CEO’s Message

Are you aware that you’re only as good as your worst employee? That’s right. Every time one of your employees is in contact with a client or potential customer, your image is either enhanced or diminished. That concept surely helps you understand the need to create and cultivate a customer-care attitude with everyone in your company who touches a customer or potential customer.

“What gets rewarded gets repeated.” Ever hear that axiom? If you have kids, you know how that works. It’s the same at the office. An employee who gets rewarded for positive behavior will repeat that behavior over and over.

That’s why it’s important to reward the employees who are focused on customer care and enlighten those who haven’t quite gotten the message yet. To exhibit the right behavior, employees need to know the right behavior. As owner or manager, you
must define what customer care means in your business.

Here’s an example I found in the book titled, Tales of Knock Your Socks Off Service, by Ron Zemke (AMA- COM, 1998, p. 22). This is a story of an employee who understood the importance of treating customers in the special way that each customer deserves—and how to gain a customer for life:

A spouse’s worst nightmare: stranded on Valentine’s Day. Such was the case with Mr. Grasso of Ramsey, NJ. Stuck in an airport hundreds of miles from home, with no chance of getting a flight back until the next day, the 15th, Mr. Grasso knew a simple “I’m sorry, Honey” wouldn’t make up for the lost romantic evening he and his wife had planned. He needed more.

He started by calling Domino’s Customer Care Center to find the Domino’s store nearest his home. They pointed him toward a store in his hometown of Ramsey, NJ, which he called to explain that he was stranded, and could they deliver a pizza to his wife and charge it to his credit card? Store manager Dan Trumbauer took Mr. Grasso’s order and asked if there was anything else he could do. Grasso jokingly said, “Maybe flowers on the box!” Inspired by the off-handed remark, Trumbauer did just that – he went to a nearby flower shop and bought a bouquet. Then he personally delivered the pizza and bouquet of flowers.

Mr. Grasso was so impressed when he learned of Trumbauer’s thoughtful gesture that he called the Customer Care Center back and told them he wanted to tell the world about this wonderful piece of above and beyond service.

Isn’t that the kind of creative problem-solving, customer-care service that we want out of every one of our employees? That’s the kind of service that becomes legend. That employee is a hero.

Find the heroes within your organization and reward them for their efforts. Every employee should be focusing on heroic customer care. That is how to differentiate your company from the rest of the pack. Let your heroes make your customer service legendary.

Richard Greene
PDCA CEO

Tips on Free Marketing with B@B Networking

Growing business is on everyone’s mind. It is the number one issue of every PDCA member with whom I have spoken over the last 10 months. Creativity is key to suc- cessfully finding new projects in these dire days. Be assured, there is work out there.

Jeff Bezos, the Founder and President of Amazon.com, recently said, “One of the only ways to get out of a tight spot is to invent your way out.” If there was ever a time to re-invent how you are marketing, how you are meeting new customers, or how you are capturing repeat business, it is right now!

There is a very low-cost (maybe no-cost) method of sales and advertising that can result in new business. It’s not even new. You’ve heard of it before. You may even be using it now. But if you are not NETWORKING in your local business community (outside of your PDCA contacts), then you are missing a great opportunity to expand

your visibility, grow your brand, and get some business.

Let me share with you how to network with a local business organization found in your own community. Your local Chamber of Commerce is a great resource full of business owners like you, who are ready and willing to do business with each other.

The Chamber is made up of small and large business owners and managers of companies in your neighborhood. Each of these individuals works at a physical plant of some sort, and each is a personal consumer as well. All of these people know other building owners/managers and other consumers. Each wants to protect their investment, add value to their properties, and enjoy the beauty of professionally applied wall coatings.

With that, here are some concepts and ideas about how to get involved and get your name in front of the myriad of consumers at your local Chamber.

1. Set a goal to hand out 1000 business cards over the next year. (Get the cards printed at a Chamber member; trade coatings for cards.)

2. Attend some Chamber “prospecting meetings.” You can probably attend a few prior to joining the Chamber.

3. Introduce yourself, then pass out your business cards to everyone at the meeting.

4. Ask for their business: Have you considered painting in your home? Do you have some painting needs at your business? Do you know of anyone with painting needs?

5. Repeat at the next meeting.

The point of this message is to encourage you to do something different. We are all having a tough time in this economy right now. Don’t let current market conditions defeat you. There is work out there. Times have changed. Work is not going to come to you anymore. You must go find it.

There was a presentation recently at a PDCA event, at which one of the national suppliers related the statistic that at any one time, 10% of the population is contemplating wall covering. That translates into 30 million possible paint jobs just waiting for professional contractors. You may have to do some research to find them. It will be worth every minute of your time if you’re willing to get out of your comfort zone.

Remember: Be creative with your prospecting, be creative with your products and services, and be creative with your time. There is work out there. You just may have to turn over every rock to find it.

Richard Greene PDCA CEO