kind of customer-focused service that keeps me coming back. Another favorite Staples experience occurred years ago when a Staples employee saw my car door ajar, closed (and locked) my car for me, and left me a note telling me to come into the store if she had inadvertently locked me out of my car.

Don't you love it when somebody notices something about you and immediately thinks of a way to make your life easier, less expensive, or more enjoyable? This kind of behavior comes naturally to some people. Others may need to work on it a little.

One way to encourage yourself or your team to act this way is to create a simple challenge. Ask yourself a few times throughout the day "What can I do to help my customer?" After all, that's the essence of service, isn't it?

• You might carry something to somebody's car. Outside of some good grocery stores, NOBODY does this for anyone anymore.
  
  
• You might know of a "package" deal that will save your customer some money, like the 2-pack of ink at Staples.
  
  
• You might spend an extra few minutes listening to a story about your customer's struggles with an aging parent or a sick child.
  
  
• You might notice that somebody looks cold and offer to turn up the heat or hand them a blanket.

There are literally dozens of ways to help your customers and co-workers each week...if you just pay a little extra attention. See how many you can find this week!

Curing My "Superhero Syndrome"...Again.

Does life ever sneak up on you and teach you a lesson? You, too? Glad to know I'm not alone.

Saturday, I had to work at sparkspace. We don't do a lot of Saturday meetings because we are primarily a business meeting space and most businesses don't make their staff go to meetings on the weekend. It's probably why we have very few revolts in this country.

You might be thinking, "Good golly, doesn't he have staff he could make work on Saturday?"

Sadly, no. No, he doesn't.

Like many businesses, we're currently operating very lean and mean (ok, not mean...we're actually lean and friendly). That means that two of us are now trying to do the work that eight of us used to do.

I realized this morning that my "superhero syndrome" that I thought had been cured was, in fact, only in remission. It took an extreme circumstance (a significantly downsized staff) to make it flare back up again.

You see, when I first started my business I did everything myself. I was Superman. I did the marketing, I did the bookkeeping, I made the coffee, I greeted every guest, I even cleaned the toilets!

Eventually, I was able to hire people to do many of those things. I took me a long, long time to learn how to delegate even the most simple tasks to others. But I did learn.

Then the economy nosedived and our staff shrank, so I'm back to doing many of my previously delegated tasks. Here's what I realized on Saturday: I've taken it too far. I try to do too many things myself, even when I don't have to!

I took my kids to work with me on Saturday. Surprisingly, they went willingly, and even cheerfully. In fact, they asked if they could HELP me at work! My immediate reaction was, "Who are you, and what have you done with my real kids?"

But they insisted. They really wanted to help.

Our building is locked on the weekend, so when we have a weekend event we have to have someone to let people in the front door. Typically, I would do that job myself while running back and forth to make coffee, greet guests, etc. The kids practically begged me to let them play doorboy and doorgirl.

I couldn't have a 9 & 7 year old greeting people at the front door, could I? They would set off the alarm, they wouldn't know what to tell people as they arrived, and they'd surely get into a no-holds-barred cage fight if left unsupervised for more than five minutes. No, I thought, this was a job I should do.

Then the wise voice of the Universe smacked me on the side of the head and said, "You can't do it all. Let them help...especially since they really seem to want to."

So I delegated the job to them, and they performed it amazingly well. Not just amazingly well for a 9 & 7 year old, but for anybody. They were friendly, they were helpful, they guided our guests to the elevator like a couple of professional tour guides, and there wasn't a single cage fight! By delegating this job to them, we were actually able to perform way better customer service together than I ever could have all by myself.

In my mind now, I'm going through the hundreds of tasks and responsibilities that fall in my lap each week. There are probably a dozen or so that I really don't have to do personally, but my superhero syndrome has been forcing me to do them instead of delegating.

If you're a great service person, one of the worst things you can do is try to do everything yourself. You can't be there all the time, and even if you could you'd probably burn out quickly! If you're like me and you suffer from "superhero syndrome," you need to work on a cure before your service really begins to suffer.

Delegation is one effective treatment. That might mean you have to train somebody, set more clear expectations, and even check up on your staff to make sure they're doing what you want them to.

Think I didn't check up on my 9 & 7 year olds at the front door? Are you nuts? They're 9 & 7! Of course I checked up on them. And they totally surprised me by exceeding my expectations.

Lesson learned, life. Thanks for teaching me...again.

Return on IMAGINATION (the better ROI)

Growing up, my mom always said I had more imagination than brains. Until I was about 25 I thought that was a compliment.

Now that I'm in my early (very early) 40's, I realize that she was right...and I'm glad.

If I had any brains whatsoever I would have never started sparkspace. If I had any brains, I would have thrown in the towel after not paying myself for the first two years of my business, and I would have definitely turned in my keys when the economy decided to deal us all a dirty hand this year.

My imagination won't let go, though. I believe sparkspace has a bright future. I believe it might actually outlive me (and I plan on living for a long, long time).

I believe you have a bright future, too. I've decided that you can't see the future with your brain. You have to use your imagination. Einstein was right when he said your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions. But, sometimes you have to shut down your brain in order for your imagination to function properly.

You see, your brain believes in something called ROI - Return on Investment. Everything you spend your time and money on HAS to have an intended return, preferably financially, before your brain will say, "ok, do that."

There's nothing wrong with wanting that kind of ROI, but don't focus so much on that ROI that you forget about the BETTER ROI - Return on IMAGINATION.

When was the last time you did something just because it was a really cool idea that might make the world a little more fun or creative?

The first week of summer, my kids built "houses" in their rooms. They stole every blanket, sleeping bag, and beach towel they could find and they built very elaborate tent-like structures in the middle of their rooms. The planning, design, and engineering that went into this project would have made Frank Lloyd Wright proud. This was no silly pursuit to them, they took it very seriously. They actually slept in their new domiciles for several days.

And they did it all just for the heck of it. And they ENJOYED the heck out of it. All their friends came over to see our little shanty town. My kids are now architecture legends in our neighborhood.

Think you can't exercise a little Return on Imagination in your business? Think again. It's probably exactly what you need right now.

I'm not saying to throw your financial obligations out the window. I'm saying sometimes you've just got to do things that make your business more interesting, unique, compelling, fun, crazy, or just not so darn BORING.

An example for our business is Free Coffee Friday. We've got the time, we've got the space, and coffee is an affordable giveaway. We're really not expecting Free Coffee Friday to be any kind of financial salvation. We're doing it, honestly, because we just thought it would be a really cool thing to do. Fun for you and fun for us. It's a win-win.

Think of something you could do this week that has little or nothing to do with ROI (the typical kind), but has everything to do with ROI (the Imagination kind). Here's the thing: don't think too much about it, just do it. In other words, turn off your brain, and turn on your imagination.

I'd love to showcase companies that take me up on this challenge. Send me a note telling me the cool things your company does "just because." I'll share your stories with the world.

Social Media Summer Camp speakers announced & registration is now open! http://ping.fm/7lUFP

This Friday is Free Coffee Friday at sparkspace!

This Friday, June 12th, you're invited to the first ever Free Coffee Friday at sparkspace from 8am-5pm.

What is Free Coffee Friday?
We're basically turning sparkspace into a great big free coffee shop for the day. Need some caffeine to kick start your morning? Stop by on your way to work. Need to escape work for a little while? Sneak away to sparkspace and we'll buy the java.

We've got free WiFi, loads of comfy furniture, and did we mention free coffee? By the way, if you come by, we totally expect you to hang out. In fact, we'd be sad if you didn't. But if all you need is some fresh coffee, we'll happily fill your cup and send you on your way.

What can you do at Free Coffee Friday?
At Free Coffee Friday, you can network with other smart people, take a tour of sparkspace, or simply find a cozy corner and catch up on some work or read a book.

What do you get for coming to Free Coffee Friday?
In case one cup of free coffee wasn't enough, the first 20 people who come by on Friday get a free coupon for any $1 drink on the menu at the Crimson Cup Coffehouse in Clintonville.

Join us for our first Free Coffee Friday. It's co-working for the corporate crowd and we're hoping it brings the Columbus business community just a little bit closer together. Who knows, if it goes well, we might just make it a regular thing.

Free Coffee Friday is sponsored by Crimson Cup.

We've served Crimson Cup coffee at sparkspace for nine years and we've received compliments on our coffee nearly every single day. We've also consumed way more than our fair share, it's that good. Crimson Cup coffee is roasted right here in Columbus, expertly crafted using only the absolute best beans from around the world, and hand delivered by the happiest delivery man you'll ever meet. They're true community builders and we're proud to be their partner.

What Successful People Do

"Oh-crap-oh-crap-oh-crap!"

Those were the exact words that burst out of my mouth as the 7-foot high rolling shelf came crashing down just outside the kitchen door at sparkspace. Apparently, as I was moving the shelf, one of the four casters on the shelf had decided to fail, and fail spectacularly.

As you can see, this monumental structural collapse also involved about fifty cases of soda cans. A surprising number of cans exploded on impact, others died a slower, spraying-all-over-the-place kind of death.

After the collapse, I was in shock. I stood and stared in utter disbelief at the carnage of cola for a good thirty minutes. I vaguely remember shivering uncontrollably and I've had a few cloudy flashbacks of sucking my thumb and curling up in the fetal position.

By the way, this all happened at the end of the day...on a Friday.

I called Elizabeth, our Director of Guest Happiness, mostly because I really had no idea what to do and I desperately needed to shake myself out of my shock. I remember telling Elizabeth that it was the first time in the life of my business I honestly felt like closing the door and just leaving the mess for someone else to clean up.

I'm not kidding. I had to suppress the urge to lock up and go home.

I knew what I needed to do, I just didn't want to do it right then. The task seemed overwhelming and terribly inconvenient. It was pretty clear that it would take a couple hours to re-stack the cans and clean up the growing pool of sticky soft drink. But it was Friday and I wanted to go home!

In times like these, I remind myself of something I heard Steven S. Little say a few years ago: "Successful small business people don't get up every day and do what they want to do, they get up every day and do what needs to be done."

When I first heard that, it hit me like a ton of bricks. This particular Friday, it hit me again, but this time like a ton of beverages.

You can easily take out the words "small business" and insert any profession or field to make the saying apply to you.

"Successful customer service reps..."
"Successful insurance salespeople..."
"Successful television reporters..."
"Successful saxophone players..."
"Successful parents..."

Do you get up every day and do what needs to be done? Or do you have a tendency to close the door on your messes and hope they go away?

Do you leave on time when you should stay and finish?
Do you look the other way when you should lend a helping hand?

Do you avoid conflict even though it would be the most direct path to solving a problem?
Do you only give your customers, your co-workers, or your kids partial attention when they really need your full attention?

The hero of my story, by the way, is not me. Within minutes of talking to Elizabeth on the phone, she showed up and began cleaning cans, stacking cases, and tolerating my non-stop complaining about the situation. I didn't ask her to come in. In fact, I had told her NOT to come in. I had given her complete permission to continue with her weekend and yet she showed up anyway. She did what needed to be done. If I weren't so grateful for her help, I might actually be mad at her for not listening to me!

I hope you have people like Elizabeth working for you or with you. I also hope that you, too, will commit to being a huge success by always choosing to do what needs to be done.

Do Your Customers Feel Invisible?

by Whitney Bishop, Change Agent

This week, we have a guest writer! After witnessing this complete customer service fiasco, I asked Whitney if she would share the story to help us all recognize our "invisible" customers. What you're about to read is true. I watched it unfold live via twitter last week!

I recently took the opportunity to be mobile and work at a locally owned coffee shop/wine bar. I set up my laptop, got comfortable at the bar, and began to think about what purchase I wanted to make. I wasn't immediately thirsty or hungry, so I thought I'd just get one of my project files open and ready.

I'd been there about 15 minutes. Not one of the three people behind the counter had yet made eye contact with me, welcomed me or asked me if I would like something. A former restaurant worker myself, this struck me as quite odd.

I realized that if I wanted to be served, I would need to get up and walk over to the "order here" section of the counter, just about 30 feet away. Then I became more curious than obedient and felt this was a great opportunity to conduct a little experiment. Exactly how long would it take one of them to acknowledge my presence?

It wasn't busy. There were about ten customers in the shop. There were three people behind the counter - one barista and two other women. I overheard lots of conversation between them, but not once did they glance down the bar to see how the customer experience was going.

:35 minutes
I updated my status on facebook & twitter to reflect the situation and my current wait time.

The twitter and facebook posts began to fly. One friend offered to call the place and let them know there was a customer at the counter who was interested in ordering something to drink. Another offered to go through the drive-thru and order something for me, then have them deliver it to me at the counter. A truly inspired friend challenged me to stay there until they acknowledged me, or until closing, whichever came first. If not for another appointment, I might have accepted that challenge.

:45 minutes
I began to glance up from my laptop and look confused, thirsty, anything that might generate some form of action by the individuals working there. Nothing. Another gentleman at the bar got up, walked down to the portion of the counter where you become "visible" to the staff and placed his order. The young man behind the counter even delivered it to him when it was ready. Nice touch, but he never acknowledged my presence, even as I watched him serve the man 2 stools down from me.

Yes, I was clean, not exhibiting any strange or unusual behavior and had a perfectly pleasant smile upon my face...in case you were curious.

:60 minutes - my limit
I decided it was time to pack up and move on. As a small business owner myself, I felt compelled to share my experience with the manager or owner. When I approached the magic two feet of counter, the young man finally made eye contact with me. What a thrill! I've been SEEN! I asked if he had a phone number or email for the owner and/or manager. He said that the owner was there! The owner and a manager from another store were the other two people behind the counter! She made me wait another five minutes before emerging.

:65 minutes, and counting
I very politely let the owner know that I wanted to share my experience with her. The experience of sitting in her shop, at the bar, for one hour, without having been acknowledged, welcomed, assisted or even approached. Her response astounded me.

"Well, we only have one person working today. We're going to have a second person starting Monday."

Seriously? Sigh.

So I let her know that in that time I was sitting there that all three of them had time to chat, clean, eat, laugh and visit. They had plenty of time to acknowledged my presence.

She apologized somewhat apathetically -- not terribly convincingly -- and that was it.

I smiled, told her I just thought she might want to know that sometimes people will assume they can get served at the counter and that she might want to realize that it's a nice idea to acknowledge all of her guests at some point during their visit.

Nothing from her. Wow.

The Message
Do your customers feel invisible? It doesn't matter whether you have a retail shop, a consulting business, or are part of a large organization. We all have customers. Do you reach out to them on a regular basis? Do you only respond to them when they have placed a request? Do you only "see" them when they have stepped into the "magic zone?"

All I needed to feel satisfied about the owner's response was a simple acknowledgment of the absurdity of the situation. It would have been nice if she'd offered to pick up my tab the next time I came in. Just the offer would have told me that my experience mattered to her. Taken to an extreme, I fantasized that she might even share this experience with her staff as an opportunity to help them remember to be aware of the customers and their experience. It would even be a good idea to encourage them to make eye contact with customers outside of the magic two feet of counter.

The Decision
I probably won't go back. I won't boycott the place, but I will give my business and my money to other local establishments that make me feel happy to be there, make eye contact and welcome me, with a staff that has a sense of humor about things. There are plenty of those places on the same street.

Thanks for the story, Whitney! In a weird way, I'm glad that happened so you could write this article!