How to Keep Customers in Under 30 Minutes

My favorite pair(s) of shoes I've ever had are Sanuk Sidewalk surfers. Not only are they incredibly cool, they're extremely comfortable. I first found the shoes about a year ago. Scratch that, all Sanuk's are equipped with a label that reads "these are not shoes," the idea being that they wear like sandals. They do, in fact wear like sandals. I call them my "homeless person shoes." Of course because I loved my Sanuk's so much and because I'm a Gen Y I wanted to learn a little more about the company. I learned that "sanuk" is Thai for "fun." Appropriately Sanuk's tagline is "Smile...Pass it on!" From the website, it's evident the company has developed a strong culture around that idea. The site is very personal filled with staff photos, the company's story. It appears to be a place where the brand is alive rather than just a corporate message on the store shelves.

Yesterday when my second pair of Sanuk's started coming apart at the same place as my first pair I wasn't mad. I was a little sad because I love them so much. I'm generally not a complainer but I wanted Sanuk to know what was going on so they could make a better product. I sent them the below email

" I have two pairs of Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers a brown pair and a khaki pair that I absolutely love. These are the best sandals I’ve ever had. I LOVE THEM!

But the only thing is both pairs have break apart at the big toe. Not the cloth section but the rubber parts where the rubber goes around the front. It’s really weird. Anyways both pairs of them have done this and I just wanted you to know in case there is a problem that can be fixed.

Thanks!"

In less than 30 minutes I received the following response:

"Jeff,

This is caused by two things. First, the material is REALLY soft, so it will be comfortable on your feet; but it is also very easy to scuff and tear. Secondly, the “lip” of the shoe sticks out so far, thus it catches when you walk.

We are working on this, but it seems to be in a problem that will always be there. I will be happy to replace yours for free. Just send me a pic of your shoes, along with a suggested new one, size, color and model. Don’t forget to also include an address.

Smile… Pass it on…

John Gothard"

As you can see I didn't even have to ask for a new pair of shoes. They offered. For organizations wondering how to keep customers this is it. He answered my question about why the shoes were coming apart, said they are working on a solution and offered a free pair. It wasn't a canned response received weeks after the initial email. It was done in less than thirty minutes. They didn't make me haggle with them. They didn't ask me to send them the receipt. They didn't ask when I bought them.

In case you were wondering how to keep customers, create brand advocates and keep fans loving your brand, this is it.

At One With the Sea

Melissa loves the water. All of us at Catch Your Limit do. In fact, we each get our very own annual Florida fishing license as a benefit. To most of us, it's more important than health insurance ... in fact, it is health insurance ... mental health insurance.

But, back to Melissa. Here she is leading the whole gang on the "Snorkel Song". It is a sing along, or rather a sing and suck air together song that she made up.

She says it helps us become a better team. We always sing it just before diving into about 4 to 6 feet of some of the clearest water the Gulf of Mexico has to offer. Our goal is to catch scallops. And, this season (August 1 - September 10), we have consistently caught our limit. That's ten gallons per boat, per trip. Those ten gallons go a long way when it comes to feeding our hungry crew. We saute, grill, smoke, make ceviche, soups and sauces with them. Every meal is a culinary delight.

People ask us how we are able to catch our limit every time. I think it's my being Captain of our over sized pontoon boat (aircraft carrier for Piper Cubs is more like it). But, if I really had to admit it, I think it's Melissa's "Snorkel Song" that does the trick. Not only does the mandatory sing along gear us up for the "hunt", but humming it in the water (yes, you can hum through your snorkel underwater), seems to calm the scallops and keep them from swimming away. You can call me crazy, but I am a believer.

Now, as for Melissa, that's another challenge all together. She now wants to wear her snorkel and mask to bed and sing the "Snorkel Song" before we go to sleep (she is my partner and wife, OK?!). I have suggested she get a water bed. She just keeps singing and sucking air ...

So far, I have not put on my mask and snorkel before bed for a sing-us-to-sleep sing along with Melissa, though I must admit, it's an intriguing idea ... the kind dreams are made of.

Take the Catch Your Limit Challenge!

I have been thinking, daydreaming, pontificating and procrastinating about this idea for too long now. So, instead of wasting anymore time trying to figure out the best way(s) to make this idea a reality, I am just just going to kick start it by throwing some digital flotsam and jetsam on a virtual wall somewhere out there in cyberspace and see what, if anything, sticks.

Let's call this idea the Catch Your Limit Challenge.

The Challenge parameters are simple: out of thousands of entries, let contributors pick their Top 100 to be published in some form or another. The Top 100 winning entries will each be awarded a FREE Official Catch Your Limit t-shirt for their contributions.

Small Print: Entrants must be breathing and potty trained to to be eligible to enter.
John Edwards has disqualified himself.

To loosely quote Thomas Edison: Rules? We have no rules around here, we are trying to get something done. The whole goal is to get your ideas, thoughts, stories, commentaries and take on ways that help you (and could help your fellow life-travelers) catch your limit.

Ideas could target in on life, love, play, work, relationships, whatever ... no-holds-barred. Whatever your focus, focus on how you can get the most out of whatever you do. It's that simple ... or, that challenging.

So ... no rules other than each and everyone is encouraged to get your head in the game, participate fully, passionately and ultimately weigh in on which ideas are the most meaningful to you.

Oh yeah, there is one exception, don't take on the literal translation and share your tips, techniques and tricks on how to load the boat with fish. I already have my limit in the freezer from a great day on the Gulf. Take this to a higher plain, so that each of us can learn from you important ways to "catch your limit".

The Catch Your Limit Challenge will either take on a life of its own, or slip-slide down a virtual wall and go poof. Let's see if we can't make a louder noise than that. Let's see if we can't make it sound more like the finale of a fireworks extravaganza on the Fourth of July.

If the Challenge catches on (no pun intended), we will create a site that allows for easy collection of your ideas, comments and votes for the Winning 100.

Enter as often as you like, just like what you enter and don't bog us down with drivel. After all, this is a pretty tall order Challenge and if helping your fellow human kind is not incentive enough to give it your best ... how about that free t-shirt?!

Take a look at our Credo and you'll get a sense of what we stand for and why your thoughts on the subject of how to "catch your limit" will be valued and supported.

OUR CREDO

We at Catch Your Limit Consulting are passionate people.

We guide our clients in the pursuit to catch their limit.

The people we touch find joy in being challenged, stimulated and encouraged to feel a part of and accountable for their mutual success.

Catch Your Limit is about people paying attention to people … about the power of good ideas that passionate, motivated, fully energized people can generate.

We strive to create working environments where you can discover and develop your capabilities and potentials, support each other every step of the way, celebrate your successes, learn from your failures and never forget how to play.

The only thing off limits at Catch Your Limit is making excuses.

From The Secret of The Web to Marketing ADD to How Not to Fail at Change

Our buddy, Paul Williams over at Idea Sandbox has a great blog worth reading about why Marketing and Leadership teams suffer ADD.

His inspiration came from another great blogger, Seth Godin titled the Secret of The Web.

Both of them talk about a lack of patience when it comes to marketing and/or Internet Marketing Strategy. Paul took Seth's blog one step further by stretching it from internet strategy to overall marketing strategy. I'll go ahead and take it even further. I think it also goes for leadership initiatives, creativity initiatives, team building initiatives and many facets of organizational change. Leadership is often under pressure for quick results and that is what we come to expect. The thing is change takes time. Building a culture takes time. Developing leadership and teams take time. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Paul gives the example of a farmer,
"We’d chastise the farmer who, after investing the month of April tilling soil, planting seeds, fertilizing and watering - and not seeing full-grown corn stalks by the beginning of May - bulldoze, pave paradise and put up a parking lot."

As Seth mentions we see the tactics happening quickly, people are meeting, we're learning new skills, we're saying and doing things differently. We then wonder, "why aren't the results there?" The key is making sure you have everything going on the input side, keep doing what you're doing, stop focusing on the results, the results will come. Give it time.

Go For the Gold!

I spent this weekend in Amelia Island at our Chamber conference. The closing session keynote speaker was Shannon Miller, the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history. She's 31 and looks amazing and just stepped right up and told her story and it was loaded with lessons and inspiration for all of us in the audience.

Hearing her talk about her journey from a 5 year old demanding to go the gym with her big sister to standing on the podium and receiving her Olympic medals was really amazing. I thought I'd take a moment to share my 3 biggest take-a-ways from Shannon's presentation with you.

(1) Prior to the Olympic trials, Shannon injured her elbow and opted for surgery. When she showed up at Olympic trials, she felt different than she'd felt at any other competitions ... people were staring at her. Finally, she asked her coach why? He told her, when you were injured, they thought you were done and that one of their girls had the chance to take your spot. In this moment, she described a competitive spirit that said ... oh no they're not and she went to work to be sure that she made the team.

Sometimes, I don't think we remember that our jobs are "spots on the team." We get comfortable and complacent. We feel entitled to our spot. I think that on any given day - no matter what your title - that if you didn't make your workouts, didn't come with a good attitude that you could sit the bench and if someone else outperformed you, you'd have to earn your spot back, we'd have a lot less personnel problems in the workforce.

Also, it would keep us challenged. For Shannon it might be doing some daring dismount off the high beam to stay out ahead of the competition. For us, it means that we always have to keep learning, keep growing, keep practicing ... doing what it takes to be the very best.

(2) Another favorite part of her speech was hearing her talk about how difficult life was for her after winning gold. She said that prior to retiring at age 19, she was committed to working on short term goals that would help her reach her long term goal of winning gold at the Olympics. Then, the moment she retired, she no longer had goals that she could communicate. She didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. So, what did she do? She did just what her coach had always made her do. She found an index card and on one side wrote down her long term goals and the other her short term goals. And, she reminded everyone that you needed to keep it close, or else you'd get busy and distracted from your goal.

Now, we all know that we should write down our goals and look at them every day. But how many of us truly do this? If you're reading this, comment ... let us know your process or lack thereof for goal setting.

(3) "Stop looking for the opportunity to fail and look for the opportunity to succeed." These were from Shannon's mother on a phone call after her daughter had called crying about her fall on the vault at the Olympics. This was the night before Shannon took home the gold medal on the balance beam.

Shannon said she thought about those words all night long. And, on the next day, she said that she made peace with herself. She knew that all the world and the coaches could expect of her was to give it her all - 100%. And, finally, she decided to accept this, too. All she could do was give it her all and if she did that, no matter what happened, she would be ok with it. So, with this new mindset, this gold medal winning routine is the only one she remembers. Why? She let herself experience it. She did not block out the audience, the cheers, the flashing cameras ... she took deep breaths and she took in all the sights and sounds. And, she did her routine and she was present the whole way through. And, when she finished, it felt great! She didn't know her score, but she knew in her heart it was the very best she could do.

And, for all of us who are high achievers, I think we should remember this story. Shannon said that this was the only time ever in competition that she allowed herself to experience the routine and her surroundings. Let us all be at peace with the fact that all we can expect of ourselves is to try our very best and don't let the trying to reach the goal interfere with experiencing all the great things along the way.

And, one last thing, when Shannon won her first international gymnastics competition, she wasn't really sure of how the medal ceremony would go. She won first place and two girls from other countries won 2nd and 3rd. After she was given her flowers and her medal, she wasn't quite sure if she should step down off the podium or what? Then, our national anthem began to play and our flag became visible to her and in that moment, she realized that only the winner's national anthem was played. She said that moment was the moment that she knew that she wanted to win gold at the Olympics. She wanted to wear red, white and blue and have a Gold medal around her neck and hear our anthem and see our flag. She was so proud of representing our country.

And, you know, we were all so proud of her, too. It was an honor to hear her tell her story.

What Goes Through A Gen Y’s Mind When Choosing A Job?

In addition to consulting and speaking for all types of organizations, Tom (our founder) has taught as an adjunct professor at Florida State University for the past 10 years. He’s taught Professional Selling, Basic Marketing, Creative Strategy I, Creative Strategy II and he’s coached the AAF Competition Team.

And, Tom is such as good leader that he has convinced us all that helping out with the classes is the most fun, rewarding thing you’ll ever do. It’s uncanny … our entire team participates, teaches and we fall in love semester after semester.

The classes we teach are not ordinary. From icebreakers at the start of the semester to pig washing events, there’s never a dull moment. To see for yourself, check the Creative Strategy I Spring 08 Class Blog.

We have the mindset that our students are our clients and we make them a priority. We teach these junior and senior college students the same professional development skills that we teach organizations. In fact, we make it a point to focus on communication, creativity and problem solving skills more so than the technical aspects they may encounter on the job.

The Super Stars
When I stop to think about all of the students that we have known over the past 10 years, it is mind boggling how many students we’ve encountered. And, immediately, the super stars come to mind. You just know the ones who are going to be very successful. We know that whatever company they choose to go work for is going to be very, very lucky. These “kids” have energy and a spirit that sets them apart.

What Goes Through A Gen Y’s Mind When Choosing A Job?
One such super star recently spread her wings and headed for the bright lights of the advertising world in NYC. She was destined to be a leader in the agency business. However, we recently got word that although offers were pouring in from up and down Madison Avenue, she chose a different route. I didn’t have to ask her why. Her email to me explained it all.

“I started to realize the agency scene was not going to give me the work/life balance I imagined. At (non ad agency) the salary is much better and the overall benefits are great. Plus, the team and my potential supervisors are amazing people who are very respected and have a ton of experience in the industry. On my first interview I was there for almost 3 hours. They kept dragging me around to meet more people. I will be working specifically with X, Y, and Z, but there is a lot of room to move around. I am looking forward to it.”

How do you make this same impression? Evaluate how you position your organization to Gen Y recruits against our “SuperStar’s” criteria:

• Work life balance
• Opportunity to feel like an individual part of something larger
• People matter
• They invested time in me
• My supervisors are respected and experienced

Unbelievable ... I just ran through the above criteria and they are all true for how we each feel about helping Tom out with the courses each semester ... another testament that if you're delivering on these areas, not only will you recruit young professionals, but you'll retain them as well.

Strategic Planning During a Recession

If strategic planning requires vision, strategic planning during a recession requires x-ray vision. It is critical that organizations allow themselves to see past the current economic fog through to what the world will look like on the other side.

Recently I had the opportunity to work with an x-ray vision equipped group, the Florida Center for Performing Arts and Education. It is a large scale project to bring a performing arts center to Tallahassee. The total projected cost is around 113 million dollars with a timeline of around ten years.

What I find most impressive about the Florida Center initiative is the ability of the supporters to envision the future. In a time when everyone is pinching pennies and at a time when Florida is facing state and local budget cuts in the billions on a yearly basis the board members have undertaken the challenge of convincing the community that there is a need for a performing arts center in Tallahassee. Paula Smith, the driving force behind this initiative said in a meeting yesterday, "When the economy was good we weren't in a position to demonstrate support for this project, our job now is to gain support so that when the economy does recover, we'll be in position." The idea being if you wait until the going is good, it's too late to get going.

When times are tough it breeds short sighted visions. Ideas like off shore oil drilling, cutting marketing, sales and research and development budgets seem appealing. This is the kind of vision that will absolutely derail your organizations future. There will never be perfect time, the only perfect time is now.

Don't forget to use your x-ray vision