Close Uncertainty Gaps & Eliminate anxiety

In my 30 years as a business strategist, I've learned this:

Uncertainty creates anxiety, and anxiety is the enemy of loyalty. 

More recently, I've learned:

Don't buy stuff online while drinking tequila. 

These two lessons intersected recently. 

In search of a pair of leather sneakers, I turned to the Internet and found some. Good news!

Because...tequila, I neglected to notice that these shoes were hand-made to order in Colombia, and would take many weeks to arrive. Bad news!

We've all had situations where, while waiting for a business to reply or get you what you need, you receive ZERO communication or info.

This is the "The Uncertainty Gap."

Uncertainty Gap

= 

The Difference Between What You Know About What's Going On, and What the Customer Knows

Some of you know my story about buying a sofa online (no tequila involved) and receiving no information AT ALL about the order for 15 weeks. 

The entire time I'm wondering if they got the order. If it will arrive. When? Should I buy a different sofa elsewhere? Reverse the credit card charges? 

After realizing that these shoes from Beckett Simonon were going to take as long as the gestation period of a red fox (true), I assumed I was going to plummet into the uncertainty gap.

NOPE.

As soon as my order was placed, I received a detailed email from Gavin, which answered a ton of questions about Gavin himself (a Scotsman, now living in Colombia), the names of all his co-workers, the artisans who make the shoes, the process, and why the shoes are made in Colombia.

A week later, Gavin was back in my inbox, letting me know my shoes were entering the leather cutting phase. This email included a LOT of information about how leather cutting works, and photos and background on Hector, the guy who was doing the cutting. Plus, details on next steps.

Two more weeks. Gavin returns, with an introduction to Freddy and Sofia, the assemblers now working on my sneakers. Last line of this email:

"The artisans have informed me that they will complete the batch and ship out in roughly three weeks time. We fly the shoeboxes across to our center of operations in Miami, and will dispatch from there before the end of May."

Three MORE, massively detailed emails came before my shoes arrived.

I was so well-informed I could probably make my own shoes at this point. 

I literally went from, "wait, some people in Colombia are going to take nearly two months to make me some sneakers?" 

to..

"Oh, I sure do love how Juan Carlos, the sole man, attached the soles to the uppers. Sure glad I got to watch that Youtube interview with him."

Uncertainty Gap? Eliminated.

Questions? Answered.

Brand affinity? Maximum.

Shoes? Gorgeous, and super comfy. And came with a hand-written thank you note. 

Lesson? We all have scenarios where we know more than our customers. Find a way to even out that information imbalance. 

The Books Report

What makes YOU special? What is your Unique Selling Proposition?

It took me about 25 years to figure this out. If I had Discover Your Fair Advantage, the new book from my pal Sylvie Di Giusto, I could have cut about 24.5 years off that timeline.  

It is a super practical, tactical, doable approach to personal branding and differentiation. 

It's just jam-packed with goodness, and has a lot of workbook components, which I love.

Going to try to get my recent college graduate son to read it (wish me luck). 

Speaking of things that would have saved me a LOT of time, Josh Bernoff's new work: Build a Better Business Book is incredible.

Here's my blurb, for the cover:

"Build a Better Business Book is staggeringly useful, and I'm more than a little angry that I had to write six books without it. This is the new, definitive guide to making a business book happen."

I meant every word. E-book launched yesterday. Get it on sale, or pre-order the hard copy today, as it will sell out. 

If you've ever even pondered writing a business book, it's a must.

Jay's Faves

In college, there was a very brief moment when I almost changed my major to astronomy, until my advisor explained how much math and physics it would require.

I scurried back to Political Science with haste!

But I do dig the celestial, and have a bit of sci-fi fandom in me. I'm especially keen on Blade Runner-esque dystopian tales.

If you like mysterious and dark examinations of what could be our planet's future, check out The Silo on Apple TV+. 

It's set in a 144-floor underground....silo, where 10,000 people live, work, play, scheme, and kill. 

There are big mysteries around every corner, with terrific acting and pacing. Plus, Tim Robbins (where has that guy been?) is one of the bad guys. I think?

This show is like LOST (before it got bad) but set in a massive elevator shaft. 

Only 6 episodes dropped so far, so an easy catch-up. Let me know what you think!

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Thanks! I'll be back in your inbox in two weeks, with issue 51.