Relationship Contexts

Moving On Up: A More Professional Face

2010-12-19T02:03:00.002Z

I've recently completed the Clearpath Consultancy website, where I'll be blogging from now on.

Follow me there.

Interim Management: Broadening the Skillset

2010-10-07T10:24:00.003+01:00

I attended the Interim Management Associations Induction course on Tuesday. It was a very helpful one-day seminar, covering all major aspects of the interim management industry.

The good points:

Slide number 57 (see below)- a great way to summarize an individuals value proposition.
Getting clarity on the gray area between consultants and IM's.

The weak points:

I was the youngest person there.
Too much time spent on recruiters when only 25% of IM assignments come from them.

Here's the days presentation, thanks to Simon Berry and Ian Daniell.

IMA Interim Management Induction

View more presentations from Adam Park.

Executive Coaching: Learning a New Skill

2010-09-24T11:06:00.002+01:00

A friend approached me with a request for help. He is looking for his next big job and trying to sort out his personal life. He asked me if I would act as his Executive Coach- to help him set priorities and keep him on track with the changes.

After agreeing some preliminary guidelines, I agreed to help.

This started 3 weeks ago- pre redundancy. We've met weekly and things are on track- he's making progress and I'm learning a new skill.

Over the coming months, I'll write more about the methods we use and results we achieve.

Stop the Presses: Back to Square One

2010-09-20T11:26:00.004+01:00

One day a peacock; the next day a feather duster.

Last Wednesday, I was made redundant. A bit of a shock since I was offered the permanent role of Director of Operations back in June. The reason has to do with the financial constraints The NEA is facing now.

There are two reasons why this is gutting:

First, I really enjoyed the job- the scope of work, the latitude, and the people I was working with.

Second, when The NEA gets through this tough phase, I won't be part of the team.

No hard feelings, just a lot of disappointment on both sides.

Plans vs Reality: Managing the Tension

2010-09-14T20:43:00.003+01:00

At the NEA, we work closely with a few regional development authorities (SEEDA and NWDA) in the UK. They supported us financially in the early days based on our original business plan.

As with any start-up, reality has now taken over our business plan projections.

So now there is some tension between what the RDA's funded and where we're going in the real world. We're iterating new products and services, while the RDAs think we should be educating the numbers of students we talked about 2 years ago.

This means that I spend a lot of time keeping them on-side; making sure that they still support our original vision (which hasn't changed) while allowing us to find the best business model for sustainability.

Increasing Capacity: Getting More from the Same

2010-09-01T13:36:00.003+01:00

As a general manager, my job is about getting things done. Many times that's with the help of others.

Today I developed a simple training plan to help one of my staff. It will teach her to more effectively manage one of her direct reports. I use the Manager Tools concepts- the first element is "one to one" meetings with each report, once a week.

We're going to work through it in September. Results to follow.

Mergers and Communication

2010-08-18T19:01:00.005+01:00

It's now common knowledge that The NEA is looking to merge with Enterprise UK. The marriage needs the blessing of ministers, but that should be forthcoming.

So, the next steps revolve around how to fit the two organisations together.

Fortunately, we occupy separate areas in the enterprise space- EUK campaigns and the NEA delivers. So, in that context, there are great synergies.

Unfortunately, EUK has just gone through a very tough restructuring process- cutting the organisation down by more than half. There is still some confusion and bruises within EUK.

So, over the next few months, we need to put two cultures together, and move forward.

To do that, we'll need to clearly articulate the new vision AND implementation to a diverse set of stakeholders- most importantly staff.

To do that, we'll need to spend a lot of time and effort communicating what their contribution is and how it fits with the vision.

Next Steps for the MBA Event

2010-07-16T11:25:00.002+01:00

We've moved on a bit towards the MBA Event I mentioned here.

I've circulated a one pager (see the Box to the right) to some interested people. And I've also bought the domain MBA-Amplify.com.

Now we can start to build a community around like minded people.

Taking a perm role with the NEA

2010-07-08T09:07:00.000+01:00

Over the year that I’ve worked on a consultancy basis with the NEA, my Transition Project Director role has evolved to cover much more of the daily operations. Therefore, it made a lot of sense, for both sides, for me to become a permanent member of staff.

As of the first of June, I am now the Director of Operations. This essentially means that I manage the strategy implementation, day-to-day running, and the support staff across the entire company.

It also means a great marriage between what I enjoy, what I’m good at, and what the NEA needs. And we have a great team.

Back to Servant Leadership

2010-06-05T14:27:00.002+01:00

I tend to re-read my favorite business books- ones that have stood the test of time. Recently, I pulled Servant Leadership off the shelf. Originally out in the late 1970's, the topic seems to be making a comeback- I see Tom Peters trumpeting it here.

Servant leadership is more about supporting and guiding others, and less about charismatic CEOs.

This concept is becoming more compelling to me now- I see my role as Director of Operations at the NEA as responsible for personal development and capacity-building in individuals.

Management 101

2010-05-14T21:14:00.004+01:00

I had a really good experience today.

In a nutshell, I came up with a solution for a co-worker, asked her some questions to check my thinking, and then proposed the solution to her.

We're bringing a person back on our books after maternity leave, and rather than just throw any old work at her, I suggested we give her an internal project which she could really put her mark on.

Before I did that though, I asked her what her strengths were, what she wanted to do, etc.

The project we wanted to give to her then flowed naturally from what she wanted to do.

It was a bit of a zen moment in management. She's excited and we're happy to have her back.

Questions, Questions

2010-01-01T20:26:00.002Z

I tend to ask alot of "How" questions- being an implementation-focused kind of guy.

So, if I was to make NY resolutions, it would be to ask more "Why" and "Who" type questions.

Expect more on this blog.

Focus on what?

2009-12-14T16:27:00.003Z

Should our focus be on quality or quantity?

For example, should we achieve a very high standard in delivering our product or service, or should we deliver to a lower standard, but to more people?

Company Culture Limitations

2009-12-14T16:26:00.001Z

What are the three most important aspects of our company culture that hold us back?

Business Question of the Day

2009-12-11T17:49:00.000Z

I was recently told that one of my strong points is asking questions. I think that it is an under-used skill in business. So, I’m going to pose questions here- not answer them, just ask them.

The questions are from my consultancy work, and hopefully will be applicable to a wide range of opportunities.

The research is in and Next Steps

2009-10-09T09:25:00.002+01:00

We had a strong response rate from the MBA Event survey- close to 60%. And the key messages are:

Practical subject matter and audience participation is key.
Higher profile speakers are important.
A variety of topics is desirable.

Now, I need to find someone to help pull this together. I've put a note up on LinkedIn, looking for an unemployed MBA...

MBA event- initial research

2009-09-14T12:21:00.002+01:00

I'd like to put together an event geared specifically at MBAs, as a way for them to top-up their learning.

Ideally, it would be practical and peer-level.

I've put together a simple survey in Google docs to gather feedback and circulated it to a small group- awaiting results.

Here's a link to it.

Netflix and HR

2009-08-27T16:13:00.001+01:00

This is a fantastic presentation talking about Netflix philosphy around selecting, hiring and firing employees. Well worth the read.

Culture

View more presentations from Reed Hastings.

On to the umbrella start-up...

2009-08-19T15:07:00.002+01:00

Back here, I completed the proposal for a start-up in my old industry.

We've now agreed terms to put the plan into effect. The go live date is the first of October.

Much of the work will be coordinating tasks and managing IT issues. Some remotely, some onsite.

Regardless, it will be an interesting bit of work to compliment what I am doing with the NEA.

Three bits

2009-08-04T16:49:00.002+01:00

First, interesting link to uncovering Social Media Experts and Innovators.

Second, have started putting together a one pager for a MBA event- similar to barcamp or un-convention. More to follow on this.

Third, I'm doing more interesting work at the NEA with social media, and I'm waiting to hear back on a proposal for more work with the start-up I mentioned here.

Speech in Manchester

2009-07-17T14:21:00.002+01:00

I had a good time speaking at the Original Talent Seminar in Manchester yesterday.

I was part of a panel- with Jim Cassell (Manchester City Football Club) and Ruth Mackenzie OBE (Dept of Culture, Media and Sport)- that discussed spotting and nurturing talent. Clearly, a key focus of the National Enterprise Academy. The event was well organized and the discussion following was engaging.

Hats off to the Manchester International Festival for a world-class event.

Stage one done of the start-up

2009-07-13T13:59:00.006+01:00

Back on the 1st of June, I started a consulting project with a start-up in the financial services sector. Over the last month, I've put together an Implementation Plan- essentially a business plan without the sales and marketing. Here's where it started.

I delivered the final today. And now await feedback and the next steps. It appears that the owners are keen to move it forward.

It has been a great learning experience on several levels for me. First, on how to juggle two projects at once. Second, how to move from being perceived as a content expect to more of a trusted advisor. Third, how to balance the nitty-gritty of running a small consultancy with the strategic issues of where we fit in the marketplace.

Redundancy is now over

2009-06-10T17:54:00.002+01:00

I started a new consulting project last week, so I think we're in the clear for a little while. More on that later.

I thought a quick wash-up about how I handled the three month redundancy time would be in order.

First, the business high points:

I started a LinkedIn group, with a supporting webpage- UK Charity Trustees.
I contributed significantly to a strategy project at RBMIND and event for the Ashridge Alumni.
I wrote a proposal for a long-term consulting project within my past industry.

Second the lifestyle highlights:

We spent a month in the US with my parents. Invaluable.
I kept to a regular routine with the kids and exercise.
We cut back on most of the extra spending around the house.

The learning points:

Networking is by far the most valuable thing you can do for work.
Staying focused, involved and in a routine during the redundancy is paramount.
Get a good support network around you and use it.

A One Page Proposal

2009-04-17T13:24:00.002+01:00

One of my consulting projects is with a start-up in the financial services industry.

We're early in the process and need to get buy in and clarity of next steps from the others involved.

To do that, I put together a one page proposal and circulated it today. Essentially, this is a business plan that has been distilled right down to the core.

I've used this template and book before and found it very helpful.

UK Charity Trustees on Squidoo

2009-04-08T17:04:00.002+01:00

One of my projects for this time away from work is to set up a networking group on LinkedIn. I've done that now for UK Charity Trustees.

This is a group for current trustees to share resources and better help the charities they serve.

To support the group, I've set up a squidoo lens- UK Charity Trustees- to act as a resource hub.

The next step is to build the membership on LinkedIn.

Next steps

2009-04-01T16:52:00.002+01:00

What do I do now?

Where can I find resources?

These are the questions I came up against in mid-March. Here are some answers.

In the early days, I put together a plan and goals. Nothing too complex, but enough to keep focus. I thought that perm work would be hard to come by in this environment, so project work and pro-bono work would suffice for the time being. More on that later.

I've kept the same daily routine, for the most part. Up with the family, take C to daycare, work during the day, knock off for the kids dinner. Shave and good clothes 5 days a week. Keep up the exercise.

Here is the most complete redundancy resource I've found.

The Second Start

2009-03-26T15:27:00.000Z

I'm back.

And I'm unemployed.

I've been feeling since the beginning of the year that I needed to get back to business blogging. Now that D, born in June 08, has grown a bit, I can find some time.

Also, I was unexpectedly made redundant in March. As part of my search-for-the-next-opportunity routine I'll begin collecting thoughts here again.

Baby due

2008-06-23T16:55:00.001+01:00

My wife is due with baby number two today, so posting may be a bit light over the next month.

A focus group outcome

2008-06-23T14:18:00.000+01:00

One of the confusing results of the focus group was this:
Customers told us that their decision making was based almost entirely on price. They also said that they didn’t compare us to any other service providers.

There’s a dis-connect here.

Our conclusion was that everyone must say price is really important, but doesn’t actually do anything to support that view. And that is fine with us, because we’re considered a premium price point in the market.

Using focus groups

2008-05-29T15:28:00.002+01:00

We ran a focus group last week at Freelance which gave us some solid insights.

The purpose was to better understand our customers’ decision-making rationale and investigate new service offerings. We were able to keep the demographics of the group pretty uniform- they were A-level customers, high earning, with extended time living in the UK, and all in the same industry.

Some of the outcomes were surprising- things that we hadn’t heard in other conversations with customers. And much of it fed into or supported some new service offerings we’re developing.

We’re scheduling a second one with a different group to test our proposals.

Put yourself out there

2008-05-08T16:20:00.002+01:00

I stumbled upon this recruitment nugget a few weeks back- a VC firm asking for links to your web presence, instead of sending CVs.

This strikes me as quite interesting- and quite a good way to differentiate candidates.

It's from the US, and I haven't heard feedback from recruiters yet.

Blogs getting passe?

2008-04-16T17:00:00.002+01:00

Paul Kedrosky talks about that here. Opinion blogs are over-rated he says.

The more interesting thing is gathering meta-data from blogs and its follow-on analysis.

Ash Audit committee

2008-04-02T14:35:00.001+01:00

I’m now the chair of the Ashridge Alumni Council Audit committee. This came about in a rather prolonged way- offering to take over the Treasurer role, Board restructures into a Council, Treasurer chucks it in, and an Audit committee formed.

Stakeholder management is going to be an important part of this new role. The school now does our accounts, and they have a bit of a bureaucratic mindset. This means I have to manage my communication with them, as well as the expectations of the Council and membership on reporting.

The paper-less CV

2008-03-18T15:05:00.002Z

I’ve come across three posts discussing the potential death of the paper CV (or resume) and ones’ online presence.

Seth says here that if you’re remarkable, you really don’t need a CV anymore.

And Ben riffs here about Seths comments.

And Science Careers talks here about social media CVs and googlepages. And here's an example.

And Oli talks here about why he finds time to keep up his online profile and interactions.

Surely, there must be some middle ground: a well-presented paper CV supplemented with online material such as blogs, linkedin profile, maybe even a YouTube presentation…

The next new thing- Free

2008-02-27T17:33:00.002Z

Chris Anderson of Long Tail fame is developing his next concept/book- FREE. He started the conversation here back last year.

He released the 2.0 version a few days back here. This is the Wired magazine article- worth the free read.

And here are some other thoughts on it.

The art of meaning and relationships

2008-01-30T18:08:00.001Z

Hugh talks about meaning here.

And Tom Peters (via Steve Yastrow) talks about relationships here.

MBA tool links

2008-01-28T15:06:00.000Z

Part of the reason for this blog is to hold specific, useful links for future reference.

These are a few I've come across recently:
Business Technology and Knowledge Management
Value Based Management
Tom Peters PSF wiki

Interesting links

2008-01-14T16:22:00.000Z

I've been busy at work lately with a major (for our size) change management programme- more on that in a later post.

But I've come across these interesting links recently.

First one is on the people element of change programmes. They- change management programs AND people- are not commodities.

Second one is a highly recommended book- The New Human Capital Strategy- again on people and their importance in HR systems.

Hat tip to KnowHR and Change Management News.

Getting the Balance Right

2008-01-04T16:03:00.000Z

Refreshed after the Holidays, I came across this article which touches on work/life balance. The quote:

After all, he was just following another of his rules: "Never regret doing a family thing over a business thing," he says

It also is an interesting read about an experienced start-up CEO.

Hat tip to 4HWW.

Tom Peters on Listening

2007-12-18T14:59:00.000Z

Listening may or may not be an "act of love" or way to "tap into people's dreams," but it sure as hell is (1) an uncommon act of courtesy and recognition of worth from which (2) you will invariably learn amazing stuff if you can just keep your damn mouth shut and ears open with an expression of interest on your face and (3) it will build-maintain relationships beyond your wildest dreams.

TP

Slowdown

2007-12-17T12:56:00.000Z

I was in the US last week, so I've been a bit light on contributing recently. I did read some interesting stuff though, so I'll have a few new posts by Christmas.

Growing by shrinking?

2007-11-30T12:58:00.000Z

Seth talks here about the concept of not trying to be the biggest, and differentiating yourself in other ways.

His example is in manufacturing- monks making beer. But how do you put that into effect in a service industry?

By focusing on relationship building and customer service, I would think.

Building a Reporting Dashboard

2007-11-26T16:18:00.001Z

Just one of my New Years Resolutions is to create a Dashboard Report for Freelance Global Ltd.

We need to do a better job of CONCISELY reporting Sales & Marketing activity, as well as the financials. This would give us a better handle on internal trends, and therefore more evidence to make decisions.

To do this, I've started gathering resources:

The Dashboard Spy

Dashboards By Example

Visual Mining

To be continued in 2008...

RBMIND and Link Trustees

2007-11-21T17:01:00.000Z

At RBMIND, we’ve recently designated Link Trustees for each of the projects under our control. These people are current trustees (like myself) and are to act as advocates for the specific project and mentors for the managers. I’m linked to The Carers Project, so I spent 30 minutes today interviewing the manager- understanding her background, the project issues, and what she needed from the Link Trustee concept.

I’ll re-visit this new experiment as it evolves.

Learning Employment Law

2007-11-15T12:45:00.000Z

In keeping with my generalist slant, I attended an employment law event earlier this week. It was put on by these guys.

We discussed various situations where a company may need to dismiss employees- redundancy, retirement, ill health and gross misconduct.

It was quite enlightening for me. I come from an American business background, so exposure to UK law is very helpful. Also it adds to my body of knowledge- integrating all elements of an organisation. Lastly, I work at a small company where we don’t have lawyers and a full HR department to handle these issues.

I’ve saved the materials for future reference. Hopefully, I won't need them.

The next step in Talent Transfer

2007-11-08T15:49:00.000Z

We’ve been developing a new service offering at Freelance Global: Talent Transfer- see here.

Originally, we thought this would solve a few specific problems we saw in the marketplace- sourcing skills from overseas, screening the candidates, and sponsoring them to work in the UK.

For market research, we’ve pitched the concept to a few potential customers to ensure we’ve interpreted the problem correctly and that our solution is appealing. And we’re learning.

Learning that there are other providers doing similar, low cost things.

Which means that we need to refine our solution- our path.

Of course, it’s better to learn these things early and adjust.

Questions to measure RBMIND impact

2007-11-02T11:14:00.000Z

The next step for the Impact Measurement proposal is to formulate questions to ask of the service users.

We’ve put together 5 questions- short and simple, which give us insight into their experiences, our impact and the resources to affect both of them.

The staff at the service I attend are helpful.

The service I use helps me to better manage my mental health.

The service I attend encourages me to get involved in my community.

The service I attend helps me to meet my practical needs.

I would recommend the service I attend to a friend.

The next step is to gather feedback from our on-site managers on the questions.

Emma (the Executive Director) and I think we have well balanced the need for information and the practicality of surveying mentally distressed individuals.

2007-10-31T11:07:00.000Z

From Tom Peters:

We all want our customers to believe "I can't get it anywhere else" when they think of us. Relationships between you and a customer are often the best opportunity to create something unique and irreplaceable in your customer's mind.

Do you agree—are strong customer relationships one of the best ways to keep the competition away from your customers?

Lasting Relationships

2007-10-30T13:51:00.000Z

Here's a really good pdf by Rajesh Setty on building lasting relationships in a networking context.

Hat tip to Cody McKibbon.

Effective fundraising- the extended version

2007-10-17T17:53:00.000+01:00

I've uploaded an extended version of my RBMIND fundraising summary into my box.net You can read it through the article widget on the right hand side.

Ashridge Reunion and Relationships

2007-10-15T12:15:00.000+01:00

This past weekend, I attended my 5 year Ashridge MBA reunion. It was held at a beautiful hotel in the Cotswolds- Stonehouse Court (which one of our classmates bought and renovated soon after the program), and we had a great turnout. I helped on the planning committee.

We’ve all gone in different directions- geographically and industry-wise. Although we didn’t talk business too much, the MBA has clearly had a significant effect on all of us.

I think it says something about the power of the relationships we built during the program that we had over 40% of the class return for the reunion, several from outside the UK.

Talent Transfer in the press

2007-10-10T09:33:00.000+01:00

I recently wrote an article for an Australian Business e-magazine. Here at Freelance, we're working on bringing more highly skilled IT contractors to the UK.

This article explains the hows and whys.

Impact Proposal 3

2007-10-03T15:21:00.000+01:00

The RBMIND Board discussed my Impact Proposal on Monday night, and the feedback was positive (it passed and will be implemented).

I sensed that the people around the table appreciated the idea of building an objective measurement for each project. I also sensed that they’re slightly concerned about using new management principles.

The next step is to develop simple questions and a process doc. This will give us an opportunity to encourage service-users (customers) to give us their suggestions, and involve them in building the tools.

RBMIND Impact Proposal 2

2007-10-01T11:08:00.000+01:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we’re trying to solve a problem at RBMIND. The problem is the lack of objective measurement of our impact on the community.

In this post, I’ll discuss a bit about WHY we need a solution.

There are two stakeholder groups that need the results of the proposed survey.

First, the internal stakeholders: the management committee. We need to develop a way to objectively manage our team and resources.
Second, the external stakeholders: our funders. We also need evidence to provide to funders, showing how their donations are impacting the community.

The Board of Trustees meeting is tonight. We’ll discuss the proposal then and I’ll report the feedback in the next couple of days.

RBMIND Impact Proposal

2007-09-26T17:36:00.000+01:00

I’ve got a proposal on the agenda for the next RBMIND board meeting. I think I’ve found a small issue in the way we operate.

Over the next few posts, I’ll lay out the problem, the solution and some of the issues around my proposal.

What’s the problem:

No objective and consistent measurement of RBMINDs impact on the service users.

No objective way to evaluate the effectiveness of resources devoted to each centre.

Many times, when we look at how things are working, we as a Board judge them with our gut. Some times that's appropriate, especially at a Charity.

But much of the time, it isn't supported by objective conclusions. And that's a problem for management decisions and when funders look at how we spend their money.

Holiday

2007-09-23T22:09:00.000+01:00

I've been on Holiday for the last two weeks- a great escape and very refreshing. More posts to begin soon.

Putting the puzzle together

2007-08-30T17:16:00.000+01:00

We’ve just hired a new Client Service Consultant to fill a vacancy. One of the points that came out in past orientation feedback was that new employees needed more time to understand the context of their role.

With that in mind, I’ve structured an induction that incorporates all aspects of how we work. This gives the new employee a better explanation for where his work fits into the bigger picture.

For example, understanding-

The role of Sales & Marketing and our competitive environment

Applicable guidelines relating to the Home Office and Inland Revenue

The corporate and executive structure of the entire organization

will give our new person a broader depth of understanding. It’s time consuming for me, but will be worth it later on, we trust.

Management hell

2007-08-20T10:54:00.000+01:00

There is a great article in the London Times business section on Saturday, talking about the trials and tribulations of middle management. Read it here.

Many of the points are valid- some are too common.

My charity fund raising summary

2007-08-10T17:05:00.000+01:00

Here is a brief summary of the RBMIND-London Triathlon Fund Raising Plan and the results.

The first step was to create a communications strategy. We outlined the goals and then the steps to reach them. These included a monetary target, but also, professional development and raising the exposure of RBMIND. Sorting the technical side- website, blog and draft emails- was done at this stage also.

We then focused on getting a large commercial sponsor to contribute early. This set the standard going forward and gave us credibility with smaller donors.

Lastly, we went out to community groups, friends and family, communicating the importance of RBMIND and how their contributions can make a difference. The blog was very useful tool for this segment- it created a personal connection with individuals.

The results: We raised over £2000. Intangibly, we raised the profile of RBMIND across the local community and about metal health issues to a wider audience.

I’m now writing personal thank you notes to the donors, including a small picture of my finish.

Customer journeys through our company

2007-08-09T17:01:00.000+01:00

In this article, Eric Fraterman discusses Customer Journeys- the path and points of interaction of a customer through your company.

Although this is worth the read, it is very similar to customer life cycle and moments of truth analysis.

We've put something like this to use at our company. We've mapped out an action point timeline, and are trying to anticipate customer contact points. This helps to manage their expectations- and lead to interaction with them before an issue arises.

The end result is a better relationship with the customer.

A promotion

2007-08-06T12:01:00.000+01:00

"It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Adam Park to the position of UK General Manager. Adam has been a great member of our team in the UK for many years now and has developed his skills, knowledge and experience of situations and transactions to the point where this offer was thoroughly deserved.

I know Adam will do a superb job of managing the office and overseeing the activities and our people on a day to day basis."

Here is my LinkedIn profile.

The success of fund raising

2007-08-03T09:43:00.000+01:00

As I discussed here, I’ve been raising funds for a charity- RBMIND- by completing in the London Triathlon.

I’m happy to say, we’ve exceeded our target of £1500! Updates here.

Why is this relevant to Relationship Contexts? Because I think it shows the power of relationships in something like this. We managed to raise the bulk of the funds from my MBA classmates, friends and family, not corporate donors.

One area that I’d do differently next time is this: Focus more on the local community where the charity operates. We didn’t build on the relationships within community as well as we could have.

Triangle relationships

2007-07-30T15:00:00.000+01:00

We’re going through an unspoken cultural clash at the charity where I am a trustee.

The Board historically has been older community volunteers who have been directly connected with the projects that the charity manages. The Executive Director is young, as are a few of the new trustees (including myself).

The younger people want to see more structure and commercialism built into the organization. The potential result is more funds and more effective services.

The older people think that this will drive out the passion, which is what gets the results.

Clearly, both have valid concerns. The real question though is what should the relationship look like between the organization and its services users and its funders?

A great quote

2007-07-25T12:36:00.000+01:00

From The Positivity Blog:

"The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships"

Anthony Robbins

Changing a work environment

2007-07-17T13:19:00.000+01:00

I’ve started a major change programme at work. Following on from a few of my past posts, we’re moving from a silo structure to much more of a relationship management outlook. This affects our internal processes and we’re asking for a shift in culture.

It makes sense. Rather than a customer encountering SEVERAL different people within our organisation each for a different task, they would have ONE point of contact for all the issues.
We’ve just started.

The good part about undertaking a change like this is that we have very good employees implementing it.

How to fundraise

2007-07-06T15:03:00.000+01:00

How do relationships help when you’re fundraising?

I’m competing in the London Triathlon and raising funds for RBMIND where I’m a Trustee. I’m thinking about how to ask for donations from people that I have an established relationship with, as well as people I don’t know well.

Clearly, the message is different.

Is it better to communicate the good that the donation can bring to the service users? Or build on the reciprocal relationship between me and the potential funder?

Here’s the charity. Here’s the way to donate.

CRM vs CEM: Defined

2007-06-27T16:46:00.000+01:00

"CRM is technology-driven. It is all about sales force and marketing automation and has a history of being an inward-looking analytical approach."

"CEM is more of a cultural shift that is assisted by technology. It is a dynamic way of communicating and serving customers by creating distinctive customer experiences."

This hits the nail on the head, I think.

And for our company, it's about developing the CEM approach.

Hit tip to Dale Wolf.

Becoming more responsive

2007-06-22T14:20:00.000+01:00

At the company I work at, we’re looking at re-structuring the client service team to make it more responsive to our customers. This means moving from a silo mentality to a relationship-ownership perspective. We haven’t been bad in the past, but clearly just not as effective as we can be.

This should allow us to respond more effectively to customers and keep them with us longer.

To do this, we’ll need to create new job descriptions, learn new skills and communicate the change to staff and customers. And that last point will be the toughest part.

Customer Driven

2007-06-19T13:50:00.001+01:00

How do you measure, from the outside, whether a company is truly customer-satisfaction driven?

Is it from the new products that come to market?
Is it measured by the referrals that current customers generate?

What one question can you ask at an interview about how it's measured?

Changing behaviour

2007-06-13T17:32:00.000+01:00

I came across this today here:

This "relationship first" focus pays dividends because customers tend to become more active traders, are more loyal to the company and they become passionate advocates who recruit other active and loyal customers.

The writer is talking about a brokerage house and their efforts to build customer relationships. I'm not sure if the logic holds true though. If you're a loyal customer of a gas station, do you actually buy more gasoline?

I think peoples activity levels in certain pursuits (trading, for example) are pretty static- they don't magically become 'more active' just because they feel loved.

Learning from Failure

2007-06-12T15:14:00.000+01:00

Here's a story of closing down a start-up because Reg Braithwaite realized his solution wouldn't solve the problem.

He wanted to create a project management system that told project managers if their projects were running well. The solution wasn't right because he realized that the success of projects lies more with the communication in the group (the messy stuff), not with the technical processes around it (the clean stuff).

Clearly, building effective relationships doesn't just make customers happy; it solidifies project teams.

Hunters vs. Farmers

2007-06-06T15:38:00.000+01:00

This quote came from Seth Godin at a conference (via Deb Shultz):

"Old marketers behave as hunters with their sights on an unsuspecting me.
New marketers behave as farmers, focusing on sustainability, feeding, attention and care."

It think it works equally well if you replace marketers with customer service people, account managers, recruiters, etc.

Point Of View

2007-06-06T12:17:00.000+01:00

"It is hard to convince a vegetarian to eat at McDonalds."

"Our task as we build better customer experiences for customers is to leverage the POV that already exists in their minds rather than to change how they think."

-Dale Wolf

So, it is beholden on us as customer service professionals to understand our customers' point of view- their satisfaction drivers- before we try to solve their problems.

And the way to do that is to ask questions and listen to the responses.

Balancing resources

2007-06-05T12:20:00.000+01:00

We had a board meeting last night for the mental health charity I'm a trustee of, and I spoke a bit about resources.

Finding the right balance between resources and results is tough.

And a point we made last night was that, as a charity, we have a limited amount of resources. This is the center of a scale, so to speak.

If we try and help more people, then the quality we provide to those people goes down. If we limit the number of people we help, we can make more of an impact into their lives.

We haven't found the right balance yet.

When employee satisfaction leads to higher profits

2007-05-28T22:31:00.000+01:00

Back during my MBA in 2002, we discussed the link between customer satisfaction and profits, and then added the link between employee satisfaction and profits. The Sears case study was the topic du jour.

Here is an update from The Perfect Customer Experience blog on how Sears has gotten on:

The results during the first five years of using this model: · Customer satisfaction increased by 4% while the industry remained flat · Revenue increased by over 15% · Net income increased from a loss of $3 billion to a gain of $1.3 billion · Earnings per share increased from a lost of $7.02 to a gain of $3.12 The thing to remember is that there is a direct link between the experience you create and the money you make.

Tesco = A Perfect Customer Experience?

2007-05-24T13:20:00.000+01:00

I'm not quite sure I agree with the comments from the blog A Perfect Customer Experience:

Companies deliver experiences.
Tesco, the UK grocery chain. And Virgin Atlantic, Harley-Davidson, The Banyan Tree, First Direct, Amazon, Starbucks, Scotti’s Records, Apple Computer, Dorothy Lane Markets. These are a few businesses that have been richly rewarded for their attention to delivering a perfect customer experience – the kind that creates referral, retention and profitable growth.

To use the Porter, Treacy and Wiersma business ideas, I think that Tesco has done well due to their operational excellence, not their superior customer intimacy. Apple has done well due their superior product innovation.

LinkedIn in the black

2007-05-21T15:42:00.000+01:00

LinkedIn celebrated a full year of profitability last week. All in all, the story isn't that important. But buried in this blog, I found this nugget:

We know that 30% of all employers “Google Search” a candidate before being hired, and for many, due to heavy Google juice (page rank of 7 out of a possible 10), a personal LinkedIn profile will come up first, this is the case for many of my friends.

Part of relationship building is in gathering objective information- people checking out people before hiring.

How to allocate resources

2007-05-18T16:40:00.000+01:00

I’m working on refining a strategy draft for the charity where I’m a Trustee. We’re debating how and where to allocate resources- people, time and building.

Part of the debate hinges on this:

Should you raise the average satisfaction by 20% for 80% of your customers OR improve the experience by 80% for only 20% of your customers?

International Understanding

2007-05-15T14:42:00.000+01:00

I’ve been interviewing candidates for a position at my company for the last few weeks. Today, one of the finalists gave me an interesting nugget.

When I asked him why he wanted to work with us, he said that a company as international as ours would be open to new ideas on how to do things and he wanted to contribute to that improvement. He also said that having an international team means that you understand the the international customers we deal with every day.

I like to think he’s right. We’ve got at least 6 distinct nationalities in the office, and I try to encourage people to solve problems differently.

We’ll see if he’s the right fit and can help us do things better.

A great line I read today

2007-05-10T21:59:00.000+01:00

"For this type of customer relationship to evolve there must be a shift from selling things to a focus on issues and experiences compelling to customers"

This came from John Tudor.

Being in the right spot

2007-05-04T16:39:00.000+01:00

How important is your emotional situation when dealing with customers?

Tom Nies says-
… building and maintaining personal connections and empathy for the emotional considerations of another takes care, thought, understanding, and lots of work.

That means that if you’re not in a good place, how can you lead your customers to a good place? Listening to complaints, solving problems and making sure issues are resolved takes emotional energy.

Engaging customers

2007-04-30T13:40:00.000+01:00

Thor and Lane at DemandSatisfaction are chatting about customer service and how it may be perceived as customer support- an after-sale cost centre.

But with the Internet, it becomes much more of a conversation. And it goes to-

community building.
product/service evangelism.
co-creation.

You’re still solving customer problems. You’ll also adding value to your product or service by directly engaging your customers.

The reverse use of social media

2007-04-19T21:08:00.000+01:00

I was at a conference today and met Tim Elkington. He helps run Enhance Media, and his presentation touched on user-generated content.

We chatted afterwards about "reverse use"- the idea of recruiters using social media to background check potential candidates.

If I was a good recruiter, I would want understand my candidates by reading their blog, make sure they had no demons hiding in YouTube, and maintained a reasonable LinkedIn profile.

Continuity

2007-04-12T13:25:00.000+01:00

How do you ensure that the value your salespeople promise to a customer to make a sale is delivered by your company seamlessly later on? Retention? Re-purchase? Referral?...

Old fashioned selling

2007-03-28T17:07:00.000+01:00

McKinsey has just come out with fresh research showing that the better US FMCG companies have restructured their sales force to focus more on key customers. They've also begun to devote more non-sales resources to those key accounts.

Engagement

2007-03-26T10:28:00.000+01:00

Hugh has another fine point about products which rings true:

"It's not about how much your product engages with the customer. It's about how much your product allows your customer to engage with other people."

So it begs the question, What are people looking for when they buy your product or service?

In this context, he's referring to his wine efforts on behalf of Stormhoek.

Humanification

2007-03-23T11:32:00.000Z

Wouldn't it be a good idea to encourage the humanification of the corporate body?

This theory here suggests that corporate growth will come from better understanding of their customers, not through increased efficiencies.

To me that means spending the time to listen to customers when having a conversation- whether by phone, blog, email, etc...

And another bit of his theory: If corporate blogs work, it's because they help humanify the company.

Information Overload, or not...

2007-03-21T11:01:00.000Z

I recently had an issue where I was chastised for providing too much information to a customer. A co-worker was afraid that the customer may take advantage of us with this information.

I took the position that I was solving a problem for the customer, just like I do every other day.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized a few things:

First, if I was the customer, I'd want as much information as possible to make an informed decision.

Second, my perception of enough information and the customers perception of enough information may be different. It is best to over-compensate to the customer.

Lastly, by solving the problem (making the customer happy) we reduce the risk of that customer taking advantage of us.

More tech contact = More human contact

2007-03-16T17:53:00.000Z

Kathy Sierra has another great post on human connections.

Her theory is that all this tech stuff actually leads to more human connections. People connect electronically, which then encourages them to meet face-to-face.

Witness the explosion of connections at SXSW.

The CCO role?

2007-03-13T13:50:00.000Z

Should an organization have a Chief Customer Officer?

This person posed the question:

1. Is there someone in your company who clarifies what is to be accomplished with customers?

That is what a CCO would be tasked to do.

And here's a link to the book advocating the role.

Splitters and Lumpers

2007-03-13T11:30:00.000Z

There is a great discussion on CRM implementation here, with a reference to splitters and lumpers.

This is marketing-speak for how people look at customer segments. Some people look for increasingly smaller segments and then create messages and benefits targeted to them.

Others lump demographic groups together, hoping they share traits.

As populations get more interactive, messages are going to need to be more and more tailored to smaller and smaller segments, it would seem to me. Another component of the global microbrand.

And Seth Godin.

Delivery and Customers

2007-03-12T22:32:00.000Z

How integral is service delivery to customer service?

You may think these two components are separate, but in the real world, that may not be the case. In London, when you get on a packed tube- that is delayed- how does that affect your perception of customer service?

This struck me because Transport for London (who run the system) need to put up these posters:

There must be a fair amount of people who think they’re getting bad customer service since TfL is trying to stop this problem.

Jerks and Customer Service

2007-03-08T15:30:00.000Z

Following on the recent flurry about Bob Sutton and assholes in the work place here and here...

Is there something in the idea that if you’re an asshole you can’t do customer service very well no matter how hard you try? It just doesn't come across as sincere problem-solving?

How important is physical space?

2007-03-01T12:41:00.000Z

How important is the physical space of a business in contributing to the relationship between business and customer?

Apparently, Howard Schultz of Starbucks thinks very important.

He wants to see a move back to the smells and "barista relationships" of past Starbucks stores.

What Types of Officeworkers Read Blogs?

2007-02-23T10:36:00.000Z

Seth Godin has convincing theory.

Although I think some people read some blogs that are somewhat less valuable than others...

"It's my fault"

2007-02-22T17:31:00.000Z

Joel Spolsky says that these words are the most powerful way to defuse a bad customer experience.

And here are his other 6 ways to develop remarkable customer service.

Relationships and Price

2007-02-21T16:45:00.000Z

Doc Searls has an excellent post up on a Linix blog about relationships and how they affect price. The context is a discussion he had with a Nigerian pastor.

The bottom line is that once a relationship between buyer and seller has been created, the price becomes almost secondary and more negotiable.

I see a similar effect in my customer relationship management efforts. Once I have a report developed with a client, all manner of issues can be resolved in a more amicable way.

Websites as first steps in relationships

2007-02-20T10:29:00.001Z

I've come across an interesting issue in the last two days. How does a website help start a relationship?

A friend asked for feedback on his new website. The site had way too much text, multiple subheadings and no personal contact points.

I compared that to another friends' site which was clean, to the point and had simple links and details about himself.

The first one was like standing at a bank window in a huge room, with 2 inch frosted glass between you and the teller.

The second was like meeting someone for coffee.

Loveocracy

2007-02-20T10:27:00.000Z

In this past post, Kathy Sierra talks about the overlap in customers and businesses. The key point:

If you're truly building a business that helps people solve their specific problems, then you're going to have an easier time doing it.

Here is the key phrase: "They care about themselves in relation to your product. What it means to them. What it does for them. What it says about them that they use your product."

So, you're building relationships with customers based on how they use what you provide.