You’re fired!

I’ve never really been a fan, but for some reason I’ve been following this season of Celebrity Apprentice. I know it’s a TV show, but I’ve been particularly fascinated by Donald Trump’s boardroom demeanor, primarily his way of taking the emotion out of decision making.

Even when the celebrities get all riled up, Trump keeps his cool, goes through the details of their performance, and then drops the “You’re fired.” bomb out of no where. No blinking. No apologies. He just does it.

As a small business owner (SBO) one of my greatest flaws is keeping the emotions out. I know I’m justified in being emotional… this enterprise is my family’s sole source of income and is the basis for all of our futures. Heavy lifting, if you get my point. But keeping decision making emotion-free is critical. Emotions cloud judgment and cause us to make poor, irrational choices.

One area that can be particularly emotional for SBOs is in customer relations.

Some customers are a dream… they are fun to work with, their expectations are reasonable, they don’t haggle on price, they pay on time, etc. etc. Others are not so wonderful. They demand more for less and quicker, and then they are slow to pay the tab. What is a SBO to do, though; we need all the customers we can get, right?

Not so. A blog I read recently said it wonderfully, “The customer is always right -- if it's the right customer.” Good customer service is a must, but you’re just not going to be able to please everyone and for plenty of perfectly normal reasons.

One of the greatest necessities in a client relationship—especially for those of us in a service industry—is chemistry. You and your customer need to like one another on a personal level in order for your professional relationship to really work.

But let’s say you’ve begun working with a client and it’s just not sparking. Or, worse, sparks are turning into flames, but not the good kind. What do you do?

Fortunately we haven’t been in that situation too many times at Emogen, but we have had to “fire ourselves” more than once. In those instances, we contacted the client and explained our decision and the basis for it. We also provided recommendations for our replacement and offered to assist with the transition (providing files, data or artwork) to their new provider.

I feel confident in saying that the times we’ve had this discussion, the client recognized the situation for what it was and was ok and maybe even a little surprised that we would direct them to a new provider and assist in establishing that relationship.

It’s really ok that you can’t work with everyone. It’s normal. Instead of becoming a slave to a bad pairing, though, take a lesson from Trump and remove the emotion from the situation. Ask yourself if the extra effort required for the relationship is going to be worth it in the long run. If not, then it’s probably wise to call it quits.

-Sarah, Emogen marketer

Which Way Do I Go, George?

Emogen began as a one-man operation that focused mainly on outside sales, so our first location was relatively simple… a glorified office, really, and it was set up as such. There was a desk just about centered in the room and a couple of visitor chairs facing it.

Brian quickly recognized, though, that as customers entered they were immediately unsure of where to go. What’s funny is that it couldn’t have been more than 500 sq.ft., so it wasn’t like you were trying to find a salesclerk in Wal-Mart.

The problem was that people didn’t know if they should approach the desk or wait to be invited. They didn’t know if they should stand or sit. They didn’t know where to wait when he was on the phone. It was comical, except for the small issue of a customer’s first experience with Emogen being extreme discomfort. Not the ideal first impression!

So Brian brought in a simple glass displace case and, like moths to a flame, customers knew exactly where to go. They were happy to stand at the counter and wait on him to invite them to sit down. If he was on a call, they were occupied looking at stuff in the case. They knew how to behave when afforded the cue of a front counter.

We as consumers have been conditioned how to behave in a retail environment or office space. That training has given way to expectations, and when those expectations aren’t met we can get frustrated with the shopping experience.

As a business owner or manager, it’s easy to set up shop in a manner that’s convenient for your operations. Though, if customers or clients regularly visit your location, I advise you to reconsider and create your layout to satisfy their expectations.

-Sarah, Emogen marketer