Why I Don't Like the "No Soup for You!" Subway Model

"No soup for you!" blurts out the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld.  Although not an "OW"edSighting on the episode, other than in tv-land it would have been.  ("OW"edSighting Definition: a customer service experience that was so bad, you quit going back to the business.)

My take ... there's a certain sub shop, Subway, that has a way of doing business whereby a request for a few extra of  "anything" on a sub very well could produce a customer perception that they're facing down that infamous Seinfeld character.  And, notwithstanding those long soup lines on that episode, this is not something that engenders customer loyalty.

Richard Henefer, Henefer Jewelers, St. Louis, MO YouTube Interview on His Employee and WOWEDSighting Recipient, Joyce Hunter

We had a great WOWEDSighting on Joyce Hunter of Henefer Jewelers, St. Louis, MO. (WOWEDSighting on Joyce) Here Richard Henefer discusses how it is that his employee, Joyce, regularly and consistently delivers. Richard concludes the interview with the following: "She's an  incredible, incredible employee and I'm glad to have her."  Well said, Richard.  Video ...

Are You Mad As Hell Because You Had An "OW"edFactor Experience? Tell Us About It!

The "OW"edFactor is the inverse of the "WOW"edFactor.

"WOW"edFactor:  a customer service experience that was so extraordinary, "humanizing, engaging or connecting," your perception of the person you were dealing with, and consequently the business or organization, became significantly enhanced

"OW"edFactor:  a customer service experience that was so bad, "dehumanizing, disengaging or disconnecting," your perception of the person you were dealing with, and consequently the business or organization, became significantly damaged. Basically, it was so bad, it frustrated you and hurt the  business or organization, because you're not coming back! Thus the "OW"!

What's the impact of the "OW"edFactor?

WOWEDFactor Doesn't Happen Until It's Happened

I pull up to the five-minute passenger pick-up area at the airport. I've been there many times before, and I'm used to hearing a harsh directive: "You've got to move your car now!" Not this time. A woman comes over to my car and introduces herself. Evelyn asks me whom I'm picking up. "My wife," I answer. "Where has she been?" Not what we're used to from security officials in our post-9/11 world. She leaves, and about five minutes later returns and nicely asks me to please move the car. She says that she'll look for me when I circle back through. She even asks me what my wife looks like so that she'll be able to alert her that I'm circling. When I circle back she's having a chat with my wife on how her vacation was!  When I think about my experience with Lambert International Airport, it's colored much more by my interaction with Evelyn than how many runways they have.  (Does the airport care about what Evelyn's done to positively further their service image?  Given the fact that this interaction was a rare exception - doubtful.)

I just experienced the "WOWEDFactor."

WOWEDSighting: Amanda K. - OfficeMax "WOWEDFactor delivered by Amanda - loyal customer delivered for OfficeMax!"

Amanda Displays Her WOWEDSighting Certificate

WOWEDSighting Recipient's Testimony:   “Called for assembly directions for a chair. Also was disappointed by the way a ream of paper had arrived, torn and dirty. Amanda immediately apologized, gave me a credit (which I wasn't expecting) for the paper and said: ‘give me fifteen minutes and I will have the assembly directions sent to you via email.’ She delivered all that was promised on time with a smile in her voice. She was absolutely professional and courteous. She made me feel valued as a customer. WOWEDFactor delivered by Amanda – loyal customer delivered for OfficeMax!”

Bud Bottle and the Rose Bud

At our Ethical Selling System seminar, the Director of Sales for Missouri Eagle, an Anheuser-Busch distributor, shared with me a WOWEDSighting he regularly delivered to his customers, who are convenience store managers.

If the manager is a woman, every time he calls on their store, he presents her with a long-stem rose bud in an empty Bud bottle.

Let's  re-visit our WOWEDFactor definition.  In essence, it's a humanizing, engaging or connecting interaction that builds value for the person who delivers it and the company s/he represents.

He explained to me that once he engaged his customers in a genuine WOWEDFactor interaction, their perception of trust and confidence was enhanced.  As a result, the dollar value of the transaction was enhanced.  This is the formula upon which the Ethical Selling System is based: delivering humanizing, engaging or connecting interactions will enhance the value of transactions.  More later on how this approach has been applied successfully to develop business in different industries and professions.

Firestone
firestone@wowedamerica.com
314-863-4000

Miracle on 34th Street and the WOWEDFactor

Miracle on 34th Street, 1947 movie.  My favorite scene.  Mom takes her kid to see Macy's Santa Claus and he recommends to mom that, for the particular product kid wants, "you'd be better off going to Gimbel's." (cross-town rival)   Mom is incredulous that Macy's is telling her to shop at Gimbel's.  She approaches the manager of the toy department and says,

"Pardon me. The guard said to speak to you. You're the head of the toy department? ... Listen. I want to congratulate you and Macy's ... on this wonderful new stunt you're pulling. Imagine, sending people to other stores. I don't get it. Why, it's... Imagine a big outfit like Macy's... putting the spirit of Christmas ahead of the commercial. It's wonderful. I never done much shopping here before... but from now on, I'm going to be a regular Macy customer."

The Krispy Kreme "Squeegee" Proposal

I was brash.  A couple of years ago, I contacted the local Krispy Kreme Doughnut franchisee and say I have a "Squeegee Differentiation Strategy" that would up their key metrics on their drive through: customer count and dollars spent per customer.  If they'll allow me to implement, we could work out a revenue split. They chose not to accept my offer. You think it would have worked?  Read further ...

WOWEDSighting: Steve Karakas - House Painter Extraordinaire

We were extremely fortunate to have found Steve and used his painting services for a number of projects. I can honestly say: there is none better. He is everything you would want in a contractor and then some.  

• One: First and foremost, Steve is a tremendously skilled painter – he does amazing work.  
• Two: His standard of perfection is absolutely the best I’ve seen. He sets the bar so high, only he can see the degree of quality for which he aspires. One day I came home and I saw him working on a project I thought he had finished in a perfect way. He explained that upon looking at it again, he felt it hadn’t been done to his quality standard! Wow.