Are you blinded by efficiency?

Look at your team. Let me describe one of your members and see if you can spot them.

They are not the most vocal of the group. They are on time, they complete their work correctly they are self-managed and self-motivated. They seem to be well-grounded and well-liked amongst co-workers.

And now let me tell you what you do- you take them for granted.

I am pointing this out because it has happened to me.

For anyone who is managing a team of people, we tend to focus on two groups of people: the needy superstars as well as the low performers.

The first group, we need to continue to refocus or listen to the drama in order to keep them performing. Top performers are results driven and move through the world at a high level and need reassurance as well as someone to help keep them in their lane

The second group is where a lot of manager’s focus because they feel if they can get this group performing it will help the overall group. In my opinion this is a miscalculation of your time. You need to dedicate the correct time to retrain this group but many of these people will not be able to do the job and they must be dealt with according to your performance policy.

The one person who gets lost in this shuffle is the top performer who does not need constant handholding. They deliver results on time and correctly, they are process driven, organized, ask for things when relevant and usually fly under the radar.

In meetings they rarely offer opinions because the more vocal group always does.

If this person is familiar to you I want to stress that you need to adjust how you deal with them or else run the risk of losing performance.

All of us react at times like children. We like getting feedback when things are good, so we repeat that behavior, but also kids will end up doing something incorrectly just to have your attention. Remember any feedback in a child’s mind is attention and it registers as something they want more of in the future.

Same for this quiet performer. I am not saying they will tank their performance to get your attention but you run the risk of them not feeling appreciated or noticed and then results will slip a bit. It may not be a conscious decision.

These individuals are most likely your best trainers. They have a sense of how to break things down into simple pieces and can explain to others what they do.

Having these people sitting at the table when discussing process or the pulse of the organization is invaluable. But again, many times we look past them because they are not in our face demanding attention or their lack of performance is demanding attention.

Here are some tips for maximizing these employees:

• Create a monthly roundtable or lunch where this employee is included with other top employees to discuss what they see going on in the company.
• Rely on them to create processes for their department and then make sure to point out to the team their work.
• Put them in a position at team meetings to lead discussions.
• Discuss the possibility of them handling the training of new employees in their department.

All of these points will help maximize this team member’s involvement as well as showing them that you value their work and effort.

Efficiency is a great thing but can also lull you to sleep. Make sure you are not taking your most effective workers for granted.

Glenn Pasch is the current CEO of PCG Digital Marketing as well as a writer, National Speaker and Trainer. Glenn will be speaking at the upcoming Innovative Dealer Summit in Denver Colorado, March 19th and 20th.

Are you blinded by efficiency?

Look at your team. Let me describe one of your members and see if you can spot them.

They are not the most vocal of the group. They are on time, they complete their work correctly they are self-managed and self-motivated. They seem to be well-grounded and well-liked amongst co-workers.

And now let me tell you what you do- you take them for granted.

I am pointing this out because it has happened to me.

For anyone who is managing a team of people, we tend to focus on two groups of people: the needy superstars as well as the low performers.

The first group, we need to continue to refocus or listen to the drama in order to keep them performing. Top performers are results driven and move through the world at a high level and need reassurance as well as someone to help keep them in their lane

The second group is where a lot of manager’s focus because they feel if they can get this group performing it will help the overall group. In my opinion this is a miscalculation of your time. You need to dedicate the correct time to retrain this group but many of these people will not be able to do the job and they must be dealt with according to your performance policy.

The one person who gets lost in this shuffle is the top performer who does not need constant handholding. They deliver results on time and correctly, they are process driven, organized, ask for things when relevant and usually fly under the radar.

In meetings they rarely offer opinions because the more vocal group always does.

If this person is familiar to you I want to stress that you need to adjust how you deal with them or else run the risk of losing performance.

All of us react at times like children. We like getting feedback when things are good, so we repeat that behavior, but also kids will end up doing something incorrectly just to have your attention. Remember any feedback in a child’s mind is attention and it registers as something they want more of in the future.

Same for this quiet performer. I am not saying they will tank their performance to get your attention but you run the risk of them not feeling appreciated or noticed and then results will slip a bit. It may not be a conscious decision.

These individuals are most likely your best trainers. They have a sense of how to break things down into simple pieces and can explain to others what they do.

Having these people sitting at the table when discussing process or the pulse of the organization is invaluable. But again, many times we look past them because they are not in our face demanding attention or their lack of performance is demanding attention.

Here are some tips for maximizing these employees:

• Create a monthly roundtable or lunch where this employee is included with other top employees to discuss what they see going on in the company.
• Rely on them to create processes for their department and then make sure to point out to the team their work.
• Put them in a position at team meetings to lead discussions.
• Discuss the possibility of them handling the training of new employees in their department.

All of these points will help maximize this team member’s involvement as well as showing them that you value their work and effort.

Efficiency is a great thing but can also lull you to sleep. Make sure you are not taking your most effective workers for granted.

Glenn Pasch is the current CEO of PCG Digital Marketing as well as a writer, National Speaker and Trainer. Glenn will be speaking at the upcoming Innovative Dealer Summit in Denver Colorado, March 19th and 20th.

As we head towards the end of Q1 in 2013, I asked my team to reach out to customers to ask the question, “What do we do differently than others in our field that keeps you a customer?”

The answers were very pleasing.

• “You answer the phone.”
• “You are always available.”
• “You help me understand what you do.”
• “You never seemed satisfied with current results.”

As a service organization that is music to my ears.

We work very hard each day to achieve this customer satisfaction and I wanted to share how we are able to execute these results One of the first things we do when a client has signed on is to have a start-up call with their team. It is very important that you have the person who signs the check on the call because they do not have an understanding of what they are paying for or the value of what you are delivering, then later on you can fall prey to being seen as a line item that can easily be cut.

During this start-up call, we walk them through a shorter summary of our initial goals and recommendations for their company to outline our work to those who may not have been on the initial sales call. We want everyone to be clear of our starting point. We have the members of our team who have worked with the potential client from day one on the phones so our customers begin to understand right from the beginning that our whole team is available to help them achieve their results.

Steps for a great start-up call

Step 1: Conduct and present a formal assessment of the client.

Documenting and reviewing the initial assessment of the client is very important because it shows where you began. By doing so, you have clear tangible numbers that you can compare your progress to each month or quarter. Without it, your effectiveness is diluted and left to fading memories.

Step 2: Be specific in what will happen over next few months.

We discuss the workflow we will use as a framework for our monthly tasks for the next three months. Do not go further than that time period for now. People cannot remember or take in more that that timeframe. Explaining what is going to happen will give the customer comfort in a schedule.

By doing this you also leave nothing to the imagination. It removes the unwanted response, “I did not understand that is what you wanted.”

Step 3: Make sure you tell them what is expected from them.

Every successful service provider needs interaction from the client. In our case it is passwords and logins to accounts like Google Analytics, Social Media sites, business listing sites, etc. We also lay out items we will need from them each month such as events they may be doing, specials they are running, traditional ads they run, etc.

Step 4: Communications

This may be the most important step for long-term success. How often do you speak to your client? For our company we have implemented a weekly call strategy for most of our clients. This has been the end result of trying many different ways over the last 3 years.

My recommendation is to schedule the call. Do not leave it to just call the client when you have time. Everyone is busy but if you set a time each week, then it is on everyone’s calendar and is looked at as important.

I also recommend that the decision maker be on at least every quarterly call if they cannot make at least the monthly call.  Remember these are set times where the account is discussed but we stress to all of our clients that we are available at all times if they need us.

By focusing on making sure your clients understand what you do for them, but communicating at set intervals they will feel that you view the relationship as a partnership, not just a number.

Glenn Pasch is the current CEO of PCG Digital Marketing as well as a writer, National Speaker and Trainer. Glenn will be speaking at the upcoming Innovative Dealer Summit in Denver Colorado, March 19th and 20th.

As we head towards the end of Q1 in 2013, I asked my team to reach out to customers to ask the question, “What do we do differently than others in our field that keeps you a customer?”

The answers were very pleasing.

• “You answer the phone.”
• “You are always available.”
• “You help me understand what you do.”
• “You never seemed satisfied with current results.”

As a service organization that is music to my ears.

We work very hard each day to achieve this customer satisfaction and I wanted to share how we are able to execute these results One of the first things we do when a client has signed on is to have a start-up call with their team. It is very important that you have the person who signs the check on the call because they do not have an understanding of what they are paying for or the value of what you are delivering, then later on you can fall prey to being seen as a line item that can easily be cut.

During this start-up call, we walk them through a shorter summary of our initial goals and recommendations for their company to outline our work to those who may not have been on the initial sales call. We want everyone to be clear of our starting point. We have the members of our team who have worked with the potential client from day one on the phones so our customers begin to understand right from the beginning that our whole team is available to help them achieve their results.

Steps for a great start-up call

Step 1: Conduct and present a formal assessment of the client.

Documenting and reviewing the initial assessment of the client is very important because it shows where you began. By doing so, you have clear tangible numbers that you can compare your progress to each month or quarter. Without it, your effectiveness is diluted and left to fading memories.

Step 2: Be specific in what will happen over next few months.

We discuss the workflow we will use as a framework for our monthly tasks for the next three months. Do not go further than that time period for now. People cannot remember or take in more that that timeframe. Explaining what is going to happen will give the customer comfort in a schedule.

By doing this you also leave nothing to the imagination. It removes the unwanted response, “I did not understand that is what you wanted.”

Step 3: Make sure you tell them what is expected from them.

Every successful service provider needs interaction from the client. In our case it is passwords and logins to accounts like Google Analytics, Social Media sites, business listing sites, etc. We also lay out items we will need from them each month such as events they may be doing, specials they are running, traditional ads they run, etc.

Step 4: Communications

This may be the most important step for long-term success. How often do you speak to your client? For our company we have implemented a weekly call strategy for most of our clients. This has been the end result of trying many different ways over the last 3 years.

My recommendation is to schedule the call. Do not leave it to just call the client when you have time. Everyone is busy but if you set a time each week, then it is on everyone’s calendar and is looked at as important.

I also recommend that the decision maker be on at least every quarterly call if they cannot make at least the monthly call.  Remember these are set times where the account is discussed but we stress to all of our clients that we are available at all times if they need us.

By focusing on making sure your clients understand what you do for them, but communicating at set intervals they will feel that you view the relationship as a partnership, not just a number.

Glenn Pasch is the current CEO of PCG Digital Marketing as well as a writer, National Speaker and Trainer. Glenn will be speaking at the upcoming Innovative Dealer Summit in Denver Colorado, March 19th and 20th.

I was re-reading an article in Automotive News  written by Diana T. Kurylko about how luxury brands are stepping up their customer service with new perks and staff training.

What was interesting is that finally some brands were looking to emulate the same high-touch customer service philosophy as other industries. Businesses are recognizing that the experience of how you interact with the customer is now even more important than ever before.

Peter Miles, vice president of operations for BMW of North America said, “With any premium product, the experience the consumer has, whether they are learning about it or testing it, has to match the product.”

Many of you who follow my articles or have heard me speak over the last two years have heard this message over and over. I worked for over 15 years in the hospitality industry and I preached to automotive dealers that price is not the only thing people were basing decisions on.

If experience was not important and price ruled the day, then why is there a line at Starbucks? Why do we spend countless dollars on Apple products if we did not want to be associated with a brand that delivered excellence in customer service and experience? I am sure all of you can list multiple other brands associated with high-end customer service.

I could not agree more with Mr. Miles and I applaud these top luxury brands for excelling but my challenge is to all brands. Does this mean if your product is not considered “luxury” that you cannot or should not deliver and excellent experience to your customers? I say no.

Every brand should be finding ways to differentiate themselves in their market place. When I speak to automotive dealers I am telling them to look at other industries for examples of how to deliver great customer service. Too often they look only at their competitors for ideas and that becomes very insular.

Take this quick test.

Think of a time when you had great service or a great experience. Maybe a meal at a restaurant, a vacation at a hotel, a website you visited. List the things they DID that caused you to have this reaction. Look them over and see if there is anything you can implement at your place of business.

For example: Maybe they remembered when you last visited them when you checked in, or remembered a preference you had for seating. Could your employees find a way to remember a preference that your customer expressed in previous visits? How do you think they would feel if you reminded them of it before they did?

At the same time, think of a time when you had a bad experience. What did they DO to cause this reaction? Maybe the website loaded slowly or when you clicked on an ad it took you to the wrong page and you became frustrated. How can you make sure this does not happen to your customers? When was the last time you visited your website and went through it as a customer would?

Customer service is trickle down. What I mean is top brands giving excellent service trickles down to all brands and your customers are expecting excellence for their hard earned dollars.

I applaud those luxury car brands but let’s make sure all brands are focused on the same thing.

I was re-reading an article in Automotive News  written by Diana T. Kurylko about how luxury brands are stepping up their customer service with new perks and staff training.

What was interesting is that finally some brands were looking to emulate the same high-touch customer service philosophy as other industries. Businesses are recognizing that the experience of how you interact with the customer is now even more important than ever before.

Peter Miles, vice president of operations for BMW of North America said, “With any premium product, the experience the consumer has, whether they are learning about it or testing it, has to match the product.”

Many of you who follow my articles or have heard me speak over the last two years have heard this message over and over. I worked for over 15 years in the hospitality industry and I preached to automotive dealers that price is not the only thing people were basing decisions on.

If experience was not important and price ruled the day, then why is there a line at Starbucks? Why do we spend countless dollars on Apple products if we did not want to be associated with a brand that delivered excellence in customer service and experience? I am sure all of you can list multiple other brands associated with high-end customer service.

I could not agree more with Mr. Miles and I applaud these top luxury brands for excelling but my challenge is to all brands. Does this mean if your product is not considered “luxury” that you cannot or should not deliver and excellent experience to your customers? I say no.

Every brand should be finding ways to differentiate themselves in their market place. When I speak to automotive dealers I am telling them to look at other industries for examples of how to deliver great customer service. Too often they look only at their competitors for ideas and that becomes very insular.

Take this quick test.

Think of a time when you had great service or a great experience. Maybe a meal at a restaurant, a vacation at a hotel, a website you visited. List the things they DID that caused you to have this reaction. Look them over and see if there is anything you can implement at your place of business.

For example: Maybe they remembered when you last visited them when you checked in, or remembered a preference you had for seating. Could your employees find a way to remember a preference that your customer expressed in previous visits? How do you think they would feel if you reminded them of it before they did?

At the same time, think of a time when you had a bad experience. What did they DO to cause this reaction? Maybe the website loaded slowly or when you clicked on an ad it took you to the wrong page and you became frustrated. How can you make sure this does not happen to your customers? When was the last time you visited your website and went through it as a customer would?

Customer service is trickle down. What I mean is top brands giving excellent service trickles down to all brands and your customers are expecting excellence for their hard earned dollars.

I applaud those luxury car brands but let’s make sure all brands are focused on the same thing.

Finally recovered and back on schedule after a long week at the Digital Marketing Strategies Conference and NADA, it struck me about the difference I saw at this years NADA convention. What struck me was the change in dealer's attitudes towards the digital landscape. 

I mentioned this to Eric Miltsch from Driving Sales as I visited their team at their NADA booth. I had asked him if he felt dealers were more involved this year. He said he felt they were asking better questions. That they did not seem to be intimidated by the information.

This was seconded by many other vendors. There seemed to be an excitment on the vendor end because of this increased education. Which brings me to the educators. I have been in this vertical for a little under three years and I have seen a palpable change in dealer's engagement. 

At DMSC, one speaker came out and said to me, "These dealers are not rookies or even sophomores, they are really engaged." And this is because of the great education available to them. From conferences like DSES, to Automotive Boot Camp, to Digital Dealer, Autocon and many regional events put on by vendors dealers can be exposed to ongoing education that will help their business.

As Eric said, "They are realizing digital is here to stay and they are learning, not just signing up for something they don't know." Well put. 

So to all of the speakers, for all the educators, you have made an impact. If you don't think you have, compare the NADA workshop tracks from even three years ago to now and see the impact of Digital. 

Keep up the good work. We are making a difference.

Finally recovered and back on schedule after a long week at the Digital Marketing Strategies Conference and NADA, it struck me about the difference I saw at this years NADA convention. What struck me was the change in dealer's attitudes towards the digital landscape. 

I mentioned this to Eric Miltsch from Driving Sales as I visited their team at their NADA booth. I had asked him if he felt dealers were more involved this year. He said he felt they were asking better questions. That they did not seem to be intimidated by the information.

This was seconded by many other vendors. There seemed to be an excitment on the vendor end because of this increased education. Which brings me to the educators. I have been in this vertical for a little under three years and I have seen a palpable change in dealer's engagement. 

At DMSC, one speaker came out and said to me, "These dealers are not rookies or even sophomores, they are really engaged." And this is because of the great education available to them. From conferences like DSES, to Automotive Boot Camp, to Digital Dealer, Autocon and many regional events put on by vendors dealers can be exposed to ongoing education that will help their business.

As Eric said, "They are realizing digital is here to stay and they are learning, not just signing up for something they don't know." Well put. 

So to all of the speakers, for all the educators, you have made an impact. If you don't think you have, compare the NADA workshop tracks from even three years ago to now and see the impact of Digital. 

Keep up the good work. We are making a difference.

I want to speak to the managers of departments or teams for a moment. Have you listened to your team’s vocabulary recently? Not product knowledge, but what they are saying in terms of what has to get accomplished.

We take our vocabulary for granted at times. We do not hear ourselves or understand that the words we choose will help us prioritize and accomplish tasks – or let us off the hook with excuses for not accomplishing our goals. Let me explain.

Recently I was sitting with a client who was asking me for help on how to implement a new process in his department. His team was pretty successful but he felt he was not seeing it being implemented fast enough. We discussed two things that may have impacted this lack of implementation, his training process and vocabulary.

What I discovered was that he had not followed the 8-Step Coaching Process I had recommended. His reasoning was that his team was made up of veteran employees who should be able to implement the change. He did not want them to feel like he was treating them like rookies.

I told him that following the process, even for veterans, saves time later on. Working with veterans allows you to move quicker through the process, but skipping steps is now slowing down implementation.

(Click here for my previous article giving a breakdown of the 8-Step Coaching Process)

I then brought up the topic of his vocabulary. I mentioned that I heard him telling his team, “We want to implement this change.” I stressed to him that “want to” versus “have to” is passive. It allows people to assign it a priority level based on their workloads versus what you expected. Of course, you cannot make everything a “have to” item or it loses the effect, but in this case, if this change is important, then you need stronger language to emphasize this.

Think of your team. How many times do you say, “want to” versus “have to”? Take this out of the business world for a moment and put it into your personal life. I “want to” lose 10 pounds versus I “have to” lose 10 pounds. What happens in the first instance if you do not lose the weight? Most times you tell yourself, “I will get to it” or “I will start next week” because there is not a firm reason in your mind as to why this has to happen.

Think if your doctor said you “have to” lose the weight or you will end up in the hospital. Would that make it more of a priority? “Have to” situations have higher repercussions to them. The failure to accomplish the task or initiative can have more serious effects.

So what message are you sending to your team? Are you allowing them to put things off because you have not clearly set the deadlines and communicated the importance?

What I recommend is that each day you and your team have a short list of things that have to get done. Be sure to demonstrate that effectiveness to your team when you start seeing success.

This is something you have to implement.

Glenn Pasch is the current COO of PCG Digital Marketing as well as a writer, National Speaker and Trainer. Glenn will be speaking at the upcoming Digital Marketing Strategies Conference in Orlando FL. February 5th-7th

I want to speak to the managers of departments or teams for a moment. Have you listened to your team’s vocabulary recently? Not product knowledge, but what they are saying in terms of what has to get accomplished.

We take our vocabulary for granted at times. We do not hear ourselves or understand that the words we choose will help us prioritize and accomplish tasks – or let us off the hook with excuses for not accomplishing our goals. Let me explain.

Recently I was sitting with a client who was asking me for help on how to implement a new process in his department. His team was pretty successful but he felt he was not seeing it being implemented fast enough. We discussed two things that may have impacted this lack of implementation, his training process and vocabulary.

What I discovered was that he had not followed the 8-Step Coaching Process I had recommended. His reasoning was that his team was made up of veteran employees who should be able to implement the change. He did not want them to feel like he was treating them like rookies.

I told him that following the process, even for veterans, saves time later on. Working with veterans allows you to move quicker through the process, but skipping steps is now slowing down implementation.

(Click here for my previous article giving a breakdown of the 8-Step Coaching Process)

I then brought up the topic of his vocabulary. I mentioned that I heard him telling his team, “We want to implement this change.” I stressed to him that “want to” versus “have to” is passive. It allows people to assign it a priority level based on their workloads versus what you expected. Of course, you cannot make everything a “have to” item or it loses the effect, but in this case, if this change is important, then you need stronger language to emphasize this.

Think of your team. How many times do you say, “want to” versus “have to”? Take this out of the business world for a moment and put it into your personal life. I “want to” lose 10 pounds versus I “have to” lose 10 pounds. What happens in the first instance if you do not lose the weight? Most times you tell yourself, “I will get to it” or “I will start next week” because there is not a firm reason in your mind as to why this has to happen.

Think if your doctor said you “have to” lose the weight or you will end up in the hospital. Would that make it more of a priority? “Have to” situations have higher repercussions to them. The failure to accomplish the task or initiative can have more serious effects.

So what message are you sending to your team? Are you allowing them to put things off because you have not clearly set the deadlines and communicated the importance?

What I recommend is that each day you and your team have a short list of things that have to get done. Be sure to demonstrate that effectiveness to your team when you start seeing success.

This is something you have to implement.

Glenn Pasch is the current COO of PCG Digital Marketing as well as a writer, National Speaker and Trainer. Glenn will be speaking at the upcoming Digital Marketing Strategies Conference in Orlando FL. February 5th-7th