Here Are Five Fascinating Psychological Tidbits to Help Strengthen Your Business Mind… And Boost Your Laundry Operation
Having a few degrees in psychology, I tend to be curious about human behavior – especially within the business world. And I’m a voracious reader in the social sciences, if for no other reason than to keep my mind full of information so that I can create a new (and hopefully insightful) article every 30 days or so.
Of course, I’m particularly interested in the self-service laundry industry and am constantly on the lookout for interesting and unusual tidbits of a psychological nature that can be applied to running a more efficient laundry business.
With that said, here are five very cool psychological nuggets that should enable you to operate your business more successfully – and with a greater sense of happiness, tranquility and peace of mind.
Run Your Business the Old Fashioned Way
There is no question that we live in a high-tech world. We can communicate via email anywhere on Earth in seconds. We can instantly locate any bit of information on virtually any subject on search engines such as Google. We can text or call anyone just about anywhere on the planet at our whim using our mobile devices. We can even change the temperature on our home thermostat using our cell phone from great distances away.
However, with this extraordinary technology, we have lost some of our ability to interact with others on a purely human personal level. How many times have you tried to find a human being with which to talk at your local utility provider or at many of the other companies we all do business with on a regular basis? It’s maddening to constantly hear the recorded phrase, “Due to heavy call volume, we regret we will not be able to take your call for 20 minutes,” which is then followed up by equally tedious messages explaining how to pay your bill immediately.
The lesson here is to run your business the old fashioned person-to-person way, which simply means to answer your laundry phone each time it rings, greet customers by name, ask them about how they are doing, escort them to the proper machines, offer them information on the proper wash cycles, and introduce them to exactly how your loyalty programs work. In other words, personalize your business – because I believe strongly that customers are no longer amused by the high-tech, impersonal methods of doing business.
Take the Advice of Ferris Bueller
I love the popular 1980s comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” In my view, not only was it perfectly cast, but it also provided some valuable take-away messages about living life.
Ferris was a very cool high school senior who possessed a knowledge about life well beyond his years. For me, Ferris’ best line in the movie is: “Life moves pretty fast, and if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
I know your business is important to you. I get that. Everyone’s business is important to them. But there is far more to life than having a single mentally – and often physically – grinding focus on making money.
Set aside some time on a regular basis to “look around” and appreciate the other wonderful aspects of your life… and of the world around you. Take a weekend trip, go to a concert, read a book on a subject you know nothing about, attend a lecture series, develop a new workout regimen, volunteer at a local hospital… the list goes on and on. Pick one or two, and go for it.
Doing so will greatly reduce the time you spend in a state of permanent (or semi-permanent) annoyance, which seems to afflict many business owners. Doing so also will lead to a much calmer day-to-day existence and likely will even help you become more successful at running your business.
Understand That All People Are ‘Home Schooled’
Sure, you’ve had formal schooling, and you may even hold an advanced degree or two. However, in reality, we’re all fundamentally “home schooled” in our basic world view and in how we essentially view life. This comes from interactions with our parents, as well as from other significant experiences in our formidable years. I define this as being home schooled.
Clearly, not only are you home schooled, but so are your customers, employees, distributors, suppliers and landlords. Therefore, when dealing with others, always remember they are not a carbon copy of you and don’t necessarily share your values, operating style, expectations or world view.
Accepting this fact will make life a lot easier for you, as well as for those with whom you interact on a regular basis. Here’s an example: let’s say your landlord was raised by parents who were uncompromising and instilled into their little future land baron the view that to compromise is a sign of weakness; as a result, when dealing with you and your lease, your landlord’s past home schooling becomes evident.
If you can develop some empathy in matters of this nature, you will find that your business dealings will be less stressful and far more harmonious. I’m not advocating you become a psychologist, but rather that you grasp and accept that we are all different for a reason and that we all have “personality balance sheets” containing assets and liabilities.
Use the ‘Goldilocks Rule’
People really like challenges, but only if they fall within an optimal zone of difficulty. For example, let’s say you’re a pretty good golfer. If you try to play a serious round against a 10 year old, you will quickly become bored and disinterested. By contrast, if you try to play a serious round against a professional golfer like Jason Day, you will become unmotivated for a totally different reason – that round simply will be far too difficult for you.
On the other hand, if you play against someone who is about your equal, you will win some holes, and you will lose some. You definitely have a chance of winning the round, but only if you truly play your best. In this instance, the challenge you’re facing is just manageable. Winning isn’t guaranteed, but it’s a definite possibility. Tasks like these, behavioral science has determined, are the most likely to keep you motivated over the long haul.
Challenges that are significantly below your current abilities don’t interest you, and challenges that are far beyond your current abilities will discourage you. But the tasks that border success and failure are extremely motivating to the human brain. What we want most is to master a new level of success that sits just beyond our current horizon.
This is called the “Goldilocks Rule.” You remember the classic children’s story of the three bears – where the best porridge was not too hot or too cold, but just right. When setting business goals, be sure to observe this rule, and create goals that are “just right.”
Know That Your Mirror is Always Broken
It’s just about impossible to really perceive yourself as others do. You can never turn around fast enough to really see yourself accurately. That’s because your (and everyone else’s) mirror is always “broken” in that the way people see you is not likely how you view yourself. This phenomenon prevents you from changing things about you that need to be changed. When describing yourself, you’re always politically correct. It’s human nature.
The lesson here is that, if you tend to get the same reactions from people (such as customers) about certain aspects of your behavior, perhaps there is something to it. Maybe that camel hair jacket doesn’t look as good as you think it does when you look at yourself in the mirror. Think about it. The distinct probability is that you’re not as good – or as bad – as you may think you are.
When you understand the psychology of your business, you likely will attract more customers, improve the performance of your attendants and accomplish fantastic goals that perhaps you never thought possible.
I certainly hope that you’re all “psyched” up now!
