Telling 25 Years of Stories…that sounds like a lot! It was a bit overwhelming, but a huge opportunity to embrace a powerful narrative right here in Anderson, SC. I was hired to help find, tell, and share 25 stories for 25 years…and what I found were passionate stories told by passionate people!
It is hard to completely wrap our heads around what it means to operationalize a digital content strategy. There are so many barriers to execution, ranging from the operational portion of generating content, finding unique stories that are consumer friendly, training people to share unique narratives, and even just getting the written word on digital paper.
In 2012 I was struck, hit upside the head, and right in the chest with the news of a friend who had been murdered. I had worked along side her to help create an event called Ecoplosion. She worked for Clemson University in the Master of Real Estate Development Program and was a crucial part of putting together a big economic development event in Greenville, SC. Her name is Marge Putnam.
I was struck in the head and in the chest. It knocked the breathe out of me to learn that this beautiful woman, mother, grandmother, community leader was killed by her husband who then killed himself.
Ok…stand back, this is going to break away from my norm…but I am so annoyed. So I am going to use this post to identify why I am so irritated. One brand, a single offering, confusing customer service! This is where it all began!
My father bought me a gift certificate for $25.00 to purchase a book. It was a birthday gift, since March 5th I have been trying to figure out what I am going to purchase. I get the quarterly newsletter in the mail from the Harvard Business School and noticed a book about social entrepreneurs. So, I searched through my email to find the e-certificate from my dad for this Books A Million purchase. I went to BooksAMillion.com, searched for the book and proceeded through the online process to purchase the book. I entered my credit card information as a requirement, just incase my purchase exceeded the $25.00 limit of the e-certificate.
After entering my credit card information, the online shopping cart provided a place to enter the e-certificate code. It should be….voila. Uhh…NO! The online store could not validate the e-certificate. I tried over and over again. Tried different browsers, re-entered the e-certificate code, and nothing worked. So…I thought that after teaching class in Clemson, I would stop back by Books A Million in Anderson to see if they could help.
Walked into this newly renovated location in the Anderson Mall, to seek help. I go to the front desk and ask for help. I had a feeling they were going to have to call the manager. So I waited in the front while the manager made his way to the front of the store. He introduced himself and I explained the situation. Direct quote, “I cannot help you…you need to call this 1-800 number to solve this problem.” I starred at him, perplexed. I responded in a light hearted disgust, “that stinks.” He proceeded to inform me, ” this is standard practice across the industry, all brick and mortar retail shops will not help you solve your online purchase.”
Now, I understand what he said…I think. For immediate problem…it is annoying. But from a customer point of view, how can you expect the customer to distinguish the difference between a brick and mortar store and the online property of the same branded company. Where in the fine print does it say, “Hey we are Books A Million brick and mortar and we do not associate with Books A Million online.”?
I looked at the manager and said one short sentence, “This is disappointing customer service.” I guess from a customer perspective, we want to hope that the manager might take the e-certificate and help us navigate this situation. I guess not in Anderson, SC.
So, while he was explaining his justification that it is industry standard to separate brick and mortar store from the online property…I walked away to call the 1-800 number myself. So I walked around the store, trying to navigate the call center dialing options. There was not a selection that matched this situation. After finally talking to a person that was willing to help me figure this out, the manager walked back up to me to explain, “You might want to wait to call tomorrow, the online store might be closed after 6:30pm.”
Let me explain what is so wrong with the omission by the manager. First, he led me to believe he had no dealings with the online store, which is why I must be the one to make the phone call. Hmm…then how does he make the assumption that the online call center closes at 6:30pm. He must have some prior knowledge. The other issue here, I think it was his intention to persuade me to leave the brick and mortar store to make the phone call.
As I was chatting with the lady from the call center, I looked at the manager at the brick and mortar store and said…”I have this covered, thanks for your help.” As I walked around the actual brick and mortar store, browsing while talking to the online call center…I finally resolved the issue. The book will be at my house in a few days.
So here is my problem. I guess I just made a mistake, one I will not make again. I assumed that someone that works at Books A Million at a brick and mortar store could and would be willing to help me with an online Books A Million problem. Second, I assumed that by taking the time to drive to the store to try to resolve an online problem, that this Anderson, SC store would take the time to help build a customer relationship by trying to solve this issue.
Now I understand that the online store is a “different division” of the brick and mortar stores. I mean, companies like GE have different divisions with different offerings. GE makes turbines for airplanes and also makes wind turbines. Both separate products under one brand. But, Books A Million sells books. Yes, they sell books online and in the brick and mortar store. How can you expect the customer to differentiate between the two since the brand is so closely tied with the single offering. I would expect that a person at the brick and mortar store to be able to handle that same issue as a call center. But that is not a safe assumption.
Like my dad said, making an assumption is just like making an “ass” out of you and me. I will not visit Books A Million again.
So if this is the trend, where is the customer-centric focus? If this was my grandmother, who is not a part of the digital world, how would she understand the difference? Just does not make sense to me.
This is me on graduation in 1997 from Clemson. From left to right, my mom – Linda, my Nana – Judy, me, my sister – Jennifer, and my Pop – Joe. My Pop the business man…the only thing that is not seen in this picture is my Pop’s cell phone, which he had close to him all the time. I remember he had the first mobile phone in his car in the 1980’s and it was a rotary phone…he was an innovative business man. He was the first realtor in Anderson to have a mobile phone. He and I have lots in common. We love technology and gadgets.
Today…on this Thanksgiving, I went up and sat for about an hour with my Pop. This is my grandfather…my mother’s father. He is in a rehabilitation home after a few trips to the hospital. I am the oldest grandchild and my mother is the oldest of her siblings. In a way, I am like a son to him.
As a business man, it is good to find someone whom you can call a mentor. One that you can sit down, share honest thoughts, and receive honest feedback. But when the talk is over, that positive feedback makes you want to get up and keep on moving ahead. My Pop was a self-employed business man..for most of his adult life. He grew-up in Spartanburg, son to a police officer who died when my Pop was a teenager. It was my Pop and his mother (my Granny) trudging through life for years. He went into the Marines and afterwards met my Mimi, my grandmother. She died when I was only four years old. He became a medical sales guy…then stepped away to tackle the world of real estate. My grandfather sold real estate here in the Anderson, SC area most of his adult life. He has probably sold the same house numerous times. His photographic memory of each house combined with his relationship building skills made him successful leader in this Anderson community.
Now during the later years of his life, I think he is beginning to reflect and share his wisdom. He has seen recessions, he has seen the real estate market flourish. He has had to balance an entrepreneur’s life with the life of a family that encompassed four children and tons of grandchildren. My oldest memories of Pop is going on a house showing with him, sitting in the car, then watching him guide the people (his clients) through the contractual process. He loved what he did. I am sure he loved selling real estate because the of the financial benefit of a sale, but most of all he loved dealing with people. He loved building relationships. He loved hearing stories from his clients, connection with people from different backgrounds, sharing relationships which led to sharing business. Relationships led to strong economic development in his opinion.
Each time I get to sit with Pop, we share stories. He loves to hear my stories of a new client, a new person I met, new ideas, and my vision for my business of tomorrow. He also wants to hear the struggles, the fear, the disappointments, and the challenges. He wants to keep it real, because business is not always about the pluses…it is about weathering the storms and finding positives in the challenges. He has had to endure the downswings, so he sees the value in sharing both sides…but finding ways to understand and move forward to a brighter tomorrow.
My Pop loves to be called my mentor. He is…in so many ways. I seek his wisdom, his advice, his thoughts, his laughs, his positive thinking…but most of all his approval. I want to do it right in his eyes.
Mentors are necessary in this world of business. Mentors bring perspective, bring wisdom, en-still positive thinking, and prepare us to move thoughtfully for a brighter tomorrow. Mentors are awesome…but they are even better when they are your grandfather! One who has found success in his passion…not just selling real estate but building wonderful relationships.
On this Thanksgiving 2010, I am thankful for my mentor…my Pop.
As a small business owner and an entrepreneur, one of the hardest challenges faced is how to balance time between working in the business and working on the business. That in lies a critical distinction. For a business like mine here in the Upstate of South Carolina, I have to consistently looks for ways to refine and strengthen my business model. I am a Storyteller and I make money off of telling others’s stories using video, digital media, and social media.
If you are self-employeed or own a small business, you have probably started at day one doing both. It goes in cycles, you spend lots of time growing your business and when you take on clients, you then focus on serving those commitments. This is a good business cycle to have, so we should maximize our time and remember that when are not racking up billable hours, we need to grow our business.
Defining our terms:
Working On Your Business
This is when you are spending time and energy away from those billable hours to do the following:
Business Development – seeking out new business opportunities, partnerships, or forging relationships and creating a plan.
Working the Numbers – spending time not only servicing the books (finances) but also thinking strategically how to grow your business financially. Creating budgets for growth areas and contrast them with what is necessary to operate your business.
Marketing – spending time working on your business message and delivering that message to the right audiences, using the right mediums. Creating and evolving your marketing plan and budget.
Seminars/Conferences – spending time to grow as a business owner. Seeking out venues for you to meet like minded people and those who can help you grow.
Rest – spending time away from your business to enjoy family and friends…the things that make you smile. ROR is crucial for reflection and critical for ROI.
Working In Your Business
Generating billable hours – working with your clients to serve or satisfy your contractual obligations
Business Development – executing time to pitch those clients, meeting prospects, generating proposals for your next set of billable hours.
Servicing the Numbers – making sure that you are keeping up with your invoicing, liabilities, expenses, and operating costs. This is crucial to do weekly, monthly, then quarterly to get ready for Uncle Sam and his state friends.
Servicing your relationships – writing thank you notes, taking a client to lunch, making follow-up phone calls, things necessary to be considered your clients “go-to” person.
Marketing – executing daily, weekly, and monthly your marketing strategy.
It is my belief that a small business owner should spend the same amount of time on Working On Your Business as the billable hours your generate when you are working in your business. For every hour you bill a client, you should spend that same amount of time growing your business.
It is time…yes, it is time to connect all the dots and find a place that brings all of the entrepreneurs together here in Anderson. We need a vision, a place, a roof, a vision, a mission that will provide synergy to our cause. Some believe the answer is just build a place and they will come, a building where entrepreneurs can be educated…but entrepreneurs and small business owners want more than education, we want a mission, passion, vision, and a path…to success.
There are many major companies/organizations in Anderson, SC that are the foundation of this community. Without AnMed, Michelin, Bosch, Anderson School District, Anderson University, Tri-County Technical College, and other major employers…the stability of the community would be a transient community. These pillars of the community give us the foundation necessary to build support around the entrepreneurial spirit. Why not build this place, this building, this entrepreneurial community around the priorities of these pillars. They have problems that need to be solved, projects that could be business plans, ideas that cannot only lead to a high-impact business but a replicable business idea that could attract Angel Investors to the community spirit.
What problems are out there for these large organizations to be solved…is it an IT problem, a sustainability problem, a fiscal problem, a technology problem? Why not build a place around a set of priorities identified by these pillars, and use them as the vision to build this place where entrepreneurs can call home. A priority can provide vision and ultimately a commonplace for conversation and connection. This could foster conversations between entrepreneurs to find internal solutions and find a unified approach to solving problems.
Imagine if this place was built, and a priority was put in place, and these entrepreneurs built business plans out of ideas that are solving problems, and these ideas could lead to bigger ideas. Then the attorneys and business people of Anderson could help these companies become successful; and all of this could generate human equity creating a community that leads to long term community growth. The type of growth that closes the gap financially, where the average household income is increasing and those could actually afford healthcare, go to school, and be a contributor to this better Anderson.
What are the priorities of this facility that connect the entrepreneurs to the pillars of the community? Where each pillar is connected on the same playing field for one big vision…to build a bigger, brighter, healthier Anderson…one of innovation.
There is something to be said for true customer service, something I can learn from my experience this morning at Firestone. So I am small business owner, I have to seriously watch my budget when it comes to expenditures. Well, my little bimmer needed some new rubber…it was long overdue! Four tires all around was in my search yesterday. My CFO (my wife) gave me a $400.00 budget for tires…so I stopped by Firestone yesterday on my way home from the Anderson Area Chamber’s Annual Luncheon.
I walked in and told the fine gentleman at the desk my budget. I also let him know that it would be good to get it done this weekend, some traveling I will be happening next week. Here is the catch, my little bimmer has an odd size tire requirement….14″ rims (195/65/14). They did their little search and noticed they had nothing in stock and they would have to get the Bridgestone Tires shipped in from another warehouse. Then the great peeps went into problem solving mode…three phones, a little bribery, and some sweeting talking; the manager convinced someone to make a trip to deliver the tires this weekend morning. So they asked me to be back in the morning to have all the work done.
So I show up this morning, and the place was packed. Tons of cars in the parking lot ready for service and the waiting room was packed. But when I walked in the door, the same two gentlemen greeted me from across the room with a smile. One of them stopped what they were doing, and walked out back to roll in the tires for me to inspect. The other had my paper ready to go, took my keys and said thanks for doing business with them.
Now, you know about 10 years ago, gas stations used to be full service centers. When you would pull up to the tank, you could choose the gas price based on full service or pump yourself. A friendly smile would greet you with the option of having that nice person check under the hood, tire pressure, and even shake your hand when you pull out. I miss that little conversation which has turned into merely sliding your card and pumping yourself.
Well…Firestone in Anderson may not pump your gas, but they sure want to make sure you come back to do more business with them. It is the little things, a friendly smile, great customer service, even letting you inspect the tire that goes on your car. Thanks Firestone…you too should check them out!
“There’s a lot of people who talk about doing good, and a lot of people who argue about what’s good and what’s not good, (but there were also some other folks who) just put their lives on the line for what is right.”
– mother of Ruby Bridges (first black child to integrate New Orleans schools) in Robert Coles, The Moral Life of Children
What are you passionate about? Where does your passion lie in this ever changing world of business and culture? I am passionate about telling stories…stories are the foundation for how I do business. I tell stories for my clients, the students I teach, the causes I represent…but does this help the greater good beyond just creating revenue?
I want the community I live in…here is Anderson, SC to be successful. A community that supports entrepreneurship and innovative business…they type of growing innovation that provides local support to big businesses like the AnMed’s, Bosch’s, Michelin’s, and Walgreen’s of Anderson County. It is their best interest that innovation and entrepreneurship live right here in Anderson County, and eco-system of the knowledge wealth that promotes innovation and a prosperous educational, knowledge economy.
Isn’t it in the best interest of the Anderson County School Districts to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, a conversation that resonates at the dinner table every night between families. How about Tri-County Technical College and Anderson University, creating entrepreneurial education for the working class along with the innovative education for the high-school graduate who might want to be a nurse or a teacher, who might have an idea one day that turns into a high-impact business. One that stays local and grows as big as the organizations it supports.
Where are the stories of individuals who have been raised, educated, and become successful right here in Anderson County. The ones that have transformed the way that we view Anderson merely by being leaders right in their own classroom, their emergency room, their business…and have gained that knowledge to become successful right here in Anderson.
It is time to start finding those stories..right here, right now.
Take a look…here are the next wave of entrepreneurs, just look below. This is our future…here they are. Have you taken time out of your day to seek them out? Have you taken a few moments to identify them…taken them to grab some coffee. They are all around you.
These people are young, insightful, and most importantly hungry. They are embarking on the dream of tomorrow and it is our responsibility to ensure that they are successful. They will be the ones that will become our policy makers, our leaders, our nurses, our lawyers, and our providers. Somewhere in that bunch of active minds you will find our next president, the next CEO of Ford Motor Company, the next FDA Spokesperson, our family practitioner, our next Rhoades Scholar, etc…
They will decide to make a home right here in South Carolina, the upstate, and maybe even in Anderson…what are we doing to make sure we give them what they need to be successful. How will they help us raise the average per capita income from $29,084 here in Anderson County to exceed the national average of $38,615? How will we insure that the density of the Anderson County population (179,964) that contains these successful entrepreneurs/innovators increases the strength of this innovative conversation.
I want the people in this picture, students at Clemson University in my Business Writing Class, to become successful, help me become successful and take us into tomorrow’s knowledge economy.
Now, you know about 10 years ago, gas stations used to be full service centers. When you would pull up to the tank, you could choose the gas price based on full service or pump yourself. A friendly smile would greet you with the option of having that nice person check under the hood, tire pressure, and even shake your hand when you pull out. I miss that little conversation which has turned into merely sliding your card and pumping yourself.