Quality Service Marketing

My Father's Day Tribute

In honor of Father’s Day this Sunday, I wanted to share a little bit about my beloved father and what he taught me about marketing – without realizing it at the time.

My father was a tailor who operated a small alterations and dry cleaning business. When I was little, I loved visiting him at the store to watch him work on a treadle sewing machine that was surrounded by rainbows of thread neatly stacked on shelves. Sometimes I would accompany him while he picked up and delivered his customers' dry cleaning.(Home delivery of services was the norm when I grew up, including doctors making house calls.)

Reflecting on my childhood, I learned a lot from my father amid the colored spools of thread and smells of dry cleaning solvent. I especially loved how customers loved my father. My father was not only a craftsman when it came to sewing, he was a master of relationship marketing. Whenever customers came into the store, my father would warmly greet them, inquire about their family, and then get into the specifics of their clothing alteration needs. He took as much care with the customers as he did with their clothes. And they kept coming back, while referring new customers to him.

The term “relationship marketing” didn’t exist back in the 1950’s-70’s when my father ran his tailor shop. It was just an intuitive way of how he did business. I was blessed to be his daughter and learn from him.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Thanks for a wonderful legacy.

Tribute to Bob Wood

This weekend, I lost a hero. I share my sorrow with the Lehigh Valley PA community in the loss of a beloved friend and philanthropist: Bob Wood.

Bob was the former Chairman of Wood Dining Services, a large regional food service management company based in Allentown PA.  Prior to becoming part of Sodexho, Wood Dining Services employed more than 15,000 people serving more than 500 accounts in 28 states – with an impressive 99% client retention rate!

I had the privilege of working for The Wood Company many years ago as a training consultant and learned of the company’s people-first commitment. Bob was the epitome of an engaged and engaging leader who truly cared about his employees and customers. He maintained a corporate culture that was best described on the back of one of the birthday cards it sent to employees:

“The Wood Company’s recipe for success is developing and nurturing its people. We value and understand the difference they can make in pleasing our customers. We believe in celebrating our people’s success and important events in their lives.”

Making people feel valued

I interviewed Bob for my first book, Taking Care of the People Who Matter Most: A Guide to Employee Customer Care.  Bob & company were featured in a chapter on how internal marketing could be woven through “ordinary, everyday activities rather than extraordinary events.” Internal marketing wasn’t a distinctive approach practiced at The Wood Company - it was something Bob did intuitively.

Here is one of my favorite stories about Bob and the power of employee recognition. Bob spent a lot of time in the field visiting clients and staff. In his pocket he carried a handful of small gold plastic pins in the shape of pineapples, the international symbol for hospitality that was also part of the Wood Company's brand. Whenever he saw an employee doing something right, he gave that person a gold pineapple pin. Bob said he never ceased to be amazed at the employees' reaction when he gave out the pineapple pins. 

"I think these pins cost 47 cents ... but these people think you gave them a pile of gold. Everyone wants to be part of something ... everyone wants to feel that they are valued, that they made a difference. To the degree we can celebrate our people, that's our greatest tool."

In making people feel that they mattered, Bob, you made an incredible difference. I am honored to have known you and will continue to celebrate your memory in my book and workshops.

Do Your Customers Have a Rosie?

I’ve been fortunate in my 23 years as a consultant to work with truly wonderful people. Among them is Rosemary (Rosie) Makosky, who recently retired from Lehigh University’s Office of Distance Education (DE).

Lehigh was a pioneer in offering graduate degree programs by live satellite broadcast to corporate employees in the early 1990’s. I served as distance ed‘s marketing consultant back then, and we relied on relationship marketing for company/student recruitment and retention. Several times throughout the year we visited company sites to meet with current students and recruit new ones. These  visits also enabled us to acknowledge the efforts of corporate staff who helped coordinate the on-site details of Lehigh’s distance ed programs. As DE Director Peg Portz was fond of saying, “Our programs may be by distance, but not our relationships.”

Rosie was the student administrator who coordinated distance ed’s admissions, handled registration, answered student questions and concerns, etc. She was the behind-the-scenes “go to”person for students … but she wasn’t kept behind-the-scenes.  One of my favorite memories working with DE was accompanying Rosie on site visits, especially watching the reaction when she and the students met face-to-face for the first time. “So you’re Rosie!” they’d exclaim. “It’s great to finally meet you in person!” And then Rosie would engage in conversation asking about the student’s classes, family, and work situation. I loved witnessing such powerful connections – these students knew and appreciated how much Rosie cared about them.

I loved watching Rosie work her magic with students. Regardless of when they called, she never treated them as an interruption. She was always responsive, empathetic, and concerned in helping students get what they needed so they could succeed. She shared their triumphs and occasional setbacks. What I call being truly customer-focused is part of Rosie’s DNA. If only we had more Rosies in the workplace …

Thank you, Rosie, for all you shared and taught me when we worked together. Enjoy your retirement, dear friend!

Tribute to a Services Marketing Leader

This is a special post that pays public tribute to one of my mentors, Dr. Stephen W. Brown. Steve recently retired from Arizona State University as a well-respected marketing professor, researcher, and founder of the Center for Services Leadership in ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business.

Before I tell you how I met Steve, here’s a bit of background. Steve Brown is internationally known for his pioneering research and thought leadership in services marketing and management, service recovery, and building a service mindset in product-dominated companies. He is a founder of the Center for Services Leadership (CSL) which he helped grow to become one of the premier centers of research and education in services marketing and management. (I highly recommend CSL’s annual Compete Through Service Symposium and Services Leadership Institute. ) As a result of his research and leadership contributions to the field, Steve received numerous international and university-wide recognition, including honorary doctorates from Finland's HANKEN School of Economics and Sweden's Karlstad University.

Mentor, Advisor, and Sounding Board

I feel privileged to have learned so much from Steve even though I was never in one of his classrooms. I first met Steve in 1983 when he was President-Elect of the American Marketing Association. I was newly elected to the AMA Board of Directors and learned a lot from Steve’s leadership style. He laid out an inspiring vision for the marketing association based on the profession’s growth and its role in the emerging field of services marketing and customer satisfaction. Shortly before I took office as AMA Chair-Elect in 1996, I met with Steve to gain insight on leading the association.

My career path closely followed the growth of services marketing as a new field, and Steve was most generous in sharing his research and helping me learn about this new discipline. I also reached out to Steve for advice before I launched my business as a services marketing consultant (more than 20 years ago) and when I wrote my first book on internal marketing.

I am fortunate to have benefited from his guidance and friendship. And I am only one of many students and marketing professionals who have been helped by this man throughout his distinguished career. How lucky for us that in your new role as Emeritus Professor, you'll continue to be involved with the Center for Services Leadership.

Thank you, Dr. Stephen W. Brown, for giving so much of your time to teach, guide, and inspire. Best wishes in your well-deserved retirement!

Observing Boss's Day: Celebratory Lunch or Lawsuit?

Just in time for National Boss’s Day, October 16, 2010 – I know of an insurance company and law firm who are co-presenting a seminar entitled: “Suing the Boss – A Guide for Prevention.” This timely topic is based on an increase in employee-employer lawsuits spurred by the recession.

Despite all the “how-to-be-the-best-in-business” books, workshops, and executive coaches available, there are still many bad bosses. (Maybe that’s why we have all those books, workshops, and coaches?!)

Consider this conversation about a boss pushing back on the subject of employee engagement.

Boss: “It’s not my job to make my employees happy!”
Consultant: “It’s not your job to make them miserable either!”

My suggestion to the bad bosses out there: get your act together – if not because it’s the right thing to do, at least to minimize your liability.

And my suggestion to those employees fortunate to work for good bosses - let them know you appreciate them every day, not just Boss’s Day.

[Source of boss-consultant conversation adapted from Re-Engage by Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld.]

Year End Reflection & Tribute

Earlier this month, my husband & I enjoyed a brief pre-holiday respite at Mohonk Mountain House. My husband took these incredible photos there during the first-in-a-series of ice storms that hit the northeast.

These breathtakingly beautiful images evoke serene beauty and wonder, and I feel a similar sense of wonderment – as well as pain – as I reflect on this past year.

2008 has been a most difficult one for me personally as I managed to get through the first year without having my beloved mother in my life. She passed away one year ago today, and my life will never be the same.

So I look forward to the New Year knowing that I survived the emotional pain of this past year and hope the heartbreaking memories of her deteriorating health will begin to fade and be replaced by better memories. I’m not as emotionally raw as I was earlier this year, but the emptiness still remains and I miss her more than ever. A dear friend of mine told me what she learned about coping with such loss: “You never get over it, but somehow you get through it.”

I’m getting better in accepting the many triggers that evoke sadness (and, increasingly, smiles) as I appreciate the wonder of having had her in my life for a little over 50 years. In the new year and those to come, I want to focus more on happier memories and the profound impact she had on me … an impact that continues as she lives in my heart.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year.
_{[Photos by Michael Stershic]}

A Special Anniversary Calls for Thanksgiving & A Special Offer

This year I’m celebrating my company’s 20th anniversary. It was 20 years ago this month that I officially registered Quality Service Marketing as a business and, thanks to my many clients and colleagues, it’s been an incredible experience.

Perhaps this longevity is the reason I’m not panicking over the current economy, even though my business has been affected this year. I’ve made it through difficult economic times before.

Reflecting over the past 20 years, what has changed the most? Two things stand out:

1. Technology and its impact on the workplace – in extending my communications reach (e.g., blogging) … in providing faster, more expedient ways to communicate with clients and colleagues … and in providing instant access to an overwhelming amount of information. I can remember working off a large, non-portable desktop computer with a bulky monitor and dot matrix printer. Technology has made a major impact on how we all work these days, not to mention how much!
2. I’ve also changed – I’m older, wiser (not to mention a little wider), and more confident in my abilities and value as a trusted business advisor. In addition, I’m delighted to have added “published author” to my credentials.*

What hasn’t changed since I’ve been in business?

1. The need to take care of employees and customers. Given a global economy with more competition and more choice, it’s harder than ever to attract and retain customers and effectively engage employees in the process. A “high tech-high touch” approach is still relevant.
2. My respect for and relationships with my clients, past and present. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship where we learn from each other. I feel privileged to have worked with so many wonderful people, many of whom I’m still in touch with regardless of whether we worked together for many years or on a once-and-done project basis.

What I’m thankful for

In honor of my business milestone and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for many things:

• My clients – for the opportunity to serve them + grow both professionally and personally in the process. 
• My colleagues – for their peer mentoring, advice, and sharing of ideas. 
• My blog readers and fellow blogging buddies – for their continued interest in internal marketing & communications and inspiring new posts. 
• And my family – for their continued love and support.

Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

*In honor of this 20th anniversary, and in time for the holiday season, I’m happy to offer a special 20% discount off the purchase of my book, Taking Care of the People Who Matter Most: A Guide to Employee-Customer Care, from now through Dec. 31, 2008, when you order online from WME Books. Be sure to enter special discount code QSM109 in the coupon code box.

Bad Bosses - Good Teachers

This isn’t an April Fool’s joke – bad bosses have a lot to teach us (especially by example). And you don’t have to go very far to learn from them.

Bad bosses are a hot topic these days. Witness the best selling book, The No Asshole Rule, Zane Safrit’s “Worst bosses of the Year … so many choices” and Management-Issues’s “The Search for World’s Worst Boss.”

I’ve had my share of bad bosses. Fortunately, none would have been contenders for the World’s Worst list. In retrospect, I learned some valuable lessons from them – mostly about how not to treat employees.

Here are my top three lessons learned:

1. Do not treat employees as minions whose sole function is to bolster your ego.
2. Do not give employees assignments without all the proper information they need (either because you’re into power trips or because you really don’t know what you want, but you’ll figure it out as soon as they finish the assignment – at which point you’ll change your mind and direct them to do it differently.
3. Do not assume your employees have no life outside the office and are available to help you 24/7. (I had one boss in particular whose mantra could have been: lack of planning on my part will constitute a constant emergency on your part.)

If you’ve worked for a bad boss, please share what you learned as a result.