The Right Way to Set Expectations

You have likely been on both the asking and answering end of this question:

"How long will it take?"

If you are the one answering this question, more often than not the answer is more complicated than "2 days."  In those cases be very aware of how you frame your answer.  Most people will listen to what you tell them and only
pull out the portions that they need.  For instance, you may be thinking to answer in one of the following ways:

1) "If everything is set up it could take as little as one week."
2) "One month, but if everything is set up it may require less time."

Yes, there are variations of these statements, but the point is this....the people listening for the answer to "How long will it take?" are going to hear:

1) "blah blah blah blah one week."
2) "One month, blah blah blah blah."

If those are the ONLY data points they walk away with, what do you want them to think?  That they can do it in a week or a month?  If you subscribe to the idea of under-promise and over-deliver, I think you know the answer.  Though when the timelines are too far apart you risk not being asked to do the work at all, so be realistic.

The Salon Experience

I got my hair done at a new salon recently and started to pay a lot of attention to the customer experience.  A good salon (of which this is one) is 100% focused on making the customer feel good.  Everyone is conditioned to tell you how fabulous or refreshed you look....regardless of their own, individual opinion.  When a gorgeous person tells you that you're gorgeous, well, it can't be bad, right?

This methodology works for that specific industry, but I see others applying it.  Sure you want your customer to feel great, but their experience lasts long after they've left your vision.  Pushing to get a sale for an item the customer may not like later will impact long term success.

Luckily, I still like my hairstyle.

How Do You Know You're Serving Your Customer?

One of two very simple ways:

1) Your message/vision resonates with them (it comes from your mind and out of their mouths)
2) Their message/vision resonates with you (it comes from their minds and out of your mouth)

I want to tattoo this on some people.  If you and your customer have different visions you are NOT serving them.

How to Handle the Fly on the Wall

Listening with your full attention is a very important thing to do in order to build relationships and remain credible.  That said, we can't always execute in that way.  Our mind gets in the way.  Other thoughts creep in...

"What is the person in front of me about to say?"
"Did I lock my car door?"
"Is my boss going to rip me a new one when we meet this afternoon?"
"I've got to finish this presentation."

These are our flies.  Killing them is very challenging (and potentially time consuming...have you ever chased a fly?).  But when they exist on the walls of our mind you must let them out before you can focus.

How do we let the flies out?  Address them when you can.  Either interrupt the person talking to you (assuming it's a casual conversation or relationship) and state, "I'm sorry, I'm a little distracted because I've got a big meeting I need to prepare for." Then suggest that you either talk later because you want to give them your full attention or decide to make it short.  If this is not an option you must practice "fly ignoring" - just plain resolve to listen (this IS in your control) and either decide on a time to address the fly or decide that you must cohabitate.

Now, you don't want colonies of flies.  If they begin to take over start scheduling time with yourself to address these things.  It does not matter how busy you are.  Your sanity and your relationships depend on it.

The Lifecycle of a Consumer

I received a catalog the other day (yes, I still get catalogs...love them) that I hadn't seen in 10-15 years.  It was a catalog that, long ago, I would fawn over.  Every page contained products that I wanted to own.  Not just wanted....LONGED for.

How did I feel when I looked over the catalog today?  Old.  None of the products really appealed to me, though I found them interesting.  It made me think....what is the lifecycle of a single consumer?  How long can you typically hold their loyalty, preference, etc.? 

Embracing the "When"

Relationship Building Rule #1

There is no such thing as "can't"
There is only "when"

Constantly telling a customer, partner, or anyone for that matter "no" will only provide you with negative equity.  If you provide alternatives to what is being asked you are more likely to build respect - which is the foundation for a healthy relationship.  This is applicable whether you are working with a customer that wants a specific deliverable or your own child asking to go to watch TV.

Negotiating conditions and then meeting those expectations is a wonderful thing.

Success is a Happy Customer

Sometimes we lose sight of this.

I was once part of a project in which we charged ahead to deliver what we felt was valuable and in respect of the customer's time, we only involved them "as needed".  The project was a failure.  Every little thing that was wrong came out, complaints were abundant.  So we tried again.  This time, the customer was a partner in our delivery.  Sure, our resource requirements went WAY up, but in the end we all won.  And the proof of that was not that we finished, but when a problem was found the customer worked through it with his/her "partners" instead of complaining.

Both the service and the served have needs.  The best outcome is derived from working together to agree on what you jointly need.