Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

C. Britt Beemer is founder and CEO of America's Research Group (ARG), a national consumer research firm that has interviewed more than eight-million consumers. He is the author of It Takes a Prophet to Make a Profit and Predatory Marketing.

Robert L. Shook is a bestselling author of many business books, including Longaberger, a number-one New York Times bestseller, and The Pep Talk.

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THE CUSTOMER RULES

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Contents

Chapter One

It's a simple premise. Everyone in the workplace has the same job—serving the customer. The sad thing is that many employees, and even their managers, don't understand it. Of course, if managers don't get it, their subordinates probably won't.

America's Research Group (ARG) conducted a survey in 2008 that asked, "Have you ever considered the notion that everyone has a job at your company that involves the customer?" We find it astonishing that four out of ten working Americans think that neither their nor their coworkers' jobs have anything to do with customers.

Sticking to the same theme, the survey dug deeper. Employees were asked, "Does your supervisor talk to you about how your personal efforts affect the customer?" Of those who responded, 51.5% answered "No." This is a sad commentary on the management of the American workforce.

To get more employees thinking about customers during their workday, it would help if management arranged some conversations between the two. Hearing customers' needs and problems firsthand might allow employees to rethink their jobs. But mostly, this is not happening. In fact, 46% said that they never talked to customers.

Making the Transition

Typically a business owner starts out caring for customers. Running a one-person operation, the owner is devoted to making sales calls, realizing that the best use of his or her time is being in front of customers. This is what generates revenues. Yes, the owner sweeps the floor, takes out the trash, and does the bookkeeping and inventorying—and does these chores in the evenings and on weekends when he or she can't call on customers. Hard-driven entrepreneurs don't need to take Marketing 101 to understand that the customer comes first.

When businesses grow, the owners must assume managerial responsibilities that make demands of their time and take them away from their customers. Some customers feel neglected. They complain that they miss the personal attention they used to receive. It is often difficult for a small business owner to make the transition to run a larger organization. It requires different skills. Hence, the single-minded focus on the customer, once the owner's strong suit, becomes less of a customer-winning advantage.

Often the newly hired staff has little or no contact with customers. While the business owner and sales force continue to make sales calls, others in the company are isolated from the customer. They have never been taught that their work too is customer related.

The owners who are able to make a successful transition from small to large are those who emphasize to their employees that the customer is the reason for the company's existence. These entrepreneurs have learned that taking exceptional care of the customer generates repeat orders. And most satisfied customers are the best source of referrals that generate still more business. Spending a good amount of their time in the field, these owners maintain firsthand knowledge of their customers' whims and needs. Their dedication to serving customers can become deeply ingrained in their company's culture, spreading into the consciousness and working habits of its employees. In a well-managed company, no matter its size, the sole proprietor's job, catering to the customers, becomes everyone's job.

To see how this works firsthand, visit a Four Seasons hotel and ask an employee where the coffee shop is. Ask a housekeeper, bellhop, or even a maintenance worker who's on a ladder changing a lightbulb. If the maintenance worker is asked, it's likely that he'll climb down and give you a friendly greeting. But he will not give you directions. He'll do better. He'll escort you to the coffee shop. "Just come with me," he'll politely say.

"Why does he do it?" you may ask. "Isn't his job to do maintenance and fix broken things?" Of course that's his job. But like all other Four Seasons employees, he knows that serving customers is his main job.

In many hotels, it's uncommon that a room attendant even says "hello" to a guest. That's because she's been trained to clean rooms. That's her job. A Four Seasons room attendant knows better. She's been trained to know that her job is to serve customers, and this obligation includes extending hospitality in the form of a warm greeting to guests.

Serving Others

The people at the companies we visited are driven by a desire to serve others. These women and men go to work every day with a desire to do good for their customers, employees, and communities. So where does such an attitude start? Our research has shown that the founder first aspired to these lofty goals.

David Steward is the chairman of World Wide Technology (WWT), a company he founded in 1990 with an initial investment of $250,000. Headquartered in St. Louis, WWT is now the largest African American–owned business in the United States, with sales in excess of $2.4 billion. A man of faith, Steward set out to run a company based on teachings from the Bible. He says that, like Jesus, his mission is to serve others.

"My serving starts with the 1,200-plus people associated with my company," Steward explains. "This means I must place the needs of our employees above my own. I am here to help them succeed. Consequently, a high percentage of my time and energy is spent coaching, advising, and supporting our people."

Steward disagrees with managers who believe their chiefdom entitles them to be served by subordinates. "They think that because they've worked their way up and have a corner office, they've earned the right to sit back and savor the perks they believe come with the job," he points out. 'I've paid the price,' they say. 'Now it's my turn to get what's due me.' They think their role in management is to be served. It's the other way around. It's a sign of trouble when a company has senior managers who expect to be placed on a pedestal while obedient subordinates scramble to serve them. Good leaders understand that their role is to serve their people. Serving others is not only the best way to get to the top, it's the best way to stay there. Once you've been promoted up the corporate ladder, your avenues to serve others are multiplied.

"My number one priority as chairman is to serve my people," Steward maintains. "If I am able to do this, it will permeate the organization and carry over to the customer. We believe that when this happens, our company will succeed."

World Wide Technology employees are reminded of their role in serving customers every time they receive a paycheck. On the check, the message is inscribed, "A satisfied customer made this check possible."

Harrah's, founded in Reno in 1936 by Bill Harrah, is one of the oldest casinos in Nevada. Today, it is known as Caesars Entertainment and is the largest gaming company in the world. Other well-known casinos that were once landmarks such as the Desert Inn, the Dunes, El Rancho, and the Sands are long gone. Harrah's survival and success are due in part to the high regard its people have for the customer. Its customer-focused policies trace back to Harrah himself, a man who, unlike David Steward, spent little time in church. Still, he too cared about treating customers well. Harrah is once known...