Before you Slap, pt 1

It’s easy to be quick on the Slap Trigger. A business screws something up, you get mucked around, and then you seethe with annoyance. iplug offers the perfect release for all that pent-up frustration; log in and Slap the rotters! It’s instant, it’s cathartic and it’s convenient. We should all do it – like installing a blow-up punching-boss in the corner of the office.

But…

Let’s step back for a moment and be realistic. How many times in your life have you had to apologise for being too quick out of the blocks, even if only in your mind? You know the scenario; one of your co-workers is late to work and you have to shoulder the burden for a few hours, swearing at them under your breath… until you learn that they had to shoot away early that morning because their mother passed away.

Or you blame one of the kids for something and yell at them, only to discover later that it was actually your fault.

This happens to us all, and those who are quick off the mark often have to eat humble pie in order to restore a prior relationship. We sometimes say things we regret, we act on insufficient information, we make assumptions – it’s all part of being human.

But what happens when the target of your instant assumption of guilt is a total stranger? Like, for example, an employee of a business that you are dealing with? And what if you rush home, jump online to www.iplug.co.nz and give them a jolly good SLAP? All within minutes of the incident?

If it turns out that they weren’t at fault, or that mitigating circumstances meant they had no control over the situation, what have you done? At the very least you’ve been unjustly harsh and at worst you may have damaged a perfect reputation.

All of which offers up the suggestion that as with vacationing and lovemaking, it’s best to take your time; calm down and think about it first – before you Slap someone. It’s a given that you never shop when you’re hungry, and never negotiate when you’re angry. Take the time to cool off. Then if, after careful consideration (and after your blood pressure and heart rate have dropped) you still feel that the business deserves a Slap, so be it. Just be sure that it’s a rational and calm Slap, not a spur-of-the-moment, impulsive, back hand Slap.

And of course if they really do deserve a Slap, don’t be shy about telling them why – in detail.

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Who can I Plug?

I’m primed, ready and full of un-fired Plugs, so who can I target?

The quickest and easiest way to answer this question is probably to ask who can’t you Plug?

One; you can’t Plug your own business. That’s a given (and against the rules). If you own a business, you can ask others to Plug you, but giving yourself praise is not an option.

Two; you can’t Plug your neighbour because they brought your washing in for you. As much as we’d love to see ordinary people getting Plugs, this is a business site, and it exists for customers and businesses. Not neighbours. (Who knows, perhaps in the future…?)

Three; you can’t Plug your coach, boss, employee or teacher (see above)

Four; you can’t Plug a rock. Or a tree or a bird or a flower.

Well that about covers it.

What you can Plug is your hairdresser, your lawyer, your chimney sweep or your dentist. You can Plug the hardware shop down the road, the video store, the Chinese takeaway and the home brew supplies store.

You can also Plug an individual real estate salesperson (separately from the company or office) and the Avon representative who leaves stuff in your letterbox.

The fact is that ANYONE who has customers can receive Plugs. And as a Plugger, it may be up to you to remind them of this possibility.

If you have used a business or a sole trader or even a farmer’s market stall, and you’re happy with what they did for you, Plug them. They’ll appreciate it – and you’ll be rewarded for it in more ways than one.

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Anonymous, or obvious?

When you sign up as a Registered User of iplug – a ‘Plugger’ – you have the opportunity to set your ALIAS. This has to be unique on the site, but it can be anything; your nickname from school, your first name followed by 001 or a 69, your favourite X-Men character… anything goes.

But have you considered using your real name?

Before you shout ‘I don’t want people knowing my real name!’ consider this;

You are a consumer. You are making comments on businesses with the express purpose of improving customer service in general. But what about your own benefits? It’s all very well to contribute to the greater cause of service improvement, but how about the way companies and businesses treat you personally?

If you use your real name and give a glowing Plug to your hairdresser, what do you think will happen the next time you visit? Okay, it might be a little embarrassing. But the fact is that people like to be liked (business owners and managers are no exception) and people tend to like the people who like them back.

See where we’re going here?

Your hairdresser, knowing that you obviously like them (which you proved with your well-worded, accurate Plug) will now treat you as a VIC – Very Important Customer. This may not have happened if your ALIAS was SNOOPYFLUFFYKINS.

And so what if the whole wide world learns that you reward good businesses with Plugs (or might be prepared to Slap the poor ones)? If you’ve ever been in business yourself, you know quite well that customers who have given you positive testimonials in the past are welcomed back with open arms, and your staff are made very clear on that fact.

So maybe this is one of the exceptions to the rules of ‘protecting your identity on the ‘net’. Of course you don’t need be be completely accurate, with middle names and DOB. Your first name and initial of your surname might be enough. Or your business name; ‘BUGCATCHER’.

I’d also add that you should still be careful what you say; “XYZ Locksmiths were really cool getting me into my house at 123 Alfabet Street when I shut myself out! Their advice that I hide a key outside (in the big plant on the deck) was wonderful!”

Keep Plugging!

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The millionaire’s plea

Several years ago a would-be entrepreneur advertised his plight on a community television station. He was poor, had no job and couldn’t afford to continue his attendance at university. So what did he do? He told the viewers that if one million people each sent him one dollar, he’d not only be able to finish his studies, but upon graduation he’d be able to start a business and employ a dozen people.

Because this was the first plea of its kind he received more than $1,000,000 through the mail to his Post Office box. He did this because, although the TV program had minimal coverage, the story spread virally and was repeated on mainstream news stations (this was before the Internet). The whole story created such a storm in the US, that this kind of ‘marketing’ was ultimately outlawed.

Ever since that first viral success, many variations on the theme have occurred, especially with the introduction of the World Wide Web. In one instance an entrepreneur sold pixels on a page for a dollar each and financed his start-up company. You probably know a few examples yourself.

Some might say that this form of viral get-rich-quick scheme has done its dash. The Nigerians have helped on that score. Suspicions of scams and natural reticence have combined to prevent anyone else from exploiting this loophole to the human heart.

So why am I raising this phenomenon here? Because I think I can see a new version on the horizon, that’s why.

The reason this form of ‘marketing’ worked in the first place was because the successful schemes had three key factors;

  1. They appealed to the viewer’s conscience,
  2. The amount involved was negligible (or would have been spent regardless), and
  3. There was no ‘downside’.

The reason that recent attempts have failed is generally due to the perpetrators breaking two or more of the above rules – they would lie and be caught (rule 1), they would be greedy and ask for too much (rule 2) and there would be a downside; generally that the money at risk was more than ‘negligible’ – not to mention the shame accompanying eventual discovery that they’d been scammed (rule 3).

Now let’s take a look at the iplug Rewards scheme for a moment. This is a simple plan; as a citizen you can Plug any business that you want to, and receive Plug Points from iplug in return. Moreover, because the Plug Points are transferable (uniquely!) you can also ask for Plug Points from other Pluggers.

Most of us have experienced or read about unemployed entrepreneurs standing on busy street corners with signs reading “Programmer seeks programs to build” or “Will do anything for $50k plus benefits” or words to that effect. In every case that I’ve heard of, the dude or dudette ultimately got a job.

So how about appealing to other Pluggers’ consciences? If your ’cause’ is just or captures the imagination, there’s no limit to the amount of Plug Points you might receive – especially if you use a social network tool like Facebook to spread the message.

“I’m a poor student and I’ve had my laptop stolen… please help me by giving me a few Plug Points towards getting a new one?”

And be creative. It’s the creative ideas that attract the attention. Advertise in the local paper, or better yet, pull a stunt that attracts the attention of the news department (legal of course). “Man in bunny suit promotes business improvement site in return for funds to pay speeding fines!”

The gist of this story is this; in addition to Plugging away yourself (pun intended), don’t be afraid to engage the imagination of other Pluggers.

You never know…

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A Plug is like a Smile

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight” : Phyllis Diller

“A winning smile makes winners of us all” : Anonymous

“Life is short but a smile takes barely a second” : Cuban proverb

“Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles” : George Eliot

“If you’re not using your smile, you’re like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no chequebook” : Les Gilbin

“Smile, and the world smiles with you” : Anonymous

A lot of people have written about smiles. And as you can see, a pattern is forming. As a general rule if you smile at someone, they will smile back (or at least wonder what it is that you know and they don’t).

Smiling is easy, doesn’t cost a thing, and brings many rewards. While the opposite – scowling or frowning – only forms wrinkles and sets the world against you.

A few people have asked the question; “Why should I plug someone? What’s the point?”

As part answer, here’s another quote;

“Nothing makes people so worthy of compliments as receiving them. One is more delightful for being told one is delightful – just as one is more angry for being told one is angry” : Katherine F. Gerould

If you Plug someone for being happy and continuously smiling as they work, they’re far more likely to be smiling the next time you visit them – and smiles are contagious. But if no one ever Plugs the smiler, there’s a chance that it might wear off.

This holds true for all business activities. If you don’t tell the business operator what it is that you like, then you risk that part of the operation disappearing.

There was a case a few years ago involving a bakery in a small city in the US. They had a shop from which they sold all their products, and behind the long counter there was a plate glass window through to the bakery. The customers could watch the bakers toil away at the ovens while they paid for their buns and bread and cakes. Then in a shop revamp, the window was taken away. And guess what? Business dropped off. It turned out that in a world of centralized bakeries delivering product by truck to branches, it was comforting for the customers to see actual bakers making real products. The thing is, though, none of the customers had ever told the bakery that this was the case. (As a result of a customer survey the window was put back, and subsequent marketing shouted ‘see the bakers at work!’)

If you like what you’re receiving, tell the supplier. Give a compliment, give a smile.

Give a Plug.

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Catch people doing things right…

We’ve got a referendum coming up in New Zealand; yet another stage in the saga of whether it’s OK to smack your kids. Regardless of your personal views on this topic, there’s been plenty of research and observation showing that we get better results with people – both adults and children – by praising the behaviours that we want, than by punishing the behaviours that we don’t. Research has also shown that while ‘positive reinforcement’ is often good, it also needs to be accompanied by some degree of consistent consequence when a person takes an action which is not wanted.

Taken in a home view with children, watching for opportunities to give genuine praise and possibly even rewards of some sort when they do well is far better than watching for things they do wrong and then punishing them.

And a similar situation applies in the workplace. The busy boss with the weight of the business and the responsibility of employees can find it too easy to run around not particularly noticing what people are doing – until they do something wrong.

If you want to create or maintain a workplace where great people want to work, then make it a positive and happy workplace! Watch for people doing things right, and then give them genuine praise, in front of their peers if appropriate. You don’t have to gush; just a simple well-meant acknowledgement and thanks is enough.

It’s a basic human need to feel valued and respected by the people around us. And giving praise when due can really work wonders. Encouraging your team to thank and praise each other will work even bigger wonders. I’ve had many business owner clients whose ‘homework’ for the week was to ‘catch people doing things right’!

Besides all that, here’s a selfish reason to do it – it feels good to give praise or thanks!

If you have looked at the site then you will have noticed that this is the essence of iplug. There’s no shortage of people complaining about this or that, so what we want is to give Kiwis a tool to help recognise and reward those business people who do try their best. So, if you like the idea of positive reinforcement, then think about registering yourself so you can Plug people.

I’ve given a few Plugs for good service I have received and during the few minutes it takes to write out the Plug, I re-lived that positive experience that someone had given me. And I know they will get a moment of joy when they read the Plug I have written.

So here’s my thought for you – ‘catching people doing things right’ is good. It encourages people to do the right things; it spreads joy; it’s positive; it’s free; it’s carbon-neutral; maybe someone will do it back to you one day … and it feels good too. So, why wouldn’t you?

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It really is better to give than to receive…

This old chestnut was trotted out by my parents every time I felt aggrieved by a poor swap of presents with a sibling. Or when I’d slaved all weekend for nanna only to rewarded with a pat on the head and a watery lemonade.

“It’s better to give than to receive!” I’d hear.

But did I believe it? Not in a million years!

Except that now, after more years than I care to admit to (although not a million), I have finally found an instance in which giving brings great benefits to the giver. And I’m not talking peace-love-bells-beads hippy share-the-love crap either.

I’m talking about a genuine ‘the more you put in, the more you get out’ strategy that will quickly offer returns to the giver. Not only that, but it’s not confined to a collective, one-for-all and all-for-one model; it can work just as well on an individual level. (Although collectively, a whole bunch of individuals can make one heck of a difference!)

Obviously I’m taking about Plugging. You’ve probably heard that when you smile at a stranger, the smile is not only returned to you, but you’ll make someone else’s day. Plugs are pretty much the same, only they can return benefits of a much more tangible nature.

If you Plug the people who give you good service or who go out of their way for you, and continue to do so every day of every week, eventually those people will learn who you are and, whenever you come into their sphere of influence, you’ll receive even better service.

Or they may not learn who YOU are exactly, but they’ll know you’re out there, and they’ll smarten their act for everyone.

Contrast this with someone who only Slaps or punishes. While the recipient of the Slap might clean up their act a little, no Slap will ever motivate them to go the extra mile. It may encourage them to clean the flies out of the cabinets, but it won’t make the counter staff smile. A Plug for a cheerful staff member, on the other hand, can do so much more for the working environment – which reflects back on the customer.

Punishment can only go so far towards rehabilitation. To change a person’s attitude (or that of an entire institution) you need to reward them. In fact, continual rewarding for improvement, with only a peripheral threat of punishment, is going to reap ten times the benefits for customers than stalking through their lives with a Slap in each hand. Think about it.

Ultimately, when you add up thousands of individuals handing out these rewards, there must be an improvement, right? The alternative is thousands of Slappers, which could drive the most cheerful of business owners deeply into their shell.

It’s better to give Plugs, because in time you will receive better service – and more smiles.

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