Aglow Marketing's Blog

Take care of your employees and you take care of your business. A lesson from John Mackey.

This morning I was reading my newsletter from the Harvard Business Review and a new interview title caught my eye, "What Is It That Only I Can Do?".  I took the bait and clicked.  The article highlights the co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey.  I watched the short video (included above) and really resonated with what Mackey has to say about management's job at Whole Foods.  Even if you're a solo business owner, this still applies to you!  Mackey says it's to:

- Hire Good People

- Make sure they are Well-Trained inTheir Work

- So That They Flourish in the Workplace and Give Great Customer Service

Seems like common sense. right?  I thought so until I recalled the traditional jobs I've had (working for someone else) where every time it was "sink or swim".  As in, you figure it out and see if you can make it work here.  Also, that it's up to you to determine what makes this place unique and better than our competitors.  Both of those, in hindsight, were a big no-no. 

One of our favorite tasks at Aglow is doing a strategy session for this very reason.  It gives us a chance to help businesses (of any size) really see who they are in the marketplace and what they plan to accomplish while there (and yes, you need to be specific).  Then we really encourage our clients to share and implement these ideas with their team.  When your team can better speak to what you do (and it should be the same message no matter who tells it) and know what you're looking for (rockin' clients that can't wait to use you), they can spend more time building your business rather than trying to figure out exactly what it is you do.

Best way to handle a potential issue? Shed some light on it.

When Laura and I picked out a promotional item for our business we knew we wanted a particular kind of candle.  It needed to look great, smell great and be environmentally friendly.  After extensive searching we settled on a personable small soy candle business based out of California, SoyCandles.org.

Recently we ran out of our custom candles and I contacted Claudia Davenport for a re-order.  What I love about Claudia is she is so thorough and makes me feel like each order is the only one she is dealing with.  She promptly got our canisters and scents together and shipped us our order.  Each scent even had a test candle, which is something I never would have considered.  Even though it's more product for her, it gives me peace of mind and allows me to enjoy the product, too.

Then Claudia sent me an e-mail alerting me to an issue with one of our scents.  She was right in that I didn't feel comfortable in the way the scent was burning off.  She asked how I'd like to handle the concern and promptly suggested a similar scent, re-made the candles and sent them to us.  I just got them and they are fantastic.

More often than not, there seems to be a tendency to hide when there might be an issue with your product or service.  Most employ the tactic, "If they don't bring it up, then don't mention it."  However, I tend to feel better when a trusted vendor alerts me to an issue beforehand rather than waiting for me to figure it out.  Building a relationship of trust with your clients is key.  By being open & honest with them, it will go a long way in building customer loyalty.  Thank you Claudia at SoyCandles.org for this great reminder!

Who's Managing Your Customer Experience?

I'll be honest - I've never noticed the details on my pizza box before. I typically just dive right on end.  But, for some reason this little detail caught my eye today.  I squinted closely to read the fine print on the Papa John's box which said that "My pizza experience was managed by Anthony."  Why thanks Anthony - I had no idea!

Now I highly doubt Anthony is a member of the marketing team...but yet he is charge of my customer experience and thefore my impression of the Papa John's brand. Depending upon how I was treated and ultimately the deliciousness of the pizza I received, my viewpoint of the restauant can be swayed one way or another.

When you consider who your end customer interacts with - keep in mind that that person is representing your brand.  Depending upon your business, that initial contact point may be a receptionist, a sales clerk, or a delivery person.  Are they representing your brand promise? Are they even aware of what your brand stands for?  If you hope to be known for being friendly & approachable, make sure your first line of defense brings on the charm and isn't harsh or abrasive. 

Zappos.com is a great example of how a brand promise is exemplified through it's customer service.  If you've ever ordered from this great online store, you know exactly what I'm talking about.   Not only do they offer fast/free shipping, their customer service team lives and breathes their brand promise of providing no-hassle, no-questions-asked, easy to deal with returns and exchanges.  You can tell that Zappos' brand promise is a part of their culture. 

So as a small business owner, consider who your customers interact with the most and (perhaps mostly importantly) first.  Are they aware of your core values and goals as a brand?  If not, arm them with this information so the very essence of what you want to be known for shines through each and every interaction.