Credda: The Lawfully Good Leasing Company

The only thing better than competing in a business competition is enjoying one from the audience. You get all the thrills of watching energetic young businesses share their value propositions and competitive advantages, with none of the chest-crushing stress that comes from waiting for your own results. All pitch, no panic attacks.

That’s how I met Credda. This leasing company out of Spartanburg, SC pitched at the 36/86 semi-final held at Iron City on April 6 of this year. I immediately loved their story and their commitment to providing empathetic service to leasing customers.

I got to visit them in June and help them identify their core brand values. I’ve done this for dozens of companies—it not only informs your marketing messages and corporate culture, it also helps you make business decisions and communicate your purpose to a variety of stakeholders.

This was the first time I found a company who had more than a set of core brand values—they had a moral alignment. This nerdy term comes from Dungeons & Dragons and helps define a character’s outlook on life. The tool has been used to describe lots of characters outside the role-playing game universe, too.

Here’s an overview of the concept:

lnc-archetypes

What I love about Credda is that they are inarguably the Lawful Good. They’re unceasing in their approach to helping their clients make money while helping their end customers save money. They do it through rigorous analytics, relentless legal compliance, and an empathetic outlook wherein they put themselves in customers’ shoes.

credda core brand value map for blog.001

What’s your company’s moral alignment? How does it fit with your core brand values? Do you know your core brand values? Do they separate you from the pack, or are they generic? The better your values describe what’s unique about your company, the more likely they are to help differentiate you in the marketplace.

 

Welcome Marketing & Digital Consultant Jen Barnett!

Redhawk Consulting is excited to add Jen Barnett to our consulting team. You may know Jen from her businesses Freshfully and Bottle & Bone, both local Birmingham food endeavors with e-commerce components. She also has 24 years of marketing experience with clients from hospitals and banks to foodservice and retail. She’s worked with blue-chip veterans and day-old start-ups on marketing and digital strategy, web development, and branding.

Jen has an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, with concentrations in marketing and innovation.

She spoke at TEDx Birmingham on being brave, one of the core tenets of entrepreneurship. Watch her talk below.

Your Customer Experience may be Killing your Company

Recently, I had some web development work I needed to complete as part of a larger product launch. Not having any resources in house, I started talking with several companies who specialized in the work I needed done. Each of the four companies I engaged was a referral from a trusted source and their work product was exceptional.

After creating a specifications document and scope of work, I scheduled and met with all four companies in person or virtually. Three of the four companies asked a few questions, agreed to get me a proposal and we ended the conversation.

The customer experience to follow was appalling.

Company A: They never called into our scheduled conference call to discuss the project scope or specifications. Ten minutes past the scheduled start time, I emailed them to ask if they were unable to make it. Three hours later I received a short email saying they had been tied up and asking if I could call them now. No apology. No explanation. Nothing.

Company B: After a productive conversation about the project, they agreed to provide a proposal within the next 4-5 days. On the 6th day, I received an email saying they were not going to be quoting the work because another big project they were waiting on called them right after our initial meeting to tell them they won the bid. They sat on this information for 5 DAYS before telling us they weren’t going to bid on the work.

Company C: These folks were probably the most comprehensive in all of our initial meetings. They asked quite a few questions and took the time to understand all the input and outputs and the relationships between them. I was quite impressed. Leaving the meeting, I was told we should expect to see a proposal in the next “few” days. Five days later I received their proposal. It was three times as expensive as the next quote and would take 4 times longer to complete than the next longest timeframe proposed.

Company D: Similarly to the B and C conversations, we had a good initial meeting but I received an actual number for the cost of the project. It was presented as a “minimum” they charged for any project. The cost was reasonable even if it was perceived as a confrontational way of approaching pricing. Ultimately, we chose this company to complete the project. We made the decision around 5:00pm on a Friday and asked if we could meet them somewhere to deliver a check so they could start work on it the following Monday. No one was at their office. After another 90 minutes of texting and emailing to see if they could agree on a spot to meet, the founder finally agreed to meet me so I could give them a check. They took on the project, delivered it on time and within budget. Their project/ account manager could not have been more professional.

Unfortunately, there was not an encore performance… Based on the initial project, we asked Company D to quote ongoing development we have in the pipeline and, again, we had a productive conversation and an agreement that a proposal would be sent in a few days.

Eleven days later, I received a text asking if I could talk with their sales guy again before he sent the proposal.

Eleven days…

During an industry meeting a few weeks later, I was discussing my experience with a friend of mine who works in a successful SAAS company and he was surprised these were the only issues I had. He then regaled me with tales of a dozen other companies committing similar or worse gaffes. Apparently, this was somewhat of a norm. It was appalling.

All of the companies we approached for this project are technically proficient and represent some of the best in web development shops. Their founders are fully engaged and they are, for the most part, growing their business at a more than respectable pace. However, it was clear that each of them lacked any real focus on creating a strong customer experience. No matter how good a company’s product or service, the customer must have a great experience buying and working with them. Here are a couple of things to consider when looking at the customer experience you have created.

  1. Communication: What are your expectations for communicating with a customer? How fast should an email or voicemail be returned? What happens when a deadline is going to be missed? Who takes responsibility for deliverables that aren’t met? Does everyone know what these expectations are?
  2. Reliability: Nothing makes me want to fire a vendor or partner faster than flakiness. Do what you say you are going to do. Meet deadlines. Satisfy expectations. Be accountable.
  3. Take their Money: Never, ever make it difficult for someone to give you money. Blow up any obstacles in the way of their money making it into your bank accounts.
  4. Know your Market: Don’t send proposals with pricing that is completely out of whack with your market and potential customer base. Not only will you not be seriously considered, you also wasted a lot of time putting it together.
  5. Communicate Bad News Fast: Company B knew they weren’t going to be able to take on my project 10 minutes after our first meeting but didn’t communicate that with us until 6 days later. Bad news is bad news but dragging your feet in communicating with a client only makes it worse. They wasted our time and time is a precious commodity.
  6. Integrity: None of the companies we spoke with appeared to do anything that wasn’t completely above board but it is worth mentioning here that this is fundamentally important. Great reputations take a lifetime to build but only a moment to destroy.

If you are debating the merits of this list or why you should spend time worrying about how your customers feel about working with you, consider that the development we are exploring represents about $250k worth of work at the current billable rate. Three of the four companies we spoke to will never have another opportunity to bid on that work simply because their initial delivery and behaviors were so poor.

Every company can audit their own experience using a myriad of processes and hire external firms to do it for theme. Since I work with a lot of startups and entrepreneurs, I might suggest a couple of simple actions.

  1. Ask three different people in your org who are responsible for customer deliverables what happens when a deadline is missed. If you get three different answers, you have a problem.
  2. Have a friend or colleague mystery shop your company. Have them fill out a web form or send an unsolicited email and ask them how long each step took and what they thought of their experience. Choose someone you know will be honest with you and let them provide a critique.
  3. Talk to your customers and ask them what they think. This doesn’t have to be overly formal- just a conversation. If you can talk to customers who fired you, do it. They can offer incredibly valuable feedback.

Lastly, don’t be scared and don’t let your ego get in the way. Ask your people and yourself some hard questions. Your product may be the absolute best but if your customers are having a dismal experience working with you, the product can’t carry you forever.

Deflated Leadership Around Deflated Footballs

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were just served their punishment by the NFL for the organization’s participation around the deflation of footballs used in the AFC playoffs games last season. In journalistic shorthand, this has become known as “Deflategate.” Brady received a four game suspension, the team was docked $1 million and lost some draft picks.

There is plenty of teeth-gnashing by the devoted Patriots fans and detractors alike regarding the severity and impact of the punishments handed down by the league. But that isn’t what this article is about.

What has been most interesting to me is the lack of leadership we are seeing from Robert Kraft- the owner of the Patriots and the Patriots as an organization. For those non-NFL fans out there, it is important to note the Patriots have been one of the most successful teams in the modern NFL. Robert Kraft wielded tremendous influence and respect among other NFL owners and the Commissioner Roger Goodell. It is also worth noting the Patriots were caught cheating in 2003 as well (Spygate).

Unfortunately, Mr. Kraft and the Patriots have not shown the same kind of leadership during this latest controversy that previously allowed them to rise to the premier franchise position in the NFL and garner worldwide respect as a winning organization. Let me break down some of the leadership mistakes I have witnessed.

Take responsibility and own the issue

Robert Kraft has been resolute in his objection to almost everything the league did as part of Deflategate. He questioned the motives, he asked for an apology from the league, he argued the investigation results and methodology and even railed against the punishment handed down. Despite a mountain of circumstantial evidence that would be enough to bury any public company’s CEO, Kraft refuses to take responsibility for his organizations problem. Deflecting blame and accountability makes him look weak as a leader- ineffective at dealing with issues and problems the team is facing.

Be clear and be consistent

After stating the Patriots would accept the findings of the league and subsequent punishment, Kraft ferociously complained about the severity of the fines, suspensions and forfeited draft picks once the sanctions were announced. He is sending the message to his team that you should say the right things only when you get what you want (or think you will).

Maintain a unified voice

Don Yee is Tom Brady’s agent. He has gone on almost every major and minor news program to skewer the investigators, league offices and anyone else associated with the prosecutorial side of the controversy. Don Yee is not a member of the Patriots organization and instead of trying to reign him in, the Patriots seemed to turn a blind ear to him and allow him to act as a defacto attack dog. Yee comes off as petty and self-serving and that doesn’t help the Pats in the short or long run. Everyone speaking on your behalf become the collective reflection of your organization.

Censor yourself as needed

You can’t put toothpaste back in the tube. Similarly, once you impugn your employer (NFL), boss (NFL Commissioner) and co-workers (GMs and owners from other teams), whatever positive legacy you once enjoyed quickly disappears. Kraft was one of the most revered owners in the league and was widely seen as the model for all NFL owners- and for good reason. He is incredibly charitable, he influenced important regulation and rule changes for the NFL which helped its popularity soar and, most important to his fan base, his team wins consistently.

Building your reputation as a leader can take years and require tremendous effort. Destroying that reputation can take minutes.

It’s hard to envision an eventual outcome where the Patriots, Tom Brady and Robert Kraft can regain the same stature and respect they commanded before this latest controversy. It will be really intriguing to see, with the benefit of hindsight, how that diminished reputation was hurt more by their response to the allegations then the cheating itself.

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