Decades ago, my mom and dad both passed away from cancer. It was a tough time for them and our family. You never knew what was next. You had hopes, but even more worries. You just couldn't predict what was going to happen.
A friend of mine is now facing that with one of his parents. He is understandably concerned and worried. But at the same time, he has a career and responsibilities. His boss and I are banding together to help protect our friend from himself.
We're both going to force him to do the uncomfortable--leave work early or don't come in at all and spend time with his mother. I'm convinced that if our friend does this (I know he wants to, it's just tough for him), it will not only help his mom, but his family will benefit and so will he. And I'm convinced his business won't suffer; and if it does, so what?
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
www.labov.com
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Flying solo
In rock bands, you need a great soloist. But those soloists can also play back-up, too. That's part of being in a good band--it's not four guys playing separately from each other, they're actually feeding off each other. That's called jamming. Jams can be boring or they can be inspired. But you never know until you try.
In our business, we need to jam more often, to play off each other, because we might just create some magic. Why don't we do just that? A few reasons:
--We don't want to expose our ideas to criticism or judgment
--We don't want to bother others
--We want to prove we can do it on our own
No matter the reason, we are always worse off by not collaborating with our fellow band members or office mates. No jamming, no magic.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
In our business, we need to jam more often, to play off each other, because we might just create some magic. Why don't we do just that? A few reasons:
--We don't want to expose our ideas to criticism or judgment
--We don't want to bother others
--We want to prove we can do it on our own
No matter the reason, we are always worse off by not collaborating with our fellow band members or office mates. No jamming, no magic.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
Friday, May 25, 2012
Age matters
It's funny, I have friends who are old like me and they hate to admit it. It's as if being "old" is something you keep quiet for fear that someone will notice.
I hear people say that 60 is the new 50 and that 40 is the new 30. Again, we're trying to re-frame how old we are.
I know a 70-year-old who is a lot younger than a 55-year-old I know. I am friends with a 28-year-old who is much older than a 40-year-old I work with.
Age is a number and it does matter. A guy who has been around a long time and allows others to benefit from his experience is fantastic. A lady who is young and is ultra-sensitive to giving much of herself for fear of being taken advantage of is not so fun.
A person who has 25 years of unique experience in his field is invaluable. If he, however, has one year of experience 25 years in a row, that's another matter.
Age matters. Like so many things we are given, it's what we do with it that either makes a difference or is sadly wasted.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
www.labov.com
I hear people say that 60 is the new 50 and that 40 is the new 30. Again, we're trying to re-frame how old we are.
I know a 70-year-old who is a lot younger than a 55-year-old I know. I am friends with a 28-year-old who is much older than a 40-year-old I work with.
Age is a number and it does matter. A guy who has been around a long time and allows others to benefit from his experience is fantastic. A lady who is young and is ultra-sensitive to giving much of herself for fear of being taken advantage of is not so fun.
A person who has 25 years of unique experience in his field is invaluable. If he, however, has one year of experience 25 years in a row, that's another matter.
Age matters. Like so many things we are given, it's what we do with it that either makes a difference or is sadly wasted.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
www.labov.com
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Cut through it
You're a salesperson at a dealership. The customer walks in, and for the third time, looks at a particular car and then leaves without buying.
You're a product designer. Your company has been working with a supplier that just doesn't produce the quality you need for your design to succeed.
You're new on the job and your boss is always too busy to stop and train you. Yet you feel pressure to perform well.
All of the above scenarios happen daily. They will not solve themselves. You can't wait them out without the real possibility of failure. So...
Talk to the customer, get to the heart of where things stand.
Research another supplier and fold them into your recommendation.
Go for help somewhere in the company and try to learn from someone, somehow.
You have to cut through all of it, even if you're not perfect. If you don't, you fall prey to countless possibilities that are out of your control. Cut through it, do something. It can only help.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
You're a product designer. Your company has been working with a supplier that just doesn't produce the quality you need for your design to succeed.
You're new on the job and your boss is always too busy to stop and train you. Yet you feel pressure to perform well.
All of the above scenarios happen daily. They will not solve themselves. You can't wait them out without the real possibility of failure. So...
Talk to the customer, get to the heart of where things stand.
Research another supplier and fold them into your recommendation.
Go for help somewhere in the company and try to learn from someone, somehow.
You have to cut through all of it, even if you're not perfect. If you don't, you fall prey to countless possibilities that are out of your control. Cut through it, do something. It can only help.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
Monday, May 21, 2012
Indications
We use words to express where we stand. But so often, those are just words and nothing more. If someone is dedicated and believes, is it enough that they say that? Or does it mean nothing if their actions betray those words?
If the customer says they are satisfied, yet don't purchase another product, then how satisfied are they?
If the partner says she is committed, yet does the minimum, is she really a partner?
Conversely, if the customer says little, but recommends you to others, it's a good bet that they are truly satisfied.
It's easy for us to look at words to hear or see what we want. It's better to look at actions as the true indicator of where a person stands.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
If the customer says they are satisfied, yet don't purchase another product, then how satisfied are they?
If the partner says she is committed, yet does the minimum, is she really a partner?
Conversely, if the customer says little, but recommends you to others, it's a good bet that they are truly satisfied.
It's easy for us to look at words to hear or see what we want. It's better to look at actions as the true indicator of where a person stands.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
Friday, May 18, 2012
Celebrate
My wife and I had some remodeling done on our home and after the months of inconvenience, it was finally done. We invited all who had worked on the house to join us for a celebration. Most of the folks showed up and it was a lot of fun.
One of the contractors told me that in the old days, fifteen or so years ago, this was commonplace. But in the last few years, he hadn't been invited to one such party.
Interesting. I could understand people not making time to do this if they were too busy; but in these times, it seems more important than ever to celebrate and enjoy a good performance.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
One of the contractors told me that in the old days, fifteen or so years ago, this was commonplace. But in the last few years, he hadn't been invited to one such party.
Interesting. I could understand people not making time to do this if they were too busy; but in these times, it seems more important than ever to celebrate and enjoy a good performance.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
People, not objects
The cashier feels it. So does the salesperson, the landscaper, the attendant, the mechanic and the person who dropped her cell phone in the parking lot.
They can tell whether or not you look at them as real people or if you look at them as objects, interruptions or speed bumps on the road of your life. We can all sense it.
How do your customers think you view them? Don't ask them, just look at the results. Do you lose customers frequently or do you have long-term friendships and business partnerships?
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
www.labov.com
They can tell whether or not you look at them as real people or if you look at them as objects, interruptions or speed bumps on the road of your life. We can all sense it.
How do your customers think you view them? Don't ask them, just look at the results. Do you lose customers frequently or do you have long-term friendships and business partnerships?
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
www.labov.com
Monday, May 14, 2012
Show you care
Show you care:
Check your product, make sure it is flawless
Check your work, make sure it actually does what it is supposed to do
Check your math, check your spelling
Follow up and see if the customer is happy
It's not hard to do the above. But you do have to care.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
Check your product, make sure it is flawless
Check your work, make sure it actually does what it is supposed to do
Check your math, check your spelling
Follow up and see if the customer is happy
It's not hard to do the above. But you do have to care.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
Friday, May 11, 2012
Because you want to be there
If you visit a beautiful locale and hang around the locals, you'll notice something: they actually like being there. They enjoy it and they talk about it.
When you are in the typical city or town and listen to the locals, you'll notice something different: they have to be here. This is where they've always been and they often complain about it.
Companies are the same way--some have a culture that people love and others are the places that people have to work at.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
When you are in the typical city or town and listen to the locals, you'll notice something different: they have to be here. This is where they've always been and they often complain about it.
Companies are the same way--some have a culture that people love and others are the places that people have to work at.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Baby suit
I walked into a clothing store and picked a suit I liked. It needed some alteration, so their tailor walked up to help me. He was a 70-year-old Italian and he took one look and said in his Italian accent, "Bebby suit."
I asked him what he said and soon I understood he was saying baby suit. He said, "The suit is too small, you need to have enough room to move around." He was right.
Whether it's our clothing or other purchases (cars, for example), we need to realize how big we are, how old we are, etc.
No one likes to be told they're wearing a bebby suit.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
I asked him what he said and soon I understood he was saying baby suit. He said, "The suit is too small, you need to have enough room to move around." He was right.
Whether it's our clothing or other purchases (cars, for example), we need to realize how big we are, how old we are, etc.
No one likes to be told they're wearing a bebby suit.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
Monday, May 7, 2012
Urgency
LaBov & Beyond Marketing Communications just conducted research in a niche industry that has two primary competitors. One is the dominant leader with 60-70% market share. The other is a small, newer company. Interestingly, the biggest issue facing the little company was its lack of urgency. They take too long to fix problems, they waste too much time thinking and not doing.
You'd think that a small upstart firm would not have that problem. Large companies can be slower because they have the resources to make up for it. If you're small and resource-strapped, you better have urgency, because sometimes that's all you've got over the big guy.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
You'd think that a small upstart firm would not have that problem. Large companies can be slower because they have the resources to make up for it. If you're small and resource-strapped, you better have urgency, because sometimes that's all you've got over the big guy.
Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.labov.com/
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