As a speech coach, I talk to my clients about the value of incorporating stories and real life examples into their presentations.  I encourage them to use the 3N method for collecting those stories:  NOTICE, NOTE and NARRATE. 

NOTICE – Keep your eyes and ears open for stories and everyday experiences that spark your interest and teach you something.

NOTE – write them down in a journal  - capture them somewhere so that you can develop and fine-tune them.  Look for how the story might be applied to the world of work.  Is there a business lesson imbedded in the story.  Can it help you illustrate a point you are trying to make?

NARRATE - Tell the stories, practice delivering them out loud and see how you can continue to hone.

Here is a practice opportunity:  

On Saturday, February 19, 2011 NASCAR newcomer Trevor Bayne won the 53rd Daytona 500 in double overtime.  I am not a racing fan nor do I follow it but when I heard this story I wanted to know more.  Here are some self-selected highlights:

• Trevor just turned 20
• Trevor has only been able to drive legally for 4 years
• Trevor became the race’s youngest winner
• This was only Trevor’s second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race
• The race experienced a 14 car crash (that included the race’s most experienced drivers) and a record number of lead changes and caution periods
• Team Owner – Wood Brother’s first win since 1979
• Preparing for the race he asked himself, "What do I need to do to not let the mountains get too high, and just stay focused?"
• Trevor donated part of of his winnings to an orphanage in Mexico.
• On this race day NASCAR marked the 10th anniversary of the death of its fallen hero, Dale Earnhardt, and it appears that a totally unexpected new hero emerged.
• Bayne has exhibited great humility and gratitude and has conducted himself in a down-to-earth manner.
• Bayne said. "One thing I haven’t really talked about is keeping our expectations realistic here.We won this race and that sets the bar high, but if we would have finished 15th we would have been happy."

These are a few elements I jotted down after googling Bayne and the race story.  The next step in the process is to begin pondering what the real-world lessons might be unearthed through this story. 

To discover them, consider asking questions like:

1. Was inexperience an asset?
2. How can experience get in the way of success?
3. What discoveries where made by the drivers – were there lessons learned?
4. What can be learned from the way this unexpected hero conducted himself before and after the win?
5. Despite a lack of wins, what does this story say about the tenacity of the team owners who pursued yet another opportunity to race with a beginner?

There are likely many elements of the story that can be mined and more points that can be made.  Practice incorporating story into your business presentation with this news story – see what you can develop.  Create an opportunity in the next 48 hours to use it.

NOTICE, NOTE and NARRATE – This process will help make your presentations memorable.

LAS VEGAS — It was one of those storybook, happily-ever-after endings, seen often in romantic comedies and dime-store novels. Trevor Bayne – a household name perhaps only in his hometown of Knoxville, Tenn. – led the last two laps to win the 2011 Daytona 500 the day after celebrating his 20th birthday to become the youngest victor of what’s often referred to as The Great American Race. Not only is he the race’s youngest victor, he also is the only driver to win in his first try. He gave the legendary Wood Brothers racing team – NASCAR’s oldest team – its first Daytona 500 victory since 1976. Throw in the fact that the car was painted to resemble David Pearson’s ’76 500 winner (which also won involved in one of those Hollywood-style finishes) and it has all the makings of a tinseltown blockbuster.

I wonder what has happened to all the customer feedback surveys I have filled out in my time on the planet?

I believe in providing feedback to companies and services I do business with.  So, as a customer, when I’ve been asked for feedback – whether over the phone, online or through a mailed survey – I do my best to take the time to respond.  I am one of those people who will also write a letter if deserved.  It has been my way of giving back – as in, feedback is a gift.  I believe in the value and importance of a great customer experience – and I recognize that it is a two-way street.  To get it, you have to give.

What I’ve experienced, however,  is that 95% of the time, I never hear a single word about my feedback.  What do I expect?  In my opinion there are a number of things businesses can do to let you know they appreciate your time and comments.  Among them are:

• A thank you and a word about how your feedback will be used.
• A follow-up call that might address specifics you wrote about (I am one of those people who provides substantial detail).
• An e-mail stating what changes in policy or procedure are occurring due to customer comments.
• A gesture or gift (voucher for a free "something")
• An invitation to participate on a customer board

Instead, what is more common are gestures that communicate filling out a survey will enter you into a contest where you might be a winner or even more common – no incentive or follow-up at all.  As a result, I’ve lost that fire-in-the-belly to provide customer feedback.

I don’t mean to suggest here that my customer feedback is something that should cause everyone at corporate headquarters to drop what they are doing and pick up the phone and call me.  I am suggesting, however, that if you are going to ask for people’s time and commentary you need to respond to it because if you don’t you are actually doing your business more harm than good.  Nothing is worse than asking for someone’s opinion and then dropping it into oblivion.

As someone who consults businesses on employee and customer engagement, my advice for today is don’t ask if you aren’t going to tell your customer what you are doing with what they’ve given you.  The same is true, of course, with employees. Don’t survey employees and ask for their opinion and then let it fade away – they will also lose interest in participating in the future as the message you are sending is – your opinion does NOT count.

Improving your customer’s experience is essential.  Listening to their opinion on what is working and what’s not is imperative. Following up on their feedback is a MUST.

I hadn’t spoken to Loretta in what felt like ten years. I hadn’t played basketball with her…well let’s just say, in a very, very long time. So, when she called out of the blue and asked me to join a new women’s basketball league at a local park district in Chicago, I responded with a stammering “ok” that likely communicated equal amounts of excitement and terror.

 

Sustaining the effort is key to reaching your goals.  My newsletter this month features many ideas on how to "live the lessons" to ensure success both personally and professionally….Take a look: http://tinyurl.com/2dlllcb

Earlier this month on vacation, I found myself in Huntington Beach, CA. (better known in some circles as "Surf City").  My visit just happened to coincide with the finals of the U.S. Open Surfing championships.  Curious too see what this kind of sporting event would be like, my brother, who I was visiting, took me out onto the Huntington Beach Pier in time to watch the men’s final event. It had come down to the two top surfers – hometown native, Brett Simpson and South African, Jordy Smith – the number one ranked surfer in the world.

The two highly respected surfers paddled out to see what waves they might catch – as thousands of fans and on-lookers watched from the beach and the pier.  The only problem – no waves.  The ocean offered nothing – or at best very little.  

Smith and Simpson spent the first 15 minutes of their 35 minute heat waiting for something to ride.

I found myself pondering this dilemma and drawing the obvious parallels between these two surfer’s dilemma and what we all face in our everyday lives – waiting and hoping for the right wave.

As the heat wore on, Simpson made his move with whatever decent wave came his way.  From my novice eye, I was amazed at what he was able to do with waves that appeared tiny and impossible to leverage.  Smith waited and waited – finally grabbing, too late in the game, whatever he could and was not able to execute.  Simpson’s heat total of 13.97 our of 20 topped Smith’s score of 8.33 making him the first back-to-back U.S. Open winner since 1985-1986.

The hometown hero edged out the legend and as one commentator said, "He turned garbage into gold – he was smart, not lucky."

This experience has stayed with me as a great reminder that when we are "lucky" enough to get the right waves, things smoothly and seamlessly go our way.  But more often, we have to do the very best we can with the opportunities that come our way – and those opportunities may be hard to see, challenging to surface and require an extraordinary amount of persistence and commitment but in the end, the victory is somehow sweeter.

Work with the waves that come your way.

Former UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden died at age 99 on June 4, 2010.  His legacy as a coach will live on and even in retirement – through speeches and books – he translated the lessons he shared with his championship teams to business professionals and anyone who wanted to discover the champion within themselves.  

To honor the man and create an opportunity to remind each of us what he said, I share a few of the quotes that always struck a chord with me:

"The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."

"If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

"If you are not making mistakes, you aren’t doing anything.  I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes."

"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."

"Success is never final, failure is never fatal.  It is courage that counts."

The list of memorable quotes could go on for much longer but I will stop here.  His track record tells us that he knows a thing or two about motivation, success and the meaning of true teamwork.  When his coaching career ended in 1975 his Bruins’ had won their 10th NCAA championship in 12 seasons – a record that will almost certainly never be matched.  Pull out one of these maxims the next time you have an opportunity to coach and inspire.

How do you measure success?  If you live on the north shore of Chicago chances are that things like a good education, a prestigious career where you can command a high paying salary would be counted among the indicators.  All good things but not always the measures that count for everyone.

What happens when a young person growing up in that environment measures success differently?  How easy is it to fit it when your dreams and goals don’t?  Joe Wortell, who grew up on Chicago’s north side and attended the highly-touted college prep New Trier High School, knows this experience well.  Against the tide, he made the decision early on to avoid the trap of fitting in and instead chose to fight for a career path that resonated for him.

Joe remembers it clearly.  He was eight years old and his mom took him for the first time to the local barbershop for a hair cut.  It was Andy’s Barber Shop in Glencoe, Illinois.  He fell immediately in love with the experience.   He loved everything from the red, white and blue barber pole to the vintage porcelain and cast iron hydrolic barber chair to the classic smells of scent aftershave. 

This of course was a stark contrast to the salons that his mother and her friends would frequent and often take Joe along for a haircut.  In those salons with their trendy décor and stacks of fashion magazines, Joe felt awkward and out of place.  It was a punishing experience, rather than a pleasurable one.

Today, Joe Wortell, age 19, attends Success Barber School in Chicago located at the corner of Wabash and Adams.  Joe enrolled as their first student in October of 2009.  He is part of the renaissance movement to bring barbering back into vogue.  Joe says barbering lost its popularity starting in the 1960’s with the arrival of the Beatles and long hair – the precision practices of barbering just drifted away. 

Joe’s mission is to bring barbering back.  He believes he is a part of a new generation that values the precision haircuts, head and neck massage and straight razor shaves with hot towels, hot later and the ability to get a shoe shine before you walk out. He feels strongly that men appreciate being able to walk into an environment where there is an air of nostalgia, reading material geared to the clientele, 1950’s television featuring the game of the day and conversation that is “just for men.” 

 Most of us spend years trying to understand what it really is we want to do with our lives.  We dedicate ourselves to our educations, we seek career counseling, we interview, we pursue mentors and we often blindly follow a career path that is aligned to what others want us to do or what society at large says we should.  Many find themselves in mid-life still asking the question, “What do I want to do with my life?”

Joe Wortell has never had this problem.  Yes, from age eight, he knew he wanted to be a barber and never waivered from that decision – not once.  He began collecting barbershop memorabilia that he plans to fill the shop he’ll open and own one day.  Elvis posters will cover the walls and late 1800′s to 1940′s iconic barbershop chairs will line the walls.  Joe shares that his passion and purpose emanated from the experience he had during that first visit and it just kept getting re-enforced through the years.

During high school, he remembers feeling like an outsider when his classmates’ conversations focused on the colleges and universities they planned to attend.  He would sometimes get comments from them or his parents’ friends like, “All you want to be is a barber?”  “You should set your sights higher.”  Rather than be discouraged he would address the questions by confidently educating those who inquired about the virtues and future of barbering. Even Joe’s parents, at first, found his commitment confusing and certainly tried to steer him in another direction.  Over time, however, they have grown to appreciate and admire his passion.  They now support his efforts fully.

In retrospect, Joe says he sometimes wonders if he was the odd man out more because he knew so clearly what he wanted to do with his life rather than his decision not to attend college and follow a more traditional path.  His level of clarity was difficult for others to grasp. 

Joe’s schooling is a ten-month course that equates to 1500 hours.  He will need to pass a state board test in order to become a barber.  He has his eye on a couple of barbershops in the Chicago area he’d like to start working at after graduation and eventually buy and operate his own shop.

Joe says that he always wanted to find a job that didn’t feel like a job.  He wanted to work in an environment that was relaxed and congenial where he looked forward to going every day.  He wanted to work in a profession that allowed him the flexibility to easily pursue his other interests which include playing steel pedal guitar, rockabilly and roots music.  It is hard to argue with that rationale.  He may not get rich he says but he surely will enjoy his life.

When asked if he felt choosing an unorthodox path took courage he says at times, yes.  “It’s not easy when you are surrounded by people who are urging you to go in one direction -  their direction.”  Joe shares, however, that once you become comfortable with who you are, it gets easier.  “I wanted to live my dream, not theirs.”

When asked what advice he would give to others struggling with what they want to be when they grow up, Joe simply says, “Pay attention to what you love.  Be willing to learn new things.  Trust that you will find your path as long as you allow yourself to discover your passion.”

And one more thing.  Andy’s Barbershop – the place whose experience captivated Joe at age eight – still exists.  Andy, now in his 80’s, still has his shop in Glencoe, has one single chair and is open one day a week.  Still setting his own hours, serving customers and doing what he loves to do. 

Many of you have seen the popular new CBS series titled, Undercover Boss.  Each episode follows a senior executive of a major corporation who is working incognito as a new entry-level hire for one week.  Through the experience they discover how the company really works.  The show is well done and sends out an important message to leaders:  You need to experience your company through the lens of the employee to truly understand what is working and what’s not.

Without fail, the undercover CXO identifies corporate policies that unfairly impact employees, costly inefficiencies and unsung heroes.  The leader also discovers how far removed he is from what happens day to day in the business.

I applaud the show’s intention and I want to suggest to the producers the next iteration for this show:  “In the Customer’s Shoes.”  Viewing a business from the employee’s perspective is a crucial first step but would be incomplete without viewing the business from the customer’s perspective as well.  I started to think about this more as I viewed Sunday’s finale featuring 1 800 Flowers President and COO, Chris McCann.  I applaud Mr. McCann’s efforts to better understand his employee’s experience.  It also prompted me to recall an experience I had with 1 800 Flowers a couple of years ago that still makes my blood boil to think about it.  I have not used them since.  Following is an abbreviated version of the letter I wrote to the Head of Customer Service,  Julia Kauffman.

 Dear Ms. Kauffman,

I am writing to share a very disappointing customer experience I had recently with your company.  I contacted 1 800 Flowers on Monday, October 15^th to order a bouquet of flowers to be sent to my mother on her 84^th birthday on October 19.  I began by going to your website and had to spend approximately 30 minutes trying to order a bouquet online but every time I attempted to pay for it my credit card was rejected.  Frustrated, I went ahead and called the 1 800 number.

This time I reached a sales rep who at best I would describe as incompetent.  I found myself repeating the same information over and over to her (her getting it wrong each time and needing to start again). I requested that the flowers be delivered on the 19^th as we wanted them there for a party that would be taking place for my mother.  The rep said she could deliver them on Thursday or Saturday but not Friday.  When I asked why she simply said that was what her computer was saying to her.  She said she’d “try” to get them there on Friday.  I said, if not, Thursday would have to do.  After another 30 minutes, the transaction and order was complete.

The flowers did not arrive on Thursday, Friday or Saturday.  Despite the confirmation I received via e-mail.

When the flowers had not arrived by late Friday afternoon I called 1 800 Flowers to share my disappointment and ask for a refund.  I was told that the best they could do was credit back 20% to my account.  She shared that the only way to get a full refund was to have my mother send the flowers back on Monday.  This, of course, was not only insulting but laughable – I could just imagine my 84 year old mom packing up flowers…  As a last resort, the rep gave me your name and suggested I write a letter. 

Ms. Kaufmann, as you can imagine, this is not about the money – it is about the principle.  Businesses make promises to their customers and trust is built when those promises are delivered.  I have to assume that 1 800 Flowers’ promise is that you can order flowers easily, quickly and can feel confident that they will be delivered on time and be of quality.  Do I have that right?  My flowers were not easy to order and they were not delivered on time – the quality is yet to be determined…

The end of the story is that I did not receive a refund or credit and the flowers finally arrived 5 days late.  I would’ve loved Mr. McCann to witness my experience!

At the conclusion of Undercover Boss, the CXO brings together a large group of managers to share what he/she has learned.  It is easy to see what this endeavor communicates to the employees:

·      Our CEO “gets it”

·      Our CEO cares

·      Our CEO walked a mile in our shoes

·      Our CEO is courageous

For a boss to go undercover it does communicate caring, courage and commitment.  Taking it one step further, I encourage every leader to go undercover and experience what the customer experiences.  Without the benefit of a reality television show, I can make a few suggestions:

·      Work a day in your company’s call center and hear the issues customers have

·      Work on the front line in a customer-facing position

·      Hold a customer town hall and learn directly about what’s working and what’s not

·      Track a customer’s experience from start to finish and see where it breaks down

·      Read the letters dissatisfied customers write 

Follow-up on these activities with your customers through e-mail, blog postings or letters about what you discovered and what you are doing about it.  Just like the employee’s responses in Undercover Boss, your customers will recognize you “get it”, you care, and you are willing to walk a mile in their shoes – and that takes courage.

Leaders out there – get both sides of the picture.  Experience what your employees AND customers experience.  Communicating with your customers in this way will go a long way in building life-long relationships and loyalty.

Greetings Colleagues, Clients and Community Members,

Mari Pat Varga

For a copy of our Spring Newsletter, visit:   http://tinyurl.com/ygcrdkz