http://realitysells.com/index.php/site/index/ en bill@The800PoundGorilla.com Copyright 2009 2009-02-21T19:53:00-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/how_did_dennys_wind_up_here/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/how_did_dennys_wind_up_here/#When:19:53:00Z The Super Bowl promotion that Denny’s Restaurants cooked up was a doozy: Free Breakfast for the entire country on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd from 6am to 2pm.  No strings, no hassles.  Just a free Grand Slam.  Did it re-establish the chain as the Authentic breakfast choice?  You decide. There were lines stretching out the door and around the corner beginning long before 6 am at many Denny’s locations that morning.  They waited for over an hour in some places, but with the economy hitting some families very hard, the wait was worth it.  USA Today quoted several Denny’s customers from around the country.  Josh Richardson, and out-of-work medical assistant in Greenville, SC, said he waited 40 minutes in 35-degree temperatures for his Grand Slam.  “It’s definitely a blessing,” he said.  “I’ve put in applications everywhere—Wal-Mart, Kmart.  I havent heard nothin’.” Denny’s estimates that 2 million free Grand Slams were served nationwide on that day, and many people were very appreciative.  One of the original value-priced breakfast restaurants, Denny’s was founded in the early 1950’s in Lakewood, CA as a clean, dependable, 24-hour coffee shop.  At that time, the only others in the category were the Howard Johnson’s chain, one-location locals, and a handful of others.  According to USA Today, the chain went public in 1966, and had almost 200 locations in two years.  By 1981, the number had grown to more than 1,000, but others were starting to creep in on their turf. Fast-food giants like McDonald’s began serving breakfast, and by the mid-1980’s, Denny’s was undergoing an identity crisis.  “Who is Denny’s?” was the overarching question amid all the competition.  Comedian Jerry Seinfeld poked fun at the chain in one of his deadpan jokes: “No one actually decides to go to a Denny’s.  You just end up there.” Denny’s found themselves in a difficult position.  Things had changed around them, and finding their new Authentic self wasn’t easy.  Denny’s CEO, Nelson Marchioli, has been thinking about that for the past eight years, ever since he took the top spot in 2001.  When he first started to visit stores back then, he saw a chain in disarray.  Service was unpredictable, the food was less than memorable, and he had a lot of work to do.  “The thing was in a ditch,” he said.  After several improvements, he felt as though he was ready to unveil the “new” Denny’s to the American public in a big way, with an age-old technique called sampling.  The whole promotion, including the 30-second Super Bowl ad, cost Denny’s an estimated $5 million, but its value in publicity and exposure has been calculated by many Madison Avenue ad experts at $50 million or better.  Their new positioning line is, “Real Breakfast, 24/7.” Their ads spoof places like IHOP that squirt clown faces on pancakes, and make a case for a genuine, hearty, value-priced American breakfast without the foofy whipped cream.  Are they on their way back?  In an era of Authenticity, I believe Denny’s is a great case study in Transparency, and has positioned themselves sunny-side up for the future.  Transparency Blog 2009-02-21T19:53:00-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/long_cold_winter/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/long_cold_winter/#When:04:19:00Z It’s been cold out.  Frozen cold.  It is the dead of winter in the midwest and as is customary for this time of year, it is harsh.  Life outside has largely been reduced to dormancy, save a few birds and animals left to forage for food.  The ground is covered in snow, and large parts of ponds and rivers have been capped with ice.  It’s been quite the winter. It’s not just the weather that’s bad, we’re also having an Economic Winter. Just like the outside air, the economy is feeling quite chilly.  Many businesses are trying to figure out how to survive until spring.  Winter never lasts forever, but unfortunately the economy doesn’t follow the same calendar as mother nature.  Winters are often too much for the weak, and even test the strong.  In the wild, skills and instincts work together to provide the necessities for survival.  The Bald Eagle is a perfect example.  As winter settles, and water freezes, the eagles have learned to adapt by roosting near open water.  The rivers of the upper mid-west provide a good source of moving water, particularly around dams.  The eagles have become a tourist draw at several parks and rivers, as they gather in groups of up to 20 or 30 to fish. The eagles survival depends on their ability to change habits and adapt to winter. This is true in your business as well. Here are three lessons we might learn from Eagles: Look for reliable source of sustenance. When the weather changes you have to adapt to the situation, and may require for you to expand your hunting grounds.  Eagles move to open water, which means moving water, because that is where they find activity.  Perhaps it is time to round up some fresh business with some new clients in an industry that isn’t as reactionary to recession.  Where is the economic activity?  Where does business function in spite of tough times?  Think about necessities, get to know the companies and organizations that are more stable, and expand your scope to include some of these active hunting grounds.  Don’t burn unnecessary resources.  When resources are tight, get focused.  Eagles concentrate on getting to open water, and eating.  The rest of the time they conserve, moving only when necessary.  When eagles move long distances for migration, they sail on the wind -riding thermals up and gliding for miles.  The giant birds us as little energy as needed to move a great distance by eating in the morning and traveling with the winds of the afternoon.  Constantly ask yourself the simple question:  Is what I am doing right now adding value to the company?  If the answer is not really, then you better quit burning energy and focus on advancing the business.  Anything short of adding value is taking away value.  Look for ways to save money, follow trends, and expand your customer base. If you catch a fish, hold on - even if you get wet. Eagles are good swimmers.  They have to be for the occasion when they grab onto a fish too big for lift-off.  They are able to swim to shore, drag the fish out, and profit.  This is not the preferred way to land a fish. In a time of plenty, it would not be a big deal to drop a fish and grab another.  But not in the winter, that meal is too important. Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and you have to get wet to save a customer.  In the winter the customer has the advantage, and keeping them is critical.  The business who doesn’t go out of the way for the customer, stands a chance of losing to a company that will.  Serve every customer like they were the ones that made you.  We are in winter.  People are still buying, they just aren’t buying as much.  There must be a reason why they choose you.  The customer will easily move from interested to indifferent.  It doesn’t take doubts long to kill a sale.  If something doesn’t meet all their expectations and needs, the customer will simply move on.  Now is the time to be sharp, develop your expertise, and watch for opportunities.  Be quick to move to open water, and when you do catch a customer, hold on! Repeatability Blog 2009-01-31T04:19:00-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/a_transparent_success_story_the_nbas_miami_heat/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/a_transparent_success_story_the_nbas_miami_heat/#When:16:52:00Z They went from heroes to goats in less than two years, but the Miami Heat chose to respond to their fans in a bold, unique way.  And it’s working. The Miami Heat were the World Champions of the NBA in 2006.  They were the toast of the town, and the NBA’s #1 market in total season ticket sales.  But in 2007, the Heat were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, and now (3/7/08) they’ve dropped to the worst record in the NBA.  From first to worst in such a short period of time is hard to take, especially in a fickle town like Miami.  To make matters worse, it was time to renew the current season ticket holders for another year.  What could the Heat do to restore the faith of their #1 fans? They took a play out of our book, Reality Sells: they chose to be totally Transparent. They created an unprecedented event for their season ticket holders; an exclusive Town Hall Meeting, held at the Heat’s arena, featuring the team’s Managing General Partner (Micky Arison), the President of Business Operations (Eric Woolworth), and the team’s President and Head Coach (Pat Riley).  Only current Season Ticket holders were invited to attend this closed-door session, and attendees could ask any question they wanted of the team’s top three executives.  To make the event even more exclusive, no members of the media were allowed to attend.  *Come and ask us anything about the team and our plans for the future,* they said.  *We want you to know just what we’re going to do, and we want you to feel like an insider.* The three executives were asked a variety of very blunt questions about the team’s performance, their plans for improvement, and reasons why they should renew their seats for another year.  All three were very open and honest about their plans, and Coach Riley even admitted to making several mistakes in the past year that partly contributed to the current state of the team.  After the 2-hour event, all the fans’ questions were answered, the group was encouraged by what they heard, and the event was a real success for the franchise.  Season ticket renewals improved as a result, and the fans are feeling better about the future of their team, because those in charge weren’t afraid to answer the tough questions in person.  It takes guts to be Transparent.  But if you want to be trusted by today’s fickle consumers, being Authentic means not being afraid to reveal who you are on the inside.  Transparency Blog 2008-03-07T16:52:00-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/thank_you_and_no_thank_you/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/thank_you_and_no_thank_you/#When:03:03:00Z The afternoon was packed with things to do.  Errands, a meeting, the post office, and the inevitable unplanned interrupting diversion.  My first stop was to drive through the bank to make a deposit and get some cash.  I signed the check and shot it over to the teller.  She said hello and went about the transaction.  A few moments later the tube returned with the cash.  I stretched out and retrieved the tube, and removed the envelope.  Written on the outside of the envelope was a handwritten note that said: Thank You and the tellers name.  That was a nice thought. It wasn’t a big gesture, but it was one I noticed.  And to be honest, appreciated.  It made me start to think about the little things. Are we spending so much time trying to solve the big problems that we forget the simple little things?  I was now paying attention to the little things. My next stop was to a fast food place for a burger.  An occasional splurge on a real busy day.  The service was slow.  Real slow.  Slow enough for the, do I stay or do I drive off argument to be taking place in my mind.  At the last moment with my brain shouting go, go, go the car ahead of me moved and I arrived at the pay window.  I took a leap of faith and paid the person, hoping that they would actually be able to serve the food I ordered by the end of the day.  The person took my money, closed the window to fend off the cold, and then handed back the change.  The window shuddered closed without a word being spoken.  Not one. No, thank you.  Or here’s your change, or pull forward.  Just cold silence. I often find myself saying thank you to the clerk in these situations just to break the silence.  But not this time.  This time I let the silence hang in the air.  After waiting again, I pulled forward where the second window opened, the food came out, and as the window closed, and the employee turned away.  Again, dead silence.  The whole order took over 15 minutes.  No appreciation for receiving my money, No apology for wasting my time.  Two very different experiences only moments apart.  But because one person decided to take advantage of the simple things, and a couple of others decided to ignore them, I came away with a pleasant surprise, and a bad taste in my mouth.  It is so common for people in business to get wrapped up in large initiatives, big plans, and the thoughts of strategy, that the little things get set aside for later.  We know we need to work on customer service training, but we rationalize that we really should wait to do it when we get the new menu, or that new policy we are working on in place, or at the next staff meeting.  But, the reality is that there is always some little thing that needs to be fixed right now, and in the morning, and the day after.  Resolve to knock out the little things everyday, and the message will get out that you care about the details, and the service you are giving.  Pick up the trash, wash the window, coach the new kid, point out the shortcomings, reward good behavior, clean your desk, make the phone call, walk around and see what is happening. And of course, make sure everyone says thank you.  Repeatability Blog 2008-02-27T03:03:00-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/peeling_back_the_microsoft_curtain/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/peeling_back_the_microsoft_curtain/#When:14:01:00Z The pressure to be Transparent has become too great for even the 800-Pound Gorilla of software.  Microsoft has announced that it will now openly share some of its secrets regarding its popular operating systems and programs over the Internet to anyone who wants to see them.  The announcement came as Bill Gates is preparing to step down as Chairman, and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer looks to move the company into the future. Smart move.  Ballmer and his people see what’s happening in the world, and the old model of a business monopoly just doesn’t hold water any more, especially in the globalized world of software.  Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s chief software architect, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal acknowledging that it’s a different world out there.  *The world really has changed as a function of the growth of the Internet, and how developers are choosing to write applications for it.* Google and others have been openly sharing their technologies online for free, and programmers have been building applications that work with these technologies easily, which means they need Microsoft products less and less.  What Microsoft hopes to do is to make their products easier to integrate for those who use Internet programs and services.  The 30,000+ pages of documents that the outside world has never seen include the Microsoft Office suite of programs and the Windows Vista operating software.  Now that those documents are out of the vault, the real question is: will it be considered too little too late?  The European Union, who has been in a dogfight with Microsoft over alleged antitrust violations, has taken a wait-and-see attitude.  Many programmers have long despised Microsoft and its heavy-handed way of controlling their products.  In our book *Reality Sells*, we advocate being as Transparent as possible from the get-go, so that consumers can feel more confident in their choices.  Sharing information about your products and services may seem like you’re giving away the store, but if done properly, it can integrate you into the mainstream of where all the commerce is taking place.  And we believe a smaller portion of the mainstream is a much better business model than a 100% stake in the desert.  Transparency Blog 2008-02-22T14:01:00-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/whats_your_whopper_by_bill_guertin/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/whats_your_whopper_by_bill_guertin/#When:14:46:01Z If you take something away from a consumer that they love, you’ll see how much brand loyalty they have.  It holds true in your business as well. Burger King just hit a home run. Their recent ad campaign featured a hidden camera at two different stores in Nevada.  The unsuspecting customers were told at the order counter that they could no longer order a Whopper sandwich, because it had been removed from the menu.  *What?  No Whopper?* the unsuspecting customers roared.  *This is the home of the Whopper.  What are you going to put on the logo now - home of the Whatever We Got?* It was exactly the reaction Burger King was hoping for.  It was a hoax, of course.  Their reactions were priceless.  People were stunned, dumbfounded, even outraged.  The ads began running on December 9th. The Wall Street Journal reported today that BK posted double-digit sales increases in the 4th quarter.  The company said the new campaign was largely responsible for *significant brand relevance and incremental sales,* Wow.  Marketers call this technique Deprivation Research.  It involves taking something away that people like, observing their reaction, and measuring their loyalty by the extent of their reaction.  Burger King sure found out whether or not people like their Whopper.  What about your business?  What would happen if YOUR most popular product or service were suddenly no longer available?  What would be the reaction from your customers?  If you had a hidden camera in your business, would you have something strong enough to put on national TV?  In our book, Reality Sells, we posed the question: If you were to close your doors today, what would your customers miss most?  Sadly, the reality is that you and your business are replaceable, because what you do is probably not unique.  We believe the buying public should have at least one solid reason to choose you over all the others in your business category.  The question we pose is: Why You?  If you don’t have a Whopper, maybe it’s time to rethink your Genuine story.  Originality Blog 2008-02-08T14:46:01-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/a_system_of_service/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/a_system_of_service/#When:05:12:00Z There’s a chain of specialty restaurants in America that specializes in chicken wings and good-looking servers in short shorts.  When I think about that restaurant, great customer service is NOT generally the first thing that comes to mind. I learned recently, however, what sort of training that their servers receive, and I’m impressed at its simplicity and its effectiveness.  It’s Repeatability at its very best, which is one of the Laws of Authenticity as outlined in our book, Reality Sells.  There are four Cornerstones to their brand, which each of the servers are reminded of each time they take an order.  It’s actually printed on each of their order pads.  Their four brand Cornerstones are:  The waitstaff - Quality food, cold beer, and great service - Music and ambiance - and Neighborhood restaurant.  This is who they are.  They don’t want to be all things to all people.  They only want to be the very best for those who enjoy and appreciate their brand.  Each server knows that, and it’s clear to them that they’re in charge of maintaining that brand each time they serve a guest.  They’re trained to employ the “4 P’s” when guests arrive.  They are: Position yourself - make sure people know you’re their server; Pay attention - always know what their needs might be at any time; Put on a smile - you are the brand, so give it your best; and Put down a bevnap - get their table ready for the drinks they’re about to order. Servers are trained to use the “Lifeboat Theory” of service, which is a cute metaphor for making sure that all the women and children in the party are served first. There are 12 Steps of Service that their servers use, and each is easy to understand and follow.  They include greeting each guest with a personal “Hello”, acknowledging everyone in the party within 30 seconds of sitting down, deliver drinks within two minutes, and cashing out their check within two minutes of the customer displaying their method of payment.  Too simple, you say?  Not at all.  That’s where the beauty lies.  No forty-step processes that are open to interpretation.  No guessing if they’re doing it right or not.  Simple to learn, simple to teach, and simple to correct if there’s a problem.  Every server knows the system, and they know how to execute it, adding their own personality and pizzazz along the way.  If your “system” suddenly seems loosey-goosey and open to interpretation by whoever’s working that day, think about how you can simplify it for your staff.  When everyone on the team understands their company’s Cornerstones and knows the system, they can consistently deliver on them.  Customers can then experience your brand in the same way each time they visit or call, without surprises or disappointment.  And that’s good for business no matter what’s on the menu. If you’d like to learn more about how you can be more Authentic in your business, you can get our free E-book, 15 Ways To Be More Authentic At Work, by going to http://www.realitysells.com.  Repeatability Blog 2008-02-01T05:12:00-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/advertising_trends_for_2008_authenticity_rises_to_the_top_again/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/advertising_trends_for_2008_authenticity_rises_to_the_top_again/#When:16:58:00Z The Wall Street Journal reported today on five trends that will be shaping advertising for clients and their ad agencies in 2008 and beyond.  One of those trends was reported to be the potential tarnshed image of companies that decided to jump onto the *green* bandwagon in 2007 and didn’t exactly follow through on what they claimed to be.  According to the WSJ, ad executives are predicting that consumers will begin to hold these companies’ feet to the fire with regard to their eco-friendly claims. It proves what we’re saying in our book, Reality Sells: just because it’s trendy to call yourself green doesn’t mean you should.  Authenticity is about being - and telling others - exactly who you are.  Those who dont tell it like it is will be skewered in todays uber-connected communities, online and otherwise.  If you really ARE green, say it loud and say it proud.  If youre not, customers are smart, and they will figure you out.  Dont get caught in the trap of telling people what they want to hear.  Instead, develop and deliver the Genuine story of who you really are.  Create your ad campaigns for 2008 based on our Four Laws of Authenticity - Freedom, Originalty, Transparency, and Repeatability - and the word-of-mouth army will likely sing your praises instead of shouting for your head.  Originality Blog 2008-01-03T16:58:00-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/trutv_reality_actuality_or_authenticity/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/trutv_reality_actuality_or_authenticity/#When:19:32:00Z What’s the difference between being Authentic and being something else?  ----- Tomorrow (1/1/08), Time Warner will replace their Court TV cable channel with the debut of TruTV, a non-stop barrage of what they call *real-life adventure* programs.  Time Warner has used hundreds of its own 30-second time slots on its other cable channels to promote TruTV, and has taken out upside-down full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal with the caption, *What makes real-life stories exciting is that theyre unpredictable.* The tagline for the channel is *Not reality.  Actuality.* Which begs the question: What’s the difference? Quite a lot, actually.  In reality TV, the settings are staged for a certain kind of predictable unpredictability.  The background is fabricated, but the participants are the focal point; viewers want to see the jilted bacherlorette sobbing, the nanny pulling out her hair, or the partners bickering about the direction to take in a race.  In actual TV, the situations are one-time occurrences that can’t be staged, such as a natural disaster, a courtroom verdict, or a sports drama with unforeseen consequences.  Since successful business practices often imitate popular culture, what can we learn from all this?  Should a business focus on reality or actuality? Neither.  It should be focused on Authenticity, which is at a much higher level. Customers today want to do business with those whose values align with theirs, whose strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified, and whose buying experience remains consistent from visit to visit.  The Four Laws of Authenticity (Freedom, Originality, Transparency, Repeatability) are what businesses should focus on improving in the New Year and beyond.  Let 2008 be the year of TruYou, and may our Four Laws help you get there.  Learn more about them at http://www.RealitySells.com.  Freedom Blog 2007-12-31T19:32:00-06:00 http://www.realitysells.com/site/reality_is_selling_and_authenticity_is_winning/ http://www.realitysells.com/site/reality_is_selling_and_authenticity_is_winning/#When:17:56:00Z Three hundred Spartans, at war against a million Persians.  The battle is ancient, but the movie is modern. When “300” was released in early 2007, the epic war film of the Battle Of Thermopylae, the critics were appalled; blood, gore, devoid of a plot, and ‘more severed meat than you’d find in a Brazilian steakhouse,’ they howled. Then the movie opened.  Consumers responded.  And in two days’ time, the critics words were like the Persians, lying in bloody heaps on the ground.  People loved the movie; they passionately spread the word to their friends and their cyberfriends, in their blogs, and on their online forums.  They ignored the critics, if they had ever heard them at all, and showed up at the theatres in droves. For a movie slated for mediocrity by the experts, “300” grossed $70 million in its first weekend, far outpacing the second place movie at $27 million.  With its release on DVD and in rental outlets, it has gone on to gross over $300 million in its first nine months. What the critics forgot was that they aren’t the movie-going public.  You are. Consumers are now in love with authentic communication that is unfiltered and unbiased.  The explosion of electronic communication like text messaging, IM, and blogs provide strong evidence that hype is no longer hip.  Reality TV, the ultimate unfiltered mass entertainment vehicle of the new millennium, is the anti-script.  The stars are now everyday people, and the influencers are now consumers with keyboards. People care what others with similar interests think, and it has never been easier to discover what they are thinking, what they like, and what they don’t like.  This is the new advertising; it’s word-of-mouth to the millionth power. Ironically, the more we communicate in open, honest “wiki” ways, the more we become repulsed by hype and empty promises, as consumers and as business owners.  Those salespeople stuck in the tired, plaid tactics of the past are finding it harder and harder to sell with Reality.  They wave their arms around, obliviously blaming the economy, the competition, and the new guy for their lack of results. Those who have found Authenticity are winning. In business, Reality = Authenticity.  Authenticity is being real about what you do, the promises you are making, and who you are.  Unlike charisma or charm, Authenticity is attainable through practice.  Utilizing your assets, forging an original story, being open and honest, and being consistent are all components of discovering your Authentic story. We created the Four Laws of Authenticity to help you discover – or re-discover – that wonderful, powerful and GENUINE story that the public wants to hear today.  These Four Laws – The Law of Freedom, The Law of Originality, The Law of Transparency, and The Law of Repeatability – are critical for you to learn and understand if you are to be perceived as one that others can trust. When you become Authentic, you and your business become more interesting.  You get much better at starting conversations.  You learn how to bridge your personal experiences with your sales message.  You stay focused on the attributes of the brand that meet your customers’ needs.  And you become more successful at whatever it is you do. Reality Sells.  How real are you?  Originality Blog 2007-12-07T17:56:00-06:00