If you have an experienced team, the captain is only needed when you hit rough water. Steering the ship through a crisis is a learned skill set, sharpened by experience. Whether we have fallen into a leadership position, got forced into taking the helm or arrived at it by design, the short strokes are that every ship needs a captain and every project needs a champion. Why? Because there are always storms to navigate and only one person can make that decision. No two people are likely to approach the same set of circumstances in the same manner. As my older brother likes to say, “There are lots of right answers”.

When I started my business 24 years ago, my older brother’s advice was… don’t do it. He had been in business for a decade already and knew the perils I would face. I believe it was something I was meant to do and as I may have stated before, being overly optimistic and somewhat naive are fundamental qualities of being in business for yourself.

I’ve seen a lot of businesses fail. Solid companies with hard working owners – most spent too much money on the wrong things at the wrong time. Many fell behind with tax remittances. Some coasted when they should have forged ahead. Some forged ahead only to have a dramatic shift in technology or market conditions do them in. I feel very fortunate that my business is solid as we march into 2012.

For anyone thinking of starting their own business or are in business already and questioning their direction, here are 5 tips that people have shared with me and I know to be true:

1. Don’t bog yourself down with things you’re not good at. Hire the right people to fill the gaps.
2. Banks never give you money when you need it. Always increase your credit line when you don’t need it so that it’s there when you need it most.
3. Prepare yourself to work longer hours, take fewer vacations and have more stress than you will ever have working for someone else.
4. Prepare for the worst and expect the best is appropriate advice and trusting your instincts is critical to successful decision making.
5. Last but not least, the right decision is always the hardest until you make it… after you make it, you will wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner.

Lee’s quote for the day

“You’ll know when you’re going in the right direction by the number of hills you climb, obstacles you overcome and forks in the road that require decisions to be made.” 

How Sainsbury responded, is a textbook example of how other companies should handle customer service. The response isn’t dry, and stock. It’s a personalized response to the little girl, that uses language a three year old can understand. Also attached was a £3 (almost $5) gift card – enough to buy the bread and some sweets.

Lily’s mom posted the original response letter on her blog site, and though the response received some attention from blog sites, Twitter and Facebook, it really went viral of January of this year. The letter has been “Liked” nearly 150,000 times, and shared nearly 50,000 times on Facebook, and it’s been commented on thousands of times.

This simple act, of Sainsbury’s responding to a little girl, has generated a massive amount of publicity that would have otherwise cost thousands upon thousands of dollars for the company. Companies should not be afraid to embrace social media. A well laid out social media strategy will be a benefit to your company.

In the trucking industry for example, each major social media platform has its suitable uses. Facebook for example, is a great place for hiring drivers, as well as building company culture around your employees and your brand. LinkedIn is a great way to generate leads as well as network. Canadian carriers are under-utilizing social media, and it’s time for them to, get on board.

The timing was right. They all have confidence in their abilities and so do I. It is a necessary step in the sustainability of my company to have it run without me. What are the gaps they need to fill? What lessons can I learn from the exercise?

1-      No two people will ever approach solving a problem or answering a question the same way. As an owner or manager, we have to accept that things will not get done the way we would do it and that’s okay.

2-      Necessity is the mother of invention. People respond to pressure and deadlines. If we’re not there to deal with a situation, the need to resolve it will create a champion with a solution. The more it happens the better your team will be at the daily problem solving that arises.

3-       For the most part, I have a young team. Most are the age I was when I started my business. And they are all more capable in their respective duties than I was at their age. That is the fact I focused on to let go of the reins to this extent and feel comfortable doing so. Kind of a sink or swim, what’s the worst that could happen scenario.

4-      As managers, how can we effectively accomplish that task when we are caught up fully in the day to day? We may be the best problem solvers due to our experience level but what could we accomplish if we applied those same talents to investigating new products, processes and opportunities?

5-       I had my grandson here the first week of our holiday. He’s just shy of two and his key mission in life is to demand your undivided attention. If there is trouble he will find it. Babysitting is a key element of business too. Bringing on a new account or starting a new project can be all consuming. Find the equivalent of daycare for these types of business situations. Babysitting is okay on occasion, but don’t make a career of it, as you will accomplish nothing else.

When I’m back, one of the first things I’ll do is assess what the gaps were, if any, in my absence. That will be the first blog of 2012.

Have a great holiday season everyone!

 Lee’s Quote for the Day

“Say it can’t be done and that’s what will happen. Saying it can be done requires constant focus, self-belief, and tenacity. In other words, it’s much easier to talk ourselves out of it, than talk ourselves into it.” 

Like most things, experience is the best teacher, followed closely or in tandem with trusting your instincts. Most people have a hard time accepting a thought or idea that is fresh, as there is no physical reference for them to gauge whether it is good or bad. Most people are reference thinkers. If it hasn’t been done before, they are sceptical and most revert to the safer, less daring approach. The opposite is usually what is required, so you do need to be a bit stubborn to be in a business where you are creating customized solutions.

No matter what profession you’re in, you need the confidence in your abilities to do the right thing for your client, especially when they are struggling with a direction. It’s our job to guide them. When you spend a lot of your energy developing a solution, its human nature to get a bit defensive when someone challenges you and wants to send you in a totally new direction you can’t get behind. What I’ve learned over the years follows:

• If you are hired as a professional for guidance, you have an obligation to provide that guidance especially when it is challenged.
• If your client is challenging your solution, there is a legitimate reason they are not comfortable moving ahead. Don’t start over; just listen more carefully as often a tweak to the original plan will bring it all together.
• Don’t ever think you have all the answers but be confident in communicating the facts you know to be true and be open to and encourage collaboration with your client.
• Communicate in person whenever possible to get the plan back on track. You and your client will benefit from the extra effort made to resolve the hurdles you need to, face-to-face.

 Lee’s Quote for the Day

“Gaining your customer’s trust is the most valuable aspect of any business relationship. It may seem a bit like climbing Mount Everest, but when you finally get there, it’s worth every step of the journey”

For folks like me (that have worked in proximity to the Toronto airport for most of my career), a once popular location has been revitalized. Pepi’s was a fast food joint on Derry Road just east of Torbram. It was right on the flight path and in its day was a very popular spot. Then the large McDonnell Douglas plant closed down, the major banks moved out of the area and the once well know eatery died a slow and painful death. It was vacant for many years and several entrepreneurs tried to bring it back without success.

A few months ago Zet’s, a 24 hour greasy spoon on the strip, took it over and breathed new life into the old location. A major facelift began including a freshly paved yard, new signage, new paint, a fresh interior…every detail was covered. They manned it with staff from the other restaurant and had 3 times as many people serving you, compared to previous renditions.

We went the other day for lunch. It was busy and although it had a limited menu and hours, compared to the airport road location, it was very professionally run, the food was well prepared and the menu fairly priced. The service was quick and friendly and everyone sported matching shirts with their updated brand prominently featured.

I think they did it right and will be a success. It’s well marketed and manned and I believe their attention to detail will make the difference in keeping their doors open and their business prospering. Time will tell.

Lee’s Quote for the Day

“Sometimes, the details that matter most, are paying attention to the details most will never even notice.” 

Typically, a sales and marketing VP has their hands full managing reps and their share of major accounts. They may have a flair for marketing but probably very little training on the subject. The biggest synergy between sales and marketing disciplines are they both have to tell a compelling story and communicate the unique reasons why their product or service is the better choice for prospective buyers. Maybe that’s why they have been lumped together in the B2B transport sector, while they are very much separate functions in consumer products.

My experience with the owners and presidents of transportation companies is that very few are marketers. I would say they are typically deal makers, know their numbers, great at attracting the right people to their team, and workaholics by either necessity or nature. In my 23 year career, I would say the original owner of Concord, and the folks heading up Challenger and MSM have been the biggest believers in using marketing to grow their business.

Sometimes it can be a little thing that gets you noticed. A good example is when CN recently adopted the paint scheme from their train engines to their highway tractors… simply brilliant!

We find many companies think about it, want to do it but the reactive nature of the business keeps them from taking the steps necessary to make it happen. Other things take priority and the marketing that’s required is put on hold waiting for a better time to address it.

Here’s the deal. The time to address it is now. We’ve seen a dramatic change in the last year and a half with the ROI on web marketing. The transportation industry is behind. Especially in web marketing. The primary focus is on existing customer shipment visibility. That myopic view is limiting opportunities. It doesn’t cost that much to take greater advantage of the power of the web across these additional 4 areas:

• Cross sell services to existing accounts not using your full menu of services-the easiest way to grow your business
• Utilize search engine optimization techniques to create awareness to those buyers looking for a service that you provide, who are not currently aware of your company
• Advertise your unique message to potential drivers, sales people and other positions within your company-positions that are getting harder and harder to fill with good candidates
• Make a favourable impression with potential partner carriers and companies considering your company as part of a RFP for your services

Lee’s Quote for the Day!

“If you wait for the perfect time to take action, the only action you will take is waiting for the perfect time” 

So that’s my excuse-old habits die hard and every dime counted. Now that I make a good income and have for some time, what’s the big thing about having to get a deal? It’s a disease, plain and simple. The last 10 years, I’ve tried hard to catch myself when I go into deal making mode and as a result I’m better than I used to be… but still subject to relapses. As long as I feel I’m being treated fairly and I like and trust the person, I’ll haggle a bit but will pay the price. I’m also very loyal to the suppliers I buy services from and value those relationships. Going through a messy and expensive divorce was a big part of my rehabilitation. Not too many deals to be had in that scenario. 

So next time you find yourself walking away from a deal for $50, $500 or $50,000 ask yourself these 3 questions. And, if someone on the other side of the equation is beating you up on price, maybe ask them these same questions too:

1/Have you done your research? Is it a fair price for the product or service…even though it’s not the price you had in mind. Is it about the deal itself or what you are buying?

2/ Will you need to deal with this person again, if so, go for a good deal, not necessarily the best deal of you career!

3/ Is this about A/ ego and winning or B/paying the right price for the product or service? Do the necessary cognitive restructuring (love that term) and try and make it about B. You’ll see it is a shift you can make and feel good about.

Lee’s Quote for the day

“The most important deal you’ll ever make will not be about how much money you saved. It will more likely be about the person sitting across from you at the dinner table tonight!” 

When you’re geared up to produce, meet deadline after deadline and you run into suppliers that barricade that journey, it can be very frustrating.

I’ve written before about achieving balance between process and performance, as big business continues to get bigger. Two things happened last week that made me question how big business can grow and still keep service in the forefront.

The Apple is Rotten. We bought three 27” iMacs last year. They are a great product and when we added a new artist this past week, we reached out to purchase another. We talked with a business manager at the Apple retail store we purchased from last year. They asked if we were happy with the performance of the machines we had and after a brief discussion, agreed that she would prepare a new one, just slightly faster than last time. I mentioned I didn’t want to wait around at the store for an hour like last year. She assured me that I just needed to bring the invoice and it would be ready to go. The short strokes were that I still waited an hour to get the machine and after taking it back to the office, the artists determined it was the wrong machine totally. When I called and suggested that they bring the correct machine to my office (15-20 minutes away) and take back the other one, the response was “we can’t do that”. End of discussion. Their error, but our problem to deal with. What do you think? Is this acceptable customer service for companies large or small?

1.888.Rogers.1- It’s great to be able to have a toll free number that spells your company name. Getting properly served through that toll free number is one issue and my recent experience with a lack of flexibility is another. We have a small rental house near Humber College. We got it when my son attended that school and have kept it as an investment. The short strokes were that the students using the internet services apparently went over the download limit and our bill doubled. We asked for a statement so that we could better understand what was going on. The answer was no. Why? Because we paid by credit card. I said, “If you are going to lose us as a customer because of this, is your answer still no? The representative had a well prepared, polite and concise answer, “I’m sorry sir, I can’t help you”.

I can tell you that I’m pretty flexible, roll with the punches and I’m not a complainer by nature but this type of close minded, process driven, lack of flexibility really burns my jets. How about you?

Lee’s Quote for the Day

One of the most over used taglines but good overall philosophy is “We’re big enough to serve you, small enough to care”. In some cases the tag needs to be updated to “Big enough to serve you, too big to care! 

We use an interview process to guide clients through their first blogs. It’s their story and our pen initially. Our intent is to get them over their fear of writing and provide a model they can adopt to eventually go solo. Kind of like installing training wheels on your first bike. These are the top 3 push backs we get from potential bloggers… and our response:

1/How can I find the time?

You need to block off 2-3 hours on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to write. Making it a routine is the answer.

2/What would I write about?

You write about what you know, what you’ve experienced and share that insight in a personal and candid way. You are not selling your company, simply sharing information that may help others in some way.

3/Does it really accomplish anything?

Yes! I find it somewhat therapeutic to step outside of my day to day routine and reflect on recent events through my blogs. It clears my head for new thinking. It keeps me in touch with clients and prospects. And last but not least, it increases our industry and web profile.

Lee’s Quote for the day

“Blogging is like jogging without the sweat and the iPod. They’re both good for you and become more enjoyable with time.”