Stan Phelp's Blog

The Goldfish Chronicles

Sharing insights on customer experience, employee engagement, and brand strategy.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” This quote is from William Shakespeare. Act 2, Scene 2 in Hamlet. Here’s the exchange:

HAMLET
Denmark’s a prison.

ROSENCRANTZ
Then I guess the whole world is one.

HAMLET
Yes, quite a large one, with many cells and dungeons, Denmark being one of the worst.

ROSENCRANTZ
We think not so, my lord.

HAMLET
Why, then, ’tis none to you, for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

I was driving home yesterday and saw “2020 SUCKS” written on the back of a car. It got me thinking about the quote by Shakespeare. This year Denmark is COVID-19.

In many ways, this year has been extremely challenging due to the pandemic. It’s easy to be a pessimist and only see the birdcage linings. But I challenge you on this day of “Thanks” to spend a moment to choose optimism. There are silver linings to sew.

It is easier to be critical. That’s our reflex as humans. But I encourage you to create some space. In the words of Viktor Frankl, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Choose optimism. Pessimists may be right more often, but optimists are more fun to hang out with.

If you were odd in the 15th or 16th century, you were “outstanding, illustrious.”

Being “odd” back in the 15th and 16th century was a huge compliment. It meant you were outstanding and illustrious. Here’s some background on the word courtesy of Merriam-Webster Inc.

ODD – Odd comes from the Old Norse word oddi, meaning “point of land.” Points of land so designated in Old Norse being roughly triangular, oddi was over time generalized to mean “triangle.” Since a point of land can be seen as the apex, or tip, of a triangle, with the other two angles forming a pair at the base, the word oddi was extended to mean “odd number”—the item of a threesome left over after the other two items are paired off. Scandinavians dominated northern and central England in the Middle Ages, and oddi was presumably borrowed into English at some point during that era; current evidence has the word first recorded in the early 14th century as the adjective odde, meaning “without a corresponding mate.” By the late 14th century we see evidence of the word meaning “unconforming, irregular.”

Takeaway: Odd is complimentary. Stand out from sameness. If you were odd in the 15th or 16th century, you were “outstanding, illustrious.” Disregard the base and strive to be the apex. In the words of Joe Calloway “Become a Category of One.”

“Keep Calm and Zoom On.”

“Keep Calm and Zoom On.” Honoring Bob Marley, here are 3 tips for presenting virtually:

1. “Jamming” – My speaking takes two forms. Keynotes and Workshops. In the past, keynotes tended to be about big ideas to large audiences. You can build in interaction, but it was difficult. Most events leverage the keynote to set the stage or wrap up an event. On the other hand, workshops are smaller group-oriented sessions where you are facilitating the application of the material.

Tip: Don’t compromise, jam’em together. With breakout rooms and the need to shorten keynotes for virtual, Zoom allows you to build in engagement. Combine both for what I call key-shops.

“Ain’t no rules, ain’t no vow. You can do it anyhow.”

2. “Get Up, Stand Up” – You are more engaged and animated when standing up to present. You are not just conveying ideas, you are conveying emotion.

Tip: Stand and project.

“So now you see the light, stand up for your right”

3. “Stir it Up” – our brain needs different stimuli every 8-10 minutes or it will shut down. I’ve learned that the virtual presenting ratio is closer to 3-4 minutes.

Tip: Change camera angles, ask a question, share a poll, use the breakout rooms etc.

“Come on and stir it up”

What have you learned speaking virtually?

Keys to growing your business in a time of uncertainty

Honored to be part of the Xerox Executive Series webcast today. I shared 3 keys to growing your business in a time of uncertainty. Here’s the second set of tips:

To quote Jay Baer from Youtility, “Great marketing is about help, not hype.” In order to help, you need to talk to your prospects and current customers. Find the areas where they are struggling. Understand what’s most important to them during these trying times.

TIP: Once you understand where they are struggling, use email marketing to share helpful content that addresses their needs. Open rates and click rates are up during the pandemic. Sharing content that helps shows your understanding and allows you to connect in a very personal and effective way.

TIP: Stand out by creating a unique direct mail piece that cuts through the noise. Outline how your products and services can help your prospects be more successful. Understand the importance of effort and signaling. To quote Rory Sutherland from Alchemy, “The meaning and significance we attach to something is felt in direct proportion to the expense with which it is communicated.” Costliness carries meaning. This means that a creative direct mail piece, a handwritten card, or a phone call carries more meaning than a text or an email.

Gen Z primer. Have you seen “Speed Cubers” on Netflix?

Gen Z primer. Have you seen “Speed Cubers” on Netflix? The 40-minute documentary captures the extraordinary twists and turns in the journeys of Gen Z Rubik’s Cube speed-solving champions. The film is equal parts engaging and heartwarming. It culminates at the 2019 World Championships in Melbourne.

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Background: Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs are the main characters. Felixs is from Australia. At age 23, he’s been a dominant figure in Speed Cubing for over a decade. Max is the upstart Korean-American that’s six-years younger. He’s a phenom that’s slashing Feliks records. Max has Autism. The film shows how Max and his family have used cubing to develop his social/fine motor skills.

The film speaks to a few of the traits that Gen Z brings to the workforce:

1. Problem Solvers – as digital natives, they have never known life without a smartphone. Some accuse them of being lazy, but they will focus—with joy—until they’ve solved the problem they want to tackle.

2. Empathetic – like Millennials, they’ve grown up with diversity. One of the touching points in the film is the close relationship. Competitors who are also friends. Feliks always reaches out to congratulate Max on new records.

3. Independent – they don’t want to be managed; they want you to mentor them.
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“Less brandfill, more purposefull”

“Less brandfill, more purposefull.” The 4.0 version of business places purpose first. Let’s look at the evolution:

1.0 Profit First (1790 – 1970)
2.0 Customer First (1971 – 1990)
3.0 Employee First (1991 – 2008)

To quote Simon Sinek in 2009, “People don’t buy what you do or how you do it, they buy why you do it.” Companies that embrace the 4.0 of “Purpose First” find that it drives employee engagement, connects with customers, and fuels the bottom line. According to Deloitte CEO Punit Renjen, “Exceptional firms have always been good at aligning their purpose with their execution, and as a result, have enjoyed category leadership in sales and profits.”

Every decision should be looked at in terms of purpose. Some decisions may be purpose neutral. But purpose is certainly not just a marketing issue or positioning of your brand image. “Purpose should impact every aspect of the firm,” says Raj Sisodia, author of “Conscious Capitalism.”

Takeaway: Don’t unload and dump your brand attributes in your marketing. Your brand is no longer just what you tell people it is. It’s the differentiated experience (DX) your customer has, how they feel, and most importantly, what they tell others. Find ways to leverage and activate purpose in everything you do.

They’ll get off their keister

Eight summers ago I moved to North Carolina. I immediately began hearing ads for a dealership called John Hiester. Almost weekly I’ll hear a radio ad. The tagline was always, “Get off your kiester and come to Hiester.”

The dealership is in this small town of Lillington. It has a population of 3,604. It’s not near anything. In fact, it is smack dab in the middle of and 30 minutes from both Raleigh and Fayetteville. Yet, Hiester has built one of the largest Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealerships in the State.

It’s one thing to drive a little further to buy a car, but what do you do when it needs to get serviced? No one wants to take a day off of work. In 2018, Hiester leveraged technology to offer an added service. Using the Hiester Valet app, customers can organize to have their car/truck picked up and delivered back. All maintenance/repairs are approved in advance via the app.

This service is even more important now with COVID. A few months ago, I heard a new wrinkle with the ads. “We know it’s not easy to get out. Let us know if there is anything we can get for you when we come to pick up or drop off your car.”

What a tremendous way to add a little warmth and honor the relationship. To quote Jay Baer, “Great marketing is about help, not hype.”

Despair: It is always darkest just before it goes pitch black

“It is always darkest just before it goes pitch black.” Are you too cynical? Hey, that’s a weakness. Maybe you should start looking at the brighter side of life. But what if you doubled-down on that inherent weakness? What if you got even more pessimistic?

The defeatists at Despair, Inc. have turned negativity into a business by creating demotivational posters that parody the inspirational messages decorating conference rooms across the country. Here are some of the favorites, David Rendall and I featured in Pink Goldfish:

QUALITY – The race for quality has no finish line—so technically, it’s more like a death march.

CUSTOMER CARE – If we really cared for the customer, we’d send them somewhere better.

APATHY – If we don’t take care of the customer, maybe they’ll stop bugging us.

MOTIVATION – If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon.

It might sound ridiculous to amplify your weaknesses. In fact, this is exactly the opposite of what most companies do. The traditional approach involves highlighting positive features and obscuring any negative ones.

Takeaway: Be different. Every weakness has a corresponding strength.

Building Excellence: IKEA Underperforms AND Over-Delivers

“Excellence requires underperforming on the things your customers value least, so you can over-deliver on the dimensions they value most.” This quote by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss comes from one of my favorite books, “Uncommon Service.”

Take IKEA for example. They underperform AND over-deliver. Most furniture stores have salespeople who help you choose high quality, expensive furniture that will last for a very long time. You might be able to pass it along to your children. Once you commit to the purchase, your selections will be delivered to your home and assembled for you.

IKEA is purposely not like the ordinary furniture store. Compared to traditional furniture stores, IKEA underperforms. They have a lot of weaknesses:

– They don’t have salespeople and it’s hard to find what you need in their gigantic warehouse.
– They don’t have high-quality furniture.
– It isn’t expensive.
– It won’t last for generations.
– They won’t deliver it.
– You assemble it.

It’s easy to see how IKEA underperforms, but it’s hard to see how they over-deliver. This is crucial. They discovered that many customers saw a traditional furniture store’s strengths as weaknesses. And those same customers saw IKEA’s weaknesses as strengths.

For example, salespeople can be helpful but they can also make customers feel uncomfortable and pressured. Ikea doesn’t pressure you.

Purchasing lifetime furniture is expensive and a big commitment. IKEA furniture is inexpensive and it isn’t a big commitment. You can just replace it when it goes out of style or breaks.

Furniture delivery takes days and sometimes weeks. Furniture from IKEA goes home with you today.

Traditional furniture is assembled for you. When you assemble your IKEA furniture, even though the process is frustrating, you have a sense of accomplishment from the process. This feeling is so powerful, and seemingly universal, that it has been confirmed in repeated research studies. It is called the IKEA effect.

IKEA discovered what customers value most and then over-delivered in those areas. They also discovered what customers valued least and underperformed in those areas.

Takeaway – If brands want to attract the right customers and repel the wrong customers, they need to spend significant time answering these four questions.

1. Which customers love you?

2. How can you create even deeper connections with them?

3. Which customers hate you?

4. How can you make them even more unhappy?

HOW TO DEAL WITH ME MEMO

We can’t please everyone in life. But as a leader, we can help our team to understand our apparent weaknesses. It’s important, to be honest with our employees about our strengths and weaknesses. This will help team members to foster honesty about their strengths and weaknesses as well.

One way to do this is to write a “HOW TO DEAL WITH ME” memo.

Marshall Goldsmith suggests this approach in his book, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.” Even though Goldsmith’s job is to help successful executives overcome their interpersonal quirks, he admits that this isn’t always possible. Because of this reality, he encourages his clients to write a memo to their employees that outlines their unique qualities and explains how to effectively deal with their idiosyncrasies.

This advice is supported by persuasion research which indicates that admitting weaknesses makes our ideas more powerful.

Takeaway – As David Rendall and I share in Pink Goldfish, employees are all too aware of our apparent weaknesses. It can be tempting to try to become a well-rounded leader. Instead, we should acknowledge that we cannot please everyone, hire employees that are strong where we are weak, look for activities that fit our unique style, and admit our flaws to our team.

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Through keynote speaking presentations, hands-on workshops, and GOLDFISH TANK programs, I empower you to power loyalty and growth.

Hi, I’m Stan Phelps. I work with organizations that want to increase loyalty, drive sales, and promote positive word-of-mouth by creating differentiated experiences.

As an author, keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator, my in-person and virtual programs stand out in a sea of sameness because I model my own message of differentiated experience (DX).

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