When’s the last time you asked a stupid question? (eTail Insights #7)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 6:45PM As you all know, I consult in real life. And you know the first step, and therefore the first thing people pay me to do? Mostly, it’s to tell someone else in the organization that the sky is blue. It’s a great gig.
Here’s the deal. In most companies, people are confused. Especially the top brass. Why? Because they go to a zillion meetings, and during each meeting either one thing is decided or someone is assigned to figure out how to decide something. Which means every day, every honcho is both making decisions and getting decisions thrust upon them. Lots and lots and lots of decisions.
And no one is writing them down.
So, at some meeting a long long time ago, all the execs might have all agreed on a set of business objectives, brand objectives, and target markets. They may have even created some kind of document. And sure, they all still have meetings together, and each of them assumes that everyone else is crystal-clear on all those goals--and on how all the goals have been tweaked or changed as a result of the zillions of little decisions.
Wrong.
I bet no one at your company actually knows exactly what your goals are.
What I find is that no one is super-clear on exactly what the brand, business, and customer-experience goals of their company are. And here’s how I know that: every single time I start a new contract, I ask. I ask for a plain and simple list of the top 3-5 business, brand, and customer experience goals. I bat my eyes and look all innocent and ask. And no one can produce them--at least not an ‘official, up-to-date’ set of them.
Why not? Because it feels like career suicide to raise your hand in a meeting and say ‘err, ummm, I’m not exactly clear what our goals are.’ Especially if you are a honcho.
If the leaders aren’t clear, how on earth are the rest of the people in the company supposed to have a focused understanding of what they are supposed to be doing, and why they are supposed to be doing it?
So here’s my assignment, should you choose to accept it.
Send out an email asking key people to give you the following information (for the company as a whole or for a particular project, if that’s more appropriate). If they want to be anonymous, let them do that (they can leave a printout on your desk, for example).
Ask them to answer these questions:
- What are our top 3-5 business objectives? These goals are usually expressed in measurable terms, like "increase signup by 20%."
- What are our top 3-5 brand objectives? How do you describe your brand today, and how do you want to advance, change, or evolve this to be different six months from now?
- What are our top 3-5 customer experience goals? These are statements that you’d love to hear from your customers after this project, like "wow! This product/site/service is really great because…" or "I’m going to tell my friends all about…."
- And while you’re at it, what are our key value propositions and differentiators? (And make them actually valuable! and different!)
Then put all this info together and help someone important understand that the variety in the answers is an issue that needs to be solved. (And for heavens’ sakes, don’t send the answers to me. But do send me a note and tell me how it all went!)
I think you’ll be amazed. (And maybe fired too, but probably not.)
Reader Comments (2)
<h1>ugg bailey button sale<h1>
<h1>ugg bailey button chestnut<h1>
<h1>ugg classic tall sale<h1>
<h1>ugg classic tall grey<h1>
<h1>ugg classic short sale<h1>
<h1>ugg classic short grey<h1>
<h1>ugg classic tall sale<h1>
<h1>ugg classic tall navy<h1>
<h1>ugg classic short sale<h1>
<h1>ugg classic short black<h1>
<h1>ugg bailey button sale<h1>
<h1>ugg bailey button bomber<h1>
<h1>ugg classic cardy sale<h1>
<h1>ugg boots sale<h1>
<h1>ugg classic cardy sale<h1>
<h1>ugg classic cardy black<h1>
<h1>ugg bailey button triplet sale<h1>
<h1>uggs outlet<h1>
<h1>ugg bailey button triplet<h1>
<h1>ugg boots sale uk<h1>
<h1>ugg boots clearance<h1>
<h1>louis vuitton outlet<h1>
<h1>the north face outlet<h1>
<h1>uggs for cheap<h1>
<h1>uggs on sale<h1>
<h1>ugg boots sale<h1>
<h1>uggs on sale<h1>
<h1>ugg boots outlet<h1>
<h1>ugg boots clearance<h1>
<h1>ugg boots sale<h1>
<h1>cheap ugg boots<h1>
<h1>ugg for cheap<h1>
<h1>ugg boots outlet<h1>
<h1>uggs outlet<h1>
<h1>uggs outlet<h1>
<h1>uggs for cheap<h1>
<h1>uggs for cheap<h1>
<h1>ugg boots sale<h1>
<h1>ugg boots sale uk<h1>
<h1>uggs on sale<h1>
<h1>ugg boots clearance<h1>
<h1>ugg boots clearance<h1>
<h1>ugg boots outlet<h1>
<h1>ugg boots sale<h1>
<h1>louis vuitton outlet<h1>
<h1>coach purse outlet<h1>
<h1>coach purses outlet<h1>
<h1>coach purse<h1>
<h1>coach purses<h1>
<h1>cheap coach purses<h1>
<h1>coach outlet store online<h1>
piaget watches
german watches
versace watches
best watches
graham watches
gant watches
swiss legend watches
bench watches
maurice lacroix watches
jacques lemans watches
pre owned watches
quartz watches
welder watches
antique watches
watches shop
charles raymond watches
watches brands
lucien piccard watches
bracelet watches
dreyfuss watches
gruen watches
A.Lange&Sohne Watches
Armani Watches
Audemars Piguet Watches
Bape Watches
Baume&Mercier Watches
Bell Ross Watches
Blancpain Watches
Breguet Watches
Breitling Watches