What Were You Thinking?

This has been an interesting, though amusing, week. I’m not talking about politics, but customers and prospective employees with whom I’ve interacted. Get a load of these people! Are you dealing with them, too?

I sent two certified letters this week. One was to a customer whose home has covered damage and we want to fix it. We’ve been calling to come to make the repairs. And calling. And calling… Another was pleading with the customer to let us come perform the service for which she’s already paid! We’ve made countless calls and sent “uncertified” notes asking her to let us come out. You’ve paid us to do these things! What were you thinking?

Still another customer called, scheduled a specific time for my technician to inspect his existing home and tell him how much it would cost to treat a proposed addition. My inspector arrived at the given time, but the customer was nowhere to be found. My man inspected the covered structure, but with no information on the new part, he left his report and our phone number to call and reschedule.

Instead of calling us back out, the customer called another company, paying them to treat the addition. The other company doesn’t want to cover “our” section (the original) without being paid to treat it to their standards. We won’t cover “their” section (the addition) without being paid to treat it to our standards. (It’s against state regs for either company just to cover “their” portion on residences.) The customer is mad at me because he’s going to have to pay one of us more money. Duh! What were you thinking?

On a totally different vein, I’m trying to hire some people. One opening is to replace a service technician. Having reviewed applications, select applicants – the “cream of the crop,” so to speak – have been called to schedule interviews. I’ve had quite a few scheduled the last couple of weeks.

Understand, these are people that came to my office to complete the application or faxed me a résumé because of an ad telling who we are and what we’re looking for. I don’t try to “trick” someone into scheduling an interview! With daily news stories about climbing unemployment, why do so many of these interview times pass with no appearance of – or call from – the applicant? What were you thinking?

One Outside Sales applicant that did show up has caused me to wonder “What were you thinking?” a number of times. First, he unexpectedly showed up at the office late last Saturday morning to fill out an application, expecting to interview with me (it wasn’t my Saturday), “do” the drug screening, and be offered a job. What were you thinking? He was invited to complete the application and told I’d be “in touch.” He explained that he thought he’d be there a lot longer and the person that dropped him off wouldn’t be back for a while. (He’s applying for a role that requires dependable transportation!) What were you thinking? He sat in our lobby, waiting for the ride, instead of calling them/anybody or just leaving. But it gets better! As closing time arrived and his ride didn’t, he asked the manager if he could give him a ride. What were you thinking? Mark took him to the Waffle House, where he asked to be let out.

Midmorning Monday, I received a call from WaffleHouse asking if we could meet. Okay, that’s a good sign for a sales applicant, so I agreed. We met Tuesday morning and talked. I explained the need for transportation, and asked about Saturday’s events. He explained that his vehicle was in the dealership for some warranty work and that transportation wasn’t a problem, once he got it back. As we talked, he said he was referred by one of my most trusted employees – who was out of the country at the time – so, against gut feelings, I agreed for him to join one of our longtime salespeople in the field the next morning. (“Ride-alongs” are a way for people to see what “they’re getting into” and are a regular part of our interview process.)

The next morning he arrived and the salesperson took him on several field calls. They ended by meeting another of our salesmen for lunch. Debriefing our two salespeople, they both independently commented on smelling alcohol on the applicant’s person. What were you thinking? Guess how he got home that afternoon! “Could you just drop me off at the Waffle House?” What were you thinking?

Thursday he called me, ready to get things going! Out of curiosity, I asked about the car situation. “Oh, yeah! I’m picking it up this evening.” “Okay, so you can’t come to the office today? Fine, I’ll see you Friday morning.”

Friday morning, the GM and I were up front in his office watching for WaffleHouse’s arrival and discussing the chain of events. Though no one had driven up, a CSR buzzed that he was waiting in the lobby. What? I came out to get him and he was gone again. The ladies thought he’d gone back to the restroom, so I waited for him. When he didn’t return for quite a while, I went searching. I found him drinking a cup of coffee, reading the newspaper in the breakroom! What were you thinking?

I invited WaffleHouse to come to the GM’s office and discuss his future. Once up there, both of us could smell a faint alcohol aroma emanating from WaffleHouse – but not his breath as much as him. What were you thinking? We literally asked, “Where’d you come from?” (Both of us thinking something different, but explained that we hadn’t seen him drive up and just wondered how he’d made it in without being seen.)

WaffleHouse said he’d come in the back way (which would be against posted “One Way” signage!) We proceeded asking various questions, walking carefully through the legal minefield of HR, but definitely wanting this candidate’s interview process to conclude quickly. After only a couple a minutes he slipped a remark about “being dropped at the side.” We pressed him on the point and asked if he was still without a vehicle. WaffleHouse stammered through a quick series of illogical explanations. What were you thinking? He’d clearly shown enough stupidity and lack of character that the GM chose to shift gears in the conversation. No more tippy-toe. “Thanks for coming in. I hope you get the car thing ironed out. We won’t be able to offer you anything at this point.” He stood up and the conversation with WaffleHouse was over…finally.

Yes. It’s been an amusing week. I hope, if you’re still reading, that you’ve gotten a chuckle out of my week’s encounters. More importantly, I hope the next time you find yourself wondering “What were you thinking?” as you deal with some dolt, you’ll smile and think of me. If nothing else, the smile will make them worry! Have a great week!

Re: You guys on twitter?

My little sister just emailed asking if I was on Twitter and what difference I see between Twitter and Facebook.

Our society is becoming so "connected" and our world so small! But are we actually better connected? How can people connect with me?

• Walk into my office and start a conversation. While that's disturbingly low-tech, my door's almost always open if I'm there; or
• Put a stamp on a letter and mail it to my office or my home; or
• Send me a fax; or
• Call me on my office phone, cell phone, or home phone (though nobody ever answers that one); or
• Send me an email... to my Terminix address, my ServiceMaster address, my Gmail address, my Yahoo! address, or my AT&T address; or
• Send me a text message; or
  
• Reach me on Facebook; or
  
• Reach me on LinkedIn; or
  
• Reach me on Twitter.

How come, with all those ways to interact, I don't know the names of my neighbors two doors down or diagonally across the street? How connected are we?

Back to TB's original question: what differences do I see between the social networks in which I participate? Maybe analogies would show my philosophies:

• Facebook is like a big party, a "come-n-go" party of my friends and acquaintances.
• I know everybody I let in, some better than others.
• Not all my friends know each other, but they all know me to an extent and have been gracious enough to stop by the party. Honestly, I have Facebook "friends" that I probably haven't poked, messaged, or whatever since finding and befriending them. People like old high school or college friends with whom I now find almost nothing in common, or students from Youth who either sent me an invite or I met and invited but left it there.
• Eventually, I'll see a remark about OU or UoA (Hogs) sports to which I respond, or a status that tickles me and I "have to" comment on it.
• If I returned from a vacation with family pic, I couldn't wait for my friends to see them. If I found a video on YouTube I found hysterical, I'd want to share it with the friends at my party. My friends would laugh with me (or at me) and we'd have a good time until one of us had to leave...for a while.
• LinkedIn is, for me, a business/professional alternative to the Facebook party. Perhaps it's like a "Business Afterhours" mixer with the Chamber of Commerce.
• Clearly different people have different objective for their LinkedIn membership.
• Some LinkedIn members are looking for jobs, trying to find or improve on their career path/position.
• Their counterpart is the mass of recruiters and placement companies spanning the horizon.
• Some see it as another marketing/prospecting avenue. They're trying to get their message out or connect with people that will pay for their services. The web-oriented entrepreneurs and Realtors are two of those types.
• Others use it as a web-based networking group, like a BNI group. They network to solve theirs and their network's problems and challenges, They try to help their acquaintances find business, answers, connections, and jobs. My own LinkedIn philosophy aligns more with the BNI group.
• I'm sure there are other objectives I've not even contemplated.
• Somewhere spanning all of those are the LIONs - LinkedIn Open Networkers - who are clamoring to connect with as many people as possible. I see how this would benefit some, like the recruiters, but it's not for me.
• Back to the "Business Afterhours" analogy,
• Everybody's cleaned up and appears professional. They're in business casual attire (or better) and – for the most part – don't stink or look like they just mowed the yard.
• You wouldn't walk up to a group of Chamber acquaintances and whip out vacation pics or tell them about the "coolest thing last night at Youth."
• You make your way through the room, interacting with individuals and small conversation groups. If you don't care for a topic of conversation, move on. No one's going to be offended.
• Your name tag tells who you are and what you do; so does theirs. Casual conversations, like "Oh wow! Do you know...?" or "How long have you been with...?" may open doors or may fall flat. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
• You may be invited to join a group of industry professionals, a networking group, or something else.
• I'm not saying everyone on LinkedIn is sucking on lemons and is strictly business. If you came upon a buddy at Business Afterhours, you may know he's interested in your vacation or that he's as interested in your youth as you are. You may whip the pics out, but you're always mindful of decorum.
• Twitter is like being at a mall. (Does anybody physically go to malls anymore?) Anyway, that's what I think it's like.
• Like the mall, pretty much anyone can come to Twitter: liberals and conservatives, Christians and Muslims, retired mechanics and the Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush. Anyone! Wandering around the mall, you'll find some people who desperately need a shower, others may need a quart less cologne in the morning, and everything in between!
• As at the mall, the assortment of people on Twitter are there for a variety of reasons.
• At either place, you're apt to hear/overhear things that interest you, don't interest you, offend you, and embarrass you.
• You could just roam around the mall/Twitter, eavesdropping on everyone. Or you could find someone saying something that really interests you or with whom you really agree. You might follow that person, listening to their take on life, and even offer your 2¢ worth. Of course, if they're not similarly interested in you, they may ignore you. Such is the nature of the mall.

More random thoughts about Twitter:

• IMHO, I am not going to be interesting to everyone that interests me.
• Many on Twitter promote the philosophy of "follower reciprocity." You can tell from some of their posts that it offends them for someone not to follow them back.
• I disagree. Frankly, I'm boring and can't imagine why Karl Rove or some guy apparently in Brazil would choose to follow me. I followed Rove, out of obvious conservative curiosity, but have no interest in following the guy from Brazil who's posting in <I assume> Portuguese.
• In keeping with the mall analogy, follow me if my posts interest you. Don't be offended if yours don't interest me. Along those lines, I really liked this article: http://mashable.com/2009/01/06/twitter-follow-fail/
• The Mashable page is a wealth of information, including "social networking." You might look at the articles linked on this page: http://bit.ly/4iQX
• The eclectic collection of people I'm following includes conservative bloggers, politicans, a few "normal" people, local and national media, Christian leaders, OU fans, and a few friends. I guess there are a few in there that I really can't classify anywhere. I've found them by reading comments made by others I was already following.
• You "must" check out www.topconservativesontwitter.org
• Watch for #TCOT (above), #SGP (Smart Girl Politics), and #RNC or #RNCCHAIR hashtags in messages. You can also search for them.
• I don't know how familiar you are with Mark Driscoll or Mars Hill Church, but here's a tweet from Dec 18: From @gtb "For those of you on Twitter who like Mark Driscoll, Mars HIll Church, Acts 29, and the Resurgence, follow @theResurgence @Acts29 @PastorMark"
• Other than that, keep your eyes open. Read tweets, look at past tweets and bio's, click-through to people's websites.
• What tweets do my followers hear? Mostly what I'm doing or where I'm going. Occasionally, I'll comment on something political or newsworthy that I've read. I may pose a question about a business situation or political issue, but it's seldom acknowledged unless directed at a specific person. Since I'm not a "fulltime blogger," I'm not typically trying to point people to a blog.
• That leads me to a minor turnoff – using Twitter as a perpetual advertisement! The premise of Twitter is literally "micro-blogging," communicating your idea in 140 characters or less. Many in the twitterverse have lost sight of the simple question at the top of the page: "What are you doing?" That's what it should be about.
• Don't simply put out an endless string of "Contact me to learn how to…" or "Let us show you…" tweets.
• Less annoying is the blogger – I'm not talking about media types, like Hugh Hewitt, Mike Huckabee, or Matt Lewis – who uses Twitter as a "Headline News" to point followers to their ongoing blogs. While I don't begrudge them that use, it's nice on occasion to hear from them as people, too.

Well, aren't you glad you asked. True to form, you asked what time it was and I told you how to build a clock. Am I my Dad's son or what?!

Love you,

Me