Okay, so what the heck do ninjas have to do with employees, or marketing, or business in general??

I just had to use this graphic for the post today, because the point that I want to illustrate is that very often the message that really gets sent is not the message we intended, nor even the message that people consciously realize they are receiving. The real message, the “feeling” of an interaction can be a lot sneakier.

So let me lead into the point by saying: I’ve interviewed a lot of people for jobs. A lot. I tend to think I’m pretty good at it. at least 80% of the time, the answers that a person gives me are not as important to me as how I feel about them in my gut. I can tell when they walk in the door if they have the “fire.” The passion. The drive.

Your employees and your customers watch for this too. Employees get demoralized when they have to work with under-performers. Conversely, when they are “in the trenches” with someone they respect and trust, and know the feeling is mutual, they will go to great lengths together.

Your customers don’t just want the best price. They want to work with people they like. They want to feel that your team really “knows their shit.” Putting in place a process to make sure things get done is a big step to having a good customer relationship. But it’s only part of it. If the employees are robotic, no skill, no passion people with processes in place to protect the end product from their incompetence, your customers will feel this.

I love to go to Disneyworld. Specifically, one of my favorite restaurants to visit there is in Hollywood Studios, and is called “50’s Prime Time.” Guess what… They feed really isn’t all that great. The atmosphere is interesting in that it’s 50’s themed, but I would quickly tire of that as well. It’s the staff. The people who work there exude a fun, positive energy. I can tell they want to work there. I can tell they want to have fun with me… That it’s important to them and they enjoy it. They BELIEVE in the dream of that restaurant.

You can’t buy this! You can’t just pay your people more money to get this. You have to start by believing it yourself. Then you need to surround yourself with others who do as well. you have to give them reasons to care, and reasons to believe.

So a lot of business people get this. This is why they looks for personable account reps, and sales people. But it doesn’t stop there! If you sell well, and deliver well, but the person calling from Accounts Receivable has a bad attitude, guess what?? Your customer just got a peek at the man behind the curtain and it wasn’t pretty.

Find good people. Find passionate people. Find ways to keep them passionate.

Under performers need to be re-invigorated or cut. I mean that just as harsh as I say it. One of the worst things in a company is a person who never quite does bad enough to deserve to get fired. If you know in your heart that an employee will just never be the passionate team player you need, then you cannot let it fester. You have to make changes. The other employees in the trenches with that person deserve better, and you are demoralizing them through your inaction.

Hire good people. Your team will be more productive. Your products and services will be better because your team CARES that they are. Best of all, your ninja team of subliminal messages will make sure your clients feel this as well. It’s infectious.