This is a quick, charming and moving read. It is the true story of a couple who opened a bookstore in the middle of the pandemic. Small businesses didn’t fare well during lockdowns. This one is thriving. I believe that words–the building blocks of books–are special. I had better, since the God I worship used words to speak the universe …
The minutes you have to change the world
I recently lost a friend due to tragic circumstances. My friend had a huge orbit of impact, and those in the orbit are feeling the loss deeply. One of them posted this: People could ask about the business name in the comments, yeah, sure. But can you imagine how good those employees felt that night? Can you imagine the value …
107: Nintendo’s tips for customer loyalty: A clean, well-lighted metaverse
Who wants to take out a home loan and spend your leisure hours paying it off? Apparently quite a few Nintendo customers. … Mike and Mark explore the magic of Animal Crossing–and five tips it gives for keeping customers loyal and employees engaged. We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email Mike and Mark. Listen here … …
Even Deming thought it was about empathy
“Toyota had problems when the white man took over.” I live near the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Ky.–the company’s largest plant in the world. Lots of folks work there, including folks hours away in Eastern Kentucky. They are in many ways about as un-Japanese as you can get. But these predominately white, Appalachian, rural workers are dead serious about TPS, …
Lessons from a dude getting women and newbies excited about golf
This may be blocked unless you can access LinkedIn, but a golf pro and driving range owner published this insightful article about how he figured out to get women playing and enjoying golf. It’s worth a read if you are an industry trying to include new customer bases (i.e., new revenue streams). (Have you checked your toilets lately?) It’s a …
A clean, well-lighted metaverse
More information continues to come to light on what our employees and customers think about the metaverse. I am, of course, talking about middle-aged people paying off home mortgages from talking raccoons. I owe Tom Nook, like, 90,000 Bells If you’re not familiar, Animal Crossing is a game where you (or, I should say, your cute avatar) arrive at an …
Your employees and customers want to “BeReal”
I’ve discussed how the punk ethos grew out of a “thirst for reality” (in the words of Television’s Richard Hell). That punk concept illuminates a path to employee engagement. In a related vein, I’ve discussed how a company’s content creation must be “authentic.” If you need more proof that your marketing must reflect that, see BeReal. I believe the link …
Do customers see you as Ringling Bros. or Cirque du Soleil?
I don’t care which you prefer: One of them went out of business. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed up shop in 2017. I’ve had a note to myself since then to write an article about it. Since I procrastinated, here’s a well-written one from the Detroit Free Press. “As consumer preferences shifted, the circus stood still.” This …
Are you personalizing it or faking it?
Do you subscribe to my weekly email? If no, please do! If yes, you may have noticed I no longer address you by your personal name. There is a reason. A client called me on it. (Thank you Ali!) He said, “I know that’s slipped in there to get my attention.” That was a kind way of telling me, “I …
Luxury vs. mass-market: no difference?
Last year, the American Customer Satisfaction Index shared an interesting finding: The difference between luxury and mass-market automobiles is disappearing. ACSI has surveyed U.S. consumers across a variety of industries for decades. Now, it appears, in the eyes of consumers, most cars are safe. Reliable. Drivable. And higher-end features–the latest technology–might just debut in the mass-market vehicles instead of their …