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          CEO Success Report  -  November 2003
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Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs
and business owners.

Contents of this issue...
   .. Welcome - A few words from the publisher, Gary Lockwood
   .. Thought-Starter - "Count On It"
   .. Guest article - "Speed: The Differentiation Factor"
   .. CEO Resources
   .. Quotes to use in your staff meeting this month
   .. Humor to lighten up the executive suite
   .. Contact the publisher
   .. Subscribe and unsubscribe instructions


See past issues of the CEO Success Report at:
     http://www.CEOSuccess.com/archives


============================================
      WELCOME to this issue of the CEO Success Report!
============================================


Hello again. I'm Gary Lockwood, President of CEO Success.

Welcome back once again to the CEO Success. I know you have
no shortage of material to read and I thank you for choosing to
read our newsletter.

We work hard to provide practical ideas, thought-provoking concepts
and useful information for you.

You (and over 1000 of your CEO peers), have honored me by
being a loyal subscriber. For that, I appreciate you.

Most business owners and CEOs know what's important to
their enterprise, but can't (or don't) measure those things.

You've heard the old maxim: "You can't manage what you don't
measure."

What do you pay a lot of attention to? What are you constantly
measuring, asking your employees about, talking about and
looking at?

When your team knows what's truly important to you, they'll likely
pay more attention to those things, too.

My Thought-Starter for today discusses the significance of paying
close attention to those aspects of your enterprise that are crucial
to your success.

May I ask a small favor? Please forward this issue to other CEOs
and company presidents who may be interested in receiving
these messages. Thank you.

And now for our guest article this month.

Speed has become a differentiator between great service and even
greater service. Speed and quick response need to somehow be
integrated into virtually every business. People want things fast.

Our guest author this month, Shep Hyken, shows you how to
find different ways to incorporate speed into your business.
Read more about Shep at the end of his article.

I hope you enjoy receiving these articles and ideas to
help you sharpen your thinking about being an effective CEO.

My wish is that you use the ideas in the CEO Success Report to
get the results you really want. If you want some help in putting
them into practice, or if you have questions, email or call.

As you know, our specialty is Increasing the Effectiveness
and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs and business owners.

Enjoy this issue with my compliments.

Sincerely,
Gary Lockwood
CEO Success



===========================================
       This month's THOUGHT-STARTER
===========================================


     "Count On It"
     by Gary Lockwood

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."
                        --  John Lubbock

One of my clients (let's call him Mike) was telling me how important
it is to him that he sell long-term maintenance contracts, not just
ad hoc projects.

When I asked him how many of these long-term maintenance
contracts he has already, he couldn't tell me. He didn't know! He
said he's been too busy to track the number of such agreements.

The fact is that most owners and CEOs know what's important to
their enterprise, but can't (or don't) measure those things.

You've heard the old maxim: "You can't manage what you don't
measure." You have also likely read the story of the "Hawthorne
Effect".

In the late 1950s, the GE plant in Hawthorne, California brought in
some consultants to measure the effect of brighter lighting on the
productivity of their factory workers. The consultants first
intensified the brightness of the lighting.

Productivity increased.

After raising the brightness two more times, they saw two
more increases in productivity. On a hunch, they lowered the
lighting and measured one more time. Productivity went up!

They figured out that the productivity gains were not related to the
brightness of the lights, but to the act of measuring. They were
paying a lot of attention to the effectiveness of their workers. And
guess what? The workers responded by working more effectively.

What do you pay a lot of attention to? What are you constantly
measuring, asking your employees about, talking about and
looking at?

When your team knows what's truly important to you, they'll likely
pay more attention to those things, too.

Focusing on two or three key business metrics focuses you on
those areas. If your currently dominant thoughts are about
creating a new brochure, you'll start seeing other brochures.
You'll hear conversations about brochures. You'll pick up ideas
relating to brochures and even notice colors that would be
attractive for the new brochure.

In other words, your brain will pass through anything even
remotely related to the important issue - the brochure.

If you focus on improving a specific key indicator of your business
success, your brain will pass through sights, sounds, people and
ideas even remotely related to that point of focus. In other words,
if you measure it visibly, often and attentively, it will likely
improve.

Here's my suggestion: Identify two to five key measurements and
key indicators that are important and essential for your business.
Set up  an active system to measure and track these indicators.
Talk to your employees about it at every opportunity. Put charts and
graphs of these indicators on the wall of the lunch room. Make your
interest in these metrics very active and visible.

Chances are, you'll get what you're looking for - improvements in
these areas.

Count on it.


   About the Author...
Gary Lockwood is Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the
Lives of CEOs, business owners and professionals.
Email:  mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com  Web: http://www.CEOSuccess.com


==================================
          Guest Article
==================================


    Speed: The Differentiation Factor between Great Service and
    Even Greater Service
    by Shep Hyken

Speed has become a differentiator between great service and even
greater service. Speed and quick response need to somehow be
integrated into virtually every business. People want things fast.
You may remember the quote --

"If I wanted it today, I would have asked for it tomorrow!"
  -The Boss

One of my favorite stories about "speed" is about a mail order
computer company, PC/Mac Connection.

One night a friend and I were having dinner. He was telling me about
his new high speed computer modem. (A modem is the device that allows
your computer to hook into a telephone line.) He was telling me about
how fast the modem was compared to his old one. It wasn't that
expensive and I had to get one.

I asked him where he bought his. He told me PC/Mac Connection. I said
that I would pick one up the next day and asked where they were
located.

Then he told me PC/Mac Connection was a mail order company located in
New Hampshire, and as soon as he was home, he would call and give me
their toll-free number.

At 11:00 that night my friend called with the phone number. I
immediately called them to order the modem. At midnight, their time,
a very nice person answered the phone. I placed the order, gave her
my credit card number and went to bed.

The next day at 8:30, there was a delivery man at my office door. He
had a box from PC/Mac Connection.

Wait a minute! I just ordered this modem 9-1/2 hours ago! How could
they deliver it this fast? Even more amazing was that the computer
store down the street didn't open for another thirty minutes!

How did they do this? Well, the answer is really simple. PC/Mac
Connection realized that even though they were based in New Hampshire,
their warehouse didn't have to be. So, they positioned the warehouse
adjacent to one of the overnight delivery companies. When the order
was placed and confirmed in New Hampshire, a label with a part number
was printed at their warehouse. All the warehouse person had to do to
fulfill the order was to stick the label on the correct box and
deliver it next door. As long as the order was processed before 2:00
a.m. it could be on one of the overnight delivery company's planes
that took off at 3:00 a.m.

Think about how impressive this is. Just a few years ago, mail order
used to take 4-6 weeks. You were excited if you received it within a
few weeks. Then the turn-around time became less, 2-4 weeks. Then it
was "mailed out" within 24 hours which meant you received it in 4-5
days. Today the benchmark is OVERNIGHT service.

One way to incorporate speed into your business is to learn to
anticipate what your customers needs will be. Be proactive versus
reactive. For example, a waiter at a restaurant will watch a table to
make sure the customers are being taken care of. Rather than wait for
the customer to ask for another glass of water, the waiter is pouring
a new glass before the customer has a chance to ask.

Think of the many ways you might be able to use speed in your
business. It might be as simple as returning calls quickly. Turning
around an order for a customer more promptly. If you are in the parts
business, there might be a problem with a part for a customer, so
ship out a replacement part the same day -- not even waiting for the
broken part to be returned. Getting a report out quicker than
expected. There are lots of ways!

Speed or quick response is a powerful differentiator. Not too many
years ago the big differentiator was customer service. Customers
looked for and found companies that provided good customer service.
Now that many companies are effectively using service to their
advantage, you need to find other things to take you and your
organization beyond just good service. In other words, customers are
not just looking for companies who give good service compared to
their competition. They are looking for companies who give better
service than the competition.

Faxing, e-mail, courier services and overnight mail have created a
sometimes challenging expectation of fast service. Find different
ways to incorporate speed into already great service and you will
raise yourself to the next level, exceeding your customer's
expectations, and when you do that, you will be creating a MOMENT OF
MAGIC.

--------------------------

Shep Hyken, CSP is a professional speaker and author specializing
in the areas of customer service and customer relations. For more
information on Shep's speaking programs, books and tapes contact
(314) 692-2200 or Email: shep@hyken.com  Web: www.hyken.com



=============================================
             RESOURCES for CEOs
=============================================



American FactFinder
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet

     Want to learn more about your prospects and customers?
American FactFinder offers an amazing compilation of information
gleaned from Census Bureau data sets, plus easy-to-use interactive
tools to help you pull out only the information that you need. Create
tables and maps by industry, geography, income and more in seconds,
or access preformatted data sets by nation, state, county, city --
all the way down to the block level. Talk about knowing your customer.

Check it out at
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet

  * this resource brought to you by Larry Chase's Web Digest.
      Visit http://wdfm.com

============================================
      QUOTES to use in your staff meeting this month
============================================


The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.
      Herbert Spencer

In the consciousness of the end is the limitation of the moment.
      McDermott

Whoever acquires knowledge but does not practice it, is as one
who plows but does not sow.
      Saadi

You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you
come in contact with a new idea.
      John Nuveen

When the only tool you have is a hammer you tend to see every
problem as a nail.
      Abraham Maslow 1908-1970

When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.
      Ethiopian Proverb



===========================================
           HUMOR to lighten up the executive suite
============================================

         Take Me Out
 As the manager of our hospital's softball team, I was responsible
 for returning equipment to the proper owners at the end of the
 season. When I walked into the surgery department carrying a
 bat that belonged to one of the surgeons, I passed several patients
 and their families in a waiting area.

 "Look, honey," one man said to his wife. "Here comes your
 anesthesiologist."
 -----------

        The End is Near
 A local priest and pastor stood by the side of the road holding
 up a sign that said, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now
 before it's too late!"

 They planned to hold up the sign to each passing car.

 "Leave us alone you religious nuts!" yelled the first driver
 as he sped by.

 From around the curve they heard a big splash. "Do you think,"
 said one clergy to the other, "we should just put up a sign
 that says 'bridge out' instead?"
 ---------------

  "OLD" IS WHEN..... Your friends compliment you on your new
  alligator shoes and you're barefoot.

             ***excerpts from: http://www.joker.org/ ***

=================================
       CONTACT CEO Success
=================================


Gary Lockwood is the publisher of the CEO Success Report.
   Email:  mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
   Office: (800) 272-1575 (USA) *  (909) 739-7444
   Fax: (909) 494-4314


========================================
         Your Comments, please?
========================================


I appreciate feedback, corrections, and comments about the
CEO Success Report. Please send your thoughts to:
  Gary@CEOSuccess.com mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com

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