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- Jun 30 2009
- 68 Comments
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Today’s post comes courtesy of Brian Johnson, COO of Strategic Profits, golf enthusiast and single-digit handicapper.
So when is it ok to piss-off your customers?
I can hear all of you now; “What do you mean? the customer is King!” or “The customer is always right”. Well, I have an answer for that in a moment.
As I am writing this, I am sitting in the Phoenix airport just a day after playing golf at the TPC (Tournament Players Club) in Scottsdale Arizona. And, I am reflecting on a run-in I had with staff there while I was playing…
Before I start, understand that this is a course that any great golfer would love to play. They sometimes charge over $350.00 per round to play and it is part of the club that the PGA professional golfers own. In fact, this is one of the PGA tour stops (Tiger Woods had a hole-in-one here a few years ago).
So, picture this; for weeks now I have been all excited to fly out here to play this course. I have been talking to everyone about going. I get here, check into the hotel, pay hundreds of dollars for my cart and greens fee, buy my TPC hat and all proud to wear it, buy brand new fresh balls new glove, get some drinks, head to the driving range, meet my friends that I am playing with, and get all jacked up to tee off in 15 minutes. AAAHHHHHHH
“We now invite Mr. Brian Johnson and guests to the first tee”… comes over the loud speakers while we are getting warmed up on the driving range. All excited I say “let’s go guys, time to have some fun” We jump on the carts and speed up to the first tee where the starter is awaiting for us. He greets us and gives us some background on the day and welcomes us to the first tee. Things are great. The weather is beautiful. I am hanging with good friends, and we shake hands and say have a good time guys. The day begins.
Jon Walker tees off and puts it in the middle, Aaron from InfusionSoft hits a great one in the faraway and I put one on the left side. And we are off…
We get no further than the third tee where we were met by a ranger waiting for us. In a militant voice he says; “OK guys, you need to move it along, there are two holes in front of you and you have to rush through and catch up.”
WOW. What the heck just happened?
I was no longer excited, and the guests I was with were just as mystified as I was. The day was going well so I simply responded with an friendly; “OK, no problem” and we do our best to keep things going.
As a side note, we are all avid golfers and no slouches. We were only a 3-some and playing at a pretty quick speed. If you know golf, you know that you want to be courteous to people behind you and not hold them up. However there was not anyone behind us, we were not holding anyone up AND there was space in-between the group in front of us when we started to play in the first place.
It was just their “rule” that you should play at the speed that they (the non customer) feels you should play. It’s a lot like going to a fine restaurant and placing your order. Then they bring your appetizers and then immediately 5 minutes later bring you the main course. Then 5 minutes later come to you and say “Listen you can’t be here all night and we need the table for someone else, you should be able to eat in 15 minutes” How irate would you be?
Fast forward to two holes later. We now have gone through each hole putting without even taking the flag stick out of the hole, did not get a drink when the snack cart came around so we could try to catch up (which during summer in Arizona is not the best idea), ran back and forth to the cart and made up some time while we DID NOT enjoy the golf.
So we get to the tee at the 6th hole and the same ranger is there and says “let’s go guys, you need to hustle” at which point I was at a boiling point and said to him “Listen, we are not holding anyone up, no one has complained about us and there was already space between us when we started” His response was; “If you don’t like it you will be missing golf and I will move you into position where I think you should be”.
My response (in a manner that is unlike my collected self) was “@%#! THIS!” I just spent hundreds of dollars to play here, traveled across the country and have been looking forward to this for a while. Needless to say, I did not enjoy any more of the day and my opinion of the place went in the tank. I can’t even remember most of the golf I played. I felt violated, ripped off, scorned, and totally deflated. The guests I was with were even more upset than I was.
This Ranger does not know me at all, my golf experience or golf etiquette and still he is dismissing me? That’s crazy and customers should never be treated like that.
Right?
Ok, on the flip side I put my business founder hat on. I am thinking that they do this with the intention of taking care of all customers and not just one. Should they piss off one client in the spirit of keeping the other clients happy? Keep in mind we were NOT a hindrance to anyone and the Ranger was “Just following the rules put in place for all customers.” You have to have some rules or policies in place to handle situations where some clients will hurt others.
Right?
I can say that even here at Strategic Profits I am very protective of our company and anyone trying to take advantage (in my view) will have a hard time with me. Notice I said “in my view?” The client might not feel that way. But if I break the rules for one client it might snowball into many clients and now I have hurt the company as a whole, which in turn hurts all clients.
Right?
So the big question is; if the customer is always right… are they always right for YOUR company? This is a question that Spike Humer at Jay Abraham’s office brought up to me when I was telling him this story, and one that I want you to think about today.
It’s truly an interesting dilemma that company owners and founders need to deal with on a consistent basis. What you do, how you handle or not handle or how effective you resolve issues like this can make or break the company you founded.
I am interested in hearing what you would do if you were the owner, manager or founder of this golf club. Please post a comment and let me know. I will tell you what we would have done after we hear from you. Also, I look forward to us helping you with more of these types of issues so that you can avoid costly pitfalls in your company’s future success.
Post a comment, and let us know how YOU feel about this.
To Higher Profits,
Brian Johnson
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- Sep 18 2007
- 37 Comments
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How influential are you? Tough question, isn’t it? I encourage you to give it serious thought.
First, let’s define the term to avoid confusion.
Influence is the ability to become a compelling force on others. It is an ingredient of persuasion.
Influence spreads quickly and easily among an audience.
Don’t confuse this with influenza… That’s something altogether different.
Influence can bring greater attention to the influencer as ideas and emotions are spread.
Other times, influence escapes our visible attention. Instead, it is felt - a silent emotion. It is a feeling that pushes us or pulls us in one direction or another.
What is the greatest influence in your life? Perhaps that’s where you should place your most attention.
Our parents warned us in our childhood about bad influences. They are the kinds that lurk in the alleyways and in the deep recesses of our mind.
Now we are grown and accountable for our actions. We seek good influences, the kind that will propel our business and enrich our lives.
But who or what is providing influence on you right now? Is this influence for the good or is it steering you away from your goals?
Perhaps that’s not so easy to determine, but determine it you must.
Many people think of influence as something that comes with power or money. We see it on display in politics and celebrity culture. We often give attention to those we perceive to have great influence. This is not always wise, but it is quite common.
When we ourselves have influence on others it comes bundled with responsibility. You may feel this as a mother or father. You may know this as the owner of a business or leader of a community group.
As you create and develop your online business, think about the influence you have and what you intend to do with it.
If you have the ability to influence others, how will this realization shape your online business?
Who will you reach with your messages? How will you improve their lives?
As a business owner, each day you stand at the edge of a cliff. The cliff represents opportunity. From your vantage point, you overlook the marketplace. If you could just influence this market, you will find success.
But you are on the edge of that cliff for a reason. You know rewards do not come without risks. If you take a misstep, you will fall from the cliff. Such are the perils of entrepreneurship.
So, what will influence you to take the proper steps toward success? What is the source of influence that allows you to move forward with confidence?
Imagine me as an entrepreneurial traffic cop. I’m approaching your vehicle with this question: Is your business driving under the influence (DUI)? If so, where are you driving your business?
- Is your goal to influence buying decisions among the marketplace?
- Do you hope to influence others with your wisdom?
- Are you intent on using your business influence to improve living conditions in your home and in your community?In the Attention Age, everyone is an influencer. What makes this age special is that now all of those influencers are becoming networked.
Consider this: Just by writing a blog, I have influence. People see my name; they recognize it and give weight to my ideas and opinions, for better or worse.
By reading a blog and sharing a message with others, you have influence. By linking to this blog and encouraging others to do the same, you help spread the messages that influenced you. You are building a network of influence.
Your comments on my blog have influence, too. I read them, and so do many others. By providing us with comments, you help influence the decisions of online entrepreneurs just like you whom you may never meet.
Your words provide inspiration. Your insights deliver clarity and give others a sense of purpose.
I know they do for me.
So I’ll ask you a simple and direct question to spark some comments:
Who are the greatest influences in your life?
There may be one or there may be 100. Let me know by sharing your comments on my blog.
By becoming a source of information for others, you exhibit influence. That influence may develop into a profitable business for you. It could provide the basis of future friendships. Or, you just may be content in being a trusted conduit of attention for influential information.
Give influence your attention.
Understand its power and impact on your daily decisions.
Commit to positive influences that lead to greater rewards. Your business deserves your utmost attention. Let the influence on your business be one that promotes growth and brings happiness.
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- Nov 17 2006
- 17 Comments
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Hey Guys,
I hope you’re doing well!
And I hope you’re implementing some (or hopefully MANY) ideas from my recent reports.
Now as you probably know by now, the launch was NOT what I expected.
As usual, I’m writing something up that I think you’ll find very interesting (which you can then turn into business profit).
I don’t want to go into detail here, but what I’m about to reveal will be something that you’ve never heard from a well know marketing personality.
It’s all about analyzing what works and what doesn’t.
And facing the current reality can be one of the biggest challenges that any business owner can have.
So for now, please review the Internet Business Manifesto, The Missing Chapter, and The Final Chapter.
If you study these documents carefully, especially the sections on planning and strategy, then you may be able to discern what’s coming. ;-)
To Higher Profits,
Rich SchefrenP.S. The main lesson in this post is that there are probably things in your business that you’re not “owning up to”. These might be problems or issues that you just don’t want to face. They must be addressed. Your profits will thank you for doing so.
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