Do not go gentle into that good night

Sometimes you just have to bust out the classics:

by Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Are you devout in your worship of a god?

Taking a brief tangent from my typical business related posting here: I came across this quote today and absolutely love it!

"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones" - unknown

I think this hits the proverbial nail on the head about religious practice, the fear of falling short in devotion to a God that drives so many people to a house of worship on a regular basis, and the whole "what if there is, what if there isn't a God" debate.

Unfortunately, this quote falls short on the definition of what is a good life. Various cultural norms, differences in moral standards, you're life experiences (including how you were raised), and much more, all contribute to an individual's standard of what is a "good life." The best guide I've come across that transcends these challenges comes from the Buddha: All sentient beings suffer and therefore you should show compassion to them all.

Compassion - seems like such a simple word, yet in practice, it's amazingly complex.

Any thoughts?

You're so beautifully tall...now sit down!

It never ceases to amaze me how important the delivery of a request or question impacts the response. How many times have you asked your significant other for something and it did NOT turn out the way you expected? Or seen people get into an argument over what initially seemed like a reasonable request? Regardless of how the situation turned out, it is YOUR FAULT if you are the one making the request.

That's right! Buck up and take responsibility. If you are trying to say something and the receiving party doesn't hear or understand what you tried to communicate, you did it wrong. In a class for leaders in the California Society of CPAs the instructor, Bill Reeb, made a statement that went to the core of all the participants. "WHATEVER happens in your life, you are responsible for it." was all he said. When you embrace this level of responsibility in your life, believe it or not, things change. You view the world differently. (of course there are some limitations to this, but, arguably, not many)

Recently, watching the final game of the MLB NLCS Giants vs. Phillies, I met a woman who executed this approach beautifully. In a crowded bar, some friends and I were sitting down cheering on the Giants. My girlfriend Shanna got up for something and stopped next to me before leaving the table. After a little while, the woman behind us commented to my better half, "excuse me," she said. "You know, you are so beautifully tall." Immediately, Shanna realized that she had been blocking the view of the people behind us and felt terrible. "Oh, I'm so sorry I'm in your way!" Shanna replied and quickly moved on out of the way.

We've all heard the other ways that woman could have made her point. "You know, you make a better door than a window!" "Hey, we're trying to watch the game too ya know...." The list goes on. The grace and tact our barroom neighbor exhibited by offering a compliment to make her point was stunning. Who wouldn't want to be obliging to someone who just made you feel good about yourself? I can't begin to guess the potential impact of taking this example into other requests you make throughout your week, but I aim to find out!

You're such a smart reader for having found this posting! Would you mind taking a brief moment and sharing it with a friend? :>)

Apple's iPhone 4 antenna response: a PR model for crisis

Have you watched Apple’s press release about the iPhone 4’s antenna issues?  Apple, the company widely revered by its passionate customer base for its innovative products, has also been known for its hubris and occasional PR trip ups.  With all the hype around the incredibly successful launch of iPhone 4, there has been an abundance of press around problems with the phone’s antenna.  Gotta love it when media companies ride the coat tails of highly popular products and tear them down as a means to generate press.

This time Steve Jobs and Apple fought back and did a great job!  As I watched, I noted the structure and response to the current public outcry.  Steve Jobs took the opportunity to turn what’s been a PR nightmare and turn it into a promotion for what’s been done with the phone and how it compares to previous generation iPhones and other popular smart phones.  This is basically the outline of what he said:
     •    This is the hard data / These are the facts (they ultimately said there is an issue but its tiny)
     •    We love our users
     •    This is what we’ve done in development and design and the resources we’ve put into this product (spent millions of dollars and have lots of PHDs on staff)
     •    Acknowledged the  problem
         o    Problem is inherent in all smartphones
         o    We will continue to work on this issue
     •    We are being completely transparent (acknowledging these problems)
     •    Put the scope of the problem in perspective with competitive products and previous gen iPhones (the iPhone’s  antenna issues is virtually the same as all other phones)
     •    These are the actions we are taking to address the issue (we want EVERYONE to be happy)

It was clearly a carefully engineered response but my impression was that they nailed it! 

This framework can serve as a model for many other situations when companies need to respond to a crisis.  Take note, BP!  If there’s an issue, acknowledge it.  Provide the facts.  Promote what you’ve done.  Explain what you will do.  Tell your customers you love them.  Sounds like a fairly simple communication plan.

While I was at bidz.com we received an onslaught of criticism and accusations that ranged from misleading pricing structures to our CEO having ties to organized crime to SEC investigations.  We didn’t respond to all of them because doing so would have helped fuel the critique and given validity to those voices.  In the ones we did respond to we fell short of this model and (perhaps) as a result, had less than stellar success. 

Ultimately, you hope you don’t come across a crisis our public outcry where you need to respond.  But, when you’re pushing the edge, beating the competition, or have huge success or failure, critiques are bound to arise.  Hopefully this helps when that time comes.

To watch apple's video, click here .

Social Media Framework

Whether they are in a typical brick and mortar business or some virtual world in the cloud, good entrepreneurs recognize the power and potential of social medial tools.  They facilitate interaction with your business's audience, are very inexpensive if not free, provide trackable information, allow "enthusiasts" to pass along their passion for your company, and can virally promote your product or service.

My challenge has not been whether to use social media or not but rather, which outlets to use.  More vehicles come up every day, across so many different segments.  At mindmeister.com, I came across the below framework that someone has created.  See the original version here.  I think it does a great job of outlining the various social media services for what you want to do.

Are there any you use that aren't on here?

Customer Service Gone Bad

It was an odd phone number from Nebraska that wasn’t listed in my phone.  I racked my head trying to figure out who it could be that was calling me; was it someone whom I had recently met and given my number to?  I wasn’t in a spot to take the call and they didn’t leave a message so I was left to wonder.  It was a mild annoyance but I was in the middle of a short vacation and quickly moved on to other things.

It wasn’t until I got back that I decided to do some quick internet sleuthing to see who this mystery caller had been.  Maybe I’d gotten lucky and won the lottery…in Omaha?  I did a quick Google of the number and the answer surprised me.  It turns out that many people had been receiving calls from the same number; Omaha Steaks (OS).  There’s a whole list of frustrated (ex)customers here.  A few months ago I placed an order from them for a Father’s Day gift and now I was receiving calls from them.

The thing is, this company is trying to do the right thing but doing it all wrong.  It would be much better off had they not tried in the first place.  Most businesses that want to stay around implement some form customer service outreach.  It’s a good way to stay engaged with customers, solicit feedback and hopefully, gain additional sales.  After all, previous customers are the best source of future sales since they’ve already discovered your company and expressed an interest in your product/service.

So what is OS doing wrong?  By not leaving a message they are coming across as, well, quite frankly, dirty.  Assuming they absolutely feel its imperative to speak with someone live, all they have to do is say “Hi this is Omaha Steaks calling.  Sorry we missed you.  We’re calling because you’ve previously done business with us and want to let you know about a current promotion we’re running.  We’ll try back again soon and hope to catch you at a more convenient time.  Until then, keep those BBQ’s fired up!”  I would have been much happier to receive that but instead, got nothing.

I called OS’s customer service and spoke to a friendly lady named Robin.  She explained that my call would have come from one of their Outbound Call Specialists and that they don’t ever leave a message.  “They’ll keep calling every couple of weeks,” she explained, “unless you’d like me to take you off our calling list.”  Well, there you go! 

I’d like to praise them for offering to take me off their calling list…but I just can’t.  Clearly it’s been an issue for many customers and that’s how OS is addressing it.  Rather than provide quality, helpful customer service, essentially, they are volunteering to stop talking with customers.  According to the company’s web site OS has been around since 1917 and opened a telemarketing facility in 1999.  Presumably that’s where my call originated from.  Someone should tell this family run business that “the way we’ve always done it” isn’t the best way to keep doing it.      

Omaha Steaks represents itself as a high quality meat company but calling customers and not leaving a message does not support that.  Ultimately, this gets to the idea that EVERY touch point you have with current and potential customers is a reflection of your brand.  In this case, OS’s actions are misaligned with the brand identity they are trying to create.  But that’s a conversation for another time.  Until then, stay focused on delivering QUALTY customer service that WOWs people.  If you have any similar stories, please share the lesson!

How to hire a programmer to make your ideas happen

Timothy Ferriss recently tweeted this blog posting from Derek Sivers.  Great article!

http://sivers.org/how2hire