Doing Customer Touch Right

This past week I was blessed with an invite to attend the Compudyne TechFest - a gathering of customers of HTG member Compudyne in Duluth up on the frozen tundra by Lake Superior. My role was to deliever the keynote address about what is coming in the technology arena in the coming years. It was a 9 hour ride north, but a beautiful day and my bride and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

We arrived in time for the vendor dinner the evening before the event. There were a half dozen vendors who were sponsors and key providers of technology for the solutions that Compudyne implements to their SMB customers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. We gathered for dinner along with a dozen or so of the Compudyne team for a very nice Italian meal and lots of interaction. It set the tone for the following day - which was all about the importance of relationships. First thing done right - practice what you preach. Compudyne not only talks about the importance of vendor relationships - they live it and the event prior to the TechFest was a great way to reinforce that to their team and the vendors on hand to participate.

The event began at 7:45 AM for breakfast. I was a bit skeptical about how many folks would get up on a rather rainy and dreary morning to come to Clyde Iron Works recently restored into a nice event venue. Second thing done right - they worked within the community to help showcase a new business and expose the hundreds of attendees to some of the positive things happening in their community. The venue was really nice - a former Iron Works plant that has been completely remodeled for events and includes a bar, restaurant and other things.

We had arrived before 6:30 and the place was already busy with the entire Compudyne team putting finishing touches on the event. Another thing I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it myself. Third thing done right - involve the team in the production of a customer facing event. From planning to detailed execution - everyone was there pitching in and taking orders from the few making decisions. There was no standing around and saying "this isn't in my job description" - everyone did what was needed to finish getting ready.

By 8 AM the place was buzzing with customers and I could hardly believe my eyes. This is almost an all day event and already folks were in the house ready for the day ahead. The vendor booths were busy and people were eating breakfast and engaging. Fourth thing done right - create an environment where the positive interaction between customers lights a fire in all who attend. It was a very interactive and alive place to be. I have been to plenty of events where people come, eat, take the trinkets and leave. Not at this event. No one left.

The event began at 8:30 and began with a vision casting session by Compudyne president Brad Schow. He talked about the importance of relationships - with customers, vendors, distribution, and staff - and how they go to market to serve the needs of all involved. He opened the komono on how they approach the SMB marketplace, and shared 5 things that they see as "game changers" in the coming years. It was a very engaging presentation and it ended with a live demo by one of the vendor sponsors - Quorum - around business continuity. Fifth thing done right - tell it like it is without all the marketing fluff and let customers see the insides of your company and heart. As the first part of the morning session came to a close - there was clear understanding of the Compudyne vision and mission and how they were engaging customers and vendors alike.

After the break, it was time for a short vendor presentation and then the keynote. My role was to follow up and build on the foundation that Brad had laid. It was pretty easy to do since our philosophy around relationships is identical in most ways. I shared some of my experience of 25 years in the industry, some crystal ball projections around the economy and business in general, and then my list of key industry changes that we will be working through the next few years. Feedback was good on the message I delivered, and no one through anything or walked out, so I believe it went well. Sixth thing done right - have alignment in the messaging and make sure it connects with the audience. One of the attendees is a power blogger from Duluth. You can see what he had to say about the keynote here. But in emails from attendees post event - the main comment I recieved was that it was genuine, simple and easy to understand. My delivery probably wouldn't play as well in Silicon Valley, but the folks here in the Midwest just want the story without all the marketing and that is what I deliver.

By now it was lunch time and no one has left 4 hours into the event. The reason - there was 30K+ of prizes sitting on the main stage behind the presenters to be given away over lunch. Hundreds of prizes from computers to monitors to printers to gift cards. It was a solid half hour of giving things away - one after another - just draw and deliver and move to the next winner. Seventh thing done right - don't cut corners on the drawings. There is no doubt that people were in their seats through lunch because they wanted to win something. But it kept people there and they heard the message that the Compudyne team wanted to deliver - so that is a very good motivation. So many events are filled with a few drawings of rather worthless stuff or one big item. Here the odds of winning were really high - not everyone won - but well over half the audience walked away with a gift that meant something.

I was sure that following lunch people would scatter. Wrong again. There were breakout sessions during the afternoon and people filed up to those areas and it was standing room only. After 5+ hours in the venue and still wanting information. Eighth thing done right - provide quality content around topics that are relevant and interesting to the crowd. The breakouts were not about products but solving pain points of their business customers. People will attend sessions that can help their business. Too often we put a vendor up front to sell some product and miss the opportunity to engage deeply with our customers around things that matter.

The event was finished around 3 PM and a good crowd was still on hand that had been their since before 8 that morning. Why? Because it was well done and targeted. It has a history of seven prior events hitting the mark. But the main reason - the ninth thing that was done right - was that it was all about relationships. People were personally invited. They were greeted and pampered and made to feel welcome. We are in the people business. The more we understand and execute at the relationship level - the better all aspects of our life will be. Are you focused on relationships?

Congrats to the Compudyne team for setting the bar high for the rest of the HTG member companies. We can all learn from this example and go deeper in every relationship we have!

Great Article on the Web

SearchSecurityChannel.com posted a great online article on HTG this week. There are a few minor things that are off a bit, but overall Neil Roiter did a great job capturing the facts on HTG. Check it out when you have time. Kudos to Brad Schow and Jeff Howard for helping get the message out.



Still have a few open slots looking for quality partners to get involved with HTG. If you are interested, or know someone who should be involved, apply at

Mountains of Email

Brad Schow sent out the following thoughts and research on email last week. While I initially found it a little funny, the more I think about it the more I realize that in my case, I am losing my ability to focus because of the pda and phone. I allow things to distract me continually throughout the day. And that has to have an impact on my real productivity and ability to be effective. The key is finding the right balance. I am not one who believes we should cry uncle and just pretent our inbox doesn't have any email in it. People send email because they want to know something. And often my answer is important for them to be able to proceed with the task at hand. So ignoring is not balance. Neither is setting it up so it dings, pops up, vibrates or somehow grabs my attention every time one hits. Somewhere in the middle is where I need to land. Here is the research Brad shared:

In 2005, a psychiatrist at King’s College in London administered IQ tests to three groups: the first did nothing but perform the IQ test, the second was distracted by e-mail and ringing phones, and the third was stoned on marijuana. Not surprisingly, the first group did better than the other two by an average of 10 points. The e-mailers, though, did worse than the intoxicated people by an average of 6 points. The e-mailing group came in last.

What does that make you think of this statistic? In a recent survey of 320 professionals, 17% reported they check e-mail a few times per hour and 68% check e-mail more or less continually. They are constantly breaking their focus on the primary task at hand.

Something to consider. Some days I probably have a pretty low IQ as I chase the electronic messages moment by moment. I would love to hear how you are finding balance in your communications. It certainly is a challenge we all need to address.

The Go Giver Update

Yesterday I was blessed to be on blogtalk radio with Stuart Crawford and Bob Burg to discuss the book "The Go Giver". You can catch the show at this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smb/2008/09/19/The-Go-Giver

We spent a little over an hour talking about the 5 laws of stratospheric success and real world examples of how these principles can be lived out in life and business. It was a great discussion and one I encourage you to listen to.

Along those lines, this week at the Connectwise conference, I moderated two breakout panels where we discussed these principles as well. Serving and sharing their experiences were Brad Schow, Jeff Howard, Erik Thorsell, Stuart Crawford and Jeff Wood. These guys opened up their businesses and personal stories to help people understand that there is another way to live rather than blindly following the common wisdom the world shares with us. If you haven't read the book, please take time to do so, about a two hour read which is great for a plane ride. The bottom line is that these principles can really change the way you look at business and ultimately life. Being a contrarian often has some hidden value and can lead to even more success!