My “buddy” Ankesh created a clever plug-in for WordPress blogs. It offers you the opportunity to donate a beer if you find value in a blog post. This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this tactic. Ankesh has also included a feature that provides a non-alcoholic option. If I had my druthers, I would have a “baby needs a new pair of shoes” plug-in.

Our daughter is growing sooo fast!! .
She has already grown out of these shoes and another pair inside of two months.

In this particular post, Ankesh defends the plug-in’s value.

“It Helps You Know What People Like
If a few of your readers are willing to pay you $3 or $5 for a blog post, you can be pretty sure that many others will pay $10-100 for a more comprehensive report or an e-course.

The beer plugin works as a signal - showing you which topics you should focus on more often.”

Here is the lesson

You may not be a tech-head or blogger, but if you want to have a better relationship with your clients, there is an important lesson here. The plug-in models “The Law of Two Feet.”

You can see the Law in action at a party. Imagine you walk into a large party. On one side of the room is the bar. On another is the band, with a dance floor in front. The food spread is on one wall. People playing board games are on another wall. (Hey, if I’m missing your favorite party activity just fill in the blank ).

Now, imagine if you are greeted by your host at the front door. He gives you one of two greetings:

1. “Welcome, help yourself. Enjoy.”
2. “What would you like to do first?”

What greeting is going to be easier to respond to?

As the party host, you never have to answer this. All you need to do is to see where people go. Clients take their two feet and walk themselves to the activity that interests them the most.

Behavior has a purpose: Need fulfillment

People behave to serve their needs. For your clients, acting on their needs and interests is much easier than answering questions. If you want to know how to frame a service for greater consumption or whether to offer a new product, provide your clients with options.

You will get much richer information than simply asking. And if you can charge for the option, that will make your market research that much more robust.

Adam, raised in important question about what term you use to identify the folks you serve.

The ensuing conversation completely reframed the way I view people who come in and out of my business. Isn’t it just semantics? Hardly.

The way we orient to an idea will shape how we view it, the identity we give it, and the actions we take in relationship to it.

Adam goes on to share the common definitions/usage of customer, client, and patron. The point he makes is well worth heading. The language you use strongly influences how you relate.

But I felt compelled to raise the following concern.

There are two sources of orientation

One source is yours.

The other source is your . . . well . . . the folks you serve.

In both cases, there is not only the “dictionary” definition, but also personal orientation. Let me give you an example of how much weight personal orientation can have.

My wife and I have this running argument (completely in jest, I assure you, it’s one of the games we play :-P). We argue over how many uncles I have. As far as my wife is concerned I have none. My dad is an only child. My mom has one sister who has been divorced for many years. What I have, according to my wife, are great uncles. The male siblings or in-laws of my grandparents.

My parents are short on siblings. My wife’s family is different. Her mom has two sisters. Her dad has two brothers and two sisters. My wife needs to make the distinction because the room at Thanksgiving is crawling with all manner of relative. For me, the distinction is completely unnecessary.

As another example, when I hear the word, “patron.” I hear the Spanish word for boss, “patrón,” from my days managing a multi-cultural staff that included many Mexican natives.

Whichever term you choose, customer, client, patron, I think you have to go a step further than just use a term that best suits your feelings for the folks you serve.

Tell your story

Declare to the folks you serve why you choose the term you use.

Help your . . . folks you serve . . . reframe the value of the term that communicates your orientation to them (whatever you want to call them).

If it is important enough to you to choose how you refer to the “folks you serve” with great care, it should be just as important to communicate this orientation in a meaningful, integrated, reinforced way.

If you have ever seen the movie, Ground Hog Day, starring Bill Murray, you will know what I mean. If you haven’t, here’s a brief summary. Murray’s character plays a man who is forced to repeat the same day, over and over, until he gets it right.

Each morning, Murray’s character is reminded that he gets to start Ground Hog Day anew by hearing the same, lame radio shtick that awakens him at 6:00 AM.

Sometimes, productivity is about what you do not do

I couldn’t help but think of Ground Hog Day when I was invited by Karin to contribute to Ben Yoskovitz’s Ultimate Guide to Productivity meme. Now, to be honest, I’m still getting my feet wet with the world of blogging. Karin tagged (is that what you call it? J) me, but I am still a little confused about this meme thing. Fortunately, Chris Garrett was kind enough to educate me.

With Karin asking me (amazing the power of a simple request, eh? J), Chris educating me, and my favorite West Virginian Monk, Adam, contributing, I thought I’d offer my take.

Ground Hog Day without the alarm

“There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all.”
-Peter Drucker

As a student of human behavior, I have always taken an interest in how decisions beget decisions. Life presents you with options. Each decision you make influences the options you have later. Some decisions close options. Some reveal options you didn’t anticipate.

The value of looking at decisions and actions in patterns is that your efforts can be leveraged in a way that makes you more productive.

As an example, let’s assume you have a client that makes an annoying request of you. You have two options:

• Say nothing to the client and find a way to blow off some steam.
• Confront the client about the behavior.

Catharsis Loop

Saying nothing and blowing off steam is entry into the Catharsis Loop. As a result of the catharsis, your emotional brain has the notion that you have taken corrective action. Of course, nothing has changed for the client.

When your client interacts with you again, you respond with an elevated level of annoyance. You find yourself in the Catharsis Loop.

Ground Hog Day, but without the alarm.

Confronting the client

Confrontation can be done compassionately. Doing so gives you options that responding in silence does not. Confrontation also gives you an opportunity to condition future behavior and manage expectations. At the absolute best, you can serve your client in a truly meaningful way (read: help your client overcome unproductive habits).

Of course, this isn’t often efficient. The most immediately efficient response is silence and catharsis. It is also the easy way out.

My productivity tip helps you make the right choice.

Define your hierarchy of needs

In the throes of an interaction with your client, you are likely to have several needs:

• Keeping your valuable piece of mind,
• Serving the needs of your clients,
• Achieving your highest and best use,
• Utilizing your precious resources for optimal effect.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. You likely can come up with many more.

So, the challenge is how to make the best decision in the present. Not everyone has a quick enough wit to confront compassionately in the moment.

You can only do this by identifying your prime need, and ordering your needs in a way most meaningful to you. Your decisions and actions will have a cumulative effect. If serving the needs of your clients is your highest priority, and you continue to maintain that priority in each episode, you can leverage your efforts.

Each decision begets decisions

Define and prioritize your needs. The more that you can be consistent in your priorities, the easier it will be constantly mindful of them.

The more that you can be mindful of your priorities, the easier it will be to do what should be done.

Leverage your actions.

And when that alarm wakes you up the next day, you’ll find yourself looking at February 3^rd and a whole new life.

Tagging forward

I’d like to hear what Ankesh and Barry think of this one.

It’s not often that a direct mail piece gets my attention. Most of the adverts I get are badly mis-targeted. For instance, I get a debt-consolidation piece about once a week (Not a problem in this house ).

But, this piece makes a lot of sense.

It is from a water heater company.

I live in an older neighborhood. Most of the homes were built 60-70 years ago. The house my family and I live in was built in 1941. The chance of someone in this neighborhood needing a water heater in the next couple of years is very good.

Of course, it’s not simply a matter of advertising water heater replacement. If my water heater works today, I toss the mailer. If I need a water heater in three months, but I don’t have the mailer, I’m flipping through the yellow pages.

The mailer has to be “sticky.”

I have to have some reason for keeping it around.

The “sticky” comes from this large red box on the front.

This isn’t just a mailer. It’s a sticker that can be affixed to the water heater in case I need to shut it off.

Caring for your client

A significant component of the client relationship is the concept of care. Take a look at how this mailer establishes care.

Take a look at the back.

The back of the mailer is the front of the sticker. There is a lot of helpful information.

Water heater shutoff instructions.

Gas valve shut-off instructions.

Even a coupon.

Very helpful and caring.

If you need to call for water heater service or repair, the contact information is right on the front of the sticker. Here you have “stickiness.” The customer can call when he has a need: today, next month, next year.

A few things I would have done differently

I find the superhero character corny.

It doesn’t help with attraction or care. It certainly isn’t going to get me to convert.

I find the warning about unscrupulous competitors leans toward self-serving.

The suggestion to do an online search for complaints is helpful, but could include much better information to evaluate a contractor: Better Business Bureau, Contractor’s License Bureau, other appropriate consumer advocacy resources.

Overall, this is very good.

It offers support with no obligation to the consumer. Valuable safety information that the consumer can use in an emergency to prevent or mitigate damage. It is a strong attraction piece that offers a sticky factor that gives you a strong reason to keep the piece in an easy-to-find place.

I’ve written previously on the power of removing a client’s worry. When you remove a worry from your client’s field of concern, you become indispensable. As an example, my daughter’s daycare would be very hard to be without. She never cries when I drop her off. She knows the teachers. She knows the other kids. I put her down and she is quickly off at play.

Meet a need, win a client

Consider your own needs. What competes with your mindspace? What would you give, what would pay, to gain precious piece of mind?

You and your client’s have something in common. They have needs that are begging to be met. They have a scarcity of mindspace and would dearly love to have their worries removed.

But, they also have needs that are much closer to their heart.

Your clients need to feel good about themselves

Your clients need to feel like they have made a difference in the world. They need to feel connected to others. They need to feel like they have made a difference.

What would it look like if you provided a service or product to your clients that removed a worry and made them feel better about themselves?

Combining the two needs in one product

A cousin of mine, Bill Cotton (our grandfathers were brothers, I guess that makes Bill a 3^rd cousin, or is it 2^nd? I could never keep the numbers straight ), created a product that meets both needs. Sunglasses that support and promote breast cancer research.

The video is here. You will have to wade through a commercial or two.
Video and photo courtesy of 9news.com.

A portion of proceeds are donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which leads the cause of finding a cure for breast cancer. The sunglasses, named after Bill’s mom, Toby (who succumbed to breast cancer in 2001, after 17 years fighting the disease), also display the pink ribbon.

How can you provide for both needs for your clients?

If you’d like, you can get your own set of Tobys. Tell ‘em cousin Jeff sent you?

Sorry I’ve been so quiet lately. I caught a nasty virus that had me down for almost two weeks. Very rare for me. On the off occasion that I do get sick, it’s usually for just a day or two (not a week or two).

The last time I had a virus was a couple of years ago. At the time, there was this terrific little item: Breathe Right nasal strips with Vick’s VapoRub. The Vick’s was right in the nasal strip. How convenient!

Not only could I have my nasal passages held open, but I also had the blast of Vick’s. I always had the best sleep. Just what the doctor ordered when you are sick. I thought those little nasal strips were very helpful when I was recuperating.

It just wasn’t meant to be

For reasons that remain a mystery to me, this happy little marriage wasn’t meant to last.

The first thing I noticed is that they stopped making the nasal strips with Vick’s in large (my size). Anyone who thinks I could have squeezed my nose into the small/medium size the drug store had left on the counter has never come face-to-face (er nose) with my beak.

When I finally found the nasal strips with Vick’s, it was no longer Vick’s, but some mentholated substitute.

Sure, they are nasal strips. And, Yes, they are mentholated.
But, nothing beats the original.

I’ve spent the last two weeks doubling up on nasal strips and Vick’s so that I could get a good night of sleep.

A high value client relationship

Chris Garrett asked an excellent question on his blog, “Who is your blog for?” The point Chris came to is a valuable one whether you write for a blog or not.

What purpose does your work serve?

That purpose should be mutually beneficial. Beneficial for you. Beneficial for the client.

A case of lost value

The Breathe Right / Vick’s marriage had tremendous value. This was a case where a strategic alliance between two products produced value. Customer’s, like sick-ol’-me, reaped a benefit.

I can only infer that there was some loss of value for the folks at Breathe Right or Vick’s.

I’ve certainly experienced the impact on the quality of my life over the last two weeks.

Highest and Best Use

Another way to interpret Chris’s question is to challenge you to find your highest and best use. Your highest and best use is that place where your contribution to highly valuable client relationships is at its most optimal.

More on Highest and Best Use, and some of the unanticipated barriers to you achieving it.

I recently picked up Anne Miller’s Metaphorically Selling. I’m really enjoying it and recommend it fully. But, I had a nit pick item come up for me that reminded me of a common client communication blunder.

Miller shares an attention getter she used in a presentation. How many squares do you see? Note: this image is scanned directly out of the book to make my point (I added the numbers).

Most see 16 or perhaps 17. But, this is a perception game. The goal is to encourage you to open your mind to ideas. When you consider different combinations of squares (sets of 4 and 9), you may be able to find upwards of 30.

But, assuming that the image was not distorted in printing, why not consider combinations of 6?

Because that would be a rectangle.

A square (at least to my understanding) is equally distant on all four sides. Which makes the following not squares.

In Miller’s sharing of the episode, there is no mention of any discussion about what defines a square. Her purpose was to share an example of a metaphor that reveals her audiences blind spots.

But, there I was for a moment or two. Point lost on me. Because I was distracted by rectangles masquerading as squares.

Common-nyms should so easy to spot

How often do you think you understand your clients, but you really don’t?

One of the causes of common misunderstandings is the use of terms which have different meanings for different people. I call these Common-nyms. What makes common-nyms so vexing is that by the use of a term that you have a strong rapport with, (i.e. “hands-on”), you can easily fall into the assumption that your client uses the term with the same meaning.

Example:

• Square: A square for me has four equally distant sides. My count is different from Miller’s.

Common-nyms you might find in your interaction with clients.

• Hands-on: A client might describe himself to you as “hands-on.” This might mean he is a micro-manager. This might mean that he needs to take an integrative approach. Your work needs to be completed in concert with other projects. This might mean that your client wants to work collaboratively with you.
• Agreement: This could be verbal, hand-shake, at-will, letter, or contract (using anything from plain English, to boilerplate legal language, to highly dense legalese).
• Approval: As in “I need to get approval to move forward.” This might mean that you are not dealing with the decision-maker, but this is not necessarily the case. It might mean that decisions are made by committee. It might be that certain levels of decisions are made at different points in the hierarchy. It might be that your client simply needs time and space to make a decision, but doesn’t feel comfortable being candid.

Care to share common-nyms that you have experienced?

From the Lifehacker blog (plog, Amaz-og; whatever those Amazon kids are calling it these days) at Amazon.

 

Stand up to speed up meetings

2:08 PM PST, March 2, 2007

Weblog OrganizingLA suggests that the key to shorter meetings might be losing the chairs.

Instead of sitting at a traditional conference table, we took the chairs out of the room and ran meetings while standing on our feet. Well, the length of the meetings DRASTICALLY dropped, because people didn’t want to stand for long. Meetings went from 30-60 minutes to roughly 1/2 of that while still delivering meaty content.

So maybe you don’t want to stand up at every meeting you go to, but if your 15- and 30-minute meetings are more often turning into 1- and 2-hour affairs, instituting a few stand-up meetings here and there might be a smart solution.

In fairness, the Stand-up meeting suggestion was qualified. But, I doubt I’m alone among corporate refugees out there who participated in meetings where the topic of the meeting was to shorten the meetings. Why? So, folks can get their work done.

Dibert-ian irony aside, I always thought the purpose of a meeting was to get something done that could not be done by keeping everyone locked to their corner office . . . er . . . office . . . er . . . cubicle . . . er . . . bullpen desk . . . er . . . chair.

It seems to me that meetings should be evaluated on what they accomplish, not what frustrates you about them.

The next time you formulate a clever response to a problem, make sure you are addressing the right problem.

Owners Manual: Your Business
Chapter 1, Decision Making

You are the captain of your ship. You are sailing at sea. In command. Steering your vessel to wherever you want. You alone have your hand on the wheel.

Are you absolutely sure about that?
Do you know how you arrive at your decisions?
How do you know?

A cruise through your decision making process

Let’s assume the ship you are sailing is real, not a metaphor. (And you have no issue with motion sickness.) You are sailing in an archipelago and decide stop at Deer Harbor (a real harbor on Orcas Island).

Why Deer Harbor?
Because you are the captain of your ship.

Let’s test your decision making

In order to evaluate your decision to sail into Deer Harbor, you can do what most people typically do. Test your decision making after the fact. So, you have purchased supplies, had a sumptuous dinner, and enjoyed a quiet walk.

Feeling better about your decision?

Sure you do. But, it’s likely not because your choice turned out so well. Robert Cialdini’s consistency principle suggests otherwise. The human need to be consistent (read: appear rational) leads us to find justification for our decisions after the fact, regardless of how we made them. So, testing your decision after it is made is not as valid.

Let’s take a look at when you made the decision

If we turn the clock back, we can see who has a hand on your wheel. What are the influences of your decision at the time you make it? If you are the captain of your ship, you make the decision to steer for Deer Harbor, because you “felt like it” or because “you can.”

But if we study a snapshot of you at the moment you made the decision to head for Deer Harbor, we can take note of a few other factors:

• You are short on supplies
• It’s getting late
• You are familiar with Deer Harbor
• Deer Harbor has the best steak in the archipelago
• Deer Harbor is a short trip from your present location
• Your travel companion insists, and knows how to find the choicest berth in the harbor

That’s a lot of hands on your wheel, isn’t it?

Decision making is about choices. Sensible for one can be folly for another. The difference is criteria. When it comes to where you weigh anchor for the night, this analysis might seem a little trivial.

When it comes to how you make decision about your business or strategic issues about your clients, understanding your choices and how you come to them is absolutely critical.

Let’s assume you are vacationing as a sailor, but your day job is graphic design. How do you make critical decisions about your business?

By choosing your influence

Influences on your decisions can be plotted within a six cell matrix.

Loosely adapted from the six cell attribution matrix in Crucial Confrontations.

The items on the side (self, other, thing) describe the source of the influence. The items along the top (intent, ability) describe the method of influence.

How do these six influences impact your decisions (steer your ship)?

Will – (Self/Intent)

• This is the place where you really are the captain of your ship.
• The captain in you selects the port because of choice.
• The graphic designer in you chooses to take on a project because it looks like fun.

Capacity – (Self/Ability)

• This is the place where you do because you can.
• The captain in you selects the port because you possess the skill to navigate into harbor.
• The graphic designer in you agrees to take on some copywriting for this new fun assignment because you have some training.

Influence – (Other/Intent)

• This is where a decision is made because another persuades you.
• The captain in you chooses Deer Harbor because it is the closest port and your companion is eager to stretch her legs.
• The graphic designer in you accepts an assignment because your client appeals to your need to feel needed (i.e. “I need your help”).

Support – (Other/Ability)

• This is where a choice is made because another facilitates or impedes your decision.
• The captain in you chooses Deer Harbor because your travel companion knows how to find the choicest berth in Deer Harbor.
• The graphic designer in you accepts the copywriting portion of the fun engagement because you have a friend who is a terrific editor who has agreed to help.

Stimulus – (Thing/Intent)

• This is where a decision is made based on an inducement of some kind.
• The captain in you chooses Deer Harbor because it has the best steak in the archipelago.
• The graphic designer in you chooses to take on an assignment because you need the piece for your portfolio or the client promises follow-on work.

Bridge – (Thing/Ability)

• This is where a decision is made based on the basis of ease or difficulty.
• The captain in you chooses to berth in Deer Harbor for the night because it is the closest port.
• The graphic designer in you turns down the fun project because your schedule is full for the next eight weeks.

Why is it important for you to understand how many hands are at your wheel?

Every decision you make takes you closer or further from your highest and best use.
Being present during your decisions is critical.
Understanding the influences on your decision helps provide a base for your perspective. When you understand your perspective, you can change it when necessary.

Imagine you have been dropped into a place completely unfamiliar to you. You have to navigate your way “Home.” All that you have at your disposal is a large map. But this is a very special map.

You can only see the area within your immediate vicinity. The rest of the map might as well be written in invisible ink. If you were to move a mile or so to the north, you would be able to see that portion of the map. But, you will only be able to see a new portion of the map when you move to it.

Oh, there’s just one more thing

Did I say “North?”

The map has no compass orientation. Rather than the traditional map that has north toward the top and south toward the bottom, this map has no fixed direction. The direction you are facing is toward the top.

(For technology geeks—like me—envision a global positioning satellite (GPS) unit with a very large screen, but only a very small portion of it on display.)

Working in your business rather than on your business

(I’m not a big fan of this cliché, but it works in this instance so, please, bear with me )

Does this map resemble your view—your vision—for your business?

If you are like most, your attention is consumed with the day-to-day challenges and not as focused with the way “Home.” Collecting your fees, paying your bills, staying one step ahead of the competition, and keeping your clients happy may be all that you have time for right now.

I feel your pain.

I’m the father of a toddler. I know full well how the full day you set aside to work on strategy can disappear in a blink of an eye. I can’t offer you time management tips. I’m not here to tell you that if you “think” it, it will come. (Don’t get me started on The Secret. Rubbish!!!)

And, I’m not here to tell you of a few steps that you can take to see the whole map.

I can add one more tool to your navigation toolbox, however

I’m going to give you a compass. This isn’t a compass that points north, or even magnetic north. This compass points you toward “Home.” That’s where you are headed, remember.

You are still left with a map that doesn’t show you more than your immediate surroundings. You will still have to learn the lay of the new land when you arrive at a new place. You won’t know what to expect. You are likely to encounter obstacles.

But, your compass will always point the way “Home.”

What is “Home?”

“Home” is

• Where you hold the vision for who you are, why you are here, and what you are here to do.
• Where you hold the vision for what your engagement with clients is supposed to be.

“Home”

“Home” for the Happy Clients Newsletter is to enhance the value of the client relationship. What does a high value client relationship look like?

1 + 1 = the sky is the limit.

How does a client relationship become a high value client relationship?

In order to answer that question, you need to understand the role of behavior in relationship. Behavior is the currency of relationship. Behavior is what an individual does to get his needs met. When a client agrees to work with you, it is to get his needs met. A met need is not a one-off event. It’s more than just 1 + 1 = 2.

It’s transformative. It has a ripple effect. What ever you contribute to a client pays forward.

The value of conversation

In order to meet a need, appropriately, effectively, you need to understand your client. There has to be a sharing of information; an openness deep enough for you to understand your client and for them to understand you.

The key to uncovering your client’s need, and realize this transformation, is conversation.

Can you achieve a transformation without a conversation? Perhaps. But for repeated success, there has to be a conversation. There has to be two or more people coming together and building a deeper meaning between them from a sharing of information.

No conversation, no transformation.
No compass, no vision for the conversation.
No vision, no idea what conversation facilitates transformation.

What is “Home” for you?