Business Thoughts

Is your business truly inclusive?

A few weeks ago, I attended a meeting where I didn’t feel fully included and was reminded of this at the weekend when I attended an excellent training event on Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism run by Greenpeace. During the introduction some ground rules were set, these included the usual things like, respect, confidentiality, etc, and ‘step up/step back’. This was explained as please do speak up to contribute, but also step back so as not to dominate and let others have space to express their views.

This took me back to the start of the other meeting a few weeks ago. It was a training session for people relatively new to the organisation and included employees from all levels and volunteers. It is fair to say that the organisation takes Equality, Diversity and Inclusion seriously and probably believes it ticks all the boxes. Yet I, and probably some others, did not feel fully included. There was some informal chat before the meeting started which was dominated by two people in senior positions who obviously knew each other before joining the organisation; the loud conversation was about golf, before moving on to football. The rest of us around the table were unable to contribute. Those two could have helped the group come together by ‘stepping back’.

That was probably why the events at lunchtime upset me; I was already not feeling part of the group. We had been asked for our dietary requirements in advance and, this being Cornwall, we were provided with a pasty – mine was vegan. There was also a selection of cakes, pastries and biscuits, that is if you were not vegan. I had just one option, chocolate bites. I turned vegan over ten years ago and in those early days I felt grateful just to be provided with something to eat; however, that lack of choice helped me feel excluded. A little bit more thought could have changed all that. Inclusion is more than just not being excluded.

Exclusion can take many forms, a meeting in a pub will exclude people whose religion prohibits alcohol. It may also exclude others because there is an expectation to spend money. That type of inclusion, which is more hidden, can easily be overlooked.

The Greenpeace training course also provided a key to unlocking the solution to these problems:

Keep

Educating

Yourself

Honesty Box

The seed of an idea for these business blogs has to grow and I nurture it until it is ready to harvest, then I prepare it so you can digest it. If you found the content useful please consider popping some money into the honesty box. Unlike buying eggs at the farm gate, you cannot put the cash in a box because you are reading this online. You can click on the Buy Me a Coffee link below which will take you to a page where by magic (nifty software) a small amount of money will disappear from your account and appear in mine. Don’t worry you are in control all the time. If the post wasn’t helpful, please leave a comment suggesting how it can be improved.

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How to get staff

I recently stayed in a Marston’s Inn hotel (comfortable, good value and many have electric car chargers) and went across to the pub for a meal. I was warmly welcomed by the member of staff directing people to tables and was soon settled down perusing the menu. It was ‘order at the bar’ and when I did, I was again welcomed by another member of staff. As I was waiting for my drink to be poured another bartender commented on my tee shirt, ‘Powered by plants,’ and we had a conversation about veganism.

When my meal was served the waitress commented on how good the Buffalo Cauliflower Wings looked, they were new on the menu, and she had not tried them yet. That was the start of another pleasant conversation. After I had finished the meal, the dishes were quickly cleared away by a friendly waitress who chatted with me for a while, and I learnt that I had arrived just after the end of their busy period. Knowing that I was even more impressed with how cheerful all the staff were. Normally when eating alone, I indulge in people watching, this time after my meal I had a spell of staff watching; all were friendly and attentive. As they moved around the dining area, they were looking around to see if anything needed clearing away or cleaning and if any customers needed help. I was impressed.

I wondered why the staff were so good and used my phone to do some research on Marston’s. I soon found the answer, they valued their people and invested in them. They were number 33 in the top 100 top employers for apprentices, had just given employees a generous pay rise and invested in employee development.

There were plenty of staff on duty that night and thinking back to the other times I have been in Marston’s pubs in various parts of the country they all had plenty of staff on duty. Marston’s appear to have no problem getting staff when others in the hospitality industry are struggling. There is a remarkably simple reason for that. Job seekers are aware of the words in Mathew 7:16 “By their deeds you will know them.” Businesses that treat people well will have no problem attracting employees, those that don’t will not.

Marston’s are not good to their employees for philanthropic reasons, they know it is good for business. The food in their pubs is no different from the offering of other pub chains, it is the good dining experience provided by their staff that differentiates them from the competition. I will certainly choose Marston’s over other providers because of the pleasant interaction I have with the staff. It makes a solo stay in a hotel much more attractive.

Employers your people are your greatest asset treat them well and reap the benefits. To continue with biblical quotes, “Whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

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Cycle of competence

The other day I was reminded of the stages of competence. It is often shown as a hierarchy; however, a better representation is as a circle, as you are likely to move from unconscious competence to unconscious incompetence when things change. My knowledge of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure provides a good example, especially as it was my realising I had slipped from unconscious competence to unconscious incompetence in this area that prompted me to think about the model.

Originally, I was unaware that I knew nothing about the electric vehicle charging infrastructure, I drove a petrol or diesel car for many years until 1^st January 2019 when I started my experiment using public transport, I had no need to think about it. Then when I considered using an electric car, I realised I knew nothing about the charging infrastructure but wanted to, conscious incompetence and the start of the learning process. It was a steep learning curve and, if you follow my Electric Car Driving Experience blog, you will know there have been plenty of trials and tribulations on the way to conscious competence. I now have several helpful apps on my phone, have a good knowledge of charging points in my local area and in places that I regularly visit. I do not need to research and plan those regular trips, unconscious competence.

On Tuesday I had a meeting in Roche and on the way home intended charging the car at Kingsley Village, if both chargers were in use (very unlikely at that time of day) I would carry on to Carland Cross and use the charger there. Both chargers at Kingsley Village were available; I plugged in and the light on my car’s charge point went red – not good. I had a fiddle about to no effect so moved over to the other charger, which started to charge okay then immediately cut out. I tried several times and got the same results. On a previous occasion when this happened, I phoned the helpline and they were unable to help so I did not phone this time, instead I drove on to Carland Cross.

There was a car at the Carland Cross charger with the driver standing beside it engaged in an animated telephone conversation with, I assume, the helpline, he checked the display several times and disconnected and reconnected his car a few times. There would only be two outcomes, the problem would not be resolved and the charger would be out of action, or it would be rectified and the car would be there for a fair amount of time on charge. I decided to bite the bullet and find another charge point, even though I would have to pay. The Shell Recharge, BP Pulse and InstaVolt networks are free for me to use as part of my all-inclusive electric vehicle rental.

I checked the Zap-Map app to find a charge point and was surprised to find there was one on the Shell Recharge network in Pool at the Copper Coast pub, less than two miles away from where I live. It was not there a few months ago. I had become unconsciously incompetent.

To me the most dangerous places to be are:

unconsciously incompetent – if you cannot see the problem, you are the problem.

unconsciously competent – if things change you may not be aware you are no longer competent and be unaware of opportunities.

Both states are where no learning is taking place. The solution is to surround yourself with a diverse group of people and take part in different activities – travel is a wonderful way of achieving this.

If you want to try an Onto electric car no commitment, all inclusive monthly rental use the code 52aad to get a £50 discount.

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Poor customer services is wasteful

Poor customer services undoubtedly annoys customers and can result in lost sales; however, I want you to think about the impact it has on costs. Poor customer service cost more than good customer service. This simple real-life example I experienced over the last few weeks will illustrate the point.

I have been a customer of the company concerned for 6 months without any problems then at the start of the 7^th month they overcharged me. I telephoned to get it sorted, an 18-minute call, and was told by the very pleasant customer service agent that he was unable to contact the department concerned but would phone me back later that day when he had. Two days later I phoned them, 14-minute phone call, explained the situation and a very pleasant customer service agent said he would have to call me back once he had investigated the situation. Three days later I phoned them and got an answer machine – I left a message explaining the situation and asking for someone to call me.

After another three days I phoned again, a slightly shorter call this time, 13 minutes, and guess what, a very pleasant customer service agent said she would have to call me back once she had investigated the situation. I left it my customary three days and called again. This time it was a shorter phone call, 11 minutes, and joy of joys, the very pleasant customer services agent said, after putting me on hold for a short while, “I can see there has been an error on your account. We can either refund the money or deducted it from your next invoice.” As that invoice is now imminent, I went for the deduction option.

Now look at the cost implications:

Customer service agent 1 – achieved nothing

Customer service agent 2 – achieved nothing

Customer service agent 3 – achieved nothing

Customer service agent 4 – dealt with my query.

So, the company is paying 4 people to do a job that can be done by one person. You may think that is an extreme inference; however, a brief look at the company’s social media accounts showed that my experience was not unusual.

I am sure the customer service agents were trying their best, this is a management and systems issue. Get it right first time, pay out less in wages and have delighted customers.

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The business lesson I took away from the National Running Show

The business bit is towards the end of this post; however, you need to read it all to get the benefit.

Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon – 2015

I was at the National Running Show in the NEC over the weekend of 22^nd – 23^rd January. I loved visiting the stands, meeting up with old friends, making new ones, discovering new products and new challenges. I never expected I would sign up for the Henry VIII’s Wives Virtual Challenge Series, but I have, starting with the Catherine of Aragon’s 99 miles of Dismissal.

One stand that challenged me in a way I did not expect was run by people from the Emancipated Running Crew. I discovered that black people do not feel welcome in my world of running. I was aware that I do not see many people of colour on the trails but had not given it a lot of thought. I know that black people run, I have run the Comrades Marathon several times and therefore been in an event with thousands of black and Asia runners, plus the photograph above is the wallpaper on the screen of my PC monitor.

I believed trail running to be an inclusive sport just like I thought parkrun was inclusive. Parkrun is inclusive if you are white, if you are not there are invisible barriers and the people taking part in parkrun do not effectively represent the community in which they are based. The same can be said of trail running. This is from the Black Trail Runners website: “Running in the outdoors should be for everyone, but although trail running culture imagines itself to be inclusive, it is effectively for the few. Black runners are under-represented in the culture of trail running, and lack a voice in its organisation and visibility in its media. Invisible barriers to access mean that Black people miss out on enjoying our outdoor spaces …”

And in a letter sent to race organisers in August 2020 they said: “Since our launch last month, the response from runners has shown us that our group is meeting a need. Black runners have welcomed the opportunity to join with others who look like them and value their experiences and views. At the same time, the comments of detractors have clearly demonstrated to us that trail running is far from being the inclusive sport many claim it to be. The fact that many people don’t see the problem, is part of the problem, invalidating our lived experiences and those of other Black runners.”

Wow, mea culpa I am part of the problem, I didn’t see the problem. I love trail running and the outdoors and want it to be accessible to everyone. I do not know what the solution is; however, I do know that the start to solving problems, comes from recognising there is a problem, reflecting on it and talking about it.

Reflecting further I thought about the show being in Birmingham, yet almost all the visitors were white, as were the exhibitors with the exception of Black Girls Do Run, Emancipated Running Crew and TYNA, a company that produces sports clothing inspired by traditional ethnic patterns from around the world. Three out of over two hundred exhibitors. I reflected about all the independent shops I sold to and tried to sell to when I was an agent and distributor for sports and outdoor goods, all the owners were white.

Now here is the business bit, if some people don’t feel welcome in your business environment you are missing out on a lot of potential customers. You may think you are being inclusive, but do people of all ethnicities, abilities, disabilities and social backgrounds feel welcome and comfortable in the environment you create. Remember the words from Black Trail Runners “… are under-represented in the culture of trail running, and lack a voice in its organisation and visibility in its media. Invisible barriers to access mean that Black people miss out on enjoying our outdoor spaces …”

Are people missing out on enjoying the benefits of your products or services and are you missing out on the benefits of having them as customers?

Honesty Box

If you like what I say you can buy me a coffee if you want to.

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Think outside of the box to improve efficiency

Many people wake up inside a box (the house), pour cereals out of a box and, after they have had their breakfast, get into a small box (their car) and drive to another box (the office) where they spend most of the day at a desk, usually staring at a screen. They then get back into their small box, drive back to their house box, have a couple of glasses of wine from a box and watch an episode from a box set or watch Gogglebox on the box. They are boxed into a sedentary lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle that causes health problems and sluggishness at work.

Moving about is the best way to overcome those health problems and boost your energy and therefore performance at work. Start simply by moving about in your box (unless it is your car). There are useful apps that can help remind you to get up and move about, for example Interval Timer and Pomodoro or you can use the natural patterns of your working day to help ensure you move about. For example, if there are files or other reference material you use regularly don’t have these within reach, put them somewhere that forces you to get up to reach them. And change your mindset, being tied to your desk doesn’t mean you’re being productive, often getting up and going outside for a walk will reenergise you so when you come back, you’ll work harder and smarter. Overall, even though you’ve spent less time at your desk, you will achieve more.

Getting outside particularly in the natural environment and moving about will help with your mental wellbeing and your ability to cope with stressful situations in the office. It’s not rocket science, it’s just recognising that the human body is designed to move and the brain requires both rest and stimulation. You don’t need to run marathons or enter Ironman competitions, you just need to move about. Weekend warriors who tackle marathons and Ironman competitions can still have health problems if they spend the rest of the week locked in their boxes being inactive.

One final thought when you are outside being active think about visiting a graveyard and read the headstones, I can guarantee you that not one of them will say here lies the best marketing manager, chief executive, salesperson etc. They will say things like here lies a much-missed father, a much-loved mother, sister, daughter, son, brother. So perhaps when you’re outside your box in nature share that experience with important family members and remember you owe it to them to be the fittest and best you can be.

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If you like what I say you can buy me a coffee if you want to.

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Hidden gems

On Saturday I popped into Truro for lunch at the Colours Café. While I was there, I decided to explore the parts I didn’t know; there are lots of small streets and alleyways in Truro. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) currently has a campaign #MyHiddenGems highlighting small businesses that people may not have heard about, hopefully the campaign will increase their footfall. I thought my exploration might reveal a gem or two to posts about on social media and help support the campaign; I am an FSB Area Lead in Cornwall. This summer some of our popular venues are being overrun, so if we can spread the load everyone benefits. I had a fascinating afternoon and found lots of candidates for the campaign, a barber called Jabba the Cutt and a hair and beauty salon actually called Hidden Gem. Neither of those were of direct interest to me; I don’t have any hair and it would take an industrial scale intervention to make me beautiful on the outside. Pollen in the Park, a refreshment kiosk selling vegan cakes, was of great interest to me as was Victoria Park where it was situated, I love green spaces in built-up areas and I love trees. Follow me on Twitter to see what else I found.

My afternoon experience made me think about whether there are hidden gems in our businesses that we simply don’t notice.

Have you had a wander through your customer database, either manually or with nifty software, to see if there are some gems in there that need a polish to make them shine? I bought some nut butters a while ago (I’m vegan), because I had not reordered, despite the company sending me emails at suitable intervals, they eventually sent me an email with the subject line “Edward you’re a tough nut to crack”. That worked, I liked the humour, and the discount they offered me. I’m now a regular customer, waiting for an email saying I am a diamond.

Are there products or services in your offering that could shine out given a tweak so they add a sparkle to your business?

Is there an employee who if given extra responsibility, a new role or training would be a glittering star?

Seek and ye shall find. Matthew 7:7-8

and

Those who do not believe in magic will never find it.

Honesty Box

If you like what I say you can buy me a coffee if you want to.

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By their deeds shall ye know them

The Government recently published a list of employers who have been found to have not being paying the minimum wage. There were 191 employers on that list, which was round 17 of National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, there were similar numbers in previous rounds. There are quite a few household names on those lists; when they are interviewed they blame it on technical breaches. Most are caused by deductions that should not have allowed pay to fall below the minimum. That is simply not a valid excuse for two reasons.

These are large companies with HR and payroll departments which should know the rules and there is no excuse for not knowing them. With each round the government publishes an educational bulletin.
If you pay bang on the minimum, then little technicalities will catch you out; the solution is to pay above the minimum wage. I checked the profits of a couple of companies at the top of the list (easy to do via the Companies House website) one company had profits of £26 million the other £29 million, and that was after some eye-watering directors’ salaries, so they could afford that extra for a safety margin.

The management guru, Peter Drucker, said, “The most important part of communication is hearing what isn’t said”, or to put it another way spoken words make up only a small part of communication. The majority of communication is nonverbal. In fact, some research has shown that up to 93% of communication is nonverbal. And that is what is happening with the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme and the companies on the list. It is not just about their pay rates it speaks volumes about those companies and about our society.

When I see a company on one of those lists, I cross it off my Christmas card list, metaphorically because I don’t send Christmas cards. I also cross it off my shopping list, I will not buy from those companies or use their services; their values are not in line with mine. By their deeds I shall know them; if they are prepared to squeeze as much profit out of their employees as possible by paying them as little as possible and then not even bothering to know the details about those employees’ rights, just think how they are going to treat me as a customer, squeezing as much profit out of me as possible without much regard for me. And just think what they are going to do to the environment; trash it. As a society we allow them to get away with it.

This behaviour is not confined to the UK. This paragraph in a recent article about Coronavirus in Australia caught my attention:

These poorer and ethnically diverse suburbs in Sydney’s west and south west are home to about two million residents. Many are considered essential workers in food, health and other industries.

Poor essential workers – we would rather pay people well for things we do not need than things that are essential. Is that a rational economy?

Being on that list is a big red flag and an indication of profit before people, profit before planet, profit at all costs, as long as they are not incurred by the company.

Honesty Box

If you like what I say you can buy me a coffee if you want to.

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BE QUICK AND WAIT

About six months ago I posted about poor communication losing sales, the post was titled, ‘Don’t waste your money on marketing! if you are going to sabotage what you do’ and the moral of the story was, communicate with your customers and they will stay with you, ignore them and they will leave. This post is about great communication generating sales. Last time it was about lager and cider this time it is about cider and lager.

On Thursday I was checking Facebook when an ad popped up for 3 cases of cider for the price of 2. I currently have a reasonable stock of BrewDog Lost Lager and am expecting a delivery of Toast beer soon, so I don’t really need any more alcohol, but I do like a special offer. I sent the company an email to ask if their ciders were vegan and got on with some work. Three minutes later an email pinged into my inbox saying yes, they are. I fired back “Wow that was quick” and instantly got “It is very nice cider. We just won another 6 awards in the international cider challenge” as a reply. My next response was a bit slower and said, “Just placed an order” and got the reply “Brilliant. It will go out tomorrow as you have missed today’s cut off. Should be with you on Saturday”. Fair enough, it was five thirty in the afternoon.

When I saw the ad I was in a buying mood, had the company responded to my email the next day that would have been acceptable, but I may not have been in a buying mood and had they replied after the weekend I would probably have forgotten all about wanting any cider. The quicker you can respond to an enquiry the more likely you are to catch someone in buying mode.

With face-to-face or telephone selling salespeople sometimes take customers passed the point where they want to buy. Here the mnemonic WAIT – Why Am I Talking? can come in useful. Pick up on the clues and give the customer space to make the buying decision rather than firing more and more sales messages at them.

Cheers – if you have never tasted Natch give it a go – awesome cider.

Honesty Box

If you like what I say you can buy me a coffee if you want to.

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Carpe Diem

Whenever I see ‘Carpe Diem’ I cannot help but think of a fancy dish on a restaurant menu in the fish section. That is the strange way my mind works. It is of course Latin and often translated as ‘seize the day’; it is more than that it is an entreaty for someone to make the most of the present time, which is what this post is about.

It was inspired by what happened recently while I was out running. One of my routes takes me passed a house that has an amazing display when the wisteria is in full bloom. The the display had not yet reached it’s best so I did not take a photograph, deciding to return in a few days to capture it in it’s full glory. Two days later there was heavy rain with a strong wind so I decided to run along a less exposed route; it was four days before I passed the house again. And horror of horrors, all the blossoms had gone, the wind and rain had stripped them away. I should have seized the day and taken the photograph when I had the opportunity and not have put it off until the perfect moment – that didn’t materialise.

And that is how it is in business, if we do not seize the opportunity, the winds of change will snatch it away. While you are tinkering away making your product perfect someone will launch a functioning one that corners the market. If you put off making that call to a prospective customer they may no longer be a customers because they have bought from elsewhere and no longer have a need.

I could go on but I am sure you have got the message – Carpe Diem.

Honesty Box

If you like what I say you can buy me a coffee if you want to.

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