Great Content is Greater Business Enabler

Great Content is Greater Business Enabler. 

Yes people are interested to great insights. They are interested in solving their problems. They deal with companies { be it product or service } to solve their life problems or get rid of their life problems. 

All of us who are on the other side of offering great products or services MUST know this. MUST know Why we are offering WHAT we are offering. All of US are solution provider, transaction of sale is JUST a means to the solution. Ultimate objective of the CONSUMERs of solving problem MUST fructify with our offerings.

If require we MUST go out of the way { its never out of the way if U have solution mindset } & enable solution by supporting CONSUMERs with extra efforts over and above selling and offering our MENU of a  services. 

- If you are a group buying site - Provide Content on Why U buy what u buy, various product variations and its implications , suitability of products for the buyers, what to take care if buying from retail store,how to use the products, how to maintain etc. (Groupon.com is hugely successful mainly due to powerful content creation)

- If you are a Real Estate company -  Provide content on home buying precaution, how to manage the asset, how to form various interest groups in the society, Hoe to celebrate public festivals ,  how to maintain the flat and society etc.

- If you are in restaurant business - Provide content on what to eat, when to eat , how to eat, ow even to cook at home, culinary science etc

- If you are a Dentist - Provide content on maintenance of healthy gum/teeth,  what to eat and what not, how to avoid dental decay, what to know before any treatment etc

- If you are into Hospital Business - Provide content on preventive health, fitness regime, diet and food, precaution before any treatments at {any} hospitals, regular maintenance and health check up tips, how to buy medical insurance etc etc.

- If you are a Bank - Money Management, investment avenues and risk associated, wealth planning, will and various loans and its nuances, how to get better ratings, how to avoid CIBIL reporting and remove names from CIBIL, financial discipline, your family and your finances etc etc. 

- If you are a Travel Tour Company -  Where to go, how to go, what to take care, when to go, what to carry, real life experiences of other travelers, How to enjoy the journey, how to plan for journey of your own, where to stay, what to see en-route etc etc.

Likewise any and every industry can create powerful supportive and holistic content for the customers. Helping them 100% should be the motive. It may mean less focus on marketing efforts and more focus on reaching out to help genuinely in solving customer problems.   

Going beyond the MENU into the shoes of COSTUMERs. Its easy if you sit other-side of the table & think and plan but difficult if you are obsessed with your products and offering.  

4 Lessons Entrepreneurs can learn from battle - Anna Hajare Vs Govt

Law , lawyers & professionals cannot handle emotional situations. Its great LEADERs who can handle such a situation.  

Congress has best of lawyers like P Chidambaram and Kapil Sibbal , new but more than aggressive Manish Tiwari , AM Singhvi and S Khushid and learned professional PM.  Though the way they are handling the situation , we can learn a thing or two from their blunders.  

- When U can peacefully agree & have your way, don't make it an EGO issue.  { What is the harm in presenting both drafts to the Parliament , when ultimately it will be decided by MPs only.}

- Don't remain so lethargic in solving burning problems so that wisdom is replaced by thoughtless immediate solution when water goes beyond the head. ( In Japanese there is a word KEIRETSU which means action when age of the problem is ZERO, but we act when problem is ripe and ready to become much bigger , They even could have invited opposition members in drafting committee which they did not do. }

- Tact can handle the situation better than legal way. { people management in the organization - some lessons!!! }

- Have wisdom to Foresee implications of present problems & actions to solve the same. { Anti Congress waves across the nation for their way of handling the situations }

Stakeholders' sentiments do matter ( Suppliers, customers, people (staff) and  shareholders ) and ignoring the same can prove fatal in the long run. 

1,2,3,4,5,6,7 & 8 Reasons to  { must } WOW !!!!! [  Delight  ] Internal Customers 

I was thinking about what to write on my 100th Blog today. ( in 10 months , First Blog on 11th Oct 2010 & this one was planned for Independence Day i.e. 15th Aug ).

I had to sent one project report to someone who wud depend on the same and would work on the same further.  Therefore today morning I started working on the same. While working I thought I shud do the work in such a fashion that the other guy need not have to do anything better and just take the process further. That will make me feel happy , make me dependable and saves his time (i.e project execution time)

This made me thinking of Customer Experience of Internal Customers. Most of my 99 blogs were on customer  { external } experience and how to WOW!!!! our customers. Most people in the organisation thinks that I am not in direct touch with the final customer how can I WOW !!! my customer??? They think I am sitting at the corner of the office in  of accounts or purchase department. I even don't see my customers. WOW !!! is not for me. 

As an accountant if I make a mistake on tallying accounts or adjusting customer payment to his account I am impacting customer experience. As a purchase manager if I am not buying right quality products , right time I am impacting customer experience. Everyone therefore can influence ( is influencing ) customer {external} experience. 

However my point here is about impacting internal customers. Internal customers i.e person who is dependent on our work to take it forward.

- Auditors are dependent on Accountants work

- Production Team is dependent on Purchase Team

- Sales Team is dependent on Marketing Team

- Project Team is dependent on Finance Team

- Sales Team is dependent on Logistics Team

- Everyone dependent on IT Team & even Security 

   Personnel

- & PM is dependent on PMO !!! 

     { One can add many more dependencies }

Even within the department person is dependent on other person's work. If we wish to WOW !!! our customer, WOW!! person dependent on your work by giving not only best of you but more than what is expected. { going out of the way to make his work easier , faster and even beautiful }

Advantage:

1 -  You r happy { doing something great plus you also will get dependable work from colleague on whose work u r dependent }

2 - Fellow Employee is Happy

3 - Every one in the org Happy

4 - Customer { External } Happy

5 - Time of rework or recheck saved

6 - Culture of WOW !!!! percolates

7 - Everyone work to WOW !!! daily , on every assignments

Bottomline : 

Blue Ocean creation for the company. 

{ unbeatable competitive advantage }

We need new age economic theories to Deal with Double Dip or Multiple Dip Recession ?

Economies after Economies are stumbling. World is under dire economic crisis (Hidden and deferred somehow)

Every Governments world over are corrupt.

Most organisations { public and private } are employing corrupt or unethical means to achieve their ends. 

Therefore we can conclude that leaders at most levels & geographies are failing. 

We are struggling to manage all the above in the new economic order and its dynamism. 

Keynesian or Marxist  both theories r seems to be out of order and need total overhaul and rethinking. Our RBI Governor raising interest rates to tame inflammation is somehow not digestible. All policies and steps appears to be a guess work and trial and error methods.

Companies achieving financial results or cooking accounts to look sound by all means is not acceptable. (people, society and environmental  - casualty)

We are growing and hoping to grow but scholars and researchers need to put in more time and efforts to figure out how to not only survive but grow in the new age of digital population. 

Our lifestyle, means of production ,means & speed of communication, preferences, wealth creating business models, spread of social enterprises and its impact, socio economic condition, age of start up and retiring population & multi polar world - everything has undergone a SEA change. 

Inspite of MEGA change in the scenario around us we cant be guided or influenced by age old economic policies or  management principles.  We need total re-imagination and rethinking to solve problems of TODAY. 

Double dip or single dip or deepest recession  - we need creative and refreshing thinking LEADERS at all LEVELS. 
{ Country, institutions , enterprises and society }. 

Recheck and re imagine your area of influence and how to keep these influence not only growing but  INTACT also.

" The future will not be an extrapolation of the past " CK Prahalad { Still we try to find solution from the extrapolation of the past theories !!!).  

Don't go back to proven theory books , but { need to } create ONE.

Few Reasons why WE must shed our employer Loyalty Mindset - NOW!!!!

" Applicant should be ready to work 24 X 7 " was the sentence in one of the recruitment Ad in leading national daily today. 

I wonder who would apply for such jobs ???

Under the pretext of loyalty and commitment these type of companies are social evils. They do not want us to be with ourselves, our families and live our lives. 

We are first loyal to ourselves. In Mahabharata KARNA was first responsible for himself but he choose to remain loyal first to Duryodhana knowing fully well that D was wrong. We all know the result of remaining loyal to wrong people ( Boss & Company too) . Likewise all fanatic target crazy and only ROI focused ( not sensitive to employee happiness, customer WOW !!! and social responsibility )   companies wants us to be their slave under the pretext of loyalty and commitment.  { How many companies are interested in happiness and lives of people working for them????  }  ( why no companies measure non financial measure of success like people happiness, customer happiness , social and environmental commitment every year ) 

We all want happiness, time for family, time for self, time to enjoy not once in a year but on an ongoing basis. We all work , yes , for our passion but primarily for money ( lets accept the fact ) and money we can enjoy by spending it on our own life purposes and happiness. 

We spend our (only) life to earn for happiness , earn for education of children , earn for marriage of children and for our retirement corpus. This is possible through working for someone or for our own. 

We are compelled to stay on even through we do not want to is because ;

1) There is no other option

2) We don't want to  dare

3) We are afraid of change

4) We do not want to look at other options

5) Assume that known devil is better than unknown devil

(How abt the reality of - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara !!!)
 

Today's corporations are INSANE about growth & valuation sans sensitivity towards people influenced by their existence. 

( They give employment and money so they can demand 24 X 7 of our weeks !!! )

Something must change fundamentally, the way we manage our companies. 

[ Add On : Must Read ( by board, CXOs and empoyees at all levels ) : Seven Days Weekend by Ricardo Semler. ]

Surprise & Suspense Element of Your BRAND?

We { Consumers } like something EXTRA than what we are expected to get. Value of that EXTRA is incomparable. It becomes talk of the town, cause for referral point and repeat experience. 


Mindset of offering EXTRA  { going out of the way } , entrepreneurs can make their offerings Extra Ordinary.

- Surprise - Offering Pleasant EXTRAS

- Suspense - Every-time something Different ( Different Surprises ) 

Restaurant is offering free meal every Monday but it will not be announced in advance. At the time of billing customer is informed that it was free.

Stock Broker is offering brokerage refund for one week and next time sending free gift holiday vouchers to their value clients.  

Home Builder is offering school scholar ship to children of all habitats. Next time full sponsorship of all festivals. ( We have in India many many festivals we celebrate )

Dentist offering free Coffee ( CCD or Barista or Starbucks ) to their patients , next free annual check up for the family.

Garment Store offering free  { Fashion tips and grooming seminar } , next family picnic pass.

Accounting Firm offering free accountants training to clients , next free seminars to clients from marketing experts. 

What are the SUSPENSE and SURPRISE elements of your BRAND ? { Most brand unfortunately do not surprise and offer suspense but sacrifice i.e. less than expected/promised  offerings !!! }

2 Reasons to transform your Saloon into Beauty Parlor

Recently my wife returned from beauty parlor having her hair cut. I just asked { out of curiosity } - what do they charge. I was !!!!!! on hearing the price. They charge 4 times than what our poor fellow barber charges. 

We go to Saloons and they go to BEAUTY Parlors. 

This is what is customer experience and positioning is all about.

Our Barber, Hazaam or what we call it are low profile, hardly professional, basic services, trained in their villages kind of person. They can maximum talk about Hindi movies and their village life. They do not position them as Handsome Parlor !!. They THINK that they just provide basic hair cut services. { They do provide all other ancillary services as provided in Beauty Parlors but sold only as one of the menu items }

Beauty parlors are run by better trained and professional people, they convince u that they play important role in HOW u look.  They have different ambiance, products and knowledge. They discuss abt beauty , yr look and advice u also.

Outcome U produce for the customer decides what u do.

Are u a tax practitioner or Compliance and Governance consultant? 

Are u a Gym Instructor or Fitness Guru?

Are u a Film Company or Entertainment Company?

Do u run a water park or Theme Leisure Park?

Are u an Internal Auditor or Risk Officer?

Are U an Insurance Agent or Risk Management Advisor?

Are u an employee or LINCHPIN  { Proactive, thinking and assertive hence indispensable } ?

Are u a Cook or Chef ?

Are U a Real Estate Company or Delivering Happiness Business?

Are u a Prime Minister or CEO of the country?

Outcome WE produce for the customer not only decides what WE do but hugely influences price ( reason 1 ) we charge. { it will change our thought process also ( reason 2) }

3 Umpires { Self Appointed } in our lives - Driving us Crazy

Yes we have been hugely driven by 3 umpires of our life            ( Personally and Businesses too ) .

These are ;

1) Society - What other ( peer pressure included ) will say is many a times influencing your decisions ??

2) Media - How media will react is making us hide the facts or do u have need to manage them to hide the facts ??

3) Stock Analysts - They are the major cause { though not direct } of Satyam and many such frauds ( detected /undetected ).  They can hammer and bring down price of yr listed entity but cant impact intrinsic value and future potential of the enterprise.

If one can ignore these 3 umpires  { Self Appointed } and focus on the facts and own independent free thinking , without being influenced by these 3 umpires, we can have hugely happy & stress free life.

" If you can sing your song , not worrying who Listens and what they think, you are going to be extremely successful" – Deepak Chopra

Ignore these 3 Umpires. Don't allow them to take charge of yr life. 

4 KRAs of Chief Customer { xperience } Officer

Companies those who Want to focus on Customer. 

Step - 1 - Appoint Chief xperience Officer      ( Reporting to CEO )

Step - 2 - Assign Powers to C Ex O             ( he is a part of every senior management committees ) 

He is the Bucks Stops Here kind as far as customer experience is concerned.

H(er)is KRAs:

1) Making Customers FAN of the company brands

2) Focus on Customer Referral is the way to get substantial additional business

3)Improve company Net Promoter Scorecard

 

4)Making company culture customer focused      ( Tweaking/Re engineering business processes and making people more sensitive to customer needs  { internal & External })

He will not only make company customer centric & talk of the town but also substantially add to top and bottom line. 

Only way to handle - Return , Refund , Cancellation & Customer EXIT !!!

We remember LAST incidence. LAST incidence influences all future decisions. We observe how companies are behaving during unpleasant customer action i.e. discontinue, refund, return, exchange, exit, cancel, don't want etc etc. 

Unfortunately @ MOST companies , processes r written & culture is developed such that it can not face such incidences GRACEFULLY.  

For CUSTOMER its a brand experience, for companies and point of sale its a lost sales &  customer gone. They think customer experience happens only when the customer is consuming our product and services. 

However if BRAND wants to become known for their superior customer experience it is NOW at the occurance of unpleasant incidence HOW it behaves is what matters the most.  

Most retailers follow fix time for return which is mostly inconvenient, no cash refund, so many T & C. Once we become Ex Customer, we are treated differently. 

Zappos.com follows - 365-day return policy with free return shipping.

BRAND has longer life than people handling returns and whose incentives may be impacted with returns. Who will develop such Culture ?? It starts @ the TOP. 

GRACEFUL , Pleasant, WILLING to let go though expect to SERVE in FUTURE , Facilitating Smooth Exit, attitude ( MOST PROBABLY ) will win back the customers. Not only win back but will make repeat and most referring customer.