Sweat equity

by Mark McNeely -- Mark@HighVelocityCommunications.com

Those of you who have bought a “fixer-upper” home know the true meaning of sweat equity. Hands-on engagement is the best form of quality control in these matters. It also helps to be handy with power tools, plumbing and paint.

A little bit of sweat equity is the order of the day in the business world, too. Letting your customers know that you’re in this proposition together, whatever that proposition might be, will go a long way down the road.

In these challenging economic times, make sure your customers know that you’re working in their best interest—maximizing their investment, no matter how large or small. Go beyond knowing their products, applications and markets. You need to know what their customers are feeling, too.

Yes, it takes more effort, but in the end you can be proud of your accomplishments—just like turning a rundown, tired house into an attractive little home.

Don’t be bogus

by Jack Burke – Jack@HighVelocityCommunications.com

Slate.com offers a periodical feature called “Bogus Trend Stories” that picks up—and picks apart—news features that claim to substantiate some type of new phenomenon out in the real world. 

The latest example was a story from the New York Times that claimed that pot bellies were now the latest “hip” trend. No, not pot-bellied pigs, but real pot bellies, the kind you can get from drinking PBR and eating pork rinds. 

What makes something hip? That’s the rub, according to Slate.com. The author “names no leader of potbelly hipness and uncovers no evidence of hip potbellies in the cinema, the stage, the concert hall, the night club, or elsewhere. It's just these random guts strolling around New York. You might as well say argyle socks are hip.” 

Keep the idea of the “Bogus Trend Stories” in mind when you’re writing your public relations or marketing ideas. Don’t make claims that can’t be substantiated, don’t stretch to impress with facts that aren’t quite right. Keep your own “bogus” meter fine-tuned so you don’t set off someone else’s.

A beef about which burger is best

You could have a never-ending argument about where to find the world’s best burger. We did just that recently, when a few of us named our favorites. 

Ben Newby

Lafayette Brewing Company
622 Main Street, Lafayette IN 47901
www.lafayettebrewingco.com

 This place is awesome. Many local and national award-winning brews. The staff is trained in the art of brewing and very knowledgeable. Burgers are yummy. I think I had the “True Bleu”—and a few beers too, of course. This is a GREAT place for those heading down to Lafayette to watch the Purdue Boilermakers, and a good stopping point when heading down to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, about 60 miles SE.

 

Kris Matz

• The Original Monk’s Burger in Wisconsin Dells. It tastes great and smells even better. www.monksbarandgrill.com/wilderness

• Canyon Lodge at Yellowstone National Park. They have a bison burger that’s topped with bacon and pepper jack cheese, and served with awesome baked beans. www.travelyellowstone.com/canyon-lodge-dining-room-cafeteria-deli-171.html

 

Tim O’Brien

The greatest burger for me is Five Guys. Sure, they’re a chain, but their burgers are as good as it gets. FiveGuys.com

 

Pete Kennedy

The Plaza burger in Madison. Save yourself some time and order two right away. (Just tell yourself they aren’t all that thick, so two is fine.) It’s the sauce that sets this burger apart. The tavern itself is so old it’s retro, and is widely regarded for its jukebox, too. www.Theplazatavern.com

 

 

The care and feeding of your website

by Jack Burke – Jack@HighVelocityCommunications.com

I’ve been doing online research about company websites and how they’re used and misused. It’s clear that many companies don’t understand that a website isn’t a “set it and forget it” product.

One site I visited promoted a sign-up for an event that had already happened. Several sites include “news” items that are months if not years old. One site had a “news” item from 2007—on the homepage! One offender touted the “booming” economy as a reason to purchase their product. Talk about tone deaf.

Here’s the deal: You put up a website for a reason, whether it was to simply let people know you exist or to help customers get helpful information. What message does it send to clients and potential clients if they find old, outdated and useless information on your website?

 Maybe: What else are they bad at? That’s not the message you want to send.

 

Find a way to say Yes! to customer requests

By Kris Matz – Kris@HighVelocityCommunications.com

Have you ever had a customer ask for a change or special consideration? It might be something simple, like wheat bread instead of white in a restaurant. At High Velocity Communications, it could be a deadline extension or help from the art director with a cover file. Flexibility is a key element to providing good customer service.

Here’s why you should always do your best to find a way to say Yes! to a customer request:

•   You’ll build relationships with your customers as you communicate in greater depth to accommodate their request. You may learn something that will help you to anticipate this customer’s needs for future orders—or maybe even their need for another product that you offer.
•  Customers talk. If they’ve had a good experience with your company they are likely to share it—which can mean increased business for you. If they had a bad experience with your company they will almost certainly share it, which is bad news!
• You’ll increase the chance of repeat orders because customers are most likely to return to vendors that are easy to work with and helpful.
• You might learn something. Are you having a lot of customers ask for the same thing? If so, it might be time to look at your model and see if it needs a tweak or some updates.
• It’s usually easy to say yes. With a little creative thought and a bit of extra effort, many requests can be granted.

If you have to say no, have a very good reason and share it with the customer. Most times they’ll understand.

 

When a company changes its logo

by Pete Kennedy -- Pete@HighVelocityCommunications.com

Ran across an interesting article on logo changes for some very big names.

What good is a process if it’s not followed?

by Jack Burke -- Jack@HighVelocityCommunications.com

 

I recently ran across a New York Times column explaining how their appreciation of Walter Cronkite ended up needing seven corrections. The newspaper had wrong dates for historic events; gave incorrect information about Cronkite’s work, his colleagues and his program’s ratings; misstated the name of a news agency, and misspelled the name of a satellite. 

How did it happen? You’d think a major operation like the The New York Times has the staff and skill to avoid such a fate. The bottom line of the Times’ fiasco was that so many people were involved, but no one was really in charge. A reporter finished the story weeks before Cronkite’s death but didn’t go back to double-check her facts. An editor started to check the story, but then started working on another, more pressing story and didn’t get back to the Cronkite piece. On and on until it ended up in the paper and the Times ended up embarrassed.

In short, the Times didn’t follow its own internal processes.

The lesson for businesses is two-fold: One, have a vetting process for all of your media releases and stick to it. Make sure the people involved know their responsibilities and expectations. Designate a point person to shepherd the process and give that person the authority to get projects done.

The second lesson is about dealing with screw-ups. Even the best systems won’t guarantee perfection. When there’s a screw up, admit it internally and to your customers. But don’t stop there. Address the problem, whether it’s because of an individual’s mistake or a systemic failure and fix it. But keep in mind fixing the problem isn’t about assigning blame. It’s about finding solutions.