Anne Warfield's Outcome Thinking® Blog

What Does the U.S, China and Mexico Have in Common?

2009-06-16T13:31:00.005-05:00

When the book The World Is Flat came out everyone marveled that China or India was going to take all of America's jobs. So it got me thinking, what happens when a company or country suddenly does take a lead? Do they start to run in to rising costs? Higher demands from employees? Do they retain their edge or lose it?

In 2005 AlixPartners did a study and found that items entering from China were 22% cheaper than those produced in the U.S. By 2008 that gap had dropped to only a 5.5% edge to China. Hmm, is it still worth the trouble to do manufacturing outside the U.S.

Now an even more interesting phenomenon has happened. Mexico is now 20% cheaper for production than China!

So the cycle begins again. I bring this up just to remind you that what is will not always be. You need to constantly re-evaluate your business. Ask yourself, are you giving the best to your customers? Are you unique? Do you make them feel special?

For in the end, there will always be someone cheaper but the question is, where there be someone better?

Don't wait for your China or Mexico to come along and put you out of business. Start today to create that unique space that is solely yours.

Anne Warfield
More on Leadership from Anne Warfield

Who Is This Person?

2009-06-15T08:58:00.004-05:00

Have you ever wondered where is the opportunity that is knocking for you? What if it has and you closed the door?

Let me share a story and you spot the two opportunities this person took advantage of and try to guess who the person is.

She was a under UCLA drama student. One of her professors was leaving for vacation and he wanted to have a great dinner party. So nine drama students agreed to go and entertain the guests. After the performance as she was standing in line a male guest asked her what she wanted to do with her life. She told him she wanted to act in New York. When he asked what was stopping her, she told him she didn't have the money to even get from LA to New York.

He and his wife offered to give her the money to go to New York provided she follow three conditions: 1) if she was successful, she was to repay the loan without interest in five years, 2) she could never reveal his identity to anyone, and 3) she was to pass the kindness on to someone else in a similar situation when she was able to do so.

Well she went to New York. She became frustrated with agencies saying, "don't call us, we will call you." When would the perfect part find her?

Finally she decided to skip the traditional route and put on her own variety show with all of her jobless theatre friends. They would invite all the agents to the the show and run it for three days. After the show ran three agents called with job offers. She had created her own opportunity.

Little did she know that the idea she bore out of frustration would become her lasting tribute to the world for that one little event spun the idea for the Carol Burnett Show which brought laughter to all for years.

Make your own Carol Burnett moments today!

Anne Warfield
Learn More

How Can Cutting Off Feet Make You $300 Million?

2009-06-15T08:49:00.003-05:00

Sara Blakely was frustrated. She wanted her bottom to look better in white pants. There was nothing on the market to help her so in frustration she took a pair of pantyhose and cut the feet off. Eight years later her company, Spanx, is exceeding $300 million in sales.

I have found over the years that there is unique mixture to success. It comes with a blend of frustration at that problem, persistence in solving it and then execution in acting on your solution. Notice that her solution is not one that no one has done before. It isn't even one that is that brilliant. What is brilliant is her belief that other women, like her, were solving this same problem one at a time. All she did was be the one to stand on the rock and say, "here is the solution!"

For years my Mother-in-law has been taking shower caps from hotels and using them as caps on plastic containers. Lo and behold today those same little "shower" caps are made by glad and sold by the millions to consumers.

So I ask you, what problem do you see people facing that you can solve? Remember your solution doesn't have to be big or expensive; it just needs to be desired.

Take Action today and look for problems you can solve. If you are in sales, talk to your client about the problems they face and look for the simple solutions you can do whether it is shipping a new way, adding a small feature, or combining resources.

Anne Warfield
Learn more about Sales mind sets:

2009-06-08T14:40:00.002-05:00

What is Eatting Your Productivity? http://ow.ly/bph6

Anne Warfield

Mistakes that become Genius

2009-06-07T21:27:00.003-05:00

In 1850 a cook became frustrated with a whiny customer. You know that type of customer- the one who is never pleased with what you do; the one that has perfection standards that would even put God shame. Well that customer was in his restaurant. That customer was complaining that his potatoes weren't cooked properly. So the disgruntled cook decided to fry the potatoes to crispy to tick the customer off.

But it backfired. The customer loved it and that was the birth of the potato chip!

Today the potato industry is a $3.2 billion dollar industry. Wouldn't you love to have one of your mistakes fail like that? Matter-of-fact over six pounds of potato chips are eaten by Americans every year!

Now let's take the above facts and I will show you how you can use them to open different discussions and presentations.

Scenario One
You have to present to prospect a new product. They have told you they believe their old product works great.

You open with: The average American eats six pounds of potato chips a day. The amazing fact is not that American's consume so much but rather that, if it weren't for an error in 1850, they wouldn't even have existed. The only reason we have potato chips today is because someone took a risk and made a potato in a whole new way. We feel that the XYZ is going to impact the market in the same way the potato chip revolutionized potatoes.

Scenario Two:
You have to start a brainstorming session and you want lots of new ideas.

You start with: The best inventions and ideas often come from the oddest of circumstances. Velcro came from a person noticing how burrs stuck to his dog's fur. Postit Notes came from a failed experiment trying to make a strong glue and in 1850 a $3.2 billion dollar industry was born due to a disgruntled cook that was irritated with a whiny customer. The customer kept complaining that his potatoes weren't crisp enough so the cook did what any one would do- he fried them to a bloody crisp and the potato chip was born.

Today we are here to put our heads together to come up with new ideas and new ways of doing things. Remember all ideas are good, marrying two ideas can be revolutionary and just turning something on its head can make it completely new. So let's take some time to be innovative, collaborative and creative. Enjoy your potato chips and let's get started!

Scenario Three:
Trying to get a person to break out of their old thinking.

In front of you is a small mistake that became a great innovation that today is a $3.2 billion dollar industry. Up until 1850 potatoes were either baked, sliced and cooked lightly in oil, or boiled. It wasn't until someone accidentally fried the potatoes in oil until they became thin crisps that potato chips were born. It is by breaking out of our old habits and thinking that new ideas are born. Today we need to look at how to break out of how we have always done things in order to make our product better.

Take Action: Take a small concept or fact and look at how you can spin it creatively for an opening.

Anne Warfield,
Learn more

What is Eatting Your Productivity?

2009-06-05T15:00:00.005-05:00

A recent study by Lynn Taylor shows that the average worker spends three hours PER DAY worrying about the fate of their job. This means that if you have a company with 1000 employees averaging a $40,000 salary, you are losing $1.2 million in unproductive time EACH MONTH.

Any company that focuses on cost cutting as a primary source right now is leaving themselves open for employees to operate under the fear of losing their job.

What are other repercussions of this? You will start to see more silos, more protecting of turfs, reduced collaboration, more glory hogging and more protective feuds.

Now is the time to focus on building a collaborative innovative culture that is based on exploding the business instead of just protecting it. When people focus on protecting they limit their listening. More importantly they limit their brains ability to be creative. Literally think of it as having your brain shrink right in front of you.

So Take Action: Think about what kind of culture you are creating- is the conversation about the bad economy or the opportunities? Are you looking for who fails or exploding who excels? Are you encouraging risk taking and teaching how to do it appropriately or are you creating risk aversion?

This is truly a time that companies will explode if they have built a solid culture of positive brain power.

Anne Warfield
Corporte Leadership Training

Positive Way to Direct the Response You Want

2009-06-04T14:18:00.003-05:00

My 2nd grader is so excited that her classroom is doing a program for the Dad's this year. They have sent home notices asking the Dad's to save the date. Like any little kid she is so excited that she can hardly wait.

So last night we are out to dinner. You could see that she wanted to remind her Dad about the event to ensure he would be there. Now, think about it, what is the number one thing a person says when they want to remind you of something?

It is usually a variation of , "Now remember you are..." or "don't forget.." Both of these can become exasperating after a while as the recipient can feel like you don't trust their memory or they can feel burdened by the event before it even happens.

No Michaela didn't use any of those. She looked her Dad square in the eye and with a big smile said, "Aren't you just excited about tomorrow and what you get to do?"

She made the assumption her Dad would remember but also nudged his memory by asking a proactive question.

Then this morning she did it again. She came down all dressed in black and told her Dad he could wear black if he wanted to match her today as she would be a black sheep in the play. Again a gentle nudge of a reminder in a fun loving way that got her Dad excited about the event.

So why do I tell you these? How do they relate to business?

In business the more you are able to nudge, remind, encourage and engage others in a way that makes them feel good and reaches your outcome is exactly what you want to do. You want to stay on the positive side so people are excited, enthusiastic and ready to go.

Take Action:
Look at your office meetings. Do you send out "reminders" of them or do you send encouraging and enticing lines that get people to sit up and take notice?
Look at your client mailings, meetings, and information. Do you have friendly ways for them to take advantage of all you have to offer? When you do this you stop selling and you start helping.

Either way, what you can see is that you can learn lessons and insights from others no matter what age they are!

Anne Warfield
Presentation Skills

Bill Bartmann: What you can learn from someone that went from rags to billionairre to rags to millionairre

2009-06-02T13:22:00.003-05:00

I am a big believer in shortening your learning curve by learning from those who have gone before you. Particularly I look for people and situations that require a person to rework their mind which reworks they behavior which, in turn, reworks their results.

Bill is one of those individuals. He went from rags to being a Billionaire who was one of the top 40 wealthy individuals in the world. Then the unthinkable happened. He lost it all. He had the media camped out at his home, his funds frozen, and his life uprooted. He said the year he lost it all he only got one Christmas card from one friend. The rest of the people all disappeared. His life was truly demolished.

At this point Bill had two choices:1) to roll up and feel sorry for himself or 2) to create the changes he wanted to rebuild his life and business to be what he wanted. Bill chose option 2. Today his goal is to be the first person ever to go from billionaire to zero to billionaire again. Never in history has someone made a billion lost a billion and then remade it again.

Because I believe there is a lot to learn from others who have re-crafted their brains I actually sent my t0p clients a link to take advantage of a special offer Bill Bartmann has today as he launches his new book.

So take action and start studying great minds and how they recover from losses. In today's economy it is a necessity that we all reshape our thinking to create opportunities where none existed before. This is your year and your time. Be like Bill and redefine what you want out of this time, and what you will do to make it happen.

Anne Warfield

Special Opportunity For Today June 2 Only

2009-06-02T00:41:00.001-05:00

I want to let you know about a very short window of opportunity that's happening TODAY, June 2. You can get a highly unusual package of benefits by taking a small action today and simply buying a book.

My friend Bill Bartmann is launching his book on Amazon and is giving away a special bonus package, but only if you order his book today, Tuesday June 2.

You may have seen Bill on the cover of Inc. Magazine as the "Billionaire Nobody Knows", or watched him recently on major network TV. Bill's in the news daily because his book, "Bailout Riches", is creating a real stir. It's about how you can benefit--directly and fast--from the government bailout.

===> "What's the big deal about this book?" <===

Learn More Here

Take Care,

Anne Warfield

The Banana Principle

2009-06-01T15:15:00.006-05:00

What is the Banana Principle, take a moment to watch.....

Anne Warfield

Accouuntability: Defined in Praise or Critque?

2009-06-01T13:24:00.003-05:00

"Who screwed up?"
"Who approved this new date?"
"Who was suppose to follow up on this?"
"Why didn't we hit our numbers?"

At these times the big word is dropped...ACCOUNTABILITY. Ironically accountability is looked for in most organizations and pointed to when things go wrong. Is it any wonder that people don't get excited when they hear the word accountability?

So why not reverse it in your company? Start looking for those who ARE executing properly and celebrate their successes.

The truth is when you have high accountability you have high execution. The two go hand in hand. What we usualy do is bring up and focus our team's on accountability when we see a LACK of it rather than an abundance of it. Those who are executing are often ignored and time is spent on putting out fires instead.

So in order to execute you need to reverse how people see and view accountability.
Here are some interesting statistics on the work place:
Zogby Poll
One of every 4 working American's describes their workplace as a dictatorship
Only 52% said their boss treats subordinates well.
Only 51% said their co-workers often fell motivated at work
90)% of all people say that Senior Management Teams fail to define results.

Think about that last one..how can people be accountable for what they don't know?

Take Action: Make your strategic plans simple to follow and execute All people in your company should know what they are and what they need to do in order to execute to them. They should clearly know the rewards if these strategies are achieved.

Anne Warfield
Management Leadership

When Others Shrink You Go Big

2009-06-01T09:59:00.004-05:00

I am at the ASTD Conference this year for the first time. I wanted to see what it was like and how people interacted, what sessions they attend and what booths they visit. What I saw so far in many ways surprised me.

Two things surprised me:
1) Out of over 300 exhibitors only 4 are doing interactive talk sessions with chairs for audience.
2) In almost 80% of the booths the giveaways are pens, paper, highlighters, mints or candy.

Now I am sure they are all reacting to the economy so they may be going to stripped down versions for their booths thinking, "well at least I am still one of the people in the game, getting a booth."

Here are the errors in that thinking:
It is not enough to just show up today. Now is the time to differentiate and dominate in business. People who invested to attend this convention need a WOW in their life so give them one.

Unique gifts that get people talking about you and create excitement are critical right now. Things like waterproof cellphone holders that clip on your belt are worthwhile. Be the one that everyone says, "get to their booth right away because they may run out."

Lesson to you: Make what your company gives away equal to the value of your product or service. So in other words, if you are a high end product company have a high end give away.

Be interactive. Now is not the time to stand behind a booth and wait for people to come to you. Now is the time to excite, energize, and explore with people on how to make their life better. So it is not enough to just "show up." Now is the time to smash your market open.

Lesson to you: when all others pull back you push ahead.

A study was done that found that companies that INCREASED their advertising during our last recession achieved a 256% growth over the last 10 years. They also found that all companies that cut their advertising budgets during lean times came struggled through the recession and most lost tremendous market share or disappeared altogether.

So now is your time to be aggressive. Reinvest in being the best and dominating your market. Because as I can see at this convention, most companies are pulling back to "just enough" when your clients want the "WOW."

Anne Warfield
Sales Excavation Skills

Tweet, Twitter and The Next Evolution

2009-04-22T14:07:00.004-05:00

So what is Twitter exactly?

Twitter is really a way to global text. It is a way for people to stay in touch with what you are doing so they can connect with you if they want. It is bringing the social network a little closer.

There is a progression you should be seeing here of people wanting to zero in on what is most relevant to them in the way that is easiest for them.

It started with Google and Yahoo. They were great ways to search for information in a static form that you could use as you needed it, when you needed it.

Then Facebook and LinkedIn popped up. They were a way to connect with others by sharing some information about yourself and then linking up either personally or professionally. Interestingly enough Facebook started as a use for college students and has become overrun by professionals. I wonder what will pop up as the new Facebook for students as who really wants to be on the same site as Mom and Dad?

Then came YouTube- a way to visually post your thoughts, feelings, insights or learning for others. In just 6 months YouTube has posted more video then 60 years of all three original TV stations combined! Everything from "how to" to "isn't this interesting?" has popped up here.

Now it it Twitter. Twitter makes people feel connected with an entire network of like-minded individuals easily.

It is interesting to note the use of Google has dropped by 30% as people are moving to using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube more.

But here is the Outcome Thinking lesson for you: What are you doing today to reinvent how people access you or your information? The world is changing at a rapid pace and you need to grab hold before you spin out of control.

Anne Warfield
Sales and Marketing Approach

Do you invite thinking or evict thinking?

2009-03-27T10:51:00.003-05:00

It amazes me how many people feel the necessity to strongly inflict their opinions on others. For me that is always a clear signal that they need to have other people validate them. Strong leaders are those who are willing to make quick decisions, listen carefully taking in all information-even contradictory information, and make each person feel they added to the conversation in a thoughtful way. Strong leaders know how to challenge without undermining who you are or making it personal.

So which are you as a leader? Do you invite thinking or do you evict thinking?

Here is quick test to see which one you are:
1. I have strong opinions.
2. I often speak over other people or interrupt.
3. I often reply to people with "no," "I disagree," or "That is not how I see it."
4. In a group I often take the most air time.
5. People often tease me that they always know where I stand on issues.
6. I have been told at times I am stubborn.

If you answered yes to those, you are more likely evicting thinking. You are more likely to be surrounded by people who will say yes to your ideas and not challenge your thinking. For leadership that means the brilliance of your group is really not the sum of the parts but rather a part.

Opinions and thoughts are good. You do need to stand for clear issues and be willing to stand up for what you believe in. When you state them so strongly as to overpower a person or group you leave them with two choices- either I agree with you or I disagree with you. What you lose is the mutual exploration ground that leads to new thinking that is much bigger than either party originally brought to the table solo.

So be a strong leader that is willing to invite thinking, that is willing to stand for things, and that encourages others.

Anne Warfield
Outcome Thinking for Leadership Transformation

So why is The Secret so big when it really isn't anything new?

2009-03-04T09:46:00.005-06:00

The Secret launched and took over the world in a short amount of time. Why?

Is it that it is a profound truth that none of us knew? No. It was a conglomeration of quotes, facts and stories that have been around for centuries.

Is it because it we were in a time where we all needed hope? No, actually at the time it came through the economy was positively chugging away and life was good.

Is it that it had a stellar cast that just rocked? The cast was good but let's face it, there have been other programs and projects put together in a similar way with great cast that have NOT gotten so huge.

So what made it take off and what can you learn from it?

What made it took off was its simplicity. It simply focused on the fact that what you send out is what you get back. They took that theme and just showed it over and over and over again. The simplicity is what made people say, "I can do that."

Now ironically it is that simplicity that is exactly it's Achilles heel. People have scoffed at the fact that you just "wish for a necklace" and viola! it appears. Clearly that wasn't the point of the secret but that example is what really caused many people to pull away.

Why? Because it goes against the grain of the fact "you need to put in effort in order to get results." We all know you can't just dream things and they appear. We do know that when we set a goal and then prepare for it, it seems to happen. The "wishing" part was really the "focus" part. We set the focus in one direction and stuck with it.

So two lessons to learn here:
1) Do you have your information, presentation, marketing materials, etc focused on one key issue so that people can easily wrap their arms around it and make a "yes" decision.
2) Do you address the issues that could make people pull away or reject what you say in a realistic manner? The secret missed the emphasis it needed on this step to put it more in to "reality" for more people.

May you go forth and have a great day, filled with positive results!
Anne Warfield, www.impressionmanagement.com

Creative ideas for openings

2009-03-04T09:19:00.005-06:00

Many of you travel a lot and you want to make sure you connect with each new audience. One of the ways to open and connect with an audience is to start with what you know about them, their industry or something that is relevant to them.

So what if you are traveling to a new city or even a new country? How can you tie what you want to say to what is happening in that town or country right now?

Simply go to newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash . Put your mouse on any city around the world and the headlines from that city pop up. Double click and the pages get larger so you can read what is current to that area.

Now when you arrive and you tie what you say to what is happening you will show that you invested in them before they ever invested in you or what you were sharing. This extra lock shows your listener that you care about them first and foremost.

Anne Warfield, www.impressionmanagement.com/presentation_skills.shtml

Can a garden produce top fruit if it is never weeded?

2009-02-18T10:02:00.004-06:00

There is an eerie phenomenon going on in our society. It is starting at a tender age and creeping into the business world as well. If left alone, it will eventually lead us to mediocrity.

It is the idea that people can learn accountability without ever having correction. That would be like saying you could work two years at your job and not be given feedback on what you are doing wrong but we want you to assume accountability for doing it right.

In schools today they are wanting to preserve a child's self-esteem so many schools are not correcting spelling. They believe that spelling will be corrected by the computer so there is no need to "deduct" points or to correct spelling. What happen to red pens? Do you remember getting your story back with the red corrections on it? Do you remember having to rewrite it without to correct the spelling? I do. It didn't demoralize. I KNEW it was expected. I KNEW it happened to EVERYONE. And the funny thing is, I learned to spell!

You can't grow a top level garden without pulling weeds. To simply ignore the weeds, or work around them undermines the fruit the garden is trying to grow. The weeds actually suck up some of the good nutrition from the soil and DETRACT from the actual outcome you desire.

I don't believe you can have accountability without correcting. The correcting is what TEACHES us the accountability. For if we never know what is the highest standard how can we ever reach it?

The 4 minute mile wasn't ever broken because every one believed it wasn't possible to achieve it. Then one man, one time, broke that record and the next year tons of people ran the mile under 4 minutes. Nothing changed except people's BELIEFS. People learned that it wasn't correct to assume you couldn't run the mile in under 4 minutes.

So why do we limit by trying to teach accountability without correcting? We need to strengthen self-esteem not by pampering it but by making it okay to make mistakes, to learn, to grow, to stretch. Accountability isn't learned in a vacuum and yes at times it hurts. It does mean at times you do your best but you still mess up. That is okay. All you need to do is stand up, dust off, and move on.

So this next week, take action. When you are about to let something slide, realize the message you are giving the person is that you believe that is the best they are capable of. It means if you don't correct it now, don't expect them to be accountable for it later on. If you want accountability you need to expect it is your job to help correct and fine tune so that success can be achieved. Now, of course, the flip side of this means you must always be coachable yourself.

Anne Warfield, www.impressionmanagement.com/about.shtml

Mickey Mouse & The White House

2009-01-20T09:07:00.003-06:00

Did you ever think Mickey Mouse and the White House would rock together? Well, last night Obama did another brilliant move. For the first time ever, he had a Kids Inaugural Ball. It was on Disney Channel for 1.5 hours. He had Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and numerous other stars on hand. He did video clips from Iraq soldiers and had their families on stage to say hello. His wife and daughters rocked out in the front row. Pure marketing brilliance!

My two daughters begged to stay up late so they could see the entire show. They are engrossed with watching him become President. Think about it, in eight years these are the kids that will be voting in the next President. He is setting up a new stage of thinking. He is growing the nations young minds at the same time he is reaching out to the more established minds. He is definitely a man who will not do things the old way. I have watched him build a solid network and to shake the traditional way of doing things.

Many of you may not know that he is one of the first candidates to use social networking in his campaign. He actually had games made that people could do on line just like they play Halo or Ruin Scape. All of that attracted the techno savvy younger voter. There are lessons for all of us to learn here.

Ask yourself, how you can apply innovative thinking to what you do. Why use the old tried and true channels? Why not zig when all else zag? Why do you have to do things the way they have always been done?

As Einstein said, "You can't solve a problem from the same level of thinking that created it." I for one am looking forward to a breath of fresh air, innovation, and creative thinking that is certainly on the horizon.

ACTION: Try to do something unusual and new today to break out of old molds.

Anne Warfield

Ho Ho Holidays

2008-12-22T15:45:00.003-06:00

It is the time for miracles. People smile, laugh and generally are in good moods during the holidays. We all eat too much, drink too much, laugh too hard, and then come, January resolve to take all the pounds we gained off.

This holiday season look around to see who you can give a smile to, who you can make laugh, who you can help, and who you can share your goodwill with.

I wish you all a holiday season filled with gratitude for what you have, desire to earn what you want, and passion to share your talents with all around you. May you have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Years and all the other national holidays there are this season!

Anne Warfield

Pleasantville, is not a place but a way of doing business

2008-12-22T15:36:00.004-06:00

Well you have probably been wanting to know the sequel to my Ultimate Electronics purchase. Did it really all turn out well?

On Thursday Josh Aubart drove the TV out to our house to personally set it up. He brought the audio guy, Ryen with him so Ryen could set up the audio for us.(Remember the audio was not included in the hook up.) They precede to set up the TV, Blue Ray, Bose and Cable. When I ask if my Ipod can be hooked up as well, they gladly tackle that challenge. Matter-of-fact, Ryen says, "this is fun. I love a challenge!"

Once they have it all hooked up, they look down at the four remotes we will be left with. They shake their heads and say, "do you really want to work with four remotes? We have a cool Logitech remote that we can program to do everything with one touch of a button. If you want we will run back to the store, pick it up and drive back out to program it for free. Usually the programing of this remote is $100." (Okay by now you are figuring this remote does all but make you French Toast in the morning.)

It sounds cool so we go for it. They drive all the way back to the store, buy the remote and bring it back to program it. They are smiling, whistling, and telling us they are "off work" so they don't mind doing this for us after hours.

Okay, so I have gone from "I will never step foot in there again" to "I have got to let people know about this." So if you too are looking for a great home theatre set up or audio set up, I encourage you to call the Ultimate Electronics in Edina Minnesota and ask for Josh Aubart. No matter where you are I bet he will take care of you! Pleasantville does exist and I love it!!

Anne Warfield

Pleasantville Lives: Ultimate Electronics Has Customer Service That Truly Warms You

2008-12-17T10:35:00.005-06:00

10 years ago I walked in to an Audio King Store. Three sales people stood chewing gum behind a counter. One yelled out, "Can I help you?" I walked over to the counter, told him what I needed and watched him laugh, look at his two co-workers and say, "sweetheart good luck finding that!" Needless to say in 10 years I have never stepped foot back in one of their stores.

10 years of business lost due to one sales person.

So yesterday, my husband and I went to our favorite electronic store. On Sunday they had run an ad for a big screen TV, blue ray player and set up. We decided that would be our Christmas Present to each other along with surround sound. When we got to the store the sales person said, "we are out of that TV.We have been out of that TV for months. I don't know why corporate even ran that ad. I have a waiting list of 7 people and I don't even think they will get the deal so I wouldn't even put you on the list. We do have other TVs if you would like to look at them." It felt like the old bait and switch. It didn't feel good.

When we got back home my husband went on line to see if any one else would offer the same deal. He called Ultimate Electronics (used to be Audio King) and Josh said he had one TV and that he would beat the other company's deal by $50. So my husband dragged me out with him. I went dreading the experience because I knew what it was like 10 years ago but I would sacrifice because I really wanted the TV. On the way we joked that they would probably tell us that one TV sold in the half hour it took us to get there and they would try to sell us another TV.

We get to the Ultimate Electronics in Edina and there are two guys out front shoveling. Both say, "Merry Christmas" to us. When we walk in all the sales people are smiling and saying hello. We ask for Josh and a guy that had his coat on, turns around and says, "that's me." We explained we were the ones that just called him and he said, "that's right! I remember you wanted the TV with the blue ray player. Let's go look at it." I said, we could work with someone else if he needed to be going and he said, "No I was just going to go out and help the guys shovel."

He brought us back and showed us the TV and the blue ray player. He then asked if we had a surge protector for our new TV set. When we said no he showed us options. No high pressure. Just told us what he liked and why. Then I mentioned surround sound. He asked how big our room was and if we had any specific needs with surround sound. When my husband said "wireless" Josh said, "I have two options for you." He brought us over and showed us the Bose systems.

Now I am adding up in my mind how our purchase is growing. So I said, "I realize you only have 18 month financing but if we can do 36 month we will do the surround sound." He comes back with the 36 month financing. As he is adding up our purchase, he ask me when I want delivery. Now I am used to being told when I can get delivery and making a choice of those dates, not selecting a date that fits me. I asked him what they had available. Josh said they could send one out from the warehouse on Friday, but if I wanted it sooner he would personally drive one out from the store to my house. He also labeled all the cables for us so we would know how to hook them up. Then he gave us his card and said if we needed any assistance to hook up the surround sound (the TV hook up is being done by their company but they don't hook up the surround sound) he would personally come out and hook it up for us.

I took a look around. Did I fall into the rabbit hole like Alice? Was I back in 1960 when customer service truly meant making the customer successful rather than just satisfying the customer?

Josh went on to tell us that at the store they insist who ever is available answer the phone rather than have it go to a "for electronics hit one, for cameras hit two..." system.

All I have to say is, "WOW" I went from, I will never step foot in here again to I want to try this again and see if this miracle is not a miracle but truly a company's dedication to servicing the customer. Josh, my hat is off to you! Thanks for a Winter Wonderland Experience!

Anne Warfield

Cliff Clavin or Thomas Edison: Which are you?

2008-12-12T16:00:00.004-06:00

The standing joke on Cheers was Cliff Clavin spewing forth some unknown fact. He knew something about everything. One of those people that would talk your ear off while leaving you bored to tears.

On the flip side, you have Thomas Edison- a man who tinkered with everything from light bulbs to phonographs to create new products and services. He held a record 1093 patents! This is a man that took any bit of knowledge he had and put it to good use.

So here is my question for you, which are you? Cliff Clavin- you know a lot but don't necessarily do anything with it? Or Thomas Edison- where you put to use what you know immediately?

I see the difference between these two types of people in our programs. The Cliff Calvin's are excited to learn and years later they can recite all they learned but they aren't doing anything differently because of what they learned. The Thomas Edison's quiz you in class and when you talk to them years later they have not only implemented what they learned but they have modified and adapted it to fit them and their situation.

Take Action: May you make 2009 a year in which you are a Thomas Edison who constantly adds value to all you touch!

Anne Warfield

Job Performance: Is Your's Worthy of an Encore?

2008-12-11T10:59:00.002-06:00

Is your performance worthy of an encore?

An encore is something we only ask for if the performance we have seen or experienced overwhelms us, moves us, and we want more of it. In Mark Sanborn’s new book, the Encore Effect he asks, is your job performance worthy of an encore?

In other words, do people come back and only want you? Does your boss think you do such a great job that she gives you new challenging projects? Do your clients love you so much and feel your quality that price is not an issue?

No matter what you do in life you should do it with passion, gusto, and to the best of your ability. You should be constantly stretching what you do and how you do it.

I have a friend, Nido Qubein, who says that “excellence is what you strive for; it is the base from which you work.” In other words give your all at all times.

When someone does that we stop and notice. Whether it be an athlete, a grocery store clerk, a traffic cop or a co-worker. It is the one ingredient that makes people unstoppable.

Take Action: Take time today to excel. With each thing you do make it just 5% better. If you do that every day you will improve significantly by the end of the year. If you struggle with this, stop and list all the objections and then take each one and resolve it. You will find that the vast majority of objections are things we hide behind rather than being real blockers.

Go forth and get your Encore Performance today!

Anne Warfield

Execution: Do your policies endear your clients or do your clients endure your policies

2008-12-10T14:05:00.005-06:00

My two girls belong to a dance studio. Love the teachers. Love the center. Hate their communication execution.

Every month they send me a reminder to pay tuition even though I paid both girl's tuition in full for the full year. Each month the reminder comes with a late fee on it even though it is the first time you are receiving it. When I emailed them to say I paid in full and please stop sending me the emails, they responded, "It is a general email we send to all parents. Just delete it each month you receive it." Now really, do you want your customer annoyed each month they get the email from you?

Each year they tack on new payments for costumes, recital, etc. Each year it is about the same amount. Why not bundle it ahead and let parent's pay one payment and be done with it? I asked if I could pay the tuition, costume and recital all together but was told they couldn't process it so I had to wait until they invoiced for costumes and recitals before I could pay for those. With how I travel that means I may miss the week they send the notice home and then my kids are told they are "late" with the payment.

Really, let's be clear here. As the customer, I am trying to give them my money EARLY so I am all paid up and they are telling me it is not "convenient" for their processes.

So I ask you, are your policies endearing your clients to you or are they enduring your policies? If they are enduring your policies then you are prime for them to have one little thing send them over the edge and you lose their business for ever. For this little dance studio, figuring that each girl dances for about 10 years, that means a $14,000 dollar loss if the business of two dancers walks away.

Take Action: Take a moment to look at your policies from your client's eyes, not yours. Get rid of any that make it hard for your client to do business with you.

Anne Warfield

What does Winter, Pro Sports and Magicians have in common?

2008-12-03T09:53:00.006-06:00

Renew. Regrowth. Repair. That is what nature uses winter for. Just like all good things you need time off to fix, change or finesse what you are doing so you come out at a higher level. It is not enough during times like this, to just put your nose to the grindstone and work harder. When you are doing that, your vision is limited because it only sees what is right in front of your nose.

Instead you have to operate like a magician. You need to see what others don't. You need to open your eyes so you see more. You need to move so the view you take in is different. You need to use the time, like a professional athlete. During their "off season" they work on perfecting their game, not just being in the game.

So take this winter to reinvent, repair, and recharge so you are renewed for the new year! May you have many blessings this holiday season and may you notice and appreciate them!

Anne Warfield