Feedback is Critical

I've said it before that feedback is a gift. When someone provides you feedback, good or bad, you must say thank you. Your mom was right about saying thank you... even if it wasn't what you expected or wanted. AND, especially if it IS what you expected or wanted. It is very easy, it is common, not to care enough to tell you "that was good" or "that was not so good", so when someone invests the effort and care to do so, it is a gift to you.

Now that we've established feedback as a gift, take a look at the American Idol auditions. omg. There are hundreds, I suppose thousands, of people who desperately need to hear the feedback and not only say "thank you", but take appropriate action (like just shut up.)

Check out these odd specimens who come in there spouting their certainty that they are the next American Idol, yet when they sing it is absolutely awful. The judges say no (in various tactful and tactless ways, but still no). But here's the puzzlement: the person starts singing another song, and then maybe another and another. Maybe the bouncers that the producers hired for the day have to drag them out kicking and "singing". eek. Totally unbelievable.

I kinda get it... it sounds different in your head than outside it. That's why many of us don't like to hear/see ourselves on tape. All the more reason to crave and respond to what those outside your head say.

And yet, when you get bad feedback about your performance and you find fault with the giver, and/or you continue to do exactly as you've done, you are that ridiculous American Idol contestant wanna be.

Transactional vs. Relational Shoppers

I was annoyed by a number of television advertisements this weekend and started comparing the number of ads I watched that were annoying, versus those that were compelling or mildly entertaining. I also jotted down which of them were companies with whom I did business.
Not a surprise to me, but I bet to the people spending the money to barrage me. Where I spend the most money more times a year are businesses with whom I have a relationship with. They are the ones striving to have a relationship with me. They are smart enough to realize that they make more money and see me more often if I trust them and/or if I am comfortable with them. And this is true for online as well as the in-person places. I'm not transactional most of the time. I am sometimes. Sometimes, the price of the product is how I make my decision. That is when I know the item is disposable or has little impact on my life. So... apparently many of those annoying advertisements are from businesses who consider their product disposable or of low impact. At least they are to me. My money goes elsewhere.

Be Selfish: Avoid Your Own Heartburn

Poor me; my laptop is on the fritz and I have intrusted it to a repair shop. My stress exists on several levels here, but the repair shop personnel are on the top level today. After stating my frustration at not being kept informed about the status of the repair/non-repair, the fellow who answered the phone let loose on me about how well he does his job and how he was certain that I had been told and how all he ever gets is answering machines and how the boss is out of town, blah, blah, blah.
As I obsessed about the situation later, I realized that the guy did not "win" any ground. Sure, my laptop is held hostage; he will get my money and I will get my laptop back someday.
But on a personal level (his) he did nothing but elevate his own blood pressure, heartburn, stress, etc. I feel sure when he hung up the phone he re-told the story with plenty of embellishment to his peers. I thought how stupid it was of him to get angry with me. He is losing in customer interactions on a daily basis, most likely multiple times every day.
I realized how great it feels to give great service. And thought, even if a customer is a turd, when I can turn the frown around, when I can resolve the problem, when I can reassure about a positive outcome, not only the customer, but I feel great. And to me, that really is a good enough reason to do a great job, to give great customer service.
Goodbye Rolaids.