Society and business in the 21st Century
Last night, 700 children gathered at the Sydney Opera House for The Festival of Choral Music. Over the four days the event is run, over 2,000 kids will have performed in the choirs, bands and ensembles.
Why aren’t we telling these stories of talent, potential, happiness and beauty? Why are we bogged down in the negative, backward looking view of the world we see in much of our commentary of the world?
Maybe it’s time for a rethink about the stories we tell.
A few months back I started a #socialmediaexperts meme this was partly in jest, but there was a serious undertone as I couldn’t see how all of these gurus were getting paying clients.
A few months back I started a #socialmediaexperts meme with a slanderous tweet about those who arrive at the North Shore Coffee Mornings after 9.30.
This was partly in jest, but there was a serious undertone as it seemed to me I was bumping into social media experts on every street corner and I just couldn’t see how all of these gurus were getting paying clients.
So it wasn’t surprising to read that blogger B.L. Ochman found 15,740 social media experts on Twitter, a number which has more than trebled from 4,487 when she last looked six months ago.
Almost certainly the numbers are higher than that, as those are only the experts who’ve listed themselves as such on Twitter. I’m sure there’s a heap more who haven’t yet discovered Tweeting.
I also wonder how many of today’s social media experts were the SEO gurus of two years ago.
To be fair, I’m sure most of these folk are hard working, well intentioned people but I can’t escape the idea that the current wave of experts is simply another gold rush and, like the gold rushes of the 19th Century, most of those flocking to dig this ground aren’t going to find much success.
I wish them luck but of the 15,740 social media gurus on the planet, it’s probably ten thousand too many.
Perhaps it might be better finding out who is selling these gold diggers their shovels and investing time and money there?
Postscript: I did a search on LinkedIn for those with the position of “social media experts” and only 193 results came back, the scary thing is I’m indirectly connected with almost all of them.
Seth Godin set up a friends computer and found “the digital world, even the high end brands, has become a sleazy carnival”
Seth Godin set up a friends computer and found “the digital world, even the high end brands, has become a sleazy carnival” as he clicked his way through dozens of pop ups, offers and confirmation windows.
The only real surprise is Seth can’t have set up a Windows computer for some time as crapware has been the bane of IT techs for years. At the 2007 Consumer Electronic Show Micheal Dell notoriously pointed out this crapware was worth $60 per computer.
Dell’s point was valid in one respect; if you are selling at unsustainable price points then you have to do everything you can to improve your profit margins.
At the beginning of 2010, Dell find itself locked in the low value, low margin end of the industry with a declining market share at a time when US consumers are banging shut their wallets. It’s fair to say Micheal has reaped what he sowed.
It’s unfair to just single Dell out – cost cutting, upselling and downright double dealing is endemic in the IT and electronics industry and the vendors only have themselves to blame as they trained customers to fixate on price and then struggled to claw back a decent profit.
The tech sector has betrayed its customers and only has itself to blame for the lack of trust and declining profits.
While cleaning out the mailbox of IT Queries I found this among the spam messages;
HELP! I’m currently being held prisoner by the Russian mafia and being forced to post spam comments on blogs! If you don’t approve this they will kill me. They’re coming back now. Please send help!
Sometimes you can’t help but laugh.
Cathy’s saga shows how people skills are as important as competency when you’re running a service business. You need manners and respect to match your skills.
Of course, if you don’t have any skills to start with, you might want to consider doing something else.
Recently I wrote about the things you should look for when choosing an IT service provider. Shortly after writing that column I caught up with Cathy (names changed to protect the guilty) and found out what happened in her search for a tech.
The results weren’t pretty and the reasons why are a lesson for anyone in a service industry. Let’s start with the most fundamental.
Respect
I find it hard to believe I actually have to write this, but I’ve seen it too often myself. Cathy’s first computer tech treated her with contempt and didn’t listen to her problem and needs.
You might think your clients are beneath you and maybe you are right. After all, that dumb customer doesn’t know how to use a mouse, fill in a BAS, fix a cistern or carry out root canal therapy.
But that dumb customer also pays your wage, so quit the attitude and show some manners and respect.
You should also respect your competitors, a point I forgot in last week’s column. Scoffing at the previous guy’s work is bad form and good clients will show you the door if they have any sense.
Competence
Don’t take on jobs you don’t understand. This is particularly common with computer techs who have a habit of saying: “yeah, I can fix anything” when a client calls.
In Cathy’s case she had a Windows 2003 Small Business Server which superficially looks like Windows XP but is a very different beast under the bonnet. The tech was experienced enough to know better.
Funnily, the tech I referred to Cathy declined the job because he felt her requirements were outside his skills. If the first guy Cathy called had shown the same humility and competence it would have saved everybody a lot of distress.
Appearance
In an industry known for cowboys, wearing boots that would look straight out of Rawhide is a big mistake. Clients are conservative creatures and many will turn away if you are too different to their expectations.
Dress how a customer expects you to dress- an accountant wears a suit, a computer tech has the blue shirt, dark pants combo and a bricklayer wears a pair of stubbies revealing more than you care for when the brickie bends over.
When you’re in an industry where people are afraid of being ripped off, showing up in a flash car confirms their fears. Leave the Porsche at home and show up in a cheap hatchback, the things are easier to park anyway. As you’ve probably guessed, Cathy’s tech drove up in a Mercedes.
Billing
Last week I advised avoiding the “no fix-no fee” crowd. However, that’s different from standing by your work.
If you’ve screwed up, as Cathy’s tech did, then bleating: “I sweated for you” is plain silly. If the customer is unhappy, waive or discount the bill.
Sure, sometimes you end up copping the pain when an unreasonable customer complains but billing issues are a reliable early warning a client is going to be a major pain. Refund their money and get them out of your lives.
The story does end well though. Finally Cathy found someone who was polite, competent and barely raised an eyebrow when they saw the mess made by the first tech.
Cathy’s saga shows how people skills are as important as competency when you’re running a service business. You need manners and respect to match your skills.
Of course, if you don’t have any skills to start with, you might want to consider doing something else.
Steve Lohr in the New York Times looks at how innovation rises in downturns. Are the various stimulus packages a roadblock to innovation?
Steve Lohr in the New York Times reports R&D budgets increased for 900 of the United States’ 1,000 largest corporate spenders on research and development.
What stands out is how patent applications rise during economic downturns with an increase of 25% in the 1929-32 period. Steve goes on to point out;
The Depression years yielded fundamental advances in technologies of the future like television, nylon, neoprene, photocopying and electric razors, according to the Thomson Reuters analysis.
A similar trend is true around later, far shorter recessions, when basic work on personal computing and later Internet-related technologies were done.
In this respect, economic downturns are necessary as they clear out the old, inefficient industries and allow new ideas and businesses to take hold.
While governments had to do something to avoid a massive depression when the capital and trade market froze in late 2008, is the propping up of debt laden industries like banks, housing companies and auto manufacturers going to act as roadblock to new ideas and businesses?
Just a thought.
At last night’s Mobile Monday Sydney, I was a chatting to a serial entrepreneur about business success and failure. One thing we both commented on was just how important failure has been in the process.
At last night’s Mobile Monday Sydney, I was a chatting to a serial entrepreneur about business success and failure.
One thing we both commented on was just how important failure has been in the process.
The main thing we’d both taken from the stress and heartache of being in a failing business you learn who your real friends are and how they can be trusted in a crisis.
Some of your friends turn out to be totally rock solid while others go to water. A few surprise you with unexpected talent and genius while some disappoint you at critical moments.
Whatever happens, it’s a great test that help you select the right people for future ventures.
I have to admit it must be nice to hit a home run on your first business venture and be lauded as a genius for the rest of your life, but for most of us mortals failure is part of the learning process and often it’s a painful but essential lesson.