A great place to start is with the full title of this book!

“Getting Naked: A Business Fable about shedding the three fears that sabotage client loyalty”

Like the title, this isn’t your typical business book.  Mr. Lencioni challenges all of us in the service industries to put our pride aside and replace it with the best interest of our customers.  And, he does it in the form of a novel, an interesting touch for a business book.

The Story…

…is about the acquisition of a boutique consulting firm by a big corporate firm.  Jack, is the man set up to manage integrating Lighthouse Partners into the prestigious, international, full-service management consulting firm of Kendrick and Black. Along the way he learns some of the secrets of Michael Casey, founder of Lighthouse Partners.  What Jack later terms “Getting Naked” with the client is the technique of putting aside corporate and personal pride to be more effective and build tremendous client loyalty.  I won’t spoil the end of the story for you, but will hit on the key business points – the “Three Fears”.

Fear of Losing the Business

The premise to this fear is that when we are afraid of losing the business, that becomes our focus and drives our actions.  Actions driven by keeping the account are often contrary to actions focused on helping the client.  An example is when we are tempted to tell customers what they want to hear rather than our true thoughts based on the experience and education for which they hired us.  Although this might help keep the account for the short term, when it doesn’t work out we become part of the problem and lose credibility.

Fear of Being Embarrassed

This fear is what causes us to walk away from meetings wondering.  Instead of speaking up and asking what might sound like a dumb question, or suggesting something that might be laughed at, we decide not to speak up.  Patrick’s take is that naked service providers are so busy putting the success of their client first, they are willing to speak up with ideas and questions even at the risk of being embarrassed.  Otherwise, you wonder what it was you didn’t understand or what would happen if they tried your idea.

Fear of Feeling Inferior

At one point in the book a group of executives are asked which of these fears are they most susceptible.  For me it was this one.  As a business management instructor and service provider at Sigma College of Small Business, it seems logical that if you aren’t continually demonstrating superiority, clients will start thinking you aren’t important and adding value.  However, the case is made that by purposely putting ourselves in a lower position than our clients (which equates to putting them on a higher level), the naked service provider will gain trust, respect and loyalty with their clients.

“Shedding the Three Fears”

Mr. Lencioni completes the book with a set of principles for overcoming the three fears.  Instead of working through those here, I highly recommend that you pick up and read the book.  It’s a very enjoyable read with a great message for anyone who provides services.  Caution: When reading in public, expect some strange looks and people avoiding you as they look at the title:-)

In Subscribe! Part 1 I talked about the importance of tracking and commenting on relevant blogs and news feeds to building your online presence.  Internet Explorer and other browsers have the capability to help you manage your RSS feeds and this post will walk through how to send news and current blog posts to the “Feeds” tab in Internet Explorer 8.  Other browsers should have similar functionality.

If you are someone who routinely uses the “favorites” functionality in IE to manage the web sites you visit frequently, then this may be the best place to track important RSS Feeds that you want to comment on immediately.  I don’t routinely use the favorites part of IE so I use this method for sites that don’t update often, or for sites that I want to track for reference when I’m developing business curriculum.  Remember, in social networking it is important to follow and comment, so keep your “high interest” content where you will see it often through your normal work routine.

1.  Go to SigmaBizBlog.com or another blog or news site that you want to subscribe to.

Click on the RSS Icon in the upper right of the IE window

2.  In the upper right of the window, in the menu area is the little orange RSS icon.  If the icon isn’t orange, either you are already subscribed or the site doesn’t have RSS capability.  Click on the RSS button and a “feed” page will load.

3.  Click on “Subscribe to this feed” and then “Subscribe” in the window that pops up.  The subscription will be placed in the “Feed” Tab in Favorites.

Access your saved RSS feed through the Favorite window on the Feeds Tab

4.  To see your feeds, click the “Favorites” button in the upper left of the window and then the “Feeds” Tab.

5.  Click on the subscription to see the latest post!

Remember that a big part of building credible online relationships is to listen and comment on the thoughts of others.  Subscribing to interesting blogs with RSS, reading them and consistently commenting is a great way to be part of the discussion! 

See Related Blog Posts on RSS Feeds:

Subscribe! Part 1

Subscribe! Part 2

Using Google Reader and following blogs on your iGoogle home page

Tracking RSS Feeds as Internet Explorer Favorites

RSS Feeds in Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook allows you to use RSS technology to subscribe to blogs and news feeds and have updates come directly to your inbox.  This can be useful if your main communication technique is email and there is a feed that you don’t want to miss an update.  Or, you may use it to store feeds from an online resource for future reference.  I use the RSS functionality in MS Outlook for my Inc. Magazine RSS feeds.  There are a lot and it’s tough to keep up, but there is some great information that I can use when I am putting together my business management classes for small business owners.  Once again, if you don’t use Outlook, your email software probably has a similar function.

1.  Go to www.SigmaBizBlog.com or the blog that you want to subscribe to and click on the orange RSS button, either on the page or in your browser.  This will bring up the “Subscription” page for that site.

2.  Select and copy the web address or url from the subscription page.  For Outlook you must have the url from the subscription page, not the main blog page.

3.  In Outlook, go to the File menu and Folder>>Add a new RSS feed…

Open the "New RSS Feed" Box

4.  Paste the URL from the subscription page into the New RSS Feed box and click the “Add” Button.

5.  Your RSS feed is now ready to review in Outlook.

Remember that a big part of building credible online relationships is to listen and comment on the thoughts of others.  Subscribing to interesting blogs with RSS, reading them and consistently commenting is a great way to be part of the discussion!

See Related Blog Posts on RSS Feeds:

Subscribe! Part 1

Subscribe! Part 2

Using Google Reader and following blogs on your iGoogle home page

Tracking RSS Feeds as Internet Explorer Favorites

Tomorrow morning the Greater Warrenton Chamber of Commerce is hosting a seminar “Doubling Your Profits” at the Warrenton Visitor Center.  Angela Smith from Fauquier Springs Country Club will be sharing her personal experience of doubling profits by following the guidance from Bob Fifer’s book, “Double Your Profits in 6 Months or Less”.  At Angela’s recommendation I read the book and am looking forward to hearing which of the 78 steps she used and found most useful.

Be Serious About Profitability!

There are some great ideas on how to both cut expenses and increase revenue in this book, but it is not for the faint of heart.  In the first “step” Mr. Fifer warns the unsuspecting that the book is written for those who are serious about profitability, and if you aren’t serious, many of the steps will seem harsh, especially the ones that deal with suppliers and employees.  However, I would recommend it for small business owners because it will seriously challenge many of the discretionary “needs” that we have.

A Teaser! Some of My Favorites

Step 4: What Does “The Best” Mean? – 1. Never settle for status quo  2. Be a Meritocracy, i.e reward based on performance, period.  3. We’re here to make a profit, don’t apologize (step 5)  These are culture changing definitions of being the best.

Step 7: Strategic vs. Non-Strategic Costs – He recommends categorizing every cost into “Strategic”, those that clearly bring in business and improve the bottom line, and “Non-Strategic”, the rest.  Once categorized, outspend your competition for strategic costs and ruthlessly cut non-strategic costs to the bone.  I love this attitude, and although Mr. Fifer later bashes accounting reports (for the sake of reporting), he might agree that using Quickbooks categories to help identify these would be useful.

Step 25: Go to Bid, Frequently – He uses frequent bids or the threat of frequent bids as a tactic for draining price concessions from suppliers, and it will work.  However, it also forces suppliers to review their own costs and helps identify the new techniques and technologies that may be available from the last bid.

Step 39: If You Never Fire an Employee, You Can’t Have an Excellent Business – This one may surprise those that know me, but if you are going to be the best and a meritocracy, you can’t tolerate poor performance and the reality is that it will happen.  Putting up with it is not fair to the top performers and it’s not fair to the poor performers who are probably in the wrong job – help push them to the right job. (See “Straight From the Gut” by Jack Welch of GE fame)

Step 75: Invest in Your Sales Force-No Investment Will Yield a Greater Return – Enough said.

This is only a teaser in comparison to what you can learn by reading the entire book.  I can’t wait to hear Angela’s direct experience of implementation and have the opportunity to ask questions tomorrow morning.  If you are local to Warrenton, VA don’t miss this opportunity!  See you there.

Another great week of weather and business.  If you are willing to listen and reflect there are always oppotunities to learn.

Who Cares?

A great tip came from Asha Sedalia Bruot of ASHA Public Relations during a MAPS committee meeting this week.  When preparing to write your next press release, ask yourself “Who Cares?”.  Her point was that choosing the right audience is a must in deciding what to write, how to write and which media channels might be interested.  The upcoming MAPS (Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations Strategies) Conference on September 22^nd will be focused on developing a good public relations strategy – more to come!

“Customer Service” should always be top of mind

Kris Johnson of the PWCGM Chamber shared a story at Friday’s MB3 breakfast that we can all probably relate to.  She was calling a relatively new member to offer a sponsorship opportunity and was deep into her explanation of the benefits of this particular sponsorship.  The member gently interrupted and jokingly said, “Oh, you’re calling to sell a sponsorship, I thought you were calling to thank me for membership and see if all is well”.   Knowing Kris and her record of customer service, she surely recovered and impressed by the end of the call.  Her point was that we can all learn much more about customer service Wednesday at the Insight Series Luncheon “Customer Service” , with guest speaker Bobbie Walker, Partnership Marketing Education Director for Virginia Tourism Corporation, but this was a quick reminder for me.  Everyone says that repeat business is the most profitable, but make sure you have successfully delivered on the previous sale before launching into the next!

Gas Mileage, Gravity and Centrifugal Force

I learned this week that a late model Toyota Avalon can go from Warrenton, VA to the PWCGM office in Manassas, then to the Western Chamber Office in Gainesville and finally to the Sheetz in Haymarket with the orange gas light on.  In further news, on that same day I learned that a well placed gas cap wedged between the rear windshield and the trunk will last against wind and centrifugal force from the Sheetz in Haymarket to Warrenton and that 2 of 5 people on the road will take the time to slow down and try to point that out to a motorist on a cell phone.  And for those kind people – Ok, ok, I know now what you were trying to tell me!  Thank-you!

Shout Out!

News and events on the friends of SigmaBiz

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to my little sis Kristy MacIntyre and her husband Jamie at MacIntyre Engineering!  Congratulations to the “Rev Man”, Scot Small of RevBuilders who hosted a wonderful Grand Opening at his new office in Gainesville this week.  I heard that Chow Now was featured in an article in an upcoming Flavor Magazine – looking forward to reading that.  My daughter Jessica Gorman finished a summer semester of classes in France this week, with flying colors I’m sure.  Way to go Jess!  And finally, a big Sigma Shout Out to all the recent graduates of Leadership Prince William “Third is Superb” class.   I hear nothing but great things about this program and they are currently recruiting for the next session.  Congratulations!

Fifty Years is a Long Time!

Started the week on Sunday with my parents 50^th Wedding Anniversary Celebration!  Wow, a lot can happen in 50 years.  Amazing how many lives you can impact, it was a page right out of “It’s a Wonderful Life”.  Got me thinking how what I learned from my parents has affected me as a husband, father and….business owner.  You see, when my parents were about my age, Dad quit his job and they bought Sleepy Hollow Campground in Schellsburg, PA.  Neither one of them had a business degree or any experience owning a business, but they were passionate and determined to make it work.  I’m certain that the joys and struggles of that experience are what sparked my love for working with small business owners.  There aren’t many things in the world more satisfying than helping a passionate, determined business owner with a great idea, become a great business person that turned that idea into a successful business.

The campground was sold long ago and they followed another path.  Dad is retired and Mom is working on her writing career (that she started just a few years ago).  Thanks to both of you for the inspiration and example of having the guts to follow your heart, dreams and God’s will.  Congratulations on a great 50 years!

Social Networking Boosts Regular Networking

Earlier in the week I posted a book review on SigmaBiz Blog for Terry Bean’s The Universal Guide to Business Networking.  After posting, I tweeted, commented and sent Terry an email letting him know I posted and inviting him to comment if I missed anything.  I didn’t know Terry, but we traded a few emails and he even gave me a call to talk, which was impressive since he recommended a follow-up call as a tip in his book.  It was pretty cool to have a published author contact me directly, and we had a nice quick conversation about leveraging social networking tools for your local business network.  We aren’t planning Thanksgiving together, but it shows how solid social networking techniques can more easily open good business relationships.  Thanks Terry.

Example Two.  I finally met Jeff Crites of Brick and Click, right here in my home town.  I’ve been following Jeff on Twitter and Facebook and subscribing to his blog for a few months now.  We finally met at a Greater Warrenton Chamber luncheon on Wednesday.  He’s the first one that I’ve met face-to-face after first meeting through online social networking.  It was pretty cool because instead of that awkward discussion on what we do and who we know, we were able to jump right into a solid conversation on social networking (his expertise) and business education (my expertise).  Jeff even explained how to do “lists” on Twitter to help me manage followers!  Social media provides a great way to get over the initial awkwardness of meeting new people in person, and you can use it to build and improve your network.

Shout Out!

News and events on the friends of SigmaBiz

I attended the PWC-GM Chamber Excellence in Business Awards Luncheon on Tuesday.  It’s amazing how much time and resources our members are willing to provide for the building of our local business community!  Congratulations to all winners:

BR Associates – Business of the Year (up to 5 employees)

Cardinal Bank – Louis E. Maroon Business of the Year (6-15 employees)

Advantage Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation LLC – Business of the Year (16-34 employees)

TML – A Xerox Company – Business of the Year (35+ employees)

City of Manassas Park – Behind the Scenes Business

Jamie Medders, Tri-Ed Tutoring, LLC - Behind the Scenes Individual

Michelle Riordan, Photography By Exposure - Rookie of the Year

 Sue Seymour, BB&T – Chamber Member of the Year

 Prince William County Public Schools and SPARK – Nonprofit Arts & Education Member of the Year: (formerly called the Education Foundation for Prince William County Public Schools)

Prince William Healthcare Auxiliary – Nonprofit Community Service Member of the Year:

 Deb Jewell, The Traveling Vineyard and Vanessa Watson, City of Manassas Park – Karen F. Brown Spirit Award

Which One Are You?

Last year I attended a Brown Bag seminar at the Prince William County – Greater Manassas Chamber of Chamber of Commerce in Manassas, VA.  The topic was on “networking” and presented by a couple of the chambers best.  As we covered the different tips and tricks for how to work a room, how to target the right people, polite ways to transition between leads and setting goals I noticed something.  With about 20 people in the room, about half were heavy participants in the conversation, adding comments and suggestions and asking questions – these are the networkers.  The other half were content to sit quietly, listen and hope that they didn’t somehow get the spotlight turned on them – these are the non-networkers!  Which one of these is you?

The sharp contrast struck me and I realized that most of the great networking tips out there today are either to help people who are already natural networkers improve or require a non-networker to change the core essence of who they are, unlikely in a one hour seminar.  So, I decided to build a class around some tips and techniques that I have used to overcome my life as a “Non-networker”.  The class is called “Business Networking for the Non-networker” and is offered free at Sigma College of Small Business, both live in person and live online.

Non-networker Networking Tips:

1. Realize the importance of the network – Continually remind yourself why networking is part of your marketing strategy.  It will help your patience, discipline and courage.
2. Time and Touches – A quality network takes time and multiple touch points
3. Referral Principle – A new contact’s referral is more likely than their business
4. Meet Small, Build Big – Use small groups to meet new people then reinforce in big groups
5. Forced Opportunity Principle – Develop techniques where an easy action forces networking.

When you approach building a professional network as a long term marketing strategy rather than a quick sell opportunity, it removes some of the stress in meeting new people.  It puts you in the mind set of building new relationships that may result in a direct sale, but more importantly will probably result in multiple referrals!

The class “Business Networking for the Non-networker” is a free class offered by Sigma College of Small Business.  If you are interested in attending live in person or live online get more information here.

Already May and it’s kicking off with a bang!  There is a lot going on in business and community – get involved.

What to Do with “No”

Jenn Rader of Fund$cribe presented a Brown Bag seminar this week on writing grants.  Very similar to a normal sales process, she recommended continually working to build longer term relationships with grant providers.  One specific suggestion was to send a thank-you note, even when you DON’T get the grant.  A great way to start setting yourself up for the next sale.

This point was further driven home for me with a story from Jan Sutton of Farmer’s Insurance, in an after-class discussion we were having.  In her early days of cold calling, Jan caught one women on a ladder decorating the Christmas tree and she caught an ear full, an obvious “NO”.  Since she was using the phone book and had an address, Jan took the time to write out a Christmas card, apologizing for the bad timing and suggesting that the woman call her after the holidays.  That family became Farmer’s customers for several years!  (Follow Jan on her new Twitter account @jsuttoninsuranc)

Some of the best long-term relationships that I’ve had with customers were a result of how I dealt with a bad situation and my reaction to “NO”.

Lead v. Referral, A Grudge Match

Wednesday’s Piedmont Professionals, always a great source of networking and learning, were asked by Terry Dixon of Castle Realty the difference between a “lead” and a “referral”.  A referral, of course, is backed by a person known and trusted by the prospective customer, leading to a much warmer introduction.  This definition was reinforced later in the week with a story from Sandie Barkeit of Deer Park Cleaning Services.  Sandie was just getting into her presentation of the quality commercial cleaning service provided by Deer Park to a referral she received from Cliff Glier from Touching Hearts at Home.  She was abruptly stopped mid-sentence and told, “Cliff referred you, which is good enough for us.  Just show us your pricing and let’s get started.”  The Referral wins every time!

Shout Out!

News and Events on the Friends of SigmaBiz

The Partnership for Warrenton and all the participating businesses put on a great “First Night” in old town Warrenton, VA last evening.  Food, wine, moon bounce, live music – there is something for everyone the first Friday evening of every month.  On Mother’s Day, May 8th,  Hospice of the Rapidan will be hosting their 8th Annual Butterfly Celebration, complete with Butterfly Release, at Germanna Community College.  Businesses looking for some high visibility in a high traffic area, combined with helping a great cause need to see Vince Buono of Costco.  For $250 you can have your company above the cash registers at Costco in Manassas, VA and proceeds benefit the Children’s Miracle Network.   Fauquier Faith Partners is holding their “Defeet” Abuse 5K run on Saturday, May 15.  Email ffpmoreinfo@yahoo.com for more info.   John Stewart of Vantage Economics announced this week that his Vantage Leading Economic Index is positive for the first time since 2007.  Amidst some stock market turmoil this week, this is a pretty good sign for the economy as a whole.  You can get Johns weekly newsletter for 4 weeks free and learn how to leverage the economy to be more successful in business.

A great week of classes, networking and even a College Road Trip to Ithaca, NY, Boston and Fitchburg, MA. (see Five Lessons from  Katie).

Lou "The Hot Dog Guy" Cassaniti

Keep It Simple!

I’m a person who tends to over-think things.  It drives my wife nuts, especially when I do it aloud.  In Ithaca, NY this week my daughter and I were walking along the Ithaca Commons looking for the perfect lunch spot and came across Lou.   Beef, pork or chicken and with or without onions and peppers.  Doesn’t get much simpler than that – great product, perfect delivery. 

Pork Sausage with a Coke - $3.50

Lou even added additional value when he pegged us as a prospective student family, shared next year’s tuitions for the three nearest schools and told us that it gets cold up there, so be ready and don’t complain.  Lou’s community relation event is outlined on his chalk board and shared with each sale.  He is expecting 600 people lined up for “dogs to help dogs”  Hot Dog Day 2010 on Friday May 7th, benefiting the SPCA of Tompkins County.  Good luck Lou and thanks for lunch!

Let Me Help You Stop Crying – Commuincating Our True Benefits

Terry Dixon of Castle Realty shared a great story at Piedmont Professionals Wednesday morning.  A friend called and was sharing how she was frustrated to the point of daily tears because they couldn’t get contracts down on houses quickly enough before other buyers snatched them up.  Terry politely asked if she was using a realtor.  When she said no, he offered to help her to stop crying every day.  Way to go Terry!  We should all be able to listen and share what we do in terms of the real end result and benefit we can deliver to our customers.

Don’t Keep People in a Box

I invited my wife Gayle, owner of All Things Musical (music lessons), to her first ever business networking event on Wednesday morning.  Gayle needs little beyond word of mouth to keep her schedule full, and she was a bit hesitant when I told her the format included getting up and introducing herself.  I wasn’t sure what to expect because I see her as a musician, teacher, wife and mother, not as a business owning marketer.  When it was her turn, I offered to make the introduction, but she declined, stood up and absolutely nailed her just under 60 second elevator pitch, completely unrehearsed!  Wow, a whole new dimension to love and respect about my better half.  She may be teaching the next “Elevator Pitch” class!  Is there a family member or employee that you’ve placed in a box?  Put them into new environments and challenge them with new ideas and education.  You might be surprised at how much more they can do.

Shout Out!

News and Events on the Friends of SigmaBiz

Lake Lester of Court Clothing was my April student of the month.  Thanks Lake for your attendance, contribution and great testimonials each week, but most importantly, thanks for applying what you learn to your business.  Network @ Noon on Monday at the Western PWC-GM Chamber office – discussion topic is “Blogging”.  Fauquier Faith Partners is holding their “Defeet” Abuse 5K run on Saturday, May 15.  Email ffpmoreinfo@yahoo.com for more info.  Hospice of the Rapidan is releasing butterflies on Mother’s Day, May 9th.  Their 8^th Annual Butterfly Celebrations includes the release of 100 Monarch butterflies!  Call 540-825-4840 for more information.