15 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The “Idiots” Corner by “Billy Bob Smith” Business Idiots I generally talk about individuals who act like idiots, but I have also seen many organizations including nonprofits, corporations, and associations act like a bunch of idiots, so this month I would like to discuss a simple issue many corporations have as a part of their philosophy, processes, and behaviors. Yes, hundreds of books have been written about many of the following topics, but one topic in particular seems to be coming to the surface more often than in previous years and what is this - policies that get in the way of customer loyalty, new business, and market definition. I won’t cover them all, just what I feel are a few of the major ones. Don’t organizations realize they are losing customers and business because of some of the following approaches? Yes, every one of the following topics could be a much longer article or even a book, but if you are a commonsense leader, just a few words for each topic will get your attention. ; Sending telephone calls to overseas individuals. Ever had a problem understanding an individual and they were supposed to be solving a problem? I had a client tell me he was talking to the organization person who was one of his suppliers when they said, “I can’t understand you,” then they hung up. Recently, I was sent to a lady for one of my suppliers who was in the Philippines. Every other sentence of mine was, “Please repeat that - I can’t understand you.” Now I am not being disrespectful to folks who work outside the U.S., but when I am paying a lot of money for one of my suppliers' services and I call them to resolve, I don’t want to have to call back several times until I get someone I can understand. ; Companies that force me to use technology and a robot while connected with them on my computer to resolve a problem. I spent two hours trying to find a telephone number so I could have an in-person conversation. And trust me, with AI, some of these problems are going to get worse. ; Companies that promise a lot, but don’t deliver because according to ten pages of “fine print written” policies and regulations I don’t have time to read. They just stretch the truth or what I refer to as promising a lot and delivering less. ; Hiring potentially poor employees without either vetting them according to backgrounds or references, or only using the Internet for the hiring process. Sorry folks, yes, there are great potential employees you can discover out there, but there are also a lot of idiots. In the end, hiring more idiots won’t help your potential growth and profits. ; Having a stupid employee review process which are just superficial reviews and don’t even touch the real issues. ; Opening in a new location or moving to a different place without proper research about the ability of the new location’s potential services to help you grow or current challenges you will now avoid. ; Mergers or acquisitions done for the wrong reasons - just for the money growth, improved reputation, pandering to certain market segments, senior management or ownership ego, better available employee market, etc. ; Compensation programs that were common 50 years ago, but are no longer relevant or appropriate. ; Sharing information about a product or service you are changing or introducing to the market with your customer base or potential new clients before letting your employees become aware of them. ; Promoting an employee for a new position they have no experience in - i.e. promoting one of your salespeople to sales or regional manager. ; Treating employees who are family or related in some way better or different than nonfamily members. I could go on for pages, but I believe I have made my point. There are a lot of idiots running organizations today and they are wondering why they are losing business, employees, or market share. Billy Bob Contact him via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Louisiana Ground Water Association (LGWA) Make plans to attend the 2025 LGWA Convention & Trade Show January 7-8, 2025 Paragon Casino Resort Marksville, Louisiana Registration Form Online https://LGWA.org Discount Code LGJ06GR
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