Blue Elevator Blog

Problem Solving in Business

One of my first real jobs was serving as a product merchandiser for Knudsen Dairies here in Southern California.  This would be a summer job after graduating from high school before starting my freshman year as a business student at Cal State University, Fullerton.

And, since my duties would involve daily driving to any number of grocery stores, I would need a reliable vehicle to get from place to place.  And, since my high school whip was a red Schwinn Varsity 10-speed, I guess it was time to buy a used car.

So, with some borrowed money, I picked up a used 1977 Honda Civic.  I would also be learning to drive a stick shift.  Life was good.  That was until …

Uh Oh!

My used whip would turn out to be something that would help me gain some valuable life experience.  Not only in basic auto repair, but also in business.  If I recall, I learned how to … a) do oil changes; b) frequently replace a clutch cable; c) replace the spark plugs, points, condenser, and distributor rotor; d) replace the water pump (multiple times); e) change the front and rear brakes; etc. And, then, there was the fuel pump issue.

A Fuel Pump – and a Valuable Life Lesson

On my way home from a day of merchandising Knudsen Rich & Natural Ice Cream, I exited the 57 freeway at Yorba Linda Blvd.  Shortly thereafter, I came to a dead stop by a Taco Bell over by Palm and Placentia Ave. (actually on the other side of the street by present day Dunn Edwards).

After some diagnostic help from my eventual father-in-law, it seemed my Honda Civic was starved for fuel.  The trouble was, the gas tank was half full.  I think I replaced the fuel filter.  Still nothing.  And, hoping the fuel lines weren’t clogged, I then focused my efforts on the fuel pump.  So, I proceeded to a) take out the back seat, b) cut out the fuel pump (e.g., it was hard wired in place), c) buy a new fuel pump, d) rewire in the new fuel pump, and then … still nothing.

Problem Solving in Business – 3 Options

Which, at long last, brings me to the point of this article.  All too often, in life and business, we tend to dive in and start “fixing stuff.”

Now, this isn’t the worst offense.  A lot of business owners, when confronted with a challenge, take a first order of defense which generally involves ignoring the issue.  So, the basic options are as follows:

1. Ignore the issue (and hope it goes away).  Which, it usually does not.
2. Fix it wrong.  Which not only NOT solves the problems – but creates others.
3. Fix it right.

So, absent putting your head in the sand, it is a good thing to want to jump in and fix what’s broken, right?

Problem Solving in Business – a 3 Step Process

In my opening illustration, it was quite obvious that my used car needed fixing.  I couldn’t put my head in the sand, as I needed to get back to work the next day.

So, in business, when you find yourself at the proverbial fork in the road, when something needs to be done, consider that the urgent problem necessitates a systematic approach.  And, so consider this:

1. What is the problem?
2. Why does it exist?
3. How do I fix it?

A simple 3 step process.  Which, if followed, God willing, will help you arrive at the “right fix.”

Example

Consider this simple example.  Let’s suppose that a business has been experiencing declining sales.  How does the business owner fix it?

Perhaps one idea might be that the price of goods or services should be lowered.  Perhaps more needs to be spent on advertising.  Of note, there is this temptation to jump in and head directly to the third step: How to fix it.   After all, shouldn’t we be attentive to such things?

But, rather consider this type of an approach:

1. What is the problem? Declining sales.
2. Why does the problem exist?  And it is here, where the point is made.  Declining sales could be the result of … the price being too low, the price being too high, the brand not being adequate, brand incongruency, the organization having a poor sales manger, the sales compensation plan being inadequate, the sales force being dysfunctional, poor recruitment, inadequate training, a lack of up-front engagement (e.g., phone answering, e-mail response, etc.), the website not engaging, little or sub-par social media engagement, the quality of goods and/or services being inferior, perceived trust issues, a lack of a clear Deliverable (e.g., a Blue Elevator™ concept which, itself, is comprised of nine attributes), a lack of a defined sales process, a lack of prospect nurturing, an inadequate post-sell process, a lack of applying the Rules of 7 (e.g., another Blue Elevator™ concept), non-resonant product or service offerings, not enough sales channels, a lack of compound sales channels (e.g., another Blue Elevator™ concept), a lack of web-centric integration, a lack of hustle, a lack of proper advertising effort, etc.  These 25 things are just some of the things to look at.
3. How to fix it?  As is the point, each of the aforementioned defects, has its own specific fix.

The Main Point

So, the summary point is this:

You won’t be able to properly figure out How to fix the problem if you haven’t defined the right What and uncovered the right Why.

• Add to this, that often times there is more than one Why.
• Next, add to this, that implementing the wrong fix doesn’t just NOT fix the problem: it will likely introduce additional problems.
• Finally, add to this, that the fix is not 1-dimensional.  The change will also affect other parts of the business or organization.

You see, sometimes What we think is the actual problem is just a symptom of an underlying, systemic defect.

The Real Why!

Problem solving in business is and should be a systematic 3-step process.  Sometimes the obvious isn’t so obvious.

Now, back to the opening example.  I did arrive at the fact that the fuel pump wasn’t working.  So, the What seemed pretty obvious.  A bad fuel pump.  Or was it?  After all, there was no fuel to the engine, and I had already replaced the fuel filter, too.

But, Why?  Thankfully, my future father-in-law, whose own father was an auto mechanic, would help me to discover the real Why!

I don’t recall what the fuel pump actually cost me, so let’s say it cost me $50 back in in 1983.  Plus, I had a new fuel filter.  I spent a lot of the evening removing the back seat, cutting out the old fuel pump, going out to buy a new fuel pump, wiring it in, etc.  A whole lot of time and a whole lot of dollars.  And, the new fuel pump still didn’t work.

And, so after consulting with my father-in-law, he quickly helped me find out the real Why.  It turns out the real Why was a simple fuse – which still had to be replaced.  And, so after replacing a simple, blown, 25 cent bus fuse, I was back up and running.

Summary

In business, it’s good to be zealous and attentive about fixing issues.  After all, problems don’t tend to self remedy.  And, avoiding the issue usually results in a plateau and/or a decline – if not a total derail.

But rather than jump in with a quick fix, the well-meaning business owner, executive, board, etc. will take the necessary time to uncover What the real problem is, Why the problem exists, and, finally, then – and only then – to ascertain the real and best How to fix it.

Blue Elevator™ is here to help.  Contact us!