Costco Connection - November 2005

PAUL & SARAH EDWARDS
LIFESTYLES FOR THE MILLENNIUM

HOW DO YOU STAND OUT in a crowd of 26,600 buyers who have only a few days to shop through the booths of 1,650 exhibitors, all hoping to sell ^IN ^TODAY’S ^competitive ^busi-their wares? That was the challenge facing potter ^ness ^{world, here’s} ^an ^idea ^to ^getahead: Go a little crazy.

Little fish,
big splash

Paul & Sarah Edwards are pioneers
in the home-business field.
They can be reached on the Web
at www.workingfromhome.com.

The
wisdom
^ofbeing
crazy

Nina Walz of Bend, Oregon, as an exhibitor at this _That’s _the _advice _{of Costco}summer’s California Gift Show in Los Angeles. _member _JoAnna _{Brandi, a} _cus-It was an even bigger challenge four years tomer-loyalty expert based in
ago, when she first decided to expand her home- Boca Raton, Florida. She says that
based Off the Walz Studio ( www.worldwidewalz.com panies develop “hardening of
com) from selling directly to buyers at art fairs to ^the ^categories” ^when ^they’re ^satis-selling wholesale to retailers at gift shows. Nina ^fied ^with ^the ^norm ⁱⁿ ^terms ^ofwas aware that there were always lots of potters ^service ^and ^products.“^The ^result:at these shows and most of their booths looked ^Your ^service ^goes ^stale ^whilecompetitors creating fresh new
pretty much the same, adorned with attractive and expanded into artichoke servers, asparagus plat- _service _innovations _attract _yourplatters, bowls, pots, etc. But in taking an all-or- ters, corn-on-the-cob holders and olive boats. But _best _employees _and _precious _cus-nothing risk to invest in a booth at such a large the pièces de résistance are her salad sets. These _tomers,” _Brandi _says.show, she couldn’t afford to be just another potter. large, hand-rolled, delicately shaped lettuce- or The solution is to nurture
As small businesses, most of us face a similar cabbage-leaf sculptures with individual nesting a culture where it’s safe to be a
challenge. We are like a small fish competing not bowls are one-of-a-kind showstoppers. little crazy.
only with a lot of big fish but also with lots of “What’s that?” we asked, eyes wide with ^Set ^aside ^time ^for ^creativity.other little fish. Nina’s solution was to create wonder, as we approached her booth. We were ^{Ideally, you} ^want ^to ^do ^this ^quar-something appealingly practical, yet strikingly astonished to learn these stunning art pieces were ^{terly, outside} ^the ^{office, and} ^youout of the ordinary. both functional and beautiful. No one would need ^should ^hire ^someone ^to ^facilitate_the _sessions _so _that _the _managersShe produced a line of brightly colored serving to find a place to store these pieces. You’d want _can _fully _participate.pieces that are shaped like the objects they’re them as a decorative center of attention. _Start _an _Idea _{of the} _Monthdesigned to serve but look like works of art. She Her novel ideas were an instant hit from her _Club._Get _everyone _into _thebegan with fish platters named after the fish they first gift show on—quite a splash from this little practice of questioning or look-
represent—rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, etc.— fish in the pond. C ing at things differently, using
questions like “How can I make
this better? How can we improve
the customer experience?” Offer
a monetary reward for the ideas
each behavior and then offers a that are selected for action.
Yo_ur _worst _enemyfew action steps for combating it. Invest in creativity. There
It’s the kind of book in which are fabulous books, products,
you can scan the table of con- cards, games and activities to

IF YOU’RE LOOKING around expecting your boss to appreci- tents and then skip right to the help you break out of “normal” for the culprit who’s been keep- ate you and wasting time. one, five or 20 negative behaviors thinking patterns. ing you from succeeding, author/ In short, pithy chapters to which you feel you are prone. “If necessity is the mother psychiatrist Mark Goulston h as highlighted with apt quotations Take guilt, for example. of invention, I’d guess the father just the book for you. and anecdotes, he examines “There are few self-defeating is curiosity, absurdity, dissatis-It’s called Get Out of Your behaviors that separate effective faction, playfulness, considera- Own Way at Work (Putnam, leaders from ineffective ones tion, imagination or any number 2005), and, knowing that, you more than feeling guilty,” of qualities that aren’t typically can probably guess that the Goulston notes. a part of standard business culprit just may be none other If you tend to feel guilty models,” says Brandi. than you. when you make tough decisions “In most companies, mar-Costco member and involving other people, Goulston keting and research get to be Connection contributor suggests you work to sift out creative while the rest of us wait Goulston has identified a what is your own responsibility to hear from them. Let’s break whole slew of self-defeating and what is the responsibility of out of the old molds and make behaviors, including procrasti- others. Ask yourself, “Am I ‘creative flow’ a standard part of nating, defensiveness, making assuming more than I need to?” our organizational cultures.” excuses, deviousness, setting It is the first step toward avoid- For more from Brandi, see low expectations, quitting too ing the confusion of feeling guilty www.customercarecoach.com. soon, being closed to input, with being guilty. C