2012 March

Does Your Market Research Match The Facts

Market research is a funny thing. As entrepreneurs or leaders, we all understand it’s needed, but sometimes we go about it the wrong way. Case in point is the video below from The Daily Ticker.

Now, as far as I understand, these guys are experts in their field. And I am in NO WAY saying that they are not, nor am I saying anything bad about them. (Insert legal disclaimer here.) The discussion is about how Wendy’s recently surpassed Burger King as the nation’s number-two hamburger chain. Dan and Aaron go into all of the “research” as to how it happened. Watch for at least a few.

If you can’t view the video, click here.

But what I find HILARious are the comments from the folks below the video. Click here to see them. Essentially what people say has nothing to do with market research or even market strategy. Some of the comments are:

• “McDonald’s and burger [King] are both disgusting now. The food quality, cleanliness & service have gone downhill faster than a bobsled team. Wendy’s has gotten a lot better recently & i love the expanded menu items.”

• “If you have eaten at both places, you really don’t need any more insight on how Wendy’s beat Burger King.”

• “BK executives need to visit a local BK and actually eat the food. Hope they get as sick as i did.”

Once again, I’m not the expert here. There may be someone down in there that feels differently about this discussion and they commented. I just didn’t see it. All I’m sayin’ is that sometimes all the market research in the world doesn’t matter. Sometimes, the “experts” need to just ask … well … the experts! Learn from those who know first-hand: the folks who patronize or have patronized these establishments.

A simple focus group can tell you what you need to know. Asking your customers why your product is good or … sucks can tell you considerably more than stats from your latest marketing campaign.

Question: Do you agree with the experts or the commenters? 

Leadership Lessons From My First Summer Camp

I attended my first summer camp in junior high. My church was taking the youth to be part of a larger camp in Occidental, California, down in the Redwoods. It’s an absolutely beautiful place to spend a week learning about God and meeting cute girls.

OK, let’s be honest. As a kid, I went to church maybe four times a year, and I was the furthest thing from a ladies man. My mom had all the info and talked me into it, so I was going. On top of that, it was a themed camp. It had something to do with the Civil War … or war of some kind. I dunno. But I remember it had something to do with soldiers.

I had never been to anything themed before. But again, mom convinced me that it would be fun, and that we had to make a great costume to go with the theme. C’mon!!! I really had to make a costume?! This was sounding lame to me. I was going to make a costume, and all the other kids would show up with like … professional costumes. (I didn’t know what that meant, but I was sure I was right.)

So we went and bought a button down shirt, some gold stuff and some other war uniform-ish looking things and created a shirt that made me look like a Civil War Officer. I have to admit, it looked pretty good. I was proud of my mom for doing such a great job. I was certain that I would have one of the best looking costumes at the camp.

As we pulled up to the church, I was a little nervous. I had never been on a trip like this before. I didn’t know what to expect, but at least I had the confidence that I looked the part and could turn some heads with my “uniform.” I grabbed my bag and threw on my jacket, since it was a little cold, and headed over to the buses.

Let me say that nobody had as good looking of a uniform as me. In fact, there wasn’t one single person who had a COSTUME!!! Great! Now I was THAT kid!! I couldn’t believe I was in this situation. I kept my jacket on the WHOLE trip to the Redwoods. Once I got there, I made a beeline for the bathrooms and changed out of my now most-embarrassing moment but authentic looking Civil War uniform.

I recovered from the small misunderstanding that my mom and I had about a ” themed camp” and went on to have a fantastic week. I did meet a girl, Ginn Hackler, who dumped me three months later. Once again, nooo ladies man.

I did discover that day that I have a habit of not getting all the information that I might need in each given situation. (And all the high C’s from the DISC profile screamed AMEN!) What we need to learn, especially as leaders, is that heading straight into situations without understanding can be incredibly embarrassing. Or worse, painful. I’ve been in many meetings where a leader took my or someone else’s head off only to find out that they didn’t know what was going on.

Once again, I’m a repeat offender. It’s not nearly as bad when it’s something that doesn’t carry much weight. But when it comes to your team or your family, slow down. Ask questions. Read the pamphlet describing the Civil War themed camp. The more information you have, the better prepared you will be to discuss the topic at hand.

Question: What situations have you experienced that could have used more information? 

5 Ways To Force Culture

How to implement culture is a subject I get asked about all of the time. It’s something so many people want or they want to change, but they don’t know how to do either. I can promise you this: You will have culture. It just may not be the one you want.

You see, wanting it and creating it are two completely different things. If you don’t make sure it exists in the form that you like, outside forces will create it for you. And then, it’s a pain to reverse.

How does culture get created at your company by others? When you hire folks and don’t lead them, they give you lip service but begin to create the atmosphere they desire. It’s not uncommon for them to begin to gossip and backstab to get their way. As dramatic as it sounds, they begin to spread poison throughout your team. Next thing you know, you have a atmosphere that is nothing like you want it to be.

How can you avoid allowing people to create their own? It’s simple:

• Force It – “If it doesn’t fit, force it!” was a saying I heard as a kid. It’s meant to be a joke. But in this case, you really need to force your culture! You have to make your whole team realize that you will do whatever it takes to create the desired outcome.

• Teach It - Whatever you want your business to look like, you have to spend time teaching about it in your staff meetings, team meetings, one-on-ones, etc. Say it so many times that your team can finish your sentences.

• Recognize It - It is a well-known fact that people do what they get rewarded for. If you spend your time telling team members only what they’re doing wrong, that’s where their focus will be. But if you recognize that they are doing a great job by not gossiping, being team players and taking care of each other, then they will work hard to protect that culture.

• Attack It - If you see something happening that’s hurting your business, go after it quickly!! Your team needs to know that you will attack anything that is attacking your culture. If you don’t, your team will eventually come to believe that you don’t care about keeping a strong culture for them.

• Repeat It - You can’t implement culture and hope that it stays that way. You have to keep it in front of everyone ALL of the time. Again, bring it up from time to time in staff meetings. Celebrate it at big company events. Champions want to see that you will stand for that cause. When you do, so will they.

If you’re just starting out, forcing culture is easy. You just do it. If you’ve been in business awhile and you need to turn the ship, understand that it will take some time. However, being passive won’t make it happen. Roll your sleeves up and go to town, metaphorically speaking. Don’t actually go to town … well, except to go to work, if that’s where it is.

Question: What methods have you used to make your culture stick? 

Dude!!! You Gotta Be Kidding?!?!

That’s how I started my email to Dillanos founder and CEO, David J. Morris. You see, a few weeks ago I noticed that David had started following me on Facebook. When I saw that he was a coffee roaster, I sent a quick message asking if they made a great coffee for French press.

I didn’t hear back (punk) and went on the road for a week or 73. When I got back to my office, two cases containing the contents below were sitting there!

SAWEET!!! Thus the opening line of my email to David…and my retraction of calling him a punk. I was blown away! Included in the box was a DVD of the CNBC show The Coffee Addiction that featured Dillanos.

The show discussed how Dillanos helps insure that coffee growers get a fair price on their amazing beans instead of losing out to a middle man. It’s called the One Harvest Project. I looked them up on YouTube and found a ton of videos on them, but one in particular that shows a little of their company culture.

I’m completely impressed with this company. Their coffee’s great. (Passed a bunch around the company and it’s getting rave reviews.) Their customer service rocks, obviously! You can tell with the One Harvest Project that they care about people more than the bottom line. And if all that is not enough, they just became one of the Top Places To Work in theTacomaWashingtonarea!

How do you become one of the Top Places To Work? Simple, you treat your people so well, that they ANONYMOUSLY tell a third party what they think of the company and its leadership. In other words, the team gets to say whatever its wants in the survey. The leadership doesn’t find out about it.

Another YouTube video showed a Dillanos weekly staff meeting. Aaaaaaand it rocked! They are crazy about their team. All this from a company that will over 24 million in sales this year. Which is okay if you’re into that whole successful business thing. Which I am!

With all of this, I’m not surprised that I received such an amazing gift. And you’re not surprised that I’m writing about it. If you’re a coffee drinker, do yourself a favor and click on the One Harvest Project and buy a bag. It just might pull you away from your regular coffee company.

Dillanos slogan – “The art of roasting is developing flavor. The science is repeating it.” Their mission statement, which has guided them for 20 years, 1) Help People 2) Make Friends 3) Have Fun!

Question: How does a company like this inspire you in your business? Besides the buzz.