Implementer Posts
Do You Use Your Product to Run Your Business?
I remember early in my sales career, a prospect turning the tables on me and asking me if I used the product I was selling in my own business. I was a bit taken a back and a bit embarrassed to admit that I did not use our “brilliant selling tool” in my own efforts. Needless to say I did not make the sale. From that day forward, I committed to becoming a fully engaged user of the products that I sell. The Power of Applied Learning When I chose to become an EOS Implementer, I already had experience with the system. In fact, I had used the system to build one of the fastest growing privately held businesses in the United States and was listed on the Inc 500. I was even referenced in EOS’s seminal book “Traction:” Alongside two other partners, brothers Tyler and Jonathan B. Smith founded a small technology
8 Steps to Capture Better Customer Testimonials
Boosting One Small, Powerful Part of Your L10 Meetings: Get Customer Testimonials The fourth agenda item on the EOS Level 10 Meeting Agenda is called Customer / Employee Headlines (C/EH). The C/EH provides an opportunity for the team pause to share both good and bad news about customers and employees. It tends to be a time to celebrate the good stuff and occasionally do some after action review of something gone awry. Rich in Customer Testimonials The Customer / Employee Headlines agenda item is rich in customer testimonial opportunities. As such, I encourage my clients to be vigilant about listening for testimonial “gold.” I encourage them to create “To Do’s” to fully capture and promote the positive customer experience mentioned during C/EH. Customer Testimonial Capture and Promotion Process The process for capturing the testimonials and promoting them is quite simple and straightforward. To Do – Assign a to do to
Getting Rid of Hot Potatoes
When I was about 12 my Grandfather assigned me to plant a field of potatoes. He took me out to the field ( I remember it as about 10 acres but in reality it was a small plot beside the barn) and showed me how to cut potatoes leaving a good ”eye” (the stem bud from which the roots of the plant will sprout) and then planting the cut potato with the “eye” up and covering it with a few inches of soil. After a few days work I finished planting the field and, in a few weeks, a whole field of potato plants was flourishing. In business, some days it can feel as though you are facing a whole field of problems; major obstacles and barriers that are preventing you from realizing your vision. Just like the potato field, all these problems started with a root cause, and unfortunately, the roots
Letting Go
Most of us have fond memories of summer days riding our bikes to a friend’s house or to the ice cream store. The freedom and independence that comes with bike riding is a rite of passage for most kids. You are less likely to remember the day you graduated from training wheels to freedom, but rest assured your parents remember it. If you’re a parent, you know the joy and trepidation you experienced, when running alongside your feverishly pedaling 5-year-old you let go and watch them excitedly continue on their own. Parents want their children to be independent and self-reliant but actually letting go can be difficult. Entrepreneurs experience the same phenomenon. Most of the entrepreneurs I work with tell me they want to build an organization that will run without them, yet they struggle to let go. They say things like, “I want to let go, but with 20
Alan Mulally One Ford American Icon
One Ford – Vision Vision drives your business. Ford Motor Company knows something about corporate vision. When Alan Mulally joined Ford as CEO from The Boeing Company in September 2006, the company was about to post a $5.6 billion quarterly loss. To reverse Ford’s downward spiral, Mulally created a plan to simplify the product line and borrow money to ride out the global economic crisis. He also created the One Ford Vision, which specified how people would work together towards “one team, one plan, one goal.” Mulally’s consistent articulation of that vision to everyone, everywhere, gave legs to Ford’s growth. Joe Nocera commented on Mulally’s vision in the New York Times on June 2014 after interviewing Bryce Hoffman, author of American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company. “Once he had his vision for the company, he repeated it at the start of every meeting, whether the audience was
3 Musts to Hire Happy Employees (and Remain a Happy Employer)
The GWC™ Principle Are you having trouble with your hiring or evaluation process? Maybe this framework will help. Do you think you’re the only one who’s made some hiring mistakes? Unfortunately, having an un-refined hiring process is more common than you think. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons some organisations lose lots of money. You see, a lousy hiring process often leads to issues like high employee turnover rates. Need proof? According to a Harvard Business Review study, up to 80% of employee turnover can be traced back to poor hiring decisions. And in another study by Glassdoor, they found out that up to 95% of employers may admit to recruiting people who weren’t a good fit each year. These studies show that the big problem here is identifying an ideal candidate for the various roles in your company. And it’s because most employers lack the necessary framework. That’s