A Culture of Character

“I believe it is the nature of people to be heroes, if given the chance.” – James A. Autry, Author and Businessman

This week’s blog is a brief departure from our discussions about sales and profitability. Instead I want to examine a facet of corporate culture, and invite your thoughts and comments.

Last week I vacationed in Indiana, my home state, and I was in Indianapolis when the Sugarland stage rigging collapsed into the State Fair crowd, killing five and injuring dozens. It all happened in a matter of seconds, and many people became trapped underneath the shattered structure.

Hundreds of concertgoers immediately rushed toward the scene, and instinctively worked together to lift and hold up the rigging so others could climb underneath and drag the wounded to safety. Let me re-state, they ran toward the trouble, not away from it. The skies were dark and ominous. Officials had acknowledged storm warnings in the area. These are people who are not strangers to violent weather, and I’m sure more than a few wondered if tornadoes were headed their way.

And yet they stayed, and they helped, and they did whatever they could to assist the authorities and medical personnel who quickly descended upon the scene. Because of the heroism of these “regular folks”, countless victims were rescued, received medical treatment faster than they otherwise would have, and were comforted during the ordeal. In his remarks the following morning, Governor Mitch Daniels stated, “That’s the character we associate with our state. People don’t have to be paid to do it.”

Does the culture at your company mirror this commitment to character? All too often management and employees fall into a habit of pointing fingers when things go wrong. They look around for scapegoats. Instead of putting forth 100% effort, they try to get by with as little effort as possible and still get a paycheck. They run from the trouble, not to the trouble. How many times have you raised a customer service issue, only to be told, “That’s not my job,” “I don’t know,” or “There’s nothing I can do?”

Shifting a corporate culture from one of apathy to one of commitment can be like turning the Titanic. But the result is a high-performance business whose employees are invested in the company’s success and are certain of their roles in it. This kind of culture needs to be bred not only from the top down, but from the bottom up.

Companies large and small can learn a lot from the good people of Indiana. What can you change about your business to inspire employees to run “toward the trouble?” How would that mindset that impact your customers, your bottom line, yourself?

We’d like our readers to tell us something about their impressions of corporate culture at their companies. You can email me at leeann@consulting2win.com or simply post a comment below. Our shared ideas may facilitate a shift toward a commitment to character, which is the foundation of a winning business.

Are you ready to win?

Let's Talk About Profit

“I don’t want to do business with those who don’t make a profit, because they can’t give the best service.” – Richard Bach, American Author

Profit is the oxygen of any business. If your business is not making profit, you have a hobby, not a business. We all go into business for a reason, and if you want to fulfill your purpose for having a business, your business must be profitable. Profit is what allows a company to expand and stay viable. Profit allows the company to contribute back to the community, to research better ways of doing things, to explore and experiment in ways that benefit us all.

How do you know if your business if profitable or not? Successful business owners know that they have to regularly monitor several key profit measurements if they want to know how well the business is performing. Too often, business owners don’t take the time to study profit indicators. They figure that if the accountant is still able to write checks, they are still in business. They don’t have time to look at the math and determine what is and isn’t working.

When you’re not on top of your profit numbers, you are likely missing opportunities to increase your profit. Many businesses can increase profit substantially just by making a few quick changes to the systems they have in place. And in this economy, no one should be leaving profit on the table if it’s right there for the taking.

Profit margins and ratios provide a comprehensive and current snapshot of the company’s bottom line. They quickly point to bottlenecks in your production system and what part of the business is costing more than it should. Every company should have profit targets they work toward and periodic reviews to see how close or far they are from those targets.

Profit margins, such as gross profit and net profit, show the company’s ability to turn sales into profit. The business does a certain amount of sales and generates a certain amount of revenue. How much of that revenue falls through to the bottom line is an indication of how well the company is being run.

Return ratios determine the company’s overall efficiency. Efficient companies keep cost of goods and operating expenses under control, allowing them to convert more revenue into profit.

Companies should also evaluate customer profitability. Do you have some high maintenance clients that cost you more than you make on them? Monitoring customer profitability allows companies to better define who their ideal clients are and how to effectively and profitably manage them.

Next week, we’ll dig into the math and calculate some actual profit margins and explain what they mean to a company’s success. In the meantime, consider how well your business monitors profit. Are you confident that you are meeting your targets? Or are you just guessing at your bottom line? If you want your business to win, you’ve got to know how to keep score.

Are you ready to win?

Delivery System Follow Through

“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” – Walt Disney

We’ve been focusing the last few blogs on delivery systems. How does your company get your product to the customer quickly, profitably, and with a high level of quality? Getting the product out the door is, of course, one of the most important aspects of doing business. But what about follow up? What happens after the product has been delivered?


All too often, companies move on to the next delivery without seeing the process through and insuring that customer expectations have been met. Failure to implement post-delivery protocols can easily result in dissatisfied and confused customers who don’t know where to turn for help.


Here are some keys to managing your deliveries beyond the hand-off to the customer. Remember, when we talk about deliveries, we’re talking about any product, service, or project that your company sells.


Responsibility – Who on your team is responsible for the product after the customer receives it? Is it the salesperson? Customer service? The production team? It’s important to clarify who the customer should have as a point person for any questions or concerns they have once the product is in their hands.


Follow Up – Do you have a plan in place for following up with the customer? If not, you risk not knowing if the product made it to them at all, if they are happy with it, or what you can do to fix any problems with the order. A simple system for following up with a phone call or appointment can greatly improve the customer experience and help you to avoid unnecessary upsets. Follow up calls can also be an opportunity to upsell the customer with complimentary services.

Returns – What is your return policy? Is it clear and easy for the customer to understand? Does the customer know who to contact or how soon he must voice a complaint? Does your policy allow for enough customer leeway in getting what they want? Too much leeway? How does your return policy affect your product profitability?


Re-Orders – If you sell a product that customers need to purchase repetitively, do you make the re-order process clear and easy to understand? Is someone at your company responsible for following up and asking for re-orders? Do you offer incentives for customers who want to re-order within a certain amount of time or at a certain volume?


What’s Working?/What Isn’t? – Ultimately, the key to any delivery system’s success is oversight. Management must consistently review what’s working and what isn’t. From the customer’s standpoint, the delivery of your product or service should be effortless. A good customer experience is essential if you want to retain clients and obtain new ones. Your delivery system should not allow for repeated bottlenecks, errors or breakdowns. Consistent monitoring of your system will insure that problems can be addressed quickly and efficiently, making the customer feel like a winner for having done business with you.


Always remember that your client relationship doesn’t stop when the product reaches their front door. Developing a strategy for leveraging off a job well done will result in happier customers, more orders and an excellent reputation in the marketplace. And that’s a great way to win the game of business.


Are you ready to win?