Blog
Delivering Signature Service
Eddie Taylor was the lead nerd in my high school in the 60's. He carried way too many ink pens, spoke ham radio, and never got more than three feet from his slide rule (just Google it!). Rather than wearing faded jeans like the rest of us, he wore black dress pants...
Is Your Mentoring Daring?
The essence of mentoring is to help another person abandon his or her comfortable skill, knowledge or attitude to which that person currently clings in order to embrace new but uncomfortable competences. That means the job of the mentor is to encourage the target of...
Every Employee an Entrepreneur
Publix gets accolades for being at the top of the heap for great customer service among grocery stores. Consumers Reports puts it #3 behind Wegmans and Trader Joe’s, neither of which are in my area. Publix is clean, convenient, and does not cost you an arm and a...
Innovative Hosting
My business partner, John Patterson and I were en route to a meeting and stopped for lunch on the run. We are major fans of McDonald’s French fries—the absolute best on the planet. We also enjoy the salads at Chick-fil-A. Luckily the two fast-food restaurants were...
The Tactile Side of Innovative Service
During the 1960’s, except for the Sears Roebuck catalog, store shopping was about the only means for acquiring merchandise. Well, there was the ice cream truck and Farmer Brown who sold their products through the neighborhood. But, they only came through on...
Value-Unique Trumps Value-Added
Value-added literally means taking what the customer expects and adding more. As new value is added, up also go the customer expectations setting up a path to a dead-end street. At some point, the additions exceed what is cost-effective. The solution: innovative...
Give Your Customers a Back Door
I watched three deer come into my backyard this week. I live on the banks of a large lake. An inch of snow had made foraging for food more challenging for the deer so they ventured beyond the woods nearby. They seemed cautious and quickly left without any attempt...
Lessons in Protégé Power: Growing Up Means Stepping Out
Welcome to the fourth and final post in the Protégé Power series. If you missed the first three, you’ll want to catch up by reading one, two and three. If you’re caught up, let’s continue! When we left off from our last post... Dale takes your affirmation in stride...
Is Your Customer Experience Like Grape Jelly?
Now, don’t get me wrong. I like grape jelly. And, you always get it with your toast or biscuit when you order breakfast at a restaurant…from the five-star gourmet type to the “what’s a star” truck stop. Can you remember the last time you had grape jelly at a...
Lessons in Protégé Power: Accepting Gifts Without Guilt
Welcome to the third post in the Protégé Power series. If you missed the first two, you’ll want to catch up by reading this and this. If you’re caught up, let’s continue! When we left off from our last post, Sage was saying to you, the protégé. . . SAGE: “Let Dale...
Stardust, Shamrocks and Innovative Service
Saint Patrick’s Day is a day we honor everything Irish, including the country. There is an old Irish song that contains inspiring lyrics for innovative service. It is the romantic story of how Ireland got its name. “A Little Bit of Heaven” was written by Keirn Brennan...
Lessons in Protégé Power: Get Your Feet Wet Without Drowning
Welcome to the second post in the Protégé Power series. If you missed last week, you'll want to catch up by reading this. If you're caught up, let's get to it! When we left off from our last post, Sage was saying to you, the protégé. . . SAGE: “Remember the other...
The Jewel of Spirit
Joule is a measure of energy. The Joule is a place of happy energy. The luxurious ultra-modern boutique hotel in downtown Dallas has made happy energy (the Chinese call it “chi”) its main attraction physically, emotionally and spiritually. There are many reasons the...
Lessons In Protégé Power: Calming Your Anxious Heart
Being a protégé can make you feel anxious. You are essentially admitting you do not know stuff you need someone to help teach you. And, if that relationship with a mentor is a new one, it can double the apprehension. Being vulnerable in front of a stranger is not...
The Customer as a Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are unique birds. One came in my yard the other day and went straight for a large purple iris. I watched it hover, advance, back up and quickly move to another flower. It seemed in a hurry...maybe fickle. It was very picky in the flowers it chose to shop...