My family and I traveled for Christmas and as tradition would have it, the airports were packed with people. The Delta Airlines counter in Salt Lake City was overrun with passengers trying to check their bags. Amidst the chaos, a supervisor was grabbing baggage tags and handing them out to people before they got up to the counter. His extra hands sped up the process and eased the burden on the rest of the staff.

What if that supervisor had just sat in his office and done paperwork? The lines would have been longer, customers would have been more stressed, and employees would have been overwhelmed.

Assess

How does the management at your company react to busy times? Do they sit in their corner office and complain about delays? Or do they get to work and help alleviate the problem?

Get Involved

Management shouldn’t be afraid to get their hands dirty. By jumping into the fray and helping with daily operations they can see what improvements need to be made. Keeping the connection between management and the grunts on the ground is essential to having realistic managerial expectations.

Exceptions

An occasional hands-on experience for management is a good thing. However, if the boss is always stepping in to save the day this is a sign of bigger problems with your company. Management should take the experience and combine that with their vision and strategy prowess to better the situation. By stepping away from the immediate problem, viewing the bigger picture, one can see patterns and possible solutions. Don’t get so caught up in solving the problem yourself that you overlook longer term solutions that would prevent you needing to step in again.

I purchased a PDA library from Borm Bruckmeier Publishing this week for my Dad. During the download process I was surprised to see the following screen:

They prompted me to “read the End User License Agreement (EULA) before proceeding.” The box where a lengthy EULA should be located contained this simple sentence:

Borm Bruckmeier Verlag EULA goes here…

This was obviously inserted by the programmer (not the legal department) and clearly slipped through the testing process. They did test their checkout and download process, right?

Lesson learned: Always test your web application for more than just functionality. Read and proofread your copy!

I just got my latest PC Magazine in the mail and I noticed that it had a rather prominent TaxCut CD inside attached to a stiff paperboard insert. You couldn’t flip open the magazine without that page landing open. Although I’m always slightly annoyed when magazines have similar inserts, I have to compliment TaxCut on their timely product placement.

Just when people start thinking “I need to start on my taxesâ€Â? they get this in the mail. Nice timing! The folks at H&R Block’s TaxCut understand when their customers need them.

When do your customers need you?

Are your products seasonal (like taxes) or holiday-related? Do your customers need you when something goes wrong (like a plumber or mechanic)? Take a look at your products and services. Evaluate when a customer would need them. Then make sure you’re Johnny-on-the-Spot.

Are you there when customers need you?

Knowing when your customers need you will help you know where you need to be. The TaxCut people knew I’d be thinking about taxes and put their product right in front of my face.

A plumber who fixes your sink may put a sticker on the inside of your cabinet with his phone number. The next time your sink needs repair, you see the phone number right there in front of your face.

Lawyers put their phone numbers on the front of phone books so that you don’t even need to open the book if you’re seeking legal counsel.

Your favorite restaurant down the street has a pocket menu you can keep in your wallet. When you’re hungry, you pull it out and call ahead to place your order.

Do you advertise where customers need you? Are you available when they need you? Take a look at how you can put your products under your customer’s nose in a more timely manner. Match up their need to your product and you’ve made the sale!

I logged into my online information organizer Backpack this weekend and saw an invitation to take a survey. The team at 37signals has always impressed me with their tools and strategies and they did a great job with questions on this survey.

Let’s take a look at their questions and see how they can be of use gathering feedback for your business.

1. What do you like BEST about Backpack?

Your least favorite feature in your application may just be your customer’s favorite. Do you really know what your customers think about your work?

2. What do you like LEAST about Backpack?

You’ll never know what annoys your customers unless you ask. Put your pride and potentially hurt feelings aside in the name of improvement. You can take these negatives about your products and find some positive potential.

3. If only ONE THING WAS MISSING from Backpack, what would that be?

Hopefully you’re continually innovating and improving your product. Your customers may have a wish list that would benefit other customers as well. Asking for feature requests is a good way to see if other customers feel the same way and can also be a starting point for gathering ideas.

4. If you could REMOVE ONE THING from Backpack that you don’t use, what would that be?

37signals’ mantra is keeping things simple and easy to use. By removing a feature that is perceived as superfluous, you may just make your customer’s life a little easier. This will also help with maintenance down the road. If your customers aren’t interested in a particular facet of your product, you can save the headache and maintenance costs of that aspect by eliminating it.

5. Is there anything about Backpack that you’re still confused about? What do you think we could make clearer?

You work with your product everyday. You know it inside and out. Some things just come naturally to you. However, your customer may have no experience with your product. Identifying confusion points will allow you to write better instructions, improve a user interface, or rework your training process.

6. Anything else you’d like to share?

No survey can ask all the questions for which you need answers. Your customers may also have an issue on their minds that your questions don’t address. Open-ended questions like this will let you get a little peek inside your customer’s mind.

7. If you can remember, how did you first hear about Backpack?

How effective is your marketing? Where do all your new customers come from? Tracking how potential customers arrive at your doorstep is essential feedback to your marketing machine. It will help you see successes or areas that need some help.

Ask and Learn

Asking for customer feedback is a vital component of a successful and growing business. Talk to your customers. You’ll be surprised at what you may learn!

Last week I witnessed one of the best football games I’ve seen in a long time. The University of Texas Longhorns pulled out a victory over the reigning national champion USC Trojans. Since I live in Austin, home of the Longhorns, I was ecstatic to see the outcome.

I watched the TV as the Texas players celebrated their victory at the end of the game. One of the TV commentators cornered USC’s quarterback Leinart and asked his opinion of the game. He stated:

I still think we’re a better football team. They just made the plays at the end.

Sure, USC has a great team. They have enjoyed a great run over the past few years. But when push came to shove, they didn’t execute the plays that could have led to the victory over Texas. Instead of acknowledging the loss and what it really meant, Leinart was in denial. Are you running your business with this mindset?

Sometimes You Lose

Business isn’t always great. You don’t always have year after year of revenue growth and a rising stock price. Your products may fail. Your key employees may jump ship. Your competitors may even outsmart you with a better product or strategy.

Just because you make a mistake or fall behind in business doesn’t mean all is lost. You can learn from the situation and come out better on the other side. Accept the fact that something bad has happened and prepare to move on.

Excuses

The easiest thing to do when something goes wrong is to make excuses. You’ll want to blame everyone but yourself: employees, suppliers, customers, the boss, or even the post office. But making excuses and passing blame won’t turn things around and certainly won’t help your business.

Instead of making excuses, find the reasons behind the problem. What went wrong? Why did it happen? How can you prevent that from happening again? Learn from your situation. Don’t just say, “I still think we’re the better business. They just made the plays at the end.” Why didn’t you make the plays at the end? Or how could you have stopped the competition from stealing your victory? Eliminate the excuses and find the underlying reasons for failure so you’re better prepared the next time.

Overconfidence

If your business has been greatly successful over the years, you may grow complacent. You may look down at your competition with disdain. Beware! There are others gunning for your position and are working hard to get a piece of your market share. Stay focused and innovative so that you’re a step ahead of the rest.

Be the Better Team

Learn from your mistakes, failures, errors, and disasters. Don’t forget them or brush them off with random excuses. Take the lessons from your loss and better your company. Do this and you’ll always be able to say: “I still think we’re a better football team.” You can say it because it will be true.

January 29th marks the Chinese new year and with it begins the Year of the Dog. Let’s take a look at what this year means for your business. According to the Chinese calendar…

Like the dog, you are honest and faithful to those you love, although you also can be somewhat eccentric and very stubborn at times! For dogs in 2006, any recent setbacks or obstacles can be overcome so look forward to a year in which to really shine, either personally or professionally. source

Take these points to heart as you run your business in 2006:

1. Be Honest

There is no substitute for complete integrity and honesty with your business partners and customers. Don’t sell yourself short to cut corners or trick others.

2. Be Faithful

Be loyal to your employees and customers. Treat them with respect and dignity and reward them for their efforts. Well-treated employees will be faithful to you and be better workers. Customers will be faithful return customers if you consistently met and exceed their expectations.

3. Go Eccentric

It is just fine to go out on a limb and try something new this year. Shake things up a bit. Do something different! You may be stuck in a rut and need to break with the norm to make yourself more successful. You’ll never know if that great idea of yours will work unless you try it!

4. Selectively Stubborn

Being stubborn is acceptable when you’re sticking to your moral convictions and doing what is right. But don’t be a stick in the mud when you’re wrong. This year, quickly acknowledge when you make a mistake and correct it promptly.

5. Overcome Obstacles

Learn from the speed bumps and problems of the past and press forward! Just because you’ve failed before doesn’t mean you can’t be successful this time around. Remember the words of Thomas Edison:

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

6. Shine

Take your ideas, products, or services and polish them. Refine and improve them. Help your customers see the benefits. When you have top quality products, your business will shine. Potential customers will be attracted by the glow of your great company and the success their friends have had with your business.

Rebirth

As the new year begins, take a fresh look at your business and see how these principles of the Year of the Dog can help you pick yourself up, get to work, and have a wildly successful 2006.

Happy New Year!