There are stories that we’re told and stories we tell which stick in our minds like they’ve been applied with Gorilla Glue and today and want to share one of those stories to illustrate how you can improve your systems.
As it goes, there’s a company which sells the windshield glass used in airplanes. When selling the glass, the company provides detailed instructions on installation, including how to test that the glass is properly installed.
After all, if you’re going to be flying a 747 at 30,000 feet you better have every single piece of the plane installed correctly!
The test phase includes using a small launcher to propel a dead bird at the plane’s windshield to ensure that it can withstand hitting a bird in flight. But one company had a huge problem, when their windshields were installed and tested, every single piece of glass broke.
Not sure where the problem lies, they contacted the manufacturer, kicking off weeks of back and forth emails, specification checks and material testing. Where is the test being held? What kind of bird are you using? What’s the weather condition during installation? With all this data, the manufacturer couldn’t find the problem either so they requested a video test of the material so they could analyze the film.
The plane conducted and filmed the test and sent in the footage. They got back a 3 word solution to a problem which had plagued them for months:
Defrost the Chickens.
Imagine for a second the amount of time, money and energy that went into solving the very simple problem of this windshield integrity test. And their problem is one that you encounter and perpetuate every single day.
Your instructions, your systems, are not clear enough. I can’t tell you how many systems I’ve updated to begin with “Go to the website www…” replacing vague directions like “Log in.”
If I’m over here shouting “LOG IN WHERE?!” then your team is going to be doing the same exact thing.
I call these Frozen Chicken Problems, it feels obvious if you’ve done it a hundred times but you need to create directions for someone who is brand new. This applies to every type of tutorial you create, by-the-by, from team member directions to new client on-boarding and working with affiliates.
The easiest way to diagnose a Frozen Chicken Problem, besides hiring a systems expert, is to have someone who has never worked in this area before follow your system.
I did this years ago with one of my first clients, Charles, who was delightfully specific about all the ways he wanted his newsletter to look. That’s not sarcastic, by the way, I love it when a client is clear about what they need and want so we can deliver. I wrote up the system and then asked my friend to test it out. She had never worked in an online business, never used the software before, never did any online marketing.
We got on Skype at the time and I gave her the system and then we stayed connected as she worked through each step. She logged in, started the new email, copied and pasted the copy and graphics, and throughout it all would occasionally say, “how do I…. oh it’s the next step!” and continue working.
When she was done she sent me a test to review and then, with my approval, sent the test to Charles.
Then a funny thing happened.
Charles emailed me frustrated because there was a mistake in the image – the margins were supposed to be 2pt on the left and right, not 1pt.
I was delighted.
As I explained to him at the time, that little detail about the image had not been conveyed to me when I built out the system and it took no time at all to add. But everything else, 99% of the newsletter was done perfectly by someone with no experience.
Months later Charles told me this system may just have saved his marriage as his wife was completing the newsletter and frustrated with the constant changes he requested. Once the system was in place his wife or his virtual assistant could complete the newsletter without his input on the style, format, font or design and all Charles needed to do was write the content.
- The preferred margins for your graphics? Frozen Chickens.
- The specific color that you use for links? Frozen Chickens.
- The away message for your annual vacation? Frozen Chickens.
All around your business you’ll find small, seemingly insignificant details that make all the difference between successful tasks and broken glass.
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