comments

Ken. No you missed my point. I didn't say anything about social media. I said social interaction. Human being to human being. It's what separates the reality from the virtuality.

And while I agree they do apply to any business the opposite is not true. Another lost realism.

Great article Ken. I would add that we shouldn't forget that heightened social interaction is part of the experience.

Adam is exactly right. And this story leaves out too many variables either purposefully or due to a lack of consideration. Competing with a commodity product and service means slavery to constant pricing fluctuations based on competitors instead of where you should be focused - adding unique value for your customer not easily copied by your competition.

Let's hope one of your competitors doesn't understand this more than you.

It's good to know that some people still have the testicular fortitude to speak the truth.

Another good post Ken.

It's not semantics. Not if you're in the "experience" business! It's the same difference between selling value vs. selling a commodity.

Bingo! Assuming it's common sense gets you into trouble on multiple levels - as you point out.

I'm glad we don't use either "customer" or "customer service" in my biz anyway. It's "guest" and "hospitality". Think about the difference.

@ Kat I totally disagree that the Hotel was not at fault. It's their responsibility for leading a culture of great service and that means follow-up and ongoing Coaching.

Smith Hotels does a great job of this if you want a case study or recommendation - even going as far as texting guests to make sure they arrive home ok after leaving their hotels!

No, customer service is NOT common sense. If it was, it would be more common.

They couldn't do it without charging for it. The labor costs alone would be killer. Gas stations make money like theaters, off their "concessions". The margins for C-stores is extremely slim. The other not-so-well-known fact is that the oil companies do not own their gas stations.

It is a great story and even more appropriate now, during a time when the levels of apprehension are heightened by economic circumstances.

But I still think the lesson is lost on the 116 people who have read this article to date and have only scored it a '7'. Simply being 'nice' used to be a default position for most. It was the core of their DNA. But sadly, I don't think so anymore. For most, it takes work for them to elicit 'niceness' and even then it's like pulling teeth.

This story isn't about 'customer service, that's just the technical aspects of conducting the transaction, this was about genuine engagement with another human being on a level I haven't seen in quite some time. I really wish you would tell me which unit this was and a description of the manager and I would call Wendy's to talk to them about his behavior. This is the kind of thing that needs to be talked about and shouted from the rooftops.

Knuckleheads don't get lucky. They create a product or service in the right market, at the right time and that combination brings them luck. You don't need luck to listen to your market and take a proactive stance. It just takes listening. This is not a skill most people have.

Personal stories are always the most profound and this one is no different. I'm just thankful you had the courage to pursue your passions and desire for real success. I think you have found it in abundance. I also think I am a better person for knowing you Ken as I'm sure many others are whose lives you touch in your endeavor to share what you have been fortunate enough to create.

Powerful.

Exactly! An experience that doesn't drive you emotionally to connect deeper, appreciate better or inspire you to true loyalty isn't the best experience you can build or the one you want to engage in.

Always great stuff from you Ken, this one is no exception!!

As for your last thought on luxury brands, in fine dining, we work with our clients to add value to the relationship through better experiences. That could mean anything from valet parking to closing the restaurant for a few hours to celebrate a loyal guest's 50th wedding anniversary.

On a formal note, I hope the jealous amateurs on this site don't start giving you '2's' and '3's' just to bring the score down like they do with all great articles that start to gain traction with readers.

Great article Ken.

I've been saying and writing for the past year that we're not in a recession as much as we are in a "recalibration" of how we manage our businesses and our lives.

The total amount of human knowledge is doubling every 2.5 years (and that span is contracting) so imagine what the real level of change is like. Change happens with us or without us - there is no stopping it. That is the only constant in life. If you want a more abundant life, then you need to embrace change or you will be embraced by irrelevance. It is that simple.

This level of change is what causes us, when working with clients, to not engage in problem solving, but to engage in innovating their business into new and better ways of taking charge of their own success.

It's the only way you can thrive in the future.

Not only does it make sense, it makes lots of dollars too. I call it "marketing gravity".

Every freelancer should read this, print this out and read it every day.

Having a good idea is one thing, understanding the intellectual framework that created it and will create the processes, strategies and tactics that will make it a successful idea, as well as replicatable, is another. The Apple story is good stuff - lots of lessons to take away from this product release. In fact, I have incorporated the iPhone release into several talking points with potential clients when the subject of brand extension or product release strategies are talked about. However, the problem I have with the article is that the intellectual underpinnings of the theories talked about have no basis in marketing reality.

What is being passed off as honest intellectual analysis is in fact nothing much more than a mashup of the pop marketing analysis culled from a list of the last 12 New York Times non-fiction best sellers.

Robin Block is absolutely correct in her points on market demand and differentiation and I for one whish she had continued on to probably have included a discussion on market variables and commodifying brand promotions or the fact that the release strategy for the iPhone was guided as much by considerations for grey market concerns globally as it was about being able to take advantage of the premium pricing strategy for as long as the market allowed, given the fact that Apple was commanding nearly 15% of AT&T’s operator revenue from each iPhone user.

The internet has allowed people to voice ideas and challenge beliefs in all walks of life and in our case specifically, modern business practices. The thing to remember is that you still have to use your own intellect to question and think about what is really supporting the very ideas we so often feel are “right on” when they simply sound good to the ear. The phrase “caveat emptor” still applies even to intellectual property.