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Consideration, Integrity, Relationships

‘Thank You’

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…..Now……was that really so difficult to say?

Two very small words, single syllable ,  yet they seem to have virtually disappeared from the vocabulary of many people – where did they get lost?

How many times have you done a favour for someone who behaves as though they deserve to be the recipient of your labour and never utter a word of thanks?

Fundraising for charities, working for political parties, being endlessly asked for donations to various charities, those of us running companies are treated like it is our responsibility to donate our money and time endlessly, yet, how many times have those of us who did all the work to ensure that an event was a huge success actually been properly thanked?

Many people are under the impression that they have the right to acquire professional assistance for free, and ring up endlessly asking for assistance or advice, yet when the tables are turned, expect to receive top dollar for their own services.

The only people who don’t ascribe are the sycophants who will gladly give of their time and  money to be seen with their newest bestest friend of the moment. No favour too small in order to garner the recognition of the perceived hero.

But when is enough enough??

What right do certain individuals have to expect favours incessantly?

Some extremely arrogant individuals actually treat kindness and generosity as a sign of weakness, laughing behind the backs of those doing the work, and laughing at how gullible some people can be. And of course, they never, ever, say THANK YOU.

One good friend uses the expression ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ to describe his feelings of being manipulated and used.

I was on a Board of Director’s several years ago where the Executive Director actually threatened most of those on the Board, even though we were not remunerated. Many people worked for him for years in order to be part of such a prestigious event. Slowly, one by one the entire group removed themselves, citing every imaginable excuse….and this rude man actually bad mouthed all those who had supported him for years.

Next time someone goes out of their way for you, take the two seconds and say, ‘THANK YOU’ – it might change your life.



 

Business, Impressions

Do you REALLY know how your employees represent your company to the outside world?

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There appears to be a serious lack of interest in many Senior Executives in finding out exactly how their employees interact with the outside world.

A simple telephone call from a blocked phone and a series of questions to people in various departments will yield a fast and effective way of determining current attitudes.

How many times have your called  ‘customer service’ and had someone in a hurry try to get you off the phone?

Or the human resources clerk who doesn’t listen to what you say, screams that she is not interested in you, or worse, before you have said a thing says she has ‘preferred vendors’. That has become an oxymoron as it usually means she is doing business with her friends. If she speaks to a total stranger like that, with no knowledge of who they are, who they know or what they do, how on earth does she behave with employees who require assistance, or heaven forbid, come for an interview?

The receptionist who answers the phone with ‘one moment’ and puts you on hold for 5 minutes to listen to bad music, comes back on the line, says ‘one moment’ again, puts you BACK on hold, without any consideration of who you are or where you are calling from……if your call is costing a fortune per minute, it is highly unlikely they will get your business.

Does anyone actually want to do business with a company who is so totally disrespectful..?

Then, of course, is my favourite. The phone solicitor who, upon having a female answer the phone, berates her, insists in a rude voice that he needs to speak with the President, and who exactly does this pathetic person think she is to question him?    Over the years, this is something which has happened to me a lot, as I answer the phone regularly, at all sorts of weird times, and inevitably find myself with one of these ‘treasures’ on the other end of the line. The call usually goes something like this, ‘may I help you?’ ‘What can I do to help you?”  “Could you please tell me the purpose of the call?” As the caller gets ruder and ruder and more belligerent and eventually barks that he wants the name of the ‘rude’ receptionist he is speaking with as he is going to report her to management.

Hello?    Seriously?    He just called and is speaking to a total stranger like that as he tries to elicit information?   Really? What planet does he come from?

Does this type of intimidation really work?

As the President of the company, it certainly makes for some interesting conversations ,but also ensures that we log the name of the individual and the company and ensure that we and our friends do not do business with this firm. Any firm who hires people that arrogant and disrespectful will never get any referrals or business.

Or another one of my favourites, the rude, snarling clerk in a store at the check-out counter,  when you have the audacity to wish to pay for merchandise which in turn pays for her salary. I mean, really, disturbing her very important conversation with a co-worker and having the gall to want to pay when she is in the middle of a conversation?

Or then there is the one who dismisses you because she doesn’t think you can afford to purchase the merchandise she is selling.

Then, of course, there is the truly condescending clerk who sniffles at you, and asks if you have any idea what you are looking at, removes it from your hands, and replaces it on the counter, as if you couldn’t possibly appreciate such a valuable piece.

Naturally, in Quebec, there is the never-ending language debate which ensures many clerks feel that their right to speak French supersedes the right of the PAYING client to be addressed in their language as they are paying for merchandise. On a couple of occasions, I have actually witnessed clerks criticizing  English clients , in French,  about the fact that we are in Quebec and everyone should be speaking French, and that they should go elsewhere.  In my case, interestingly, my French is inevitably better than theirs, and they have no idea that I understand every word coming out of their mouths.

How on earth do these people have jobs?

How can the owners of these businesses continue to employ them?

Are management really that ignorant of what is going on in their businesses?

The exercise of client relations is to ensure that the client is served in such a positive fashion that they want to come back to your establishment, not to tell 10 friends to never set foot into the shop.

All this makes for interesting and amusing anecdotes, but if no one is paying attention,  the competition is waiting out there with a smile on their face and multilingual staff to take your cash in a pleasant fashion.



 

Consideration, Impressions, Quality, Relationships, Socialites

EGO is ALL

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‘Now it’s all about ME”

Andy Warhol once spoke of everyone having their 15 minutes of fame. Today many people are running their lives to have the exact opposite effect. Privacy is now becoming the new ‘in thing’ with the elite while the rest spend their lives  concerned about social networking and how many ‘friends’ they have.

I can’t imagine why anyone in their right mind would care to read a ‘tweet’ every few minutes from some ostensibly famous person brushing their teeth or going to the grocery store.

We see grown men stomping their feet and throwing major temper tantrums when they don’t have their way, and then bullying in order to have their way. Not cute. Not funny. Yet, for some indescribable reason it is acceptable by some people, and given the feeble excuse that the perpetrator is ‘charming’. Unless one is the recipient of some kind of generosity or recognition I can’t imagine why this intolerable and belligerent behaviour could be socially acceptable.

One woman, desperately seeking a wealthy husband so that she never has to work again, and can have the lifestyle she believes she deserves, exclaimed to a group of friends that ‘now it’s all about me’ and went on to explain that unless her friends were going to introduce her to rich, available, single men, that she no longer wishes to spend time with them, since they aren’t promoting her cause.

Well, I guess that leaves no room for doubt!

Young people are spending hours on Facebook, photographing themselves and posting the photos of their latest greatest coup, bragging about their newest bestest friends, yet, do they actually know how

To make and retain a real friend which will endure a lifetime?

The superficiality of many people is obvious, and actually quite frightening. Constantly seeking out their ‘new best friend’ , or who can help advance their career or social life, and giving little or nothing in return, and thinking that this is perfectly ok.

What had once been described as the ‘ME’ generation has now expanded to include adults who should know better.

It used to be that one aspired to see their name in print only 3 times in their lifetime, birth, marriage and death, and it was considered as ‘common’ to have one’s life detailed in the public eye. There are some people today who are such publicity hounds that they will do practically anything to appear in print, and a film clip on the local news, well, priceless.

Walking down the street has become a new sport dodging the rude people furiously texting and talking on their telephones.

And WHY when you just left your apartment, do you need to get into the elevator texting or making a phone call? Should the rest of the people in the elevator be somehow impressed that you actually know someone you can call? Do you really think your conversation is so important that we all need to hear it?

We have to deal with small town politicians with delusions of grandeur deciding who is important and who is not, as if somehow, they consider themselves the arbiter’s of good taste. The mere act of characterizing people they actually don’t know, denotes that they are in fact practicing extremely bad taste and extremely low class.

If one doesn’t actually take the time to get to know people, who to say how important they are or are not.

But cruelness in order to aggrandize oneself seems to becoming the social norm, ruthless social climbing while demeaning others only works for so long.

Don’t they realize that the people they criticize actually speak to one another?

At some point this offensive behaviour becomes common knowledge and once the proverbial cat is out of the bag, it becomes like an unstoppable avalanche.

At the end of the day, why on earth would anyone want to be friends or even acquaintances with someone who has such a large ego that there is no room for anyone except for those who are on bended knee to them? There is no excuse for cruelty.

When reality finally sets in they will find themselves well and truly alone…….as they richly deserve.



 

Business, Consideration

Answer the %^& phone!

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We certainly live in interesting times.

On one hand, we have a generation of people walking around with mobile phones glued to their heads or texting incessantly – from their cars, restaurants, meetings, the office and even from their bedrooms – in order to feel ‘connected’ to the outside world, to the extent that it has become incredibly rude, as these same people are not answering their business phones or emails with the excuse that they are ‘too busy.

It has become a common complaint among business people, they are all  discussing the incredible rudeness which is permeating society, and people who  somehow consider themselves to be too important to return phone calls.  The joke being, that most of the time, these are the very same people who were long gone from the office by 5pm, and who don’t return emails or  telephone calls at night or on the weekend either.

What are they doing at home which is so important? Watching the latest reality TV show?

But whose to say….

How can someone decide the importance of a call without extending the common courtesy to the caller by actually ringing them back?

Unless the caller has left a detailed message suggesting that there are two options of calling back or not, even then it is good manners to return the call. The recipient, in not returning the call, is behaving in a totally rude and disrespectful manner to the caller – after all, they took the time to call you, and made the effort to find out your details prior to making the call.

We are all bombarded by tele marketeers, however, even in that case, sometimes one can be pleasantly surprised by the nature of the call, and can’t assume to know the subject of the call.

If in fact it is someone tiresome, then tell them politely you are not interested and to please remove your name from their list. Under the law, they are obliged to do so.

I just finished a telephone call with a client who added that people are also complaining a lot about unanswered emails. Although it is not the subject of today, it is equally important to note.

This lady is a Vice President in an R & D company, developers are complaining that their emails are not being responded to by their superiors. If they have to bring a product to market which is beneficial to the entire company’s health, this is not acceptable. They are supposed to be working as a cohesive team.

One funny anecdote which I can happily share is about a gentleman who sells Mutual Funds. He has been calling me for years, and I will never buy his products. However, he has always been excruciatingly polite and pleasant, so I always take his calls. A couple of years ago he called me and his tone was one of glee, he was giggling about having received a VIP invitation from a hardware vendor for a posh lunch in a good restaurant in a boutique hotel in Old Montreal, and they had even included a sample menu…….it was amazing ……he was calling to invite me, stating that he felt that I was probably the one who should go, and inviting me as his guest…..he said that as I had always been so pleasant on the phone, he thought of me and extended the invitation. Yes indeed, I went with him, the guest list was incredible, I was able to network with a lot of very senior industry executives, the food was divine, the company entertaining, and altogether a lovely occasion.

Had I been rude to this man, or assumed what he wanted, I would have missed out.

I was recently involved in the planning and organizing of a party in a private club  for some of Montreal’s elite. Company presidents, lawyers,  judges, Senior Politicians, Doctors, and a sprinkling of artists.

It is obvious to me why the guests are successful, they all return their phone calls promptly, many of them apologizing if the return call takes over 24 hours.

So, what is it with low-level managers that they somehow think they are too important and too busy to return a call?

In my case, I could be calling for a reference, a technical question, a conference, a fund-raiser, or the job-opportunity of a lifetime..how would they ever know?

So dear reader, what category do you fall into?

We are all busy, it is simply a matter of etiquette….and never assuming that you know the reason for someone else’s phone-call.

Enjoy this article? Tell your friends, and listen to Roslyn as the guest discussing this at :  blogtalkradio.com/mentisor

 

Business, Consideration, Impressions, Relationships, Socialites

The Demise of “Nice”

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In an age when one’s public image seems to be overly important, it is fascinating to observe the sheer numbers of people who along the way have lost all sense of courtesy and the ability to recognize or appreciate someone who is genuinely ‘nice’.
People with good manners are being treated as ‘weak’ to the extent that some kind and gentle souls are being mocked in public and spoken of as doormats for the simple crime of being nice.

There are no end to the number of self aggrandizing bullies out there who are rude, arrogant, and publicly dismiss others without even the most modest knowledge of who they are. They seem to feel that unless they are like them, constantly bragging about who they are, who they know, and what they do, then the others are of no value. They gossip, insult people with no reason, and  interrogate people publicly in order to ‘put them down’ . Nothing worse than a group of aspiring ‘socialites’ who have the audacity to think they can decide who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’. Ironically, most of the same socialites who are living off the largesse of their husbands who pay for the designer clothes, memberships in posh clubs, and pay for their meals in expensive restaurants. Their ego’s are so far out there, and attitude towards others who have not married quite as well as them, that they forget they are only the ‘wives of’ and not the actual successful individual. Even when their husbands decide they have had enough of being married to a bitch, and ditch them for someone younger and kinder, these individuals continue along the same path of criticism and condescension.

We hear people constantly complaining about the younger generation’s lack of common sense and good manners, but unfortunately it seems to cross all socio-economic paths, and has exploded to a point that the pendulum is about to switch sides.

Employers are now actually seeking individuals with ‘soft skills’, ie, the ability to work in a team, and to be able to cross all levels in an organisation. Potential hires are being taken out to meals in restaurants so that their manners in public can be measured. If they are rude with the help staff, then it goes without saying that they will be rude to underlings. If they have no table manners, they have no manners.

When a gentleman holds the door open for a ‘lady’, the correct response is ‘thank you’, however, for some bizarre reason, some women actually snarl at the men that they ‘can open their own *&^ door’

Sending a ‘Thank You’ note to some socialites seems to provoke mockery.

Saying ‘Please’, ‘Thank You’, and ‘I Beg your Pardon’ seems to illicit some people to be intolerably rude.

Peer pressure on girls who are teenagers or in their low twenties to be promiscuous, strangely enough, by other girls their own age, who are promiscuous, forces them to have low self esteem ,which is ludicrous. Since when is being loose the sign of being a loser?!!

From shop clerks who spend hours admiring themselves in the mirror fussing with their hair or lipstick, speaking or texting on mobile phones, cashiers who chat with one another while clients are 5 deep in queues, service staff who are intolerably rude, bullies on the playground or work, receptionists who leave the phone ringing incessantly while they chat with their friends, people interrogating others to see if they are ‘important enough’, people out in restaurants texting while ignoring their hosts, good manners and ‘nice’ seem to have momentarily been displaced.

But don’t fear, manners have always been in fashion, and they are coming back with a vengeance.  Nice is appreciated by people who are nice,
And increasingly by those who are tired of being spoken down to.

Nice is never really out of fashion. 

Government, Impressions, Integrity

Copenhagen, December 2009

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Aislin did a wonderful cartoon in the Montreal Gazette showing all the jets circling Copenhagen.

In another article we read that every Limosine in the city, and from elsewhere was booked solid for the entire period of the meetings, and were seen with their engines idling for hours to keep the inside of the car warm for the guest.

Protesters came from afar to be heard, wave their flags, and with any luck be seen on national television, but they never openly mention the fact that they also flew on jet planes and took taxis and limosines, stayed in hotels, and consumed coffees and food in restaurants, creating more garbage.

The newspapers and television reporters all had their own commentary on the state of the world and global warming, printing thousands of pages of newsprint.

Several thousand banquet meals were served over the duration of the conference, creating no end of garbage, laundering of tablecloths and napkins.

All the restaurants and hotels in Copenhagen were full, creating more garbage and laundry.

Thousands of gallons of fuel were consumed.

Another unsuccessful meeting where nothing was decided, but the participants all felt they were the ones who would make the changes in the world.

Meetings in Bali, meetings in Copenhagen, meetings all over the world to discuss “How to be Green”.

Other than a totally insane media spewing out hype about being socially and ethically responsible, whatever that means, and stop using plastic garbage bags, so that we now we pay for them, further fattening the pockets of the grocery stores by thousands of dollars weekly for a product which we need, nothing has really changed. Most people I know don’t plan to go to a store to purchase necessities, they see a store and remember that they need some items and go shopping. No one walks around during their business day with pockets stuffed with bags on the off chance that maybe they will need a few greens and milk. What a thought, a Senior Business Executive with a plastic bag
In his back pocket in case his wife calls and asks him to pick up milk and bread on the way home….!!!

People are having more children than ever, buying huge homes and cottages, buying more than one car, living further away from city centers, necessitating more driving, and having what ever the latest pet of the month is ostensibly for their children. One couple in London England, actually have the nerve to print a magazine about being green, but they are in their 20’s, have 4 children, numerous pets, several homes, and jet around the world on vacation regularly, sometimes commercial, but very often on private jets. It is about ‘do what I say, don’t do what I do’ …somehow they think their children are special.

The statistics on the family dog are actually staggering, each 30 pound dog creates the same amount of garbage as a human.

China no longer has the one child per family legislation, and there is still no push in the third world to stop over population, even though many of the people are dying of starvation.
India has a population explosion, and is growing exponentially with no discussion of limits of children per family.

A lifetime of rhetoric, and yet at the end of the day, the only thing which has truly changed is that the world population continues to explode and fanatical religious leaders are continuing to tell women to have babies, some of whom have over 10 children and are continuing to breed.

The only way to get serious is to STOP encouraging people to have children, and instead of paying women to have children, to pay them if they get sterilized. The current economic models are at fault, and to date, no one has actually come up with a model which encourages full employment and the promotion of innovation in order to reduce carbon emissions and garbage in order to clean up the planet.

It CAN be done.

It MUST be done.

We are losing our forests, our oceans, our fish, and much of our natural wildlife due to over-population and urban sprawl.

The biggest contributor of all the problems the world is facing regarding pollution, global warming and potable drinking water is that we have TOO MANY PEOPLE and TOO MANY PETS. Period.

The biggest creator of pollution are humans, followed by unneeded animals. Yes, I love animals and have had pets a good part of my life, but we are speaking reality here.

There is an arrogance among people that their children will somehow be special and change the world, but the harsh reality is that we need to start looking for new ways to grow the economy than multiplying.

Investment in cleaning rainwater, cleaning sewage, heating homes without fossil fuels, not wearing clothes made of synthetics, not using Styrofoam containers, re-cycling, re-use of car tires, cleaning of used oil products, re-cycling of products like paint, are but to name a few.

Encouraging people to live downtown and walk to work. Educating the people already on the planet, and putting them to work, instead of allowing high school drop-outs, high-school pregnancy, facilitating adoption of already existing
Children instead of making the process hideously long and arduous.

Cynical yes, fed up of being lectured to, yes, fed up of hypocrisy, absolutely.

Let’s change the economic models to stop encourage growth and encourage re-use and investment in new technologies.

Impressions, Quality, Relationships, Socialites

Social Animals

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A few months ago, I wrote about social climbers, and received some interesting feedback from some of the readers. In speaking with people, just when you think you have heard everything, someone comes up and knocks you off your feet with the latest faux-pas.

It is interesting how some people decide who is in and who is out based on their decision of whether or not they like the person or think there is something to be gained from being their friend. They ostracize people ruthlessly, spread malicious gossip, and spend an inordinate amount of time being negative towards someone, who in many cases, is not what they expected. Some of the put-downs are really quite something….telling someone that ‘you are the only one …..’ , ‘how did you get into this private club’ …, ‘who invited you?..’ as if by some feat of magic, they are the only ones in the room of any importance. The best of course, are parties where the guests are told who is being excluded, and the reasons why. One business man held a party for his single friends, and told everyone not to breathe a word about it as his rich married clients would be offended that he held a cocktail party and didn’t invite them, another businessman, who is the worst name dropper ever, actually had the audacity to hold 2 Christmas parties, one day after the other, and labelled one ‘losers night’.
The question MUST be asked, if his guests were losers, why on earth did he invite them? Word spread around the city like a brushfire, and he succeeded in offending a lot of very important people, The worst thing is, apparently he served the leftovers from one party to the guests at the second party…..and they heard about it. Did he really think people wouldn’t talk?

In one gesture, he rendered everyone speechless, and ensured that he was removed from a great number of lists himself, although he still doesn’t really understand what it is that he did wrong. He actually thinks that it was socially acceptable to humiliate his guests.

What must go through the mind of these people that somehow they actually believe that they are special? A bigger house, a better car, more money in the bank?
There is always someone better looking, more popular, richer, more connected and more. The only thing they are succeeding in doing, is making themselves lose credibility. In the eyes of their little circle of friends they may be entertaining in telling their stories, but for anyone on the outside their behaviour is acutely embarrassing. They always have a terse word about others, but they never find the time or the energy to actually find out who people are before they speak ill of them.

Life plays funny games on people, and cruelty eventually catches up . There is nothing to be gained by humiliating someone, it is not sweet, cute or even remotely entertaining.
Think about it, and think how many people are richer, better looking or more successful than you are……and think about the fact that the ugly duckling often turns into the swan. You never know where you will end up in life. The person you insulted could be the one who could ultimately save your life.

Business, Integrity, Quality, Socialites

SERVICE Industry

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Let me once again re-iterate the word SERVICE. That means the service of your customers or potential customers, You know, those people who pay your salary.

One of the most common complaints today, is with the voice dripping with condescension on the other end of the line when one calls to make a reservation in a pricey restaurant. First, you are put on hold, then told they are incredibly busy and will be back in a moment, then the breathless ‘hello’ as if your time is of no interest or value to them. The negotiation as to the time and day the restaurant will deem to allow you into it’s hallowed halls to pay for overpriced, over spiced food. One must wonder what exactly goes through the head of these individuals. One trendy fusion Asian-French Restaurant kept us on the phone waiting for well over 10 minutes to make a simple reservation. No, 8pm wasn’t acceptable, but 8:45 was, but a lecture to tell us that we must absolutely arrive on time. We arrived early on the appointed night, to discover an amazingly pretentious greeter, a half-empty restaurant, good tables which were empty, terrible tables full, an attitude when we suggested that we didn’t want the assigned table, and mind-numbingly slow bad service. By 10pm the restaurant was 3/4 empty. The staff spent the entire evening fussing and preening themselves in front of the mirrors, and actually complaining about the clients. The food was totally unimaginative, the setting a very poor rip-off of a well known London Restaurant, prices over the moon, a grotesquely over-priced and not exciting wine list, and washrooms which weren’t the cleanest or most interesting off in Siberia. Furthermore, I can’t possibly imagine how someone older and not totally mobile was expected to be able to reach them- up stairs, around a corner, down a corridor. Forget wheelchair access.

Somehow, it is assumed that if you can afford to frequent these trendy restaurants, that you aren’t stupid. Obviously one must be intelligent enough to have worked for the cash in your pocket. What on EARTH are these people thinking? That clients are stupid and blind and we can’t see that with all your advertising everywhere, that your restaurant is half empty and all the staff seem to care about is their own image?

The same things apply with ‘Customer Service’ desks in shops, banks and government departments. How many times have you reached the counter only to have a rude employee look over you as if you are invisible, put a sign on the wicket and walk away, even though you are the only one in the queue. You are then expected to wait for 30-70 minutes while they either go on ‘break’ or for lunch. Forgetting that your time is also of value, and presumably you took time off work to be there. Spending the 5 minutes serving you would not have been such a hardship for them. And the polite response that you are the last one before they go for their ‘break’ or lunch.

The endless being put on hold on telephone ‘Customer Service’ lines, to wait over 20 minutes sometimes, only to have someone from half way around the world with a bad accent, who doesn’t understand two thirds of what you say, is rude, and finally hangs up on you because they don’t want it to appear that they couldn’t answer your question.

If you are being paid to provide a service, smile, provide the service, THANK your customer, they are the ones paying your salary, and then move on to the next. If you are having a bad day, don’t blame it on the people paying your wages.

Somehow there seems to be a common thread – treat your clients like ignorant children and think they will flock to continue to do business with you. With the internet today, word tends to get around at the speed of light. One has to pity the investors in some of these ventures, as they are usually not aware of how poorly the clients are treated. With all the social networking services available both on mobile phones and the internet, it is seconds today from being in business to being ruined. Companies should remind their ‘Customer Service’ Representatives about this fact.

Business, Integrity, Privacy, Quality

On-Line Business

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Sometimes one feels like they are in a world gone mad.

With the explosion of ebusiness, a lot of companies seem to be under the absolutely ludicrous impression that everyone is always on-line, and wishes to conduct all their business that way. Some twenty-something teckie who is in love with the idea of technology has convinced management that the only way to do business is on-line, and it will solve all their problems. There are a terrifying number of airlines, shops, banks and other service companies who appear to have forgotten why they were in business in the first place. In a word, giving SERVICE to their CLIENTS.

Do they really expect the silver-haired octogenarian to conduct her business on-line? The infirmed? To book airline tickets, do their banking, and deal with problems by accessing a computer? As some of the modern telephones are intimidating enough, never mind being told by a recorded voice that if you have a problem, ‘you can contact us on line at ‘ www.noservice.com’ or ‘we’re too important to speak to you on the telephone.com’ or ‘we don’t care about you.com’ and being incapable of actually finding a human being to speak to.

Computers are a truly wonderful creation, I’ve spent most of my career working in the computer industry, and am enthralled by the level of imagination in the field. From voice recognition, 3D animation, robotics , aircraft simulators for pilot training, complete with cockpits which actually move, microscopic surgery, and artificial limbs, the uses of technology are advancing daily, and most of it at the click of a mouse. However, companies must understand that not everyone wishes to live through the use of technology, nor does everyone think with the logic of a computer. Some people are visual, some auditory, others tactile, some mathematical, and others just plain lonely. Never underestimate the value of a live human voice. No automated system can ever replace the sound of the words,
‘can I help you with something? Is everything ok?”

Although I work in the industry, and am extremely savvy to the uses of technology, as it happens I am also someone who does NOT wish to conduct my personal business on-line. And it is interesting to note, that there a great number of people like myself, who have decided that if a company does not wish to speak with me in person in order to obtain my custom, then I will probably not be doing business with them.

So, next time you decide to automate a customer service function, try asking the clients what they think about the idea first.

Clients pay your salary and your rent. They should have a voice. The old expression ‘money talks and money walks’ should be remembered. Do something original.
ASK.!

Business, Impressions, Integrity

Preferred Vendors: Competition and Kickbacks

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Are you the CEO or CIO of a publicly traded company?

Then you want to read this blog and think seriously about it means to you.

Over the last few years there has been a move by certain companies to reduce the number of suppliers as a way to save money and simplify the purchase process. Along the way a great number of excluded companies have seen their opportunity to propose innovative solutions decline as they have been unable to respond to “members only” RFPs (request for proposals). We have heard no end of excuses in the marketplace as to why this is a good idea. However, the reality is that it removes competition and introduces opportunities for dishonest employees to show favouritism to suppliers who claim to be offering better prices based upon ‘partnership’ or volume-based price reduction.

How can anyone determine if they are getting the best product if they are eliminating any chance for competition? Even if you manage to short-list the top ten best vendors in the market today, by tomorrow there will be another company born that offers superior solutions.

A quick review of today’s media makes evident that during the current recession there are thousands of individuals who have taken their know-how and created new opportunities. Economists recognize that start-ups and small companies are the engine that drives economic recovery and economic growth, which benefits everyone including large corporations. In a phrase, their growth is your growth. So why not include them more directly in your success?

But even more pernicious effects are resulting from the restrictive preferred vendor list and the close vendor-client relationships that ensue. A level of out–right fraud has escalated in recent years to a point where it is no longer a matter of accepting a free lunch or two. Every day one reads about another scheme where some ‘highly innovative’ individual has found a way to work around the system and walk away with substantial ill-gotten gains. There are middle level managers in large corporations who earn very average wages driving new Mercedes, owning country homes, going on lavish holidays and drinking fine bottles of wine.

And how have they arrived at this unearned lifestyle? After skilful positioning and self promotion about how they are saving the enterprise vast sums of money by reducing the number of suppliers and negotiating significant discounts, their actions are no longer scrutinized leaving them free to personally benefit in any way they can arrange. Ironically, in many cases the same companies are insisting that new employees have extensive background checks and police file verification prior to being hired.

Examples of preferred vendor policy effects and “under-the-table” transactions abound; here are just a few:

1. An approved vendor representative conducts special meetings at a strip bar where cash stuffed envelopes are dispensed to his ‘best’ clients.

2. An middle-level executive of a large corporation has an $80,0000 golf club membership, has gone cruising in the Greek Isles with his family, played golf in Florida, and is regularly taken out for lavish meals to thank him for his “patronage”. A preferred vendor list decision was made once and his employer has never questioned vendor invoices since.

3. A middle manager, after ‘streamlining’ the number of suppliers to his department, miraculously went from living in a modest home to inhabiting a million dollar mansion with an in-ground pool, period antiques, and a new Mercedes, not to mention taking amazing golf trips during the winter.

4. A multi-million dollar contract is awarded. A few days later five executives receive shipment from a local art dealer of signed, large, gilt-framed, original art work. After a week on the walls, the art, being recognized as far too valuable and obvious, is removed to the homes of the executives.

5. A handful of people in a very large multi-national have eliminated most of the suppliers to its technology initiatives, initiatives which count in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Although some middle managers question the economic benefit of such an approach, they nevertheless adhere to the ‘initiatives’ under threat of losing their jobs during the recession. No employee is willing to step forward and challenge why, in such a large corporation, with such diverse needs, they are not allowed to have contact or do business with those not on the restrictive ‘approved’ list. Kickback rumours abound, morale is low, and the department is operating well below its capability. The hidden intimidation is unethical at the very least, the threats to whistle-blowers very real, and the productivity impact incalculable.

Within the supplier community, the facts are obvious. In fact, they are openly discussed and the perpetrators well known. In many cases even the “kickback” amounts are discussed freely. The only people who seem to be totally unaware of this behaviour are executives in corporations where this behaviour occurs.

As a responsible executive you should ask yourself:

1. Is anyone in my organization guilty of this behaviour?
2. When is the last time we did a ‘lifestyle’ audit on those individuals making substantial purchasing decisions?
3. Do I believe that the new million dollar home that my employee purchased is due to an inheritance … from a rich aunt?
4. Can I really afford to have this illegal behaviour occur on my watch?

Simple First Steps (RCE)

Rotate Personnel: Individuals who make major purchasing decisions should be rotated on a regular basis. If the same people occupy these roles for too long, it is just too tempting for them to accept the gifts on offer.

Conduct Internal Audits: Unannounced, fully authorized, and executive committee supported internal audits should be SOP.

Expand the Vendor List: Open up the bidding process to more competition. The innovative ideas and cost containment may surprise you and will please your stakeholders.

“Unintended consequences” and “collateral damage” are two phases that came to this blogger’s mind when researching this article. In an era of increased regulatory oversight, think about the consequences of a corporate policy that could place you in the cross-hairs.

Copyright 2009 roslyn-on-the-go