Don’t Overlook the Simple Things

When you see “simple” ideas like SMILE or CLEAN, don’t overlook them as being too simple and pass them by, looking for those great once-in-a-lifetime “clever” ideas.

SMILE – companies who focus on having happy, smiling staff – with reminders all around, even down to smiley faces on every phone – find their profits go up, because customers love dealing with them.

Jim Reitzel of Jim Reitzel Realty in Canada, who I’ve known and used as an example for many years, has smiling faces everywhere, including on his giveaway mugs.

Jim, by the way, is in the top 2% of Real Estate Agents in North America – but more on him shortly.

CLEAN – in a seminar in Sydney, Australia, where I mentioned a trucking company in South Africa that built a reputation on immaculately clean trucks – ALWAYS, NO EXCEPTIONS – one of the delegates, a lady, knew the name (MEDWOOD), before I mentioned it.

Whilst neither she nor I had need for a trucking company, MEDWOOD was top of mind for us because of their clean image.

Think of what it conjures:- pride, professionalism, caring, efficient, well-maintained, “will look after us too”, safe . . . the list goes on. Imagine a million-dollar advertising campaign for the cost of detergent, long handled brushes and a disciplined SYSTEM.

Mike Adams, Cairns, Australia, who I mentioned before, was impressed by a motor dealership in Germany whose white-tiled floor in the service department looked clean enough to eat off. Around 35 years later the image is still firmly entrenched in his mind.

The result? When you went to his dealership the mechanics’ washrooms were as clean as you’d find in a hotel. The place just oozed with pride – a place where people love to work and customers love to do business.

Jim Reitzel from Canada, also has a simple idea – for years he has sent all his clients free batteries for their smoke alarms every year.

Do you think people appreciate that?

Another company who has picked up that “simple” idea is Harcourts, the biggest Real Estate Group in New Zealand – a number of their offices do the same thing, every year – great Customer Service, beyond what people expect and generating great loyalty.

There are heaps of “simple” ideas in this book – don’t overlook them and their potential power.

“Get it right first time” is another “simple” idea you’ll find in this book.

Make that a discipline, a promise, with a system backing it that will deliver – then WOW, how powerful it becomes.

When I visited Carl Sewell Cadillac and Chevrolet in New Orleans the banner out front of their Service Department said: “First Time, Every Time” – quite a promise!

But the twin bar graphs (for every single technician) in the Service Director’s office showed they were getting it right.

Think how that affects the customers – you’ve won them with CONSISTENT reliability.

Unlike the dealership I had an 18-month ‘relationship’ with where, almost without fail, every time the car went in to have something fixed it went back the next day to be done again.. I did mention the Carl Sewell reference above but they just didn’t get the picture.
Sad when it’s so “simple”.

Raise the Flag is one of the suggestions you’ll find here. With a little imagination and lateral thinking and WOW – another winner.

When I stay in Wellington New Zealand, rather than stay in one of my usual endless stream of hotels, I stay at a luxury home-stay, Scoresby Manor, run by Paul and Virginia Green – www.scoresbymanor.co.nz

The first time I stayed there, having (by phone earlier) expressed my liking for Speights Old Dark beer (which they didn’t have), I found that by the time I arrived they’d sourced it – icy cold.

The last time I was there they went to the Australian embassy to borrow an Aussie flag and when I arrived there it was – flying for me.

The same goes for American clients etc. Do you think we’ll go back there again?

A resounding YES!!