I just read an article in the May 2009 issue of Inc., authored by Joel Spolsky, that is a testimonial, case in point example of how remarkably important a customer experience strategy is to businesses.  Mr. Spolsky talks about the demise of Circuit City. Clearly he suggests that the reason Circuit City collapsed wasn’t the economic turmoil of recent, rather because they treated customers poorly. He suggests that Circuit City has never had a real grasp on the electronic gadget market like their competitor Best Buy. They never had the selection, at the right price, in the right quality, at the right time. Bottom line, their customer experience was not seamless, rather filled with pitfalls that caused dissonance to customers earning them a miserable, bottom feeder, I would argue, business reputation. And the rest is history!

 

What really caught my attention in this article is his discussion of and obvious passion for, this small business in Manhattan called B&H. The author just doesn’t mention B&H, he is an emphatic advocate for the business; he’s a brand zealot! His reason for loving the business? Their knowledgeable, honest and empathetic staff, their unique product purchase process (say that 10 times fast!), and fair prices; all part of the B&H unique buying proposition or their authentic customer experience.

You really have to read the article to “feel” the passion that Mr. Spolsky holds for B&H. He cites not one reason for loving B&H, but four! My question to you….if you’re a business owner or for that matter if you interact at all with customers…..is “are your customers saying similar things about your business?”

In a hyper-competitive business environment, what truly makes your business unique and distinguishable from all the others is YOU! So often forgotten, yet so remarkably meaningful. Nobody else has a similar cultural make up, business organization, and strategy as you. What remains to be seen is how you have evolved with market changes and forces that influence every aspect of your business.

Customer centricity is more than meerly a sexy term; it demands significant relevance to and respect from your company for you to sustainably provide goods and services into perpetuity. Designing and delivering unique and distinctive customer experiences is a next-frontier growth strategy, replacing mere product selling. Are you ready? Let’s talk! Email me at matt@mattselker.org

Have a SPECTACULAR day!

Excerpted from Joel Spolsky’s “It Isn’t the Economy, Stupid” May 2009 issue of INC. Magazine

Don’t forget to check out the ACES program in Columbus, OH in July 2009. Visit www.mattselker.org for more exciting info!

Employees within an organization must adapt to changes imposed by leadership strategy.  Employee resistance to change is arguably the most significant obstacle change.  More frequently this resistance is a result of a dysfunctional attitude.  Rarely is change seamless, without some form of challenge.

In the article entitled, “Can Positive Employees Help Positive Organizational Change?  Impact of Psychological Capital and Emotions on Relevant Attitudes and Behaviors” the authors, through this study that surveyed 132 employees from a broad cross section of organizations and jobs, look at success factors necessary to achieve change.  They look at positive and negative emotional attractors, the Broaden and Build Theory and explore how positive emotions help employees cope with organizational change.

Positive organizational change is any change that does more good than harm in and for an organization, considering aspects of employees psychological resources, behavior and performance that may be affected by the change.  One of the most important aspects of positive organizational change is how the employees respond in terms of their attitudes and behaviors.  Freidrickson’s “Broaden and Build Theory” examines the role that positive emotions play in generating broader ways of thinking and behaving.   Negative emotional attractors retard our process of thinking by releasing cortisol in the brain, causing us to essentially experience the “flight or fight” syndrome (Howard, 2006).  Negative emotions attractors clearly cause us to shut down, limiting our scope of resources and thinking.

The authors discuss the concept of Psychological Capital, based on the emerging field of positive organizational development, defined as the study and application of positively oriented human resource strengths and psychological capacity that can be measured, developed and effectively managed for performance improvement (Luthans, 2002a; Luthans, Youssef, et al., 2007).  It takes into consideration an employee’s sense of hope, efficacy, optimism and resilience. I offer mindfulness as a vital element effecting positive change.  Mindfulness in such that an employee must be mindful of the environmental dynamics surrounding the change in addition to the emotions of self and other individuals.  Without mindfulness, the cohesive glue of this process, results may lack.

To see the full research article entitles, “Can Positive Employees Help Positive Organizational Change?” please go to www.mattselker.org and click on the link page. 

Enjoy your day!

 

Would you say more positive things if you know it would make your teams more effective and  your results sustainable?

 

Research shows that it takes approximately 6:1 ratio of positive or strength based statements to one negative statement to make a team high performing.  This research was conducted by Marcial Losada.  In his model, positivity and negativity operate as powerful feedback systems: negativity dampens deviations from some standard, whereas positivity acts as amplifying or reinforcing feedback that expands behavior.

 

Losada’s New Research on High Performing Business Teams:

HIGH PERFORMING ORGANIZATIONS

+ 6:1 ratio of positive– (strength-based and opportunity) focused dialogue to negative (deficiency focus) dialogue.

+2:1 ratio of inquiry (learning focused questions) versus advocacy (closed positions) type conversation.

 

LOW PERFOMING ORGANIZATIONS

1:3 ratio: one positive statement in the team for every three deficiency focused statements.

1:20 ratio: one inquiry (open-learning type questions) for every twenty remarks based on advocacy.

 

To view the study  that supports these statements, in its entirety, go to my webpage, www.mattselker.org, click on the “links” page.

 

Have a FANTASTIC day!   

I want to share with you more revelations from the Kellogg Marketing Conference but first had to share thoughts from an article I read from the February 2007 issue of the Harvard Business Review.  There is an EXCEPTIONAL article written by Christopher Meyer and Andre Schwager entitled, “Understanding Customer Experience”.  This is an article you just cannot put down if you are interested in brand equity, organizational development and consumer behavior.  This is an article you cannot put down if your job is to bring that customer back for the repeat purchase time and time again.

 

The article begins showing us how we tend to manipulate the customer to serve OUR purpose, our intent.  How we mine our customers for personal information, how we bait them with rebates then sell them a totally different purchase or give them additional offers that require additional personal information.

 

You see, customer experience encompasses every aspect of a company’s offering.  Few people responsible for those experiences have given sustained, generative thought to how their separate decisions shape customer experience.   Few organizations have given thought to how their culture influences their customer experiences and how sustainable are both.

 

Consumers have a tremendous number of choices in buying products today and more channel choices to pursue; choices most often repeat if the experience is good.  Customer experience does not directly correlate to customer satisfaction.  Customer satisfaction is “essentially the culmination of a series of customer experiences or the net result of the good ones minus the bad ones”.

 

To view the Harvard Business Review article “Understanding Customer Experience” by Christopher Meyer and Andre Schwager, please go to www.mattselker.org and click on the link section. 

 

I’m titling 2009 the “Year of Transformation”.  Obviously transformation is subjective and varies from individual to individual, however, if your organization intends to compete locally and/or globally, transformation for you must include becoming a truly customer-centric company.

 

The enduring theme of this site will be improving organizational efficiency and effectiveness through performance optimization.   Performance optimization within an organization includes employee, leadership, strategy and experience related improvements; the first area of improvement we will address is customer experience. 

What makes Dell the undisputed leader in PCs?  Why is Southwest successful while other airlines scramble to make earnings?  How can Best Buy hold on while other consumer electronic companies seek financial cover?  What is the secret ingredient that allows Starbucks to own such phenomenal market share and brand loyalty?  What is it that distinguishes companies like these from others struggling to maintain or regain their footing during our current economic slump?

While there is a litany of factors, one undeniable reality is that successful companies forge durable bonds with their customers.  These bonds are reinforced by a cultural commitment that is both authentic and sustainable, not only meeting customer needs but aligning a customer-centric ideology with their overall business and brand strategy.

 

Customers can count on the consistent level of care that fortifies the company-customer bond thus yielding undeniable trust.  In an era where product features are quickly duplicated, prices matched and competitive advantages replicated or overcome, a branded customer experience that is both AUTHENTIC and SUSTAINABLE is VITAL and indubitably REQUIRED to differentiate an organization.

 

Via this venue, I intend to blog regularly on the benefits of a customer-centric culture and an Authentic Customer Experience that’s Sustainable.  Topics that we will discuss will include, but are not limited to:

1. Employee enablement
2. Appreciative Inquiry and customer experience
3. Emotional Intelligence within your company
4. The need for urgency

I intend to suggest why your customer experience must be the axis from which all else in your company evolves.  Stay tuned for my next blog which will take a better look at the fundamentals of an Authentic Customer Experience that’s Sustainable.

 

I can be reached at matt@mattselker.org.  Enjoy your day!

 

Matt