The annual catalog came out for the anniversary sale. This time it was exclusively on line, and it was available just as the sale was starting. I took a quick peek before heading to the store and was shocked. It was a series of odd pictures with prints that clashed in combinations I would never wear. I couldn’t see myself in anything that was pictured. And apparently I wasn’t alone. The sales rep I met with had the same reaction. If I wasn’t a long time customer, I wouldn’t have shopped based on what I saw.

People have to see themselves in the picture. Whether it is working in your business or buying your products or services, they have to know that they fit. If they don’t see themselves in the picture, they will go somewhere else.

When was the last time you thought about whether your people or your customers see themselves in the picture with you?

My dog loves bully sticks. Just mention the word and she runs to where they are kept. Recently, the type I normally buy was out of stock. So, I purchased another brand. But it wasn’t the same. They somehow reduced the odor, but took out whatever makes them taste good.

You’ve probably heard the same sort of thing in business. We’ve made some changes and you’re going to love it. But, the people making the changes don’t really know what it is you actually love. And that’s the part that gets removed.

It’s a good reminder to really understand the parts people love about your business and make sure you don’t change those things. How do you make sure you don’t take out the good stuff?

A few weeks ago, I attempted to buy a product at the local store. I like to support them. They didn’t have what I needed in the store closest to me, but did at two different stores ten miles away. I was previously told to get it the fastest, have it shipped to the store. So I did.

A week later, the product had still not been shipped and I reached out to customer service. After they went through the script, I asked if they could reach out to the store and ask them to ship it. They told me it was not in stock and I’d either have to wait or cancel the order. I asked them to cancel it and ordered the product on Amazon while waiting for the cancellation to be processed. I hung up and called the store to see if the customer service rep lied to me. He had, it was in stock. And my order from Amazon arrived from the east coast two days later.

The experience was a prime example of a sales repellent department in action. Many blame Amazon for their sales falling short while seldom looking inward to see what is getting in the way of doing business with customers. Taking a hard look at how easy or hard it is to do business with you will be gold.

Do you have a sales repellent department? If so, it is time to make a change before your customers do!

At a recent performance, I sat in the audience trying to figure out what was missing. The performance was technically strong, but I wasn’t moved. As each act ended, the audience clapped politely. But there wasn’t a point through the evening where the audience stood and clapped with enthusiasm. It took me a while to put my finger on it. While the performance was technically strong, it lacked passion. And passion is that thing that is the difference between something being fine and being a wow moment.

Having passion in your organization will make the difference between doing just ok and being high-performing. Is passion showing up in your organization? What would it look like if it did?

It has been an epic battle. The birds vs. me, vying for the strawberries in my in the backyard. And for a while, the birds were winning. Literally eating every single nearly ripe berry before I could pick them. Round one involved placing chicken wire over the patch, secured by stakes. The birds still got under the chicken wire, even if they were slightly too big to fit. So far, I’m winning round two which involves bird netting secured by short stakes. I think they might still be getting a few around the edges.

At every turn, the birds have found a path to what they want. They are clever. And they are singular in their mission to get the strawberries. They are the competition.

And they are very much like competitors in the business world. When competitors are clever and focused, they will push you to up your game to stay competitive. They will force you to work for it. And they will constantly keep you on your toes. That’s why it is important to have good competitors. You’ll have better products and service your customers better.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran into a string of major service issues where you’d least expect it. Things like being in a high end hotel and being told the hotel didn’t have enough staff to service the rooms every day. In each case, when discussing resolutions, the individual said there was nothing they could do about it.

The thing is, there is always something that can be done. The company chooses not to do anything about it. The people aren’t given the tools they need, resources aren’t redeployed appropriately, and front line people aren’t given the authority to make things happen. If you are hearing your people say there is nothing they can do, it is time to figure out how you can. What can you do today to make sure your customers are getting the product or service they expect?

For some time, I’ve been confused about how long it takes to get my hair done. Until recently. She explained that the salon blocks 30 minutes for something that takes 10. And it can’t be adjusted. As a result, she stalls for 20 minutes and begins working in the last 10 minutes of the time block. This approach allows her to end in line with the time blocks.

This type of approach can be found in many organizations. Meetings are scheduled for an hour, so they take an hour. People fill up the time given, rather than taking what is required. Imagine how much time you would free up in your organization if you focused on what is needed rather than the time scheduled.

Over the weekend, I stopped by Ace Hardware to pick up one item. Many times, that is how my shopping at the hardware store goes. I’m working on something need one item, grab it and go. That’s why they caught my attention with something a little different. When the doors opened, I was greeted by the smell of freshly popped popcorn. What a clever way of slowing people down and getting them to spend more time in their store! I was pressed for time and didn’t ask if their sales went up after they started serving popcorn, but I’d guess they did.

What are you doing in your business to create a friendly environment that drives customers to want to spend their time and money with you?

Every two years, I head over to the emissions testing center to get tested before I can register my car. It has never failed the test. Last time, I asked the person doing my test if people ever failed. The answer was not a surprise. She said rarely. With the advances in emissions equipment and gasoline formulating, emissions are way down. And the State of Washington recognized this. A very environmentally focused state, Washington decided that the test was no longer needed. So, starting next year, they will no longer require emissions tests.

It was a good lesson in revisiting what is being done and whether it still makes sense in the current environment. Do you look at what you do in your business and stop doing things that are no longer needed? If not, it is time to take a look!