What To Do When Everything Breaks At The Worst Time
I was working with an Ed Tech client who was having trouble simplifying the on-ramp for new customers.
The interface looked friendly, but there were a lot of features and you had to learn a lot of new jargon to really get the benefits.
Plus, it was super buggy because they had just pushed a new version that wasn’t rigorously tested.
So as part of being a consultant, I was working through the on-boarding workflow with a live customer.
It made sense when I walked her through everything but then, later in the week, when she needed it most, the software broke.
She emailed me in a panic saying she wasn’t going to have her charts for her big meeting on Friday.
I worked through it with her and got her half of the way there. I got her the data but she has to make her one charts in excel because our tool wouldn’t be fixed in time for her meeting.
She said “it’s okay, I’ll just have to use my old excel charts. I was just really excited to look cool in front of everyone at the meeting.”
But here’s where it gets good.
Immediately after we hung up, I ordered a pair of wayfarer-style sunglasses (in the color of Ed Tech company’s branding) and sent them to her office, making sure they’d arrive on Thursday.
I also included a message saying: “thanks for your patience as we fix or software. We’re super bummed that it broke right when you needed it most. That was so frustrating and we’re in the process of improving our testing environment so these massive bugs don’t hit users. In the meantime, I hope these sunglasses help you look cool in your big meeting. You have the data you need to melt faces and blow minds. Go get ‘em.”
Do you see what happened?
It took a little extra time and about 15 minutes.
She emailed me on Friday morning saying that our company was the best. She was bragging to her co-workers about how we handled the situation and that she knew we were in an early stage where bugs were normal. She was going to stick through it with us because we believed in the same thing and gestures like this really made her feel like we had her back.
Boom.
Customer for life.
And it cost $14 on Amazon.
2 Minute Action
Maybe you don’t have customers, maybe you do.
Maybe you have students, or attendees, or subscribers.
Pick someone who doesn't seem to be having a good day or maybe who had it rough yesterday.
Take 2 minutes to do something special for someone.
You don’t need to spend a lot of (or any) money.
You just need to make them feel special like you’re on the same team.
Because that’s how we make the world better, right?
By bringing people closer together.
It's Easier To Stand Out Than You Think. Here's How . . .
I had just come back from a career fair where I was recruiting for a project.I had a stack of fresh resumes in hand. Looking at all of them it was quickly clear that they all looked the same.But when I talked to my colleague, he said "Look! That one! I want that one!"There was one resume in the tall stack that was bright red around the edges and stood out from the pile.As soon as I heard my colleague say this, I laughed.I pulled out the bright red resume to reveal that it wasn't a resume at all . . .It was a parking pass for the university!All of these students were doing their best to fit in. They used the same paper, the same font, the same format. They wore the same suits, said the same things, and asked the same questions.They were trying so hard to fit in because they'd been told that fitting in meant they'd be picked.
The moral of the story:
It's important and easy to stand out.Actually, it's so easy, a parking pass beat out all of my job candidates.The bar is low. Whether you're working on your marketing, your book cover, or the subject line for the email you're writing to your boss . . . it's your job to make sure your message is seen/heard/read/etc.
2 Minute Action:
Make a quick list of the top 5 things EVERYONE else does in your field.If you were to make a parody of your project or work or of the experts in your field, what might it look like?Congratulations.You now have a list of things NOT do to.You've also got a list of places in which you can be more unique.Your turn. Let's go.
Your Privacy Is Very Important To Us
How many emails have you gotten like this in the past few weeks?They all sound the same, right?How about these familiar lines:
- Your call is important, please hold.
- We value your business.
- Thanks for shopping.
These lines probably made consumers feel good the first time. No one else was saying it, so hearing "thanks" felt good.It was a step above the norm. It made businesses stand out by making their consumers feel special.And I bet you know where this is going . . .If everyone is doing it, it loses its uniqueness, it's special shine.The point was to stand out, not to follow what everyone else is doing.Of course, this isn't what we learn in school. It's not how we've been trained to operate.We've been trained to sit still and stay in line.Don't run.Don't shout.Follow the formula and you'll excel.Of course, it's hard to realize at first, but it's obvious now that this is well-intentioned bad advice.How could doing what everyone else is doing help you excel!?So if you're goal is to tell someone their privacy (or attention, or time, or business, or affection, or whatever) is important to you, perhaps you should tell them in a way that actually means something--in a way that stands out.If you don't, I promise, you will fit right in.And it gets worse; you'll lose the confidence of whomever you're addressing.
2 Minute Action
What's something you're doing right now that is intentionally done like everyone else?Or maybe it's something that you've just always done that way.
- An email footer?
- The way you answer the phone?
- The same gift basket you always send?
How could you make it more personal? More special? More you?I bet it only takes 2 extra minutes and ends up making all the difference.