A big question to consider in maximizing your revenue and the opportunities you create comes from a simple question:
“Who are you listening to?”
For many executives, getting the straight feedback from their people is difficult.
If you are serving a CEO, you might feel uncomfortable sharing a challenging situation.
If you are the middle management, you might feel uncomfortable with change because it opens a door to situations that you think might have an adverse impact on your business.
The truth is that in both situations, you are only increasing the danger to your organization.
But as executives, we have a larger responsibility to improve the information we are hearing.
Tom Peter’s called it “management by walking around.”
That point is important, but even more than just management by walking around, you must also make sure you get the most potential feedback from customers and other people that have an impact on your organization.
This means you come in contact with people where they are, not where you want them to be.
I’m reminded of the story of an airline executive that would fly around the country once a year to check on the service, all the while letting everyone know in advance that he was coming and that he was going to need to sit in first class.
Or the hotel executive that would “shop” the hotels of his friends.
You don’t get real feedback by putting your finger on the scale.
Without real information, you can’t sell correctly.
You can’t market to the right audience in the right way.
Most importantly, your strategy will never have the impact you need it to.
That’s why it is very important for you to make sure you listen to the right people, not just the people that are going to tell you what you want to hear.
Are you doing that?