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Do you want to feel that burst of adrenaline, that sense of purpose, drive, and passion? Then do something different and be open to the possibilities!
It doesn't mean you have to leave your current position. You don't need to do anything drastic that will jeopardize what you've worked for and built in your life. Sometimes it's the subtle changes implemented over time that make a huge impact. I've taken both approaches at different times in my career and created major transformations with each. But whether you go slow and steady or swift and spontaneous, you do need to leave doubt behind and embrace the idea of change - in your beliefs, in your approach, and in your service to your clients.
To me, this is not just a better way to live, which it is. It's a competitive advantage for the employee engaged in customer-facing activities who embraces it and does things differently with the clients you serve and the team you manage. I also believe the time for us in the service industry is now. Professional Intimacy is real, personal, and long lasting. Do we want to create a vibrant personal connection with the clients you serve for generations? Why then do we allow other industry professionals less important to the day-to-day significance of our clients seemingly command more personal intimacy and loyalty than we do?
As a test, I encourage you to name some examples of retail businesses that you are a customer of that you believe understand intimacy and deliver on experience for you. Think of a company or organization that you feel strongly about and for whom you have a sense of loyalty. What comes to mind? How long did it take before you were out of names? My guess is you came up with about six or seven.
In my asking that question to thousands of professionals over the last 10 years, I find it amusing that just six names or so come up very regularly and not one of them is a big bank, brokerage house, insurance agency, law firm, or accounting firm.
Here's what usually comes up:
Over the last several years, I've compared the results of Business Week's Annual Customer Service Champs and found they were basically the same names I would hear from audiences of seasoned professionals. The other interesting thing is there does not seem to be a lot of businesses that really get this service loyalty model anymore. The list is narrow and not so deep.
You might be saying only large companies with huge budgets and ad campaigns can pull this off. I'm not sure that really matters. What makes this appealing and your business effective, in part, is the fact that you have the ability to be independent, build your own brand, and construct a client base that buys from YOU. You are your brand. That's liberating and powerful.
Let's consider Starbucks for a minute. They get this concept of intimacy. They're big, but their raving fans feel like the barista cares deeply about them. Howard Schultz, CEO at Starbucks, has said publicly the following, "Starbucks sells connection; connection to self, to colleague, and to community." Did you catch that? Starbucks sells connection, which to me is intimacy. I thought they sold coffee and scones. They seem to move a lot of coffee and scones in their stores. Yet the CEO said they sell intimacy, and oh by the way, if you want to plop down $5 for a coffee, you can do that, too. Wow.
In the book, Starbucks Experience (McGraw Hill Companies, 2007), by business consultant Joseph Michelli, we learn the valuable lessons and the genius of Starbucks' success lies in its ability to create personalized customer experiences, stimulate business growth, generate profits, energize employees and secure customer loyalty-all at the same time.
Here's my plea. Why should your business be any different? Why should you allow Starbucks, for example, to create intimacy, loyalty, and a raving fan base when they do not really provide anything that's noble, lasting, or significant? Yet they do provide value in the life of their customers by offering intimacy and a warm place to sit, sip, and become part of a community. Why can't we get this? As a matter of fact, they can charge a premium for their product (and service) because they provide intimacy. Think about it.
This example, and others like it, proves to me that this is more than customer service. This is an intentional strategy from Schultz; he himself said it. It's a culture. There are countless stories of their baristas building meaningful relationships with customers. It also tells me that it's more than corporate branding or millions of dollars in national advertising, because this is done at the grassroots level, in community after community. Sound familiar to you? That should be encouraging since your business is a grassroots practice that does not need national advertising budgets and an expensive branding campaign. It's you with your customers!
Finally, it tells me that this concept of creating intimacy and personal connection with your clients is manageable and portable. It takes efforts and intentionality and it can be done in store after store across the country. You just have to do it in your one location!