Ep 119: Be in the time maximization business

Subtitle:

We’ve all waited in line for long periods of time, either by choice or necessity. As businesses, we want to be the business consumers choose to wait in line for, but be aware of what people pay for. It’s all about time, gaining more time, achieving something faster, and enjoying the time they spend. To that end, every business is in the time maximization business. On today’s episode, we break down the importance of time, time management, customer service, being proactive, pursuing purpose and meaning, and more on this week’s episode!

 

Summary:

On today’s episode, Brad discusses a negative experience he had recently with the healthcare industry and how that’s helped him view customer service and time differently. One of the major lessons all businesses should take from Brad’s experience is customer service. No one likes waiting, and time is everyone’s most valuable asset. This is why customer service is so crucial. It’s also important to remember that your clients are, in a sense, your boss; you wouldn’t want to be disrespectful to or offend your boss. Because time is your most valuable asset, it’s important to manage it well. Whether it’s by blocking out chunks of your day on your calendar, having a checklist, or some other plan, figure out what works best for you to manage your time. Don’t waste your time; it’s limited and you can’t earn it back. This is way easier said than done, so one way to manage your time well is to not get sucked into reacting to and putting out the daily fires. Take a moment to assess the situation and then decide the level of urgency and if it’s an emergency and then go from there. Maybe have a time of day when you answer any of your team’s questions and understand the day’s squeaky wheels. Remember to pursue purpose and meaning over success and passion; those will come in time. In conclusion, maximizing your time and your customers’ time is the key to becoming the line they want and choose to wait in.

 

Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode: 

 

• Customer service is a priority. Brad’s experience with the healthcare industry has many valuable lessons for all businesses to take away. One of the top lessons is that when customer service is overlooked, it can result in stressed employees, frustrated customers, and a loss of business. Although there are differences between a doctor’s office and an agency, this principle applies everywhere. Your clients are in some ways, your boss; treating them well is a priority. “If every business ran the way a health care hospital or doctor's office runs, most businesses will be out of business.”

• Time is your most valuable resource; manage it well. Although everything in the world may be screaming at you to earn money, or achieve success and fame, the one asset that cannot be earned and is often misspent every day is time. The reality is, our time on this earth is limited, so how do we want to spend it? Time management is one of the most important skills a person can ever develop, and it is crucial for agency owners. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating the value of time and time management. “Of all the resources, time is the only one you can't get back.”

• Be the thermostat, not the thermometer. As we all know, time management is important, and most people have methods of planning and staying on top of their schedules and tasks, but we all have a million things that pop up every day that demand our attention. When this happens, it’s important to do a quick assessment of the situation and determine if it’s a real emergency. Be proactive and prepared to deal with these situations and determine how you and your team need to spend your time, otherwise you’ll spend all your time being a firefighter. “Be the thermostat, not the thermometer.”

 

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About The Guys: 

Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on Bob: 

• Bob on LinkedIn
• twitter.com/BobHutchins
• instagram.com/bwhutchins
• Bob on Facebook

Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on Brad:

• Brad on LinkedIn
• Anthem Republic
• twitter.com/bradayres
• instagram.com/therealbradayres
• facebook.com/Bradayres

Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team for some of the world’s most influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel (not really). More on Ken: 

• Ken on LinkedIn
• Metacake - An Ecommerce Growth Team
• Growth Rebel TV
• twitter.com/iamKenOtt
• instagram.com/iamKenOtt
• facebook.com/iamKenOtt

 

Show Notes:

[0:31] Bob opens this week’s episode with a discussion about production.

[2:48] Bob introduces the topic for this episode, time management and lessons to learn from the healthcare industry.

[3:16] Brad talks about productivity and how he spends his time along with his struggles with time management.

[6:47] Brad breaks down his recent experience with the healthcare industry and launches a discussion about the lessons all businesses should take from this experience. “There are two things that will bring people back to their health care providers. Number one is empathy, and number two is time.”

[9:17] Ken says that, “if every business ran the way a health care hospital or doctor's office runs, most businesses will be out of business.”

[11:11] Brad elaborates on his challenges with his recent experience and talks about his empathy for the dentist as well as his shared struggles. “I struggle with the same thing. I struggle with trying to run a business and also making sure our clients are satisfied and feeling like they’re serviced.”

[12:52] Bob talks about some of the lessons to be learned from this experience as well as the shift the healthcare industry is having and the allowances that need to be made because of this shift. 

[17:17] Ken talks about the value of time and how it is often overlooked as the most valuable resource. 

[18:37] Ken says that it’s important to recognize your superpower and to leverage it so that people would want and choose to wait in line for you and your business.

[23:03] Ken talks about the three things a business can do to earn other people’s time. “If you can determine what the problem is, be really really good at solving that problem, and become famous for that problem, you can have a line out your door.”

[27:20] Brad discusses how this experience has impacted how he views customer service and interactions.

[28:37] Brad asks the guys how they manage their time and avoid getting sucked into putting out fires all day. 

[29:05] Bob talks about how he uses task lists to motivate him and manage his time

[32:29] Ken says that he is in between Brad and Bob and that he believes, “no matter what your personality is, in order to get something done, you need to focus on it. In order to focus, you need to develop the discipline muscle to not chase squeaky wheels. I do this with my customer in mind. I look at it as, okay, I'm going to decide if this is an emergency or not, not you. In order to have a successful, peaceful, well balanced agency or any service business, you need to take ownership of what you’re going to do and when.”

[34:04] Bob summarizes Ken’s thoughts on how he manages his time. “Be the thermostat, not the thermometer.”

[34:08] Ken talks about the importance of recognizing the process when measuring success by results. “You have to have the awareness of not just measuring success by the result, because the result may not be there.”

[40:01] Bob discusses the book, “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield and how it relates to this discussion of productivity and time management in the business world.

[43:30] Bob wraps up by talking about the importance of pursuing purpose in order to find happiness, passion, and hopefully success. “Do not pursue success, but actually follow purpose. Don't pursue happiness, pursue purpose, and when you and when you pursue and are involved in purpose and meaning, passion will ensue.”