home
articles
submit an article
authors
RBC Blog
resources
newsletters
about us
contact us
site map
|
RBC Business
Articles: encouragement | purpose | success |
|
|
 |
Monday Moments
Monday Moment: September 3, 2007
The customs officer led me to a corner of a plain, bright room in the airport of Kiev. He had motioned to me in the green line to follow him and asked to see my money. Eastern European customs officials frequently did this in the mid-1990s, and I watched in some discomfort as he fingered his way through the hundred dollar bills I was carrying in behalf of the ministry I represented. On this occasion I had two envelopes destined for different groups, but together the amounts totaled more than what one person was allowed to carry.
Monday Moments
Monday Moment: August 27, 2007
A telemarketer for a lawn service spent fifteen minutes persuading me of the value of aerating our lawn. He made the sale and then took another few moments trying to identify possible barriers to carrying out the service successfully. Any locked gates? . . . Guard dogs? . . . Underground sprinkler system? No, the only boundary that might interfere—my reluctance to spend money—had already been crossed.
Perspective
Grumpy Cinnamon Roll Guy
A regular customer went into the local Starbucks and wanted a cinnamon roll. He was in luck--there was one left. The guy loved these cinnamon rolls and made a point of coming to Starbucks just so he could get one to start his day.
Charlie was carrying the hallowed last cinnamon roll to the register when it fell on the floor. “Uh oh, I’m toast,” said Charlie to himself.
Charlie confessed to the customer, “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe it, but I dropped your cinnamon roll. Can I get you an apple fritter or donut instead?”
The customer was not happy and vented his frustration to Lori at the register. “Why don’t you get more cinnamon rolls?” asked the guy. “You are constantly running out of them. You guys used to get what your customers really wanted. I think Starbucks is just getting too corporate.” Lori had no explanation.
“I guess I’ll just have to go to another Starbucks and see if they can help me.”
Lori handed him his coffee and he left scowling. From then on he was known as Grumpy Cinnamon Roll Guy.
Grumpy Cinnamon Roll Guy came in a few days later for his coffee and cinnamon roll. Lori waited on him again and was able to give him a cinnamon roll that hadn’t hit the floor. Because Starbucks creates a climate of wanting to provide excellent customer service, Lori apologized again for the previous problem and asked him his name, which is Paul.
The next time Lori worked she had a hunch Paul would be in so she set aside a cinnamon roll in a little box and wrote Paul’s name and drew a little smiley face on it.
Sure enough, Paul did come in. He ordered his usual and by the time he got to the register his personalized cinnamon roll was waiting for him. Lori was working at the coffee bar and watched for his response. He looked down in surprise at the box, saw Lori across the store and broke into a shy grin. He was no longer Grumpy Cinnamon Roll Guy.
Do we cater to people who are grumpy and demanding by giving them what they want? Not always. Do we put a little thought into how we can serve our customers better? Absolutely.
It takes creativity, consistency and skill to get to a place where Starbucks is. We have opportunities like this every day to go the extra mile. It’s easy to take a few minutes to set aside a $2 cinnamon roll. It’s a lot harder to be gracious with a $10,000 project that has gone awry. But in the long run, it’s about asking how we can best create satisfied customers.
Despite his threats, Paul continues to come back. And he gets other things besides cinnamon rolls now. Maybe it wasn’t so much about the cinnamon roll as it was the need to feel heard and appreciated.
***********
Dave Carlson is a Denver internet marketing specialist. He is the owner of Green Chair Marketing Group. He can be reached by calling 720-922-3124 or by visiting his website at www.greenchair.net.
Marketing/Sales
Competition or Complement? Cooperating with Other Companies That Might be Competitors
We can decide whether we want to be competitors or partners with people who are in the same industry. Sometimes partnering can add to both of your bottomlines, while providing camaraderie.
Monday Moments
Monday Moment -- August 20, 2007
A staff member in a dermatologist's office was taking my medical history in preparation for a first-time appointment. She asked if I had any family history of skin cancer. I could think of none and said no. Later my wife wondered how the appointment had gone, and I told her about the interview, asking if she could remember any family members who had had skin cancer. "No one except you," she said. Oh, yes, that time in California two decades ago . . . . In my casual survey of family health problems, I had conveniently overlooked the one the doctor would be most interested in my own.
|
|
|
|
home |
articles |
submit an article |
authors |
resources |
newsletters
about us |
contact us |
site map
Call at 720-922-3124
|
|
|
|
