What are you - Chicken?

So - I guess I am trying to stir up some controversy here - but what's new? I am a Christian (not easy - and most days I am not a very good one; but I love the Lord and try to live by the 10 commandments and love others, everyone, as Jesus does - just as you are, no matter what). Read the bible - Jesus ate meals with everyone, he welcomed everyone at his table (including children) and to his teachings. The only people he condemned were those that judged others, those who lashed out in violence and anger. I want to be like him. I love my family and friends. I love my city. I love my country. I love my world. I love them for their diversity. Gay and Straight, Christian and Atheist, Muslim and Wiccan, Male and Female, Liberal and Conservative, Crunchy and Traditional. That being said - being the strong willed woman I am; I am grateful everyday I was born "white" to a Christian family in America in a time where freedom was at its greatest. With my underdog mentality and deep seeded ideals of equality and anger at injustice I do not know if I would have survived puberty in a society that does not grant women freedoms or in which differences are death sentences. I am also a Libertarian who believes in the basic freedoms and principals of the constitution ( however, I am glad we have had the sense to recognize that "all men" meant all people - not just white land owners). I am also a feminist and equalatist. I think everyone should have the same access and opportunity. I think pay should be based on performance not gender, seniority, or nepotism. I don't think your sexuality, your political preferences, your religion, or your family status/style should have any effect on your opportunity or potential. I do want to clarify one thing. America is a Christian nation. This nation was founded by WASPs on Christian principals. God is in the constitution, the declaration of independence, and the pledge of allegiance. However, the founders of this country had experienced religious intolerance so they provided for religious freedom. You do not have to be a Christian to be an American. Many Americans have died for your right to practice whatever religion you choose. Make no mistake though - this country was founded on Christian principals and ideals and there is no caveat for separation of Church and State in the constitution. Functionally - to respect religious freedom - it is sensible if the government operates in a secular manner. As a libertarian I do not feel more legislation can create more equality. I believe only education and love can do that. I also do not feel the government should tell anyone how we are allowed to feel, whom we should love, or how we should live. As long as we respect one another's basic human rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness) and abide by the laws of the land (no stealing, no cheating, no killing, etc) then the government's only other role is to help to provide the infrastructure (including available education) necessary for free enterprise and defense of the nation. I do not believe the government should have any role in personal lives of its citizens with exception of guaranteeing safety (making sure no one is being physically or emotionally abused). I personally do not feel the government has any role in marriage - gay or straight. Marriage is a commitment of individuals within the confines of their religions and beliefs. What in the world does Government (or even employers?) have anything to do with that? Yet in today's media oriented society Government is not the biggest bully. The media and biased presentations are the bullies. I know reality is based on perspective and "facts" are indeed subjective. I support Chick-fil-A as a company that is a private company, which operates on sound business principals, based in Christian values. They are ranked as one of the most friendly places to work for Christians and families and are lauded for their lack of debt. As a private company that is very open about their religious ideals they have the right to not offer domestic partnership benefits. As a private company I feel they should have the right to offer benefits or not! If they do not pay well and offer benefits why would anyone ever want to work there? If you are homosexual and in a committed relationship and you know the company you work for does not offer benefits to your partner or any non biological children why would you choose to work there? Because - lets get real - you choose where you work. America is not a communist society. We do not force you to work, we do not force you to work in a specific industry nor for a specific company. It is your CHOICE! I understand - better than most - that options may be limited. Maybe location, education, or the economic environment have limited opportunity. Yet if you choose to work for a company you disagree with fundamentally it is your choice (one I have made a few times out of desperation but it was not a good experience and it damaged my soul and my self image and self worth). But nobody put a gun to my head and said I had to. I chose to so I could pay my bills and feed my family and live in a lifestyle I had become accustomed to. I see Chick-fil-a as a company that walks their talk - and I respect that. I also respect that they close on Sundays. Just like a Jewish deli that is closed on Saturday - it makes be want to be a patron. I do not appreciate companies that spout a certain ideology just because they think it will appeal to a certain audience but none of their products or business practices support it. I also adore and love Henson Company and their work (except dang Elmo). I respect their right to make a business decision based on differing ideals and I will continue to watch and patronize the Henson product. I'll close on this - I have NEVER had a poor experience at Chick-fil-A. I have always gotten good service and good food. In today's corporate environment of quantity over quality, getting crappy products for a little money, paying employees as little as possible and giving them as few benefits as they can get away with getting good product and service with respect and a smile is a rarity. I have "boycotted" Wal-Mart for the past 7 years (not bought a single thing from them and request others to not buy things for us from Wal-Mart). I do this based on good economics and personal beliefs on how people, and more specifically communities, should be treated. My problem with Wal-Mart is business practices and how they affect the global economy - not any specific personal ideals they propagate. For this same reason I will continue to spend my funds at Chick-fil-a and suggest you look at your own heart before jumping on a bandwagon.

All the difference...

Today I had to go shopping for clothes for my mother for a family funeral. I went to a specialty mid-line women's clothing store. I was not greeted as I wandered around the store. I noticed the sizing had changed and since no one had offered me any help I went to the desk. One girl was on the phone and turned her back to me and the other completed her important task of remarking clearance items before addressing me. I gave her my mother's measurements and asked what size she would wear in their line. The salesclerk informed me she could not tell me that and I would need to bring my mother in to be fitted. I explained a second time this was for a funeral, my mother lives in a rural area 1.5 hours away, I needed her best estimate - maybe two sizes so I could at least purchase her a couple of outfits and if one did not fit it could be returned. She said this was impossible - they do not do conversion charts, she could not possibly guess and I needed to bring my mother in. Very upset I went to look at the tunics and could find nothing in what I believed to be my mother's size. I asked another sales associate for a store card and she looked at me bewildered. I again asked her for the store information and I also asked her for the other associate's name. She refused to give me the information and said I was rude. Needless to say I bought nothing at that store!

I went to another women's specialty store later this afternoon; this one a value line store. I was immediately greeted and offered help. I wondered around a while and was not finding what I needed on my own. The manager noticed I was looking frustrated and again offered me help. I explained the situation and she immediately went to work pulling outfits. She asked that I describe my mother so that she could get a better sense of her and ended up helping me find 3 possible outfits, all of which were very affordable - and actually all on sale. She also had a coupon she rang up for me and and expressed sympathy for my family's loss.

Now tell me - why is it the store that is the "value line" had exemplary customer service and the mid-line store had non-existent customer service? Our basic understanding of business is you pay more for better quality items and better service. The plot thickens when I tell you both of these stores are owned by Charming Shoppes inc. The quality of the clothing does not differ much between these two lines - especially as the manufacturer and distributor are the same. Why is there such a difference in the level of service? Now, maybe this is an an isolated incident and I just dealt with two incompetent women at the one store, but if we are truly in a recession then why do rude incompetent people still have service jobs? Why do managers keep them?

As consumers we need to support our convictions with our wallets and as sales managers and professionals we need to be constantly aware of who we have representing our brand. In this economic environment a salesclerk cannot have an off day - you could lose a lifelong customer. Everyone is hungry, lets separate the wheat from the chaff here people!

Water, Water everywhere...

Recession, recession, recession...that is all we seem to hear these days. If you are in a Sales, especially business to business sales, it can be especially disheartening.
"We just laid off 30 people, we can't even consider that right now."
"We're making cuts to products and services, he isn't seeing any new accounts."

Almost every industry is feeling the pinch. "Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 0.5% in the third quarter, and the Fed predicts the economy will continue to contract in the first six months of 2009, and possibly beyond." (http://moneymorning.com/2008/11/28/retail-outlook-2009/). While no one person can control the global economic crisis you can control your reaction to it and how you position your company and allow your customer service agents to represent you to the public. As layoffs increase and wallets get tighter as professionals it will be increasingly harder to make, then retain the sale and as consumers we deserve to spend our limited hard earned resources on the best products and services possible.

As a hyper-competitive child my mother once told me "There will always be someone smarter, stronger, faster, and more talented than you. The secret to winning is you have to want it more." I wanted it so bad I could taste it - no matter what "it" was. I liked to win. This piece of advice stuck with me; it has kept me sharp and hungry. This is so true in business. In almost any industry, no matter the service or product, you probably have a least a few competitors whose raw product or service concept is just as good if not better than yours. So how can you be successful? You have to want it more.

Yes, that was a contrived answer that oversimplifies a true answer that is a multifaceted approach that addresses positioning, reputation, marketing, branding, and customer service.
Everyone in retail agrees the one exception to these rules is Wal Mart. Sam Walton was a business genius and absolutely embraced good business ideals and grew an empire from them. Good products at reasonable prices. The brand was American Made. Walton built in mid-sized towns without much competition. It was fairly self-serve, American do it yourself, but part of the brand and reputation. Then the Walton kids took over and Wal Mart has become the company consuming, small town destroying, largest Chinese importer mega retail monster we see today. Too late! They had already put most of their competitors out of business and are now so big it is hard for anyone to even put a chink in the Wal Mart market segment. Ask anyone if they like shopping at Wal Mart and most will reply they hate it but...it's convenient, there isn't anywhere else, they can't afford to go elsewhere, etc... few will tell you Wal Mart has good customer service or even quality products anymore.

This blog will discuss the current state of American Customer Service, Sales, and Marketing practices. How can we, as professionals, improve our performance to increase our market share and how can we, as American consumers, demand better.