The Heart Of Business

By Craig S. Galati

A few weeks back, I wrote, “Being a Professional” in which I illustrated two current issues I was struggling to address.

The first involved a client concerned with the politics of a situation affecting his project. The second involved a client who, in my opinion, was making shortsighted decisions that were not in the best interest of meeting her long-term goals.

I contrasted a situation from years ago where I didn’t insist more strongly in following my beliefs and the client was unhappy with the outcome even though I had told them of the potential problem that would result from the client’s decision.

I was able to speak with each of these clients over the past couple of weeks. I spoke with conviction, I spoke from the heart and I demonstrated the potential ramifications of these decisions. And then I listened. I heard their concerns clearly and was able to develop empathy for the situations of each of them.

Neither client ended up accepting my perspective as reality, but having taken the time to really understand them, I was in a much better position to help them. In both cases, together we mapped out a better approach to the situation. Together we developed a solution that met my client’s goals and satisfied my concerns as their design professional. And both clients thanked me for caring about them and having their best interests in mind. They also appreciated that I helped them look at the issues with new perspective.

These two issues, which were both personally stressful, helped me develop a greater bond with my clients, and I was able to demonstrate to them how much I cared about them and their projects. This interaction reinforced some things that I have always believed.

People don’t let you help them until they know you care about them. The threshold for demonstrating how much one cares is different for every client one interacts with. But until you cross this threshold, clients are unsure if they should share all of the information one needs to help them. There must be a strong bond of trust developed between a professional and his client. Until this trust is developed, the client is also unsure how much one can help them. Showing you care about your client will help build this trust and will help you move from a vendor relationship to a partner relationship with your clients.

Clients don’t always see the whole you. Many clients hire a professional for a specific task or service. In doing so, they evaluate the professional based on experience, technical ability and approach to solving their problem. Noted management professor Edgar H. Schein defines this as the “Expertise Model” where the client purchases an expertise from a consultant. In this case, the client has self-diagnosed his problem and is looking for a consultant to provide his expertise to implement his strategy to solve it. In this case, expertise rules the day. Not that the client doesn’t care about your personality, fit for your organization or your level of care, but they usually view these through a problem-solving paradigm or viewpoint. That is why initially the client relationship feels contractual. It is much later in the relationship that you get to know the client better and the client gets to know you, and the client relationship feels more like a partnership.

Sometimes it takes courage to do the right thing. General Norman Schwarzkopf said, “You always know the right thing to do; it’s doing it that is difficult.” Your clients are not always right, but in business we have been conditioned to think that they are always right and to just do what they ask of us. Arguing with clients rarely changes their opinion, but clearly understanding why they believe what they do takes courage and conviction–and is the key to figuring out how best to help them. It is much easier and faster to just do what your clients tell you to do. But is that the real reason they hired you? Have the courage to take the time to understand your clients so you can be your best for them.

I had an experience a few years ago with a civil engineer that cemented my beliefs regarding this issue. I asked him to grade a site a certain way. Unbeknownst to me, he disagreed with this request but never confronted me or told me why it was a bad decision. He just did what I asked because I “was the client,” he later told me. Luckily, the issue came to light, we were able to make changes and the project was successful. If the engineer had had the courage and conviction to address this in the moment, we would have both saved valuable time and money not reworking the solution.

I’d like to hear from you:

• Why do you think many professionals just do what the clients tell them to do?

• Do you know of any techniques to help you get to know clients sooner?

• How do you demonstrate care to your clients?

Until next time …

Craig

By Craig S. Galati

Business, as in life, is full of issues, relationships and different thoughts, ideas and approaches. One of the keys to getting things accomplished lies in one’s ability to cut through these issues and differences to work with others collaboratively for the higher good.

Watching Congress grapple with the financial bailout plan this past week brought to mind a now infamous quote by embattled Los Angeleno, Rodney King: “Why can’t we just all get along?”

Our Congress appears unable to put its petty differences aside to work collaboratively to find a solution to the financial crisis facing our nation. Where one stands on the issue is irrelevant to the point I’m trying to make, which is: people should work together to do the best job they can, regardless of their personal feelings toward each other. This is especially true in times of crisis. Who’s to blame doesn’t help solve the issue at hand. Playing the blame game during situations like this only polarizes positions and keeps the parties from working together.

I’ve used Congress as an example of something that happens all too often in daily business situations. People, for some reason, feel the need to take positions, to posture and point blame. What would the world be like if we could put our petty differences aside? I imagine that I can hear the world’s collective stress level diminish just like a balloon releasing air.

Here are some things to consider:

Blame doesn’t move a team closer to resolution. When a group is working on a project or trying to solve a problem, it really doesn’t matter who caused the problem at hand. What really matters is that the parties resolve the issue and work together for the greater good. When you are working as part of a team, remind everyone of the team’s purpose. It almost certainly is not to judge and blame each other. Once you have resolved the issue facing the team, it is good to understand what caused the issue, not to assess blame, but to learn from the situation. Once the issue is resolved, there will be less emotion and a clearer heads will prevail.

Personal viewpoints aren’t always good for your organization. An individual’s personal agenda or viewpoint might be important to that person but when working with a team or on a broader issue, it is irrelevant. The problem is that most people have a difficult time putting their individual feelings aside. As a team member, it is important to keep the overall perspective paramount and to encourage your colleagues to do the same.

One’s ability to get things done lies in one’s ability to forget. I’m sure that you have heard the saying, “forgive and forget.” The ability to put that saying into practice is of particular importance when working with a group or within an organization. You will not always like the way others behave one on one or within a group setting, but you will undoubtedly need to work with some of these folks in the future. Holding a grudge or being unable to let go of your opinion regarding their behavior will inhibit your ability to work with the group. Let it go. Forget about it.

I’d like to hear from you:

• Do you have any advice on how to put one’s differences aside?

• Have you worked with someone who cannot put aside differences? What did you do? What was the long-term outcome or result of this behavior?

Until next time …

Craig

By Craig S. Galati

I remember years ago advising a client against constructing his building a certain way because I believed it would cause him problems in the future. He did not want to heed my advice and, against my better judgment, I agreed and prepared the design documents the way he wanted them completed.

A couple of years later, I got the call. The client was experiencing the problem I had originally predicted. Although I should not have said anything, I reminded him that I had advised him not to do it that way. His response was, “You should have told me harder!” This response led to his questioning why, if I truly believed that he shouldn’t have done it his way, I did it anyway.

I didn’t bring this up just now to toot the “I told you so” horn, but rather to illustrate the appropriateness of his question. Why did I do it in a way I thought not to be best?

As professionals we are confronted with this choice every day, and we need to ask ourselves whether the client is always right or do we, as professionals, have a higher order of duty not just to bow to our clients’ desires and just do what they want us to?

Back to the initial client’s problem. The system I designed for the client met the building code, it was safe and it was not unethical or immoral in any way. Yet, I had suspected that it would not perform the way the client wanted or hoped it would, and it didn’t. Earlier in my career, I thought meeting the client’s needs was good customer service. I still do, but now, through experience, I know that just doing exactly what the client tells you to do can actually be a disservice to him.

Today, I am faced with two similar situations. In both cases, although for different reasons, I have been asked to do something that goes against what I deem the right thing to do.

The first situation involves a client not willing to fight the politics of a policy issue even when they know the project will be compromised. Giving in to the politics of this policy will not only affect this issue but will have far-reaching ramifications for other important projects.

The second involves a client, who, in an effort to save money, is not following his long-range plan that he believed in and endorsed. His decision today will actually cost him more in the long run to achieve his vision and will render the long-range plan very difficult to implement.

I’m not sure exactly what I am going to do this time around. Neither of these situations will result in a terrible outcome, but neither will reach their potential and neither are best for my client.

One thing I do know I will do is “tell them more forcefully!” I’ll let you know in a few weeks how it turns out.

I’d like to hear from you:

• Have you encountered a similar situation? What did you do?

• Is it right to disagree with a client if you don’t believe his desired outcome is as good as it can be, even though it meets the letter of the law, is safe and is not unethical or immoral?

Until next time …

Craig

By Craig S. Galati

I had the good fortune of being a judge for the Society for Marketing Professional Services’ 2008 Marketing Communication Awards. I was one of four people who judged the Firm Brochure category. There were more than 40 submittals from firms of all sizes and locations.

While the quality of the submittals was high, one of the things that stood out was how similar the brochures were. Some of the submittals had better graphics and copy than others, but the essential messages were identical. The construction firms’ submittals looked similar, the engineering firms’ submittals looked similar and the architectural firms’ submittals looked alike. I imagined that all the firms’ owners dressed the same, talked the same and led in the same manner.

Viewing these brochures made me think about a very successful concept of marketing these firms had forgotten — the concept of differentiation. All of these firms had become the same firm, with the same look, the same language, the same message, and the same services. And while I do not have data on which to base this, I suspect that other professional service firms such as lawyers, accountants, and management consultants look similar, too.

Why have all these firms become so similar? Are they sending the message to the marketplace that the firms want, or the one they think the marketplace wants to hear? Are they all using the same marketing consultant? What role have professional associations played in the professions becoming isomorphous?

Think about the following:

Don’t write it if you don’t live it. Is there any firm today that doesn’t have a section in its marketing material about being “green?” But how many firms that claim “greenness,” really don’t believe it or live it? In my review of the Firm Brochure category, every single firm stated emphatically how it had embraced sustainable building principles, how it had LEED-accredited professionals, and one even called itself, “the LEEDer in sustainability.” Some even touted their “greenness” on single-sided, non-recycled content paper in large format and multi-colored inks. In reviewing the submittals, I could tell clearly who was really embracing sustainable design and who was just telling me what they thought I wanted to hear.

Make your marketing material as unique as you are. Seth Godin, in his book, “Purple Cow,” tells the story of driving through France with his family and seeing hundreds of beautiful cows in the pastures along the roadway. At first he and his family were enamored by the cows, but after a while, the cows became boring. The same old brown cow, one after another. That is when he thought about the Purple Cow: the cow that stood out from the others and was noticed.

Thank goodness we are not all brown cows. Our firms are all unique and our marketing material should reflect our uniqueness. Remember that clients will see you as a “Purple Cow” if your uniqueness matches theirs.

Don’t blindly follow the newest fad or trend. We all know the person who, upon reading about the newest marketing trend or fad, develops a new marketing piece that uses that technique. And then, a few months later, it’s on to something else, abandoning the last trend. How does this firm develop an enduring brand without an enduring method and message? With access to so many books, websites, and blogs with good information and advice, it is very difficult to stay focused on your message, but it is essential not to get caught up in creating an ever-changing brand promise.

With today’s economy challenging us more than in the past, it is important to remember that your firm needs not just to stand out, but to stand out in its own unique way.

I’d like to hear from you:

• Do you have examples of how you differentiate your firm in the marketplace?

• What role do you believe professional societies have played in professional service firms becoming isomorphous?

Until next time …

Craig

By Craig S. Galati

How are you? 

K U 

Good, what are you doing? 

NM wot up 

Trying to get some work done.  How’s your brother?

K 

Thanks for being so talkative today.

W/E  K  lol 

This is a typical text message sequence between my 14-year-old son and me.  Thank goodness that I have a text message dictionary. While I don’t mind communicating with him this way, it does make me wonder if the art of writing will disappear with the next generation.  Will the next generation be able actually to construct a sentence?  Perhaps, but one thing is for sure: text messaging has created a new language.  I just hope that our society doesn’t lose the ability to communicate through writing. 

Today, in business, much of our communication is still through the written word.  While we may use e-mail, instant messaging, and texting to communicate during the business day, these media do not give us license to forget the correct use and spelling of words. 

Even though the tone is more conversational, the proper use of punctuation and grammar is still important. Here are some of my pet peeves regarding written language: 

Moot vs. mute.  A point is moot (not important or relevant).  A person can be mute (can’t speak).  Issues are rarely mute unless they involve being unable to speak.

Due diligence vs. do diligence.  Due diligence is a practice whereby reasonable steps are taken to investigate something.  It is used mostly in the context of buying or selling something.  Do diligence is an action oriented phrase that really doesn’t make any sense. 

Orient vs. orientate.  One can orient a building on its site.  One can orient one’s self to an issue.  Although recently accepted as a substitute for orient, orientate is really not correct. 

Sit vs. set.  People, animals, and some things have the ability to sit down, sit there, or sit awhile.  It takes an action to set something down.  We can certainly sit and talk for a while, and you can set a cup on the table next to us. But we won’t set down to talk.

Definitely vs. defiantly.  One would presume that there is a large difference between being sure (definite) and being rebellious or uncooperative (defiant).  Imagine if your boss thinks you are being uncooperative when you were really telling him you were positively sure about something.

Conscious vs conscience.  When one is aware of something, mindful of a situation, or awake he is considered conscious.  A conscience is one’s inner voice.  We can be conscious of our conscience, however. 

Its vs. it’s.  These are some of the most misused words in the English language.  “Its” is possessive where “it’s” is a contraction for “it is.”  These are difficult words to use correctly.  I was taught to say the contraction out loud as “it is” to make sure the sentence makes sense.

Writing is very important in business if we want to communicate effectively.  Take the same time and care composing everything you write, even if it is an e-mail, instant message or a text.  

I’d like to hear from you: 

– Do you have other examples of language mistakes?

L8TR.  ROFL. 

Craig