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Another owner story
/in Extraordinary Customer/Client Service/by Tom DoescherLast summer, my car windshield was the target of a stone that cracked the glass. The next morning I went to the grocery store and, in the parking lot, I noticed a pickup truck with a sign advertising “glass replacement” on the side of it. The service this guy provided was world-class. He told me to go ahead and shop while he took care of the crack. When I returned, he called the insurance company on my behalf — and a few minutes later, I was on my way. (Well, not really. You know me; I had to find out more.) As it turns out, this is a franchise business and the man who fixed my windshield is the owner. As the owner, it’s not surprising that he is willing to do whatever it takes to do the job well and make each and every customer happy. The question is, how do you get your associates to behave like you?
Are you focused?
/in Nuggets and Encouragement Regarding Strategy and Focus/by Tom DoescherSo many good businesses do not reach their full potential because they try to do everything and never become world-class at anything. The other day I went to a new shop to have my car repaired. The owner had a fixed list of services, and fixed hours. He knows what he does, he does it well, and he executes the services flawlessly. If you ask for something that’s not on the list, he will cheerfully refer you to someone else. The result? His parking lot is full of happy, satisfied customers like me. Is your business as clearly focused as this auto-repair shop?
When associates behave like owners, good things happen
/in Ideas to help you build a solid team/by Tom DoescherA number of years ago I was on a plant tour, which I really love to do. When we arrived at a particular machining station, the owner asked the operator to explain what the machine was doing. The operator gave the most complete explanation I had ever heard, including the business case for purchasing this $250,000 machine. After she completed her explanation, I made the comment that she really knew a lot about this piece of equipment. Her response was that she had researched it and had recommended that the company purchase it. Later on, as I was reflecting on our conversation, I thought of this rhetorical question: “Do you think the operator was motivated to get that new equipment up and running smoothly fast?” How about you — do you create an environment where your associates behave as if they were the owners? Perhaps you should think about giving them the responsibility to act. If they feel empowered to act on behalf of the company, their sense of personal investment can move the entire organization further ahead, faster.