Its all the about experience - how memorable is yours?

 

I have had the fabulous pleasure of going to two different health retreats over the last 3 months, self-indulgent perhaps yes, required absolutely.

However the experience at both of these has been vastly different as you would perhaps expect but the difference in the experience is what has confirmed for me what I believe to be the better health retreat.

The differences were subtle yet obvious, the outcomes were the same yet the experience to get there vastly different, the staff had the same technical qualifications however the delivery in service was lacking, award winning chef but the food wasn’t as tasty nor was there the variety, information provided similar but delivery poor and not engaging.

More importantly I had something else to compare to!

Who are you being compared to and what are the differences?  In fact do you actually know what the differences are and how your team are communicating these to clients?

A potential vendor/investor may call anywhere up to 5 agents into their home. How are you standing out? Or is the experience you provide from the clients prospective the same? In fact are you even being called in?

Remember today your point of difference in terms of prelisting kits, websites, how you conduct your opens, feedback to vendors is very similar, in fact from your vendors prospective they may struggle to really see a difference.

However where you can stand out is the experience you provide vendors during each of these interactions. It comes down to you not so much the brand or the offerings, they may be reason you were called in but you get the listing because they connected with you.

Celebrating Independance Day.

Many of you have been to Fiji for a holiday: it is a popular destination world over and despite the political instability still seen as a safe destination. Many of you may not know the history of Fiji, so to celebrate independance day here is a brief outline on our history.

In 1874 Fiji ceded to Great Britain and remained a colony until the 10^th of October 1970. The British did not conquer Fiji but the island asked to be ceded and it was only accepted on the condition that it had to govern itself.

The land was fertile and it was decided to use it for copra and sugar cane. There was a need for regular supply of labourers.

The first Governor of the Colony was determined to preserve Fijian culture and society and as a result no Fijian would be asked to work in the plantations as this would breakdown the village system. He also realised that the native population was more difficult to control.

The British had used Indian indentured labour systems in other colonies quite successfully and decided to do the same in Fiji. The labourers we bought in from India.

On the 14^th of May 1879 the first ship from Calcutta – the Leonidas – arrived in Fiji carrying 464 passengers/indentured labourers. The boat was pest ridden with many suffering cholera and small pox.

All labourers were contracted to CSR, an Australian Company that ran the plantations in Fiji. Upon disembarkation they were allocated to a plantation and taken there.

Over the next 37 years over 61,000 were bought into Fiji. They became known as the Girmitiyas. My grandfather and his family were some of these labourers. They came from Patna and they left India on the 19th of July 1095 on board the SS Fultala. He was listed as a 6 years labourer No 328. They arrived on the 17/8 1905, disemabarked on the 18/8 and were sent to Drasa T Estate under the management of CSR.

They were housed in coolie lines that were 10ft by 7ft. Each line had 8-10 rooms with walls that did not reach the ceiling and each family, no matter how large, were given one room with no separate kitchen or latrines and rations were only provided for the first 6 months. From what I have found the total family that came over was my great grandfather, his wife and 3 kids aged 1, 6 and 9.

The girmit contract stipulated that an individual had to work nine hours on five consecutive days of every week, plus five hours on Saturday, and for each full day's work he would receive a shilling. They were contracted to do 5 years with the promise of being sent back home- this of course did not occur.

Men and women did the same hours of work; however women then came home to cook and clean and tend to the home. Due to the fact that there were shortages of women they were also constantly in danger of being raped, taken as a mistress or killed by their husbands due to suspected infidelity.

In fact it was the news of the molestation and abuse of Indian women on the plantations that outraged India most. The campaigns in India to stop the degradation of Indian women in the colonies 'received wider public support than any other movement in Indian history, more even than the movement for independence'.

There are some amazing stories and you can read them on http://www.fijigirmit.org/stories.htm

The Girmitiyas are gone now, but their imprint is etched indelibly on the landscape of Fiji. When I tell people that my grandparents were part of this era many are surprised to hear of the history. My grandparents were part of a remarkable episode in modern history where slavery was given another name.  The Girmitiyas called it 'narak' which means hell, an experience which robbed them of 'izzat', honour, which denied them 'insaf', justice. The words are theirs, not mine.

In 1916 the Indenture system was officially abolished by Britain. The last shipload of labourers arrived in November aboard the Sutlej V. This is the 87th ship that brought labourers to Fiji.  In 1920, all indenture in Fiji was cancelled.

On the 10^th of October 1970 we gained our independence and ended 96 years under British Rule.
I can only imagine what life for my grandparents was like, I remember stories my grandmother told me and sometimes I can still hear her voice in the distance reminding me of my heritage.

Independence day still resonates significance within my island home and plays an integral role in defining the culture and values of the nation that has a history that many do not know about.
*information from the book Girmitiyas

To engage or not to engage - that is the question.

Ever heard of happy people = happy clients = happy dollars. For those of you who have heard me speak before would have.

But oh how easy it is not to have happy people and the smallest of things will start to disengage them.

It's coming up to that time of the year, reviews are due, salaries are up for discussion, KPIs are reset and promotions are being considered. However truth be known everyone wants to feel important, told they are doing a great job and yes get a bonus or pay rise

If you manage a team consider the following:
1. Have you had regular one on one meetings with them
2. Are you using standard forms
3. Have you booked in a time to catch up to discuss the above before end of June
4. Have you got team member to do self assessment
5. Do they understand your biz plan and how they fit into it
6. Do you need to reassess their kpis

If you haven't you must do so. If you need help I can provide you with easy simple tools to start you off.

Your people give to your biz every day, the least you can do is give back to them. Do not make the mistake of cancelling a performance meeting because you are busy and have too much on your plate but keep a personal appointment like lunch or hair cut or worse drinks at the pub!

If you are an employee and your manager has not made the time to give you feedback in the role, drop me a line, more than happy to help you provide them with feedback.

Remember engagement is the key, this is the responsibility of managers, directors, CEOs...happy people = happy clients = happy dollars.

More on this hearty topic in the next few weeks

When service becomes over zealous

Delivering that blow away client experience is what most businesses strive to do. We create processes that support this goal, train our teams on the concept, we create documents within departments that guarantee clients their money back if they feel we have got it wrong, train our teams on service delivery etc etc etc

However there are times when i feel that the whole concept of customer service has been done to death and in many ways become an unemotional process itself.

Let me give you an example of this:

I recently bought an investment property off the plan in Melbourne. I told the real estate agent that I was happy for them to organise the solicitors etc

I pay the deposit and a few days later I get a call from the solicitors looking after the exchange and they are sending me paper work to sign off on... Tick the box on customer service

Two days later I get a call from NAB bank saying they would like to talk to me about my loan to purchase the property. Firstly I had not given permission for my details to be provided to anyone re a loan and  secondly as I am not settling for two years I didn't really need a loan right now..... Scratch my head and go interesting 

A week later I start getting calls from connect now about contacting them urgently re a connection matter. I ignore it at first thinking they have made a mistake, the calls turn into text message 2-3times a day at which point I call them to be told the solicitors have given them my details re utility connections on a property I am yet to settle on that mind you has not even been constructed as yet....this time I go Customer service gone mad!!!

Here is what has happened, the solicitors have designed a process that they believe is what their clients need but have probably forgotten some basics:
They didn't really ask their clients what they want
They did not take into account every scenario and then build process
They did not actually walk through each process from their clients prospective as an audit to experience the service they are trying to deliver

Customer service is about the delivery of excellence to the clients standards not the biz.
It's about going above and beyond and the blow away experience.

But first you must undersstand your customer, what are their needs right now, then you fit your process and the service delivery around it.

And one size does not fit all. We( customers) are all different and we have different needs. Your challenge is to find out what it is and then deliver the "blow away experience" whether you are a biz or individual agent.

An interesting sat morning

After a sleepless night with my brain refusing to switch off I find my self in Roselle in a healthy organic shop drinking thick green sludgy juice that actually tastes ok and watching people shop and eat. 
I have to confess that I did buy food.... Yes of the organic type about twelve items in total and when I got to the check out counter the total was 60 bucks!! I nearly choked. 
What is it about organic food that we are willing to pay triple the amount? 
I grew up in fiji and was lucky to have fresh market food every day. It was better than any organic produce I saw this morning and cheaper. 
My friend was getting a shopping lesson on what to buy that is healthy however a number of people were buying simply because they assumed it was healthy. 
I wonder how balanced the rest of their lives are?
Do they cook the food in a heathy way?
Exercise at least 4 times a week?
Have a balance of work life and play
Don't overdo alcohol?
Catch up with family and friends?
Read, go to the movies, have a massage, facial etc
Have a happy healthy loving relationship?
Have work goals that they are on track with and held accountable to?
Know what key things they want to achieve every week biz and personal to have had a great week?
Where are you with this?
 I wonder where the people are who I am watching are with all if this? 
For me it is always a work in progress.... No ones perfect though. 

Business lessons from the East

Australia Post’s David Mortimer as quoted in the financial review last year “if we are not quick, if we are not innovative, if we are not prepared to respond to fresh ideas, we won’t be around”.

A successful business today is innovative, resourceful, agile, connected and memorable. It is what keeps a business alive, fresh and in growth mode. However it also means that you are constantly evolving and changing which for many can be quiet challenging.

Growth of any business is dependent on culture, environment, standards, goals, accountability, technology, your relevance to the client, customer service and that wow experience that engages clients and creates raving fans for a lifetime.
Same or standout
Master Chef has been a massive success to the point where they now have a kids version. Interestingly there are a number of parallels between Master Chef and real estate.

The contestants all have the same ingredients, recipes, equipment and equal amount of time to cook their dish however what is created is vastly different in look, taste and presentation.

The same applies to our businesses. Consider the following:

• To our clients we all look the same, what sets us apart is our service delivery and how we make the client feel at the point of interaction

• From the customers prospective your business exists only to create value for them

• Clients are looking for an experience that engages them with your business

How are you standing out to your clients, are you providing the same or similar level of service as your competitors?

There is a hotel in Hong Kong called the Upper House. What makes this hotel a standout is they have given their team permission to delight their clients and create memorable experiences every opportunity they get. Check in is done in your room via an IPAD, you receive gifts when you depart with a handwritten thank you card, everything in the mini bar is included in the room rate; there are many stories I can tell however nothing was impossible.

Does your team have permission to delight your clients? Do they understand what that looks like?

Single focus at being the best

Does your business and the people who work in it have a single focus on being the worlds best at what they do? Too often we get distracted by our competitors, the market, other team members; if you are the best at what you do others will copy, your challenge is to stay focused and remain the best.

I was recently in Jaipur, India and I saw 4 shops next to each other each selling the same product, in fact one of them shared the same name. What fascinated me was that the customers still seemed to go to the first shop. It turned out that this was the original “Lassi Wala” (yogurt drink) and due to his success 3 other s had opened up in competition but were unable to provide the same tasteful drink, service and experience. He sold nothing else just lassi.

Do you have a single focus at being the best? When you have the best of something – service, team – people will flock to you.

Google

What did we all do B.G (before Google)? Have you ever wondered why Google has had the immense success? One of the reasons is their ability to stay relevant and be a trusted advisor. When you do a search within milliseconds are number of solutions are provided to you that are relevant, we trust the information provided. Notice also cleverly placed marketing and advertising that may pop up depending on what you may be been researching recently?

How are you being relevant? Many of us will do letter box drops, door knocks, market in the local paper, do 10x10x20, send out recently sold/listed letters however the success rate from these activities can be quiet low. These are hit and miss activities as you don’t really know who is ready to sell, buy or rent, therefore your ability to be relevant is non-existent.

How do you become relevant?
Build your database, call your clients regularly, record the data, build a relationship, ask the right questions and when your clients are ready to move you will become relevant because they know you, like you and one would hope trust you.

Building a database from OFI attendance – current and past, past clients, your circle of influence is much easier and has a better return. The trick for most is have the discipline to make the calls, ask the questions, record the data, have performance measures, coaching and accountability in place to keep them on track.

Belief
When you walk down many small laneways in India where there are thousands of colourful stalls and many bargains to be had you occasionally come across a store that states – fixed price. These store owners will not bargain – why? They know and believe that their product and service is far superior. They will sell the benefits of the product, quality, value, their service, brand and they will not reduce the price. They may throw in additional items but the price will not change.

Do your people have the same belief as these stall holders? What can you throw in as a value add and not reduce your commission? How well do your teams sell the benefits, points of difference and the value you bring to the client?

Hope you enjoy the read



Are you a Virgin in Social Media?

I am a regular customer of Virgin Blue and my most common route is Sydney Melbourne. In fact I think I should become a shareholder for returns other than frequent flyer points.

 A few weeks ago I was standing at the airport at the back of the line waiting patiently to board the plane when I heard the usual announcement that anyone with special needs, children or premium economy passengers could board the flight.

I stood in line and thought to myself why dont they call out their Gold Card holders to board at the same time. Now not sure about you but as soon as I get an idea or need to provide feedback I must do immediately.

How did I choose to interact with Virgin and provide them with feedback - FACEBOOK!

So by the time the flight doors had closed I had posted my comment onto their facebook page and felt at peace with myself and I could move onto other more important things on the flight - a nanna nap.

By the time I had landed at Sydney airport I had a response posted by a Virgin person who I assume is in charge of their social media on the fact that they should be making such announcements.

Another fellow passenger then jumped on board with what I was saying and agreed with my sentiments to which the Virgin response was thanks for letting us know and we will follow through.

Why am I telling you this story because many businesses today are unsure the role social media plays, how to implement, engage staff, get fans, what to write about, what policy the biz should have etc etc etc.

Social Media is one part of your marketing toolkit, in the biz I am in at the moment we are using it to engage with the community, share stories, market reports, properties, vacant positions, other blogs, events, team building activities etc. The content is not just about real estate, our goal is to ensure we engage our fans.

Fans are starting to share their stories, post photos and the next stage is exactly what I did with Virgin - provide us with feedback on how we can provide better services.

It is easy to be over whelmed by what is occuring in the social media world, it is also easy to fnd many articles that suggest that we are all wasting out time, however its not going away.

You need to develop a stratgey to get fans, ensure you have a voice, your content is engaging and you are consistent. Check out other facebook sites to see what they are doing to engage fans and follow the golden rule of training
ROAD = Rip Off And Duplicate.....only better

You can follow the facebook page I talk about in this blog, it is called LNS Property, log onto facebook, search for this page and become a fan.