AMiable Solution #149: Freedom of Speech

We Americans take pride in our right to free speech and exercise that right without hesitation.  We praise people and causes we believe in and support.  We bad mouth companies that wrong us.  We share information that probably shouldn’t be shared.  We do these things, without a doubt, because we can.

How freely do your clients, customers, members, or donors speak with you?  Do you make it easy for them to communicate with you, regardless of if the subject is good, bad, or ugly?

Encouraging communication from your market doesn’t take a legally-binding national document.  It just takes effort.  Here are three ways to encourage your customers to speak freely:

1.      Initiate a conversation.  Whether you send an email, mail a direct mail package, or make a call, ask a specific question (did your last purchase meet your needs, would you recommend our service, which areas of our service need improvement, etc.) to prompt a response.  Some customers, particularly angry ones, will contact you on their own.  Others need a little nudge.

2.      Offer incentives to those who provide feedback.  If you’re looking to improve customer service and customer relations at the same time, provide an answer to the question, “what’s in it for me?”  Hold a contest and offer prizes or do monthly raffle drawings for anyone who contributes to your virtual or physical suggestion box.  Whatever you do, offer a reward for responding.

3.      Reply promptly--and publically, if appropriate--to all letters, calls, emails, etc., good or bad.  Being a good communicator yourself will let your customers know their voices are being heard and will encourage them, and others, to speak up often.

Freedom of speech is not just a right: it’s also a gift.  For that we say, “Thanks.”                 

AMiable Solution #148: Check Your Bill

These days, there’s much legal debate about the contents of the first 10 amendments of the U.S. Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.  As adults, we take these rights, and what happens to them, very personally and passionately.

But there’s another bill of rights that also deserves our attention as marketers: the Consumer Bill of Rights. 

President John F. Kennedy started the conversation about consumers’ rights on March 15, 1962, when he spoke to Congress about his vision to protect the consumer interest.  It was the first time any politician had done so. 

At the time, President Kennedy said, “Marketing is increasingly impersonal. Consumer choice is influenced by mass advertising utilizing highly developed arts of persuasion. The consumer typically cannot know whether drug preparations meet minimum standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. He usually does not know how much he pays for consumer credit; whether one prepared food has more nutritional value than another; whether the performance of a product will in fact meet his needs; or whether the ‘large economy size’ is really a bargain.”

He envisioned a set of standards that addressed the way all Americans wanted and deserved to be treated:

“(1) The right to safety--to be protected against the marketing of goods which are hazardous to health or life.

(2) The right to be informed--to be protected against fraudulent, deceitful, or grossly misleading information, advertising, labeling, or other practices, and to be given the facts he needs to make an informed choice.

(3) The right to choose--to be assured, wherever possible, access to a variety of products and services at competitive prices; and in those industries in which competition is not workable and Government regulation is substituted, an assurance of satisfactory quality and service at fair prices.

(4) The right to be heard--to be assured that consumer interests will receive full and sympathetic consideration in the formulation of Government policy, and fair and expeditious treatment in its administrative tribunals.”

President Kennedy’s speech made its intended impact: today there are eight generally-accepted consumer rights recognized by organizations around the world.

Although these rights are now, more than 50 years later, almost taken for granted, the overall perception of marketing, although significantly more “personal,” hasn’t changed much.  People are still skeptical of “too good to be true” claims, privacy-threatening information gathering, and invasive communication strategies.  It’s up to all of us to make sure we approach our consumers with not only the highest regard for their rights, but also for their respect.

AMiable Solution #147: The Benefits of Siblings

Siblings are a marketer’s first real coworkers. 

Think about it.  Your first experiences in delegation probably came from a sibling.  Either you were the one passing off a chore or assignment from Mom, or you were the one getting bossed around by your big brother.  Either way, you learned that the quickest way to get a job done well was to enlist the help of someone faster and better than you.

Your first lessons in proper behavior also came from your siblings.  You don’t go around the office giving noogies to the accountants or wrestling your supervisor for the right to run a project.  Oh, you may have managed to pull off such shenanigans with your sibling a time or two when you were young, but Mom and Dad were quick to point out that such actions don’t produce the results you’re looking for.  And they get you grounded. 

No, having siblings shaped your communication skills.  Your siblings taught you how to negotiate.  How to cooperate and work together to achieve a goal, even if it was silencing the dog while you snuck out of the house.  Having siblings taught you how to be fair and kind and expect the same from others.  It taught you how to get along.

And for that, we’re all grateful.

 

AMiable Solution #146: Teachers’ Lasting Lessons

When you think back to your school days, you’re probably grateful to be past #2 pencils, homework assignments, pop quizzes, and seemingly impossible restrictions.  But hidden among the classroom rules for sitting still, keeping your hands to yourself, and raising your hand to speak were other rules that shaped the way you developed and presented your abilities both then and now. 

The next time you visit your hometown or attend a high school reunion, be sure to thank your teachers for these life-long lessons:

Always do your best work.  Sure, you could have gotten by submitting sub-par, late-night, last-minute projects, but your teachers were quick to let you know that you could do better.  They expected more from you, every day, with every assignment.  You do your best now for the same reasons you did then:  that sense of pride you get for giving a job your all and the appreciation you get from others for doing something well.

Write neatly!  Your teachers told you to take your time for a reason.  Mistakes can be avoided and so much miscommunication can be eliminated when you make the effort and write (or type or file or organize your work) neatly.

Show your work.  This was always particularly true for math teachers, who insisted on not just coming up with the right answer, but also for showing the steps you took to reach your conclusion.  Now that you’re a professional, it’s equally important to document your process and your work.  Colleagues, supervisors, and clients may have questions during and after a project, and having the paperwork to backup or justify your actions can help encourage support and cooperation or solve problems that inadvertently arise.

      Well done!

AMiable Solution #145: Dad’s Work Ethic

Mom knows best, but Dad’s no dummy, either. Last week we talked about Mom’s core values and how they taught us to be good people (and subsequently good business people), but now it’s time to give Dad his dues. After all, he taught us how to be good workers. Here’s what Dad showed us:


• Be present. Dad would have never let you get away with simply going to school. He wanted you to be involved. To engage. To invest yourself in your work. Dad did, and he was rewarded at the office because of it. You can’t feel pride or demonstrate your own value unless you actively participate in what you’re doing.



• Be responsible. If you make a mistake, own up to it. You had to do it when you were a kid, even when you knew the consequences could be painful. But Dad taught you the only way to learn from your mistakes was to admit you made them and then work to make them right.



• Respect authority. Dad didn’t always like his boss, but he didn’t let it show. He worked just as hard and gave his supervisor the respect due to the position. His efforts paid off: the supervisor moved on, and Dad didn’t burn any bridges or earn himself a negative reputation.

As kids, many of us feared that we would become our parents. Turns out, that’s not so bad. Thanks, Dad.

AMiable Solution #144: Mom’s Core Values

To have a successful career, business, or organization, we need training, focus, motivation, and strategy.

But if we really want to succeed, we also need to remember the lessons taught by mom.  The simple truths moms teach us create the foundations we use not only as people, but also as professionals:  

·        Honesty is the best policy.  Mom always stressed the importance of telling the truth!  She said lies hurt those who tell them as well as everyone else.  Always strive to meet customer commitments while keeping focused on reality.  Never promise what you know you can’t deliver. 

·        Use your manners.  Being polite and treating others the way you want to be treated makes working with people in any environment more pleasant and productive.  Try to answer or initiate any correspondence with a smile!  Whether it is via the phone, email, or in person, a warm smile always shines through.

·        Do your best.  The only shortcuts Mom allowed were ones that got you home on time.  Doing a good job means giving it your all.  That includes trying to see things from the other person’s point of view and striving to provide products and services that achieve you customer’s goals.

·        Show respect.  Mom always said, if you want to be respected, you must first respect others.  In the business world, that means approaching all solutions with pride and integrity.  If you do, you will gain the trust and respect of your customers.

·        Be thankful.  No matter what you want, always take time to be thankful for what you have.  The best gauge of your organization’s success is accomplishing the initiatives of those you serve.   Be grateful for those opportunities.

Thanks Mom!

AMiable Solution #143: When I Grow Up…

Right now, thousands of local teenagers are celebrating their high school graduation.  At the same time, they’re preparing to take the next step toward answering the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Some adults are working on the answer to that question, too.  Whether they entered the marketing industry by choice or by chance, some are still in search of the “big dream” they began pursuing years ago.

Where are you in your career?  Have you achieved the goals you set for yourself, or did you get sidetracked or distracted?  If you still hope to “become” something more or different than you already are, don’t give up on your plans or dreams.  Go after them.

If you haven’t updated your resume lately, do it.  Think about the projects or responsibilities you’re proudest of.  Would you like to do more of the same, or are you longing for something more challenging, more diverse, or more specialized?  What achievements do you wish you could add to your resume?

Think, too, about your training and your experience.  Did you envision you’d be in management by now?  In a different part of the industry?  Performing a different function entirely?   It’s not too late!  Talk to your manager and human resource department to see what options and opportunities you have where you are, and then talk to others in the business or sector you’d like to be part of to see how you can make your goals happen.

Goals and dreams don’t have to end just because our youth did.  As adults, we know this.  We know that we don’t ever stop growing up.  We just keep growing.