When Will Fax Machines Be Obsolete?

As I am filling out another online registration to attend an industry event, I am once again faced with a *required* field for a fax number. Who the heck uses a fax machine anymore? I mean, I still have one and even put the number on my last round of business cards, but mostly out of tradition. I remember when the fax was my friend. We did stuff together all the time and sometimes we came up with new creative ways to work together. Before email, I used to send faxes to my clients to get their attention. We had entire conversations writing replies and sending the page back and forth. Most of my work came to me by fax as written orders. I sent quotes and letters by fax. We even had fun by faxing jokes and comics to our friends. Yes, the first stop whenever I arrived at my office was to check the fax machine. Good times.

So what’s up these dinosaurs now? I still get those stupid spam faxes touting cruise sales and life insurance. Do these really work? Occasionally I will get a faxed contract or send a W-2 by fax (if requested that way), but law and accounting types are still pretty analog folks. On a side note I recently had a bookkeeper ask me to resend my W2 with my real signature and not the much more secure digital one that was on it. But it has been years since I used fax software on my computer – and I never used an online fax service that received documents that you could view online or print. Today I do not even add fax numbers to my address database.

I know why typewriters hung on long after (but not that long) computers came along – we used them to fix mistakes on computer printed docs or to fill out forms before Adobe Acrobat PDF. Why are faxes still around? A $30 scanner will do everything except talk to a phone line. There is a small convenience factor when faxing a page instead of scanning and emailing. What’s the last step? When can we finally say goodbye?

First, Blame Your Process

“They” won’t let me. Ok, who is “they”? Whoever setup this system. Aah, that “they”.

I am often asked to help companies figure stuff out: Why they struggle with growing sales, how to reduce costs, or which employee to promote are typical discussion points. These talks often revolve around people, and for the most part I let that go on because there is a lot of background information there. Then, when the customer thinks I should have enough ammo to tell them why the challenge at hand is a “people” issue, I let then know that what they have is a PROCESS ISSUE.

In fact, I explain that most difficulties in a company can be addressed by examining and adjusting process. After that, most remaining problems are management’s. When those are cleared up, what’s left – if anything – is perhaps a personnel problem. 70% Process, 25% Management, 5% personnel is my estimate of how it goes down. If you consider that management is generally responsible for process, then 95% of the time they are the culprits. A good friend of mine explained to me when I started consulting that most of the time when I find a problem in a client’s company, it will have started with the person who signed my check.

So, if something doesn’t work and you feel inclined to blame someone – stop and consider that a good process catches human errors and corrects them. We cannot engineer (or mandate, compel, or coerce) mistakes out of people. But we can build in the safety nets we all deserve so that we can continue to be human while collectively putting out a great product.

PS: Process applies to Sales people as well. The highly-motivated, efficient, intuitive, and productive sales person is a one in a thousand find. The rest of the normal world needs processes to help ensure their success. This goes way beyond “Have you made your 40 calls today?”

Job Interviews & Quick Decisions

On the business page of USA Today there was one of those mini polls that asked how long folks took to make up their mind after interviewing a job candidate. I chuckled because I thought “Do people really wait until after the interview to decide?” There was probably a time in my career where I believed that each person deserved a thoughtful process and that quick decisions were somehow unfair. But being a busy manager I learned to trust my instincts and let myself quickly make up my mind – often as I watched the candidate walk from their car to the office door. Yes, no, or maybe.

Yes’s still had a chance to become No’s or Maybe’s. Yes usually meant they passed the gut feeling test on appearance, demeanor, trustworthiness, or potential. Maybe means they haven’t hit any No qualities yet, but had not passed the test on other points. No, means No. Rarely have I let a candidate pull me back from an initial No opinion. And when it did happen, I was wrong half or more of the time. I think my decision-making skills dramatically improved when I stuck to my impressions. Not all candidates are transparent enough to draw a fast decision. Sometimes I needed the point of view of a second quick-decider. If the two of us were Maybe, then the candidate was probably a ‘no’. Skills also come into play, but only after the Yes kicks in. What skill could possibly make me hire a No?

As a manager, I may have seemed arbitrary – but I certainly tried to hide it and always let folks complete the interview. I would also give the candidate feedback if they asked for it. “I saw you toss a cigarette into the bushes; that does not make a good impression.” or “You are interviewing for a Sales job and you didn’t even look at our website.” And I am well-known for giving career advice to folks who ask and will listen. Many of these candidates still keep in touch with me.

For folks who are interviewing, take note. If you get along with a lot of people or a majority of the people you meet, then you have a good chance to avoid the No. Interviews are personal and rejection is also, but the longer you can avoid the No, the better chance you have to make it past the first interview and meet someone who is a Yes. I believe that a majority of folks are Yes’s to someone (doesn’t their Mother love them?), it may take a few rounds to find someone who is looking for your kind of Yes or can overlook the things that might make me say No.

Where Do Breakthroughs Come From?

Have you ever created a cutting-edge, breakthrough, no-one-ever-thought-of-this-before idea and brought it to fruition? No? Well neither have I. But I keep trying. I read a lot of books and articles to 1. Stay Informed, and 2. Get fresh ideas. These concepts help me, help others by broadening my experience and knowledge. You never know what will inspire someone or trigger their breakthrough.

In my line of work I get to see the occasional “aha” moment when someone connects the dots and creates an idea they can run with. I find there are two effective approaches to generating these moments. The first is the traditional “take a vacation and then start anew.” Clear your brain, relax, then inject some outside the box thinking – and voila! Ok, this doesn’t work for that many folks, but it does generate the occasional initiative.

The second and I think more effective method is to alternate fresh ideas and thinking time in medium-sized doses. At business conferences with an agenda of speakers I can absorb a bunch of concepts, maybe connect a few, then talk with others and see what they got out of it. I read a business book and take notes. When I go back to my thinking mode (during a boring speaker or chapter) is when I start to see the lightbulbs go off. Now, when I do get some real downtime I have my inspiration. Often the idea will lose its freshness – which is what you want to happen if it’s not that great of one. Other times, the idea still makes sense and my downtime will evolve and refine it further. These ideas are the keepers.

How you come by fresh ideas is a matter of taste. I know what I experience and observe. When I teach a seminar, it’s generally not the targeted attendee that gets the most out of the session. It’s usually the executive in the back of the room who’s only there because he or she wants to set an example. They are not so much paying attention as letting the words pull their thoughts into new areas. These thoughts become the epiphanies that evolve into great ideas.

So, get some fresh input and start processing.

Beware the Reduction in Services

What are you doing to survive the economy? I hope you are not taking it out on your customers. You better know what they value in you before your company messes with a winning formula.

I went into my favorite local Starbucks yesterday and left disappointed. “Management”, which means from “on high” not the local manager, has decided that they do not sell enough decaffeinated coffee in the afternoons to warrant brewing it. The barista explained that I could have my decaf coffee in 5 minutes, but they do not brew it in the afternoon. “Too much waste.” she was told by the Oracle in Seattle.

In the old Starbucks (remember when they had decaf in the afternoons?), if they were out of brewed coffee, they offered you an Americano for free. My barista offered me an Americano for the price of a coffee. I am sure another edict from the Oracle. I always thought their policy of free coffee was over the top, but then hey, what’s it cost to make a cup of coffee? Apparently – a lot.

I got the decaf Americano. It was poorly made and I poured it out when I got home.

I am not a Starbucks coffee snob. I don’t have a fancy callout drink. I go to Starbucks because I like their strategy. The stores are cool, the service cheerful, the coffee consistently good or better. It’s a respite between where I was and where I will be.

This change told me a lot of things:

1. Starbucks standards for coffee exceed my tastes. If the pot of decaf sits for thirty more minutes (like mine does at home) than prescribed, it should be thrown out. Maybe I should drink at home – it’s cheaper anyway.

2. Customers that drink decaf are not core business. (I actually drink half-caff, but apparently we don’t count either)

3. Those little touches designed to win and keep my business (I always feel like a big shot customer when my cup is comp’d) don’t matter now. Does my business not matter now?

4. The higher level of service and quality have always cost me more money than going to Dunkin Donuts or McDonald’s – shouldn’t I be paying less if services are dropped? For half the price I can go to McDonald’s (or any other fastfood chain that has added gourmet coffee).

So I know the economy sucks. I perhaps treat myself to fewer cups of Starbucks now because of it. I am sure their $6 callout orders have dropped way off. But don’t they want my business when things turn around? Don’t they want my AVAILABLE business?

My advice? Keep the coffee urns full, cut down on comp’d drinks, drop the price a little, show you care by cutting your costs not my service, and thereby maintain some market share. Your coffee is not THAT much better and some McDonald’s are very nice places. But please, don’t make me go there!

Find Ways to be Humbled

The most dangerous place to be is one where you believe your own dope. Once you believe it, you don’t need to defend it; and when you don’t defend it, you stop looking for even better truths. Kevin Kelly’s website is one place that I can go to be reminded that the world will always know more than I do. When I am humble, I can do my best thinking because I will not settle for my own conclusions. Where do you find humility?

I live a life that swings back and forth over a line of balance. Some days I am a genius and other days the fool. I am alternately wise and silly. If I find myself too long over one line, I need to be jolted back. I generally don’t suffer from overconfidence, but when I do there’s a quick solution. A spin around the Internet will ground me and often start a productive intellectual process. For a truly humbling experience, visit KK’s website and read his background. Then wander through the pages that most interest you. There is something here for either side of your brain. You can look at cool technology products for your use or inspiration, or if you can read some of his ideas and share yours with him. This dude is smart and insightful, but he admittedly becomes that way by drawing on his community of readers and a humble lifestyle.

-TR

President shifts stance on business travel

This is great news for a Friday the 13th. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth by the travel and business meetings industry – several top executives got an audience with President Obama. It seems the President listened and understood. See this news story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29667132/

A few poorly placed words by Obama fueled already aggressive media hype and uninformed lawmaker’s grandstanding against incentive and business meetings. The combined result has been devastating to destinations like Las Vegas and Orlando and all the millions of workers that support meetings and live events. Today’s announcement won’t change things overnight, but I hope that the many companies that have canceled meetings and other events will revisit those plans.

Tom Stimson

The Stimson Group

Another Plug for Networking and Travel

This morning I am recovering from several days in the Colorado mountains attending a business retreat. This was exactly the kind even that – if the host was a TARP recipient – would cause hypocritical Senators to make a big stink. The meeting was hosted by a well-known manufacturer of audiovisual and entertainment equipment and attended by executives from its major customers. This company spent a lot of money to ship and install its products in a conference ballroom at a ski resort. The attendees took out valuable time from their businesses to learn about the product line, changes in dealership agreements, and to let the host tout their services. All very good reasons to meet face to face.

But the host provided its customers with something that is priceless. This event (and others like it across the industry) provided unlimited networking opportuntities for the attendees. Competitors, old friends, colleagues, and business partners had a chance to eat, drink, sit, ski, snowmobile, and wait in lines – together. I have a pocket full of business cards to remind me of who I have met and later this morning I will be making notes about things that were discussed.

I made new friends. We shared insights and ideas. As the keynote speaker for this event I was not a huge contributor to the many conversations about day to day business challenges and customer trends, but I was a great listener. I know a lot more about companies from all over North America. They know more about me. We all know more about the host and what’s going on in our industry. Win-win-win.

Will this event change the economy? No, but it helps. Will it affect how businesses ride out the storm? Yes. Will these companies be around for the long term? I think definitely yes. Two for three.

There’s one more upside to this trip. Picture a popular Colorado ski resort, just an hour outside of Denver, the first week of Spring Break. Not what you might think- it was a ghost town. Many of the shops were closed or empty. Only half the restaurants were open and you could get a table at any time of day. The slopes were very uncrowded. We could see two chair lifts from the ballroom lobby and even with six inches of fresh powder overnight only one in ten chairs carried skiers. Our little conference/junket made a huge impact on this resort’s income over these days. Business travel does make a difference.

So, networking trips are good for business and business travel is good for the economy. The attendees are back at their jobs applying ideas and insights. The resort kept dozens of people gainfully employed for another week. The host will have happier customers and will sell more product. Win-win-win…and win.

Tom Stimson

The Stimson Group

www.trstimson.com

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More TARP Madness Threatening the Travel and Events Industry

Sen. Kerry has introduced legislation that would ban all 421 firms including the nation’s largest banks that received money from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) from hosting, sponsoring or paying for conferences, holiday parties and entertainment events.

This is anti-business, anti-growth, and demonstrates just how little politicians know about how to run a company. Sure, there are some stupid things that TARP recipients might do that fall into this list of banned activities, but that does not mean ALL conferences and events are frivolous. This kind of talk goes too far. The petition below recommends that the travel and events industry be allowed to join the discussion and offer some ideas about how best to monitor for junkets.
As fellow industry folks I hope you will click on the link below and it will allow you to easily email your senators and congressmen and women.

http://capwiz.com/nbta/utr/2/?a=12773376&i=91979931&c <http://capwiz.com/nbta/utr/2/?a=12773376&i=91979931&c> =

Here is the petition in its entirety:

I was dismayed to hear that Sen. Kerry has introduced legislation that bans Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) recipients from hosting, sponsoring or paying for conferences, holiday parties and entertainment events. I understand and share the concern that taxpayer funds are being used for questionable items, but Sen. Kerry’s comments amd actions are part of a disturbing trend that paints company travel and events as a picture of lavish, unnecessary parties. When in truth, the vast majority of meetings, conventions and conferences are cost efficient, well planned tools used by companies to drive business and are an economic boon to cities that host the meetings.

The industry recognizes there are concerns with how companies are spending money. My association, the National Business Travel Association has been at the forefront of managed travel for forty years. A well managed travel program ensures companies are following guidelines that include competitive bidding, expense reporting, cost containment, and policy compliance. Exactly the type of transparency and accountability President Obama has called for. The travel industry believes so strongly in the benefits of effectively managed travel that it has published a set of standards that are being recommended to TARP companies. The industry is also working with the Treasury Department to ensure that these real world practices are a part of the solution.

The introduction of legislation and media driven stories are having a chilling effect on the entire travel community, not just TARP recipients. Companies that have never taken a cent of TARP money are canceling meetings and other events because they are afraid of being attacked as wasteful. This hurts the business travel industry, but it also affects the bellman, the maid, the waitress and other hourly employees that will be laid off as these meetings and conventions decline.

As a member of a community that creates $244 billion in spending, 2.4 million America jobs and $39 billion in tax revenue at the federal, state and local level, I hope you will listen to our ideas and suggestions. Let the Treasury Department work with the business travel industry to set guidelines for managed travel. The worst possible step Congress can do now is to ban meetings and conferences. This knee-jerk reaction would not only hurt the targeted companies, it would hurt the entire American economy.

Unemployment Rate Nostalgia

I spoke with a college student the other day on behalf of a professor friend of mine. This young theater student was interested in a career in audio and wanted advice from an old pro in the events business. He was thinking of leaving school. I remember how eager I was at that age to start work and maybe go on the road. Thank goodness that not finishing college was ever an option in my mind. Today the big news is that the unemployment rate is up to 8.1% – the highest since 1983. Where were you in 1983? This was the year I started my professional career and at the time I had no idea there was an unemployment rate or that it would be a really, really, bad time to leave the security of a university job. When I graduated from college in 1982 I hired on at the university to work in the theater and entertainment complex as a stagehand, carpenter, rigger, projectionist, and maintenance guy. We wore a lot of hats, worked 200 events a year, and made a ton of overtime. I earned more than enough money to survive and learned how to do so many things over a year and a half.

So I left benefits, friends, a regular paycheck, and a retirement fund (which had already accumulated enough to make a down payment on a new truck – you actually had to have money to get a loan back then. OMG ) My point is – and I am going to get around to making one – I moved to the big city and found immediate work as a freelance AV technician. This was a long way from pushing road boxes for concerts at the university – I had to wear a coat and tie and I even cut my hair. But pay was good if spotty. And I had time to think and play and live. So, I got even better at my trade.

So my advice to this young man was not to make a run for it. I said stay in school any way you can. I was lucky in 1983. I had drive, work ethic, – and even as scraggly as I looked, I had a college education and practical job experience with a broad set of basic skills. A sharp kid will find work and will even advance his trade for a few years. Then one day he will be passed up by someone with more education. He asked about trade schools and said they were fine, but I would rather see a college degree and know that this person is smart and dedicated enough to have earned all the basic skills a university education brings.

I have interviewed many, many prospective employees and read (or scanned) thousands of resumes over the years. I look for a history of self-improvement and steer away from too many years at the same job. My response to the college kid did not take much thought – it’s just what I believe. I would not trade my choices for any other options, but today’s headlines made me nostalgic about my choices and so happy for anyone who can ride out the downturn in school.