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Find New Clients With Undercover Research

Have you seen the TV show Undercover Boss? Nora Burns lived it.

One of the best strategies for attracting clients for agency owners, business coaches and strategic consultants is to conduct proprietary research. Nora Burns, founder and Chief Curiosity Officer of The Leadership Experts, took research to the max when she started working undercover at companies.

In a self-funded research project she began in 2012, Burns used fake names to go on over 250 interviews across the country. She was hired by many companies and invested 15 months working on the frontlines for five Fortune 500 organizations. These organizations did not know she was a former executive and expert in leadership and workplace culture.

Burns says her first six interviews were a mess, and it got worse from there. Her research revealed the way most employees are treated is just plain bad business.

“On my first day of work at a retail location I was lectured on the importance of a clean uniform before the manager handed me two uniforms in a plastic bag,” said Burns. “When I returned home, I discovered both were dirty and one had cigarette burns. I took both back to the manager and shared that there must have been a mix-up and some dirty uniforms ended up in the new to-be-issued pile. ‘No mix-up,’ said the manager. ‘Those are the only ones I have to give you.’”

As a former Fortune 200 executive, Burns has navigated the complex shifting terrain of multi-site workplace dynamics and juggled the needs and dynamics of blue-, white-, and pink-collar employees. While on staff with a Big Six accounting firm (“before the Big Six became the Final Four,” she says) she guided ex-pats on their journey of cultural understanding through Services to Executives Abroad.

Given the high value she places on understanding and shifting perspectives, she decided it was time to do something about the lack of recent insight into the lives of candidates and frontline employees. And thus, The Undercover Employee was officially born in 2014.

The project involved independent, innovative and proprietary research into hiring and employment practices. She took an inside-out look at what organizations are doing exceptionally well, and where the most significant opportunities are for improvement.

“While researching workplace culture as an undercover employee, I enjoyed meaningful conversations with employees who saw me as a peer, a similarly situated member of the retail and hospitality hierarchy,” said Burns. “One of the most surprising elements came when I asked about their roles. More than 80% of the time the response started with, ‘I’m just a…’ Just a driver, just a clerk, just a supervisor.”

Burns says those who self-define as “just a” do not feel important. “Within any social construct ‘important’ people talk with ‘important’ people, so if I am not important and you are talking to me then you must not be important either. This is a set-up for bad customer service.”

“Just a” messaging can start as early as the interview, she says. You’re scheduled for 10 a.m., but kept waiting until 10:15. The interviewer is typically unprepared, not having reviewed the resume and uncertain what to ask.

Often “just a” messaging appears on the employee’s first day. Team members haven’t been informed that an employee is starting, so are unprepared to make them feel welcome. Uniform and/or nametag has not been ordered. Computer access has not been established. The office or locker has not been cleaned out.

“Just a” is a title acquired over time when negative interactions pile up. When the meta-message from managers is “you’re not important” employees take on that messaging and claim it. These are the same employees you are asking to provide exceptional customer service, to show initiative, to be loyal to your organization. Your actions are working against your goals.

According to Burns, treating employees with respect and appreciation from the very first point of contact and throughout their employment with your organizations will be more beneficial for customer service initiatives than hours of training on service culture. Respected employees will treat customers with respect. Employees that are listened to will listen to customers.

Bottom line: The research Nora Burns conducted brings to light essential changes that must take place in the world of HR—extremely valuable information she can share with prospects. What proprietary research could your business undertake to attract new clients?

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