A few days ago I mentioned that teachers occasionally find themselves explaining “this example is probably overkill.” For example, when a tourist asks for directions and you give them twenty routes instead of one. What I didn’t mention was the irony with which one can say something but not really take it to heart. I’ve found myself doing this when…
Less is more
Pricing is not rational, great example:
Integrity is not consistency
Last week I talked about preaching being more important than practice. Part of the reason the phrase “practice what you preach” is so popular is because we humans are tuned in to disparities between what one extols and what one exhibits. In a heart beat we know if someone is saying one thing and doing another. We have an intuitive…
Preaching is more important than practice
It’s easy to take offense when someone extols a virtue that you don’t feel they exhibit. I’ve been called out on this many times. For example, when someone accuses me of being inconsiderate, I’d rather not react in kind with “how dare you.” I’d rather listen and see if I can understand why the other person is hurting. I’d prefer…
This example is overkill
If you’re sharing an example, especially if you’re teaching, and the words “this example is overkill” come out of your mouth, maybe listen to what you’re saying. Perhaps another example would suffice. Perhaps something less complex? When you recognize this as a teacher, you can be certain there will be students that can’t connect the dots.
How to create new services that customers will value
If you want to find new services to provide to your customers, try this contemplative process: Find the gap between the service you provide now and what the customer values. For example, most dry cleaning stores in NYC will pick up your laundry, they’ll wash it, fold it, organize it and return it back to your house. But, we all…
When criticism should be praise
I was reviewing a presentation today when I felt disturbed by the specifics of an example. The example was helping people look at the contents of a very large text file on a computer. At first glance the file appeared empty. That seemed like a bad example, why not have some contents to scroll through? Then, I realized, at the…
Being reasonable about negative reviews of your business
People have to realize that the majority of consumers aren’t scouring twitter to read every flippant, irrational tirade. And even if they are, they won’t automatically indict the business. We have to put the problem into perspective. There are sites that can impact customer perception, sites like yelp and trip advisor. It’s important to know what percentage of customers are…