I am tickled pink by the incredibly green mileage of my new blue Prius, but red with anger over the yellow highlighted "Excellent" ratings on the sample customer satisfaction survey handed to me by the salesman as I drove off. "If I get less then 90%, Toyota will throw me under the bus," he said. 

Toyota wants feedback that the salesman fears and, as a result, the customer suffers. If the salesman does a lousy job, you have three choices: 

1. Tell the truth and constantly wonder about the bus
2. Avoid email and phone calls asking for feedback
3. Lie 

That is an ugly choice. Furthermore, it invalidates all the data they are collecting. And I do mean all. I heard the same line when I last bought a Toyota ten years ago. The sickening memory came back to me as soon as I heard it again.

How do you prevent such lunacy?

• When determining any course of action, think about what could go wrong so you can avoid bad decisions and take preventive action.
• Follow up, especially on any action as important as this, to see if it is really working.
• Talk to your customers in multiple ways so you are sure to get the whole story.
• Shop your own shop - anonymously, of course - to get a first hand look at the customer experience. 

Uncommon Meetings - 7 Quick Tips for Better Results in Half the Time by Ann Latham is now available in print and ebook editions on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and uncommonclarity.com.

A recent article in The New York Times generated several responses on a forum I frequent. The only problem was I could not believe they had all read the same article I had read. Each person reacted to a different component of the article. Latched on and took off. At the same time, each assumed the others were reacting to the same thing. The reality was they simply weren't talking to each other. They thought they were, but they weren't. 

I attended a teleconference this past week during which I learned some interesting things. I wanted to follow up with a quick phone call to the presenter. My experience in that endeavor reveals the easiest way to avoid customers. You may be doing the same thing and not even realize it. Here is my story:

Are your products as simple as a banana? Do they provide instant recognition? Have no moving parts? Sell for a fairly small and stable price? Require no installation? No explanation? No registration? No warranty?

The stock market is swinging wildly and so a journalist asks me if I, or people I know, are freaking out and canceling plans. Why not? 

Ever heard of Elance.com? 

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal claimed that three fourths of all departing employees would not recommend their employer to others, up from 42% three years ago.

I didn't think I would like an electronic reader. I love books too much. And I thought it was silly to be dependent on one more electronic device that needs charging. 

If you can't agree on objectives, you'll never agree on alternatives. The debt ceiling fiasco is a perfect example. Regardless of the outcome, the process is completely flawed because the debate is all about alternatives, not objectives:

• No tax increases
  
• No Medicare or Social Security cuts
  
• Smaller government
  

"No tax increases" is an alternative, not an objective. We all pay good money for services every single day. Taxes are just one way of paying for services - one alternative. There may be a better way, but let's agree on the services needed first and then examine our alternatives. In countries like Norway, people and businesses are happy to pay taxes because they believe they provide good value. Why aren't we focusing on the value - the objectives?

No Medicare cuts, no Social Security cuts, and smaller government are also just alternatives. Lawmakers of all stripes have locked onto these and similar alternatives and have no intentions of budging. Where is the discussion of objectives? What do we want for the American people? Do we want our citizens to be educated? Do we want roads, police departments, and public parks? Do we want someone ensuring the safety of our food, water, and borders? What do we think should happen to people who encounter disasters and hard times? What are the priorities and truly unavoidable constraints? If there is no agreement on a vision for America, how can we decide how to get there?

Our exasperation with the government leads many to say that it needs to be run more like a business. Well, I've got news for you. I've encountered lots of businesses operating just like the government:

• Debating alternatives without agreeing on objectives
  
• Operating without a vision of what they want to become
  
• Making across-the-board cuts without taking a good hard look at the strategic impact
  
• Pursuing short-term goals without enough thought of the future
  
• Banking on cuts over growth strategies
  
• Winning at the expense of employees, customers, vendors, community, and the environment as if the company can survive in a vacuum
  

If any of these describe your business situation, don't wait for a crisis to change your ways.

Need help changing your ways? Establishing a vision for the future? Choosing growth over cuts? Call Uncommon Clarity, Inc. at 800-527-0087.