Nomenclature4Your Consideration

Little things can make a big difference though – especially in commerce.

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One of the first questions I ask a new client is how they refer to the people with whom they do business. The labels you put on your interactions can be significant and often share a deeper meaning. Are your business relationships with patients, customers, clients, students, visitors, guests, users, or buyers?

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Obviously in anything related to the medical world you’d want to address the people who visit you as patients.

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If you’re in the hospitality industry, it’s likely you refer to them as guests, visitors, or customers. They are staying with you, in from out of town, or eating and drinking at your establishment. You can likely surmise the proper label to use and apply.

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But what about those of you in more varied professions? Do you call the people in your day-to-day dealings clients or customers?

Some Thinking2Do

There’s a bit of a value assessment placed with the language you choose. While everyone may not agree with me, it feels like a customer is someone with whom a transaction takes place. A client label, however, implies a deeper, more collaborative relationship - perhaps ongoing in nature. It says more than “transaction”. It says we’re “your people” and we’ll be here for you over time.

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We intentionally have clients.

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That’s the business we are in. It may not be the same in your situation, but it is worth a review and your deeper thought. Not only should you be mindful of what you call your customers or clients, but if you’re in the sales or service providing business, be aware of how the people with whom you do business refer to their end users. It’s pretty awkward to speak to a medical practice about their customers (when you mean patients). That’s a fast way to lose some credibility.

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In the end, the small labels you choose actually are a pretty big deal.

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Painful News2Hear

It was late in January – four years ago – when my adopted hometown got news that was about as bad as people could imagine. It was a real gut punch to hear the railroad – Norfolk Southern – was leaving Roanoke and in its wake an empty ten-story building in the heart of our blossoming downtown. After all, the railroad had built the economy of our hip, small city.

People were obviously scared. It was devastating news and the local reporters beat on about all the people who would be leaving, the lost jobs for our area, and how bad things were going to be for our city when all of this happened.

The way things had always been was clearly not going to continue. The time had come to adapt.

A New Way to Look at Things4Your Business

A group of local business leaders decided to band together to rebound from the bad news. They bought the building and retrofit it so a handful of companies could share the beautiful space and take advantage of a great downtown Roanoke address. Instead of relying on one corporate giant, these ingenious and daring new owners split things up and in a matter of a few short years they’ve continued work to fill the space.

It was the same shell of a building, but inside everything was different.

How many times are we hit with devastating news in business or life only to quickly figure out it’s actually a new opportunity for us? Now, we’re forced to find a new way to do things. Instead of feeling sorry about a major loss, these investors took a risk, found a new path, and fueled some of the continued growth here in town.

It was impressive work. And is a good reminder for us.

There is a new way to accomplish your mission and it starts with taking a fresh look at the situation. Maybe you can try that the next time seemingly bad news crosses your desk.

Airplanes Landing2Teach

Around 15 years ago I spent a day in Northern New Jersey making sales calls with a consultant. I like new places and, while I had driven through the region, I had never really spent any time there.

I noticed the area was similar to so many places I had been – small towns, lots of trees, and actually very friendly people. I also noticed two other things – Manhattan was off in the distance, but always in sight. The other thing in sight was a constant stream of airplanes landing at Newark Liberty International, one of the busiest airports in the United States. On this day, the airport had two runways operating at the same time in order to keep flights moving as scheduled.

It was pretty flat there so you could see multiple aircrafts in different stages of landing: appearing from the clouds, nearing the airport, lining up with the runway, and touching down. At least three planes were in sight to for each runway at any given time. They were in a perpetual landing pattern and it got me thinking.

The Application4Us as Producers

Our business lives mirror those of the air traffic controller – especially in the sales world.

We have to safely land that sale that is right in front of us while helping those late in the process move toward the logical conclusion. Meanwhile, we have presentations to make to newer prospects, and the obvious importance of getting clients in the business development line into the landing pattern.

It’s a busy job and it’s not for the faint of heart or the fearful.

It’s easy to lose track of those prospects as we work to finalize arrangements on the pending sale. It’s typical to forget to call on those “way out in the future” potential clients when we are busy with presentations to those who have already expressed interest and are making “now” decisions. Simply put – it’s a lot to watch.

Yet watch you must. The best sellers understand the value of all of these steps and watch all their clients and prospects simultaneously – just like the team in the tower at Newark.

Twice in my life I found myself as an adult without a job. The two situations were quite similar and they both happened fairly close together. It’s not something I would wish upon anyone, but as you might imagine I learned a lot about life and about myself during those challenging times.

One of the things wise people encouraged me to do was to meet with people to help me see what possibilities existed out there and to better understand what made me special, valuable, and unique. A handful of people took time to meet with me and it made a big difference.

While the two seasons ended in very different employment situations, they confirmed something I had generally tried to do throughout my career. It’s a different kind of “networking”.

I’ll meet with almost anyone who asks me to connect with them professionally – especially when they are in a time of transition.

It's Easy2Make a Difference

While my schedule is as crowded as any of yours, if a new college graduate, a trailing spouse, or a friend of a friend wants to get together to talk about their career or to learn about mine, I’ll work really hard to make time. Partially it is because people did the same for me. At times it’s a way to give back to others in the same way connections have been given to me. And while I try not to do it for selfish reasons, I can honestly say these meetings have provided me some significant personal and business gains through the years as well.

Sometimes you meet a person who is just right for your own company. Other times you find someone who may be a perfect fit for one of your clients. But even if those things don’t happen, it’s rewarding to help other people. If they leave your meeting and take some of the steps and find their own path – in a problem, a career, or with their product, it does feel good knowing you were able to help.

It's a simple way to give back to and acknowledge those who gave to me.

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Quiet is Needed2Create

When you run a small business, manage a few dozen accounts, shepherd a travel basketball playing teenager, and work behind the scenes on two non-profit leadership teams it’s easy to go from thing to thing and place to place.  You’re deeply connected to your calendar and it can both tether you and tie you down.

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I work in a creative environment.
Around me are musicians and artists and photographers and foodies and writers.  Up and down our little two block, one-way street there is creativity galore.  While I may be among the least of these fine folks, I do often think about solving problems and making things better.  It’s a different kind of creativity, but it still falls in that general category.

Make Time4Peace

Peace and quiet.

Whether you consider yourself a creative individual or not, I can promise you this.  You need space to be able to get perspective and address those hard to solve problems or situations.

Earlier this year I was at a jazz concert at the Jefferson Center and in the weeks leading up to that evening I had been running about like a wild man.  It took probably three songs to quiet my soul.  Once my soul was quiet, my brain opened up.  Before I knew it I had a range of new and exciting ideas, a fresh approach to a challenging situation at work, and a new way to connect with a client.  

Interestingly enough, once those things were out of my brain, I was able to really enjoy the show.  It was a great night all around.

And it was an important reminder of the value of room to solve problems or create exciting things.

Time2Improve

People want to improve.  Well, most people do anyway.

They’ll talk the improvement game.  They’ll go to conferences.  They’ll read those books.  Most will target a start date of January – the official biggest improvement month of the year.

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The trouble is I see too many people who talk about improving, but, by the month of February, they regress to their tried and true habits.  They do the same things the same way they always have.  Routines are grounded into most folk’s normal day.  And change is hard – really hard.

Make Time4Improvement

A friend of mine recently commented in an off-hand way, “If someone never sets aside time to improve, they’ll never improve.”  It was a simple statement, but as soon as I heard it I knew I had to write about it. In previous B2Seed entries, I’ve shared about how busy people in the world are today.  There are fewer of you working in companies and you’re doing more and the deadlines seem to come quicker and quicker.

You move from crisis to situation to trouble to meeting.  It’s just the way it is whether you are in marketing, leadership, medicine, human resources, running a non-profit, or consulting other businesses.

So here is my challenge to you.  You’re not going to magically make yourself better.  You’re only going to get better if you carve time out of your calendar to do so.  Make it a routine and start this week.  No matter how much pressure you get from clients, bosses, or the teams you lead, it is critical you create space to actually improve.  You owe it to your people, your company, and – most of all – to yourself.

Block out thirty minutes twice a week for the next three weeks.  Plan it right after you finish reading this article and before you begin your next task.  At this point it doesn’t even really matter what route you select to improve. You’ve marked a start and starting is the most important step.  After all, you can always improve at improving once you get that habit changed and make time for it.

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