We’ve all been there. You just got into the office, put your keys down and an employee drops the bomb, “I quit.”
It might have come out of the blue from one of your best employees. Or, maybe it came from an employee that you’ve never gotten along with. Regardless of the reasoning, it’s never a positive experience to have one of your employees unexpectedly quit. Continue reading What to Do When Your Employee Quits »
Has this ever happened to you? You walk into a store you haven’t been in before because you saw something online, saw a nice window display or were just curious?
Like spotting a friendly face in a crowded room, you went in with your heart open to what awaited.
When you moved through the door, no one noticed you. Not in a stalker at a bar way but just a simple glance, a head nod or even a friendly, “Hello.”
As you moved through the store your energy level began to wane, like a spurned lover you become aware of the time you were spending with no notice from the other person.
And then something amazing happens…
A clerk comes over and your heart picks up a bit. Maybe they do notice me, your subconscious rejoices. Nope, you hear, “How are you today?” You politely respond, “Fine,” and the robot dance is on. 
“Finding everything alright?” they might ask. And you find yourself shut down into scripted replies like, “Yes, I’m just looking.” At which point they robotically say, “If you need anything, just let me know.” And you finish the dance with, “Thank you.”
Is it a wonder merch sits on the shelf?!
Oh and you can substitute just about any doctor’s office, receptionist, hotel clerk, government service – you name it business type – they are all just as guilty. But I have to ask you as a consumer …
Aren’t you tired of the “act-like-you-give-a-damn-about-the person in-front-of-you-and-repeat-the-same senseless-crap-every-single-time” dance?
I’m sure if you were to ask them or their owner, those employees would say they were being “polite” and “not pushy.” In reality they are rude as a guy sneezing into his hands and offering to shake your hands.
Why? Because they are not valuing the person in front of them!
I’ve been known to reply to the robot dance question, “Let me know if I can help you find something” with “A million dollars in tens and twenties.” Some will laugh and snap out of the robot dance and laugh and share. Some will guffaw and say nothing. Still others will have no response. That’s because they are dead.
Dead from too much rejection from customers. Dead from too much rejection from family. Dead from too much rejection of themselves.
You can’t have these energy vampires on your sales floor! As customers, we don’t want to have to endure the robot dance. We want sun sources who can meet us as we step through the door.
Is that so hard?
But wait…
Is it any wonder human relations managers scratch their heads trying to come up with something to “motivate” these robots? Contests? Bonuses? Commissions? “Team building?” They know they have to do something but like a bad archer they keep missing the target.
They have to give the skills for how to make each interaction special. Not just scripted, for that can lead to my earlier post about the white shirt customer.
Tinker with employees engagement skills based on something like my Five Parts to a Successful Sale and you’ll break down the robot encounters. It is not the employees job to “figure it out” as it is a monkey-see-monkey-do world.
Only when we stop the robot dance can we truly serve a customer, by becoming human.Until that happens, enjoy the piles of merch on your floor – they aren’t going anywhere fast.
What do you say?
I had a stopover in Chicago last night. Tired, Boingo wi-fi down, what else was there to do but eat? No more chocolate, no popcorn – a fresh handmade pretzel – perfect.
I walked over to the counter and ordered a plain one. “$3.49 Sir.” I hadn’t expected it to be that much so I simply said in my kidding self, “It better be a great pretzel for that price.” The guy answered, “I can’t speak to that – I don’t like pretzels.”
I took the product and walked away. The pretzel was thin, warm but kinda stale. It’s almost like the kid knew it wasn’t up to snuff.
I then went back to the United counter to see if my upgrade had been cleared. With a few strokes of the keys the agent pronounced, ” I can’t deal with this new crap we got to do. I just can’t do it for you. Where is the code I’m supposed to do? I can’t deal with this.” And on and on. She finally called another woman over who showed how to retrieve the information by entering the word “ALL.” Not before she had processed all her frustration in front of me.
News for managers: we don’t care what your employees have to go through to help the public and if they don’t use the product, they probably won’t have any respect for it being made or delivered properly.
What would have been the right thing to say for the pretzel guy? “We sell a lot of ‘em and if it isn’t the best pretzel you’ve eaten, we’ll either get you another or refund your purchase.” What should the United gate agent have said? “Will you excuse me for a moment? I need to get help with this.”
How have simple courtesy and professionalism been obliterated? A world where the far right is on TV and in the papers red-faced screaming about the injustices they have to deal with and the far left is on TV and in the papers red-faced screaming about the injustices they have to deal with treating issues like they were people.
And you and your employees are watching it all – confirming every bad thing you may have thought on the politcal spectrum – not to inform but to remain part of the hive.
I entered a local drugstore a couple weeks ago to hear a woman bemoaning healthcare reform in the same soundbites as she had heard on Fox that morning. The pharmacist came out from behind the glass to loudly add his two cents, “What do you expect from a Muslim not even born in the US.?”
No wonder people bemoan customer service! How can you throw the switch from working yourself up about something you’ve seen on TV – equating any conflict to a personal dig – and then walk in to your store or restaurant and put the needs of your customers first?
How to deal with all of this? Tell your employees day one: keep your frustrations and opinions to yourself.
The election in Iran, the improving economy, the GM bankruptcy, even iconic 70′s model Farrah Fawcett all took a back seat to the passing of Michael Jackson today. And for good reason. To paraphrase that old movie line, “We felt better about ourselves watching him.”
Forget the easy, over-hyped digs about his personal life. At the heart of why he was such an icon was the work. It was dazzling, fun, top-of-his game. During my speeches, I often play the Jackson 5′s “I Want You Back,” after a break. One time a woman said to me as it started, “I can’t believe you are playing something by Michael Jackson.” Another woman jumped in before I could respond, “Why wouldn’t he? I love his music!” Exactly. It was about the work, not the personality.
For your business and employees, it isn’t about what a nice guy you or your crew are. It’s about the work.
I’m constantly amazed after a speech when people come up and tell me they’ve had someone on payroll for five, six, eight years and they aren’t cutting it. “But they’re so nice.” It’s about the work.
Forget the personal traits. Heck, I had a guy who I had nothing in common with, the only reason we continued to work together is he got the sales. At full price. To 70% of the people he spoke to. With a smile and a repeat base we were all jealous of. Because of that, we could talk about business, how to do the sale better, what the next trend would be, how to close a hard sale. That’s what consumed his mind when he was on the clock.
He had moved out from Arkansas to southern California. He couldn’t find construction work and was sleeping in a gal’s back office at night; one step up from when he was sleeping on the street. He had used that address on my application. He’d shower at the YMCA and walk to the mall. He’d do his laundry at the local laundromat – he never looked out of place. He did this for about a month until he could afford an apartment. I never knew until much later, he was strictly business. It could have been easy to take his hard-luck story and make excuses if he hadn’t been able to sell. Could that be your crew?
My message today, in the wake of such an icon as Michael Jackson passing is to remember the work. His work; leave the personality out of it. Is your employees’ performance memorable? Is yours?
