Sharing stories & expanding communities

Back in August, I started to engage in a few conversations about guest blogging.

Having a relatively short blogging history IMHO (under 40 blogs to date), the idea of contributing to another person's blog was exciting. I could think about the messages that I wanted to share in other places, the tone that I wanted to convey and work on different topics.

At the time that I wrote this post, I had been to Shakespeare by the Sea here in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They do a fantastic job putting on outdoor theatre and working with the audience that I was inspired to draw some links between live theatre and customer service (not a huge stretch, I know).

After I wrote and submitted it, I started to think about what it meant to share content on other blogs - taking my material to the home field of other people. It struck me that this type of sharing and engaging was exactly why I jumped into social media. To share my stories with others while I worked through them myself. To interact and engage with both like-minded and other-minded people. And to expand my community in the process. My new community now includes Daniel Sharkov, a 17 year old blogger that's expanded my education about blogging, sharing and the development of an online network.

Without a doubt, I'll be taking up more guest blogging opportunities. It was great fun. I guess I can also continue to be comfortable with my blog title "The Education of a Prof". I'm still learning.

It’s a Matter of Trust

We have a new member of the household. Her name is Luna, a kitten about 1 year old. She’s been a part of the family now for a couple of months, figuring out the dynamics and finding all of the good spots to hide. Hiding spots are good when there are two young, very active boys always in search of the cat ‘to play’ with. Understandably, Luna has taken more to my wife and I; we tend to leave her space and live at her own pace.

Recently, Luna has built up enough trust to nest on my shoulders. She’ll relax in a perfectly balanced position as I go about my normal routines working on the computer, making coffee and wandering from room to room. Gentle, consistent movements that she can predict and few expectations that she’ll stay; she’s up when she wants and gets off when she feels it’s time to depart.

Of course, my sons see this and continually ask why Luna won’t ride on their shoulders. I’ve caught them more than a few times heaving her up on their backs with instructions like “Sit down Luna”; often these commands come with a vice-like grip, holding her in place momentarily. Yesterday, that resulted in someone getting a nice scratch down one arm (taken without complaint, but with the comment “Luna, that wasn’t very nice." as the cat ran away).

They’re confused as to why I can successfully get her to ride on my shoulders while they can’t. They’re confused when I tell them that I don’t put her there; she comes on her own. She wants to be close and cuddle, but on her terms, not mine.

Many of our relationships are like this, especially in the service industry. When we can find it, we always prefer to do business with people that we trust. When I eat out, I want to trust that my server is really listening to me. In a hotel, I want to trust that my room assignment meets my needs. The sweet lady at the coffee counter on campus knows that I like a large, single cream with two cups because I'll be walking across campus.

Trust takes time to build, a commitment to slow, incremental steps of consistent behaviour that create a comfortable, predictable environment. Safe, but not in the boring fashion – rather the safety that comes from knowing someone has your best interests in mind and is looking out for you.

Building up a trusting relationship takes time and intention. There are no shortcuts. It cannot be transferred from someone else. And trust, just like your reputation, can be quickly damaged. When building a trusting relationship, consider:

1. Moving slowly – jumping into action, demonstrating too much intensity, or jumping to the end of the interaction (such as trying to close way too soon!) will not build a foundation of trust. It’s not about you – it’s about building trust
2. Being fluid – be aware of changes happening, whether it’s with the people you are dealing with or the context you are working within. Cookie cutter responses used in changing, fluid situations do not demonstrate authenticity. Remember that it’s not about you – it’s about building trust.
3. Showing patience – sometimes relationships make progress, while other times they slide backwards. Invest time being with people, talking to them and demonstrating that you will be consistent in how you deal with them. (It’s not about you – it’s about building trust.)
4. Investing time – trust comes from establishing a historical base of actions that meet or go beyond our expectations. Sure, an initial WOW moment is great for getting attention. But remember that flames make a fire pretty, while the coals are what gives it real heat. Coals take time to develop and are much tougher to extinguish. It's not about you - I think you've heard this before.

Somehow, we forget that our business relationships are just that – relationships. The pressures of the quick sale, of increasing today's business levels, of upselling and cold calling have shifted our focus away from the basic building blocks of human interactions. Building trust is one of those blocks.

These are tough concepts for my boys right now. They are hardly fluid, rarely move slowly, and patience is measured in seconds around here.

Luckily, Luna knows some pretty good hiding spots.

When the voices of tomorrow speak today.

 In 1989, during my first year of undergraduate education, I paid $1,100 for the year of school. Yup - for the whole year! Two semesters of school. Eight months. Ten courses.

Today, that cost is approximately $1,110. Per course. In 21 years, the price of post secondary education has gone up over 10 fold.

Metro News

I'm no expert, but it seems to me that this has been a rather large increase over the last two decades. Sure, everything has increased; the average wage has gone up, the cost of gas has jumped, even a can of Classic Coke (not new Coke - don't get me started on that) has increased. But none of these items have gone up 1000% in the past 20 years, have they? We don't put a ten dollar bill into the pop machine today and didn't pay workers a minimum wage of $0.96 in 1989.

So when I saw the students of Nova Scotia stand up and have their voices heard in a peaceful protest on February 2nd, I was nothing but proud. Here in Nova Scotia, our Premier has raised the cap on provincial tuition to 3%, up from the former increase of ... right - nothing. To compliment this increase, he has served our post secondary institutions with a 4% decrease in funding. Welcome to the second decade of the 21st century and a 'social' government.

If you're a fan of ice cream cones, this in analogous to getting less ice cream on top of a crappier cone. Plus a kick to the knee cap.

When we decide that budgets need to be tightened, why is it that we target those who are eating the least at the table first? Today, our students are saddled with personal debt. Parents, if they can, are having a tougher time supporting their kids to get an education. So, in debt they become, to the average tune of $28,000, with the greatest burden of debt falling to students in the Maritimes.

Nova Scotia is Canada's Education Province. We have 11 universities and 13 community college campuses. Students from our province can confidently remain in their home to earn an outstanding education; students from across Canada and around the globe flock to our schools. Instead of embracing the social values of an education for all, our most socialist government party has decided to turn capitalistic. This is something that frustrates me.

However, over two thousand students here in Halifax decided to take to the streets on Feb 2nd's Day of Action to have their voices heard. They marched in the middle of a snow storm strong enough to close the very schools they attend. They marched in the middle of the downtown streets in which their annual investment of tuition, books and recreational capital flows. They marched in the middle of the day, peacefully expressing their disgust at a tuition increase that serves political gains over provincial growth. They claimed their voice in a process that often moves around them without speaking with them.

My livelihood is made from teaching these young voices. I work with them everyday. And I am thrilled every time they take action, using their voices and intellect to stand up for their opinions and beliefs. They are the leaders of tomorrow. They are strong, smart and stellar, deserving the best that we have to offer. When they stand tall in one voice under one cause, all of those negative whispers of an apathetic generation are rightfully brushed aside.



Putting financial barriers in their path is not the way. They know it, we know it. Could someone tell our government? Better yet, we must encourage our non-apathetic youth to tell them in the next election. For the most powerful tool to bring in a government that supports funding education is through votes.

Politicians understand the marketplace. Show them that the demand is there and they will no doubt supply you with what you desire. They have the ultimate job in customer satisfaction and popularity. They know it and we know it.

From what I see, it's time to start shopping around. But that's just my two cents.

WCM

Birdies, bells and a biathlon

In Halifax, you have to be living under an industrial size rock not to have realized that in just 13 days, 4 hours and 20 minutes (according to the countdown clock), the 2011 Canada Games decend upon our fair city.

For sports enthusiasts, this means 16 days of Canada’s best athletes performing for national glory and personal pride. Which of these ranks more important would be in the eye of the opinion holder, although I for one think it would be the latter before the former.

For the school kids in Halifax, it is an extra week off of school; yup, two weeks when all of public classes are cancelled. The official reason for this break is so that our youth can enjoy the inspiring events and activities of our national athletes. The only problem is that most parents don’t get a week off in February, much less two, so for many it has become a planned exercise in extended family care.

However, I’m going to be watching the Games closely in order to gauge the level of tourism literacy in Halifax. What is tourism literacy? This is how well our population understands the value of tourism visitors and how well we treat them.

Tens of thousands of visitors will descend on our region for two plus weeks. For many, it will be their first visit to our fine city, our city with roadways designed around a peninsula, a basin, an inlet, a highway and a harbour. Getting lost in Halifax isn’t uncommon, and if you’re not lost then you might be confused by intersections with five and six street options to choose from. I live here – it’s just a regular thing. But for new visitors, it can be mind-boggling.

I mention the traffic as an example because the Games are spread across 13 different venues, 11 of which are in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Here is my question on the traffic. How will our local population react to the massive influx of tourists, driving around Halifax trying to find their venue? Will we honk in annoyance when someone needs to cut in front of us because they are in the wrong lane? Will we curse under our breath when the Rotary slows down as they tentatively try to exit the combat zone?

You see, visitors remember some of the events that they attend, but they will hold close the feelings they have of the place. How they were treated by the locals at dinner, over breakfast, in traffic and just walking down the street. The economic spin off of events such as the Canada Games can be measured immediately; however, this is myopic. The benefits come over the next 18-24 months, when future tourists decide to come back to our region and our province based on either firsthand experiences or the recommendations of their friends and family. Parents who travel here to watch their son or daughter compete and have a warm, welcoming experience will likely a) come back in the next two years for a more leisurely trip or 2) influence someone else to visit with the stories they tell.

I have great faith in Haligonians to step up our game during the Games. After all, this is the Maritimes – hospitality is what we do! But it will be the little things that make the different, the smiles on the street, the quick hellos, the appreciation of their effort to come here in the middle of some less-than-pleasant weather.

So if you find yourself on the roads in February and the driver in front of you seems obviously lost, give them space, a wave and a smile. This patience will help in multiple ways. The likelihood that they will return will go up. They will return with an increased knowledge of our city (thus as better drivers). And our tourism industry will benefit in both dollars and reputation.

Just my two cents…
WCM

When the Sisters school the Prof

What a great day I had today. I was once again a student, learning at the feet of masters.

You see, here at Mount Saint Vincent University, we have an annual event called Caritas Day. It is a day about giving back to the community through volunteerism. The roots of Caritas Day comes from from a fire on campus in January 1951 which displaced students and the Sisters off campus throughout the community. Through the generosity of the community, everyone had a bed to sleep in and a roof over their head. Local halls and parishes served home to classes, keeping our students busy with studies during this tough transition. In return for all of the support, Caritas Day occurs every year in January when classes are cancelled and we try to focus on giving back to others in our community.

Today, dozens of students from the Business and Tourism department were out collecting food donations for the shelves of our on-campus food bank. It is shocking how many students become cash-strapped during the school year and need the hand up that our on-campus food bank provides. As citizens of the campus, we need to help our community members first, then we can lend a hand outside to others.

For my part, I had the pleasure of going up to the Sisters of Charity residence, located on our campus, with 10 students to work side by side with the Sisters. As we entered the dining hall, over two dozen Sisters were seated, waiting for our arrival with applause - what a fantastic way to begin. Then we heard from three of the Sisters about how they have tried to infuse the tenets of 'caritas', Latin for charity and brotherly love, into their lives. Some spoke on volunteering time with pregnant girls, committing to be with them before, during and for weeks after the birth of their child. Others told us about their weekly letters to members of government on issue ranging from authentically listening to their constituents to global warming issues. For me, the most powerful story was the sister beginning a new challenge in her life, post-70 years old, relocating to the Sudan with others of Faith in an effort to restore education and health services to a people in great need.

And why did these wonderful women welcome us with praise and cheer? Because we agreed to sit with them, side by side, making turkey sandwiches and decorating sugar cookies this morning. We gave an hour or so of our time this morning. Sandwiches and cookies. In return, it was made crystal clear to us that we were making a difference.

Now, I've been involved in the hospitality industry in one way or another now for two decades. I've served government officials and dignitaries; hosted rock stars, TV personalities and sports teams. This is to say that I've experienced pressure and stress in the pursuit of meeting the high demands of the affluent and note worthy. But today, I watched two sisters use butter knives to spread homemade icing, blue and green and pink, onto handmade sugar cookies with the care and patience of artists. Gently, through word and by example, they advised us how to get in right to the edge of the cookie without going over. And how much icing to put on each cookie - not too much but don't be stingy. Once the icing went on, they reviewed the options of sprinkles and toppings available, each cookie decorated slowly and with care. It was Zen-like. Everyone around the table slowed down, moving in a gentle rhythm, letting the Sisters lead the conversation, telling their stories and sharing their skills.

Why did they take such care, and expect us to do so, with this simple food?

Because tonight, in the heart of Halifax, in the cold of this wintry night, at a shelter that cares for those without homes, someone will receive this cookie. They will look down at it and clearly see that it wasn't store bought. That another human being gave their time and attention to spread the icing just so, and place the sprinkles on them just so.

It will be food for their body and warmth for their soul, if only for one night.

Before returning to our regular routines, we were asked to reflect on our day at some point and think about our experiences giving back to our community. So here is my reflection, using technology that didn't exist 60 years ago.

Today, I sat at the gentle feet of masters who have chosen to give unto others in a full time, no-holds-barred way, not just as a side note in their busy lives. It was humbling and inspiring. I was in school again, learning how to be a better human being. And before I tucked my sons in tonight, I was able to tell them that I learned something today. And when that happens, it is always a good day.

When inauthenticity has a scheduled appointment…

With four mouths to feed in this family (not counting Luna’s cat kibble), my wife and I are always trying to keep our radar open for some savings, whether it is more quantity at a reduced price or better quality at a similar price. Let’s face it, food isn’t cheap and the money tree has trouble surviving our Canadian winters.

One of our discussions centred around purchasing a part of a cow and/or pig. We were up at the market in Wolfville, NS speaking to some fabulous cattleman who will rough butcher and deliver a cow to you (1/4, 1/2, or the portion you want) as long as you find the right group of people to split the rest of the animal with. Fair deal – four families who all want a 1/4 of a cow each can purchase directly from a local farm, and have it butchered and delivered by his team.

We hadn’t pursued it any further. We became distracted, busy with the day-to-day business of life, but we still have their contact information. Easy to find at the market every week and we could visit the farm to talk more at any time. Great people! But this story isn’t about them, not directly anyway.

To quote the great Bill Cosby, “I told you that story so I could tell you this one.”

Last week, we get a call from a ‘local’ company who somehow had my name, saying that we had talked about buying 1/2 of a cow. This company apparently does all the middle work – we no longer needed to find the other families to split the animal with. They asked if they could drop off a price list on Friday around 6 pm.

Friday comes and it is storming out. We get a call from the representative staying that he’ll still be by – no worries about the weather. Door bell rings at 6 pm. Being hospitable, his coat is taken and hung to dry and he’s invited in to the kitchen. It was storming after all. Come, sit for a second, share the price list.

The sales pitch begins. He’s asking questions about how much meat we eat, what would we like to eat if price wasn’t an option, how his company would customize a one year delivery of our chosen food and specific cuts of ‘local’ meats. He’s using such badly prepared sales patter than we wonder if this actually works on people. Twenty minutes go by and he’s still building our list; no mention of prices yet, just dreams.

The boys are getting bored playing by themselves at this point and need encouragement to leave us for just a bit longer. But he’s not getting to the point. The ‘local’ meat just became Canadian meat, and he’s not able to provide one example of a local farmer that they deal with. “We don’t share that, but it will be on the government ID sticker that comes with the meat.'” Scanning his four page list upside down, we start tossing in items not listed – trout is our preferred fish, and boy do we like lamb. The ''local’ fish just became Ontario and Pacific; the meat they can now get becomes international. “We can’t always guarantee the meat is Canadian but we get you the best we can.”

Then it’s food knowledge time. He starts into the speech on their aged meat and why it’s so tender. “You know why meat shrinks so much when you cook it, right?” Andrea looks at me. “Umm, yes. I actually used to teach food chemistry.”, I say. He doesn’t even pause, he explains it anyway. I start to ask about this list he is creating as it is apparently based on a pre-set total price that he is simply arranging our ‘optimum’ order to fit. I see a few unit costs, but not many, and he is not writing down quantities. He keeps saying they always send ‘enough’. The grocery store gives me unit prices. My tourism students will not pass unless they can calculate and work with unit costs. But none here. This is a strange combination of aggravating and insulting with the train-wreck, can’t-look-away phenomena.

After an hour, I very casually say, “You know that we won’t be buying anything tonight. Right?” Shock and horror as he looks down on his questionnaire form that looks remarkably like a filled in order sheet. I mention doing my due diligence, looking them up online, getting references first. No web page I’m told; can’t be found except via the one phone number to his head office in Ottawa. Saves on costs that way – lucky us.

From the get-go, he didn’t pass the smell test. His information on his company was vague and he had no collateral material or business cards. When pushed for a method of contact, he wrote down his name and an Ottawa phone number; that was the owner’s number of course, even though this guy apparently had an office in Burnside not 10 minutes away. Payments were easy he said, and scheduled to best fit us, but I had to push for the financial institution they use to perform ‘light credit checks’ and had never heard of them. When I said that we were going to discuss it first then call him back, he was offended and left his entire order sheet, including all of our contact information. Friday night, inauthenticity rang the door bell and we took in the full floor show.

I think next week, Andrea and I will take a drive up to that local farm, visit the cows in the barn and shake hands with our cattleman. You see, even he had a business card, given to me after the first inquiry. He prints a map on the back so you can find his ranch easily. I remember him working his small booth at the market, looking each local person in the eye, shaking their hand, and answering every question they had about his product. He took his time; people bought what they wanted. If not today, maybe next week. No rush.

Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll even get some of his dirt on my hands as I shake them once again with renewed respect. He’s the real deal. And his value just went up tenfold.

It’s all about H2H – Part 2

In my last post, I suggested that the issue of real service interactions might be either misunderstood or underappreciated by some working in the services industry.

It’s time to discuss how authentic service interactions are misunderstood.

Recently, I had an wonderful dinner at a good restaurant here in Halifax. The food was great, the ambience quite nice. The server was pleasant enough and competent. Order taken, food served, bill presented. However, I couldn’t helped being underwhelmed. It took me a few minutes to realize what it was. The ‘patter’.

The server was using patter, her own version of a standardized script used at each table to welcome us, take an order and perform the functions that make up the interaction.

I expect this at quick service restaurants, have even trained it and performed it myself. But in the context of a fine dining restaurant, I was surprised. The problem was that I didn’t believe my server in the basic questions.

“Was everything ok with my meal?" Did she really want to know if I was enjoying it or just if it met expectations?

“Did we save enough room for dessert?” Who’s ‘we’ and why are you not interested in my desire over my space availability?

Granted, service professionals put up fronts, often referred to as emotional labour in service research. This type of acting helps to shield the person, allowing them to present emotions that they might not necessarily feel, emotions that are more appropriate to the context. For example, when a customer asks their service person “How are you today?”, the common response is “I’m great, thank you!”, whether or not this is truly the case. We script generic responses, the call & answer, to minimize the emotional stress required when we interact with so many customers.

Here is the point of my post. Too many service professionals misunderstand real interactions; they are overly conditioned to act or perform a certain way. Performance trumps authenticity.

It’s that small bit of connection when asked ‘How are you tonight?” that puts greater emphasis on ‘you’ and not ‘how’. Real human interaction requires an investment, a commitment and, yes, even a risk of getting more than you bargain for.

In a consumer world where the degrees of differentiation between products are so very slight, it will be those who can make real connections with other humans that will stand out. Gary Vaynerchuk is calling it the Thank You Economy. I’ll just refer to it as authentic H2H experiences.

Just my two cents… WCM

Forget P2P or B2B. It’s all about H2H

Having worked and taught in the hospitality industry for coming up to the better part of two decades now, I find the subject of service interactions to be a critical attribute to the overall experience created. Unfortunately, it is often the subject either most misunderstood or underappreciated by service professions.
Let’s take on the underappreciated in this posting.
These past Christmas holidays serve as a good example. How many stores had brilliant displays of beautiful merchandise with clear signage and information. I stood in more than a few of these stores, looking at a piece of merchandise with all of the most obvious body language that screamed out “I’m confused and have a question!!” Except I’m also watching blue shirt (or red shirt or yellow shirt – pick your store here) employees circling the section ready to ‘catch’ a sale but not willing to engage with customers.
To test this observation, I had the excuse of buying a high-end webcam and visited my local big box tech store a few weeks back. Having done my research, I stood in the aisle touching numerous products, picking them up and putting them down. Yup, I was signalling for assistance. No less than six ‘service experts’ passed by without even an enquiry. When finally I was approached, something that felt like being stalked from behind, I was asked if I had made a decision. Closing the sale already? My friend, we just met! At least say hello, comment on the weather, make an obvious but innocuous “Those are some nice cameras you are looking at!” comment. Nope. The ball was in my court.
Ok, I lob back an easy shot. "I’m stuck between these two. Is there a better one that you recommend?” Pause. Longer pause. He proceeds to read the two boxes, reads me the bold points and pronounces they appear to be about the same. Helpful. I thank him, telling him I will continue to look.
A few minutes later, after I pick up the camera I was planning to buy, I encounter the same person at the end of the aisle.
He’s waiting for me.
“If you have more questions, let me know. Can I ring that in for you?” The stench of commission sales comes off of him like overused Polo cologne at a singles bar.
The scenario here seems to be to overwhelm the customer with sales closing techniques as if managers are being taught customer service by Blake (Alex Baldwin’s character) in Glengarry Glen Ross. Somewhere, solving customer problems and building relationships have been replaced by the mantra ‘Always Be Closing”. The human experience has been removed, replaced by the hunt for commissions and the snares of a large customer base.
Don’t confuse my point here. Beyond the lack of product knowledge, I don’t blame this sales person (I cannot call him a service professional). He is simply a product of his environment and the truism that what is measured is managed.
There is also another truism. We buy and do business with people that we like.
But that’s just my two cents…WCM