I love to share and teach through telling stories. My stories are often short blurbs told through blogs and images. For years, when writing blog posts, I have proudly stated for that I write like I speak.  I believe in writing in this voice and firmly maintain that on many levels it facilitates a two-way conversation between my readers and me.  My readers often tell me it’s an almost seamless cross over from reading my blog to talking to me in person. I love that and it’s not something I want to change.

Having said that, in everything you do there are times when you realize you have to go back to the basics.  Right now, for me, that involves boning up on my basic grammar. I am, admittedly, a social media junky – blogs, Facebook and Twitter. I love the constant communication and ease of use, but I hate what it’s done to my writing!

When I first started using these tools (mostly Twitter and Facebook), I cringed at every misspelling and poor wording.  I’d tell myself I’m smarter and better educated than that – get it together!  Somewhere along the line, I stopped caring as much. Was it when I saw other very smart people making the same mistakes or when I realized people understood the meaning of what I was saying even if it was written awkwardly?  I’m not sure, but it certain has come back to haunt me!

A friend contacted me about an opportunity in which he thought I’d be interested.  I immediately jumped on it and sent out an introductory email to his acquaintance.  I then heard back from my friend that he was told my email was riddled with typos and I wouldn’t be getting a response.  I couldn’t believe it and was shocked.  Then I got a sinking feeling in my stomach and the word “Grammar” loomed over my head.

Proper use of grammar has always been a weakness. I can either have a dearth or a plethora of commas in my writing.  I have finished sentences with the word for and other similar such mistakes.  This time, though it was a direct wake up call.  I’m a very smart girl and I hate looking dumb but it’s even worse if I drag someone else’s reputation down with me.

I took steps to remedy the situation as best I could.  There are times when you still need your Mom to help you in a jam, especially when she was an English Major and teacher!  I sent her a copy of what I sent out.  We went over everything line by line. I kicked myself the whole way through, as I knew most of what she was telling me.  I then sent two apology notes. One to my friend expressing dismay and apologies for any embarrassment this may have caused him.  The other was to his acquaintance, in which I owned up to my mistakes and asked that he not use this experience to taint any other references my friend may make.  I received a thank-you note back from both of them.

So going forward, I will still use my “speaking” voice when I write, but I am going to work on cleaning up the framework.  I also need to take into close consideration who my final reader is.  In this case, it was not someone in the social media world, but a more formal connection.  I am also looking for a good, basic, remedial grammar book (open to suggestions here).  I never want to be embarrassed like that again!  My take away from all this is two fold: 1) Always remember to and for whom you are writing and 2) Grammar – the rules DO still count!!

It was the winter of 1988.  I was 16 years old, living in New Zealand and a virgin.  A Rocky Horror Picture Show virgin.  For the uninitiated, that means I had yet to have my first Rocky Horror experience.  I knew nothing about the rice, toast and water guns.  Not even an inkling of the costumes both in and out of the audience!  All I knew was, I had the ok from my host parents to go the theater in downtown Wellington for the live midnight show!  Seriously what 16 year old wouldn’t have jumped all over that?!?  We piled 7 or 8 of us into a small sedan and away we went!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released in 1975 to a resounding thud!  I kid you not, the cult classic almost never got off the ground.  It was relaunched as a midnight movie in NYC in the spring of 1976.  There was something magical about the midnight timing.  It was soon noted that the movie had a following of regulars – fans, if you will.  Somewhere along the line, these fans where shouting out lines, dancing in the aisle and dressing up as characters.

By 1979, mainly because of the fan interaction, the movie was a viral phenomenon.  (Imagine that – something going viral before the age of internet…)  Everyone wanted to be in on it and have the Rocky Horror experience. Rocky Horror became the phenomenon it is because the theater owners were brave enough to allow the fans to take ownership of the movie experience.

Today, social media is what everyone is buzzing about in the marketing world.  Marketers talk about how the brand story can no longer be solely defined by the company.  You must now allow customers/fans to have a part in the story telling.  They talk about not only encouraging, but finding ways to promote fan interactions – be it by twitter, facebook or blogging.

Fan interaction is not a new thing.  Rocky Horror would never have become what it is without it.  Any marketer today would give their left ear to have the fanatical, interactive, word of mouth spreading, fans Rocky Horror had in it’s heyday!  What is new are the tools fans use and the speed of how things can go viral.

Are you allowing your fans to own part of your experience?  Today, as in the past, it takes brave, smart leadership to allow chapters of your brand story to be told by your fans – the growth of your company depends on it.

I’ve been thinking about bathrooms lately.  Bathrooms speak volumes about your business!  It gives an intimate look into your thought process and perceived work ethic and can be easily overlooked by a busy business owner.  (Stay with me – I promise this will make sense!!)

It was Monday morning and I was busy cleaning and getting ready for an afternoon meeting.  Time was getting short and I was running through my head what absolutely needed to be done and what could get away “with a wink and a promise”.  Looking at the rug in the meeting room I knew I could literally sweep the dirt under it and my client would never ever know.  Likewise I could put all the unread newspapers under the couch and she’d be none the wiser (neither of which I did by the way).  But what I knew, without fail, was the bathroom had to get a complete head to toe cleaning.  I also knew, it was highly likely that my client would never even catch a glimpse of my bathroom.  That didn’t matter, the bathroom had to spotless.

Years ago, I went to a newly opened hair salon.  They had beautiful signage, obviously thought about the decor and layout and made every effort to insure a great customer experience.  Until it got to the bathroom….  In the bathroom so many extra robes were hanging from the door it made it difficult to open and close, some of the bulbs were burnt out and the pedal garbage can was broken so you had to open it with your hands.  I was just happy I didn’t have to contend with the bathroom doing double duty as a storage room full to the ceiling with boxes.  With this one experience my perception of this salon changed.  Where before, I was impressed with their attention to detail – their lack of attention in the bathroom had me wondering where else things had fallen through the cracks.  Now I was on the alert and subconsciously looking for areas to find fault.  Before my bathroom experience, the small flaws wouldn’t have even hit on my radar.

Now if you think I’m making to much of a big deal over this, I bring before you Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos.  Their business is all about the experience.  The lavish decorating didn’t stop at the bathroom door.  The huge mirrors, upholstered chairs and thoughtful lighting is carried all the way into the room and it is always spotlessly clean.  These bathrooms even have actual, breathing bathroom attendants – when was the last time you saw a bathroom attendant!  Their business model is to promote escape and luxury.  Now imagine your at the one of the casinos and the bathroom you walk into was the same as your local McDonald’s.  Your experience and perception of the casino has now changed hasn’t it?

(PS: This is not a slam against McDonald’s bathrooms!!  As any world traveler knows – they almost always have the cleanest, free bathrooms in the world – and yes it is part of their marketing and customer experience strategy!)

My point is:  Every business has a “bathroom” – a place that is accessible to all clients but where few may actually enter.  Once a client accesses these areas, it’s vitally important for the overall company experience and message to show through.  People can and will make judgements on your company and service based on your “bathroom”.  Go run and take a look at your bathroom – is it passing the test?

]]> http://lilbludragonfly.com/pocketchange/2010/03/are-you-passing-the-bathroom-test-with-your-clients/feed/ 2 http://lilbludragonfly.com/pocketchange/2010/03/lululemon-their-message-is-tight/ http://lilbludragonfly.com/pocketchange/2010/03/lululemon-their-message-is-tight/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:03:40 +0000 Jennie http://lilbludragonfly.com/pocketchange/?p=175 Lululemon, Lululemon, Lululemon!!!  There I said it!!  In the last few weeks it seems that every time I get into a conversation about marketing and social media the words “Lululemon – their message is tight!” comes out of my mouth.  Let me explain.

I knew of Lululemon, but they didn’t really hit on my radar until I did some research for my Inner Girl Athlete and Under Armour post.  In that post, if you recall, I mentioned how Under Armour had a position open for a Women’s Marketing Manager and that I had applied for the position (still no word there).  In doing my homework I researched other women’s athletic apparel makers, including Title Nine and Lululemon.  I also started following their Twitter feeds and became a fan on Facebook.  Not only did Lululemon blow me away, but I’m quickly becoming a super fan when I’ve never spent a dime with them or own a single piece of their apparel!!

When it comes to having a clear vision of who they are and how to communicate that vision with their “guests” they have it nailed!  A quick visit to their website and you will find the words – goals, outgoing, upbeat, energetic and fun – permeate the site.  Here’s the really cool thing – had I only ever gone to their Facebook fan page, blog or Twitter feed I still would have received that message.

Their message isn’t just about putting out the word but actively living the lifestyle they preach.  Lululemon runs challenges that they not only promote but actively engage in as well.  For the month of February they ran “A Challenge a Day”.  A couple of my favorite challenges were #21 – leave a positive message in a public place and #22 – hold downward dog for 5 minutes.  They posted the challenge with images of themselves participating in the challenge.  Fans then participated by commenting on how they met the challenge.  The challenges spread Lululemon’s overall message in a fun, upbeat way.

Here is how Lululemon knocks the socks off with their Social Media efforts.  They very, very actively listen and take part in the conversation people are having about them.  They are constantly looking for feedback on their products.  You can give your input in several different ways – a form off their website, an in store form or comments on their Facebook fan page.  And I know they are listening.   Look at their fan page, someone from Lululemon almost always comments on the customer feedback.  They let the commenter know they will pass the word on to the designers, etc…  Usually Whitney does the honors.  I love that I know Whitney is taking care of me should I have an issue.  I now no longer feel like one of many but like I have a personal connection – an inside line so to speak.  Mind you I’ve never met Whitney but I know she hears me.

Lastly, in terms of using Social Media in a way that I love, Lululemon posts on their fan page new products.  I know many people do that, but here is where Lululemon stands out – they attach a small story to it.  They give you a review – what the product is – ie rain jacket etc.., an image of a real person (usually someone in their office) with the person’s measurements so you can envision how it fits on you and then they tell you why they made it.  I love knowing their thoughts behind the piece – it lets me feel like I have a peek into the inner works of the company – I then can feel like I own a piece of the process – especially if some part of the new design came from feedback I gave them! (check it out here)

There are so many other ways that Lululemon makes a complete circle with their message and I urge you to check out their site, blog and facebook fan page to make the connections for yourself.  Now I’m off to find one of their retail stores to experience the message in real time!

Back in my days of coaching rowing, how much more effective of a coach would I have been if I told my athletes, up front, exactly what I expected of them!  I knew my adult athletes wanted to learn and some of them would eventually want to try racing.  What I didn’t articulate was what my desire for them was.  I moved ahead with my coaching techniques and plans.  Never having had this important conversation about what our expectations of each other were.  How much easier would my coaching job have been if I had only had this conversation at the very first training session??

This led me to thinking about how I interact with my clients.  I realized, when working with clients, I too was like Paulie. I have never clearly, in detail, stated what my expectations were.  Based on my presentation and previous work I assumed they were understood.  With each new job, I have in my head how I want a project to go – scheduling, process and outcome. My clients often have their own expectations and it’s my job to draw it out from them.  We often have a basic discussion and both sides walk away assuming our expectations are the same.  This is where problems can arise.  When expectations don’t match, frustrations and tension in the working relationship start to crop up.  It was a duh moment for me – if I sit down and have a detailed discussion with my clients, about both of our expectations – from the very beginning, not only will we have a great working relationship but better work will also be created!

Moving forward, I plan on having this detailed discussion with each new project, regardless of whether I working with a new client or not.  Are you clearly stating your expectations?