I just received my feedback from a speech I gave in Indianapolis a few weeks back. The audience connected with the "Deliver on the Promise" message. They got that it was important to follow through on your promises to customers, employees, vendors, and corporate culture. What's really amazing is that these were not seasoned business people. They were high school students! If high school students can get it, why do so many businesses continue to over promise and under deliver? This was a real eye opener. --josh
Just finished with Collegeboxes yeserday. Though we sold the business in January, I stayed on to ensure a smooth transition. The business is doing well and I'm confident the new owners (store to door) are going to take great care of the business and the customers. Of course, leaving a company you've helped create is bittersweet.
I'm going to Asia on Tuesday for five weeks of eating and backpacking. I'm teaching a business class at Bay State College when I return this fall. If you want to be on the asia e-mail update list, let me know (kowittj [at] gmail [.com]).
If you call the 800 number a human being picks up within two rings. Wow.
They also don't charge fees for international atm use (this is good because i'm going to asia on tuesday). There was a problem setting up my account. They solved it. See e-mail below...
To Whom It May Concern,
I would like to let you know what a great asset CJ is to your organization. I went into the City Ave (Philly) branch last Saturday to open a checking account. By mistake, my middle name was used instead of my last name. I came in the next day to have it changed and Charles helped me. Unfortunately, the first shot at a name change didn't go through. Today, Charles helped me finalize the name change and even setup my online access. If only every company (and employee, for that matter) took customer service as seriously as Charles.
Keep it up!
Josh
I love ice cream. And I really love when the ice cream tastes as creamy and delicious as it looks. Most ice creams are average. In this category we have (sorry for the misspelling) breyers, edys, friendly's, etc. Then you have above average: ben and jerry's, hagen daz. Then you have really good. I would put Brighams in this category. And then, in the golden circle, you have Richardsons (www.richardsonsicecream.com). Only available in New England, their ice cream is incredible. I called them to tell them how great their ice cream is and I spoke to the owner. She told me her son was going to call me back (after he finished his delivery run) to tell me where I can buy Richardsons in my neighbor. As if their 16% milk fat ice cream couldn't get better, the owner "promised" (her words, not mine) to call me back. I was drooling when I was eating her ice cream, and now I'm drooling at their customer service. WOW!!!!!
Click here to read the full post written by Donna Fenn
Growing up through to the present, my parents belonged to Beth Am Israel. It's a relatively small synagogue in a relatively wealthy area--The Main Line. The Main Line has a ton of Jews and the synagogues (of which there are many) comprise a cross between beauty pageants and fraternities. There are the fancy synagogues, the rich synagogues, the well-dressed synagogues, the hippie/psychologist synagogues, the reform synagogues, and the orthodox synagogues. Most Jews in the area are Conservative so that's where the competition heats up.
Beth Am seemed to be a home for psychologists, ex-hippies, and the families that found the fashion runway of other, fancier synagogues a bit overwhelming (or at least their wardrobe was not up to par). With only 200 families our facilities were very limited. The building was one room with sliding orange walls that would break things up into smaller classrooms. The kitchen was always a mess and the bathrooms smelled like urine (even though I saw them get cleaned constantly). I'm going to guess that Beth Am dues were the same if not slightly higher then other conservative synagogues with fancy chapels, fancy classrooms, and fancy kitchens. Why were people paying for dreck (Yiddish for crap)? Just like any business with a loyal following paying a premium price, there's something "more" to be had than the typical "you pay for what you get." Indeed, there was something about our little synagogue that money couldn't buy.
The rabbi and educational director knew each congregant by name. Even the congregants wore their Beth Am pride on their shoulder as if it was some sort of special cult. We were the synagogue that would always have a big showing for the Israeli Independence Day Parade. Even as a young teenager, I could tell that my parents and their friends felt deeply connected to Beth Am. So what's the lesson?
I think it's pretty clear. What people are "buying" when the join a synagogue is a relationship to a community. Whether the building is fancy or not has nothing to do with the perceived value of the community. Take City Feed & Supply in Jamaica Plain, MA (where I live). This wildly popular sandwich shop is nothing special in its appearance, signage, or personnel. However, it knows exactly what makes a great sandwich shop--great sandwiches! They use local ingredients that are fresh and flavorful and they take pride in only serving what tastes good.
In short, a business/synagogue/person/manager must focus and execute on that one or two critical elements that defines success or failure. For Beth Am it is creating a special, tight-knit community, for City Feed, it is the best sandwiches in town. Translation: If the 'promise' is the end-all-be-all goal, the 'delivery' is an intense focus on this-and-only-this.
If you caught the cover article in the NY Times magazine this weekend you were in for a real treat. Written by Emily Gould, she talks about obsessing with blogs, working for gawker, and then having the whole "blogger-celebrity-fame" ruin her life. This seems like a pretty easy train wreck to predict.
Think back to high school or college. When you had to study for a test, you didn't study 24/7 for months and months. It doesn't work. Why? You can't concentrate for that long, you lose focus, and most importantly the ratio of information retention to time is quite poor. That's why people cram (or at least study harder and more intense closer to the test). By learning more per minute you are more efficient and will earn a better grade.
Much is the same with work. Work all the time and you probably won't get much done. Work in a set period of time with set goals and you'll feel a pretty solid sense of accomplishment.
Imagine if you're a consultant and are paid by the hour. If you kept your clock running while you half-assed your work, I bet your clients wouldn't be real happy. Why treat clients better then yourself? You shouldn't. When you work for yourself, work hard, concentrate, and get the job done (think--deliver on the promise to yourself). When you work for your clients, work hard, concentrate, and get the job done (think--deliver on the promise for your customers).
Practice: Pick a goal, set a time period, and see if you can focus 100% (no e-mail, IM, TV) and get it done. Want help? Check out Journey Page operated by two friends Michael and Sheenah.
Welcome to my blog. It's time that you enter the world of the promise. As you can read in "my story" I have experience delivering on the promise and even more experience not delivering. Over the past six months, I've gotten really into the idea of simple businesses (or simple business executions) that deliver on the promise each and every time. I give talks, coach other business owners, and speak with friends and family on this subject. This blog is going to cover companies/people/government/situations/whatever that DO and DO NOT deliver on the promise. I have a personal taste for companies that at first don't deliver and then learn to deliver. Much like my experience at Collegeboxes, the shipping and storage company I owned for four years, it's not enough to simply work hard. You must constantly fulfill your promise to customers, employees, vendors, and other stakeholders.
I want to begin by talking about JetBlue. As you know their business was built on low fares and great service (think TVs, blue potato chips, etc.). When they had an operational disaster in the face of a March 2007 storm, they were devastated. They were not going to let the critics win. Instead, they came out with an industry-first "customer bill of rights." This move was a credible commitment on the company's part to reestablish is tattered reputation.
I fly frequently and I know that every single traveler I've ever met raves about JetBlue. In fact, there's almost something zealous in their rave. It's as if they believe in their baby airline even more because of the lessons it's learned. Could it be that screwing something up and then making right is actually more endearing to your customers then never screwing up at all?
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