EMBRACING THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY PART 2 - EMBRACING
Join us for the second installment of our six-episode series about the Experience Economy.
What is the epicenter of our corporate goals and objectives? Do we have our priorities pointing at the right target? Where does customer perception fit into the puzzle of our operational centricities? Do we embrace a company-first, or a customer-first mindset? The Experience Economy is notorious for slowly dissolving companies that consistently focus on internal initiatives, rather than the invoice-paying buyers! This five-minute show looks at how we hitch up our revenue horses to our product carts!
LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
Artist: Allman Brothers
Released: 1969
EXPERIENCE ECONOMY SERIES PART 1 - ACKNOWLEDGING
Join us for the first installment of our six-episode series about the Experience Economy.
What is the Experience Economy? How does it operate? What does it look, and feel like? What do other voices have to say? In this kick-off show we share 10-12 other voices that help us build a foundation of understanding. Once we set the cornerstone, we deliver five additional broadcasts that explore essential ingredients vital to succeeding within this subjective marketplace. We invite you to carve out 5-10 minutes per week for the next month and a half. We are confident these podcasts will be rewardingly fresh, and thought-provoking. Enjoy this series.
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Artist: Johnny Nash
Track: “I Can See Clearly Now”
Released: 1972
THE UPTICK IN BUSINESS GHOSTING
“Ghosting” is a societal trend that is taking up more office space then ten, twenty or thirty years ago.
Today we find various businesses choosing to ignore difficult customer questions, concerns, issues, and tedious follow through. Buyer frustration continues to mount, as vendors are absent, and unwilling to respond. Companies are utilizing these operational mechanisms with alarming frequency. Bad news is often on the horizon for these operators, as the Experience Economy usually has the last laugh. Companies that consistently “Ghost” customers battle low repeat transaction percentages, and slim referral rates. Don’t get caught modeling this trend…it might send your business to the boneyard!
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Artist: Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
Released: 1978
OVERCOMING WORKPLACE SPINIPULATORS
Crafty, cagey, cunning, corrupt, and creative, SPINIPULATORS are a unique breed of business people that cause workplace havoc.
This show offers some tangible ways to survive the ultimate workplace troublemaker. In these five minutes we define the character cocktail that combines the artful wordsmithing of a SPINNER, with the devious scheming of the MANIPULATOR. Shake this cocktail up, and the end result is a nasty, narcissistic, business nemesis driven by self-serving motives. Most of us encounter this business breed a few times during our career. We hope our episode helps you overcome your workplace SPINIPULATOR!
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Artist: Jethro Tull
Released: 1968
SHARING OUR LEARNED BUSINESS LESSONS
This show touches on the “WISE” versus the “WISER.”
Valuable business stories are one of the greatest gifts we can share with others. This week, we invite story-telling to be part of your life. It’s never too late to start paying insight forward. Step out, and share your lessons learned. What if one of your stories could help a friend, associate, or family member avoid a business snare in the future?
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Artist: Frank Sinatra
Released: 1966
IS YOUR COMPANY OTP OR ITP?
“Stinkin’ Thinkin” can stagnate companies, leading to unnecessary financial woes, and possible extinction.
High-achieving companies are usually habitual, best-practice chasers! Whereas, the “We’re just fine the way we are” companies, often watch the hungry, and eager-to-learn competitors chalk up success after success. Venturing out into the land of new ideas is a mindset that starts at the top of the executive chain. If your company is tired of the “same old, same old,” then it’s time to change the mindset, rev up the energy engines, and start driving your company outside the perimeter in search of continuous improvement.
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Artist: Bill Chinnock
Track: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”
Released: 1980ish
THE DANGERS OF STRING-ALONG SERVICE
Today’s show is a quick look at why we should avoid of deploying string-along service techniques.
The success of most business transactions is that they lead to repeat purchases, or referrals. So then why do we jeopardize these future events when we service our current customers? Half-truths, and fictitious stories litter the service landscape, as we attempt to avoid an order cancellation. Is this the right way to provide customer-pleasing service? Do these schemes serve the long-term survival of our companies? Today we examine these questions and more! Grab some coffee and enjoy!
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Artist: Joe Walsh
Track: “All Night Laundry Mat Blues”
Released: 1975
UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER MICRO-JOURNEYS
The Experience Economy feasts on the effects of the transactional micro-journeys.
Each transaction has multiple touchpoints that create their own customer impressions. At the end of a purchase, many of our companies have faced one, or maybe two dozen opportunities to please, or displease a paying customer. Can our companies identify these micro-journeys tucked inside each purchase? If so, do our businesses chart these? Do we train for these? Why should we even care about these? Join us for some ideas that should cause necessary, pause, reflection, and likely revisions.
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Artist: Horslips
Track: “The Man Who Built America”
Released: 1978
THE SNEAKY TRUTH BEHIND NO COMPLAINTS
Tucked inside our 228th podcast is the Experience Economy poking holes in the myth, that no news is good news!
Silence from customers is not always golden. In fact, this quietness might just be a loud megaphone in disguise. These five minutes ask some who, what, where and why questions. Our hope is for this episode to be an inspiration for making new, customer-pleasing discoveries. Cheers!
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Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Released: 1975
SCOUTING FOR DELIVERABLES
What are customers missing? What are the industry voids, and how can we detect them?
Scouts play a vital role in the military, and the world of sports. Adopting a scout mindset in business can help us detect marketplace voids, fill them, and monetize them. The business community will introduce these opportunities, as long as we listen, observe, and think. That is what good scouts do…they pay attention to their surroundings, and they are always on the lookout for capitalizing on a dropped ball. I started my sales agency 17 years ago, simply because I was paying attention to what the customers were complaining about, and then I formed a simple game plan that addressed eliminating those complaints. Delivering two, simple solutions is still making me good money, and it is still picking up dropped balls from other vendors. It worked for me, and it can work for you.
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Artist: Cream
Released: 2005
SIMPLIFYING BUYING DECISIONS
One day a man came into my tradeshow booth and told me I was presenting the product incorrectly. I listened. I changed, and so did the outcome of my efforts.
This piece of third-party advice changed my income, and the trajectory of a brand. It gives me great excitement to pay it forward in hopes it can do the same for you. I recently deployed this advice again in 2024. So far, the brand I represent picked up 3 new dealers. Grab a coffee, take a seat, and let this third-party advice be a blessing. “The Man in My Booth” changed everything. We will report the totality of results in September 2024. Enjoy!
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Artist: Ted Nugent
Released: 1976
THE BEAUTY OF BIRD PORTRAITS
A Conversation with Hal Moran
We are privileged to invite you on a short journey with a wandering photographer named Hal Moran.
Gifted in writing, speaking, and telling stories with his camera, we are delighted to have Hal share his heart with the audience. Bird Portraits are Hal’s specialty, but glorifying-God is the true heartbeat of this artist. This podcast host is a better man for knowing Hal Moran, and I am quite certain this cliché applies to many other people who know him. Enjoy this entertaining interview with our creative, and talented friend.
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Artist: CeCe Winans
Released: 2021
BUILDING TRUST THROUGH ISSUE RESOLUTION
This show is all about revealing our vendor-value to customers, while turning lemons into lemonade.
Issues can present a bevy of opportunities to put professional capabilities on full display. This episode encourages us to see issues as a glass half full, and not half empty. Issues are not the end of the road with a customer. Instead, they can be the beginning of building a super highway, of long-term business together. Customers want vendors that can solve problems quickly, independently, and creatively. The next time a problem surfaces, roll up those sleeves, and build trust with professional issue resolution. Cheers!
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Artist: Deep Purple
Released: 1973
REDOING LIFE AND BUSINESS
A Conversation with Mike Bitter
Mike Bitter shares his personal story, and his passion for enabling businesses to build better processes through technology.
Turning things around is a common theme with Mike Bitter. This interview illuminates the power of change in life, and business. While CRM processes are the sweet spot for Mike’s consulting business, spreading the life-changing message of Jesus Christ is the true measure of this man. Join us to experience the unbridled enthusiasm Mike has for life, and for serving customers in ways that lead to more repeat, and referral business.
L-I-T-S:
Artist: Kansas
Released: 1977
AVOIDING MAKING EMPTY PROMISES
Lazy phrases are often used to shut us up, and tell us what we want to hear.
Today we look at an empty, casual, and over-used response that we often deploy in life, and at work. In fact, we can almost see this picture in our mind’s eye; the responder is multi-tasking, void of eye contact, and then dribbles a few words that show they could care less about the question! What happens when we subject our customers to that half-baked response? They know that our true intentions have an 80% chance of ending up in the land of empty promises? How about our kids? How many times have we let them down? Take this show to the bank, and deposit some “CHANGE!”
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Artist: Paul McCartney and Wings
Released: 1971
CELBRATING OUR CUSTOMERS
How many days, weeks, months, or years go by before we let customer know that we appreciate their business?
The printed “Thank You” post card in the shipment box is a nice display of gratitude, but is it really perceived as sincere? Granted, the customer may appreciate the gesture, but how much more would it mean to hear, or receive the “Thank You” directly from us? Today we share five-minutes of how we go about saying thank you to our repeat customers. Unique ways of giving thanks can send a genuine, and endearing message to customers. Cheers!
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Artist: Rare Earth
Track: “I Just Want To Celebrate’”
Released: 1971
WHAT IF TRUTH COULD LEAD THE WAY?
Start the year with one word that can change everything!
TRUTH needs no strategy.
TRUTH needs no angle.
TRUTH needs no wiggle room.
TRUTH needs no sugar-coating.
TRUTH only needs a willing participant.
Give TRUTH a chance to guide your 2024.
In 35 years, I’ve never met a customer that hated TRUTH!
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Artist: Billy Joel
Released: 1978
IS WIGGLE ROOM GOOD FOR BUSINESS?
Today we break out the coffee as we look at the business concept of creating “wiggle room.”
Is wiggle room good, or bad for business? Join us as we examine both sides of this two-sided, topical coin. The bottom line, as always, is how can “wiggle room” affect the customer experience? This show contains a few, thought-provoking questions that only business owners, operators, managers, and executives can answer! Enjoy the Holidays!
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Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Released: 1975
THE CHRISTMAS GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
Believe. Receive. Rejoice.
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Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman
Released: 1999
ELIMINATING UNNECESSARY CUSTOMER CONFUSION
How about a little constructive fun to disrupt the rhythm of routine business?
First, gather the troops, and head to the conference room with pen and pad in hand! Next, ask everyone to “BE THE CUSTOMER” for this exercise. The third step is to focus on the concepts of simplicity, streamlining, one-click processing, time conservation, and ease of use. The fourth step is to list all the things you ask your customers to do, in order to process their business. Now, from the buyer vantage point, compare the “TO DO” customer workload, against the concepts we wrote down in step three. Lastly, work together to modify any workload that causes your customers unnecessary aggravation, confusion, hunting, pecking, excessive questioning, and loss of rebuy enthusiasm. We kick things off with three ideas for examination and contemplation. Cheers!
LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
Artist: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Released: 1965-1972
AVOIDING THE DANGERS OF HAPHAZARD INVOICING
Never sending, or collecting on invoices happens far too often.
The previous sentence sounds ridiculous! However, it is true for small, medium, and large companies. Reasons for this are usually rooted in the lack of systems or adequate procedures. Very few customers will volunteer to pay an invoice they never received. Today we flush out, and ask critical questions about this Silent Business Killer (SBK), We encourage all businesses not to leave hard-earned money on the table.
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Artist: Van Morrison
Released: 1970
SCALING OUR CORE COMPETENCIES
Customers love suppliers that consistently demonstrate customer-pleasing core values.
Corporate growth spurts can become very hectic and overwhelming. During expansion mode it is often difficult to maintain the core values that were once the glue of the smaller enterprise. The reasons for this are varied, but in many cases, value training is overshadowed by mechanical, and procedural training. So how do we get back to the glue that made the small company unique and attractive to customers? Today we look at some ideas to ensure that we never lose our bedrock values to the high-speed shuffle of expansion.
LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
Artist: Derek & the Dominos
Released: 1970
HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST TELPHONE MISTAKES
Imagine a well-intentioned phone call that gets really ugly in 20 seconds?
This happened to me recently. Why? The answer is simple…I let my professional guard down. I initiated the call in a casual manner, while I multi-tasked in the background. Twenty seconds into the call I ran into a POW!!! Why? I made two mistakes that I have been avoiding since 1985. For a large part of my career, I paid the bills by making 40-50 phone calls per day. Now, as a former trainer, phone specialist, and experience consultant, I fell victim to being out of phone practice. It was me who led that call to go awry! Today, we reacquaint ourselves with a trio of guardrails designed to keep our calls healthy and productive in customer-pleasing ways.
FYI: This podcast couples up with E213.
LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
Artist: Al Kooper & Mike Bloomfield
Released: 1968
DO WE NEED A TRIP TO THE TELEPHONE GYM?
For many of us, phone conversations are happening less and less compared to 10, or 20 years ago. The same trend is happening in business. Is it time to rebuild those verbal muscles?
Today we look at this evolution, and ask ourselves some relevant questions. Are we ready to receive, or make difficult phone calls? What happens when a simple business conversation takes a quick turn, and then suddenly things get heavy? Should business owners and operators look at telephone engagement as a trainable skill set, almost like an athlete who trains for the game? Would role-playing help our customer-facing associates? We layout vital questions that connect to Podcast E214, which airs on 11/23/23.
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Artist: Joe Cocker Mad Dogs & Englishmen
Released: 1970
USING THE NEW "NO" TO OUR ADVANTAGE
No reply has now become one of the favorite ways for buyers to say no.
As business owners and operators, this style of saying “NO” may seem inviting for our own use. After all, we can avoid confrontation by never having to explain our decisions. However, this trend could also be packed with a trailer load of negative effects on our business! True, trust-building partnerships will not be healthy with vendors who cannot take the time to explain the "why." On the flip side, ghosting from a current customer is firm indicator that a business relationship is probably a one-way partnership in disguise? Join us as we discuss how business owners can use this shallow, and weak trend to our advantage.
LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
Artist: Allman Brothers
Released: 1971
DO WE DEPLOY SERVICE PROCESSORS OR SERVANTS?
Do our customers see us as true client-success partners, clinical processors, or servant stewards of their time and money?
What kind of customer service experiences are we delivering to paying customers? It is incumbent on ownership, executives, and managers, to fully understand the impact service departments have on buyers. The buck stops with those three capacities of the corporate machine. The current business climate will bury companies that deliver unacceptable transactional care. Customers deserve to engage with CS Reps who have servant hearts, and they deserve CS departments that are built on the cornerstone of quality stewardship. Anything less will lead to a merry-go-round of new customer acquisition, just to replace recent defectors! Join us for a fast show that asks some transformative questions.
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Artist: Poco
Released: 1976
ARE SHORTCUTS REALLY WORTH IT?
The question for this show is an age-old chin-rubber. Are business shortcuts really worth it?
What are the typical end results on the backside of vendor claims that the four-hour job can be completed in two hours, or that four-day job can be wrapped up two days? In my life, the results are mixed, with the highest percentage leaning towards low quality of work. Reality dictates that rapid job completion is often associated with a host of unwanted problems for customers. So, the various questions for today center on how we value quality of work, versus speed of work? Where do our customers weigh in on this? Are there ways for vendors to deliver both speed, and quality? Join us for a fast show designed to facilitate healthy thoughts and ideas about making customers happy.
LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
Artist: Spooky Tooth
Released: 1974
CHASING WHAT CUSTOMERS ARE NOT TELLING US
Learning the mathematical power of customer defection rocked my world in 1988. For 35 years I have been chasing the reasons, and solutions.
Season 5 continues our hunt for ways to make customers happy, and to keep them coming back. The headwinds of the Experience Economy beckon the necessity to change our go forward coordinates. If we don’t change, the dreaded Silent Business Killers (SBKs) will overshadow our efforts. The business graveyard is full of companies that refused to, or did not know how to embrace the new metrics of customer satisfaction. We invite you to join us on this weekly chase where we ask important questions, pursue reasons, and look for simple solutions.
LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
Artist: Five Man Electrical Band
Released: 1971
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