Steve Yastrow

Trust is a most fragile brand value

In our current marketplace, trust is not enough to win you customers.  You have many trustworthy competitors.

However, the slightest chink in your “trust-armour” can lose you customers.  Here’s an example:

I have been a loyal customer of Orbitz for a number of years, creating a near-reflexive habit of going to orbitz.com when I need to book travel.  Each time I use Orbitz I am offered the chance to click a box and purchase travel insurance, which I never do.

I noticed three travel insurance charges on my credit card bill, related to three international reservations I had booked. When I called Orbitz they said it was too late to remove these charges since the travel dates had passed.  “But I never selected travel insurance” did not seem to be a plausible objection to them.

With the agent on the phone I walked through a couple of “mock” reservations, and learned that for international reservations travel insurance is pre-selected, and you need to opt-out if you don’t want it.

What a bait and switch.  For years I’ve been given the choice on Orbitz whether I want travel insurance, and then they sneak it in when I book international tickets.  My brand impression of Orbitz changed immeditately.  It went from “hassle-free/always-works/I-can-count-on-them” to “I better keep my eyes open from now on because they will try to take money from me when I am not looking.” We went from a We relationship to a definite Us & Them relationship.

Don’t ever be tempted to sneak something by your valuable customers.  For about $100 Orbitz lost most of the trust I had in them.  Making money in this way is a great example of “bad profits.”

Posted in We relationships | 8 Comments »

Make this the Week of Encounter

In every customer interaction, there are only three things that can happen:

1. Your relationship gets better
2. Your relationship stays the same
3. Your relationship gets worse

Scenario #1 is an “encounter.”  Scenarios #2 & #3 are “transactions.”

As you interact with people this week, in the course of doing your work, notice this at the end of each interaction: Is my relationship with this person better now than it was at the start of the interaction? Have we created a relationship-building encounter?

Here are a few places you can learn more about the differences between encounters and transactions:

• Chapter 2 in my book, We: The Ideal Customer Relationship.
• My free ebook, Encounters, which can be downloaded on the right side of this page.
• This newsletter, The Encounter Habit.
• And numerous blog posts on this site.

But, for this week, focus on encounter awareness.  Notice whether you are creating encounters or transactions.

Then, work on creating more encounters. Even if you are a master of business relationship-building, you have room for improvement. Everyone does.  Every customer interaction is not only an opportunity to build a relationship, it is an opportunity to practice the skill of encounter, one of the most valuable business skills you can have.

Posted in Customer Encounters | 4 Comments »

Make this the Week of Conversation

Conversation. Genuine Dialogue.

Relationship-building encounters can’t happen without it.

Make this a week of awareness about conversation.  During every interaction – with customers, vendors, partners, colleagues, bosses, direct reports, etc. – keep “The Conversationometer” alive in your mind:

- Are you and the other person engaged, at each moment, in true, genuine dialogue, or is one (or both) of you practicing “monologue disguised as dialogue?”

- How fluid is the conversation? What can you do to make it more fluid?

- How well are both of you listening?

- How relevant are your responses to each other? Are each of your answers and comments based on what came before in the conversation, or on a “pre-approved agenda” you wanted to force into the conversation?

Monologue does not move relationships forward. Conversation is critical.

Make this a week of conversation.

Posted in Conversation | 3 Comments »

“Believe in magnetism, not in needles”

This quote, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, captures why many businesses are missing the marketing potential of social media. Similar to the early days of Internet marketing in the mid-90’s, these businesses are focused on the technology and software (the “needles”), and not on the underlying reasons the needles move.  A focus on technology and software applications leads many business people to see social media as just another channel of mass media, through which their mass marketing messages can travel. This is what causes businesses to claim “We’re on Facebook!” when their social media marketing is just seen as another way to “get the word out.”  (See this earlier post I wrote on tompeters.com, along with the rich comments from the tompeters.com community.)

Emerson’s quotation is actually a perfect metaphor for social media, since the “magnetism” that we should focus on is found in the social connections and relationships that you can nurture and facilitate with social media.

It’s easier to believe in magnetism, and not in needles, if you focus on a few key points that differentiate social media from mass marketing:

•    Mass marketing is one-to-many.  Social media is about facilitating community.
•    Mass marketing is about “getting the word out.”  Social media is about nurturing conversations.
•    Mass marketing is about creating a transaction.  Social media is about strengthening connections.

Community, conversation and connections.  This is the magnetism.

Posted in Marketing | 3 Comments »

Practicing “Now” in Mauritius

Many hours in airplanes, the beautiful Indian Ocean, and a chance to practice “now.” One of the things I really like about traveling to far-away time zones is the chance to practice some life and business fundamentals that contribute directly to business success.

Here’s a short video I shot yesterday:

I’m carrying on with my theme of the last week, focusing on really specific things we can all do to improve our business relationships and relationship-building encounters, moment by moment. Some of the biggest obstacles to being effective with business relationships are the zillions of distractions that keep up from being present as we engage with others. Practice “now.”

Posted in Customer Encounters, Invent Your Future | 2 Comments »

The Encounter Habit

Today’s newsletter is called “The Encounter Habit.” Here’s the rub: Relationship-building encounters are the most important products you produce, every day.  At any moment during a customer interaction, monitor how well things are going, and be alert and ready to improve the encounter.  It can be done!

Pay attention!  Be alert!  At any point in time, you can turn a customer interaction into a relationship-building encounter, and avoid having it devolve into a relationship-eroding transaction.

I’ve just landed at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, from where I will fly to Mauritius later today, landing early tomorrow morning.  Continuing my theme from my “Pain is Inevitable, Suffering is Optional” post at the beginning of this 17-day odyssey, I successfully managed not to let United Airlines’ silliness upset my travel peace of mind, even during the O’Hare check-in process that required two lines, one for checking in and one for checking passports.  (Could have been the “Not” example in an Industrial Engineering 101 class. )

I know it’s strange, but I really like these transition days in Europe … somewhat serene from too little sleep, ready for a new adventure.  Check out my “Warsaw Walking Yoga with Joni Mitchell” video blog from last summer.  Regrettably, I don’t have enough time before my next flight to go into Paris for a few hours, so I’ll have to find something interesting in the airport.  Hey, I might even have a chance to practice the Encounter Habit.

(Post update 8:30AM Mauritius Time, Wednesday, 11:30PM Chicago time, Tuesday: Just arrived in Mauritius. Beautiful suite at Le Meridien’s resort, overlooking the Indian Ocean on the north shore of the island.  After a zillion hours on airplanes I should sleep, but I need to go outside.  Finally got to meet my friend, client and host, Kiran Dinaran of Multievents, in person, after months of Skype and email.  Looking forward to a great couple of days here.)

Posted in Customer Encounters | 9 Comments »

Be irreplaceable

Don’t just be your job.  Be you.  Be irreplaceable.

This is a post I published on tompeters.com today.  When creating relationship-building encounters with a customer, it’s critical that you interact in a way that is unique to you, and clearly you.  After all, there is no one else like you.

Posted in Customer Encounters | 3 Comments »

The Conversationometer

It’s Day 2 of my 17-day odyssey, sharing ideas with people from Seattle to Mauritius.

I’m writing while on a flight from Seattle to Newark, 25 rows behind Rudy Giuliani, who is sitting in the aisle seat in the first row of first class. Rudy got on the plane early, and did a great job of keeping his eyes glued to his BlackBerry as people stared when they crowded past him. (Update for those of you who read yesterday’s post: After much hassle, I got my suitcase back from United Airlines. And, I stayed calm throughout it all.)

One irony of my travels is that, although I’m traveling alone, I’m constantly engaged in conversations. Conducting interactive workshops, side conversations with people during these events, engaging in a stream of phone calls as I move from place to place, chatting with people in lines at the airport; I’m always talking with people.One thing I always try to be aware of is the quality of the conversation I’m in.

How fluid is the dialogue? Is there too much monologue? Are we connecting and sharing? Are we both present? I grade myself pretty hard. If you’re speaking with me, and I drift into monologue, you can bet that I know it and I’ll chastise myself later. If you catch me spacing out, not paying attention to what you’re saying, you should be confident that I caught myself also. (Even though I’m spacing out.)

In fact, if you’re ever speaking with me, in person or by phone, and you think my quality of conversation is lacking, I invite you to call me out on it.I think of this self-monitoring as “The Conversationometer”, and I think it is a really healthy tool to use, all the time. In every conversation, especially those with customers, continuously monitor the quality of your dialogue. Is the dialogue fluid?

Am I listening, and responding based on what I’m hearing? Are we locked in together in true dialogue, or are we committing “monologue disguised as dialogue?”In an interview on page 83 of my book We, Karyn Kedar uses the metaphor of a sailboat tacking with the wind to explain how to keep a conversation on track. You’re paying attention, constantly feeling the wind, and making adjustments as needed to move swiftly through the water.Why is it so important to self-monitor your contribution to a conversation? Because your customer is also monitoring the quality of the conversation.

Don’t believe that you can get away with monologue, or weak dialogue, without being found out. Use The Conversationometer to ensure that you are totally engaged in genuine dialogue with your customer.When I witness someone entrenched in monologue, it often seems like they aren’t even aware of what they’re doing. They get on a roll, blabbing away, without even noticing that they’re not really in a conversation. I want to hold an aural mirror up to their ears (that’s a bizarre image) and say, “Listen to yourself!” Which is ironic, because most of the time no one else is listening to the monologuer.The most important asset your business has is its relationships, and true conversation is the blood flow of relationship-building encounters.

Think of The Conversationometer as being like one of those heart monitoring machines in the hospital. Don’t flatline.

Posted in Conversation | 6 Comments »

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional

Last night began a 17-day odyssey, with travels taking me to speaking events in Seattle, New Jersey, Mauritius (look on your globe a few inches to the right of Madagascar), San Francisco (two events), and then up to Wisconsin with my band to play three times over a weekend. I’m expecting 64 hours in the air over the next two and half weeks, in addition to about 16 hours in airports and 12 hours getting to and from airports. I’ll make it home for a few odd nights along the way, staying just long enough for my geriatric dog, Puck, to get confused.

I’m excited about the work on these trips, but a bit concerned about dealing with all of the travel.  While on the flight this last evening, I was thinking that the best way to deal with mega-travel like this is to treat it like yoga. Relax, be present, don’t be anxious about things happening in other places. Focus on the moment I’m in right now. Avoid thinking, “When are we gonna get there?” and don’t let any travel hassles shake my peace of mind.  The four-hour flight from Chicago to Seattle was enjoyable; I settled into my seat, got some work done, read a bit, chilled out.

Well, this peaceful mentality was tested 10 minutes after arriving in baggage claim in Seattle, when it became clear that my suitcase (full of today’s presentation materials) didn’t make it on the flight. But just as my blood started to boil, I caught myself.  Yes, I think United Airlines is inept for making me wait in baggage claim, and then in a baggage service line, when they’ve known that my bag was lost for the last three hours. Why not send a message to me while I’m on the flight? Why not give me $100 to buy some stuff instead of saying “Government regulations give the airlines 24 hours to find a bag before requiring remuneration?” Why not apologize?

But I didn’t get upset.  I stayed calm.  Actually, I wasn’t calm for the first 30 seconds after the United agent confirmed that my bag was still in Chicago, but I caught myself.  I remembered that I have tons of travel in the next few weeks, and I don’t want to let these hassles interrupt my peace of mind.  This is not my normal reaction; I’m embarrassed to think about how many times I’ve lost my cool in airports.  But, hey, much of life is about practice and progress.

So why does this matter, beyond me keeping my personal stress levels down?

We Relationships are the great business differentiators in our new economy.  It’s very difficult to create lasting product advantages, and even more difficult to create lasting service advantages these days, because, if you are successful, your competitors are constantly trying to copy what you do and steal your customers.  But where your customers may see your products and services as replaceable with those from competitors, a personal We Relationship with you is unique, because it can’t be copied by the competition.

One of the biggest hurdles to creating relationship-building encounters is how the chaos in our lives makes it difficult to be fully present as we engage with our customers.  Here’s a common scenario:  In a workshop, I’ll ask attendees if they can tell when someone they’re speaking with on the phone is simultaneously checking email or surfing the web.  Invariably, people say they can discern this behavior, because it is obvious the other person is distracted.  Next, I ask them if they will commit that, for one week, they will not look at their computer screens during phone calls.  Just as invariably, people laugh and say, “No way, I know I can’t do it.  I’m so busy, I can’t resist looking at emails while I’m on the phone so I can get two things done at once.”

Now, take the same scenario, and add to it distractions from the BlackBerry, project deadlines, problems with other customers, personal issues, etc.  If we let these distractions get to us, we will not be able to engage our customers fully, and we will end up creating relationship-eroding transactions instead of relationship-building encounters.

Think about that.  As the distractions and stresses of modern business life increase, we are less able to have relationship-building encounters, at a time when relationships are the most valuable product we create.

As I wrote in this newsletter, We Are Not Multi-Taskers, “At any given moment, at places all over the planet, millions of interactions between buyers and sellers are devolving into mere transactions, missing the chance to be relationship-building encounters, because the people in the interaction are not fully present.” (For more on the idea of being present during customer interactions, see Chapter 2 in We or my free ebook, Encounters.)

So, if I let United Airlines’ ineptitude take over my brain, how will I be able to engage the audience to whom I will be speaking a few hours from now?  How will I be able to be fully present on the important call I need to have with a client before my speech?

As the Buddhists say, “pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”  You will be distracted. People, and your BlackBerry, will interrupt you. Thoughts about one customer will enter your mind as you speak with another.  People you work with will piss you off, and your blood will start to boil.  United will lose your bag, too.

But remember, relationship-building encounters are the most important thing you produce every day.  The more you can focus on the customer with whom you are speaking, right now, and ignore the distractions, the more successful you will be.

Posted in Customer Encounters | 8 Comments »

Recalibration Interview

Apparently, a Microsoft executive read my tompeters.com post on Recalibration.  That led to an interview with Microsoft’s Retailspeak magazine.  Here’s a link to the interview.

Posted in Recalibration | 1 Comment »