Run Your Business: How to fix friction

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I was a couple of miles into my long run when I started to feel the telltale signs of a blister on my left toes. It ticked me off because this was my second run in a new pair of running shoes. On my first run, I felt a little discomfort, which is totally normal as you start to break them in. But on my second run, I was expecting them to be more comfortable, not worse!

This wasn’t my first blister, nor would it be my last. I trudged along through the discomfort. I got home and took off my shoe and sock to see the damage. I was shocked. Instead of seeing a blister, I found my toes covered in blood. I first thought that I lost a toenail. That’s a fairly common thing to happen for runners. But all the nails were firmly in place.

I carefully washed off my foot and found the cause of the bleeding to be a thin cut along my middle toe. I felt inside the shoe, expecting to find something sticking out that rubbed against my foot, but it was clean and smooth. Then I checked my foot more closely and found the toenail next to the cut slightly uneven. This alone would not cause the cut. But the new shoes had a slightly more narrow fit than my other shoes. This combination of the nail and narrower shoe caused enough friction to cause the cut.

That’s how friction works. Two small things, ever so slightly, rub together just enough to cause things to go wrong. It wasn’t the nail and it wasn’t the new shoe. It was the combination of both together.

Friction in business dealings

To fix friction, you must fix at least one of the causes. Friction rears its ugly head all the time for service businesses. If you don’t address it quickly, it can become a major problem.

Years ago, I made the mistake of not addressing friction soon enough over a new delivery driver from our distributor. This was many years ago, before we all had cell phones. He came in and asked to call his next stop so they could be waiting for him by the service elevator. We were in New York City, where it is a nightmare to make deliveries, so of course I had no problem letting him call them.

After a few visits, he stopped asking to use the phone, and just went to a desk and picked up the phone and called them. Soon the calls got longer and more personal. He was laughing, joking and sitting in our office for a while.

I don’t know why, but this infuriated me. I’d step away, come back a few minutes later and he’d still be on the phone. With each delivery I got more and more annoyed. I should have said something, but hoped my side glances his way said all I was feeling.

One day I got into the office after he made the delivery. I found him sitting at my desk — with his feet on my desk. My look must have said it all as he quickly hung up and rushed out of the office.

The friction reached the boiling point. Something had to change. Maybe I could have been a bigger person and just let it go. Perhaps I should have called the distributor right away and said what made me so upset. Instead, I took the easy way out. I just stopped using that distributor. The driver from our new supplier was delightful. He was friendly, efficient and always got our orders correct. Something changed and the friction was gone.

Friction in customer service

The worst kind of friction for a service provider is when it deals with a customer. We all know that old saying, “The customer is always right.” But the reality is, many times they are wrong, and we have to find ways to work with them.

Years ago, I went on a service call to an apartment in the city, and the moment I stepped into the customer’s home she just started complaining about every pest control company with a mean look, and an even meaner tone in her voice. I tried to explain all that our company does and how our services are different, but nothing got through to her.

I wanted to get out of there, to avoid the friction and rush through the service. But I heard my dad’s voice in my head, saying, “It doesn’t matter who the customer is, we give them the same BHB service.” So I took my time and made sure I didn’t miss a thing. I wanted to make sure I did such a good job, she’d never have to call us again. I could have let the friction get to me, but instead, I did a thorough job. And something good did come out of the situation. Within a couple of days, we started getting calls from new customers who said they were referred to our company. All said the same thing: “If you could please my neighbor, that’s all I need to hear.” By ignoring the friction, I won over a very tough customer. Over the years, she ended up referring more business to us than some of our best sales people.

If two things rub against each other the wrong way, friction is inevitable, and no good comes from it. But if you can fix one part of the problem, everything will move smoothly, as if the friction never existed.

Have a Great Run!

<p>The post Run Your Business: How to fix friction first appeared on Pest Management Professional.</p>

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2024/07/15/run-your-business-how-to-fix-friction/
Sacramento CA