The guy is one smart cookie.
Despite technology and toy shops filled to the brim with the latest doohickeys and doodads, each year, come X-Mas time, kids take a few weeks off from their path of destruction…
My 4-year-old son is still asking questions about him and how he worked his magic this past X-Mas.
So how does he do it?
Maybe it’s the air in the North Pole? Maybe it’s his trim waistline? Whatever it is, it’s working for him…and maybe we could learn a thing or two from the master to help us in our businesses.
I mean, he’s successful, has a huge following (rivaling FB as far as I can tell) and somehow manages to visit all our houses in one single night. Very impressive Santa.
Now we might not be able to hear it from the man himself but if we did a little digging I’m sure we could uncover some of his secrets.
We’ve got Google on our side after all.
So let’s take a look at the secret to Santa’s success.
- RESEARCH – He does his market research by having kids the world over write letters to him. He might not get us everything we want on our lists but more often than not he does come through.
- SURPRISE – How the heck does he get into our houses? Chimneys aren’t very common these days thanks to central heating and heaters…and yet come X-Mas morning somehow he’s left presents under the tree for us. Can he walk through walls? Become super small? Who knows…and who cares? No one, we just love that he comes through for us year in and year out.
- PREPARATION – He’s busy working all year getting ready for the X-Mas season, he hasn’t missed a X-Mas yet as far as I can tell. The guy is punctual so he’s got his sled and reindeer in tip top shape. That doesn’t come easy. Maintenance is critical.
- CREDIBLE – Despite what people say, Santa has survived all the critics and has managed to thrive even in this day and age. Doing what you’ll say you’ll do, when you’ll do does go a long way in building credibility.
- DATABASE – More detailed than the FBI’s. He knows addresses, names, and even if we’ve been bad or good.
- TEAMWORK – Santa really knows the value of a good team. He has elves working 364 days a year for him, that’s commitment.
- REPUTATION – Santa ranks up there with the best of them. His ho-ho-ho is infectious and he’s always jolly…plus all that goodness and free gifts. You can’t buy a reputation, Santa’s earn his.
- FUN – Work is tough up there in the North Pole, but those elves sure seem to love their jobs. Santa likes to keep things casual and fun, he’s also very hands off, the results ultraproductive.
- GREAT MEMORY – Never forgets a name. If you want to look good to your customers and employees, say their names. After all, the sweetest sounding word in the English language is your name being said by someone else.
- LISTENING – If you’ve ever been to a mall over X-Mas you’ve got to hand it to Santa, the guy listens to one kid after another. Always patient
- DRESS FOR SUCCESS – Santa is one snappy dresser. And he’s the only guy I know who knows how to make red velvet look good. Nuf said.
- SMILE – Santa’s flowing beard may hide a lot of his face, but never his happy smile. Smiling needs no translation, it’s universal. It’s also one of the most powerful things you can do to influence others. Santa has got this down.
- HUMILITY – Santa doesn’t ask for much. In fact, he doesn’t ask for anything. He just loves to spread joy and happiness. It’s a lost art in today’s world with everyone shouting “look at me,” not Santa, he knows if it wasn’t for his team nothing would be possible and is the first to let his team know just how important they are.
- ENTHUSIASM – Year in and year out, he gives it everything he’s got. That’s commitment. He loves what he does and it shows in everything he does. Have you ever noticed everyone seems happier during the X-Mas season, enthusiasm is contagious. Keep it up Santa.
- LISTENS – If there’s one guy who knows how to listen it’s Santa. Each year tens of thousands of children line up to sit on Santa’s lap so they can tell him their X-Mas list. He always paid very close attention to my requests, I’m sure he did to yours as well.
- GIFT GIVER – People love presents. It’s that simple. Whether it’s from Santa, our spouse, our coworker, our boss or our customer. Gifts leave a lasting impression and one that is not soon forgotten, just ask Santa.
Yep, Santa is one amazing guy.
But if we look over this list you’ll notice that you don’t need to have an army of elves at your disposal to implement them in your own business and absolutely dominate your competitors.
As a teacher I competed with many of the big schools and yet one by one they fell, and yet my business is still going.
How did this happen? I certainly didn’t have the best location or the best advertising, I did it by being the best and implementing many of the same techniques Santa uses. They work. It’s as simple as that.
The thing is that most people like to blame slow business on the economy or on their products, it’s true that those many have some effect on your business but the bottom line is a business is only as good as the people in it.
The more of these qualities your team has, the better off you’ll be.
And just remember, many of these qualities can’t be taught. It’s better to focusing on hiring the right people, than hiring people with the right skills and then working on these qualities. Skills can be taught…
Adrian Shepherd