The Evils of Compromise

How many times have you been in a negotiation where the first offer is patently absurd? You know the offer is unreasonable and so does the party you are negotiating with. The goal is to reach common ground, to find a middle that will make both parties happy. But reaching a compromise based on an initial offer that is ridiculous is never really fair, reports Black Swan Group in a recent blog post.

The shortcomings of compromise are illuminated in the book, Never Split the Difference, Negotiate As If Your Life Depended on It. If your spouse believes that you should wear black shoes with your suit and you think you should wear brown shoes, a compromise would be for you to wear a brown shoe on one foot and a black one on the other. Seriously though, how does that work for you? The point is that when you compromise, you often make unfortunate trade-offs.

“Having the spirit of compromise often means you are willing to listen and explore options. This is a good thing: If you are actually listening and considering the merits of the options, then it is part of a great negotiation," the Black Swan Group writes. A great negotiation is a collaboration. When you opt not to compromise, you abandon the opportunity to achieve a great outcome.

When you consider your options in a negotiation, make sure that each party's trade-offs are of equal value, and recognize that subconsciously you will have a tendency to compromise on issues when you know that you are getting the short end of the stick on some issues and taking advantage of your counterpart on others.

Welcomed Thoughts from a Fellow (Jeff Valles): Your Customer Needs To Remember You So They Come Back. How About a Postcard?

Everyday your showroom sends out products to finish a job. They range from the final three cabinet knobs on a simple kitchen upgrade to delivering the wall accessories on a wonderfully large home. But once those products are installed, your showrooms starts to fade from your client’s memory. They will not be visiting your showroom next week or next month. In fact, the homeowner might not need your expertise for a year or two or even longer. Your challenge is to make sure you remain front and center in their mind for years to come when it comes to all things decorative plumbing and hardware. They may remember your business, but if some “shiny new” company pops up or a friend works with a competitor, your brand will likely slip their mind.

Sixty days after the job has been completed, mail the homeowners a thank-you postcard from the point sales person. Nothing elaborate, just your brand on the front and a handwritten thank you on the back with an image of the salesperson. Then every quarter, send a postcard with four images of new products recently added to your showroom along with your logo to their home address. On the back, add a handwritten commentary on those new products, an image of the point salesperson and an invitation to stop by any time. That’s it. Don’t over think it. The recipient will probably quickly look at one side, flip to the other side and then spin it into the trash, but they will see a familiar face and a brand they know.

“Snail-mail” is not what it used to be, but it still offers communication opportunities that the digital world cannot match.

P.S. Only send postcards, since thank you cards in envelopes have to opened and read. That might not happen. Keep it simple!

How to Squeeze 10 Hours Into an 8 Hour Day

It's not enough to have a to-do list. In fact, to-do lists are highly inefficient or next to useless if you do not assign times to the tasks that you have to perform. Scheduling to-do list items "forces you to confirm the reality of how much time you actually have and how long things will take. Now that you look at the whole picture, you're able to get something productive out of every free hour you have in your workday. You not only squeeze more work in, but you're able to put work into places where you can do it best," claims Georgetown University Professor Cal Newport. 

 

When you schedule work, you avoid the temptation to procrastinate. Newport not only believes in scheduling work to be more productive, but also in scheduling free time to enhance the quality of life. 

 

Plan to leave work every day at 5:30 p.m., and work backward. Telling yourself that you will leave work every day at 5:30 p.m. forces you to be more efficient and makes you prioritize your showroom time. When you have better control of your time, you have less stress.

 

Prepare weekly plans. Similar to scheduling your to-do lists, prepare a weekly plan of things that you want to accomplish. Newport also emails his weekly plan to himself to remind him of the priorities he has established for each week. 

 

Less is more. Almost everyone has too much to do. When you limit the amount of time you have to get through your scheduled to-do list, how can you get everything done? Newport advises focussing on what you do best. "You're always better off doing fewer things, but doing those things better. People say yes too much. I say no to most things. I'm ruthless about avoiding or purging tasks if I realize they're not just providing much value," he writes.

 

Newport notes that most Americans believe they are working harder than they ever have. That's not true. The amount of time people actually work in the U.S., as well as around the world, remains steady or is decreasing in the last 40 years, but people feel they are working harder because they are burdened with annoying tasks that sap their energy and enthusiasm.

 

Recognize the difference between deep and shallow work. People often have to put in extra hours and believe they are working harder simply because they spend too much time on shallow tasks such as responding to email, attending meetings, and paper and data shuffling. 

 

Avoid the temptations of shallow work. Discipline yourself to check your email at only certain times of the day. Set aside prescribed time for the deep work that you need to do - designs, proposals, marketing strategies, team member productivity, etc. Newport relates that "Knowledge work is really just craftsmanship. It's just that what you're crafting is information and not carved wood. You're crafting ideas. You're crafting knowledge out of raw material, and the more you think about it like a craftsman, the happier and more satisfied you'll be, not to mention more successful." Here! Here!

Welcomed Thoughts from a Fellow (Jeff Valles): Our Customers Are Nuts And It’s Our Fault

Today, people grab their smartphones and ask it (not her or him), to fulfill their next need, demand or desire. An answer appears in seconds with no discussion or debate, just a list.  We do not take the time to ask our partner or best friend anymore; instead, we ask our very own pocket computer. And you are not skeptical of Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Hmmm … more on that later.

Let’s be sure to understand then - your customer’s instinct is to look at you as if you were an actual iPhone. When they ask something, you are supposed to reply with all the information they want to hear, NOW. 

Needless to say, our customers need an attitude adjustment. Not a mafia-style baseball-bat beating, but insights into the world that will help them craft their dreams.

As you are getting to know the customer and understand the scope of their job, take a moment to explain that this is not a sprint, but a long distance run and you are their coach.  Let them know the generic timeline for their job.  If it is a master bathroom remodel, 8 weeks is normal – if a complete custom home remodel, 18 months is more realistic.  NOTE: Try to avoid the “6 to 8 weeks” phrases - the customer will always hear the 6. 

Then, make sure they know that you are their source for all plumbing and hardware information. You have studied and worked for years and you know your stuff.  This is not the time to be reserved. Instead, state the obvious and it will make this job go a bit smoother while possibly ensuring they will go to you from then on with their questions versus their digital best friend.

This is important on two fronts. First, once they understand that they are not in a black-and-white situation, they will slow down and allow you to present beautiful products that they never would have previously considered.  Secondly, they will be less likely to “lose it” if they receive bad news. This adjustment will allow you more time to create the best possible solution and subsequently, the customer will be the winner.

Welcomed Thoughts from a Fellow (Jeff Valles): Do You Have Anything New to Show Me?

“Zippy” faucet company just added a great new series - its unique design is perfect for today’s popular minimal, transitional, punky look. The displays arrive and you set them in Zippy’s branded display and educate your sales team. All is going to be great!  

 

But hold on a minute? Do your key customers know that you just added this magnificent product to your showroom?  When AB Killer Interior Designer enters your showroom, will they notice this new amazing fixture nested among your other faucets? I think not.

 

The purpose of your never-ending journey to discover, sell and support the latest and greatest is to separate your business from your fast-following competition and keep your customers keenly aware that you are the primary DPH source in their design world. You have to enlighten your market as to what is new in your showrooms.

 

The design world feeds on new products and, if you position your showroom as the leader, they will be looking to you to keep them in the DPH know.

 

Getting the word out is not complicated. I suggest doing the following:

 

1. Designate an area in your showroom for new products. It should be close to the main entry or the area where most customers conjugate. The new products should be displayed on a table or a simple retail-tiered display. If an individual product is too large for the space, frame a vendor glory image and add a note on the bottom noting the product’s showroom location. Do not over think this. It is about getting the product noticed, not about the display itself.
2. Use your email list. Send out a monthly email with new product images complemented by a quick brand note. Email service providers such as Constant Contact and Mail Chimp offer minimal templates that are simple to use.

 

The challenge is to make the time to set up the display, keep it current and build your new product monthly email. Heck, you might even find a vendor or two to share some co-op money.

The Productivity Benefits of Connection

We've never been more digitally connected than today, yet loneliness is at record levels. It's not just in the home where people are lonely; people are also lonely in the workplace. More than 40% of the respondents to a 2018 Global Culture survey conducted by O.C. Turner reported they didn't have a close friend at work. Most people do not believe that their colleagues know "the real me." The study found that 62% of the respondents took the time to get to know colleagues personally, and only 53% believed that their peers took the time to get to know them personally.

A study published in the Academy of Management Journal found that loneliness at work adversely affects someone's job performance. When a team member feels lonely, they are perceived by fellow team members to be less approachable and less committed to the business. The Center for Prevention and Health estimates that poor emotional well-being costs employers $79 to $95 billion annually in the form of lost productivity, absenteeism and increased healthcare costs. It's not that employees who feel lonely don't want to connect with other team members. In fact, research shows that lonely individuals almost always want to connect with their colleagues, but they can't connect because they view their workplace as threatening and they are overly sensitive to the others' responses. These feelings make lonely employees less approachable to other team members, which only perpetuates the problem. When that occurs, an entire organization can suffer, because the ability to communicate, collaborate and trust one another disintegrates. If your showroom depends on teamwork, lack of trust hurts everyone.

To combat loneliness, acknowledge that your showroom is not only a business, but it is a place for socializing. Secondly, recognize that there is a better than 50-50 chance you have team members who feel disconnected from their associates, the community and the company. Make an effort to understand your team members' needs for friendship. Learn how your team members spend their free time and gauge how connected they might be in their existing social networks.

Work with your staff to create friendship goals and then develop strategies to achieve them. An "easy button" to help lonely team members is encouraging their active participation in trade associations. Trade associations often provide opportunities for individuals to make a positive impact on their industry while also developing relationships.

Corporate culture also has a significant impact on loneliness. The study found that a culture that promotes affection, caring, compassion and tenderness among team members weakens the negative relationship between feelings of isolation at work and the subsequent commitment to the organization. A culture of anger, irritation, frustration and annoyance makes it less likely for lonely team members to connect with their colleagues and to the organization.

There are business, professional and personal reasons to address loneliness in the workplace. Most people spend more time with their colleagues than they do with their families. When team members connect, they are not only more productive, they are happier. Connection also creates a sense of belonging. Finally, when team members feel connected, they believe their efforts make a positive difference in the world.

Welcomed Thoughts from a Fellow (Jeff Valles): Good Salespeople Do Know More, Now Use That Power Carefully

This is a fact: the average luxury showroom salesperson knows more about their products than 99% of their clients do. A design or construction professional or internet-educated homeowner can come in flinging industry product terms around, but the simple truth is that a knowledgeable salesperson simply knows more. Do not forget this, but never flaunt it. You are the best in your world and a successful salesperson always works with their client on the client’s level. Never intimidate because it always is truly all about the client. A slip-up here with any client can lose not only the job, but a good client.

Never one-up your clients. If they make an error, let it go. There is no reason to correct them. Do note the error so you can correct it later, but your focus should remain on your client and their experience. If you consistently make them look good and feel confident, it will pay off handsomely.

Finally, and most importantly, when communicating via email and text regarding quotes, be over-descriptive. Now is the time to flaunt your knowledge. Write as much information as necessary so that all parties involved understand the product, its application and the timelines. That’s a lot of information, but it will help everyone stay on the same page and save you time.

Think like your customer. If they are reading your communication and it does not contain the specific information they want and need, they will first get frustrated, blame you and then email you with many long-winded questions. Having a frustrated client is not a good step in your effort to win the bid and build a long-term relationship. It’s better to have clients comment that there is too much information on your quote. Even your best, old-time clients need volumes of information. One never knows what questions their Internet research will create. If your quote has the answer, all is good. It never hurts to be thorough - the devil is in the details. You do know that.

Empathy is Underrated

Bernadette Jiwy had another powerful blog post (The Story of Telling) recently evaluating the three most common selling techniques.

 

Describing features and benefits is the first and most commonly used sales approach. "This cabinet box is made of plywood with an MDF door that comes in 125 different finishes and is guaranteed never to crack. Focusing on features and benefits helps assure that customers understand what they are buying, how it works, what it does and how much it will cost.

 

Storytelling is a second common sales technique. Using case histories, testimonials and empirical examples help customers imagine what a new kitchen or bath might look and feel like in their home and how it will make them feel every time they cross the threshold. Storytelling is an art and a powerful sales technique. The challenge for many showroom professionals in using storytelling is their approach.  Too often the focus is the mechanics of storytelling instead of the actual reasons for storytelling, Jiwy notes. "Tell to sell" worked in the age when advertising was the primary means to get the word out.  Today, however, the primary reason you tell stories is to build trust with your customers.  If prospective customers are going to invest with you and your team, they need to believe that you are the best resource to deliver the kitchen or bath of their dreams.  You can earn trust through effective storytelling.

 

The third and "by far the most overlooked and under-utilized sales technique is to listen before pitching." Jiwy points out that it is far easier to sell something that customers want than it is to make customers want to buy something.   Savvy sales professionals know they can only sell something that customers want if they know what those wants are.  To understand and assess what your customers want, you need to actively listen and understand "the stories, frustrations, challenges and goals of your prospective customers."