Andy calls them The Cavalry. They call themselves Wizzes. I usually refer to them as goshdang GENIUSES! They are Sixthman’s new IT department.

While we’ve had several computer gurus working at Sixthman throughout the years (big ups to Adam B. who only gets calls from us when something breaks!), this is our first time having a team of four permanent employees whose sole responsibility is to watch over our website and booking system, and to find new and awe-inspiring ways to improve efficiency, research abilities, and most importantly guest services.

As more and more guests are coming on Sixthman cruises, we need our technology to grow and evolve just as quickly. We want your reservation experience to be just as smooth as your cruise. Although our call center ninjas love speaking with everyone on the phone, we know that you’re busy and don’t always have the time to call in and wait for us to help you with something that you could do online. We’re going to make it happen, and this is the year.

Geoff and Jason have already made great strides with our websites and internal software. Our retreat last week was the first time I’d had the pleasure of hearing ideas from our new IT guys Brian and Matt – they are ready to help Sixthman improve in every area of our business and contributed ideas that blew my mind as if it were no big deal. I can’t wait to see what the next 12 months bring in the Sixthman technosphere.

So Geoff, Jason, Matt, and Brian – thanks for joining the team – you guys rock! We would be nothing without you. Everyone else, find an IT guy or gal and give him or her a hug today.

Blurred by my inbox, voice mails and a dense calendar, I may never know what it is I actually do.  What am I going to say when my kids ask me about my work?  (They currently think I go on the cruises to turn on the water slides and ice cream machines.)

Howie Mandel has a line in his act where he asks an audience member their name and what they do for a living.  When they stumble thru the answer, he says what has to happen at your work so that people go “Oh shit, you better get Andy?”

We just finished our annual company retreat last week and I was overwhelmed with the caliber of people on our team.  These folks would make any organization better and they are growing as leaders right in front of my eyes.  With the new opportunities we are earning, there is more work to go around.  Plus the fact that I aspire to be a contestant on the “Survivor” reality show next season, which would mean me being gone for at least 39 days (I am not planning on being voted off early), I have been trying to figure out how to communicate my responsibilities so our team can cover while I am starving on an island somewhere in the world making alliances and competing in cool challenges.

So I am making my, “Oh shit, you better get Andy list?”

The goal is to write down a set of tasks to be performed by your Evil Twin over a 30-day period (because we all think only a clone of ourselves could do our job and have an instinctually hard time believing anyone else could survive).  In addition to thinking forward about upcoming responsibilities and deadlines, I reviewed my calendar, call log, inbox and sent items from the past 30 days to discover patterns of efficiency and inefficiency.

Then, I made a list of the top 3 things that I do that have the largest impact on the organization and put them in Bold and in a LARGE FONT for my Evil Twin.  I included the other items in a font half the size as well as a “Watch out for these distractions” list to warn my Evil Twin.

It’s been a fun experiment and since I likely won’t get my chance to be on Survivor, I will just use my list to ask people at Sixthman to join me in taking on some of these responsibilities.

Do you have the courage to document what it is you actually do?

Andy

In the history of Sixthman, we haven’t always gotten an overwhelming response from sponsorships.  Why is that?  I can tell you the reason we get most often, but I can also tell you why they should reconsider.

Sponsor: How many people are going to be on a Sixthman event?
Sixthman: Just over 2000.
Sponsor: Ok then, why would be spend money on such a secluded audience?  We can certainly use our promotional dollars somewhere else – somewhere where we’ll have more than 2000 pairs of eyes getting to see or experience our product.

That’s usually about the gist of it, but here’s what I think.  I touched on this a bit last year in another blog – It’s A Feelings Thing!

I would argue that when customers (or in our case, guests) experience your product for the first time, they are going to be much more receptive to it if they are feeling good at the time.  When people are feeling good when the experience your product or service, they are going to connect that good feeling with your brand.  Seems simple enough, but how often can you really perfect your timing with someone’s good mood?

Well, have you ever been on a Sixthman event?  Since most of our business comes form word of mouth recommendations and repeat customers guests, I think it’s safe to say that the audience is “feeling good” while they’re on the ship.  What better time to get your product or service out there?  Not only do you have a captive audience of over 2000 people, but they’re feeling good too!

Think of a brand you’re passionate about and really think about why you like it.  Where were you when you first experienced it?  Might be a good time to get your brand in front of a group that’s feeling good, not just in front of the largest one.

-Mike

I have been trying to figure out why it feels so weird to me to refer to the people that come on our cruises as “Customers”.  It’s seems so impersonal.  I am a customer of At&t & Wachovia and it’s completely “Transactional”.  I don’t spend time with these organizations and I only call them when they screw something up.  I certainly don’t look forward  to working with them.

My solution has been to use the word “Guest” in lieu of “Customer” and it feels much better.  We have always called them “Guests” on board, but during the year our vernacular has been “Customer”.  In arriving at this place, I am happy to share the differences that I noted.

Customers purchase your product with little emotional engagement…Guests are emotionally connected to your product.

Customers have anxiety about interacting with you…Guests look forward to getting to know you better.

Focus on Customer experience usually declines after purchase…Focus on Guest experience increases after purchase of product.

Customers rarely rave about your product…Guests look for opportunities to talk about your product with their colleagues.

Customers may never meet you…Guests look forward to opportunities to spend time with you and develop deep connections.

Customers stay with you until they have a better offer…Guests anticipate a long healthy relationship.

Customers shake hands….Guests hug!

So do you have “Customers” or “Guests”?

Odds are that you have an opportunity to convert your “Customers” into “Guests” if you approach it differently.

Andy