Archive for June, 2012

Contributing to our society; One Google review at a time

Posted: June 28, 2012 by Dave B. in Customer Service, Leadership, Tech
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Mike’s pizza deserves more great reviews.

I read internet customer reviews before I buy something or go somewhere.  My wife reads them even more.  I post reviews on Google, when a business strikes me as very good or bad.  I should post more reviews on Amazon about the products I buy.

There is value in these reviews.  This is the power of the internet.  Anyone, anytime can post what they think about a product.  The most helpful reviews are cheered by other customers while the least helpful fall to the bottom.

This is good right?  This is increased access to information so that the customer can make informed decisions.

The economic law of supply and demand depends on the supplier and buyer having equal information about the good.  The opposite is called ‘information asymmetry.’  This condition is said to cause market failure.  Google it, it’s interesting.

Bad guys are creating asymmetry on purpose.

What if an author or publisher hires a company to post hundreds of positive reviews of their book on Amazon?  What about a product?

There are no laws against being shady and unethical.  It usually hurts your brand though.

The company, Reputation.com promises, “We don’t actually delete any webpages (only the person who posted [a bad review or negative content] can do that), instead we simply make unwanted pages about your business rank lower in search results so that virtually no one ever sees them.”

So, I guess the story goes if you are a shitty doctor or a restaurant with poor service and have earned some bad customer reviews, you can hire reputation.com to make them ‘go away?’

That’s weak.

Let’s do our part and post quick reviews on Google and Amazon when we buy something or go somewhere…the market…no, our society depends on it.

Ok, maybe not our society.

Fried dough with sugar; who does it better? The hedgehog does.

Posted: June 26, 2012 by Dave B. in Customer Service, Leadership
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I grew up on Long Island.   We had Dunkin’ Donuts.  I have fond memories of my Mom bringing home a dozen donuts or stopping by for a quick Boston Creme before we got on the train.  It was good.

Dunkin Donuts makes the best donuts and coffee on the planet.

Dunkin Donuts makes the best donuts and coffee on the planet.

DUNKIN DONUTS MAKES THE BEST COFFEE AND DONUTS ON THE PLANET!

Dunkin Donuts makes sandwiches.  Shitty ones.  Dunkin Donuts makes…well, they have ice cream stores attached to them now.  They make all kinds of garbage.  Check out the front page of their website:  www.dunkindonuts.com

They lost their brand.

What if, for the last several years, they just refined and built on to the fact that they make the best coffee and donuts on the planet?  Whether or not its true doesn’t matter; it can be true.

What if for the past several years they concentrated on just coffee and donuts, that perfect combo and left the rest to fast food joints or other, lesser establishments?

The Dunkin Donuts brand would be a lot better off.  Maybe they would make less money in the short term, but in the long term, they could forever seal their fate as the best coffee and donuts on the planet.

I walk into Starbucks and ask the bubbly chick what she does and she says she is a barrista.  She makes coffee, oh yeah, they have some other stuff too.

When I walk into Dunkin Donuts the dude isn’t sure what he does, he makes ice cream sundaes, terrible sandwiches, some  ice cream cakes, breakfast burritos and oh yeah, donuts too.

It’s sad really.

It all goes back to the hedgehog concept.  To be truly successful, you should:

1.  Determine where your passion is.

2.  Determine what you CAN be the best at.

3.  Determine what drives your profit engine.

Jim Collins, author of the Good to Great series describes it in video here:

The Hedgehog Concept

You can apply this anywhere.  Apply it to your life.  Apply it to your office.  There is something that you are passionate about, something that you can be the best at, and maybe it will even pay the bills…if not, maybe it should.  Whatever you choose should not be breakfast burritos, though.

The Updates

Posted: June 25, 2012 by Dave B. in Fatherhood, Life
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The sagas described in the past on Truth and Rhetoric have not ended. Based on your feedback and updated events, it seems they have just begun:

A Kid in a Candy Store

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Business has picked up at the Chocolate Wonderfall, I received this photo in a text shortly after the Feedbag post. As a reader, you’re in good company.

Barbie Rehab?

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The Avengers have moved in close to the Barbie Halfway House, pictured here is Hulk and Captain America fighting to become the next Bachelor.

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I think Captain America can do better than this.

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The Barbie fitness room has only gotten worse. The pretend treadmill is still running giving Barbie pretend treadmill burns, unfortunately, she’s too drunk to notice.

Starvation

…and on a serious note, the Privileged Shopper post has received the most reads of any post on this blog. Here is a thoughtful and sobering comment from one of our readers:

“You could have mentioned that the US has the capability to feed almost twice the world’s population given advancements that us spoiled rich people choose to ignore/insult. And a huge reason for the mass starvation in Africa is religiously motivated groups like Boka Haram and Al Shabab that tell their “subjects” that our food is the work of the devil because we’ve fucked with nature. Relief is denied to many regions by armed savages for this very reason.True story: I was standing in line at the [department store] and overheard a wife tell her husband she was buying an air freshener because it said “organic” on the label. An air freshener. Things are going a bit too far.”

Can I mix Barbie updates with world hunger commentary? Hell yes, this is my blog.

Speaking of, Barbie eats organic for her health but drinks like a fish…sound like anyone you know?

….and Starbucks? No change.

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America’s Privileged Shopper

Posted: June 22, 2012 by Dave B. in Health and Fitness, Life
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A quote from the movie Platoon:

“You VOLUNTEERED for this shit, man? What we got here’s a crusader. You gotta be rich in the first place to think like that!”

You gotta be rich in the first place to think like that, you also have to be rich in the first place to scoff at non-organic produce.

Here’s the craziness,

From the article linked below: “The Environmental Working Group (EWG) says you should be concerned about pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, but, not so concerned that you stop eating these foods.”

They just recently published a dirtiest foods list, apples at the top.  Not too dirty to eat though, just dirty…I think we’ve all been there.

So why be concerned?  Concerned that… what?  I rubbed it on my sleeve before I ate it today, feel better?

Here is a great article discussing some of the facts involved in common man’s produce:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/06/19/155354070/why-you-shouldnt-panic-about-pesticide-in-produce

I’m not trying to defunct the organic food industry, although I do think its a bit absurd. I also think that if well to do moms think they’re saving the local farmers, they should know, they’re not.  Organic Ag is BIG industry, big lobby, special interest porn stars.  Chinese organic cows?  Really?  Does that make you feel better?  Anyway…

I just want us to remember how lucky we are.  If we have time and space to worry so hardily about whether or not our food has been treated with pesticides even though the food is still safe than we have made it, haven’t we?

You gotta be rich in the first place to think like that.

The Golden Feedbag and the Chocolate Muzzle

Posted: June 20, 2012 by Dave B. in Health and Fitness, Life
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So I’m reading the third book of the Hunger Games, its a pretty good depiction of a government gone mad.  There is a segment of the population who are the favored group, the well bred.  They are kept “happy,” drunk with gluttony.

I’m reminded of one scene where these people are at a party gorging themselves with the best foods and drink.  On an adjacent table, are small glasses filled with some type of formula to allow you to safely vomit in order to go back to enjoying the food.  In other words, they are no longer limited at the buffet by what they can eat, they can now eat as much and as long as they want.  This, while the rest of the population is starving.

That brings me to this:

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This is Golden Corral’s chocolate tower, streaming thing.  It was available at breakfast, notice the cotton candy adjacent to it.

I met at Golden Corral today for a morning class.  First time I’ve been there in years.  Prior to going, my friends joked that we were meeting at the Golden Feedbag and made other references to the absurdity of it all. One thing I didn’t quite expect though, was this.

I’m not saying we’re like to people in Hunger Games, but doesn’t stuff like this ever beg the question?  Do we have too much convenience?  Can we?  How can we send our men and women to two wars with minimal effect on the population like we did over the past 10 years?  Why aren’t more people involved?  Who votes these days?

Maybe a chocolate fountain is the answer.

In Hunger Games the oppressive government kept the people clueless and happy so they wouldn’t ask questions, so they would never ‘want.’

I’ll paraphrase the flyer here, “Join the fun at our never ending cascade of delicious dipping chocolate.  It’s all on our legendary endless buffet.”

Decide for yourself.  Join the heard, watch endless TV, drink, spend and be merry, eat at endless buffets or do something worthwhile - Contribute, make a difference.

I for one, well….um….OK.  See you at the feedbag.  The Banana Pudding was great.

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Customer Service – What get’s it done?

Posted: June 19, 2012 by Dave B. in Customer Service, Health and Fitness
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The gym I go to has a great front desk staff.

Their greetings are strong when I come in, smiles big, very receptive to the few requests I’ve had and bid a great farewell when I leave.

Every time, all of them.

Most of the other staff seem to be on board as well.

So what is it?

Does American Family Fitness pay really well?  Do they just hire the right twenty somethings?  Are they consistently trained and managed?

I’m not sure exactly but what I am sure of is that the culture is right.

Regardless of hiring practices, pay or training models the culture set by the leadership creates the environment for success…or failure.

In my experience culture is determined through time by communicating with your peeps often, by being forthright with standards and expectations and, most importantly, by explaining “why.”  Explaining why means explaining to the staff the enduring end-sate, the objective, the second or third desired effect.

Your people are smart and will help you to your goal; if they know what it is (exactly) and you allow them to.

Leaders need to take some time to reflect, communicate and observe; this, done over time, will start an organization on an enduring path to success – it will create the right culture.

Answering lots of email doesn’t.

The Green Lady Has Been Distracted

Posted: June 18, 2012 by Dave B. in Customer Service
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Ahhhh, Pike’s Place.  Tall, with a little ice, mmm, just right.  Just about every time.

Isn’t that what Starbucks is selling?  Consistent product and service no matter where you are and when.  I have been to a lot of Starbucks across the nation and through just about every government agency.  Granted, the State Department only “proudly brews” Starbucks products..sham.

Anyway,  I have been alarmed by a recent trend in declining service.   This weekend I pulled into one of my regular stops. Garbage in the parking lot, “that’s odd,” I thought.  No problem, the bubbly girl at the register reminded me where I was.  When she turned around to pour my coffee though, 50 cent shots of espresso began accumulating on my total, seemingly by themselves.  I watched the total go from $1.78 to over $6.

Cool marketing technique I thought, because now I am interested in adding a shot.  The girl noticed but was not surprised.  ”Sorry about that,” she giggled.

“No problem.” I said, “Is the register broken?”

“Nope! (giggle, giggle) Its the flies.”

Wow.  What just happened?  Flies ran me up for 9 shots added to my already strong coffee?  ”Disgusting,” I said trying not to be mean.

She went on to explain how they make a big effort when the customers arent around to kill and disperse the espresso adding flies.  I didnt know what to say except, “Well, good luck!”

I grabbed my coffee and left in a hurry.

Its happened a couple of times recently, maybe the garbage was over flowing in Virginia or the ladies in North Carolina were texting instead of serving.  Its alarming because the Starbucks brand is strong, very strong and each interaction like this is another chink in the armor times thousands of customers.

Does Starbucks compete?  Kind of.  They compete against your home coffee, they compete against 7-11 or the gas station, fast-food joints have joined in and they compete against your local brewer.

But take it from me, when I don’t know the area, I know Starbucks and that keeps me coming back even in the airport or at Target.  Like McDonald’s, they strive for predictability but unlike McDonald’s there is no Burger King like alternative.

McDonald’s now sells their coffee for $1.  ”Would you like flies with that?”

“Two please.”

Romeo Dance Cheetah – US Air Guitar Champion

Posted: June 12, 2012 by Dave B. in Leadership, Life
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He’s the best at what he does; can you be the best at what you do?

A few weeks ago I met this dude, stage name: Romeo Dance Cheetah.  He is a marketing guy who specializes in video production.  Pretty good guy it seems.

His boss mentioned that he was a national air guitar champion while we were having lunch.  After thinking about it, I was impressed.

He is the best in our country at what he does.  He trained, he performed and he won.  He went on to the international championship (I think in Amsterdam) but was out gunned.

Not everyone can be the best but we can try.  Maybe instead of trying to be the best and falling short, we should spend time trying to find out what we can be the best at, and then do it.

Either way, accept your lot or try to be the best, your choice.

My hats off to you Romeo Dance Cheetah.

Marketing I-95; A mystery to me

Posted: June 11, 2012 by Dave B. in Public Affairs
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I will drive 3 hours in each direction on I-95 every weekend this summer. During the long drive on Sunday night I wonder:

Do billboards work: Pedro seems to be the man, so does JR. I want to visit these places because, according to the billboards, they are really cool. I probably never will.

Another thing on billboards: PR people at local municipalities use them, sometimes a lot. Is it an effective use of money to say to the weary travelers that your town has a lot of hotels? What about the museum? I guess it might work. I’m pretty sure the full size billboard requesting that I don’t litter doesn’t work. In fact, I’m sure it doesn’t.

There is something I don’t know about gas: The gas price differs by $0.20 per gallon from one exit to the next. Why the huge difference? Better yet, if you are the high cost gas station, why advertise? Was that Bill, the clerks, error?

The green lady: Having Starbucks at your exit must bring a ton of traffic. If I were a gas station or fast food place owner, I would lobby for, maybe even subsidize the building of a Starbucks.

Exit Pride: Some exits have their own website. Some are dirty and not inviting. Perhaps local owners should get together and adopt the highway or something. Perhaps they live in India; who knows.

Then again, who knows what factors draw business? Sounds like a good graduate research project.