lessons from the brant cave (preview edition)

Lessons from The Brant Cave

Preview Edition

byRobert Lavigne,

Your Social Business Mentor

Volume Two in The Brant Cave Series

Dedicated to Karen, Julie and Ron

Table of Contents

IntroductionRobert Lavigne, Your Social Business Mentor

Chapter One"Your request is denied" ~ the Kitchen Staff. How to shift to a "Cafe and Culture" Innovation and Collaboration Hub.

Chapter TwoAre You a Social Hypocrite? Are Your Back Office Behaviours in line with Your Front Office Expectations?

Chapter ThreeWhat is a Pain Point? What is a Pivot Point?

#StayTuned

http://www.socialbusinessmentor.com/2012/05/thoughts-from-kitchen-staff.html








http://www.socialbusinessmentor.com/2012/07/Are-You-a-Social-Hypocrite.html








http://www.socialbusinessmentor.com/2012/07/lessons-from-brant-cave-is-this-pain.html




Are you struggling to formulate your Social

Media Strategy?

Do you wish to understand how to

become a Social Business?

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Help You Succeed?

Contact @RLavigne42.com

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I n p e r s o n , L i f e @ 4 2 Workshops featuring Robert L a v i g n e , c a n a l s o b e scheduled for any group size and topics.

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ChapterOne

"Your request is denied" ~ the Kitchen Staff.

How to shift to a "Cafe and

Culture" Innovation and Collaboration Hub.













Robert Lavigne (@RLavigne42.com), Your SocialBusinessMentor.com

Chapter One

We have an order for 10 Marketing Plans, 15 IT Projects, 5 Video Productions, 20 HR and Policy Changes. Here is Five Million Dollars. Go!

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Chapter One

Now, for some this may look like a great opportunity. For the kitchen staff, who are not aware of what is being ordered tonight, they are now in a state of chaos.






Chapter One

Most "Mission, Values and Goals" statements turn into just that. A long list of un-filtered, un-vetted, and un-planned request for services. Some money is there and they want to be fed their un-budgeted wish list.






Chapter One

Do you promise them everything on the list for the unjustified and unsolicited allocation of funds?






Chapter One

Or do you start a community dialogue around a campfire, where everyone partakes in a bountiful harvest, shared stories, and a view of the future, the present, and the past.






Chapter One

Only a "Cafe and Culture" Innovation and Collaboration Hub is capable of filtering, vetting, planning and budgeting those Mission, Values and Goals for success.





ChapterTwo

Are You a Social Hypocrite?

Are Your Back Office Behaviours in line with Your Front Office

Expectations?












Chapter Two

I woke up this morning with a headache. Now in all likelihood that headache is the direct result of the 2007 Côtes du Rhône I drank last night. The fact that this particular mix of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre was called Domaine De Dieumercy could be a tell tale sign. However, it is more likely that this migraine is related to the conversation that led me to open the bottle in the first place.






Chapter Two

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine last night about what it means to be a Social Business. He had been applying for numerous positions with companies that claimed to be Social Businesses, or had strong Social Media Strategies defining their brand.






Chapter Two

In all cases, the Human Resources department failed to acknowledge his application, let alone schedule an appointment to discuss the opportunities presented to them. You read that right, this was an opportunity presented to them, not some traditional pray and spray approach to the hiring process.






Chapter Two

You are probably reading this and saying "it is standard policy and procedure that only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted." While this legal and time saving verbiage is standard fair in traditional recruitment process, it falls short of the very fundamentals of what it means to be a Social Business.






Chapter Two

If your back office is unable or incapable of providing the basic courtesy of a thank you and acknowledgment of intent, the odds are that your front office is suffering the same poor customer service.






Chapter Two

In the Social Era, where many of us have become Prosumers (Producers and Consumers), a simple job application has become a conversation starter with either an existing customer or a potential customer. The very fact that someone is applying to your organization, is an indication that they highly value your organization to start with.






Chapter Two

If they already value your organization, there is a strong chance that they are an existing customer. This is especially true if your business is of a retail nature, and in this day and age, we have all become retail businesses.






Chapter Two

Our success as a business is entirely based on people buying our services or products through positive word of mouth. This Farmer's Market model has been true for as long as the concept of commerce has existed. Whether this commerce is run in the front office or in the back office is where the power of Social Business come into play.






Chapter Two

How a potential customer views their relationship with your business is now a mix of all elements of your business. Your back office is no longer sheltered by walls and policies, your front office even less so.






Chapter Two

The names of the businesses in question are not important. What is important is that each and everyone of them failed to be a Social Business when this opportunity was presented to them.






Chapter Two

Each and everyone of them failed to engage with an existing or potential customer to convert them into a Brand Advocate. Each and everyone of them failed to understand that in the Social Era, this experience is now amplified and my view of those organizations is now as tarnished as the one who experienced it first hand.






Chapter Two

The red wine I enjoyed last night easily ranked as a four out of five. It had been aged for over five years and resulted in a smooth finish that left a positive impression on my palette. The businesses I am referring to easily ranked as a one out of five. They had been aged for over fifty years and resulted in a harsh experience that left a negative impression on my palette.






Chapter Two

How your business is reviewed is a mix of numerous elements that if poorly tended to will convert your wine into vinegar.





ChapterThree

What is a Pain Point?

What is a Pivot Point?








Chapter Three

Life is interesting. It provides for ample life lessons. They present themselves as opportunities, challenges, road blocks, and failures. These moments of temporal chaos are either Pain Points or Pivot Points.






Chapter Three

Providing solutions to Pain Points, and mentoring towards Pivot Points, is the foundation of a Social Business Model. The valuation of the end results, and the engagement i t invokes, i s the commercialization of a Social Business Economy.






Chapter Three

A Paint Point requires a collaborative solution. Pain Points are characterized as short term. Pain Points tend to be localized. Pain Points are destructive by nature. Consulting sessions are best suited to define and resolve Pain Points.






Chapter Three

For every Pain Point you encounter, you will encounter the occasional Pivot Point. Your ability to recognize one from the other is your competitive advantage. A Pivot Point requires a decisive decision to alter your current trajectory.






Chapter Three

A Pivot Point requires an innovative solution. Pivot Points are characterized as long term. Pivot Points tend to be generalized. Pivot Points are disruptive by nature. Mentoring sessions are best suited to conceptualize and iterate Pivot Point.






Chapter Three

Your commitment will dictate the decisions you must make. Your alignment will guide the actions you will take. The fundamental difference, between a Pain Point and a Pivot Point, is how they relate.






Chapter Three

The next time life provides you with a interesting lesson, ask yourself,

"Is this a Pain Point or a Pivot Point?"





#StayTuned

Social Business Mentor

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