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Low Tech - High Impact

 

For this edition of Motivational Minute, I am simply copying an email that a CEO distributed to his team. You will see what an incredible impact a simpler - some would say old-fashioned - effort can have.

 

Here is what you need to know before you read this:

  •  The CEO, Shane Lauterbach, is not an effusive person - it takes a significant impact to generate a response like this
  • Shane's company, the Lauterbach Group, is in the printing business and quality is taken to the highest levels there in all categories  

 

Here is his message to his team:

 

This morning is a great morning! When I walked in the office the first person that met me was Anna. She was pretty excited to show me a Thank You card she had received from a supplier. This supplier provided us with a digital plate caliper. The card is attached for you to look at.

 

Here was what struck me:

 

The card has kind of a low budget picture on the front, not professionally staged or taken, but shows how remarkable this supplier's people are as people.  The card has a hand written message of thanks. By itself, it is nothing to write home about.  BUT, the card is incredibly effective! It has been passed through the entire accounting department. Derek [marketing] has seen it, and then Anna brought it to me.  I brought it to the client service department to show them.

 

Can you tell me any marketing piece you have received in recent memory where you had to show 14 people? Have you seen a marketing piece sent by the President of a company to their employees telling them how cool this card is? I had no idea who Reid Supply Company was until this morning. I did not know what they sold, I did not know who any of their sales people were, I did not know who their client service people are but, I know what Reid Supply does now, and I know Lisa is in the client service department. Now you know that Reid Supply exists and that Lisa in client services is proud of what they do.

 

All of this because Reid Supply wanted to touch their client. Reid Supply shows their clients that they care and that they are there to help them. At the end of the day, I did not ask what price we paid for the caliper. I did not ask Reid Supply to bid on this tool.

 

I do recognize that they must care about us or they would not have taken 3 minutes to send the card. I believe that if we have a problem with this expensive instrument, they will make it right because they are taking time to care.

 

All this in 3 minutes, a .29 cent stamp and a .10 cent postcard. Again, tell me an investment in any marketing piece, in any website development, in any twitter post or trade show we attend that will give us a return like the $1.00 investment of this postcard? Yes, it takes discipline to write these notes in our busy days. But again, look at the impact.

 

We have the best people there are in our industry. Our challenge has been and will always be to show our clients that we are the best; we do care about their business, their passions, and the BRAND that defines who they are. We take this seriously because it is what we are about! In the age of a 100 emails a day, text messaging, phone calls and social media posts, the simple hand written notes speaks to the essence of who we are as individuals and as a company. We care and we take the time to show we care.

 

So I am sure you are asking: how does this help us create an exceptional client experience through ease of doing business, protecting and enhancing our clients brand and keeping promises? Look again at what I have written...

 

  • We know who our client service team is at Reid Supply.
  • We know they have pride in what they do and what services they provide.
  • We know they care about our company and their products through a personalized note.
  • We know they will support any issues we have with the instrument we have purchased.
  • We know they will answer any questions or training issues Jesse has about the instrument.

 

All this from a total investment of $1.00!

 

Wow - a $1 investment in a technology many of us have abandoned has the CEO and others in the client's organization buzzing.

 

How can you use this idea? CEOs? Sales Professionals? Customer Service Reps?
 

 

 

   

Teach Others!


 

Chuck Reaves, CSP, CPAE, CSO 


 


 

800. MR. REAVES (800.677.3283)

Chuck Reaves, CSP, CPAE, CSO
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