stevebuelow.com
Great marketing, in the absence of character, will eventually tick off even your best customers!

I suppose I had a ton of great role models growing up… oh, and also story-tellers!

As a child I remember one of the small pleasures was listening intently to the radio, trying to figure out what was about to be revealed as Paul Harvey announced “the rest of the story!”

And so it goes today… in Part II.

As someone who has “Loyalty” show up in the top three attributes of any personality test and who has spent his entire adult life looking to build relationships and provide excellent experiences for others, I tend to patronize and promote any business or organization where the same qualities are evident.

So you won’t be surprised if I tell you that in the last few days I have found my way back to the Starbucks that I introduced you to in Part I of this article. And I also suppose that it won’t surprise you to learn that I made a special trip… just based on the exceptional treatment I received a few days earlier.

Yes, believe it or not… I went seven miles out of my way (at least two locations are closer) to get great service. Just like you do from time to time… and certainly, just like your customers.

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It’s no secret that we all like to be recognized and appreciated… especially if we are making the choice to spend our limited resources with one or another business.

That said, it really is amazing how often this aspect of customer service slips through the cracks. I swear I have seen operations where on the thirty-first visit, customers are looked at and greeted as if they’ve never been there before.

And while I have seen those customers and guests take such things personally, I usually just tell myself that the clerk may be having a difficult day… is possibly distracted… or likely medicated…

But alas… I digress.

Though wouldn’t it be so simple to train the staff to just say something along the lines of, “Thanks for visiting us again… BTW, my name’s Sheila… what’s yours?”

And of course, I would then respond and she could smile and say…

“Nice to finally be introduced… how can I help you today, Steve?”

Ahh… music to my ears. And to the ears of our customers as well!

Easy.

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So the other day when Miss Elizabeth treated me so kindly at Starbucks… when she remembered, not just me… but also when I had last been in, and… my preferred drink…

Yes, when it was done so sincerely and without pretense or effort… I just knew that her supervisor would want to know… wouldn’t she?

Well, tomorrow… you’ll get the rest of the story!

Photo Credit:

Tanki

Sometimes the most seemingly uneventful circumstances can lead to some very profound insights.

Such was the case recently as I found myself in a relatively new Starbucks location in a city on the southern border of my own.

Now, I must say that searching for good java is nothing new in my life. Kind of a daily routine for many years; actually, several decades if the truth be known… and on any given day I turn my car in the direction of one or more great coffee houses.

So a week ago Tuesday evening, after a day that included a fair amount of travel, I got off the highway a few exits early deciding to refresh before arriving home. As for Starbucks, they are certainly no longer the only game in any town, but the quality and service are fairly predictable and I had the taste for a familiar brand.

Walking through the door I was immediately met with the truth that this was a college and business hub… much more crowded than several other locations in the area. The place was buzzing, and the young gal was definitely multitasking as she took my order for a Venti Americano.

Efficient and friendly to be sure. And ordinary… at least until the following day.

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Twenty-four hours later, as my wife was about to head out to run a number of errands, I had just finished a conference call and it seemed that the timing was perfect to hang out together… maybe do some shopping and talk about a few really cool new developments.

And, wouldn’t you know it… it just so happened that she was going to be across the street from the coffee shop I had visited the night before.

No coincidence there, I’m sure.

So, as we walk through the door… we’re greeted by the same young woman who says, “Hi there, can I get you a Venti Americano?”

“Why, yes…” I said, “that would be terrific!”

But what was really terrific was the fact that she led with this at all. Remember, this was only the second time I had ever been there and the place was hopping with customers and drive-thru traffic both times.

I thanked her and we were on our way.

Now, you’ve likely guessed that’s not the end of the story, for the real lesson was yet to come. We’ll talk about that next time, and I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Photo Credit:

D3 San Francisco

“Okay, so I just gotta know…. how do you keep it all in balance?”

The question came in response to this article in which I spoke of several new and important ventures in my life. I doubt that you would be shocked if I tell you that I answered the question with a question.

Or two…

The first question I asked, of course, was, “What all are you attempting to balance?” The second was, “What makes you assume that I’m trying to balance all of that stuff?!”

You see, I really am NOT attempting to juggle the myriad expectations that this gentleman was; especially the truckload of toys he felt he needed, and the small mountain of anxiety that had been left at his doorstep by others… things that are completely unreasonable, or that those others should be doing themselves.

And truth be told, my own stuff is really not always balanced all that well.

That’s just the way it is sometimes… life is kinda like that. We expect that we go through seasons, and there can be enormous changes in our priorities, activities, and responsibilities during those times.

Balance? Sometimes, I suppose. Sometimes not.

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Here’s a visual…

Though I grew up in the city, most all of our relatives grew up in agricultural or rural communities within an hour or so of our home. I remember as a kid spending a great deal of time visiting one or another of the family farms, and as anyone knows who has lived in that environment… there is plenty of work to be done year-around.

However, at various seasons… like at seed-time or harvest… it was just nuts.

You got the planting done when the weather was just right in the Spring… and you got the crops in at the opportune moment in the Fall… or you could lose it all.

Everything… and it’s the same with many of the opportunities in our lives today.

Balance? Sometimes… sometimes not.

In fact, the easiest way that I have found to balance certain activities is to leave them off the scale altogether. It becomes A, B, and C…

A = Must do
B = Would be nice to do, and
C = Fantasyland

So, what are the A’s?

The A’s are where the impact lives. They are the actions that can only be taken by us… that can’t be delegated… that are critical to the success of our most important missions…

AND…

The activities that safeguard our spiritual and family relationships. Just my opinion, but I don’t believe it does much good to achieve our greatest dreams or conquer our greatest fears, only to sacrifice our faith or family… those relationships that we’ve been charged to protect.

But outside of those, sometimes I just let the scales tip… or allow someone else to help carry the load. Yes, again, just my opinion… but it seems a much better path than ending up in Fantasyland, playing with all those toys alone.

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Photo Credit:

Ella’s Dad

I ran into a friend of mine yesterday that I hadn’t seen in a few months.

I’d like to tell you that he is so passionate about his work and his mission and his industry that you can feel it when he walks into the room… but I don’t want to understate his fire!

The last time we spoke he was telling me that there was a good chance that he was going to get into an ownership position with the company for which he was working.

That would have been a good move on THEIR part.

However, as things have developed… things, well… really haven’t developed. So now my friend is thinking about what he can do on his own.

And that, I believe, will be a good move on HIS part!

I say this because twenty-something years ago, I was in the exact same spot… hemmed in by many of the same influences (and influencers)… and staring ahead at many years of what would surely become an encyclopedia-sized diary of “what-if’s” and “why-didn’t-I’s”.

And I am SO glad that I didn’t write that book.

I look forward to my friend’s success… and to yours.

Questions:

What book are you writing with your actions and decisions today?

Is there a chapter on Fear? Procrastination? Maybe Anger?

Do you want them to be your final chapters?

Do you want your children to read them? To live them?

What will you change? Will you start today?

Photo Credit:

austinevan

As many of you know, I am involved in several start-up ventures right now.

One, because I was asked to be… another, because I believe it was a gift that was given to me… and yet another because, well… it just would have been ridiculous not to be.

Yes, some endeavors are just that good… though not everyone sees it the same way.

A friend was recently lamenting his decision to put his dreams on hold for yet another few years, and asked my opinion as to whether he had made the right call or not.

Of course, second guessing is usually a game we play when we aren’t committed to our plan in the first place… though little good tends to come from the exercise.

When I asked what was the main factor in his deciding to wait, he gave the default answer of so many. “I just don’t have the time…” he said. “I don’t know how you do it.”

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I guess one secret of making good use of time is to know what NOT to do with it.

More and more, I tend to look at activities as passions to be embraced, missions to be accomplished, and projects in which to be involved.

Oh yeah… and then there are those things that just seem like AN AWFUL LOT OF WORK.

Interestingly, however, even as my schedule tends to dance around the eighty-hour-a-week mark, I usually feel like I am spending very little time engaged in grinding work.

That’s right.

People, missions, and projects about which I am truly passionate seem very little like hard work… and more and more like just an integral part of, well… anything and everything that’s important in life.

In fact, I’m finding that most of what feels like just a lot of work is stuff that someone else could likely do much better than I, and you know… it’s been fairly easy to move over and just let them do it.

Of course, that leaves us with the problem of just what are we going to do with all of our extra time!! Any ideas?

Questions:

If you were given a blank check at work, and the freedom to spend 12-15 hours a week on any activity (personal or professional) that you choose, how much would you spend and on what activities would you focus?

What are the chances that you are going to get that offer from your company?

If your answer is less than 100%, how are YOU going to free up the time and get the financial resources?

If you’d like to find 12 hours in your schedule AND you have a good purpose (meaning anything legal, I suppose) for how to invest it, send me an email, shoot me a message through the “Contact” or “Help!” forms, or hit me up on my @stevebuelow tab at twitter.com/stevebuelow.

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Photo Credit:

laurenatclemson

A few years ago, I received a call from a young gal who was about to graduate high school. It seems she had been accepted to Vanderbilt University and was about to set out on a path to study Veterinary Medicine.

Just one problem… she had no desire to become a Veterinarian.

Huh?

That’s right… yet virtually her entire family was planning a huge Bon Voyage party to launch her into the rest of her life as Doctor Daughter.

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Interestingly enough, the night before she called I had received a message from her mother, who had asked if I’d be willing to speak with her daughter. In fact it was the mom who first informed me that the girl was having second thoughts about her path.

“This is really a problem… everyone’s planning on this.”

Everyone, apparently, except the one who would need to live it.

So how did “everyone” get the idea that this young person was to become a Veterinarian, you ask? Was it a family tradition or legacy? Was her mother or father also a Veterinarian? Was she to follow in the footsteps of a favorite family member or mentor?

Well, no.

She was to become a Veterinarian because twelve years earlier, while petting a kitten, she said she wanted to be a Vet.

Hmm…

I asked the mother if it were possible that the family had built this dream around a false assumption. That at six years old, many children see being a Veterinarian as a sort of fun way to spend LOTS of time petting kittens and puppies… but not necessarily desiring to make a career out of spaying, neutering, or otherwise operating on them.

More importantly, while the family was looking in a different direction, this girl had developed a ton of really outstanding dreams of her own… and a desire to make them real.

I suggested she follow them… and she has.

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So what happens when goals change? And what are the greatest obstacles to making them a reality?

We’ll look at a few of them next time.

Questions:

When is the last time one of your major goals or life purposes changed? What precipitated the change, and what did you do about it? What do you believe are the most difficult challenges to overcome when considering options that affect your career or life path?

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Photo Credit:

Bruce Berrien

Awhile back I read a short narrative by Dr. Robert Schuller in which he described all of the activities he had given up along the way to achieving his ultimate purposes in life.

Like many of us who started young with very big goals (and very little money), early on he had a hand in virtually everything that needed to be done at his organization.

Promoter… yup.
Preacher… check.
Janitor… of course.

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The same held true for me. To be sure, there was no one else… I had to do it all, right?

Then again, I think sometimes it may have just been a control issue… an inability to delegate and follow up… or, maybe I just liked the idea of having everyone know how incredibly busy I was in my new company.

Whatever… it worked out in the end, though there is little doubt that I could have been much more effective in my work!

So, back to my story of Dr. Schuller.

Over the years, he gave up one activity after another… he retired from golf to focus on improving his leadership. He quit orchestrating various social events at his church to focus instead on important pieces of his ministry. And he eventually turned over all those critical ministry elements to other individuals who could do them about as well or better.

The story ended with his statement that he had recently hired a driver and had retired from fighting traffic in Southern California. As he rode in the back seat, the added time allowed him to organize his plans, formulate his thoughts, prepare talks on important subjects, and write books on leadership and living.

His point was that many of the activities we spend our time on could be done by someone else. On the other hand, there are very specific and critically important components of our goals that only we can complete, and it is those functions that should receive our undivided attention.

Hmm… I think my driver is waiting.

Questions:

If money were no object, what activities in your personal or professional life could you outsource to a third party?

If money were no object, could you buy back five hours this week? Ten hours? Twenty-five hours?

Where are you going to get the money?

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Photo Credit:

Boston Public Library

Several weeks ago, a friend of mine received a promotion to what she described as “a position” that required her to “lead a team of paraprofessionals.”

While excited about the opportunities in front of her, there was, nevertheless, a bit of hesitancy in her voice the other day as she described the expectations and challenges that she was experiencing as a “first-time leader.”

“First-time leader?” I asked. Clearly, she must have been speaking of someone else!

First-time manager, maybe… but this girl’s been leading, she’s been influencing, and she’s been creating an environment in which others can thrive in her department, in her church, in her family, and in her causes… and she’s been doing all of those things for a very long time.

So, Julie… and any other Julies or Davids or Marys…

Don’t let the title fool you; you have way too much potential for that! And now I’ll keep this article short and leave you with another story from a few months ago on a similar topic… enjoy!

I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Photo Credit:

Susan M. Carter

Okay, so here we are less than two weeks into the new year, and already millions of people have given up all hope to achieve the goals and resolutions that they set for 2010.

Maybe you know a few of them.

Now, let’s be really real, shall we… because I’ve been in that position more times than I care to admit.

So what are the top resolutions? What are the common denominators, and what makes them so difficult to achieve?

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Here are some of the more popular undertakings that your friends, neighbors, relatives, and coworkers targeted for achievement this year:

Lose Weight
Stop Smoking
Quit Drinking
Eliminate Some Other Bad Habit
Get Out Of Debt

Interestingly enough, many identified the same desires a year ago, and… the year before that. In fact, these are among the top resolutions every year.

So, therein lies the commonality… there’s a ton of us all wanting to make the same positive changes, and yet, we all seem to be struggling.

Why is that, and what can be done about it? Well… here is my take, and a suggestion to fix it once and for all.

First, understand that each time we try to succeed, and fail… there can be an overwhelming tendency to begin to accept the status quo as the realistic definition of our potential. In short, people lose faith in themselves. They quit trying.

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering… that would not be considered to be a success principle.

Second, when we make these type of resolutions, they are all very focused on ourselves. I want to lose weight… I want to quit this or that… I… I… I… whatever.

And that is likely a big part of the problem.

Self-absorbed goals tend not to be big enough to overcome the storms along the way… because our true happiness and joy in life doesn’t come from having a smaller waistline, one less bad habit, or a few more dollars at the end of the month.

To the contrary, our quality of life comes from the strength of our relationships with other people. And the easiest way to open those doors is to find a way to help and add value to another person’s life.

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So, knowing that millions of others are making and struggling with the same resolutions… if you want to trim a few pounds, dump the bad habits, or whatever… try this.

Find another individual who is looking to do the same thing, and make it your resolution to help them keep theirs. That’s right. Need to lose weight? Partner with someone and become their rock. Want to trash the cigarettes? Same deal. Need funds? You can start a small business online for next to nothing and split the profits!

Easy stuff.

And if I know anything about this (which I do), I am betting that putting your eyes on the success of another will give your efforts the significance required to keep your goals on track as well.

This year, why not resolve to make someone else’s resolutions come true? And then tell us all about it! I look forward to hearing from you.

Photo Credit:

brtsergio

Sometimes it just comes over me. And when it does, I know what I need. Music… any music! Yes, forty minutes ago, was one of those times.

And with that, I turned on a revolving CD Player in our living room that’s stacked with, oh…I don’t know… a whole stack of CD’s!

It’s kind of like gambling, ’cause you really have no idea what might come up first… however, I usually roll with whatever it is!

So tonight, for my listening pleasure, I got… Christmas music.

Ah, the memories. It seems like just yesterday, we were singing hard rock versions of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and suddenly it’s the twelfth day of January!

Time flies.

But here’s how my mind works… here’s what I’m thinking about right now. I’m pondering a conversation I had with someone this morning who was noticeably frustrated about already having blown off their number one and number two New Years Resolutions.

Here we are, not quite two weeks into the year, and according to them… it’s gone. No use in trying… over.

Hmm.

I suggested they were in good company, or at least in popular company, seeing that half of those who made resolutions this year are in the same boat.

And then I asked a few questions…

What resolutions were made?
Answer: Quit smoking… lose weight.
What resolutions were made last year?
Answer: Quit smoking… lose weight.

Methinks there’s a pattern developing here… several of them, really. And we’re going to look at those more closely… tomorrow.

Until then, I hope you are having a terrific new year!!

Photo Credit:

John A Ward