Archives

Feb 25 2010

Customer Service Hero: Trader Joe's

When was the last time an anonymous customer wrote a song and produced a music video praising your company? This YouTube video, called "If I Made a Commercial for Trader Joe's," has been viewed over half a million times.

4 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 6:17 PM

Nov 18 2009

Customer Service Heroes: The Sprinting Waiter

In Good to Great (Harper Business, 2001), Jim Collins writes that "good is the enemy of great." That is certainly the case with customer service, as customers notice when someone has done something extra special just for them. We may not be able to surprise and delight every customer, but we should build a company culture of people who will jump at the chance to do so.

2 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 4:20 PM

Sep 23 2009

When Opportunity Beeps

It takes time and practice to see things that can hide in plain sight, like addiction and opportunity.

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Categories: Creativity | Entrepreneurialism

18 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 3:32 PM

Sep 17 2009

Develop An Eye for Opportunity

Because I couldn't read well as a youngster, I learned from direct experience. Experience is a harsh teacher, since the test comes first and the lesson follows. Still, I embraced every chance to participate in life. I started businesses, like my vegetable stand. I skipped school to watch my father's stockbroker at work. One thing I saw for myself was that to succeed in school, you had to be good at everything, but to succeed as an adult, you only had to be good at one or two things.

6 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 3:37 PM

Jun 18 2009

GM's Big Dreams

The standout exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair belonged to none other than General Motors. Called Futurama, the display took visitors on a tour through an incredibly detailed - and mostly accurate - model of the continental United States as it would appear in the far-off future of 1960. Considering that the World's Fair took place after ten years of Depression and while Europe was descending into the madness of war, General Motors' imaginative optimism seems all the more impressive.

General Motors recognized the harsh facts in front of them, but nevertheless dreamed big dreams and worked to make them come true - they helped to create America's future. So what happened?

0 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 5:35 PM

Jun 12 2009

Preparing for College

Congratulations to this year's high school graduates. Those of you preparing to enter college in the fall will be investing more money than ever before for your education, so here are some thoughts on getting your dollar's worth.

1. Small talk is a big deal. College is a great place to acquire friends and ideas, and small talk starts the process. You're about to be thrust into a new environment, and your willingness to chat shows that you are interested in life and people. Project a demeanor of openness and positivity; use your idle time in the dorms or hallways to start conversations and form friendships. Of all the skills you learn or refine in college, the art of conversation may be the most valuable throughout your life.

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Categories: Creativity | Education | Leadership | Optimism

1 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 9:28 AM

May 12 2009

Happiness as a Business Model

The Zappos Way of Managing, an article in the May issue of Inc. Magazine, describes how Zappos.com leader Tony Hsieh "uses relentless innovation, stellar customer service, and a staff of believers to make Zappos.coman e-commerce juggernaut - and one of the most blissed-out businesses in America."

The article attributes the online shoe store's success to Hsieh's obsession with customer and coworker happiness. Not satisfaction, or adherence to industry standards, or comfort or efficiency or economy, but personal, individual happiness. This man is a genius.

1 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 11:39 PM

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