Go take a hike

January 18, 2012 / by Collaboration / in Being a Business Owner, Overcoming Challenges in Business
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This past weekend, my partner Steve, our nephew Zach, his fiancée Trish and I decided to go hiking near our home at a place called Bishop’s Peak. Although we moved to the Central Coast nearly nine years ago, we had never climbed this mountain. As I reflected on the hike, I realized there were many similarities to achieving one’s goals for 2012.

First, when we arrived at the trailhead there was no parking, which forced us to go back about a quarter of a mile just to find a parking space on a side street. Our hike began further back than we anticipated and it appeared that many other people were trying to achieve the same goal. Sometimes people will stop moving forward with their goal if they hit an early set back or believe the market is too competitive. You should still move ahead.

The initial part of the trail encompasses a grove of California oak, twisting and turning through a forest. Even though we lost sight of the peak of the mountain, we encouraged ourselves to stay on the path, trusting that we were headed in the right direction. I’ve seen people who, while implementing their plan, get so caught up in the day-to-day tactical aspects that they may not have sight of the goal but they keep plugging along. With your own goals you have to also continue to move forward, believing you’re headed in the right direction.

Along the trail we came across people running, rock climbing up the granite sides of the mountain, etc. It made me realize that we have to keep our minds open to multiple ways of accomplishing our goals. If your original method or tactics don’t work out, there is always another path that could get you to the goal. In fact, you may push yourself in the future to try reaching your goals using a different method or approach in order to achieve a different level of success once you reach the top.

On one point of the path, as we circled the mountain, it started heading downward. We began to question whether we were on the right trail as we appeared to be going down instead of up—we felt like we were getting further and further away from our goal. We soon came upon some fellow hikers from the opposite direction, who assured us that we were on the right trail, and informed us that it was going to get tougher ahead. When you’re on your path towards goal achievement, it’s imperative to find individuals who’ve been there before so you can check in with them, share your current state, and affirm you’re on the right track.

We assessed our status as we continued forward, comparing the city below to the peak of the mountain. As we got closer we could see other people at the top of the mountain. We became excited to see that we were getting close to achieving our goal, even though the trail had become steeper, more narrow, and full of rocks and outcroppings. We had to become more aware of every step we took, and we became more cautious as we proceeded forward. When pushing yourself towards your own goals, often it gets tougher as you get closer. You’re typically entering a new territory of skills and perseverance to make it happen. You have to push harder near the end, even though you may already be fatigued. Many people give up on their goals at this time, even though they’re so close.

We were approaching the crest of the mountain when we realized that we still had numerous granite boulders to climb to truly get to the top. Being so close to the end, we were energized to complete the goal. We now had to channel different skills than earlier, climbing between boulders, careful of our footing on the slippery granite. Then, we did it. We made it to the top of the mountain and it was incredible—360 degree views of the Central Coast! It was well worth the adventure.

On the path back, we discussed the great views and our successes. We now knew what to expect and would like to hike this trail again, but maybe from a different pace or approach. It’s important to evaluate your successes and enjoy the moment as you reach your goals, but also to be begin figuring out how to stretch yourself and your abilities next.

Bottom Line

As you begin the journey to achieve your goals this year, remember to keep an even pace and focus on the end goal. You may hit some ups and downs, but have faith that through your persistence and ever improving abilities you will be able to achieve your goals in 2012.

This is another article in a series on Michael’s entrepreneurial story and how being raised in a large family has influenced his career. To read the previous articles in this series, visit his blog at www.Collaboration-llc.com.

Michael Gunther is Founder and President of Collaboration LLC, a team of highly skilled business professionals who are dedicated to assisting proactive business owners to build profitable, sustainable businesses through results-oriented education and consulting services. Learn more at www.Collaboration-llc.com.

Change is inevitable, growth is optional

January 4, 2012 / by Collaboration / in Being a Business Owner, Growing Your Business, Leadership
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By Michael Gunther

Another year’s end is upon us. The last week of December always makes me reflect on the previous year—my successes, trials, tribulations, goal obtainment status, etc. Did I make the progress I’d hoped for twelve short months ago?

I realize that change happens to all of us every day, but for me this seemed to be the year of never-ending change—some trivial, some significant. If you’d predicted a year ago that some of these events would take place, I would’ve said ‘no way.’ But change seemed to be front and center for me this year—business partners leaving, volunteer organization management changes, service offering adjustments, and delegation skills and leadership abilities pushed to new levels.

I know ‘growth is optional’ and that change brings growth, but when you’re in the middle of a constantly changing and challenging year, the last thing I thought was that this was good for me, as I sifted through the adjustments caused by these fluctuations.

Yet, here I sit, realizing this was probably one of the biggest personal learning years for me in a long time. My core foundation is to be a learner—always reading and trying to grasp new concepts and ideas in order to move myself, my team, and my clients to new levels of performance. Sometimes life throws you situations that stretch you and force you to dig deep in order to find focus and determination to forge ahead. I definitely feel like I’ve pulled from resources I didn’t know I possessed to not just survive this year but to thrive.

The Top 5 Lessons I’ve Learned:

1. Employee transitions create the opening for relationships to form with new team members, and provide skill development opportunities for current employees to take on new roles and responsibilities. As painful as transitions may seem, they are never as challenging as we perceive them to be.

2. Delegation is the key to growth as a manager. This year I had to delegate more than ever based on my client load, as well as my volunteer obligations which required a great amount of time because of leadership transitions happening at those organizations. The interesting thing is that my effectiveness as a leader has also improved because delegating gave me more time to focus on the critical aspects of my business.

3. Stay focused on what you do best. New ideas or opportunities may always be coming your way. The ability to say ‘no’ to some projects is important. In addition, being true to your ‘ideal client’ profile (turning down projects based on the wrong client profile) is critical. The energy and time working with these individuals can be detrimental to you and your business.

4. It’s all about relationships. Maintaining strong relationships with your past partners and employees is incredibly important to me. These people have enriched my life and made me elevate my own skills. In addition, I hired them for a reason—they’re quality people—individuals who have and continue to contribute to my personal and professional growth.

5. Never give up, never surrender (as Buzz Lightyear might say). You have to continue moving forward, knowing that through hard work, smart decisions and a proactive attitude, you can get through anything. I know I tend to worry more than I should, but things always seem to work out.

The funny thing is that as I’ve been writing this article, an interesting fact occurs to me. Last January, at the installation dinner for my role as Chairman of the Board of Directors for our local chamber of commerce, my speech title and topic was “A Year of Change.” Little did I know I was predicting my own future for 2011. Life always does seem to come full circle.

Bottom Line

I’m definitely ready for the New Year with all the expected and unexpected challenges, changes and opportunities ahead of me.

One of my mentors recently gave me a book entitled “The Underachiever’s Manifesto: The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great.” I wonder if he’s telling me to slow down in 2012… No way, Bob—bring it on!

Visualizing your success isn’t enough

December 15, 2011 / by Collaboration / in Being a Business Owner, Entrepreneurship
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Another year is coming to a close, and once again I’m hearing from business owners who want to share their results, as well as express their disappointment for not having achieved what they thought they were going to over the past 12 months. The arrival of the New Year seems to give them new hope; they can dream big again and get excited about having a fresh start.

I can relate to this cycle of ‘big dreams’—they never seem impossible, and there never appears to be any reason why we shouldn’t be able to achieve them, yet each year we come up short. I don’t know about you, but for me this can be a very exhausting cycle. Each year, I’m constantly evaluating and challenging what has to shift within myself, my team or my company in order for us to attain the results I’m confident we can achieve.

Recently I came across some research through my Twitter account. There was an article in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology based on research by the authors, Heather Kappes and Gabrielle Oettingen. The gist of the article was that people who dream big or believe that they just need to visualize what they want typically end up not achieving their goals. Think The Secret—the book that Oprah promoted a few years back—the premise being that you just need to visualize what you want in life in order to get it.

According to Kappes and Oettingen, the brain will essentially decrease your inherent motivation for your ‘big dream’ because through the process of visualization the brain believes that you’ve already achieved this goal. The body and the brain will begin to slow your action or activity towards these goals because they don’t believe there’s a need to change. The dreamer then gets disappointed in not achieving his or her goals and thus, becomes less likely to have the desire to work towards anything in the future.

I read this article and began to relate it to my own journey—visualizing what I want to achieve, but then losing energy or motivation as time after time I fall short. They believe the missing element is being critical and clearly identifying the challenges, obstacles and possible negative outcomes as part of the visualization. (What are the downsides of not achieving your goals? What would prevent you from achieving your goals?)

Now this seems like a pretty basic strategic planning process, but how often have you heard “if you visualize it, it will happen”? That might work in movies like “If you build it, they will come” from the Field of Dreams, or in theory like books such as The Secret.

The reality is that just visualizing what you want will not get you what you want. I wonder if we fall for this concept because it seems like an easy way to get what we want. Because the truth is, it typically takes hard work, consistent discipline, a willingness to change your approach, and a lot of energy to achieve anything of significance. I guess the research by Kappes and Oettingen really supports this concept that there is no simple way to achieve ‘big dreams.’

Bottom Line

Be bold with your vision but be just was bold with outlining the risks and challenges in achieving your goals—with a clear measurement and strategic plan in place you are more likely to reach your goals as opposed to just visualizing what you want. In fact, if you don’t add the critical component to your day dreaming you probably will not accomplish the level of success you truly desire.

Is your business relevant in this age of social media?

December 1, 2011 / by Collaboration / in Social Media, Technology in Business
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If I’d asked you five years ago if you were tweeting, facebooking or blogging, you would’ve looked at me like I was a little off my rocker, or maybe thought I’d overdone a wine tasting. But that same question today wouldn’t seem odd at all. So how do you keep up with what is relevant and necessary for your business, and maintain a competitive edge into the future?

In my opinion, these so called ‘fads’ are becoming a necessary component of everyday business life. If your business isn’t strategically integrating all the various social media components into your marketing plan, you will be left behind in the coming years.

This transformation of information and technology reminds me of the internet in the late 1990’s and the initial drive for businesses to use it to grow and market through websites. It’s hard to believe that just 15 years ago websites and the internet were just beginning to gain traction in the mainstream business community. Who could forget the dot.com bubble and bust of the late 1990’s or early 2000’s?

At that time, I was a member of a team running a web development firm, and businesses fit into one of three categories:

The Early Adopters: Companies who immediately saw the value of the internet and assigned the necessary resources within their organization to begin to grow their internet presence.
The “Follow the Crowd” Folk: They understood that they needed to begin investing into their internet presence as they began to lose a competitive edge with their clients.
The “Hold Outs”: Those who resisted the thought of investing in the internet because they felt it was not relevant to their business. These businesses lost market share and did not understand the value of the internet in connecting to a whole new audience.

The reality is that every business today must use the internet as a necessary tool.

Let’s fast forward to 2011. I feel that we’re in another transformational trend for businesses called the age of social media. Integrated into this business transforming trend is the technological evolution due to the emergence of smartphones, tablets, etc. and the desire for a whole new personal level of connectedness between customers and businesses.

Customers want to be involved in your business like never before, whether you want their involvement or not. In the previous decade of technological growth, individuals had begun to feel disconnected to the brands and the communities of people who supported those brands. Enter the age of social media that allows communities to support their favorite brands, concepts and ideas with ‘like-minded’ people around the globe – and it’s mobile!

In addition, if you don’t perform well, transparency is the new reality. A negative customer experience can be uploaded to Facebook or YouTube in a matter of seconds and can go viral before you realize what’s actually transpired. Also, Yelp and Google reviews provide another outlet for customers who have both positive and negative experiences with your firm, which can make the difference for potential customers considering your business over a competitor’s business.

Bottom Line

Where are you in implementing a solid social media strategy for your business? If you have not embraced this trend, I encourage you to wake up to the fact that just because you may not understand it doesn’t mean it’s not relevant.

To maintain a strong and growing business you must be integrating social media into your business – ranging from marketing to customer service to recruiting.

Shake it up – what are you doing to shake up your business model to embrace social media. The old public relations or marketing campaigns have to evolve into a multidisciplinary approach which includes a solid social media strategy. A strategy aimed at creating and building client based communities who will be your best advocates for your product or service.

Oh, by the way, you can now follow me on Twitter @mgcollaboration

What traditions are hindering your business’ growth?

November 17, 2011 / by Collaboration / in Growing Your Business, Overcoming Challenges in Business
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By Michael Gunther

The other day I was having a glass of wine with my friend Debbie, who’s a bookkeeper, and she began to tell me a story about one of her clients who’d been performing these laborious accounting processes. She said they were completing multiple forms to even write checks, which only worsened an already time consuming task.

When she asked the business owner why this system was necessary, he looked puzzled and replied that he wasn’t sure except that years ago a former employee had instituted the process. She then asked if he ever referred back to any of the information on the forms, and he said no. That’s all it took for him to realize that there really was no purpose for the forms, and he ended the process on the spot. It was one of those systems that they had kept simply because they had always been doing it that way.

This reminded me of the story of a family’s turkey tradition at Thanksgiving. A little girl was watching her mom cut off the turkey legs and wings prior to putting the turkey in the oven to cook. The little girl asked her mom why she cut off the wings and legs, and the mom replied that it was a family tradition and it was the way her mother had always cooked the turkey.

The curious little girl then asked her grandma about this family tradition. “Why do we cut off the turkey’s legs and wings before we cook it?” The grandma told her it was a family tradition that her mother had started many years ago.

Still not satisfied with these answers, the little girl approached her frail great grandma to ask her about this mysterious turkey carving tradition. As the family matriarch listened to the child’s question, a wide smile spread on her face and she began to giggle. “There wasn’t really much meaning to this tradition,” she told the little girl. “It started because many years ago, my oven wasn’t large enough to hold the turkey, so I had to cut off the legs and wings in order to make it fit in my tiny oven.”

This story makes me ponder all the ‘turkey carving’ traditions or processes that we may have within our businesses – those that were created out of necessity years ago, but may no longer be relevant or needed today.

You should encourage your team to question the ‘why’ of the processes and systems you have in place at your organization. Are they all really needed? Are they relevant to completing a task? Is there a more efficient or effective method that could be deployed instead? If the process was put in place to remedy an issue, does that issue still exist?

I’m willing to bet you’ll be amazed at what tools, processes, systems or reports within your organization may no longer be relevant or needed. We tend to do things that have always been done without considering why we’re even doing them.

Bottom Line

Don’t follow the ‘turkey carving’ traditions methodology in your business. Encourage your team to ask the ‘why’ question with everything they do. You and your team will discover processes and systems that might need to end or be refined, or new more efficient ways of getting things done.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving! And think about asking questions of the origins of your own family traditions – you may find some interesting answers.

How to Leverage Social Media and Track Your Results

November 4, 2011 / by Collaboration / in Communication, Marketing, Networking for your Business, Sales Growth and Tracking, Social Media
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“We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media, it’s how well we do it.” – Erik Qualman

Social media is a hot topic, and for good reason. Trends shift constantly in business, generally influenced by economic, political or technological factors – but social media is a result of the trifecta. Business owners now know they must incorporate social media into their marketing strategies, but most don’t know what that entails.

There are a number of people who can give you the “How To” in terms of creating a business page on Facebook, posting a video on YouTube or creating a LinkedIn profile – but simply having a presence online isn’t enough. You need to know how to engage on different platforms, and you must measure your results to determine if you’re getting any ROI.

The 3 keys to successful social media in business:

1. Define your Goals

What do you want to achieve through social media? If you’re just doing it because you think you have to, well, you need to stop and examine your business development strategy.

Identify your Ideal Client Profile:

- Where are they?
- What are their interests?

Now, what do you want to gain by engaging in social media?

- Increased website traffic?
- Immediate e-commerce results?
- Expanding your brand’s geographic reach?

2. Outline your Strategy

Once you have clear goals you can create a solid strategy. It’s important to remember that social media is only a piece of marketing, and it shouldn’t be your entire plan. Depending on your business, industry and location, you can separate your plan into 2 segments: Brand Communication and Face to Face (or Relationships). Keep in mind, it takes 6-8 “touches” to close a sale, meaning, a potential client interacts with you nearly 10 times before they do business with you. Social media is a fantastic way to close the gap between these “touches.”

Brand Communication

- Emails, newsletters, greeting and holiday cards, advertising, PR, online tools and resources – these are all ways to increase brand awareness. It must be consistent, not intrusive.

Face to Face

- Relationships are critical. Don’t forget about the “social” part of “social media.”
- Attending events and trade shows, networking, being active in your community – these are all ways to engage on the Face to Face level.

Incorporate Social Media

- Now you’re going to pull from all of those efforts to create content for your social media outlets – but first, you have to know your platform and your audience (because they’re all different!)

Facebook
Think of it as the personal side of your business. Share pictures from community events to illustrate your involvement and the causes you support. Invite your “fans” to join you for happy hour and tag the watering hole (if the venue is managing their social media the way they should be, they’ll prepare for your visit and your post becomes an example of “social-media-in-action full circle”).

Twitter
Here you can follow thought leaders and share insights – you can choose who to follow, rather than being totally dependent upon someone choosing to “like” you. Although your goal will be to build “followers,” by following those who interest you and interacting with them, your audience will grow organically.
An example of this is seeing a post from Forbes about Marc Benioff (Salesforce CEO) and his incredible leadership. Now you can share this with your followers, giving them an awesome resource, as well as connecting with Marc Benioff and Forbes!

YouTube
Only 6 years old and named the 2nd largest search engine (behind Google, of course). It’s your chance to show people what you have going on – because it’s used as a search engine, your video (if properly optimized with keywords) will begin appearing in the results of these searches.
There is a fantastic example of this by Central Coast Surfboards. They were moving to a new location several blocks down the street and instead of loading all the surfboards into trucks and hauling them, they called upon their clients and employees to carry the boards in a long procession through town (which ended up being about 200 yards long). They put a clip on YouTube and have more than 450 views. What an awesome example of old school guerrilla marketing mixed with the new capabilities of social media!

Linked In
Think of it similar to Facebook, but professional, not personal. Build connections, share your blog, join “groups” relevant to your business – and participate in them – make yourself known. You’ll exhibit your expertise, build your following, and have a new source of referrals!

3. Measure your Results

Last, but certainly not least, you have to track your efforts. Are you meeting your goals? Is your website traffic increasing and from where are your visitors coming?

Utilize available online tools

- Google Analytics and email services like MailChimp provide accurate and critical data. There are many tools out there – Facebook has “Insights” for pages and Hubspot has a Twitter grader. Just implementing these tools gives you a place to start. (And speaking of awesome tools, if you’re not familiar with Hubspot, you should be.)

Create a tracking document

- This allows you to capture the big picture of your efforts and results on a monthly basis (you should be watching it daily based on a “past 30 days” segment, but record your figures monthly). Now you can see the fluctuation of website traffic, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, event attendees, YouTube video views, and mailing list and blog subscribers. You should be utilizing your strategy and setting your goals to continually improve these results.

Download the Collaboration Marketing Metrics Tool Here

Identify lead sources!

- You should have manageable categories to classify all of your marketing activities, including online / social media segment.
For example
Face to Face: Event
Face to Face: Volunteer / Community
Face to Face: Networking Group
Brand Communication: Email / Newsletter
Brand Communication: Advertisement
Brand Communication: Social Media
- With a CRM such as Salesforce, you can indicate the “Lead Source” for every opportunity and create a report to show you which marketing efforts are paying off – literally. If you don’t have a system to help you, simply make it part of your routine to record the source of each customer and make it part of your tracking sheet. You might be surprised at the results!

Finally, review and revamp

- If you see that something is working, you may want to consider how you can improve it or take it to the next level. If you are putting efforts into something that isn’t providing value, move on.

Once you have this system in place, you will begin to fully realize all of the marketing activities you have in motion, and which ones are the most valuable. You will streamline your business development, concentrating your time and money where it yields the highest ROI — and you’ll have the measurements to prove it!

Beware of the ‘bling’ in your business

November 3, 2011 / by Collaboration / in Leadership, Overcoming Challenges in Business, Time Management
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By Michael Gunther, Founder & Managing Partner

Okay, I‘m not the hippest guy around. In fact, I’m sure it’s safe to say my friends wouldn’t associate me with the word ‘hip’ at all (except maybe my friend EJ, but then again he isn’t hip either). But I’m going to use the word ‘bling’ to describe all the ideas, opportunities, paths, etc. that distract us from the items we should be focused on in our businesses.

Not only have I seen many business owners trying to chase ‘bling’ when they should be focused on the basics of their business or projects they already have underway, but I’ve experienced this quite often myself as a business owner.

You’re working hard trying to build your business and you’re looking for answers to help you take your business to the next level. You think there must be an easier way to get the job done; there must be a simpler way to grow your business. You figure, it just can’t be this hard. Then, the bling appears – you jump head first into a new strategy and forgo all the work you’ve already accomplished because this new bling is so shiny and exciting.

So where does the bling come from?

You’ve just read the latest management book and discovered some great new ideas or theories on ways you need to shift your business. You get your management team to read this book and begin implementing the new concept or ideas that you are confident will solve your business challenges… Until the next management book comes out and you shift direction once again. We call this the “book of the month club” management style.
You’re attending a seminar and the keynote speaker runs a very well-known successful company. He or she is sharing strategies and ideas and telling you what made the company great – even as specific as the top 5 things you need to know to build your business. You leave this seminar wondering how your business can implement these basic strategies. You once again go to your team with a new direction. This dance is called the “keynote shuffle”.
You’re in a CEO round table and another business owner describes a new strategy or direction that makes so much sense that you just have to try it in your business. You immediately go to your team and begin to implement these changes, but after a short time you realize you don’t achieve much success. You’ve just committed the crime of the “cookie-cutter CEO”.

I could go on and on with more examples of bling. I know I’m constantly seeing new opportunities for our business – reading how technology is changing so rapidly and considering how we need to innovate our service offerings. I swear I have 10 new ideas every week for how we need to do things differently, how we need to grow and what services or products we could be offering, and ways we should be improving our operation.

I’ve come to realize that there is no ‘magic bullet’ – no one idea or strategy that will transform our business. In addition, these authors, keynote speakers and CEOs are only sharing a piece of the picture. They’re not sharing the trials and tribulations of the implementation process. They’re not sharing how laser focus and persistent behavior have to be integrated into any approach. And rarely is there overnight success. Typically the people we read about or listen to at seminars have been building upon a consistent theme.

I’ve also discovered how challenging it is for a team to be constantly shifting in new directions. If someone on your team asks “what are we doing now?” it should be a clue that you may be a bling chaser.

I’ve learned that having a strong strategic plan in place is critical. A plan that is evaluated semi-annually to make sure you’re heading in the right direction. The plan allows you to evaluate new strategies and opportunities against where you want to go. I know my team keeps a ‘bling list’ so that when I read, hear or see a new opportunity that I don’t want to lose I have them put it on the list and we can come back to it during a strategic planning session.

Bottom Line

I’m not suggesting you stop reading or looking for opportunities or ideas to improve yourself and your business. I don’t want to eliminate your creativity or exploration of pushing your performance.

I’m suggesting that you put those new ideas and concepts into perspective and introduce them to your team when it seems appropriate. Make sure these new strategies are fitting into your team’s strategic plan for moving forward in creating the business of your dreams.

3 Keys to Business Development

October 26, 2011 / by Collaboration / in Being a Business Owner, Leadership, Relationships in Business, Sales Growth and Tracking
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As a business owner, you are the leader of your sales efforts, whether you like it or not. Much like the act of purchasing an Apple product conveys the feeling of being connected to Steve Jobs, it’s your reputation, innovation and expertise to which clients and employees are attracted.

Collaboration’s Business Development expert, Christin Frederick, shares her 3 Keys to Success for business owners to drive their sales:

1. Connect to Your Ideal Client Profile
“It takes some time to narrow down what that profile looks like, and then to learn where they network and figure out how to connect. But if a business owner can make a shift from thinking they need to be salesy in promoting their business to just reaching out authentically and wanting to have a conversation with someone, then it’s a natural step.”

2. Create a Strategy to Build Relationships
“Business owners will mistake a short term or inconsistent advertising campaign for their marketing or business development plan. It’s only a piece of it. Advertising can’t replace relationship building, and that’s where a lot of business owners will stumble.

“Relationship building begins with a conversation, with listening and trying to understand someone’s story. You need to connect them with the value you provide. For example, I do that by sharing articles I discover that address specific issues a potential client has expressed, or by inviting them to attend a particular function I think would benefit them. I’m aware of their needs and of how I can help.”

3. Be Fearless
“Don’t be afraid to ask for a meeting – or whatever the next step in your sales process is. It’s the act of building the bridge between the general public and your company. One of the keys of a really strong business development plan is to know what the appropriate next step is for that potential client, and if they are your ideal client profile and you’ve built a relationship with them, you will know. Sometimes opportunities are missed because you expect a potential client to make the next move, but it doesn’t happen that way. You have to be proactive.”

Bottom Line
Don’t make it harder than it actually is. Get active and make your business known. The more you connect with people, the more present you will be in their minds when they do need your product or service and the easier your sales process will become.

Are your employees giving your business a bad reputation?

October 20, 2011 / by Collaboration / in Being a Business Owner, Customer Service, Overcoming Challenges in Business
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By Michael Gunther

I recently was on a flight from Oakland to Kauai and had an odd experience with one of the flight attendants – ok, odd isn’t quite accurate, she was blatantly disrespectful and intentionally rude.

Before you’re welcomed to the Hawaiian Islands, the state of Hawaii requires a completed Agricultural Declaration form to identify any foreign animals or plants that might come into their contained environment. This is standard and very similar to a customs form which is required in order to enter a foreign country. As an annual visitor to Hawaii, I’ve completed this form many times. It’s simply routine now, especially since my mind was focused on the much needed week of R & R that was just beginning.

As the flight attendant came to our row with the forms, I said I only needed one since we (I pointed to Steve, my life partner) were together. She immediately began to argue with me, asking if we had the same last name and insinuating we didn’t count as the same party. I assured her that we were together – for the past 18 years to be exact – but she insisted we were not.

I had to literally debate her and state that we are a ‘legal domestic partnership and registered in the state of California,’ at which time she tossed the form at us and angrily walked away. She proceeded to the front of the plane and relayed this story to another flight attendant, who replied and then continued with her work. There was no apology and no hint of customer service or awareness of the severity of the situation.

I was thoroughly embarrassed; other passengers were staring at us. I was angry that we’d had to endure her lack of training and her ignorance, and because of her actions I will never fly that airline again – no matter the cost of alternate travel arrangements. I realize there are more extreme cases of poor service that happen regularly, but this truly was the first time that I have felt deliberately disrespected because of who I am.

I then began to read the form, and right in the beginning it clearly stated that only one form was required per party – in fact, your party could be six different people as long as you lived in the same household! Wow. I really started to fume. Was this her first flight? Did this company not train their employees? Did the company deem it acceptable to discriminate against their customers?

The story continued to unfold as I learned that she was actually a senior flight attendant. How could she not understand her role? She had made a conscious decision to treat a passenger with disrespect and for what reason? Was she even aware of the damage her actions could have on her job and ultimately her employer?

Organizations that don’t value their customers and provide poor service – much less display discriminatory attitudes and behaviors – do not deserve my business. In addition, in this economy where businesses are struggling to survive, especially within the airline industry, how can they possibly afford to treat customers as if they don’t matter?

The Bottom Line

Businesses must be aware of how their employees are representing their organizations, and issues of bad customer service need to be addressed immediately. Especially in the age of social media, your reputation for bad service will spread rapidly and damage your image and your brand permanently.

So, Alaska Airlines, you should consider how you’re training your employees and spend some significant time focusing on creating a culture of inclusivity and a reputation of exceptional service. This will be the last time I fly your airline. Good luck in the friendly skies – wait, that’s the other airline I do like to fly.

Are you a 9 to 5 leader?

October 11, 2011 / by Collaboration / in Being a Business Owner, Leadership, Professional and Personal Life Balance, Time Management
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By Michael Gunther

Recently I had a conversation with Kaitlin, one of my team members, about leadership as it relates to building and growing a business. We were discussing a few of the various leaders we know and identifying some key similarities between them. She thought that the strongest ones were those who were active leaders beyond the 9 to 5 work week, as opposed to what my friend Lee calls “Levi’s leaders” – the ones who leave every day at 5:01, just like the blue jeans.

As I pondered these ideas and concepts, I wondered if what we were concluding was that leaders needed to be workaholics versus living a balanced life. Is there a perception that working longer hours makes you a better leader? With this in mind, I asked some other leaders and business owners what they thought about the concept, in hopes of gaining a wider perspective on the 9 to 5 leader.

What I discovered was that the strongest leaders worked smarter at their day-to-day tasks in order to have time to focus on developing their leadership knowledge and skills, which in turn made them better leaders and more successful at building high performing teams and organizations.

In fact, they were not only developing their leadership knowledge and skills related to their professions, but they were also focused on personal interests. It was actually quite intriguing – the individuals I spoke to had very distinct activities including flying, wine/food aficionado, surfing, photography, teaching fitness classes, and so on. These extra-curricular activities were driving them to excel as leaders, providing an outlet away from work to stretch their skills and abilities in different ways.

It appeared that the leaders with solid activities outside of work tended to be less stressed about their companies and more focused on getting the things done every day at work in order to enjoy their outside activities even more. Another characteristic I identified was that these individuals were avid readers. They didn’t just read business books and literature, but they read historical novels, biographies and current news periodicals. These leaders had a thirst for knowledge and were constantly expanding their views and outlooks on the world and how it related to their lives.

They were also able to respond to the day to day challenges at work quickly and were good problem solvers. I have to believe that these traits are again related to their constant quest for learning and improving their personal and professional skills.

Lastly, these leaders were all stimulating conversationalists – people who you want to enjoy an evening with discussing a wealth of topics and ideas. They have diverse life experiences and are knowledgeable in many interesting areas.

Bringing it back full circle to the work environment – no wonder they tend to be strong leaders. Their lives don’t revolve around their jobs, but their work is an element of their lives. They understand in order to achieve their personal goals, they have to learn how to work effectively through others. And isn’t that part of the definition of a good leader – one who helps others achieve their goals and outcomes?

Bottom Line

This concept made me think of a proverb by James Howell from over four hundred years ago – All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (1659).

Don’t be a dull boy like Jack – hone your work skills, develop outside interests and become a better leader. Your leadership skills will grow stronger the more you try to excel in activities both at work and in your personal life. Don’t just be a specialist in your profession. Become a specialist at something about which you’re personally passionate.

Go take a hike

Change is inevitable, growth is optional

Visualizing your success isn’t enough

Is your business relevant in this age of social media?

What traditions are hindering your business’ growth?

How to Leverage Social Media and Track Your Results

“We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media, it’s how well we do it.” – Erik Qualman

The 3 keys to successful social media in business:

1. Define your Goals

Identify your Ideal Client Profile:

Now, what do you want to gain by engaging in social media?

2. Outline your Strategy

Brand Communication

Face to Face

Incorporate Social Media

3. Measure your Results

Utilize available online tools

Create a tracking document

Identify lead sources!

Finally, review and revamp

Beware of the ‘bling’ in your business

3 Keys to Business Development

Are your employees giving your business a bad reputation?

Are you a 9 to 5 leader?

Tools

Who Is Collaboration?

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