Back in the Day...

Being an old guy, I recall growing up when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, living in caves and going to school where the teachers didn't count your homework scores, only your quiz and test scores. Homework was for getting you ready to take the test or quiz. Today, at most schools, homework is a huge part of your grade, meaning you can be a miserable student on tests, but if you do all your homework, you're at least a "C" student. Not fair (at least that's how cavemen like me feel about it).

Today, technology does the same for us. We can sell a product and be able to answer questions and give information to a customer in a matter of seconds by downloading it. We can turn to our PDAs and view a video or research an article that will help us.

So, we don't have to have super-sized brains or years of technical training to represent the products we sell, because it's all at our fingertips.

Today, there's no good excuse for failing school or being a failing dealer or salesperson.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
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Two Different Clients and Results

I've known many, many clients over the years and have gotten to be friends with numerous entrepreneurs, too. There are two different client prototypes I've observed that yield extremely different results and relationships.

One type is the "distant client." This client gives little support, is wary, and feels their job is keeping you on your toes. They openly boast they'll work with other companies like yours, they'll expect the lowest price and even if the project is a success, they'll be understated about it--they're not the type to praise good work or give you a big hug.

The other client is the "open book" client. They tell you everything they know in hopes of getting a good product from you--they may even share budget expectations, which can be great. They tend to give you room to create and are looking to make the experience a pleasure.

Of course, I prefer the "open book" client, who wouldn't? To be fair, the "distant client" can be very effective if they are negotiating commodity products. They will be the tough guys that get that widget at a low price ahead of schedule. But they're not inspirational or trusting, so that will affect the performance and results of suppliers that are creating unique things or ideas for them.

When it comes to buying a commodity, the "distant client" can drive a tough bargain. When it comes to needing expertise and something unique, the "open book" client can inspire a great result.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
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Motorcycles in the Rain

I was nervous and excited. I had never ridden a motorcycle before, but was determined to learn how. So, I enrolled in a course and took classroom as well as actual riding instruction. At the end of the course, I was to be tested, both in the classroom (a written test) and on the course (a skills test). It was pass/fail. The last day, they handed me the written test and I passed. Then it was time for the riding test...and all of a sudden, we had a torrential downpour. I thought, surely the class will be postponed or canceled. Nope. The instructor said, "Put on your rain gear, let's go ridin'."

In that downpour, I learned something: you can actually ride a bike in the rain and the wind. While I will never wish for bad weather, I will never fear riding in the rain (as long as I do it safely, of course) again.

I applied this to our clients' businesses and my business. We've long feared a recession or economic depression (I grew up hearing my dad talk about the Great Depression) and well, now we're experiencing a pretty tough one. But we know now that we can make it through and that we'll be better for it. No more fearing a recession, we've been there, done that.

If your business is healthy during these conditions, you've passed the test.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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There is No Middle

Things I've heard from well-intentioned people (clients, employees) while conducting brand assessments, communications audits for their companies:

I'm caught in the middle between the client and our company.
I'm not sure whose side I'm on, whether it's the sales department or the engineering group.
I'm here to take my client's position, to protect them.


If we think we're in the middle or we're protecting a client against our company or shielding one department from another, we need to re-adjust our thinking.

There is no middle. There is no good guy or bad guy. We are supposed to be working together, as imperfectly as it may be. The more we think "middle", the more we separate ourselves from solving the issues.

It can be glamorous, it can be a political move, it can be totally innocent, but we must fight the stuck-in-the-middle attitude and do the un-glamorous--listen, learn and find an answer that will help all of us achieve our dreams and goals.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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Time is Not on Your Side

I'm going to wait for the customer to call back, they promised they would.
I sent the estimate to the customer and haven't heard back.
The next time the client is coming in town, they'll look me up and start the project.

All of the above quotes are real and in each case the same thing happened:

The person being quoted (a salesperson) lost that sale.

If we want to sell, want to grow our dealership or service or manufacturing business, time is not on your side. There are too many options for the customer to pursue, ranging from exploring the Internet to just driving around to other stores that sell what you sell.

Want to sell? Figure out how to do it now, while the customer is still with you.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
wwww.labov.com
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Depends on how you want to look at it...

Look at the list of the Worst Cities in America and you'll find a depressing array of locales where the home values have plummeted and where employment is down, etc. It's depressing.

Then search for a list of the Best Places to Buy Real Estate. You'll see an assortment of cities that have under-valued real estate, that are currently struggling but may rebound, etc. It's pretty exciting.

Problem is, the same cities are on both of those lists. It all depends on how you look at it.

The same goes for clients, dealers, manufacturers, etc. The opportunity is usually in the imperfect.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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Competitive world

When you have less people buying stuff and less people working at companies, eventually one issue comes into play that was not there when everything was hunky dory: competitiveness.

A manufacturer can no longer thrive by being the number four choice of consumers. That will not mean enough business for them to survive.

Dealers can no longer merely carry the top brands and wait for consumers to break down their walls to buy. If they aren't a top producer, they risk being eliminated by manufacturers looking for more aggressive dealers.

If an employee feels secure just because he or she isn't the worst performer in the company, he or she may be the next one laid-off.

Whether we are competitive or not by our nature, doesn't matter. The nature of business today is changing and the strongest will need to adjust and compete.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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Classic rock bands and old sitcoms

For me, there was no better band than the Beatles, no better sitcoms than Seinfeld or The Dick Van Dyke Show--to me, at least.

Look back on those great bands or shows. What happened to them? They ended, they broke-up. Did the people involved go onto greater things? Hardly.

Even though many of them assumed their band or show was a springboard for an even bigger success, that seldom ever happens.

Usually we don't know how good we have it. We don't realize that if we leave this sitcom and start our own sitcom, we'll still have the same issues--maybe bigger ones.

Some bands understand this--Tom Petty's band has been together for decades. U2, the same. And every once in a while, you can break up the band or the sitcom and go to greener pastures, but for every Beyonce, there are many, many bands like Genesis and Journey and sitcoms like the Andy Griffith Show.

Maybe we should apply this to our business and personal lives?

Barry LaBov
www.labov.com
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Why Do I Fill My Life With Stuff?

I pride myself in being organized and having a good perspective about life, but I shake my head at some of the things I do.

Just as I tackle a troublesome issue and get it out of my life, I fill up that space with other things. So, instead of having room to breathe, I have more things to deal with.

Why do I do that? Maybe it's like "comfort food." You snack on junk food when you're nervous or to pass the time or to feel loved. Or maybe it's similar to having the TV or radio on while you work--it fills up that space.

When I fill up my life, it's a sort of "comfort busy" that makes me feel like I'm needed, it keeps my mind stimulated, etc.

In Biblical times, it would takes days to travel to a city on foot. Today, you can take a half-hour helicopter flight to that city, land, conduct business, return home, watch your son's ballgame, test ride a motorcycle and buy it, return home and order a new gadget over the the Internet, turn on the TV and watch a program you saved on TiVO. And we wonder why we feel stretched and stressed?

Walking three days to my next client appointment doesn't sound so bad after all.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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The Three Ps

A banker friend of mine told me her financial institution was successful because they focused on three Ps:

Product
Processes
People

Her bank (a huge one, fyi) has spent countless hours creating products they think are relevant and will stand out in the marketplace. They have processes to handle virtually every client interaction in the right way. And, they've focused on hiring the right people in the numerous markets they're in.

My friend told me this system works and that if she left that company, she (the people "P") could be replaced with someone else who will follow their processes (another "P") and offer their products (the other "P").

I applaud any corporation that simplifies its approach so that it's memorable and achievable.

A thought I have when hearing her Three Ps: none of this works well without the right person. The right person can take a mediocre product and a non-existent process and still serve a client well. If you offer phenomenal products and a superior process, yet have a detrimental sales force, you're sunk.

The fact that she was proud of their Three Ps and shared it with a customer shows me that her company made a great choice in hiring her--they got that "P" right. And she gets all my business because of that.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
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Follow Our 29-Step Process to Success...

We can only process so much. In fact, instructional designers (they create training) are taught that adults can only memorize seven things at most--whether it be a phone number (that's why our phone numbers are seven digits) or seven steps in presenting a product.

The more steps or complications we have in doing something, the less likely it will be done.

That's why taking ownership is so important. When you are completely dedicated to something, you find a way to get it done, to make it feel right. You're not process-bound.

Conversely, when we feel we can't trust people or they don't care enough, we give them the 29-step process to follow. Problem is, if they follow the 29-step process, it's no guarantee we'll like the results, unless of course, they take ownership.

Are processes bad? No. But they won't overcome a lack of ownership or dedication. Start there. Then add the process to it.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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How many companies do you work at?

I listened to a group of employees describing their clients, their business and relationships.

Several said things like:

"We make our client's lives easier."
"We really get stuff done quickly.
"We're the most convenient option for customers."

A small group of others said,
"My clients look to me as an expert, they view me as their partner."
"We bring great ideas that the client never would think of."
"We help customers grow their business and be more profitable."

The above comments were from the same corporation, yet there were really two companies described: a nice, friendly, order-taking company and a pro-active, strategic company.

What can be done? First, identify the different companies within your corporation and name each of them. For example, the order-takers might be called The Utility Company (they supply the energy that is needed, no more, no less and are taken for granted). The strategic company might be called The Extension (this group acts an extension of the client's company, acting and thinking on behalf of the client).

Second, identify the contribution that each of these companies make to your corporation. My bet is that your corporation makes the bulk of its growth from The Extension, the proactive, strategic company. It gets most of its headaches from The Utility Company, the order-taking company.

Third, identify what portion of your employees work for The Extension versus The Utility Company.

Now, you have a decision to make. Migrate the corporation to one company, or allow the two to fight it out for resources, clients and your focus. Another thing to keep in mind is to look at how you originally got your clients. Which company was responsible? Sometimes we bring in "The Extension Company" and the client falls in love, then over time without any of us realizing it, "The Utility Company" takes over.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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"You aint never seen a train wreck like this."

We have enough sensationalism in our life. We see it on tv or on the web: plane crashes, cars speeding out of control on highways, celebrity break-ups, etc.

We don't need any more sensationalism in the workplace, whether it be gossip or the reporting of train wrecks or disasters, because along with the reporting of those train wrecks comes another thing we get too much of: spin-doctoring.

What we need is more of us focused on making sure the train wreck is averted, that the disaster never happens in the first place, and that when there is a problem, we face it honestly, without trying to spin it to save face.

The really valuable people at companies take the initiative and ownership to do their best so that the sensational disasters never come close to happening. And if those disasters do happen, they face them openly, without spinning them, so that they can learn.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
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Is your dealership a museum?

Go to the best museums in the world and the drill is the same:

You get to see beautiful art. You stand around as long as you want. You're usually not bothered. You can seek out assistance for a question and it will be answered expertly (and then you're left alone because they don't want to bother you).

You can always go to the gift shop and buy mementos, wearables and little gifts.

What I just described above is not only a description of a museum, it describes many dealerships.

Think how close that description is to some of the shopping experiences you have. You can look, but don't don't touch (which also means you're probably not going to buy that beautiful car or motorcycle). You can, however, go to the gift shop and buy tee shirts or caps.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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Boy, is it hard to buy stuff today

I read that we have a recession.
I read that more people are unemployed than since the Great Depression.
I hear that manufacturers are doing everything they can to get their products sold so they can keep their factories running.

So, why is it so hard to buy things? How can you walk through a store, look at a product, smile at the salespeople standing around, and still not have one come up and ask to help you?

And if you are fortunate enough to have a salesperson wait on you, how engaged is he/she? How willing is he/she to make a deal or at least help you come to some decision?

It's bad enough to have the economy we're dealing with. Why create a recession-promoting atmosphere within our companies, dealerships and stores?


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
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Emotions and workplace

A very close friend of mine worked at a huge conglomerate for decades. They gave him the good news that he could choose to retire and get a severance package. He chose the package and left. He had put in years of work there but when he left he wasn't crying over it, he was unemotional.

Then he landed a job at a small entrepreneurial shop and for the first time in his life was engaged in his work. He was also stressed to the max trying to keep up with the pace and deal with the culture there, which was very unique. The owner was a charismatic, brilliant guy who had a ton of bravado.

Well, the unthinkable happened, my close friend was fired one day, out of the blue (as far as he was concerned). He was given no notice, no warning, just "pick up your personal belongings and leave now." Here's what's interesting to me:

He now hates that place with every fiber of his soul--the very place where he was totally engaged, where he felt he was making a difference for the first time in his life.

In the case of losing a job or not being able to keep up, it's not the cold, mediocre companies that we hate, it's the one in which we felt most important, where our heart was most engaged, that's the one we despise.

And to be accurate, I believe that the charismatic leader of that company probably didn't know the full extent of the situation, he was probably played by a few people that wanted my buddy out of there.

No matter, the more personal and unique your culture, the more likely the emotions, both good and bad.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
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Business and Dating

Here's a bizarre question. When you were a teenager and were dating (that's what they called it back in my day), how did you behave toward the opposite sex? Did you grovel or act weak? Did you complain about your previous dates with other people? Did you storm off and act like a child to get attention? Did you get dates because people felt sorry for you? Did we attract people because we were a cheaper date than someone else?

OK, now let's turn this back around to business. Let's assume we all know that attracting someone is not about acting as described above. Why then do so many of us act that way in business?

For example: we find out the client has been cheating on us. Our response is telling them how hurt we are and how much we care so they feel sorry. Or we send a nasty-gram email to lash out at them. Or if we're trying to land a new client, do we brag that we're not the best, but boy! are we cheap? None of those work well in personal relationships, why would they in business?

The reason a person wants to marry someone and stay married to them is very close to why a company wants to hire another company and stay with them. Bottom-line, we are attracted to people or to companies because we feel they have a value to us, we respect them, and we WANT to be with them.

What works (or doesn't work) in personal life usually works (or doesn't work) in business.

Barry LaBov
LaBov and Beyond
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Chatter

I am a big fan of the TV show "24." Frequently when they're trying to figure out how to stop a dastardly plot, they monitor the chatter on the Internet or cell phones or whatever, searching for clues.

Our workplace is full of chatter. A lot of talk, a lot of issues, a lot of opinions--chatter.

If we stop and pay attention to the volume of chatter going on, one thing will emerge: the realization that we allow chatter to take the place of actually doing something productive.

Think about a particular problem that has been discussed for months or years--a lot of gnashing of teeth and frustrations, but yet we still hear about it. Nothing seems to change. That's chatter.

We have to face the fact we allow chatter to be an acceptable or even preferred alternative to actually doing something. Imagine if we didn't allow the chatter and focused on each issue, solving them the best we can?

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
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Rome is beautiful to visit, but...

Rome, Italy is gorgeous. It's practically a museum that calls itself a city. Amazing. The wonders created during the Roman Empire still are on display there every day--but they are in many cases called ruins.

Talk to a historian about Rome and you'll learn that shortly before its fall, it was not a productive, healthy empire. 300 days a year were spent celebrating festivals, and of course the other days were spent preparing or recovering from them. The citizens didn't do much, they had slaves and other conquered people to do their bidding and their fighting. It was probably fun while it lasted....

At our companies, we have a chance to create or tear down our Roman Empires every day. If we aren't willing and inspired to do the work and dig in to help our clients, then why are we in business at all? If we think that others do the work, and we have positions, not jobs, then what are we headed for?

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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Alternatives to full employment today

As an entrepreneur, I don't feel I have the right (or the time to waste) to judge our government or economy, but it is my responsibility to learn how to have my company succeed in the new economy.

There are lay-offs and outsourcing going on today. There are also some creative opportunities for companies and individuals to play the new economy game.

Since the economy is down and taxes are going up, it will be difficult for corporations to maintain their employee levels. An option is part-timers. There are many employees that would love to reduce their hours (and compensation), this is a positive for all.

An option for an unemployed individual is to market yourself as a 15 to 20 hour a week contractor. That scenario is attractive to companies because that person will likely perform 15 to 20 hours of real value and not cost the company in benefits. If you need full-time pay, you'll need to have a couple of part-time contracting jobs.

Is the direction of the country good or bad? It's a judgment call. But, if the question is, "Can I succeed?" the answer is "yes."


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
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Old School Attitude: Not enough budget

Whether you're at a dealership trying to sell a boat or a jet ski or a motorcycle, or you're a supplier dealing with a manufacturer, budget is not what it used to be.

The old-school mantra was, "I can't sell the jet ski because the customer doesn't have the money." Or maybe, "The client says they don't have budget to do this project." Those used to be relatively accurate assessments. No more.

Today if a customer is looking at a jet ski, they are most likely able to buy it, it's just they need to believe it's really worth it--that your dealership is worth it and that you as the salesperson are worth it. Otherwise, they'll leave your store and go somewhere else and they will open up their wallet if they are convinced they're getting a great value.

If you're a supplier, your customers have probably downsized, they've reduced operations, and have retooled their processes. BUT, they still need to sell their product. They have the money IF they're convinced your idea or solution will move the needle. If not, it's easier for them to stand pat and do nothing.

It's all about establishing the value. If you do, the money will follow.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
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