If You Had Any Doubts About Emotion Driving the World....

Spend just a few minutes with the Hallmark channel or watch the Hallmark specials this year on TV. The real challenge is to determine which causes more tears? The show itself or the well done commercials.

It may seem a subtle connection, but believe me, the next time you want to say something special or draw an emotion from another, chances are you will pick up a Hallmark card.  In your own world, what will you do next to create or bring out emotion with your customers?

They Get It. Williamson Wine Company

You think you have competition? Think about being in an entire region, and an entire town that is known for one thing- wine. Now imagine you are a small winery going up against the biggest and some may argue the best in the business. Oh, and add into the mix that nearly all of your competition is known nationally through distribution at your local liquor store. Did I mention that the only way to get your message out was through word of mouth and walking in the front door?

By the end of day three, we where about wined out. Things began to taste the same, the experiences were almost clinical and we were loosing our ambition to take on another tasting room. Until we got to Healdsburg.

It was there that we began hearing about the Williamson Wine Company and often asked, "have you been there yet?" We never heard of them before, and as I said- we were about wined out. At the next tasting room we visited, others were talking about the WWC and saying to us openly.. "you have to go there." By now it is after 6 PM, and most rooms close at or before 7 PM.

At twenty after 6, we walk into a packed house at the Williamson Wine Company, one of a dozen tasting rooms within walking distance of each other. We were met by Dawn Williamson who quickly found a place for us, not in chaos out front, but at our own table in the back. Within minutes Dawn was back and helping us through their tasting menu. She talked briefly about their winery and that they serve a bit of food with each wine to help us understand "the job" the was wine is supposed to do. This was new. Food? The wine had a job? Different.

Bill Williamson delivered the first course of wine along with a bit of food and described for us what we were about to "experience." The wine hit the nose as described, subtle flavors were identified and the finish was delightful. Then, as with each additional course, we were invited to take the food in our mouths and enjoy the wine again. Light bulbs went off in our heads! We finally understood- this on our last day, in our last tasting room. At the WWC, we were having an experience where the winemaker, wine and food were delivering a total package of authenticity and passion for what savoring wine was all about... emotional connections to the food, the wine and each other. Gone were the memories of countless tasting rooms of the last three days. We were being enveloped in the passion of this family, their legacy and the joy they want the rest of us to feel.

The crowds began to dwindle and soon gone. In the end, at twenty after 8, long after the day was over, it was the four of us. Two folks seeking an experience and the winemaker and his wife sitting, talking and building what I hope is a life long friendship.

Please, treat yourself the next time you are in wine country. Go to the Williamson Wine Company in Healdsburg. Say "hello" to Bill and Dawn and prepare yourself for a new understanding of what winemaking and enjoying, is all about. Thank you very much Bill and Dawn, we will be back... shortly we hope!

Are you an Energy Vampire?

I just came off the road from a whirl-wind tour speaking to the great folks in New Jersey about Fish!

Fish! as many of y0u know, is a great program based on the Pike Street Fish Market in Seattle, WA. It is a great program- fun, fast and foundational in changing your life and those around you. The program is based in just four key principles; play, make their day, choose your attitude and be there- for your self and others.

These four simple principles literally will change the way you look at the world and how the world looks back at you. Over 50% of our lives are doing some kind of work related activity. You can choose to take that significant investment in LIFE and either make it work with you and for you, or make it a sentence and adopt the attitude of 30 years of hard labor.

For those of you who have read my pervious blogs- sans the cigar blog which was just fun to share- you know that I am disciple of the "experience." Often it is a discussion around creating customer or patient experiences, but what about ME? What about MY experience; at work, at home, my family, my friends? I know that if your life is filled and enriched you will impact those around you as well with riches and good energy. While in NJ, I had the opportunity to talk about "energy vampires"- those that when they walk into the room suck the light right out of it. We all know someone like this. The first question to be addressed in our own life experience is "Do we have energy vampires in our midst?" If so, take a good long look at what they are contributing to your life- other than perhaps drama and trauma. The first step in choosing a positive experience for ourselves in this life to rid ourselves of those who want to prevent us from achieving it. Once we have the shackles off, moving towards our goals becomes significantly easier.

Thanks New Jersey... for reminding me of energy zappers and how dangerous they can be in our lives.

Personal Victory With Cigars!

Ok, this not related in any way, shape or form to my usual rants related to business. Over the last several years I have developed personal tastes that have "snob" type tendencies.

For instance, I am a coffee snob- I can't do the church basement coffee any longer. If I wanted tea, I would have made it from tea. I am a beer snob- I prefer the darker beers with a bold, carmel/hop filled flavors. Sure, a MGD is fine on a hot day, but I wouldn't buy a frig full of them. Finally, over the years I have come to appreciate a fine cigar. As Winston Churchill once said "a fine woman is still a woman, but a fine cigar is a smoke." There is much to be appreciated in Churchill and fine cigars.

My personal victory lies in humidification control in my humidor. I don't have a fancy walk-in job, just a nice desktop version given to me by dear co-workers. However, living in Minnesota where we have extreme temperature and humidity changes, keeping a modest 72% humidity and 68 degree humidor is a bit challenging. Finally, after months of trying to make the system work provided with the humidor, I have discovered a solution that works with minimal effort and is highly cost effective. I went to my local major big-box retailer that seems to be taking over the world and bought a $.98 travel soap dish. Then, a small bag of sponges that can be trimmed to fit into the soap dish. Finally, a jug of humidification solution sold at a tobacconist. I drilled holes in the top of the dish, cut to fit the sponge in the bottom and filled the sponge with the solution. I closed the lid on the dish, placed in my humidifier and viola! Three days later I had perfect humidification! Sounds so simple it's stupid.

Many of you may have this solution already figured out and in place. But I got to tell you, I found every other contraption on the market that costs much more than the $1.59 I got into this baby. I had to share. And yes, I am smoking my perfectly humidified cigar as we speak in celebration, of course.

Talent- It Will Become Your Brand

I work with many small to mid-sized companies. I see them struggle, plan and execute the next best "thing" to remain competitive or stand out from the crowd. Whether it is the purchasing of a new piece of equipment, a new marketing direction, or forging into new markets- I wonder if at times we are forgetting about "the moments of truth."

Simply stated, it won't matter what you do or add to your product offering and marketing campaigns- if your "moments of truth"- every moment your employees interact your customers- is the best it possibly can be. Millions of dollars in marketing and PR will not overcome bad customer experiences. There are just to many choices for consumers to make these days- and they do- frequently.

Companies today need to invest in innovation to remain competitive and cutting edge. Equally important is the need to invest in their sales and customer service personnel. The talent you present to the customer and the interaction that ensues, is what they ultimately remember-how they were treated, respected, their ability to solve problems and find solutions. They are your brand to the consumer. Your talent is what folks will talk about at church gatherings, baseball games, over dinner and out with friends. Long after your logo is forgotten, consumers will remember the experiences your employees created for them.

One of my new favorite quotes; "Why should I spend money to train my people when all they will do is take that knowledge and leave for a competitor?" My response- "What happens if you don't and they stay?" The stories people tell of your company will ultimately become your brand. Invest in good story tellers.

Living and Working With Intention

I have just returned from South Carolina where I keynoted to a group of optical professionals- from Doctors to their front office teams, on the concept of living and working with intention.

When I was first given the task to speak on the subject, I must admit I was a bit rattled on what to say, and certainly questioned if I had enough material and insight to fill an hour and half of stage time.  As I was preparing the presentation, it began to really hit home- "Are we just going through the motions, or are we leaving a legacy?"  No matter what role we play- large or small- we can live and work with the intention to be the best we can be, to go the extra mile for someone, to "be-there" for another, to make someone's day.  Sadly, most of us don't.

I was amazed by the response from the audience and the conversations that occurred throughout the day and into the next.  People were genuinely stirred by the idea of creating a life they always wanted, but never felt they could.  I am not sure why exactly we do this to ourselves.  Each of us are equipped with our own special gifts, talents and desires.  We are the Master of our fate.  We can, with intention- view our life from The End to now, and start walking toward what we always wanted to become.  For me, it was a reminder to live life fully and collect as many amazing stories as I can.  It also reminded me that "whether I think I can, or think I can't, I am right."

Thanks, South Carolina!

Experiences with Intention. Are You Ready?

Last week I was in NYC working with about 140 doctors discussing systems, processes and patient flow.  Most had an office process which was utilized to flow patients in and out of exam rooms, which you would expect. But few if any had the patient in mind when creating the flow. The flow was created for the office staff to work with some sort of liquidity, but the patients are often left hanging in waiting or exam rooms filled with outdated magazines and uncomfortable silence. 

There is a great book out there called "The Experience Economy" which drives home how patients, (i.e. consumers) buy, shop and choose where they are going to invest their time and money.  A quick summary of the book could read like this, "Experiences are as different from services, as services are from goods."

If you read it backwards you will have the history of consumerism.  Thirty years ago we all were making decisions based on the quality and availability of goods.  Then, when that became the standard, business and industry looked to changing service levels and quality of those services as a competitive advantage. Today, consumers expect high quality goods and services but with a new twist: experiences. What is the experience like when you buy these goods and services?  When your patient/customer is gathering with friends or family or out for a cup of coffee, the stories they tell about their experiences with  your business will, ultimately, become your brand.  

What are you doing to manage and create those customer interactions so that your brand is exactly what you intend it to be? 

Next week, keynoting in South Carolina at a regional educational conference to address this very topic with a professional doctors' group.  Take care, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

Michael