It’s All About the Little Things

I’ve been thinking about writing this post for awhile, and after yet another fantastic service move by my apartment staff a few days ago, I just couldn’t resist. You rarely hear about good customer service or an engaging staff at an apartment complex – but I’ve gotta hand it to the crew at the St Paul apartment I live in.  I’d like to share a few experiences that demonstrate the great service and engaging staff - and most importantly, why it matters.

Happy Hours

Every month the apartment staff hosts a community happy hour with free catered food, drinks, prizes and live music.  I’ve met a few other residents at these happy hours, but more importantly, I can meet and mingle with the community managers, leasing consultant and even the maintenance guys.  Happy hour may not seem like anything special – but they've enabled many of the great service experiences I’ve had.  The staff’s proactive approach to meeting and getting to know residents is no mistake, and as you’ll see, a very smart move.

Kiss Cam

A few months ago I was at a Minnesota Twins baseball game with my girlfriend and we made it on the Kiss Cam.  Despite the fact that she doesn’t like the spotlight, the online video of the moment remains on her family's "recently viewed" list.

  

The next day, I came home to a package inside my door.  I opened it to find a bag of Hershey’s Kisses and a hand-written note from the staff who happened to be at the same game!  Because they’d met me at the happy hours, they were able to identify me by face and deliver the sweets and note to my door. 

Mayday – Mayday

My roommate enjoys flying remote control airplanes and helicopters (I’m actually a decent pilot myself!) and often flies them in the courtyard at the center of our apartment complex.  A few weeks ago, an occasional and inevitable crash left the helicopter on top of the roof.  We contacted the office and told them where it was and they said they’d look for it.  A few days later we got a letter saying they're sorry but didn’t find it.  We considered the chopper a goner. 

But sure enough, last week we came home to a package inside our door with the helicopter inside!  Accompanying the helicopter was another hand written note.  Not only did they find the helicopter but they took the time to write a thoughtful letter to go with it. 

So Why Does This Matter?

Some of what the staff does is nothing more than standard community management – many apartments can and do provide great service.  What’s interesting to me, however, is how endearing these little extras are.  They didn’t have to look for the helicopter, or return it with a funny note.  They didn’t have to write a letter and buy me sweets when they saw me on the kiss cam.  They don’t have to host happy hours and try to get to know their residents - or leave candy behind whenever they complete maintenance work.  Point is – these seemingly small things add up fast and do matter. 

The application to your business and professional life should be obvious.  How can you do a little extra for your customers, employees or professional contacts?  You could send a customer a handwritten note, buy someone a gift just because, or surprise a co-worker with public kudos.

I can find hundreds of apartments (or businesses) that offer similar styles, amenities and prices – but it’s the little things that keep me calling 808 Berry home.

Will Personal Values Become Increasingly Important to Marketing?

The popular chicken restaurant, Chick-fil-A, has been a regular topic of conversation after their President made public statements regarding his stance on gay marriage.  He has alienated a huge number of Chick-fil-A customers, while bringing others who support his views closer to the brand.  This has brought up some interesting discussions within the business community. I've particularly enjoyed reading some of the articles regarding the effect of such statements on positioning and marketing - and what may be in store for the future.

One article I'd like to point out was actually written by one of my former University of St. Thomas professors, Glenn Karwoski.  Glenn is the founder and managing director of The Business of Ideas, and taught a class on creativity and innovation at St. Thomas - which I enjoyed.  He recently wrote an article in which he points out the potential, and increasingly significant, impact of political beliefs, values and biases on marketing.  This is certainly an interesting point and could pose some significant challenges for brands.

Read it here:  New Innovative Restaurant Strategies
(Twin Cities Business, Glenn Karwoski, 2012)

Find Marketing Role Models

Recently one of my favorite bloggers, David Aaker, wrote an interesting post titled "Marketing Advice that (Almost) Always Works - Solving the NFL Attendance Problem."  His primary point is that when trying to solve a marketing problem, or a business problem for that matter, it's important to look at companies who have faced similar problems and adapt what they did to your own business.  Find Marketing role models.

Furthermore, it's important that you don't look only at businesses like yours.  A business that sells a completely different product to a completely different customer may have a great solution to a shared problem.  You can identify their solution and adapt it to your context.

All of this may seem obvious, but his example is interesting and worth thinking about.  The NASCAR experience draws hundreds of thousands of hardcore fans each year - even though it's easier, cheaper, and likely a better view of the race on TV.  NASCAR enhances the experience in ways that add value to attendees that cannot possibly be achieved on TV.  For example, attendees can listen in on the driver/pit-crew conversations.  NASCAR has solved the attendance problem by making the in-person experience uniquely valuable and compelling. The NFL should take a lesson from NASCAR to solve it's declining attendance problem.  That is, the NFL needs to adapt the in-stadium experience so that the benefits of attending are strong enough to compel fans to get off the couch and to come to a game.

The important questions: What problem is your business facing? Who else has that problem (remember to look outside your industry)? How have they solved it? How can you adapt their solution to your business?

Seems like an obvious problem-solving technique - but a very important one - find a Marketing role model.

My Daily Reading List

I thought I'd share a few of my daily information sources. (in no particular order).

• Wall Street Journal - Usually I'll browse through the most popular stories, then the business, media & marketing, personal finance and technology sections.

• Seth Godin's Blog - For many of you I probably don't need to elaborate on this one.  A true marketing and business guru (I don't throw that term around lightly), Seth Godin writes at least one new post every day. They're short, well-argued and intelligent.  

• "Cheat Sheet," The Daily Beast (I prefer the iPhone app) - My friend Jonathan Petrino turned me on to this one.  I was familiar with The Daily Beast but not their "Cheat Sheet." It's seriously the most simple, time-saving resource I know of.  The tagline is "Must Reads From All Over."  It's just that - an aggregation of top news stories from tons of different sources.  The Beast writes an original one-paragraph summary of each story and then provides a link to the full article if you care to dig deeper.  Spend 10 minutes a day reading through these and it's unlikely you'll miss an important current event or story.  

• Harvard Business Review Blog Network - This probably needs no explanation but they produce a lot of content and I make a point to read at least one article a day.  You can always find some fresh thinking from some smart business people.

• Springwise - One of my favorite websites, Springwise.com's tagline is "your daily fix of entrepreneurial ideas."  I love reading about new businesses so I frequent this site. It's great for inspiration and sparking some creativity.

Of course, there are many more blogs and resources I look through regularly, including Mashable, Entrepreneur Mag, Forbes, Inc., NYT, local newspapers, MintLife Blog, etc. - But the ones I described above are my favorites - and for good reason.

What are you favorite sources for information?  Let me know, I'm always looking for new places to find interesting stuff to read!

Stories Sell

Stories are incredibly powerful.  They're easier to remember than facts or general statements and illicit an emotion response that listing product features or statistics never could.   To quote author, Kendall Haven, “Human minds rely on stories and story architecture as the primary road map for understanding, making sense of, remembering and planning our lives—as well as the countless experiences and narratives we encounter along the way.”

Using stories as marketing tools is not a new idea, but now it’s also easier than ever to gain visibility for stories.  Social media and the digital era in general have made it easier, cheaper, and faster to spread your story to the right people—people who care, who will share them, and who will buy from you.

Blake MyCoskie at a TOMS shoe drop

My favorite example of exceptional brand storytelling is TOMS shoes.  If you’re not familiar, TOMS is a "buy one give one" shoe company that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold.  In many developing countries, being shoeless means you can’t attend school and are more susceptible to disease and infection.

 I had the pleasure of hearing Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS, tell his story in person.  It was entertaining, inspiring, and captivated the audience.  I regularly find myself telling the TOMS story to friends, family, and colleagues.  Although I don’t even own a pair, my sharing of the TOMS story has likely led to several shoe purchases, and at the very least, created many more storytellers.  TOMS has created more than a product - it's created something to believe in and meaning beyond the product itself.

In fact, I was speaking with a friend the other day who bought a pair of TOMS sunglasses.  She had second thoughts about the style and how they looked on her, but when she revisited the fact that her purchase contributed to eye exams and glasses for those in need, she couldn't even consider returning them.  Her purchase was about more than a product, it was about contributing to something meaningful.

I realize that it’s rare for a brand to have a story as compelling as TOMS.  But there is almost always something unique or interesting about a brand that consumers can grab on to and believe in.  Think about how your company came to be - its founders struggle to get it off the ground, the philosophy of the company, or its social and environmental impact.  Avoid trite mission statements and focus on being human and transparent.  The key is to be genuine and give consumers a reason to believe in your company.  This can lead to advocates and loyalty, incredible awareness, and of course, sales.  Make it more than a product by telling a story.

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Blake Mycoskie’s book, “Start Something that Matters,” has a chapter on the power of storytelling, which provided much of the inspiration for this post.  Another great book that discusses this topic in detail is, “A Whole New Mind,” by Daniel Pink.  They're both well worth your time.

And by the way, for every purchase of ,“Start Something That Matters,” a new book is donated to a child in need!