Increasing Employee & Client Engagement

Hopefully, by now, you are at least challenging what your belief was before.  All this is the foundation for the strategies we will be talking about next month.  If I haven’t proved it yet. If my overwhelming passion about this still didn’t make you feel it.  If I have done a horrible job explaining and convincing you that engagement is the new promised land.   Then today my goal will be to give you the final nail. Then in my next post, I am bringing the hammer which will nail it down for you.   I feel it is my job to shout to the world and to push and challenge you  to exploring further how you can engage your clients & employees and get greater results.

Feel free to add your comments at the bottom of this article on what’s worked for you. It’s a great way to make a good impression and meet new contacts.

Everything Pointed Me Back To Engagement…

I have done hundreds and hundreds of hours of research (my wife will try to make you believe it is thousands).  I have read, studied and spoke to some great pioneers in fields of branding, thought leadership, social media, permission marketing, inbound marketing and “new marketing”.    No matter who I was talking to or reading…Everything just brought me back to engagement.  WHY???  Because that is the ULTIMATE GOAL and END RESULT of all of the fields I mentioned.  They are all tactics or ways to engage your audience.  After all of my research, it came down to these basic fundamentals. (click on link below for previous post)

1.  Caring & Sharing

2.  Involvement

3.  Understanding

4.  Connection

5.  Appreciation

6.  Performance

7. Genuine, Authentic & Transparent

8. Communication, Collaboration & Actively Listening

9. Measurement & Feedback

Hopefully you see how important the foundation for engagement is for the survival of your company in the years to come.  More importantly is you see the risks of ignoring it, putting it on the backburner or just not putting the adequate resources to it are just too high.

Tell me your thoughts on engagement?  Is it the real deal?  Can it change the direction of your company?

(PS Dont forget, I have a big surprise in my next post which is the hammer that will drive down this last nail)

In our building of our house, measurement is the roof. We all want feedback. It is natural. We want it whether it is good or bad.

My wife loves American Idol. I am not really a fan, but have watched the show with her a couple of times. The fans vote to see who will continue on, but they have this panel of judges who critique the performance. From what I can tell the judges have no power on who moves on but everyone anxiously sits on the edge of their seats and awaits for the judges reactions to the performance like it means something. Paula Abdul typically tries to be overly nice and give positive critiques, but you have this one guy named Simon. You either love him or hate him. To get him to give you anything positive you REALLY have to EARN it because if he says something nice it is a rare feat.

Feel free to add your own comments at the bottom of this article on what’s worked for you.  It is a great way to make a good impression and meet new contacts.

We all want feedback…

We want some indication of where we are and how we are doing. We want to keep our finger on the pulse. See if we are alive or dead…

Feedback can be used for reinforcement and continuous improvement…

A company wants feedback from its customers and employees want feedback from its supervisors.  They want confirmation or be able to take corrective measures. The worst scenario is not knowing either way.  That leaves you status quo.  There is no such thing as staying the same.  You are either getting better or worse.  If you are not getting better than your competition is closing that gap, which is in turn making you worse.

Tiger Woods Relentless Pursuit of Perfection…

I just had lunch with Hank Haney, who is Tiger Woods golf coach and he told a story about how all of these players were saying they were working to be the number one player in the world.  After reading one of the articles, Tiger looked at Hank and said… “Do they not think I am going to get any better?”…   Hank went on to say… the only thing Tiger concentrates on is getting better.  He said he never has once heard him mention breaking any record or making any certain amount of money.  If he continues to improve, the other things will take care of themselves.  That is why Tiger is the best.

How do you utilize feedback from your clients and employees?  Share how feedback positively or negatively has helped you?

It is all starts with intention.  We all know when someone is being sincere and if it is coming from the heart.  We feel it, it is experential.  You know when someone is being completely open or if they are hiding something.  Are you sending mixed messages, or are you really open or do you just play one on TV.  We all have BS radar.  We can smell it a mile a way.  We can put those walls up faster than a dog at dinnertime.  Buyers are more educated than ever before.  We all laugh when we hear those stupid “pick-up” lines.  Followed by: “Are you Serious”, “Are you Kidding” or “Is this a Joke”, or my favorite “Am I being Punk’d”.   

Social Media’s Greatest Asset is that it is Genuine, Authentic and Transparent…        It is inherent in its nature.  I think bigger companies have a harder time grasping this concept.  If we are doing this, how are we going to push our product?  Who is actually going to be doing this?  What is the highest level we will ”allow” to be “open”?  What dept does this fall under?  If you start using engaging strategies to push your product, I believe it will fail miserable.  I know from my own experience, if I am reading something and it looks like an advertisement, it sounds like an advertisement and IS an advertisement, it turns me off in a nano second.  You hear an ‘ugh”…  Almost like, I can’t believe I fell for it or maybe it really is, they don’t get it, I can’t believe they would try to sell me. 

Fatherly Advice…   My dad always preached to me, if you can genuinely fill a persons need, you dont have to sell them…because they will want to buy.  Your goal needs to be openness…create followers…which will eventually lead to raving fans.  Bigger is not always better. It is better to have 1000 die hard fans than 10,000 people who admire you but would leave you the second they think they see a better offering or a less expensive substitute.   

What ways can you be more genuine, authentic & transparent?

In our building of our house, performance is the furnace.  It is the heat…the action.  Engagement is the ignition to performance.  – Execution.  Performance is anything worthy of your attention.  We all want to be part of something bigger.

Feel free to add your own comments at the bottom of this article on what’s worked for you.  It is a great way to make a good impression and meet new contacts.

If you want to recharge and create an atmosphere of energy, passion and performance…

Then start engaging clients and employees. Engagement is two way and on going.  It is like the Energizer bunny… that keeps going, and going and going…

When I am talking about performance…

I am not talking about A performance where you are sitting in an audience watching a play.  I am talking about participatory performance.  Where the audience and performers are blurred.  They are one.  Customers are active to the vendors that serve them. Employees are intertwined with upper management.

America is a results driven country…

Results are driven by performance.  Performance is about how well you execute.  If we are measured by our performances and results, then we need to make sure we put everything into driving the highest results & performances possible.

Engaged Employees Deliver Positive Customer Experiences…

Studies show that an engaged employee has higher productivity and an engaged customer buys more and is more loyal.  The main reason is they have a higher emotional identification with the company.  It makes it mission critical to engage by caring, sharing, involving, understanding, connecting, and appreciating your employees and customers.

That leads us to our next pillar of engagement…Genuinity, Authenticity & Transparency.

What ways are you igniting performance at your company with your customers and employees?

In our building of our house, appreciation is the artwork & pictures we display.  It shows our excitement and gratitude.  Your clients are why you are in business, so they are the lifeblood of your company and your company can only be as good as its employees.  I saw a staggering number that 80% of your clients and employees are unhappy.  That is shocking, yes…disturbing, absolutely …scary… HELLO!!!  Without customers you don’t have revenues and profits, without employees you don’t have anyone to service these customers.  Everyone likes a pat on the back.  Everyone likes to hear their own name.  The higher the performer, the more of a sponge they are for appreciation and recognition. 

Feel free to add your comments at the bottom of this article on what’s worked for you. It’s a great way to make a good impression and meet new contacts

Appreciation relates to the increase of value in an asset… 

Therefore, it is a sign of respect and honor.  It shows where you place your value or ultimately where you don’t. Appreciation can be turned on like a light switch and can take very little in cost and even effort.  It really starts from a change of attitude.  Let me give you an example.  If I handed you a baseball.  You would say great, thanks.   But then I tell you that baseball was the 755th homerun ball of Hank Aaron’s and it was worth a lot of money.  All of a sudden that ball has “placed” value on it.  The ball didn’t change.  It was the same ball I originally gave you, but how you perceived the ball changed. 

The whole concept of precious metals is built on this concept…

Think about it.  The first person who found gold in prehistoric times said, wow, look at this stuff.  People are going to want this and I am going to place a value  on this and I can trade people for food and things I want due to the demand of the product.  People have spilt blood over these precious metals and many of lives have been lost.   It is a color’d rock for crying out loud.  Diamonds are the same thing.  What if people didn’t want them and said these are just stupid rocks from the ground or if Chad Rothschild were ruler of the earth and said, these precious metals are now worthless, would people still want them (other than my wife)?  Just for decoration? Your employees and clients are the same…PRECIOUS!  The great news is all you have to do is “declare” them a value and then they are. Even better is you can do the same with your spouse.  Try that when you go home tonight and see the response.

What ways have you shown appreciation to your clients and employees?  Share your successes for us all to learn from.

In our house we are building, connection is the furniture we put in the house.  How and where it is placed tells a story, and where we will gather and how.  If you were in a room, you would naturally put the chairs facing each other and not back to back.  You would want to encourage connection and communication.  Most organizations have sofas back to back where everyone is on islands inhibiting connection.  Does that make sense…why would they do that? 

Feel free to add your comments at the bottom of this article on what’s worked for you. It’s a great way to make a good impression and meet new contacts.

Clients & Employees that are connected are passionate… 

Go to any College or Professional  Football game or College Basketball game and see this in action.  The sporting event is the “product”, yet the ticket holder which is the customer, will paint themselves in the “products” color and act all crazy supporting the “product”….RAVING FANS.  There are other examples.  Harley Davidson… people tattoo their logo on their bodies and are disciples of the brand.   I am making it my goal to get one of my clients or employees I manage to paint or tattoo my name on their bodies and show that same enthusiasm and passion for me and my services… Any Takers…J

There are several ways to create connections… 

One way is to do stewardship reviews.  Talk about where you are and where you want to be.  By talking about where you are, it creates understanding. By talking about the future, creates connections and commitment by engaging in the development process of what that will look like. The best example of that is during the courting phase of your significant other.  You are connecting with that person by sharing and dreaming of what the future will look like.  How you are going to handle certain situations, how many kids you are going to have, what type of house and community you want to live in….  The next step in the courting phase is ENGAGEMENT prior to the commitment of marriage.  It is not coincidence.  It is the process of how it draws the couple closer and ignites passion.  The other person on the other end needs to feel special, feel important, part of the success of the group and appreciated.  This leads us to our next topic of appreciation.

What ways are you creating connections?  Share your successes for everyone to learn.

In our house we are building, understanding is the air filling the structure.  It is like oxygen.  It is the passions that drive us.  If we don’t understand what drives our employees and clients, how can we expect to help and add value to them.  It would make no more sense for your organization to speak a different language than your employees and clients.  

Feel free to add your comments at the bottom of this article on what’s worked for you. It’s a great way to make a good impression and meet new contacts.

Do You Grasp the Importance of Understanding…

Most organizations don’t grasp the importance, significance and implications of thoroughly understanding and knowing their employees and clients.  By just the act of understanding, you create an affinity or a strong connection with your employees and clients.  The stronger the understanding the closer you naturally become.  They are usually your biggest supporters and raving fans.  They want to tell everyone they know about you.  Guess what research shows about employees that are engaged… customer service levels are higher.                                                                                  

I heard a cute story that illustrates this point…

There was a farmer who was posting a sign about some puppies for sale. A little boy walked up and asked if he could buy one of the puppies and the farmer said they were expensive and not sure if he could afford one.  He reached into his pocket and mostly got fuzz but said he had a quarter and asked if he could at least look.  The farmer obliged and took the boy up there and the mother dog came running up with a few little pups right behind her.  The little boy lighted up as he saw one of the pups.  It was hobbling and having a hard time catching up to the others.  The little boy said, I WANT THAT ONE with all the excitement he could have.  The farmer looked and said, why would you want that one, it wont ever be able to run & play like the others.  The little boy pulled up his pants and showed a metal brace on his leg.  I don’t run very well myself and he will need someone who will understand…

Trying to understand your employees & clients is the key to connection.  Connection is the next topic we will cover.

What ways are you trying to understand your employees and clients?  Share your successes so we can all learn from each other.

If we were building a house and caring is the foundation, than involvement is the structure.  Most companies do not involve their employees or clients in their strategy.  I believe companies need to do more planning involving their employees and clients.  Organizations need to do focus groups, surveys, an employee or client spec council, Wiki (collaborative websites), community platforms, and stewardship reviews.

Feel free to add your own comments at the bottom of this article on what’s worked for you.  It is a great way to make a good impression and meet new contacts.

A Case Study about involvement…

Best Buy has had several successes in Web 2.0 applications and I read a successful story about a Wiki had done and posed one question… What can we do to better serve our customers and they got thousands of responses. 

Think about this for a second.  Nine times out of ten, an organization’s top management comes out with what they think the company needs to do, they communicate it to the employees and then the employee’s communicate that to the client base.   The employees may not really agree or buy into this message and how it is communicated may not be genuine by the client or even if it is genuinely accepted it may not get the response expected.

The lesson to the story… The essence of engagement is involvement.  This helps us understand our customer and employees and understanding is the next element we will discuss.

strong>What ways do you involve your employees and clients?  Share some successes so we can learn and improve.

 Engagement.  What is it.  What does it mean?  How do you measure it?  The month of April we will take an extensive look at this topic.  I believe Engagement is at the core foundation to any successful organization.  Today we are going to look from the 50,000 foot view.

Feel free to add your own comments at the bottom of this article on what’s worked for you.  It is a great way to make a good impression and meet new contacts.

Communication is A Two Way Street…

The biggest myth to me is that engagement is perceived to be communication.  Usually one way at best.  Communication has typically been from a broadcast point of view.  Upper management talking down to employees and companies grabbing a megaphone trying to gain the attention of prospects and clients.  The number one reason that employees and clients leave a company is that they do not feel “cared” about.  Which leads me to the heart of engagement and one of the most important statements I have ever heard and I everyday try to live by…

“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

The world is changing rapidly, but that statement will always remain true.  People work for people and people buy from people.  Employees and Clients are more educated than ever and know when they are trying to be “sold”.  If you are not genuine, they will see right through you.

I am going to leave you with this final thought… 

Tell me who won the last 5 Miss America Pageants, the last 5 Nobel  prizes, the last 5 World Series, Super Bowls or National Championships.  These are the best at their craft.  Do you know?  Do you really care?

Now, think of 5 people who have touched your life personally or professionally.  Think of a mentor who helped you along your path.  Think of that teacher, that coach, that person who helped you through tough times and obstacles or who challenged you to seek greater heights.  Think about that person who cared about you when no one else seemed to care, who wouldn’t let you quit or fail and made you feel appreciated and alive.

The second group of people changed and shaped you as a person.  They made a difference in your life.  They may not of been the expert in their field, they may not of been the expert in the room.  That didn’t matter.  You didn’t care what their resume said.  They took time and put your needs first and above their own…

I want to hear what ways, you and your company have shown that you care about your clients and employees.  Share the successes and ways you want to improve.

We will be taking a look at how important it is to engage your audience.  Whether it is internally or externally.  Engagement is very important and will lead to loyalty, retention, collaboration, performance, and partnership.  Most of the techniques and tactics we will discuss will be effective for both groups.  I look forward to sharing thoughts, insight, ideas, techniques, tactics, and best practices.  My overall goal is to add value, inspire and support your overall strategic success.

I am very excited about starting this forum and being a part of your growth.