Recently in Random Thoughts Category
But something different is happening now, and it seems it took a community organizer to do it. The difference is palpable, and the victory-to-come seems obvious, now that I’m an ‘insider’.
I want to introduce you to a fabulous tool that I found. It’s called The Brain
It’s a 3D content management tool that makes it possible to store all kinds of data – data you can enter yourself, links to sites or documents, etc. – and have everything instantly available at your fingertips. I cleaned up my whole office once I installed it – all of those scraps of paper lying around, all those notes that I take for myself to do, or remember – all there, in front of me, organized in ways I can either see or immediately search for.
I work alongside of change agents as a coach and a support person. What I'm hearing, over and over again, leads me to believe that everything boils down to a People Problem.
I'm familiar with an outsourced project that includes a 13,000 page
contract, and yet somehow, people problems rear their ugly heads over and over again: people not communicating fully; people not doing a whole job and covering up, leaving others at risk for failure; people not talking to their managers to discuss problems, and trying to do it all on their own; people making assumptions that are inaccurate and not checked out until there is a problem.
Each and every time there is a mis-communication, or a non-communication, a withholding or an avoidance, there is a direct consequence to the project. And the project begins to slip - almost imperceptable at first, but quite pervasive in short order.
What needs to happen for us to recognize that the focus of all of our work is People?
At the suggestion of my realtor, when I purchased my new house I went to Nationwide for a new insurance policy.
What a shock. The original agent didn't return my first 3 calls. Oh stupid me! I should have known there would be trouble ahead at that point, but I trusted my realtor.
Anyone have any thoughts about what happens to an old visionary like me when the ideas I've been distinctively touting become mainstream?
Do I become mainstream?
Do I get caught up in the delivery of a mainstream product that would be best delivered by others? or do I move on, finding other venues for my ideas and seek new visionary markets?
What happens to the rest of my new/creative/visionary ideas that I dream of bringing to market?
I fear there is no right answer here.
Just got off the phone with AT&T after calling to change my address. As soon as the rep had me on the phone, she began reading a doc I had to agree to: in order for her to help me, I'd have to agree to hear about new AT&T products.
What does 'I Don't Know' really mean?
When someone really doesn't know, the entire question asked of them sounds like fuzz. Their response is 'HUH? WHA?'
When they say 'I Don’t Know' that is merely a piece of a sentence, the rest of which is: I don't know where in my brain that data is stored so I don't know where to retrieve your answer.
When you hear that response, rephrase your question. After all, the meaning of the communication is the response it elicits (an old NLP Truth), and you aren't communicating well. So rephrase until you get a relevant response.
Remember that the Sender is responsible for the communication.
Where do you think your prospects go after you've done your info gathering, made your pitch, and set up a lovely relationship?
What makes you think that solving the problem with a new product is their ultimate goal?
What makes you think that making a purchase (of your product) is the next step for the prospects - that just because they have a need and you have a solution that they are ready to make a buying decision right now?
It's been a long time since I've posted a blog, and I'm curious as to how you all are doing. I'd like to pose a string of questions, and welcome responses so we can begin a dialogue.
1. how would you know that the skills you are currently using are giving you the results you deserve?
2. at what point would you recognize that you could be more successful if you weren't approaching sales from a product placement/problem solving model?
3. I teach a decision facilitation model that requires a wholly different way to listen, respond, and a different outcome than conventional sales - but it's way outside conventional thinking. What would you need to know about the model to consider adding aspects of it to your current routine - and what would you need to know about the results to consider it worth your while?
Until now, my material has been welcomed by visionary thinkers, and is now crossing the chasm into Early Adopter. To this end, I've developed a more mainstream training program and am eager to find companies seeking to add new training to their current skill set.
How would I best approach companies to help them discover whether or not they could use the new skills i offer?
I welcome a dialogue. Thanks for the interest.
Sharon Drew
I recently had a computer meltdown. I suspect I had some spyware. Whatever it was, I was in deep doo doo. I called Dell and ended up spending one hour and 22 minutes trying to get to the right person who could help me, given I was out of warranty, etc. In any case, I timed it, having had a long history of problems with Dell. By the time I got to the right person, I realize - o horror - that I no longer had a Dell (precisely because of their customer service) but now had a Compaq. I got off the phone immediately, then called
Compaq. Within 4 minutes, I got to the right person, and about 6 minutes later my problem was resolved. And that is why I switched to Compaq.
Companies forget that we have a lot of choices these days, and they
absolutely must be taking care of their clients. I recently was working with a very difficult fulfillment house - Integrated Fulfillment Services out of Floral Park, Long Island - and ended up having to leave them to find another vendor. My materials were often sent weeks late after a promise of a 3 day turnaround, sent by the most expensive delivery imaginable ($79 for FedEx rather than the exact same service at USPO for $14), and no communication
(making decisions on their own without telling me, waiting to send material because they assumed the receiver didn't need it, etc). They ended up costing me many thousands of dollars in lost business and good will. And when I removed my material, they charged me an exorbitant sum to ship the material and waited weeks before doing so, knowing that I couldn't fulfill my client needs until the new fulfillment house got the material.
How do companies exist, not truly caring about their customers? How do they let customers leave with bad will, feeling abused? Even if the problem can have no resolution, at least to have a dialogue to see if there can be some sort of win-win and as few bad feelings as possible.
We all have choices these days. It's time for good customer service to become part of our brands.
