Problems, Planes, & Plumbing

Start with five post-it notes. Or five pieces of paper. Or a single sheet numbered one to five.

1. Write down your biggest business challenge.

2. Write down why number one is true. Be honest.

3. Write down why number two is true.

4. (You guessed it!) Write down why number three is true.
5. Write why number four is true. This one is going to be the toughest. Dig deep and be honest.For many of you, when you wrote number one, you believed that was your biggest challenge. You believed that was really why your business isn’t at the level you want it to be. But as you continued, you started to realize that numbers one through four are really just symptoms of the real problem. In fact – what you wrote on number one is probably actually your pain… not your problem.

Now, read the list in reverse, from five to one. Do you see what is possible? Can you imagine what your business would be like if you solved number 5? Sometimes we just need to flip the script we tell ourselves in order to get some clarity.

When you are working with clients, remember this exercise. Keep in mind that your clients are very pain aware. They are coming to you saying, “this hurts.” They are experts on their pain… not the problem. You are the doctor who can diagnose the problem and present the solution.

The first time I flew in an airplane I was 15 years old and headed for a year of studying in Europe. As a first time flyer, everything was exciting, even the little trays that the meals came on.

These days, I am considered a “frequent flyer,” clocking in over 80 legs a year, on average. I park in the same place at the airport, know how to get through customs and security quickly, and have the packing thing down to a science. I know how to sweet talk the flight attendants into extra Biscoffs and which seats not to book on almost any model of Boeing aircraft. I also know exactly how long it takes to run from Terminal 1, Concourse H to Terminal 3, Concourse C at Chicago O’Hare. (Hint, it takes about 2 minutes longer than you need, and no, they will not hold the door.)

It took about 4 years of this kind of travel before I started receiving the holy grail of travel rewards – the complimentary upgrade. Finally, I was one of those people. You know, the ones you walk past on the way to the back. You avert your eyes and pretend you don’t even care that you are not one of them. You don’t need those comfy blankets or cozy seats. You don’t even care that they are being offered champagne in front of your very eyes, as you struggle to fold yourself like human origami into a seat built for someone without legs. But the truth is, you are seething with white hot envy the entire stinkin’ time.

This upgrade thing has happened often enough that I have a really good understanding of what it’s like. Recently, on a particularly long, early morning flight, I was upgraded to a lie-flat pod. The angels sang, the sun poured down, and everything was new and exciting and fun again, just like that flight when I was 15. And for six hours, I totally loved air travel again. (Yes, I’ll have the salmon, how kind of you to ask. Champagne? Why not?!) And as I sat there, in my little bubble of personal space, I looked out the window and considered a few things.

Imagine if I felt like this all the time? Imagine if my life was full of customer experiences that made me feel like I was in first class? Would it change me? Would I be happier? Would I start to take them for granted? Now, it should be noted that I was not upgraded on the return flight, so it’s safe to say my normal person status is still firmly intact. But I still think back on that flight and I wonder if I’ll ever really feel the same about economy travel again.

The question is, do your customers feel like they have been upgraded? Do they use your services as a benchmark? Every time someone works with you, do they feel as if they are sipping champagne under a comfy blanket? Do they feel as if they are personally attended to and cared about, rather than lumped in with all the others on the same journey? These are questions that could be asked about any industry, really. And it’s not that hard to make people feel special these days, in a world full of self-checkouts and SlyDial. It just takes that little bit of extra personal attention. And y’all, once you get a taste of that kind of service experience, you’ll pay more for it. That is the truth.

… the latest websites, books, & tools that are inspiring me, the people who are making me smile, and the stuff I have been writing on sticky notes.