Continental Who's Who

Stop Chasing Money And Become More Successful

There is an old saying that goes: “If you chase money, it will run away from you”. Another saying: Our personal and professional life, our success is not measured by how much money we make. What I’ve discovered is both statements are true.

Money is not a measurement of success; it is a byproduct. Because success is measured by how many lives we change with our products and services. Building a culture, your values and goals, goes hand in hand with creating success stories. If there is any one key to success this is it. The size of your bank account is a direct result of your customer’s happiness. Too often companies ask the question HOW do we get more clients.

•      The real question is WHY will they buy from you?

•      What is your unique selling proposition?

•      How are you different from everyone else?

•      Ask yourself are you giving your customers a WOW experience?

No one wants to be sold the mediocre. In fact, no one really wants to be sold. We like buying but hate the sales person who’s only goal is to get you to buy a product whether it benefits your needs or not. Giving your customer the WOW experience really comes down to how you treat your employees, because they are the ones that give your customers the WOW experience. This goes back to the culture of your business. Are you encouraging your employees to grow, share ideas, do they feel a sense of belonging and purpose? You can’t deliver what the customer needs if you are stifling your employees. You have to know your employees, what drives them, do they even like your products. That may sound strange, but people often take a job because they need the money not because the opportunity is their dream job. How many times have you walked into a restaurant or department store and been ignored or have the waiter or clerk look as if they were too busy to give you service?

Everything you do and everything your employees do represents your company. Unless you, as the employer take the initiative to make the position a WOW experience for the employee, your customer could be suffering. Notice I said WOW EXPERIENCE. WOW is not just acknowledging the employee or the customer. It’s giving them an experience to let them know they are an important part of the organization. Recognition for a job well done is crucial to creating meaning and purpose for the employee, in other words keeping the employee engaged/committed to the organization. It is one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to improve retention thereby saving money and being more successful. Yet a study by Bersin and Associates found that 58% of employees were not aware that a recognition program existed in their organization.

You may believe that money is the main reason for employee turnover, however, Leigh Branham, author of” The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave,” cites that even through 89% of managers believe money is the main cause of turnover, actually 88% of employees quit their jobs for reasons other than money. Without the WOW experience companies suffer with issues like employee retention, a specialty of mine and that digs into the company’s bottom line from both the cost of hiring new employees and inability to retain customers because of employee dissatisfaction. I spoke with a client recently, who was making a job change after being with her company for20 years. The values and goals of the company had changed from when she first started. Employees were no longer viewed as assets rather they were there only to bring in money for the company. Employee retention was down as the company frantically searched for the rainmaker. When you give your employees a WOW experience, they will give your customers a WOW experience who will in turn take care of your success. Finally, Reinvent everything often! Yourself, your company, your products and services. This is a rule I firmly believe and live by.

•      We live in a world that changes in the blink of an eye. Just think about cell phones – you can barely walk out of the store and a new phone is being released and that goes for anything technical!

•      Customers want and expect new and shiny!

•      To give them that you must be passionate and reinvent yourself, your company and your services frequently.

•      Be innovative and relevant to the times.

•      You can’t be stuck in yesterday’s thoughts and survive in today’s market. Thoughts like “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” or “Facebook is for the millenniums” will kill your company.

•      From Charles Darwin: It is not the smartest or the most intelligent that survives, it’s those that adapt to change. Change — reinventing, is an inevitable fact of life.

It is an integral part of success. Humans are creatures of habit and— we love our comfort zone — change sends alarm signals to our brain that in turn causes us stress. We start to question our ability to survive the change. It’s a Catch-22. Nature has determined those that change are the ones that survive, yet our brains warn us to stay safe and not change. The truth is safety – comfort does not create success. Think about the man who confronted a gunman and stopped an early-morning shooting at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville. He probably would have died if he had not taken action. I know this is a dramatic instance, but what will happen to your company if you don’t take action and implement change? Success comes from stretching ourselves, evaluating the risk and going for the opportunity. It comes from knowing that failure is an opportunity for growth. It’s OK to fail, the key is to learn from the failure and apply that to the next opportunity. Positive change creates success, allows for better decision making and the potential to become the best we can be. Growth is a choice. Therefore, success is a choice. The way we grow is not in a room by ourselves but with someone who has been down the road we want to travel. Utilize resources — a coach, mentor, a mastermind group, my book — embrace the change that leads you to your highest success. My hope is that I created some questions that allow you to look at the road to success in a unique and innovative light. One that when traveled will bring you to the success you deserve.