If your employee owns a cell phone, there’s a good chance they are stealing from you.

What are they stealing?  TIME!

This afternoon I had the occasion to watch the guys from the trash company collect our recycling.

It went something like this…

1) While talking on his cell phone, the guy using his free hand attempted clumsily to navigate the collection container up my driveway.

2) Then, again while using his free hand, the guy slowly loaded my recyclables into the collection container.

3) Then, after pausing for a rest (while talking on the phone) he slowly walked back down my driveway.

4) Upon arriving at his truck and realizing that he would need two hands to empty the container, he proceeded to talk on his phone for several minutes until his buddy came over and used his free hand (yes, he was also talking on his cell phone) to help lift the can.

When I last saw them, they were both still walking slowly and talking on the phone.  I wish I had it on video.

Here’s my point.  While this example is particularly aggregious, it is emblematic of what I consider to be a major problem.

Too many employees have come to consider it normal and acceptable to talk on the phone while being paid by their employers to do work.

They work more slowly and less effectively. In my mind they are stealing time and destroying productivity.

Attention employers… you have the right to expect your employees full time and attention while on the job.

Cell phones & work don’t mix.

Ban those cell phones!

There are few stores that I enjoy browsing more than ‘Best Buy.’

Their buyers bring in an interesting selection of product and it is displayed in a way that encourages you to touch, play and learn.

That’s why I was so surprised to see this…

Yes.  That’s right. Office chairs secured to displays several feet off the ground.

Would you buy a chair that you couldn’t sit on?  I wouldn’t either.

And when they don’t sell, will the buyer decide that chairs were a bad idea or will they consider the possibility that they were simply displayed poorly?

My point is this… when you bring in a product, it is important to design the display in a way that makes it easy for customers to become familiar with a product and decide if they would like to buy it.  In this case, there’s no way that goal is accomplished.

Another point might revolve around wondering why a company known for dominating categories would bring in only 2 sku’s?  If their own buyers don’t look like they care about a product line, then why should we?

Look at things from a customers point of view and you are more likely to get where you want to go.

Marc

It’s no secret that businesses are having a tough time making last year’s sales numbers.

My phone is living proof of this as it rings daily from retailers wanting advice on how to weather the current business cycle.

And while growing sales is key to building a business, in tough times that is often not realistic.

Tough times demand survival and survival often depends on getting your costs low enough that you can stay in the black no matter what happens to your sales.

Unfortunately, too many business owners get locked into fixed costs that can’t be reduced at will.

Building leases, cars, loan payments, some types of advertising, etc are all examples of costs that stay the same regardless of sales.

Salaries often fall into this category too unless you’re willing to make some difficult changes.

Here’s my thought for the day…

How much can you do with how little?  Can you figure out a way to make more of your costs variable?

How can you avoid signing into long term obligations by purchasing services on an ‘as needed’ basis? For example, instead of leasing a larger building for infrequent sales bursts, can you utilize temporary storage whose cost goes away when you’re not using it?

How much can you do with how little?

There is money to be made if you can master that idea in tough times, and stick to it in good times.

Marc

Why is it that so many of us know what to do yet still fail to do it?

We learn lessons yet repeat the mistake…

We have instincts yet we ignore them…

We KNOW that a particular action is necessary yet we fall victim to inaction…

We know what is right, but might not do what is right…

I think it all comes down to one courageous moment.

• The moment when you leave your comfort zone to do what you know needs to be done.
• The moment when you risk it all because you know that the bigger risk is to do nothing. 
• The moment when you do what you know is right even though it may create controversy or pain.

More than anything, the courageous moment is when you look in the mirror and decide if you have what it takes to make the hard choice.

Will you hide from that moment?

 Marc

Here’s a recollection of something that happened years ago that hasn’t fully left my mind…

If you don’t already know, there used to be an airline called TWA (Trans World Airlines). After suffering extensive financial issues, TWA became a part of American Airlines.

I used to fly TWA a lot and earned what they called the “Red Card” which represented their highest frequent flyer level.  Essentially, you received an upgrade whenever there was an empty seat, etc.

Very soon after the change I was flying American somewhere and I was seated in coach (American had more stringent upgrade rules).

I was sitting next to a person who really should have been required to buy 2 seats and I noticed there were a number of empty seats in first class.  I politely inquired of the flight attendant if I might move up there.

She politely said no.  I responded by saying that TWA had always put its highest level frequent flyers in first class if there was a seat available.

Her response was “and look what happened to them.” 

I remember this a decade or more later.

There are any number of lessons here.  I’ll pick one…

Giving away costly extra services to your best customers may show your appreciation, but does not necessarily translate into benefit for the business. In fact, it may cost you more than you think.

[this part's for you, Barry]  Watch out what you give away. 

Marc Bluestone

I was having lunch with my wife at a “SanSai Japanese Grill” restaurant the other day (if you haven’t tried SanSai, they are mainly located in California & Missouri - excellent, fast & healthy food).

Laurie decided that she wanted to order a combination plate in a way that didn’t actually exist on the menu.

She ordered at the counter and you could see the cashier’s mind working to decide if it was possible.  Just at the moment that I thought he might say no, his eyes lit up to say “no problem”.

I was very impressed.  So many people instantly jump to a “why we can’t” attitude instead of thinking about “how they can.”

A few minutes later, the owner of the SanSai chain happened to walk into the restaurant.  I relayed this story to him, and he was pleased but not particularly surprised.

He told me that the cashier must have remembered their # 1 operating rule… “the answer is yes - now what is the question?”

These guys get it. They know that a customer’s needs must be catered to. And they know that training matters.

Does your staff know that they need to find ways for their answer to be YES?

Marc Bluestone

I walked up to a “Helio” kiosk in a mall anxious to learn about Helio phones (high-end smartphones that are supposed to be iPhone and Blackberry killers).

Instead, the sales representative went on a ill advised and never ending rant against iPhones.  They don’t work he said. They catch on fire he said. They run out of power in an hour he said.

It is important to realize that I never asked him what’s wrong about iPhones. Quite the opposite… I gave him an unimpeded opportunity to sell me on what’s right about Helio.

But he blew it. His negativity (almost anger) against a competitor I never mentioned reflected so poorly on his credibility that I just walked away. It made me wonder what iPhone did so well that allowed it to clean this guy’s clock so badly that he harbored so much angst.

Here’s the point… When selling your product or service, DON’T GO NEGATIVE against the competition!  Too often it will turn around and bite you.

Sell on YOUR features and benefits. Sell YOUR experience and credibility.

If the customer asks you for a direct comparison to a competitor, try to state your case while preserving a modicum of grace. There are ways to sell your superiority without bloodying the other guy.

You will look stronger and wiser for taking the high road.  And I won’t walk away.

If we put our minds to it, any of us could make a list of dozens of things that we could do to improve our business, our lives, our home, etc.

The problem is that identifying opportunities for improvement is the easy part.

Execution is what separates the winners from the losers.

People that get things done know two things…

First… you get more things done when you start with the ‘low fruit’ and work your way up (rather than reaching first for the ‘big idea’).

Second… you get more things done when you focus on just a few things.

In other words, if you give yourself just one thing to do, you’ll get it done.

If you have a list of twenty things, you might not know where or how to start.

Go ahead and make the big list, but carefully break it down into small actionable steps.

Take care of one at a time and you’ll get further faster than if you try to address everything at once.

Marc

If you are a retailer, it’s easy to fall into a lull after the excitement of the holiday season gives way to the relative tranquility of January.

Here are three things you can do to move your business forward…

1) CLEAR THE DECK of past issues.  Are there problems that need to be resolved? Phone calls that need to be made?  Checks that need to be written? Employees that need to be talked to?  Signs that need to be fixed?  Documents that need to be sent to the accountant for taxes? MAKE YOUR BUSINESS A NO PROCRASTINATION ZONE. You’ll feel better when you are caught up.

2) LET THE #’s EXCITE YOU.  Have you created a budget for 2008?  Now is the time to analyze your financial performance for 2007 and make some projections for 2008.  If your projected profitability is not what you want it to be, then what changes can you make? Trim expenses?  Find new efficiencies? Adjust your merchandising or marketing?  Set a new, higher profit goal and work backwards to see what you need to do to get there.

3) IMPLEMENT POSITIVE CHANGE. What things have you been thinking about that you know will improve your sales or operations?  What things did you identify in the sugestion above (#2) to help you reach your aggressive goal?  DO IT.

You can be in control of your business.  Take small, meaningful steps. Be consistent in your progress.  Slow & steady can win the race.

Something happened to remind me of a story from a few years ago…

Back when the internet was new, we bought a domain name for use by the business.  We developed a website and built traffic to the point where it became a significant selling tool and source of information to our customers.

Back when we bought the name, it wasn’t as easy as it is today.  GoDaddy wasn’t around and it was helpful to have the help of someone with some experience.

I employed a local web developer who had previously done a great job managing our network.

After the site was developed, I lost touch with him when I hired someone internally to further develop our websites.

Years went by and I discovered that we needed to renew our domain name (we must have paid for 5 years initially). If not renewed by a certain date we would lose it.

The registrar would not renew directly with me (even tough my name was on the ownership of the site) and said only the original registering person could handle the renewal.

For weeks I tried to find our guy without luck.  Then one day I learned some sad news… he had died.

I called the registrar back and they instructed me to send a notarized letter - which I did.

Several weeks, dozens of phone calls, several certified letters and a couple of fedex’s went by without luck.

Finally, the day before our registration was due to become available to others, I got the highest level manager on the phone and he said he would help me if I could answer one question… what is the name of your dog?

Turns out that was the question our guy had used for password recovery.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know and my guy was in no position to tell me.

The registrar showed no mercy, I lost the domain and someone else instantly bought it before I could buy it back.

The moral of the story is… for anything related to your business or personal life, have the keys, codes and passwords.  Don’t ever rely on anyone else because there is a chance they won’t be there when you need them.

Marc Bluestone