When Donald Trump’s organization turned to “network marketing” to me it was a sign that times were really tough. But now that I’m hearing ads on the airwaves to jump on board with The Donald before it is too late I have to laugh.
I come from an area that at one time was ground zero for pyramid schemes such as Glenn W. Turner’s Koscot International cosmetics and Dare to Be Great Seminars. Get rich quick artists have been praying on Floridians for years. They all seem to roll through here.
Network marketing, on the other hand, claims to be the honest answer for those who can’t wait for the bucks to roll in: the ones who would rather make money by selling other people the right to work for them.
The downside of all these schemes … the legal and the not-so-legal … has always been that the string eventually runs out. Those who get in early make money. And when the ball stops rolling as the string gets taught, the ambitious would-be-Trumpsters who bought in late in the game end up holding an empty bag. It almost never fails because eventually the driving forces in the middle get tired of seeing all the dough to the doughnut maker.
I’m not saying the one with the best known hair in maledom would scam anyone, but there’s a subtle message in his radio ads: “those who recognize the opportunity early will thrive.”
I’ve decided to expand on that and put a new sign on my wall:
“Honesty is a value.
Candor is a risk.
Transparency is a must.”
It comes down to some simple concepts.
We simply expect people to be honest with us. Don’t you hate it when someone says “I’ll be honest with you”? It always makes me wonder when they stopped being honest with me … or whether I should assume they usually aren’t.
Candor is something altogether different. Many people would rather you not be candid with them. For instance, if you think I made a huge mistake in my choice of ties this morning I’d likely prefer to hear about it later if I’m in an environment where a tie is required but I have no chance to replace the monstrosity I am wearing.
Transparency, on the other hand, is a topic of much discussion in today’s often highly charged conversations about ethics. You could be both honest and candid with me, but if you have an agenda for being candid, the fact that you told me the truth is tainted.
Often in business you find someone attempting to reel you in with “total honesty” (one of life’s great oxymorons) but when it comes at you with what I like to call wide-eyed candor – that “golly gee I’m being open with you” look – beware.
Tell me the truth. Be candid with me. Tell me why.
How many times do you visit a Web site where a customer survey form pops up? How often does a receipt ask you to call a number and provide feedback? Ever wonder what happens to your thoughts?
Starbucks has answered that question and created the online community, My Starbucks Idea. The forum takes customer service one step further and not only gathers opinions, but allows others to build upon feedback and rank their favorite ideas. But here’s what takes the Web site to the next level – Starbucks has a blog dedicated to customer ideas that are incorporated into day-to-day business.
My Starbucks Idea member “Sarah with an H” wanted to send Starbucks products to military personnel overseas but the current StarbucksStore.com system would not take FPO/APO mailing addresses. The Digital Ventures team read her post and now customers can send Starbucks products to loved ones overseas. Starbucks even followed through on her suggestion to offer a discount and shipping is equivalent to rates for the 48 contiguous states.
Starbucks followed through on its promise to implement customer suggestions, did a good thing for soldiers overseas, and I bet, picked up an untapped market of military customers. It’s a win-win situation and customers are more apt to keep the good ideas rolling if there’s a legitimate chance that idea will become a reality.
The concept has paid off; the My Starbucks Idea site is full of great ideas. From selling reusable rubber coffee cup sleeves to ice cubes made out of coffee, customer’s imaginations run wild on My Starbucks Idea. Hats off for transforming customer service into a truly symbiotic relationship. Customers are thrilled to have their voices heard and Starbuck receives an endless supply of feedback and countless ideas to improve operations.
UPS customers in five test markets will receive a little something extra this month. Through the Direct to Door program, an extra box filled with marketing materials will show up with already scheduled UPS deliveries now through Oct. 2.
The value of direct marketing has been a long debated subject and my colleague, Kim Taylor, recently blogged about the fine line between direct and junk. I can’t wait to learn more about implementation of this new UPS venture and what side of the oh-so-fine line it falls.
The box packaging adds a unique twist on the traditional direct marketing format and if done right, UPS could be sending goodie boxes of free samples and special offers tailored to a customer’s demographics. On the other hand, Direct to Door could amount to little more than a box of useless fliers. On the plus side, if your junk mail is packaged into one neat little box, it’s easier to throw away.
With participants like Zappos.com, Sephora and Pottery Barn, my money is on UPS delivering offers and samples that customers will welcome. Cross your fingers for UPS . . . failure could quickly place the company among the ranks of spammers and jeopardize customer’s trust in their delivery service. With six consecutive quarters of lower package volume, the perception that UPS is selling customer information to advertisers is one this company cannot afford.
It is easy to understand that the economy is causing many companies to do things differently.
We’ve certainly changed a bit. We find ourselves taking on new types of clients and work that in the past we might not have gone for … and by choosing carefully, we’re finding challenging and profitable opportunities.
But that doesn’t mean a “take it all” mentality is justified, as I was reminded this morning when a voice from the past surfaced on the phone. I’ve told this fellow twice before that what he is trying to do doesn’t have market value.
“This time, I’ve finally got it,” he told me. “This is breakthrough, game-changing stuff.” So I listened to the same old story all over again.
When a prospect becomes like a bad penny and just keeps coming back, what should you do?
We’re in the business of giving people honest, candid advice. If someone doesn’t want to hear it, we’re not really in business. And we’re not in the business of debating with bad pennies and wasting valuable, billable time.
So, “honestly,” I told him, “I just don’t think I’ve been able to communicate with you, and if I’m not good at that, I doubt you’d want me to represent you. You need someone who understands you better than I do. Best of luck and thanks for thinking of us.”
Add polite to honest and candid. I’m hoping the third time was a charm.
Early in my career, I had the pleasure of meeting Lt. Col. John W. Dillin, a public relations pioneer who founded the Florida Public Relations Association more than 50 years ago. I was struck not just by his famous mischievousness, but also by his willingness to spend time with a young pro still trying to find his way.
Last week, I was reminded of that meeting while watching my friend, mentor and business partner, Roger Pynn, accept an award bearing Dillin’s name, the highest honor FPRA bestows.
The John W. Dillin Award recognizes outstanding contributions both to FPRA and to the practice of public relations, and on both counts Roger is well deserving of the honor. His service to the association and to the profession has long been recognized in Central Florida, and I’m glad to see him gaining the recognition he deserves on a statewide level.
Upon accepting the award, Roger shared with the crowd his vision for the profession and commitment to ethics, stating “John Dillin was a visionary. I am just a practitioner. My vision is of a profession that stands for honor, candor and loyalty … one that guides its employers and clients to think strategically and – above all else – to do the right thing.”
By honoring Roger Pynn with the Dillin Award, FPRA certainly did the right thing.
Has The Associated Press fired a shot across the bow of the SS Free? AP is everyone’s news pool … there when the 1400 papers that own it can’t be, covering everything from a cat down a drain in Oshkosh to wars, floods, inaugurations and state funerals.
Now The New York Times reports that AP Pres. Tom Curley says enough is enough … putting Google, Yahoo and all the other news aggregators out there on notice that they are going to put a stop to the unpaid re-use of its content.
The Times reported Curley as saying “If someone can build multibillion-dollar businesses out of keywords, we can build multihundred-million businesses out of headlines, and we’re going to do that.” The Times said Curley said the goal was not to have less use of the news articles, but to be paid for any use.
You have to wonder whether the goal of the AP (itself a nonprofit organization) goes beyond the aggregators and could severely limit blog references and other not-for-profit use of its material.
If AP is successful with its software approach to protecting its members valuable content, does it signal the dawn of an Internet age in which someone has to pay for everything … which no doubt means we all will?
We talk every day about new ways to incorporate social media into client strategies. So much is online … blogs, Twitter, Facebook, it’s easy to forget communication does exist off the Web … until yesterday.
Buried in the clutter of my mail was this piece:
Woof! Orlando
No, your eyes aren’t failing you. That’s a handwritten postcard.
I’ve never given much thought to bringing my dog to a chichi salon, but somehow I feel this meticulous handwriting-mixed-with-red-crayon shouldn’t be in vain.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you know we sometimes stray away from public relations and marketing topics to write about general business practice and customer service.
I received fantastic customer service from a local car dealership’s parts department when they decided to take service to the next level by installing the part I ordered … even though it was a simple install I could’ve easily done myself. That’s good customer service.
Sometimes it’s not as easy to point out experiences like that when you work for a professional services firm.
At Curley & Pynn, it’s general practice not to screen incoming phone calls.
This may seem like a simple thing; and in this hectic, multi-tasking world, it probably seems counter-intuitive. Why wouldn’t we want to find out who’s calling so the person they’re calling for can be prepared when they pick up the phone?
The answer is simple. Because every call is valued; every caller valuable.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. And, they are just that, exceptions.
Good customer service starts with the very first interaction.
Just when Microsoft thought it was safe to go back in the water, Google takes a huge bite out of the side of the boat by announcing Chrome OS. You could hear the “ouch” all the way across Puget Sound.
But BusinessWeek’s Rob Hof saw only half of the story when he opined it was not about taking on Microsoft and rather about making the Web work better, which in the end makes Google’s real business – Web searches – more profitable.
The brains at Google are all abound dominance and we may be seeing what I wrote about back in June when I commented on Microsoft’s introduction of its search engine Bing and Google’s not-to-subtle simultaneous uncovering of Google Wave which Andy Wibbels wrote “obliterates everything.”
If Microsoft blinks, methinks the shift could make it just one more AOL. Hof should read his associate Stephen Wildstrom’s post. There’s blood in the water.
At Google they know that doing anything is worth more than just doing it well … it is about doing it completely: a lesson for all of us in business.
Posted by Curley & Pynn - The Strategic Firm 
Posted by Curley & Pynn - The Strategic Firm 
Posted by Curley & Pynn - The Strategic Firm 
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