The Pedestal Group

Putting our clients where they belong

One Level Up From “Dummies” Resource

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I run into situations all the time where I don’t need a “Something for Dummies” book, but I need the next level up.  I recently spoke with a professional in the financial industry and every other word out of her mouth was a financial term. Being a lovely person I was able to ask what each one meant, but it was frustrating that I didn’t just “know”. For me – not her.  Then I tried to do something new on the computer and the documentation is clearly written for someone who has just a little more knowledge than I do.  Nowhere in this information does it tell you WHY you would use a portfolio or what the Testimonial function actually DOES.  And THEN, I watched Diner, DriveIns, and Dives which I really like.  He went to a place that had many, many ways to order […] Continue reading

Assumptions – What Are Your Customers Thinking?

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Last night I attended a dinner event and left the house at about 6:45.  Until then, I was at my desk.  A client called at 7:30 and when he didn’t reach me, waited about an hour and then called my cell.  When I answered, his first question was, “are you on vacation?”.  Obviously this is an extreme example and I did question his assumption immediately (which he recognized was silly).  But, the point is, when something happens that is out of the norm, what assumptions are your customers making? With this particular client, it is extremely rare for him to call and not get me.  Or if I can’t answer right then, he hears back pretty quickly.  So when he didn’t get me and he needed help, he immediately went to thinking I wasn’t available.  And actually, this example isn’t as far out as it […] Continue reading

Read Like You Listen

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Last week I had a major revelation at lunch with Maia Beatty.  We say all the time to “write like you talk” but we never deal with the other side. Which is Read Like You Listen.  Think about that for a moment. That is seriously powerful stuff!  Instead of reading an email in your own “voice” if you will, you need to read it in theirs.  Still not sure what I mean?  Let’s use an example. A friend of mine sent an email to someone and said something sarcastic. It is difficult to be sarcastic in email but in her head, it was hilarious.  When it was received, the person took it at face value – in their head they weren’t being sarcastic. And the ensuing conversation was all kinds of trouble for no reason.  In fact, when I was shown the email I immediately […] Continue reading