The wonders of the internet recently brought me this fantastic article: Beyond beyond beyond beyond “Beyond embiggens and cromulent” by Heidi Harley of HeiDeas (if there’s a better example of blog name synchronicity out there I haven’t seen it).
Its part of an annual collection of linguistic jokes on The Simpsons.
You’re welcome.
This article is the the final of four on a topic I touched on in my post Your Brand Isn’t a Logo, It’s a Lie, this series is about positive creation of customer experience.
My personal examples are all from consumer-facing businesses because these changes are starting in the consumer sector and are the most obvious there. In time they will permeate every corner of business. In some regions and industries they’ll take a little longer, but they’re coming. Which is to say that a law office may not need a kid’s craft area (some might…) but you can’t win by being the last business to catch the coming wave.
Like my first article on this subject, I’m not trying to convince the naysayers. If you think this has nothing to do with your business, market, or sector, then you’re choosing to do nothing in the face of change, choosing to drive your business into the ground, and choosing to fail.
Good riddance: I’m tired of clueless businesses who just don’t care.
I said in the first article that in addition to a customer experience a business also needs a story for the employees. Stay tuned for more on that.
This article is the third of four on a topic I touched on in my post Your Brand Isn’t a Logo, It’s a Lie, this series is about positive creation of customer experience.
This is the “big boy” of the businesses I am recommending in The Real New Business series, and you’ve probably heard of them. They were, after all, featured on Oprah.
Zappos sells shoes online. Which one might think would be a very difficult way to build a business. No one buys shoes without trying them on, and it’s very tough to get a feel for the look of a shoe on a website.
So how does a company win at that game? Take it from the Zappos vision:
- One day, 30% of all retail transactions in the US will be online.
- People will buy from the company with the best service and the best selection.
- Zappos will be that company.
Or you can consult item one of their Core Values:
Deliver WOW Through Service
Zappos offers free shipping both ways (in the event you return a purchase), a 365-day return policy as long as the items are in new condition, great prices, and huge selection–even for someone who wears size US15.
When I used to shop retail for shoes, I had 1 or 2 pairs to choose from and shoes that could be ordered in my size were not returnable, even though I couldn’t try the shoe on before purchasing. Once I placed an order with Zappos 8 hours after the cutoff and still received my shoes the next day. Where do you think I now buy all my shoes from?
Coming in The Real New Business Part Four: conclusions.
This article is the second of four on a topic I touched on in my post Your Brand Isn’t a Logo, It’s a Lie, this series is about positive creation of customer experience.
In Nashville it isn’t as easy to get organic and all natural products as it was in California. At least, not if you shop in a “traditional” chain grocery store. We found a cheaper, more convenient way to get our groceries, organic or not.
There’s a company here called Plumgood that sends out big purple delivery trucks every day. The trucks are full of groceries. Plumgood has a full suite of grocery products (check it out on their site, see if you can’t complete a reasonable grocery list) that they will deliver to your home in insulated tubs.
Here’s the fine print: the minimum order is $50, place your order by 11PM for next day delivery, leave the tubs out for your next order, they don’t suggest leaving the food out all day if you order perishables, and the customer service is great. That’s it. No gotchas. Prices are competitive; a few things are a little more expensive, but compared to paying for gas to drive around the city getting everything you need, that’s peanuts.
If we have a small need, we’ll run to a “traditional” store. But do you think it’s easier to shop from your kitchen where you can see what you need, or in a busy store, unsure if you’ve forgotten something? Which business do you think actively creates pleased customers?
Coming in The Real New Business Part Three: shoes.
This article is the first of four on a topic I touched on in my post Your Brand Isn’t a Logo, It’s a Lie, this series is about positive creation of customer experience.
You can’t coast anymore. Most business segments are saturated with near-identical competitors. Compete on price if you want to race to the bottom. Or you can wake up and realize that you only need two things to win: an experience for your customers and a story for your employees. This series is about customer experience. These aren’t new ideas, I’m just sick and tired of businesses who don’t get it and don’t want to.
A mere two blocks from my house is a children’s bookstore called Fairytales. My daughter only knows the name of two retail stores and Fairytales is one of them.
The are plenty of bookstores in Nashville and Fairytales isn’t special because it’s 2 blocks from my house, or the selection of entertaining and educational books and toys is good, or they carry many unique products, or they’re locally owned, or because the staff are friendly. Though all those things are true.
About one-third of the Fairytales retail space contains not products, but a craft and play zone for kids. A baby-gate keeps kids from running off and staff members are dedicated to supervising and engaging the kids in a safe environment.
Off of the main retail space there is a “parent’s zone” with seating, relaxed decor, free wifi, and beverages. Parents can talk, relax, shop, or use the internet for up to 2 hours while the kids are in the play zone.
Compare that to any experience you have ever had with a toys-r-us type box-store. Which do you think has more casual visitors, more repeat customers, and more grateful fans who tell friends and post positive experiences on their blogs?
Coming in The Real New Business Part Two: groceries.
Seth Godin’s new book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, is being made available for free in audiobook form by Audible.com. You must download it and listen to it. After listening to it, I am probably going to buy a print copy from Amazon because I want to mark the hell out of the text.
I downloaded and listened for the weekend driving around Chattanooga and the trip back to Nashville. I had several near-strokes listening to it. Brilliant and challenging thoughts about the nature of leadership, business, bringing change and making a difference.
Encouraging and challenging at the same time:
Success is now the domain of people who lead. That doesn’t mean they’re in charge, it doesn’t mean they are the CEO, it merely means that for a group, even a small group, they show the way, they spread ideas, they make change. Those people are the only successful people we’ve got.
So much to do, so little life to do it in.
…that other gaming companies don’t.
Gaming isn’t primarily about graphics or speed or blu-ray. It’s about experience. (It doesn’t seem interesting at first…just hang in there.)
This is an indie band from Nashville. I saw their poster in a local coffeeshop and thought it was interesting, then found them on NoiseTrade, a site that has a bunch of artists following a hybrid Derek Webb / Radiohead (billionaires don’t get links) model where you can download music free for telling 3 friends or paying what you want.
Anyway, I downloaded their stuff to check it out after listening to a sample and I’m hooked. Their MySpace page describes their music as “Bohemian Bookworm Prog-pop.” I would describe them as a sub-pop love child of The Decemberists, The Tragically Hip, and either the melancholic side of Sonic Youth or Starflyer 59.
Which is a pretentious name-dropping way to say they totally kick ass. You can sample and download the songs with this widget too. And you should do it because, as I said, they totally kick ass.
(This widget is a different collection of songs than I downloaded but they still kick ass. Just download their music!)
I recently acquired the unabridged audio cd of Steve Martin’s autobiography thanks to a Father’s Day-related gift card (thanks Mom!). If you have talked art, culture, drama, or writing with me at all, you know that I consider Steve Martin one of the best contemporary playwrights, screenwriters, and novelists.
Ever since watching VHS rentals of his comedy act from the 1970s, I have always had a hard time explaining what I believe to be his genius, but listening to the autobiography helped my quantify it a little more. In the book he discusses the development and philosophy of his act, and how it influenced his body of work. The philosophy is mixed with anecdote, jokes that killed, jokes that bombed, and life story.
It isn’t a story for all time, but it is a great story of how hard work, talent, and serendipity forged the life and career of an amazing writer and performer. I suppose if you don’t like Steve Martin, you won’t like the book. But I found it interesting, insightful and funny. The audio cd is, thankfully, read by Martin so the nuance and meaning isn’t left to interpretation of a narrator. I have found myself laughing out loud less frequently these last few years, but Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life provided ample opportunity.
Anyway, I downloaded their stuff to check it out after listening to a sample and I’m hooked. Their 