Above all else, give me performance

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One of the most nerve wracking things I recall in the business world was job interviews. Of course, I was the one looking for a job so the stress was on me, not the faceless HR person grilling me about... actually, they never grilled me and they always had a face- I just had a hard time seeing it through my shaky nerves.

I began the process feeling completely inadequate. When you try to check what's making noise in the attic and accidentally miss a rafter and fall through the ceiling... twice, you question your ability to tie your own shoes, much less hold a job. My nerves were always tied to what I felt I could deliver and, trust me, I always underestimated myself even though I'm highly competent.

What I learned is that one can put pretty much anything they like on paper and talk a good game but there was no real telling what the other side of the table had on their mind or were looking for. Now I sit on the other side of the table, so now I know what they're looking for; in a word: performance.


At present, I'm building a lean, mean (well, maybe more friendly than mean) designing machine and that doesn't happen overnight. But what does happen is I see lots of design work. I can tell in about five seconds or less if that work meets my standards and aesthetics.

The most interesting aspect of that is that good work stands out. Someone may have worked for some of the largest brands in the world in charge of an army of designers, but that doesn't mean their work... works. At the end of the day, performance trumps everything. Fortunately, design performance can be assessed pretty quickly.

The saddest aspect might be that sometimes an artist has great work but it just doesn't fit with our aesthetic. 


If you're looking for a job somewhere, consider all that the way I never did as I did my searches way back when. Sometimes your work is great but you're just not the right fit for the company's vision, but at the end of the day all that matters is performance and if you perform... well, that's all that matters.



-Chris
www.delacroixleather.com

Peace among mutts (Happy 4th)

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I am a mutt, no doubt. That is, I have ancestry among Italians, English, Scottish, Choctaw Indian, Cherokee Indian and who knows what else. I am an American mutt, born during the easy Seventies.

We, Three Dog Night, implore you: take it easy. Really, grab a cold one.

I grew up lucky enough to see the country's bicentenial:

Groovy

Patriotic

Jeff is cool, even numbers are fun... why not have a two dollar bill?

Keep on drumming in the free world.

It really was a pretty cool time. The country even tried to go metric... well, we tried.

I can't describe how 'united' the country felt, but I was little so that was just a youthful perception. I think this country has always had it's divisions and tensions, it's just easier not to notice when you're five and don't know much about the world.

Somewhere along the lines, though, I noticed. Maybe it was punk vs. new wave or Pepsi vs. Coke, but I saw divisions. The older I got, the more I saw. And then I noticed violent divisions; People spewing out absolute hate and vitriol against one another over things like skin color, political parties, economic classes and even shoe colors. It's weird.

So, today's the fourth. We celebrate our independence, but what are we really celebrating?

Some say we're celebrating our freedom- though really, was England all that bad? Did we get out of taxes when we split with them? Did we get to make laws everyone truly agrees with? 

Some say it's about fighting for freedom- you know... 'freedom isn't free'. I was in the Army during the first Iraq conflict. I'm sure the government spent a lot of money on me, so, no, that kind of freedom wasn't free, though I can't say Saddam was suppressing my freedom.

Is it about fireworks? I know I love those.

What about the founding fathers? Well, see the above regarding taxes.

Here's what I think this freedom and independence stuff is all about...

Delacroix Leather designs bands for all kinds of people, though our designs are samples. The point of the bracelet is to put your design on it. Still, as I design representative samples I can't help notice how very different groups are. One minute I'm designing a very conservative, but beautiful religious band for a Christian group, the next I'm designing a hard rocking band for a death metal event. Bracelets aren't people, so they get along, though they might look completely crazy aside one another. And there it is.

Our country is this mix of things that look crazy aside from one another. The goal of this experiment we call American Democracy, is to keep aside one another peacefully and respectfully. We must find a place for all without the violence between. 

As for freedom, we have to respect that too while keeping in mind that freedom can not exist without some level of responsibility. Feel free to shoot your guns on the range or protect yourself from a mountain lion, but don't point it at me. Feel free to rock out to your stereo, just not next to my house at 3AM. Feel free to do a cannonball into the pool, just not beside my little daughter during her swim lessons.

Freedom doesn't require a gun to enforce; it requires respect, restraint and consideration of those around us. I believe there is a place for all of us mutts- here, in America. Perhaps belief is the first requirement of democracy.

And, to lighten things up a little, here's a clip of my favorite speech on what it means to be an American as told by Bill Murray in the movie, Stripes:

-Chris
www.delacroixleather.com

Delacroix Leather to Google: hey, we're over here!

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I did a search on my own company, Delacroix Leather, and found... this blog site. Yes, my company keeps a blog but the blog only matters if you know about the company website... where you can actually see our products.


What to do, what to do?


I know! Mortgage the farm, hire an SEO optimization consultant and keep my fingers crossed that when someone searches for the company, they'll find it.

Hahahahahaha. What, you think I was born yesterday? Consultants (rolls eyes).



I'm certain, given enough time, Google will get things straight. We're new and it'll just take a while before our company ranks above, well, you don't want to know some of the crazy stuff that comes up when you type in our business name.


I guess the reason I'm typing this post is because how peculiar it feels being tied to one search engine when a big part of existing, through a customer's eyes, is being found in a search- through one search engine. I like google, but I'll be honest, the monopoly aspect they have at this point is a little troubling.

I don't know if anyone recalls the Microsoft monopoly problem from a few years back. Microsoft wanted to ship all MS OS machines with Internet Explorer on them- not a bad thing when you're the makers of Internet Explorer, but could be damaging if you provide another web browser competing with them. Personally, I miss Netscape.

Anyway, while that might have affected the businesses involved in the dispute, it really didn't affect the user so the issue kind of fell off the radar with the public. But let's look at something that does affect users: Adobe.

Adobe makes great stuff. If you've ever opened a document with Acrobat, thank Adobe. Adobe's big contribution to the web (well, they have many, but this one stands out) is 'Flash'. Flash allowed video content like no other. The only problem is, one company owned it and every bit of software related to it. Apple didn't like this, hence my iPad doesn't play flash videos. At the time Jobs made the decision to exclude Flash from iPads, I thought, 'aren't we being a little paranoid?'

And then, one day, I needed vector design software. Have you ever used any? If you do, you quickly find there are a handful of software companies that make it but one that just dominates the market: Adobe.

Adobe Photoshop: same thing.

Photoshop and InDesign aren't cheap, but they're good products. Normally, that's about as far as a monopoly takes their product- they control the price and stick it to you. 

But imagine this. Imagine a world where everyone in an industry uses only one brand and the company decides they no longer wish to sell you their product? What if they decide they will now lease their product to you and anything you've created using that product can't be opened unless you stick to the lease?

What I've described is present-day Adobe. Perhaps Jobs wasn't to paranoid after all.


I'm starting to feel this way about Google. They're a terrific company now. What they've done and continue to do is absolutely amazing. But, they're the only game in town. Sorry Bing, it's true.

Just as a pleasant side, if you've ever wondered where the phrase 'the only game in town' comes from:

 A guy with a gambling addiction loses his shirt every night in a poker game. Somebody tells him that the game is crooked, rigged to send him to the poorhouse. And he says, haggardly, ''I know, I know. But it’s the only game in town.''


So, hopefully people will be able to find my site. I guess for now they'll have to type in the full name in the web address. I'd like to find a better way for them to reach me but Google doesn't rank the company site above the blog site. I'd find another search engine to help with this, but I use Google because... well, it's the only game in town.


-Chris
www.delacroixleather.com

Bracelet Design Tips

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We can help you make your design. We offer design consulting at no charge.


Really, it's simple. If we've contacted you, odds are you already have vector-ready logos and graphics on hand that look outstanding, or a design team ready to create whatever you might need. If you don't, we will be happy to consult and quickly get you up and running with a design your customers will love.

In our trial and error, we've found that getting any graphic idea to a bracelet requires a little prior planning.

One of the biggest things I can't stress enough is to consider the 'sweet spot'. On a bracelet, it would be the middle third, because that's what rests on the top of the wrist. Tailor your main message, logo or artwork to that spot and half the battle is done.

Another tip is using panoramic images. Our bracelets have a very long rectangular ratio. Square pictures can be made to work, but panoramics always do better. Think in rectangles when designing.

And last, we are Delacroix Leather, but the real strength of our product is its ability to use photographic quality images. I'm telling you, I've looked everywhere and nothing comes close. Our bracelets really stand out when you've put a great photo of some kind on them- the higher quality, the better. One of my favorite samples I made was able to capture a very detailed city skyline and rendered it as you would see it- no blurriness, no fuzzy lines; crisp photo detail.

We can put anything on our bracelets for you, but great photos stand out and make it an accessory without equal.


As always, if you need help, contact us. If we can help you get the bracelet of your dreams to your customers, then we're living our dream.


-Chris
www.delacroixleather.com

Normandy Beach 101

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I was in an MBA program at a fine school, but there were a couple of small problems.

1. It was an hour drive from my house.
2. I wasn't making any income; I was just learning... something.

Number one was a nuisance, number two was unsettling. I had a business degree but I knew that corporate America demands more, these days. They want pedigree before they see your feet walking into the interview door. Doesn't matter how capable you are, either. It's hard to get get much of a chance to prove your capability when you aren't qualified.

If my undergrad experience taught me anything (and, of course, yours may differ), it's that real learning wasn't the point; the point was passing the exams. If real learning were the point, there would be no exams- there would just be milestones and no one would question whether you were ready to reach for the next.

Think of it this way- do we teach people to swim or to diffuse bombs the way we teach people social studies? When the matter is life or death, learning matters. 

Returning to business school...

I studied quantitative management, operations and all these other wonderful books, but a question nagged at me: What can we control? Even better, what can we predict?

If you've ever day-traded, raise your hand. Mine is up. 

Day trading is not Warren Buffet's forte', rich as he is. If anyone is into predicting the future, it's Warren Buffet. He looks at a company inside and out, sums up their capabilities and management, then makes a guess.

'Yes, people will still want Coca-Cola in the year 2020- buy it up!'

His tolerance for risk isn't that great if he's betting on what I consider blue-chips.

When I day-traded, I looked everywhere for potential money- small and big. I traded big names and unknowns. What I found is that there are no real long-term predictions that hold out. The way the market moves is really anyone's guess. I also learned, the tide generally raises and lowers all ships (see the S&P 500 for further details).

This element, predictability, is the core thread in business school.

'Can we get our shippers to deliver product JIT like our Japanese competitors?'

'Can you deliver 15% returns every four quarters?'

'What kind of sales do you predict this year?'

That last question is a good one. It drives many businesses. 'How much can we expect to sell?'

Can you imagine asking your child that when they set up a lemonade stand?

'I'd like to set up a stand. Can you buy me some lemonade mix?'

'Well, I'd like to, but how much do you realistically expect to sell in the next four hours? Because if you're not hitting 10% increases, well then, the risk just isn't worth the loan.'

Banks.

Wait, weren't we supposed to be in a lecture back in business school? Why are we daydreaming about lemonade stands?

Let's go back in time to DOS- the operating system that essentially launched Microsoft.

How much did Gates expect to sell? How much Apple product did Wozniak and Jobs expect to sell? Would their outcomes have been different if they had to make a guess and base their productive output on that guess?

I enjoyed the strategic courses in business school. I also enjoyed taking my research to the next level by interviewing CEO's. I wanted to hear from the source what it was really like to build and run a successful company, because deep inside, I wanted to start my own some day. But statistics... hmm... interesting, no doubt, but what did they do for the business manager? More specifically, what could they tell an entrepreneur like Gates, Wozniak or even Sam Walton?

One day I asked my statistics professor a question that would change my life, for better or worse. It wasn't so much a question as confirming what I intuitively felt quite certain of.

'Over a long enough time line, the predictability of any endeavor reduces to zero... right?'

'Yes,' he said.

And there it is. It's no mystery: the greatest mathematical minds in a hedge fund couldn't predict the future any better than Nostradamus given a long enough time scale. That's not to stop people from trying. Look up any company and you'll see charts, statistics, and other methods to try and do what Nostradamus looked silly attempting.

But there's a caveat. If your business is static, not really growing, old.. then yes, a lot of it is predictable. Our nation's auto-manufacturer's come to mind. Did business school expect me to move into that kind of corporation?

Business school isn't totally worthless, but by the same token, those who appreciate risk (risk tolerant is the term, I believe) and are adventurous may not fit well within that kind of structure. They know the world is unpredictable, but they storm the Normandy beach of business anyway, because they believe. They may not be able to control the outside world, but they can put their soul into their work, buckle down against the barrage of obstacles and keep their fingers crossed that luck might be on their side. How many people go to work on Monday and feel that way in a static business environment?



-Chris
www.delacroixleather.com

Not so hard to say

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As I was mining data for sales leads last night, I came across a company's corporate site that allowed visitor comments. Oddly, the comments weren't moderated or addressed. My guess is someone thought visitors would write their name, state, time they visited the company and mention what a great time they had; people didn't do that.

The comments were a very long list of grievances, complaints and unanswered customer service questions that seemed even harder to read knowing that no one would ever likely answer them.


Let's step back in time to 1995 and date myself a little.

I was working on the sales floor of an office supply and furniture store in the furniture department. I didn't dream of a career selling office furniture, I simply needed a job while I went to college.

When I first started I was clueless. I didn't know a Hon from a Sauder Oak, but I learned. I sat in everything, I opened doors, I touched, tested and sold. In very little time I wasn't just a salesman, I was helpful. If you had a question, I had an answer- an honest one. If we didn't have something but I knew of a competitor down the street who did, I'd let you know because that's what I'd want if I were the customer. Customers want humans, not opportunists trying to pick their pockets. Humans build relationships through trust, and as people trusted me they always came back.

I'd like to say I worked at IKEA because I love IKEA, but nope. I mention them because we sold plenty of IKEA-like disassembled furniture and if you've ever opened a book case from IKEA, you know there could be trouble: missing screws, missing boards, the wrong parts... you never know; and so was the case with our furniture from time to time.

Of course, for the buyer this is a headache. They expect what we told them they were getting for their money. On our end, nothing was perfect, nor would it be. (FYI-Very few people or companies are perfect. When I find one, I'll let you know.)




So, here's a pop quiz: what do you do? 

When a customer comes storming in, ready to tear your head off because their experience was far from perfect, what action do you take?




Here's what you don't do:

Always makes me laugh because the army doesn't number their grenades; they number the boxes grenades come in.

Another thing you don't do is let every angry customer get in a room and complain until the end of time without any corporate response (ahem... unnamed example from earlier- hope you're reading this).



Here's one of the more (sadly) humorous customer complaint resolution methods I witnessed. 


A coworker loaded this beautiful mahogany desk table-side down on a pallet truck and scratched the top to no end. 

Mahogany desk tops don't like to sit directly on these. Actually, nothing that doesn't like to be scratched does.

The customer freaked out and said she wanted a discount for the scratches he put on it. 


His reply: 'It was like that.'


I was the supervisor. I saw the whole thing. I knew that desk since the day it arrived on the floor. It wasn't like that.

I wanted to laugh, but instead I did what I always did: I took the customer's side, calmly  and openly discussing the truth in front of the customer and the coworker. 

I clearly acknowledged that my coworker did scratch the desk and was simply afraid to admit his mistake. I also told her the sad news that there wasn't anything we could do to change what he'd done (there were no more desks like it, as it was a floor model), but we could offer a huge discount on the already discounted desk if she still wanted it. Of course, I did apologize for the entire incident. The customer bought the scratched desk at a greatly reduced rate and actually left very happy.

It wasn't the first time I apologized to a customer. In fact, I became so good at defusing angry customers that the store manager sent them to me every time. 

You bought a box of 1000 staples that only had 999? Send them to me.

Our delivery guy ran over your beloved poodle? Send them to me.

We showed up late and accidentally knocked out all the power on the Eastern seaboard when we plugged in our faulty desk lamp? Send them to me.

And people came in an-gry. 



But it wasn't hard. All I had to do was put myself in their shoes, apologize for what our company had done and do whatever I could offer to make it better. 


There's this wonderful line from the movie Grand Budapest Hotel I absolutely love (both the move and the line) regarding angry customers.

Rudeness is merely an expression of fear. People fear they won't get what they want. The most dreadful and unattractive person only needs to be loved, and they will open up like a flower.

I believe that line to be completely true, but there's a very important handful of words within it we have to consider: 'won't get what they want'.


Perhaps that's what causes the disconnect between complaint resolution and businesses. Oftentimes, a business will hear a complaint that seems absurd, e.g.: 'It was raining and the rides at your theme park were closed- I want a refund!'

Never mind that most people don't want to ride in the rain or that rainy rides may be completely unsafe, and never mind that theme parks can't control weather.

But what do we promise our customers? Who or what makes them feel so... entitled?


I'm sorry to say, it's your marketing and sales team. When you show potential customers a happy family on a cruise ship hugging a dolphin, a kid rocking out to your latest mp3 software or a man enjoying a five star dining experience at a hamburger fast food restaurant, you've created an expectation and built an entitlement.


Returning to my own experience, I couldn't give away the store but it wasn't hard to give a discount or an occasional freebie. Most of the time a sincere apology (and I truly mean honest and sincere- like you took our your parents' car without permission and wrecked it) and recognition of our mistake was enough. 

Very few people in the world truly expect perfection, but they do expect people to recognize the pain and hurt they cause them when they do make mistakes. We have to remember that we rarely know the depth of pain we cause customers when we mess up; The most we can ever know is that we caused a mistake. I think it's fair to assume that we, the company, gave the customer the worst experience ever and work forward from there because, believe me, if they're complaining, you probably did- and if having customers matters, you really need to make up for it.


Alright, last example from my fireside chat and you can go back to your office party.

This is not the company I was discussing earlier; In fact, it's a great company that really goes out of their way to do great things in general, but even a big company can make mistakes. 


A family of four goes to Disney and the rides are closed due to weather. They complain about it to the company. What should Disney do? Disney doesn't control the weather, right? I mean, what right do they have to complain when weather just kind of happens?

Now look at it from the family's side.

The family lives in Alaska and make enough to do alright but never enough for anything expensive. In fact, they've never been outside the state other than the time the wife was deployed in Afghanistan on active military duty.

When she returned, they thought they'd celebrate by doing something different than normal: they booked a trip to Orlando to take the kids to Disney World. The parents were well aware they would only get to do one of these big trips for the kids, ever because flying from Fairbanks to Orlando, getting a room for the week and taking time off of work are always nearly impossible to coordinate.

They tell all their friends and family who are excited for a family that really needs a break/  Those friends and family  members have considered taking trips to Disney too but want first hand feedback from their friends to know if it's worth it before they shell out a lot of money. 

When the family arrives in Florida, they are excited. They can't wait to experience what the family in the brochure did. It's raining but the family's used to bad weather, since they live in Alaska. They figure the park is used to it also.

When they get to the gates, they find the park open but every ride is closed. This continues for the entire week. One could suggest they go to another theme park but they bought one week passes Disney which aren't cheap. They've spent their entire budget.

When they return they send a brief and simple complaint to Disney telling them they visited, it rained and they couldn't ride anything. They were disappointed.

Anyone reading the brief complaint might think they were crazy. They might even say to themselves, 'Of course you couldn't ride anything- Disney doesn't let riders on when it's soaking wet.'

As I said before, this is hypothetical, but it's a perfect instance where a company can say 'well, that's the breaks' or they can have some empathy and understanding. We don't know the full pain of someone voicing a complaint, we often don't know the whole story, but if they're complaining... well, look at it this way: 

it's a human in front of you who loved everything about your company. They love your style, your personality, and what you do. They want to give you business for as long as they live and you just fell short, or ruined their week, or ran over their cat, or made them wait all week long when they really wanted to take a vacation that week or who knows.

You have to empathize. You have to understand. You have to admit you fell short of their expectations. It's not kissing tail, it's being human. It costs nothing, but it means the world to someone who trusted your company to deliver.

We live and die by our customers. Relationships are valuable. Never forget what you promise them and when you fall short, take responsibility and do what you can to be a good human.



-Chris
www.delacroixleather.com

The China Syndrome

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It's naive to think a good idea won't be copied if not outright stolen lock, stock and barrel in this day and age. If it's not the kid giving away your music through a bit torrent, it's a reverse engineer taking apart your secrets for a competitor or someone simply selling the same thing in cheaper package (can anyone say 'Snuggie'?).

Which came first? Better question, did the customer really care either way?

And here's the painful part: free labor. At least it seems free when they're making it in China.  I've personally seen many final goods manufactured, packaged and shipped half-way around the world for less than what you could buy the materials to make the product for locally. Think about that: a store selling a wooden chair to you for less than the cost of wood you might buy to make yourself one. This is a disheartening reality to many manufacturers and business start-ups.

When I was younger, 'Made in China' was a joke; these days even my little daughter wonders what isn't made in China. And let's face it, given the right set of blueprints, China can make incredible stuff.

Yep, that too.

So what do small or local companies do? Do we just go along and have everything made in China while ignoring our local economy? Do we patent every little screw, nail and scrap while keeping expensive legal teams on retainer, ready to squash every copycat that might spring up? How do we protect ourselves from the thieves and hacks?


Two words:


LED...


ZEPPELIN



I know what you're thinking.

How can a popular 70's English Heavy Metal band protect my product from copyright infringement and counterfieters?


Let's look at Led Zep for a moment, or should I say, what they make.


Are they generic?


No. It feels odd to even call them 'Heavy Metal' or classify them in any genre because their sound is so unique. No one sounds like Robert Plant; no one sounds like Robert Plant and Jimmy Page; and no one sounds like all four of them, onstage, whomping. Anyone who tries to sound like them will remind you of them- and if you've heard them you know... there's nothing like the real Led Zeppelin.



It is this uniqueness which protects their brand the way Coca-Cola's red can and flavor protects theirs. They don't have to shout the loudest. They don't have to hire a team of lawyers to protect themselves from 'Iron Zeppelin'; their signature is their shield.



One might point out that their product isn't just their music; it's the delivery of that music (Records, shirts, CD's and MP3's, etc.), and though they're unique, that doesn't stop one from copying or stealing those things.

I completely agree. And the answer to that problem is to not rest on your laurels.

Had Led Zeppelin made only one album in this age and called it a career, they'd be broke. One anything is rarely enough product to survive. What works is a company that can make continued improvements to a product that copycats have to race to keep up with (iPhone was a good example) or something so unique it can't be copied (again, see Coca-cola).

One of these things, is not like the other...

But what about a service business?


I've learned that every business is a service business, some just don't have tangible goods associated with them.


And there's another area where the local business can really shine.

Look, I'm like anyone; I love to get stuff in the mail. I love being able to order stuff through Amazon without any hassles or even having to leave my home when I'm not up for it, but what about those stores you go into and they know you? The ones who, you always know, will fix things if anything's wrong? There is real value in that.

On my end of things, I could outsource some portions of my product to China but here's the thing- what guarantees do I have if things go wrong? If they do fix the problem, how long will it take? How well do I know that guy half way around the world, or the guy working underneath him?



Here's a story I read that really caught me off guard.

There's a scam run through some of the companies on the Alibaba site. Mind you, this isn't the site's fault, China's fault or any of the many reputable people who sell goods through the site- it's just what can and has happened in some instances.

Someone (We'll say 'Jim's Small Business' or JSB for short) decides to outsource and finds a business through Alibaba to work with- a completely legitimate business that is more than capable of making the product they say they make. And the Chinese company is actively making that product for many buyers overseas with no complaints.

JBS orders 15,000 units and the company is happy to make them. JBS sends the check. The representative who spoke with JBS takes the check, puts it in his personal account, cashes it and never tells his company about it.

I know, embezzlement can come from a faceless factory overseas that you've contracted through an internet site... unbelievable!!!


Of course, any company or person can embezzle, but when they do so locally your odds of getting some kind of restitution might be better than if it's through a faceless employee on the other side of the world.


China isn't the problem or even a problem; the problem is unscrupulous business people. But, on the other hand, China isn't always the solution. A deal is only a deal when one of two similar items, costs less. Local might cost more, just like buying a real can of Coke costs a little more than Sam's Choice, but sometimes the real thing is worth it. Sometimes counterfeits and copies won't cut it. Sometimes all you need are uniqueness, persistent improvement and unbeatable service.





-Chris
www.delacroixleather.com