It’s so easy to say something through an advertisement, or a campaign, or an e-mail, or social media, or any other form of communication today…easier than any time in our history. The problem is “backing up” and acting in a way that demonstrates what you are saying in this communication. You see, the problem is that when you say something, the other idiots like me out here actually think you are “promising” to deliver it…how naïve we are.
Here’s a simple exercise you can quickly do to give you more insight into whether or not you think this is happening with the interactions you have with others and in business.
First…think about all the times someone (personal or in business) “didn’t deliver” on what they told you…they didn’t keep their promise. If you prefer, write them down. This process will probably consume the next several hours of your day…there are lots of them. And they probably come to mind easily and quickly…and usually with quite a bit of negative emotions.
Second…write down all the times (personal and business) where someone “did deliver” on what they said they would do…they kept their promise. Again, write them down if you prefer. You probably won’t even finish your cup of coffee before you are done…the list is definitely shorter. You might have even struggled to remember them…but when you do, you are left with some pretty positive feelings and emotions about the situation…mainly because they are somewhat rare.
This exercise is the same one your CUSTOMERS go through every day!!
Customers aren’t stupid, even though many agencies and others portray them to be with their campaigns. Customers are smart and they know how to use the internet really really well today. If something smells a bit fishy, they can check it out. If they don’t believe you, they can check out what others have said about the promises you are making. And if you don’t deliver, they can blast you to thousands of people they are connected to or engaged with.
You can’t hide from not delivering on your PROMISES today…you just can’t.
So why is it that companies still believe they can fool us or trick us or tell us things they know they can’t deliver on…did they miss the memo that we all get it today and as a customer we are really smart? Someone is giving them bad information…it doesn’t work that way any longer.
Today, it is IMPERATIVE TO KEEP YOUR PROMISES.
Here’s the OPPORUNITY for your business. Figure out the PROMISES YOU CAN DELIVER…EVERYDAY.
Here’s HELPFUL EXERCISE you could do with your employees. Have each employee (privately not in a group) write down all the promises they believe they personally can deliver to your customers consistently…every day. These can be small or big…it doesn’t matter as long as they know they can deliver on them consistently.
A critical part to this exercise is to make sure your employees don’t “sugar coat” these…you don’t want them telling you what you want to hear, you want to hear what they truly believe. It’s vital they understand this has nothing to do with them personally or their ability to do their job…you just want the information so you can strategically figure out what direction to take the company. This can be incredibly helpful information for any business leader. What they write down is what you would expect them to deliver to your customers…every day. That should clean up the list nicely.
When you uncover what these promises are, I guarantee 100% you will be SHOCKED!
The reason you will be shocked is for two primary reasons. First, you will be shocked at how few of these are on the list. It will be shocking to see just how few promises your employees feel they can make all the time to your customers. And if you get a longer list, you should ask the qualifying question one more time that these are the ones they can consistently deliver day in and day out.
Second, you will be shocked to see what’s on the list. As a leader, they won’t be what you are thinking employees will say. This may be the most eye-opening exercise you do all year! You will have your own list of what promises you feel you are making as a business but they probably won’t show up on the list. You will have a few that everyone will know but many will be new to you. Some will be big but most will be smaller in nature and impact.
Here’s some insight for you on what you see on the list. If you see a lot of smaller promises, it is usually an indication that your employees are more timid about the impact of delivering on bigger promises. They will inherently feel there is too much risk to them personally if they promise something that is too large. Conversely, if there is a list of large promises, it means they feel much more confident to make bigger promises and that they are supported by management. This is a great indicator of how comfortable they feel in their role within your company.
This is INCREDIBLY HELPFUL INFORMATION to guide both your business STRATEGY and where you want to allocate resources in the future. CAUTION: don’t immediately react to this information and begin to throw together action/tactical plans to change these promises…this is very dangerous. Many leaders are driven to action (which is usually a strength of leadership) but this is a time when you want to gather this information, investigate it, and incorporate it into a strategic direction to improve your customer experience.
Treat this as just information…it helps you understand what your customers are seeing every day. It’s incredibly valuable for you, as a leader, to see what is happening with your customers by your employees. This is GOLD.
If you are shocked by the information and feel you need to do something about it, you are on the right track. This is a great starting point to moving the company to be CUSTOMER OBSESSED. If it’s something you want to take action on, now is the time to commit to becoming Customer Obsessed and creating a CUSTOMER JOURNEY which includes an awesome and incredibly amazing CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
This is a STRATEGIC DECISION…and one that needs thought, discussion, and planning. But the first step is to admit you want to move in this direction. And it’s an incredibly important decision to tell your employees and customers you are going to MAKE MORE PROMISES THAT YOU CAN KEEP. Now you have the first step towards “delivering” on what you are “saying” to your customers. Now you have the ability to increase these Promises…more than your competition…and you will keep them.
This is what your customers want…and they will reward you with more TRUST and more positive WORD-of-MOUTH. Changing your organization so you can deliver and keep more promises is one of the most powerful things you can do…for your employees and your customers. If you want to know more about this, shoot me a message and we’ll talk further. It may be one of the best conversations you have had in a long time that can get you on a path of true differentiation and customer advocacy.
