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TUESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2012 A WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER COMPILED BY SAM GEIST
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MARKETPLACE LESSONS
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I just read about Starbuck's mega Leadership Lab. The article reminded me of my advertising and marketing days when we preached "It's Showtime" as a vehicle to convince our clients that they had to engage their people to connect with their customers.
Fast forward a few years. Companies now clearly understand how vital training is. U.S. companies spent an estimated $67 billion on training in 2011 alone. Some however have been more creative and more engaging in their efforts than others.
Starbucks's Leadership Lab is part leadership training. It's also part trade show, with demonstrations of new products and signs with helpful sales suggestions. The majority of experiences are meant to be educational.
But what makes the Leadership Lab different than a typical corporate trade show is the production surrounding all of this. The lights, the music, and the dramatic big screens all help Starbucks marinate its store managers in its brand and culture. It's theater--a concept that Starbucks itself is built on. It's Showtime!
"The merchant's success depends on his or her ability to tell a story," writes Schultz. "What people see or hear or smell or do when they enter a space guides their feelings, enticing them to celebrate whatever the seller has to offer."
Starbuck's was successful in making their managers "feel" the experience, making them more passionate about the brand. They leave feeling important to the enterprise, even inspired to pass this feeling forward to their store people and in turn to their customers. Now that's what it's all about!
LESSON LEARNED:
"Your people are ready to be your stars. Just let them be in the show!"
--Sam Geist
Click here to read the full article.
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THE STATS
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New research finds that customers who participate in a brand's social community are likely to show higher transaction volume in the weeks following the event that spurred their engagement.
Using Canada's AIR MILES rewards program as a case study, researchers found a "direct, positive, and tangible" link between social media activity and transaction volume. 
--Marketing Charts/Loyalty One
Click here to read study details. ----------------------------------------
We're all looking for ways to be more productive. This time management site offers up suggestions yo be more productive by being unreachable. - Don't Answer That Phone - If I don't know who is calling, I don't answer it. Plain and simple. That is what voicemail is for.
- Use Privacy Mode to Limit Callers - I take control of who can ring my cellphone by using Privacy Mode. That way only the people that I allow can actually ring my phone.
- Only Read the Important Email - I don't read email very often. When I do, I make sure that I read the important ones first. I use the new VIP Inbox and a great service called Sanebox to make sure that my most important email is what I see first.
- Don't Read Unsolicited Email - Lots of people complain about spam. I don't get much. But, the ones I do, I just don't read. Delete, delete, delete.
- Use Quick Forms of Communication - A quick IM, text, or tweet can be much more efficient in some circumstances. Sometimes it is not necessary to get on the phone or have a face-to-face chat.
- I Shut My Door - When I am working on something that needs concentration and uninterrupted creative time, I shut my door. Don't let some misguided open-door policy prevent you from getting your work done.
- Set Expectations - One of the best ways to limit interruptions is to set expectations with your team. Ensure they know the preferred methods of communications and when it is appropriate to interrupt.
- Practice the Right to Decline - Many people feel guilty if they do not answer their phone or immediately respond to an email. Give yourself permission to decline the interruptions.
--Time Management Ninja
Click here to read the entire post.
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| THE QUOTES |
"Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone."
--Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)
Influential writer and patron
of the arts
"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently." --Warren Buffet, American business magnate, investor and philanthropist To read more from Warren Buffet see first SITE SEEING link below.
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comments or suggestions to [email protected] |
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Connect with Sam Geist
  
Reproduction for publication is encouraged with the following attribution:
From "QuickBites," by Sam Geist. (800) 567-1861 http://www.samgeist.com
Sam Geist lectures, facilitates workshops and conducts training seminars on sales & marketing, the changing marketplace, leadership, differentiation, customer service and staff motivation. His three books, "Why Should Someone Do Business With You... Rather Than Someone Else?" "Would You Work for You?" and "Execute... or Be Executed" are available in bookstores everywhere, published by Addington & Wentworth Inc.
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